Hello readers! I finally finished the next chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long. I had no idea how to fit in Wonder and Tyler and was to lazy to try. I hope I was able to keep the Master in character. Please review!
P.S. I'm still taking questions for the 50th chapter.
"Rise and shine!" The Master said cheerfully, startling me awake as he entered Tyler and I's shared room. I glared darkly at him as I sat up. "Oh, don't give me that look," he scolded, still grinning. "Breakfast will be served shortly, so hurry up and get dressed." He walked out and the door slid shut behind him. I sighed and ran a hand through my messy hair, letting out a large yawn. I glanced down at Tyler who was still sleeping next to me.
"Tyler, time to wake up," I coaxed, running my hand through his hair.
"I don't want to," Tyler grumbled, curling into a ball and pulling the covers over his head. I chuckled lightly at his antics.
I took the covers and yanked them off him, causing him to let out a groan of protest. "Come on, sweetheart." He responded by curling into a tighter ball, doing his best to hide his face. I rolled my eyes in amusement. "If you don't get up, the Tickle Monster is going to get you."
Tyler uncurled himself and looked up at me with horror. "Please, not the Tickle Monster!"
I smiled mischievously and held up my hands in a claw like fashion. "Here he come!"
"No!" Tyler yelled, scrambling to get off the bed. I grabbed him and began to tickle his stomach. The 3 year old squealed and laughed uncontrollably as I tickled him. Finally, I stopped and sat back on my legs as Tyler laid on the bed, breathing heavily as he calmed down.
"Come on," I said, patting his leg and getting to my feet. A few minutes later, we were dressed with teeth brushed and hair combed. I opened the door, revealing a guard. He gestured for us to walk ahead as he followed Tyler and I to the conference room.
"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," the Master said as we approached him and Lucy standing just outside the conference room doors. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Well, let's go then, I'm starving!" He looped his arm through Lucy's and waltzed into the conference room. "I hope you guys are in the mood for pancakes!" He plopped himself down in a chair at the head of the table while Lucy sat in a chair to his left. Tyler sat in a chair to the Master's right and I sat on the other side of Tyler. Tish and Francine came forward each dressed in a maid's uniform and holding a tray of plates filled with food. They set the plates down in front of us and back off. "Oh, don't forget to feed the dog," the Master said, digging into his pancakes. I looked to the corner by the stairs to the bridge where a tent was set up. I watched sadly as the Doctor crawled out. Francine set a bowl of pancakes down for him, giving him a sympathetic look as she did so. We ate mostly in silence except for the Master, who chatted lively about the things on Earth he planned to change in between bites of bacon and pancake. "Mmm, that hit the spot," he said, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach. He sighed in satisfaction and pushed his chair out from the table. "Time for my routine check of the ship. Come along." He got to his feet and walked towards the door, Lucy at his heels.
"Actually, Master, I was wondering if you would allow Tyler and I to stay behind with the Doctor?" I asked.
The Master cocked an eyebrow. "Now why would I allow that?"
"Because the Doctor and I are bonded and you know we can't be apart for long," I told him. "Just an hour, please. Leave a guard behind if you must, but can you give us at least an hour?" The Master considered me for a few moments and I was sure he was going to say no.
"Fine," he finally replied. "Only an hour." I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and smiled in relief. He pointed to a guard. "You, stay with them." He then walked out, Lucy in tow.
I quickly led Tyler over to the Doctor who was sitting on the floor outside his tent. "Hey, how're you doing?"
The Doctor shrugged tiredly. "About as well as I can be given the circumstances," he replied. "What about you and Tyler?"
"Better than you," I said, nodding towards his tent. I sighed. "We're hanging in there. I miss you though…we both do."
The Doctor gazed at me sadly. "I know. I miss you too." I sat down beside him and laid my head on his shoulder and Tyler crawled into his lap. "We'll find a way out of this, I promise."
An hour later, the Master came back. "Did we enjoy our little play date?" He asked in a childish voice. The Doctor and I both glared at him. "Now now, children, don't be like that," he scolded lightly. "It's time for you two to go now. Say goodbye to daddy."
"Bye, daddy," Tyler said, wrapping his small arms around his father's neck. The Doctor wrapped an arm around his son, hugging him as tightly as he could in his weakened state.
"Come on, let's go," the Master said impatiently.
I ignored him and leaned in to kiss my husband on the cheek. "I love you, Theta," I whispered. As Tyler and I followed the Master out of the conference room, I gave the Doctor one last longing look, wondering how long this would go on.
