Wolf Pact
Chapter Four: The Smiths
by Lumendea
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
…..
They tracked the Master. He moved quickly, leaving charred bodies in his wake and the smell of something rotten mixed with ozone in the air. The Doctor was aware of Jenny's hesitance in the face of the carnage, but she said nothing. For a moment he was reminded of her back when she'd first been created, so desperate for his approval. He hoped they were past that stage, but part of him grimaced in guilt at the idea that she was facing this to support him.
His daughter who was trying to be brave, trying to understand what he'd told her about regeneration. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor checked the sonic screwdriver again for direction. The Master was burning huge amounts of energy and his gut twisted at the knowledge of how he was probably getting it. And he was taking his girls straight into this. The thought made him pause for a terrible moment, but he forced himself to keep moving. They had to find the Master and stop whatever plans he might already have for Earth. He'd come too far last time, done too much damage and he couldn't let that happen again. Especially not with Rose and Jenny on the same planet.
Following the energy trace was easy, almost too easy for the Doctor's taste. They walked out into a deserted lot with piles of trash scattered around. The sonic screwdriver beeped again and the Doctor carefully slipped it back into his pocket.
"He's here," he cautioned Rose and Jenny as they moved further into the lot.
"Hello, Doctor!" An almost giddy voice greeted to their right making all three turn sharply. "Did you miss me?"
His skeleton flashed making Jenny gasp softly and the Doctor swallowed thickly but stepped forward with a calm expression.
"Hello Master," he greeted calmly. "You aren't looking very good. Please, let me help. You're burning up your own life force."
"Who do you have with you this time?" the Master questioned with a tilt of his head. "Oh oh wait, is that Rose Tyler? My my this is a surprise."
"I don't believe we've been introduced," Rose remarked calmly.
"Wasn't necessary," the Master chuckled. "I was Prime Minister after all, easy to learn a bit about you. I'll be honest your file wasn't what I was expecting."
"Leave her out of this Master," the Doctor cut in, tensing up at the Master's attention being focused on Rose. "What happened to you?"
"Ah the companion who absorbed the Time Vortex," the Master breathed as he looked at Rose in open curiosity before his eyes flickered back to the Doctor. "You got your girl back I see Doctor while mine is the one who did this to me!" The Master shouted even as he backed away from the Doctor with a wide frightening smile. "My faithful companion Lucy… well, beware the in-laws, Doctor, for as my disciples sought to restore me she sought to destroy me." The Master moved his hand and lighting sparked around his arm and up to his fingers. His entire body flashed strangely revealing his skeleton for a moment.
Jenny gasped and the Master's eyes flew to her. He said nothing for a moment, nearly tilting his head and considering her with interest. A flash of terror erupted in both Rose and the Doctor and Rose moved forward as if she was going to attack. The Doctor caught her around the waist as if to hold her back and the Master roared with laughter.
"Ah she has spunk Doctor," the Master announced with a grin. "I can see why you liked this little pet."
"I am not a pet," Rose countered with a deep frown, just hoping that Jenny stayed behind them.
"You're all just pets to him," the Master chuckled before looking at the Doctor and pausing. "Though I'll give you credit. There have other pretty things that have travelled with him and tried to get his attention. You've certainly surpassed them on that front. A year with me, and he was absolutely mooning over you."
"You need to come with us," the Doctor announced ending the conversation. "Let me try to stabilise this."
"Oh so you can keep me in the TARDIS?" the Master countered with a frown that suddenly turned into a grin. "Hadn't you better run that past the Misses?"
"This needs to stop," the Doctor told him, taking a few steps forward and motioning for Rose and Jenny to stay back.
Rose wanted to follow, to stay close to him, but her instincts as a mother kept her in front of Jenny. As the girl tried to step around her, Rose clutched her arm and hissed for Jenny to stay still. Thankfully the Master's attention was squarely on the Doctor.
"The drums," the Master muttered with a far-off look in his eyes. "The drums are closer Doctor. They are louder than ever before!"
Leaping into the air, the Master vanished down the street. They gave chase, rushing after him but as they reached the street the man dressed in the old hoodie was nowhere to be seen.
"Do we keep tracking him?" Jenny questioned, looking at her father.
The Doctor turned and looked at her with a deep frown. Rose reached over and gripped his hand.
"No, we need to get some more information first," the Doctor forced out. "It's time to visit an old friend. She needs to be warned anyway."
"Okay," Rose agreed calmly, stepping even closer to him. "Where do we need to go Doctor?"
…
The house was lovely in its own way the Doctor supposed. It was a soft red colour that helped it stand out amongst the row of homes that made up the street. There was nothing very personal on the outside and he wondered if that was the result of choice or fear. In the corner of his eye, he saw Rose observing it with a soft smile. He wondered, not for the first time if she missed the quiet domestic life she'd had with her husband. Resisting the desire to shake his head, the Doctor marched up to the door and knocked before Rose reached over and rang the buzzer.
It was a small eternity or twenty seconds before the door opened to reveal Mickey Smith. He was dressed far more casually that the Doctor had seen him for a long time. It was like looking at Ricky the Idiot again, but the serious and worried expression that took over Mickey's face quickly ruined that illusion.
"Doctor," Mickey greeted with a nod, his features stern as he took in the Doctor's serious face. Without another word, Mickey held open the door and waved the three of them inside. Rose looked back at him to see Mickey eyeing outside the house before he closed the door. "Are you three alright?"
"We're all fine," Rose assured him and Mickey relaxed only the tiniest bit.
"Good to see you," Mickey told her in a warmed voice, stepping forward to hug her and kiss her cheek. He smiled at Jenny and hugged her quickly before extending his hand to the Doctor. "But I can tell this isn't a social visit."
