The Master remembered everything.
His head spun and hurt from feeling the timelines around him change and alter to fit what hadn't been but now had. He remembered the Doctor, who was now filling all the gaps that made no sense before. He remembered the things he now hadn't done, because the Doctor had prevented it right in time, but he also kept the memory of how he had.
Most would never know about the universe resetting.
But he remembered.
.
"Where are the others?" asked Roka as she sauntered into the library, the usual mug of coffee clutched between her fingers, when she sat into a comfy armchair.
"Something about the oldest graffiti in the universe. And Romans I think." The Master shrugged and didn't even look up from the book he was reading. "Boring."
She yawned and took a long sip from her coffee, before she asked, "What're you reading?"
"Moby Dick."
Roka huffed. "I still think, Ahab's an interesting character."
The Master paused in his reading and glanced up, a small smile curving his lips and his eyes behind the reading glasses suddenly twinkling amused.
"So you want to continue our little discussion from a hundred and fifty years ago?" He chuckled. "You know... that kinda made me like you a little back then."
"Only a little?" Roka smirked into her mug, thinking back at their little and silly discussion about human literature.
The Master shrugged and looked up from the pages. "You were nothing but a game to occupy my drums-plagued mind at first. Don't forget that. I never had any intentions of letting you live."
"Yeah, I always wondered why you kept me around for days to toy with me, although you could have used your hypnosis to get the TARDIS the very same moment we met." She cocked a brow and eyed him suspiciously over her coffee.
The most villainous grin Roka had seen in a long time graced his face all of a sudden. "Well, you proved to be interesting, so maybe I dragged that game on a little longer than intended."
It had been a nasty game. She had been his hostage to buy the Doctor time to get himself free. A smile twitched in the corners of Roka's mouth, though, when she thought back at it. Eventually she and the Master had somehow ended up running away with the Doctor's TARDIS together. Because they could. Because they had thought that time would reset with Roka's death, and had used this fact to live without consequences. Without being bothered about anything at all.
She had seen the life the Master preferred to live. Like a never calm sea, a never resting storm, playing with the universe as he wanted. There had been no rules. Nothing to hold them back. And even though she had never liked seeing him kill, and had never done so herself, she had enjoyed this time like no other.
And he had too. Maybe for the first time in centuries he had accepted a companion, someone who didn't judge and didn't try to change who he was. She had been his shadow, had reached out a hand to him, when no one else had been willing to. And without them even realizing it at first, they had grown closer to each other than anyone could have ever expected.
For a long while Roka observed this strange man in front of her, perched in an armchair, glasses on his nose and book in hands. As if nothing in reality could shake him. She had seen otherwise, had been there after the failed resurrection, had refused to leave him alone. And the Master, in his stubbornness, had teleported her away against her own will.
Sometimes Roka wondered how things might have changed, if he hadn't. Had they still separated? Would she have been able to prevent him from vanishing with the Time Lords? And what then? The drums would have rendered him completely insane in no time. She had seen it in his memory, had felt it even.
Such a small detail. Had she been there, had he not been sucked to Gallifrey, it would have probably killed him.
Would it have been the same, had she truly vanished from existence? If she had never been real in the first place?
Sure, it hadn't actually happened, but it was a thought that still haunted her mind sometimes. To have never even existed...
As if he had read her mind, the Master murmured, "Good thing you can't vanish."
She glanced up at him and nodded. "Yah... I'm glad about that. But come, let's take a look outside."
.
They entered the console room right in time to see the Doctor storm back in, followed by Amy and...
"Oh, bloody hell! That woman again!" the Master groaned and let an annoyed look wander over River and her weird Cleopatra dress. "And what a ridiculous costume."
"It's always a delight to see you, deary," she purred and headed to the doors. "I need to get some proper clothes. Then we're heading to Stonehenge. Wanna come along, you two?" River wriggled her fingers and vanished through the doors with a chuckle, and without waiting for the answer.
"Yeah, no..." Amy drawled and shot a look at the Master. "That might be a baaaad idea, Doctor."
"Why?" he asked flabbergasted. "The most dangerous thing in the universe is locked away in the Pandorica! We should be as many as possible!"