Day after day, for a whole year this routine went on. Tyler and I spent our meals with the Master and he would let us spend an hour with the Doctor in the afternoon, supervised of course. After each meal, the Master would have Tyler and I escorted back to our room. The hour we got to spend with the Doctor was the one thing I looked forward to each day and the only thing besides Tyler that kept me going. Over the year we had been imprisoned Tyler had grown and was now 3 years old and was looking more and more like his father every day. His brown hair had grown so long in the last year that it hung in his eyes. I felt bad that Tyler always had his hair hanging down in his face, but it didn't seem to bother him. After seeing what the Master had done to his father, Tyler was no longer very fond of his uncle, which was fine by me. Of course, that didn't seem to stop the Master from doting on his nephew. He still made sure that we both had everything we needed to stay occupied. I was surprised that he still showed us some semblance of decorum. My guess was that our bond as family, minuscule as it was, kept him at least a bit civil towards us.
Tyler and I were currently locked in our room. Tyler was reading one of the books the Master had given him while I sketched. It was one of the few things that kept me calm. I did my best to pretend my son and I weren't locked up, that my husband wasn't in the body of an old man and being treated as the Master's dog. I drew scenes of happier days; the Doctor, Rose, and I lounging on his trench coat as we watched flying cars soar around New Earth; Martha and Shakespeare as they sat on the theater stage, attempting to tell each other jokes from their respective times; the Doctor and I sitting on our favorite hill on Gallifrey overlooking Arcadia on the day he proposed to me; the Doctor passed out in a chair, holding a sleeping month old Tyler in his arms. I smiled softly as I finished shading my latest drawing. It was the Doctor playing peek-a-boo with a three month old Tyler. Tyler was laying on the Doctor and I's bed, giggling away as his father hid behind his hands. The good feeling was squashed as I heard the lock on the door click and slide open, revealing my grinning brother.
"Good afternoon," the Master greeted cheerfully, strutting inside. I glanced up from my sketch and cocked an eyebrow, before looking back down. "What, no 'good afternoon my dearest brother'?" He asked with a pout. I didn't dignify him with a response. "Well, fine then," he huffed in mock offense. I merely rolled my eyes at him. He tossed something onto my bed. "Put that on. One of my guards will escort you to the bridge." I looked over the top of my sketch book at the articles of clothing he had tossed on the bed.
"Why?" I asked gruffly.
"You should look nice for your daily visit with your husband," the Master replied. "Now hurry up, your husband is waiting." He flashed me another smile and left.
I sighed and closed my sketch book. I grabbed the clothes he had left behind and held them up. He had given me an ankle length, turquoise ombre sleeveless dress. For Tyler, he had left a black suit and tie matching the one he was wearing. I sighed again and went into the adjoining bathroom to change. I examined myself in the mirror. I had to grudgingly admit, my brother did know how to pick a dress.
"Do I have to wear this, mummy?" Tyler whined as I fixed his tie.
"I'm afraid so, sweetie," I told him. "We wouldn't want to disappoint your uncle, would we?" Tyler shook his head. The last time I decided to ignore what my brother wanted...well, let's just say I won't be doing that again. Once Tyler and I were dressed, I opened the door to find a guard standing just outside. "I'm assuming you're here to escort us?" I asked. The guard gave me a stiff nod. I took Tyler's hand and gestured with the other. "Lead the way, then." We arrived at the doors to the bridge where my brother stood waiting with his hands clasped behind his back.
The Master turned and grinned when he saw Tyler and I. "There you are!" He said happily. He looked over the two of us appraisingly. "You look gorgeous! Now we can begin." He turned back around and spoke over the PA. "Citizens rejoice. Your lord and master stands on high playing Track 3." The doors to the bridge opened and the Master waltzed in with a dramatic spin as "I Can't Decide" played over the PA. He sang along as he slid over to Lucy, who was wearing a long red gown. The Master dipped his wife slightly, giving her a long kiss. I never thought it possible, but I felt bad for Lucy. Soon after the Master took control, he became physically abusive with her, the cut under her left eye as evidence. The Master, still singing, sat in one of the chairs at the table and spun as Francine, dressed in a maid's uniform served him tea. He took one sip and spit it out, tipping the cup upside down and dumping the tea all over the table. He ran up onto the bridge and rang an old-fashioned ship's bell. I looked to the small tent pitched in the corner of the room and watched sadly as the Doctor crawled out. The Master strutted over to him and forced him into a wheelchair then proceeded to push him around the room, still singing along. I still stood by the doors, my hands gripping Tyler's shoulders tightly as I watched the Master parade around the room. Words could not describe the anger I felt towards my brother and how much I wanted to make him pay for all he had done. The Master stopped wheelchair by one of the windows. "It's ready to rise, Doctor. The new Time Lord Empire." I looked out the window as some Toclafane flew by. "It's good, isn't it? Isn't it good? Anything? No? Anything?" The Master waved his hand in front of the Doctor's face, which remained impassive. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they? Those Toclafane, ever since you worked out what they really are. They say Martha Jones... has come back home. Now why would she do that?" I perked up slightly at that. It was good to hear that she was still alive. Course, I had known she was still alive, if she had been killed, the Master would have see fit to make sure everyone knew.