"The most dangerous thing, eh?" The Master snickered and peeked at Roka. "Sounds like fun. And certainly not like something I would want to claim for myself."
"At the first opportunity?" Roka poked out her tongue, but was already eager to come along. "Well, I'm certainly in. Haven't been to Stonehenge since over a century anyway."
She sauntered over to Amy and let her tell about everything they had found out outside. Apparently the graffiti had been River's doing. And it had lead them to this place here, where a roman legion was waiting outside. The reason for all the ruckus was nothing else but a painting from Vincent. One that showed the TARDIS exploding and wore the coordinates of Stonehenge.
"The Pandorica is a myth," the Master drawled and glared at the ceiling with folded arms. It seemed as if he was already bored by the prospect of their next adventure leading to nothing.
"That's what I thought as well," the Doctor seconded. "And well... the painting doesn't show the exact coordinates... it's more like a... a..."
"You're just guessing, aren't you?" The other Time Lord sighed and rolled his eyes. "Great, we're chasing fairy tales. That regeneration of yours surely is boyish."
"Oi, shut it!" the Doctor protested indignantly. "You know that Vincent could see a lot more than other humans. I trust he didn't paint this in vain."
"Yeah," Amy seconded, "It has to be important somehow."
"Ready?" River's voice rang through the console room. Somehow she had managed to change extremely quickly and was now throwing eager glances around.
Then she spotted Roka and smiled widely. "Oh, I haven't greeted you properly, Roka. I hope the boys don't drive you insane already." River rushed over and hugged her tightly.
"Uhh..." Roka was perplex and awkwardly returned the hug. "Can you... remember me now?" she finally asked, remembering River's words from their last encounter. That she could somehow remember, but also not, and that she was eager to find out which role Roka would play.
"Why, of course, I do!" she protested and retreated. "We have met quite a few times already. Not for you... probably. But we will." She chuckled a little. "Don't think I could ever forget how you..." There she paused and threw a side glance at the Master, before she only smiled and winked. "Spoilers."
She was the first to rush outside the doors, closely followed by the whole crew. They went back to the roman camp and borrowed some horses. One for everyone.
Or at least that had been the plan.
Roka took a wide step back and stared at the animal in front of her, eyes narrowed. The Master observed her for a few seconds.
"Don't tell me, you're afraid of an animal," he teased and snickered at her expression.
She took a deep breath and broke eye contact with the horse. "I'd call it respect." She shrugged and glanced at her shoes. "And... I... err... can't ride."
"Not a problem at all." He chuckled and grabbed her arm. "Hop on. You can ride with me."
She turned to him, her eyes wandering between the animal and the Master, and nodded. Maybe she had lied a tiny little bit about not being afraid. But Amy sat on her horse as if she had done so her whole life, and somehow that gnawed on her pride a little. Sometimes she really felt as if she were her little sister. And that somehow stirred the desire to prove that she was, indeed, older. Much older at that. Right now, though, Amy didn't have eyes for her, and was instead fully indulged in a conversation with River.
"Do I have to heave you up?"
The Master's teasing voice tore her out of her musings and quickly she climbed into the saddle, trying to ignore the small movements the horse made here and there. Carefully she stretched out a hand to stroke the mane and felt the warmth of the animal's body beneath her fingers. The glitch had made her invisible to all life forms, so she also never had much opportunity to spend much time with animals, even though she always enjoyed watching them.
Behind her the Master flopped into the saddle, reached in front of her and grabbed the reins. His other hand snaked around Roka's middle and held her tight against him. Instinctively she stiffened at the unexpected touch. Shortly after she felt warm breath brushing her ear as he leaned down to her.
"I won't hurt you." His voice was soft and warm, and his grip loosened just enough to make her relax a little.
"I... I know," she stammered and felt stupid. Of course he had to hold her. Otherwise she would just fall down during the ride. "Sorry."
"Don't be."
He made the horse move and followed the others who already were a few meters ahead. They weren't in a lot of hurry, since they had come here a good amount of time before Vincent's coordinates.
After a while Roka got a little used to the animal's movements. It was so weird to sit on the back of a living creature. At least of one that was so... small. At least in comparison to the only creatures Roka had ever climbed. And those usually were so gigantic that riding certainly was the wrong term. She remembered...