"Leave her alone," the Doctor growled breathlessly.
"But you said something to her, didn't you? On the day I took control. What did you tell her?"
"I have one thing to say to you. You know what it is," the Doctor replied.
The Master growled in frustration. "Oh, no you don't" He shoved the Doctor's wheelchair away till he hit a wall.
"Valiant now entering Zone One airspace. Citizens rejoice," a voice said over the
"Come on, people!" The Master shouted, clapping his hands loudly. "What are we doing? Launch Day in 24 hours!" I looked back to the Doctor in time to see him press three fingers to his thigh as Francine walked by with her tray of tea. I raised an eyebrow. What did he have planned? The Master walked towards me, Lucy trailing behind him. "Go on," he said, waving a hand lazily at me. "Go be with your precious bonded. But don't forget, my guards will be watching. I'll be back shortly." I nodded and as soon as he left with his wife, I rushed over to the Doctor.
"You ok?" I asked, running my eyes over him.
The Doctor nodded with a tired smile. "I'm fine." I pushed his wheelchair back over to his tent and helped him out.
"What was with the three fingers?" I inquired quietly.
"Nothing you need to be concerned with." I gazed at him skeptically, but didn't press him. "You look beautiful," he said. I smiled at him.
"Daddy," Tyler said, crawling into his father's lap and hugging him.
The Doctor managed a tired smile as he wrapped an arm around his son. "Hey, Tyler. What did you bring this time?"
"I brought a book!" Tyler said happily. He held up a book he had taken from our room.
The Doctor took the book from Tyler and looked at the title. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, huh?" Tyler nodded. "Should we have mummy read to us?" Tyler nodded again, grinning widely. The Doctor looked to me. "Mummy?"
I chuckled quietly and took the book from the Doctor. I opened to the first chapter and began to read. "Chapter 1. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." Tyler sat in his father's lap as both he and the Doctor listened. As I read, I ignored everything around me but my son and husband. I could imagine, even if it was only for a short while, that we were back on the TARDIS, taking a break from our adventures and simply enjoying spending time with each other. Of course, the peace was short lived as the Master came strutting back in. I glanced at the clock which read "14:58". I inwardly groaned. He was two minutes early.
"Time for my massage. Who shall I have today?" The Master wondered aloud. "Tanya. Come on, sweetheart. Lucy, have you met Tanya? She's gorgeous." He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the table. "Tanya, when we get to the stars, I'm gonna take you to Katria Nova. Whirlpools of gold." He sat down in a chair as Tanya came up behind him. "You two should get to know each other. That might be fun." The Master groaned in content as Tanya began to massage his shoulders. Suddenly, an alarm sounded.
"Condition red!" The PA system announced. The Doctor shifted Tyler off his lap and into my arms.
The Master sat up and turned in annoyed confusion. "What the heck?" He jumped up and went up the stairs to the bridge.
"Repeat: condition red." Francine grabbed the Master's jacket and threw it to Tish who then handed it to the Doctor. I watched, wide eyed as the Doctor took the laser screwdriver and aimed it at the Master.
The Master raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see," he said, not sounding remotely concerned for his safety though he held his hands up.
"I told you. I have one thing to say," the Doctor reminded him. He pressed the button on the laser screwdriver, but nothing happened.
The Master laughed. "Isomorphic controls," he said smugly, leaning over and taking his screwdriver from the Doctor. He then promptly backhanded the Doctor, sending him to the floor.
"Doctor!" I shouted. I set Tyler on the floor and rushed over to the Doctor.
"Which means they only work for me," the Master continued, ignoring me. "Like this." He shot the wall behind Francine. "Say sorry!"
"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry!" Francine apologized quickly, cowering in terror.
"Mum!" Tish shouted, rushing to her.
"Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha?" The Master asked. Lucy ran over, picked up his jacket, and helped him put it on. "Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away."
"Move! Come on," a guard ordered. He forced Francine an Tish out at gunpoint.
The Master watched them go with a satisfied smile. He walked over to the Doctor and I and grabbed the Doctor by his arm. "Okay. Gotcha," he said, dropping the Doctor into a chair. "There you go, Gramps." He sat on the edge of the table and nudged the Doctor's chair with his foot. "Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, that famous Doctor, was waging a time war. Battling Sea Devils and Axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single-handed. Ooh. And look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers. How did he ever come to this? Oh yeah. Me!" The Master laughed gleefully and I had to try very hard not to knock him off the table.
"I just need you to listen," the Doctor told him breathlessly.
The Master glared at the Doctor. "No, it's my turn. Revenge! Best served hot. And this time... It's a message for Miss Jones." My hearts skipped a beat. Whatever he planned to do, I knew it wasn't going to be good. A few short minutes later, the Master had a camera set up. I was sitting at the table, out of the site of the camera, with Tyler sitting on my lap. The Doctor was still in his chair, in direct line with the camera. The Master approached the camera. "My people. Salutations on this, the eve of war. Lovely woman. But I know there's all sorts of whispers down there. Stories of a child, walking the Earth, giving you hope." He walked to stand next to the Doctor. "But I ask you... how much hope has this man got? Say hello, Gandalf. Except he's not that old but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted, little apes. What if it showed? What if I suspend your capacity to regenerate? All 900 years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them?" I watched in horror as the Master pulled out his laser screwdriver again and pointed it at the Doctor. The Doctor began to writhe in pain as he was forcibly aged. I winced and gripped my chest in pain as, once again, the Doctor was unable to prevent his pain from leaking through our link. "Older and older and older." I closed my eyes and gripped Tyler tightly, unable to see my husband in such pain. "Down you go, Doctor. Down, down, down you go." The pain finally stopped and I opened my eyes. I looked to where the Doctor had collapsed, but only saw his suit lying empty on the ground. The Master tilted his head slightly, considering the pie of clothes. "Doctor." He knelt in front of the pile of clothes. The pile shifted and a large, bald head emerged followed by a large pair of eyes. The Master walked back to the camera again. "Received and understood, Miss Jones?" With that, he ended his broadcast. Not caring about the possible consequences, I quickly set Tyler on the floor and rushed to the Doctor.
"Theta," I whispered as I knelt next to him.
The Master walked over and put a hand on my shoulder. "You know, it's not good for you to be married to someone who hides their age."
I clenched my hands into fists. "You twisted little-"
"Woah! Careful! Don't want your son hearing you say that kind of language," the Master said, cutting me off. He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. "I think you've had enough social time." He nodded to one of the guards. The guard came over and gestured to the door. I looked back down at the Doctor, tears shining in my eyes. He placed a tiny reassuring hand on mine and nodded. I bent down and kissed the top of his head before getting to my feet. Tyler walked over and I picked him up.
"Bye, Daddy," Tyler said, waving to his father as I followed the guard out.
The next few hours went by very slowly. I couldn't get the sound of the Doctor's screams out of my head. I sat on my bed with my head in my hands for what felt like forever. I felt a small hand on my leg and looked up.
"You ok, Mummy?" Tyler asked, looking up at me, his turquoise eyes shining with innocent concern.
I sighed heavily. "I don't know, sweetie," I told him honestly.
Tyler climbed onto the bed beside me and wrapped his small arms around my neck. "It'll be ok, Mummy. We'll be ok." I turned slightly and wrapped my around him. As the tears began to slide down my cheeks, I buried my face in my son's shoulder. For the last year, I had been trying very hard to be strong for both my husband and my son. However, after hearing my son try and cheer me up, telling me everything was going to be ok even after seeing what the Master can and will do to get what he wants, it was enough to make my resolve crumble. Tyler and I sat on the bed, hugging each other, drawing comfort simply from each others presence. Finally, I pulled away, wiping my tears. "Better?" He asked.
I nodded. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" I wondered, smiling softly as I cupped his face in my hands. I glanced at the clock on the wall. "Come on, sweetheart, time for bed."
"Will you read me a bedtime story?" Tyler asked, giving a hopeful look.