"I once was on a planet that probably was ten times as big as earth," she started to tell. "Spent a lot of time there. it was nice, you know? Good weather, good foot, many water sources. And it was really beautiful. Orange grass and yellow oceans. Blue treetops under turquoise stems." She paused and glanced up a little to see if he was even listening.
When he noticed that she didn't continue, he looked down and smiled. "Go on. You owe me those stories."
Roka huffed and smiled a little herself. "I know. Just wasn't sure, you'd listen."
"Always."
"At first I thought there weren't any life forms beside plants on that planet," she continued, "But after a few days I found a huge chasm. Well... I thought it was one. When I looked down into it, it looked as if the ground was slowly moving. And it was! Just imagine... I thought I had been on the ground the whole time. But right there and then I learned I sat right on the back of a creature. And in the distance there were some more of them. Big as a village and they moved on three tall, thin legs."
Without noticing she became fully consumed by her own memory. Of how she had found the head, that wore a long snout with which the creature picked food from the ground. Of how she had spent another few days simply sitting at the edge of the creature and watching the land pass by, and also the others of its kind in the distance. One day she had climbed down and watched in awe as the thing slowly strode past her, astonishingly without making much noise. And there the ground was brimming with animal life of all kinds.
Stonehenge was close already. They would probably reach it within the next twenty minutes or so. She had ended her story and dwelled a little longer in the memory. Only then did she notice that she had fully relaxed and was leaning comfily against the Master's chest. His one hand still was wrapped securely around her, while his eyes stayed sternly fixated on the path ahead. It was warm and she felt safe. As safe as she probably hadn't felt in... well, probably since they had separated.
How can this be, she wondered. He could be so cruel and mindlessly malicious. At the same time he was like a bastion of calm, warm and protecting. And she wanted nothing more than for this moment to never end. To have him hold her like this forever, so she would never have to be scared or lonely again.
Surprised Roka felt her heart speed up and she hoped he wouldn't notice. It took a great deal of composure not to put her hand on her chest in a vain attempt to calm the silly thing. Instead she let herself sink a little more against the Master, and as he noticed, he held her a little tighter, but never in a hurtful way.
Maybe, Roka thought sleepily, this is all a dream. My head is making this up.
But if that was the case, did she dream of something she feared, or of something she wanted?
.
So many memories came rushing back to the Master as he sat there on the floor on Amy's wedding, watching the two people exiting the TARDIS he had completely forgotten. The two most important people that had ever never existed in his long life, that had never been real, but now where again, because they always had after they stopped not to.
He sunk together some more, clutching his hurting head. So many memories at once.
Of how they had found a way below the big stones, of the huge door they had pushed open, grinning like small academy boys, waiting to uncover the unspeakable. In that moment he and the Doctor had truly stood on the same side for once, the lust for the unknown and impossible wiping away everything that had ever stood between them.
Of how they had entered the chamber, clad in eternal darkness, only illuminated by the light of their torches. And there it had stood, forebodingly, smelling like danger and like something the Master wanted to claim at all cost. But there hadn't been time for that. The stones had transmitted the signal throughout all of time, leading anyone and everyone to them.
River chased back to the Romans, the others stayed back, trying to...
.
"What good is half an hour?" Amy asked exasperated.
"There are fruit flies live on Hoppledom Six that live for twenty minutes and they don't even mate for life." The Doctor continued to scan the Pandorica and paused for a second. "There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."
"He wants to say, that half an hour can be a lifetime. It could change everything under the right circumstances." The Master explained unnerved and let his tablet wander over the foreign construct. He wasn't too eager to battle whatever was out there, or to share whatever was inside the box.
Roka stood a bit to the side with Amy and watched the Time Lords doing their thing when she noticed the other woman was looking at a small red box in her hands.
"What's that?" Roka enquired and then shut her mouth as she realized that she knew it.
"I have to ask him," Amy mumbled to herself, completely ignoring the question. Quickly she stepped to the Pandorica and the Doctor. "So, are you proposing to someone?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I found this in your pocket." She held out the open ring box towards him.
Roka came closer and almost held her breath. The Doctor's face went pale and they exchanged a quick look. She shook her head, her eyes imploring he wouldn't unnecessarily trigger the memory. It would be too hurtful and they both knew it.