I chuckled quietly. "Of course."
I was awakened by the door to Tyler and I's room opening. I opened my bleary eyes to see a guard standing in the doorway.
"The Master wants you and your son on the bridge immediately," the guard said.
"What does he want this time? For me and my son to watch him age my husband another hundred years?" I growled, glaring at the guard.
"Martha Jones has been captured," the guard replied.
"Ah, so he wants us to watch her execution," I said. "Give me a minute to wake up my son." The guard nodded and walked out. I gazed down at my son, who was still sleeping peacefully next to me. I reached out and stroked the side of his face. "Tyler, you need to get up, sweetheart." I was met with a quiet groan of protest as he curled himself into ball. I smiled slightly in amusement. "I know you don't want to get up, sweetheart, but Auntie Martha is waiting for us on the conference room." That woke him up.
"Auntie Martha is back?" Tyler asked, sitting up so quickly he almost smashed his head into my chin.
I nodded. "Yeah. The Master wants us to be able to…" I trailed off. How could I tell my son that we were going bridge so we could witness Martha's execution?
Tyler tilted his head in confusion. "To what, Mummy?" I sighed, steeling myself. The door opened again just as I was about to reply.
"Your minute is up, let's go," the guard ordered. I got to my feet and took Tyler's hand as we followed the guard. We entered the conference room to discover we weren't the only was who were brought out to see Martha's execution. Jack was standing off to the side, flanked by two guards and Francine, Tish, and Clive were huddled on the other side of the room, also flanked by guards. I spotted the Doctor hanging in a cage and I clenched my jaw. The Master was standing on the bridge with Lucy standing behind him, looking rather nervous.
The Master grinned when he saw me. "Ah! So nice of you to join us, darling sister!" I merely glared at him, not trusting my mouth at the moment. "Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he pouted, not even remotely fazed by my glare. "Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe." The conference room door opened to reveal Martha flanked by two guards. The guards backed off, leaving Martha to walk forward alone. She had changed in the last year. She was now wearing black cargo pants and a combat vest. I had to admire her as she walked towards her execution, her head held high. She glanced around the room and I smiled as she looked my way. She smiled back. She stopped in front of the stairs and stared up at the Master, stone faced. "Your teleport device. In case your thought I'd forgotten," the Master said. Martha reached into her pocket and tossed him Jack's vortex manipulator. "And now... kneel." Martha obeyed. "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe." He talked into his comm. "Are we ready?"
"The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!" A man replied.
"Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down!" A clock on the wall began counting down. The Master grinned. " I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"
"We will fly and blaze and slice! We will fly and blaze and slice!" The Toclafane answered.
"At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die. Ha, my first blood. Ha, any last words?" Martha merely glared at him. "No?" He looked to the Doctor. "Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless!" I had to resist the urge to throw something at him. Martha may not have absorbed the time vortex, but she was far from useless. The Master turned back to Martha. "Bow your head. And so it falls to me, the Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward…" The Master trailed off, glancing down at Martha in confusion as she started to chuckle. "What? What's so funny?"
"A gun?" Martha looked up at the Master, her eyebrows raised.
"What about it?"
"A gun in four parts?"
"Yes, and I destroyed it."
"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on. Did you really believe that?" Martha scoffed.
The Master raised his eyebrows, not quite understanding what Martha was getting at. "What do you mean?"
"As if I would ask her to kill," the Doctor spoke up. I looked at my husband and he sent me a wink. I grinned. I should have known he would have a plan.
"Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her," the Master replied.
"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do," Martha said. "The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time."
The Master rolled his eyes. "Oh, but you're still gonna die!"
"Don't you wanna know what I was doing? Travelling the world?" Martha asked.
"Tell me," the Master demanded.
"I told a story, that's all," Martha said. "No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."
"Faith and hope? Is that all?" The Master scoffed.
"No, 'cause I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said." Martha got to her feet, smiling. "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time-"
"Nothing will happen!" The Master cut in. "Is that your weapon?! Prayer?!"
"Right across the world," Marth continued. "One word, just one thought, at one moment... but with 15 satellites!"
The Master blinked. "What?"
I grinned. "The Archangel Network."
"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word... is Doctor," Martha finished. The countdown reached zero and a glowing field appeared around the Doctor.
"Stop it. No, no, no, no, you don't!" The Master shouted, beginning to panic. Around the room, people closed their eyes, saying the Doctor's name. "Do…" The large plasma screen on the wall showed crowds of people swarming the streets, all chanting 'Doctor'. "Stop this right now! Stop it!" Even Lucy began to chant 'Doctor'. I glanced down as I heard Tyler recite his father's name, grinning widely.
"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," the Doctor said, now free of his cage and back in the body of an old man.
"I order you to stop!" The Master shouted.
I closed my eyes and added my voice, saying my bonded's name with all my hearts. "Doctor." I watched as he finally returned to normal.
"The one thing you can't do. Stop them thinking," the Doctor continued. Tyler cheered as I laughed in delight. The Master stared at the Doctor in shock as he used the telepathic field to levitate. "Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Martha run to her family, embracing them tightly.
"No!" The Master yelled. He fired his laser screwdriver at the Doctor, but the field absorbed it.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the Doctor apologized.
"Then I'll kill them!" The Master aimed his laser at Martha and her family. The Doctor held out his hand, causing the laser to fly across the room. "You can't do this! You can't do... It's not fair!"
"And you know what happens now."
"No!" The Master backed away down the stairs as the Doctor floated towards him. "No! No! No!"
"You wouldn't listen."
"No!" The Master backed against the wall, staring wide eyed at the Doctor like a wild animal caught in a trap.
"Because you know what I'm going to say."
"No!" The Master curled into the fetal position against the wall. The Doctor landed and walked over the the whimpering Master and wrapped his arms around him.
"I forgive you," the Doctor said.
"My children! Protect the paradox!" The Master ordered.
"Captain! The paradox machine!" The Doctor shouted.
Jack nodded. "You men! With me! You stay here!" He ran out with a few of the guards.
I looked back to the Master and noticed him pulling Jack's manipulator out of his pocket. "Doctor!" I yelled.
The Doctor jerked his head back to the Master. "No!" He put his hand over the manipulator just as the Master activated it and they both disappeared. A moment later, alarms sounded.
I picked up Tyler set him in a chair. "Stay here, ok?" Tyler nodded and I rushed up the stairs to the bridge. Outside, I could see a swarm of spheres heading our way.
"We've all 6 billion spheres heading straight for us!" Martha exclaimed as she looked out the window beside me.
"We just have to wait for Jack to destroy the Paradox machine," I told her. "Good to see you by the way!"
Martha grinned. "You too!"
"Hurry up, Jack," I muttered as the spheres got closer. Suddenly, the spheres disappeared. "Woo!" I cheered. My relief quickly turned to surprise as the Valiant rocked violently. I lost my balance, but was caught by a pair of pinstriped clad arms. I looked up at my husband and grinned. "Hi!"
"Hello!" He replied, and identical grin on his face. "Everyone down! Time is reversing!" He dragged me to the floor and we came face-to-face with Martha. We grinned at each other as all around us paper flew everywhere as time reversed. Finally, the Valiant stopped rocking and everything settled. The Doctor slowly got to his feet and checked the controls. "The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past 8:00 in the morning." I walked over and turned on the comms.
"This is UNIT Central. What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated!" A man exclaimed.
"Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived," I said.
"Everything back to normal," the Doctor agreed. "Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was."
"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.
"Trapped at the end of the universe."
"But I remember it," Francine said, a haunted look on her face.
"We're at the eye of the storm. The only ones who'll ever know," the Doctor told her. He grinned widely as he spotted Clive. "Oh, hello! You must be Mr Jones! We haven't actually met."
"Daddy!" Tyler exclaimed, hopping down from his chair and running towards his father.
The Doctor rushed down the stairs and held his arms open. "Tyler!" Tyler ran into his father's arms and the Doctor picked him up and swung him around, causing the 3 year old to laugh in delight. I was so busy watching my husband and son laugh together for the first time in 2 and a half years that I almost missed the Master dashing for the door. Fortunately, he didn't get very far as Jack appeared at the door.
"Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party," Jack joked. "Cuffs." A guard handed him a pair of cuffs and he cuffed the Master's hands behind his back. "So, what do we do with this one?" He asked.
"We kill him," Clive declared.
"We execute him," Tish enunciated.
The Doctor shook his head, still holding Tyler. "No, that's not the solution."
"Oh, I think so," Francine said, aiming a gun at the Master. "Cause all those... things, they still happened because of him. I saw them."
The Master glared at her challengingly. "Go on! Do it!"