"No. No, no, that's err, a memory. A friend of mine. Someone I lost." He tried to grab the ring. "Do you mind?"
Amy evaded and held the box closer to her eyes. "It's weird. I feel... I don't know... something."
Behind her Roka shook her head, and now the Master also had caught attention of what was going on. He stood next to Roka and his gaze couldn't have been icier.
The Doctor swallowed and his mind was visibly running a million miles per hours.
"People fall out of the world sometimes," he started carefully and gave the Master a look that probably should mean, he wouldn't remind her. "But they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals... rings." He took a breath and this time a look wandered to Roka as he continued, "Or just symbols... Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And... if something can be remembered... it can come back."
A cold shiver ran down her spine. Had she died during her time as a glitch... in a way she truly would have never existed. And again it seemed as if the Master had read her mind. His arm was suddenly lying over her shoulders, squeezing her a little.
No, she could not vanish. Not anymore. Not as long as the Master was alive at least.
But if the Doctor wasn't planning on remembering Amy of Rory, then what was his intention behind this speech? The Doctor's eyes wandered to everyone and he took a deep breath as if to steel himself.
"Remember that night you flew away with me?" he asked.
Amy gave him an impatient look. "Of course I do. How could I ever forget?"
But that didn't seem to be his concern at all. Instead he blabbered on, his words stumbling out of his mouth so fast, it seemed he had to throw them out or otherwise it would consume him.
"And you asked me why I was taking you and I told you there wasn't a reason... I was lying."
"Okay, so you did have a reason?"
"Your house," he quickened to explain.
"Her house?" Roka asked and cocked a brow at him. "I've been there. There's nothing special about it. And no traces of Prisoner Zero either."
"Probably just had a nightmare he thinks was a real event," the Master mocked.
But the Doctor shook his head, ignored the jibe and continued to ramble, his hands waving around, "It was too big. Too many empty rooms. Does it ever bother you, Amy... that your life doesn't make any sense?"
.
The Master remembered. He remembered the fight against the broken Cyber Man, how the thing had gotten him, had shot a laser bean through his hand. It had hurt, badly. He had dropped his screwdriver and hadn't been able to pick it back up before the metal creature was out of sight.
Roka had been right behind him, her knifes ready. There was a story to those knifes, he remembered. They were special, but he hadn't found the time to ask. Only one thing had been important in that moment.
She had been safe.
Amy, on the other hand, hadn't been. They heard her screaming and other loud noises, and then someone had rushed past them and had slammed his sword through a door. And before they all could find back to their senses, they saw the figure returning, with the red-head in his arms.
And it was impossible.
.
"Hello again," the Doctor uttered, after he had finally concluded his ramblings and had suddenly realized, who exactly it was that stood there in front of him, clad in the armour of a roman soldier.
"Hello." Rory's voice sounded somewhere between not at all surprised and irritated.
The Master and Roka rushed to the two and both didn't need as long as the Doctor had. Roka let out a surprised noise, while the Master's face only dropped.
"You're impossible," he simply remarked.
"Err... uh... well..." Rory could barely find words. "You're still... around then," he finally remarked and tossed a second look at Roka. "And you too."
Meanwhile the Doctor was still staring at Rory in utter disbelieve, turning awkwardly away and then back.
"So... how have... you been?"
It was obvious that the whole situation was a little too much for him to comprehend right now. A rare sight to behold. But at least he wasn't alone with it. Rory seemed as much confused.
"Err... good," he simply stated. "Well... Roman."
"Oh, bloody hell!" the Master called out. "I've got no time for you idiots. There's a whole army of whomever heading to this place, I want whatever is inside the Pandorica before they get to us, and then vanish as fast as possible." He grunted annoyed and faced Rory with a stern look. "You died."
"Yeah," the now Roman retorted astonishingly unfazed. "I know. I was there."
With waving hands the Doctor whirled around. "No! Not just like that! You died and then you were erased from time. You didn't just die, you were never born at all." He tapped against Rory's breast plate.
"You never existed."
.
The Pandorica was about to open.
And all hell broke loose.