I walked over to Francine. "I know what he did to you and your family was horrible, but killing him won't change anything." Francine glanced at me, the hand holding the gun shaking slightly. "If you kill him, how does that make you any better than him?" I slowly took her hand. "You're better than this." Francine dropped the gun and I pulled her into a brief hug before handing her off to Martha.
"You still haven't answered the question," the Master pointed out. "What happens to me?"
"You're my responsibility from now on," the Doctor decided. "The only other Time Lord left in existence."
"Yeah, but you can't trust him," Jack protested.
"No," the Doctor agreed. "The only safe place for him is the TARDIS."
The Master frowned in disgust. "You mean you're just gonna... keep me?"
"Hmm. If that's what I have to do." The Doctor glanced at Jack. "It's time to change." He looked to me. "I have a family to care for." He looked to Tyler, who he was still holding." I haven't been able to be a proper father. Think it's about time we settled down." I smiled softly at him. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and the Master staggered backwards. I jerked my head to where the sound came from and noticed Lucy standing with a gun in her hand. I ran forward and caught the Master as his knees buckled.
"There you go. I've got you. I've got you," I assured him as I gently lowered him to the floor. The Doctor knelt next to me, an arm around Tyler.
"Always the women," the Master said through gritted teeth.
"I didn't see her," the Doctor told him.
"Dying in your arms," the Master scoffed. "Happy now?"
"No, you're not dying," I told him, tears welling in my eyes. "It's just a silly bullet. You can regenerate."
"No."
"One little bullet. Come on," the Doctor encouraged.
"I guess you don't know me so well. I refuse," the Master declared.
"Regenerate. Just regenerate," the Doctor pleaded, his voice breaking. "Please! Please! Just regenerate! Come on!"
"And spend the rest of my life imprisoned with you two?"
"You have to," I told him, a few tears sliding down my cheeks. "I don't care what you've done in the past. You're my brother, you're family. Remember all the fun we had as kids? Just the three of us?" I sniffed. "You can't die, you have to regenerate, please!"
"How about that? I win," the Master said, his smile quickly turning into a grimace. He paused. "Will it stop, Doctor? The drumming. Will it stop?" I watched as my brother closed his eyes and breathed his last. I drew in a shaky breath as I held my brother close. I shut my eyes tightly, the tears now flowing freely as I cried.
Later that night, the Doctor and I stood on Earth, watching as the Master's funeral pyre burned bright against the night sky. I leaned my head against the Doctor's shoulder and he wrapped an arm around my waist. We watched for a while before heading back to the TARDIS.
Back in Cardiff, the Doctor, Martha, Jack, Tyler, and I stood at the rails by the Pierhead Building, looking out over the bay.
"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name," Martha told the Doctor as she looked at all the people walking by, having no recollection of what happened. "Now they've all forgotten you."
"Good," the Doctor replied.
"Back to work," Jack said, slipping under the rails.
"I really don't mind, though. Come with me," the Doctor offered.
"I had plenty of time to think that past year, the Year That Never Was. And I kept thinking about that team of mine," Jack said, glancing back at the Pierhead Building. "Like you said, Doctor, responsibility."
I chuckled. "Kind of hard to argue with defending the Earth."
"Guess so," the Doctor agreed, smiling. He reached out to shake Jack's hand, but instead exposed the manipulator.
"Hey, I need that!" Jack protested as the Doctor used his sonic on the manipulator.
"I can't have you walking around with a time-travelling teleport," the Doctor told him. "You could go anywhere, twice. The second time to apologise."
"And what about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?" Jack asked worriedly.
"Nothing I can do. You're an impossible thing, Jack."
Jack laughed. "Been called that before." He saluted. "Sir. Ma'am. Els. Tyler." He turned to leave, but stopped. "But I keep wondering... what about aging? 'Cause I can't die but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?"
The Doctor shook his head with an apologetic smile. "I really don't know."
"Okay, vanity. Sorry. Yeah, can't help it," Jack replied with a chuckle. "Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid back on the Boeshane Peninsula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. They Face of Boe they called me." The Doctor and Martha's jaws dropped, but Jack didn't see to notice. "Hmm, I'll see you." He jogged off towards the water tower.
"Can't be," Martha said, staring after Jack.
"No, definitely not. No," the Doctor said, shaking his head. Martha laughed in disbelief. "No." I laughed at the looks on their faces. The Doctor glanced at me. "Did you know?" I nodded as I continued to laugh. I may no longer have the foreknowledge I had as Elena, but I did remember that little piece of trivia.
Later, the Doctor and I stood outside the Jones' home, leaning against the TARDIS and waiting for Martha. Inside the house, Francine glanced out the window and gave us a small smile. The two of us then went back into the TARDIS. I smiled lightly as I entered the console room, fondly patting one of the coral arches as I passed. I had missed the old girl. I glanced down at Tyler, who was sitting on the grating and tapping on the glass container that held the Doctor's hand. I walked over and sat down on the jump seat, my shoulders sagging from the weight of everything that had happened.
"You going to be ok?" The Doctor asked as he approached and placed his hands on my waist.
I sighed. "Eventually." The Doctor cupped my face, stroking his thumbs over my cheeks as he gazed softly at me. He leaned down and captured my lips in a long awaited, passionate kiss. I slid my arms around his neck and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. We were both feeling the effects of the Year that Never Was. While we had been able to see each other, we weren't allowed to engage in basic couple activities other than simple hand holding or a brief peck on the cheek and that had really taken it's toll on us. We had been so deprived of each other neither one of us even cared that our son was still in the room who thankfully was still too occupied with hand in jar to notice. We pulled away, however, before we could get too far, knowing the console room was not the place. We both turned as the doors opened and Martha walked in.
"Right then!" The Doctor said enthusiastically. "Off we go! The open road! There is a burst of starfire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or... back in time. We could... I don't know, Charles II? Henry VIII? I know! What about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie! I bet she's brilliant!" I looked at Martha to see she wasn't smiling and realized she wasn't planning on coming with us. The Doctor too realized this and immediately sobered. "Okay."
"I just can't," Martha told him sadly.
The Doctor nodded in understanding. "Yeah."
"Spent all these years training to be a doctor. Now I've got people to look after," Martha continued. "They saw half the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them."
"Of course not." The Doctor smiled. "Thank you." He hugged her. "Martha Jones, you saved the world."
Martha smiled and nodded. "Yes, I did. I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best. But you know what? I am good."
"And don't you forget it," I told her. I drew her into a tight hug. I was going to miss her.
"You two gonna be all right?" Martha asked.
The Doctor nodded. "Always. Yeah."
"Right, then." Martha gave us each a kiss on the cheek. She turned to leave, but was stopped by Tyler tugging on her sleeve.
"Where are you going?" Tyler asked, looking up at Martha with innocent turquoise eyes.
Martha knelt next to the toddler, taking his hands in hers. "I have to go, Tyler. My family needs me."
"But what if we need you?" Tyler asked.
Martha smile softly. "Don't worry, I'll see you again." Tyler threw his small arms around Martha's neck and she hugged him back. "You look after your mum and dad, ok?" Tyler nodded. She gave Tyler a kiss on his forehead and got to her feet. "Oh, before I go." She reached into her pocket and tossed her phone to the Doctor. "Keep that. Cause I'm not having you two disappear. If that rings, when that rings, you better come running. Got it?"
The Doctor nodded. "Got it."
"I'll see you both again," Martha assured us. She flashed us a smile and left. I closed my eyes and sighed as she left. I picked Tyler up and set him on the jump seat. The Doctor and I exchanged sullen glances, both of us knowing we were going to miss Martha. Without a word, the Doctor turned towards to console and flicked a switch. Almost immediately, the TARDIS began to spin out of control as the klaxon bell sounded. I clung to the jump seat, making sure Tyler didn't fall off as the Doctor struggled to regain control. The TARDIS settled down, leaving the Doctor and I both very confused.
"Stop that! Stop it! What was all that about, eh?" The Doctor asked the TARDIS, tapping on the tie rotor. "Eh? What's your problem?"
"What did you do?" I asked, sitting up straight and checking to make sure Tyler was okay.
"Why do you assume it was my fault?" The Doctor asked indignantly.
"Cause it usually is," I replied. The Doctor huffed and walked around the console to examine the controls.
"Right, just settle down, now…" Another man said. The Doctor and the man, neither paying attention to their surroundings, bumped into each other.
"Excuse me.." The Doctor said.
"So sorry…" The man apologized. I stared, wide eyed at the scene before me. To my left stood my Doctor and to my right stood the fifth Doctor. Both Doctor's froze and stared at each other.
"What?" Ten exclaimed.
"What?" Five mimicked, wearing an identical flabbergasted look. Both Doctor's approached each other slowly and I could practically see the gears spinning in their heads as they attempted to analyze the situation.
"What?"
What did you guys think? Next chapter in Time Crash for those who haven't seen it. Once again, please review!