The sky was filled with thousands and thousands of ships, all enemies of the Doctor gathered at one place. All eager to get whatever was inside the mysterious box.
And there he stood. Tall and flimsy and wiggling about and shouting at all the creatures in the sky at once, as if nothing in the universe could harm him.
That he was.
That was the Doctor.
The Master was hiding with Roka behind some of the tall stones, eager to stay out of sight. He wasn't so stupid to get into a fight with all those ships up there. But he couldn't help but stare at the Doctor, couldn't help but feel a sting in his hearts, as he watched his oldest friend being just himself, challenging the whole universe.
And the Master felt proud.
So, so many centuries ago they had been just children, running around and pretending to do great things. They had both been scared more often than not, had both done things far beyond what they would normally dare, had gotten into more trouble than anyone could ever put on record.
He and the Doctor. And now he was there, facing the unknown and total destruction.
And showed no sign of fear at all.
The Master smiled.
Roka observed him and wondered what might be going on in his head. She knew not much about their past, only that the Master hated the Doctor so deeply, that it was hard to comprehend for a simple human mind. She knew where that hate had originated from. She knew about the Master's daughter, and what had happened to her, and how the Doctor had abandoned his friend that day because of it.
But right now he looked at his oldest enemy as if there could be nothing in the entire universe he could ever be more proud of.
Maybe she did understand. A little at least.
The Master was a great mind. One who was almost impossible to fight if he had set his mind onto something. So, who else would he love more than anyone else, but the very man who was capable of destroying his plans over and over again?
"You're sure, you two aren't brothers?" she mumbled next to him.
The Master glanced down and his lips curved into an amused grin.
"I'd probably kill everyone else for a comment like that." He chuckled and poked her head. "But look at him. That's an enemy to behold, isn't he?"
"Sounds as if you enjoy being defeated by him all the time."
At that the Master only laughed, obviously unwilling to deign her a comment, and instead watched how the Doctor concluded his speech.
"Come on! Look at me," he shouted into the transmitter. "No plan, no back up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else. I don't have anything to lose!"
Roka stiffened at those last words. Did he really mean that? Again she glanced at the Master, but his face was unreadable.
"So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then... and then, do the smart thing... Let somebody else try first."
The Doctor spread his arms and watched the ships retreat. But in that moment Roka saw more. In combination with his words from before a painful picture got drawn into her head. A picture of a man, a lonely wanderer through time and space, who had lost everything and everyone. His own race, his home, every family he might have ever had, every companion that had ever travelled along.
For the first time since she had first met the Doctor, she realized how lonely he must be, how hard and painful it must be for him to move on, over and over again, after every loss. How astonishing it was that he could still stand there, tall and proud and chase away such an overwhelming enemy.
And at the same time looked as if he wished for nothing more, but for them to return and shoot him down for good. So he wouldn't have to run any longer, so he wouldn't have to be alone anymore.
Roka's heart clenched and she swallowed some tears before they could surface. Then she wordlessly leaned closer to the Master and slipped her hand into his. He clasped her, but didn't move, his eyes glued to the Doctor.
"Damn you, Doctor," the Master mumbled, more to himself. "I won't let you get away so easily."
His eyes snapped down to Roka and his brows knitted together tightly.
"Well... seems like we have to protect him then," she suggested with a warm smile and added, "And you too."
"Me?" He laughed out and shook his head. "I don't need protection. I'm stronger, faster and plainly better than any of those."
"Yah." Roka clasped his hand tighter. "That's what makes you so dangerous for yourself."
.
He remembered.
How they went back downstairs to further investigate the Pandorica, how the Roman soldiers came with them, how the Doctor's face went pale when River called him over the communicator. He had rerouted the call to the Master's tablet so he could listen too.
The whole thing had been a trap, created from Amy's memories by someone or something. And the TARDIS was stuck, with River inside. And then...
Silence will fall!
The call rang through the communicator, and every Roman went limp and got rebooted.
And the Pandorica had opened.
It all happened so fast it was hard to grasp a single thought before it was over.
The Daleks had appeared, the Cybermen, the Sontarans and many, many more. The Romans had grabbed the Doctor and had dragged him into the box, sealed him away because they had thought he was the cause of the cracks.
They couldn't have been more wrong.