"Is Martha here?" the Doctor asked only to have his question answered as Martha came down the stairs.
"Doctor?" Martha questioned before she straightened up and took in the three of them quickly. "What's wrong? What's happening?"
The Doctor hesitated, his eyes locked on Martha and Rose could tell that he was dreading the words he had to say.
"The Master has been restored to life," he finally forced out.
Horror took over Martha's face and Rose grimaced in sympathy, knowing that Martha was reliving the horror of the Year That Never Was. She felt a sick flash of guilt for even coming here, for invading the life that their friends had built. Mickey was at his wife's side in an instant, carefully guiding her down the stairs before she could fall. He nodded towards the living room and the five of them went into the room where Mickey sat Martha down on the sofa.
"How?" Mickey asked for Martha as she rubbed her eyes and recovered herself. "How could this happen?"
"He had some sort of cult, even when he was just Harold Saxon to the public," the Doctor growled, slumping into one of the chairs. "They brought him back by destroying themselves, but something went wrong. I'm not sure what, something to do with his wife Lucy Saxon."
"Lucy Saxon," Martha repeated, shaking her head. "Based on what Mum told me there is no way that she'd help bring him back. I mean she shot him there at the end! She said he was abusive and I saw her there at the end, I just-"
"She may not have had any choice or she may have been the one who disrupted the ritual," the Doctor informed her softly. "The problem is that his body is burning up, he's having to pull the energy out of humans. We've been tracking him, but I can't get a lock on him."
"How can we help?" Martha asked, folding her arms and going into business mode.
"Have any spare parts?"
"No really," Mickey admitted. "But you're welcome to tear apart anything in the house."
"Just let us back up the computers quickly," Martha added quickly with a glance at her husband.
"Brilliant," the Doctor muttered as he moved over to the couch and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "I need a better sensor array."
"What can I do to help Dad?" Jenny questioned as she followed her father.
"Get on the computer and try to find anything on unusual events and deaths," he told her. "He's got to have a plan."
"But he's dying right?" Martha questioned with a frown. "Isn't he?"
"Yes, but he won't let that stop him," the Doctor told her as he grabbed their DVD player and began opening it. "Over half our history together he was possessing stolen bodies. If he can stabilise enough to pull that off again…."
They split off. Martha and Mickey started making some calls to their contacts at Torchwood and UNIT. Rose and Jenny started using Martha's computer and the Doctor harvest bits and pieces from the television, DVD player, the landline phone and stereo in the living room before he headed into the kitchen. He almost ran into Martha, but she chuckled calmly at him.
"UNIT is on alert," she assured him with a pained little smile.
"And your family?"
"Already on the road north," Martha promised him.
"You and Mickey-"
"We'll stay and help you," Martha cut him off. "I know what he's capable of," she reminded him before looking her shoulder at Rose. "Will she be okay? Does he know about her?"
"Yeah," the Doctor admitted around a knot in his throat. "He does."
"That's not good," Martha breathed before she nodded towards the kitchen. "Well have at it," she told him before she turned to head into the living.
"Martha," the Doctor called softly, but she turned and smiled at him.
"Don't," she whispered. "There isn't anything you have to say, Doctor. There is nothing you owe me and as for the appliances… well, I am a doctor after all. Small price to save the world."
The Doctor watched her join his girls from the doorway of the kitchen. She looked better than she had been last time he'd seen at Torchwood. He wasn't sure what had brought the pair back to London from Cardiff and this wasn't the time. He was just grateful he'd been able to find them with Rose's phone. She and Mickey seemed to make a good pair.
His eyes shifted over to Jenny who was staring at the computer screen with intense concentration and nibbling at her lower lip. Rose was staying close to her and he didn't blame her at all. The temptation to take them back the TARDIS was almost overwhelming, but this was too big. And he needed them. He needed the two beings he loved most right now. The fear burning under his skin was beyond anything he remembered. Coward still apparently.
"You're worried about Jenny," Mickey confirmed in a low voice, glancing into the room where Martha, Rose, and Jenny were crowding around Martha's laptop. "Look Doctor I only know what Martha told me about him… and what Rose got from well…" He didn't go any further in discussing Rose's late husband. "But if he's as obsessed about a New Gallifrey as he was last time then have Jenny stay here."
"She won't go for that," the Doctor muttered even as he looked at his daughter in the other room.
"Look put her on research," Mickey suggested quickly. "We can put her into contact with Sarah Jane so she can work with her computer. If the Master has a plan then I'm pretty sure that a daughter of yours could figure it out."
"I'm not sure he really has a plan," the Doctor told Mickey quickly, his brown eyes flashing. "He's brilliant of course, planning just in case he was defeated and killed. Letting me believe that he was just surrendering- but it went wrong and he couldn't be sure of the timing. I'm just not sure."
"Maybe, maybe not," Mickey pointed out. "But if he's even half as smart as you then he'll have some sort of plan and angle in no time." He nodded towards Jenny again and added, "So let's keep the only female Time Lord out of harm's way." Mickey licked his lips and softly added, "Just to be on the safe side.
"Alright, try to keep her here," the Doctor agreed before swallowing and trying to force words past the sudden painful knot in his throat. "Do you think Rose-"
"No way to pull that off," Mickey told him quickly with a defeated sigh. "You know that Doctor. She'll go with you and fight if you try to keep her from doing so."
"Yeah," the Doctor admitted with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Mickey you and Martha need to be careful right now. The Master might try to track her."
"Does he usually go after the former companions?" Mickey asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, not usually. Last night even with the powers of the Prime Minister he only went after the family of my current companion, he left Sarah Jane and the others alone. But Martha was critical to stopping him last time. In the old days I wouldn't be so worried, but now… his mind is gone. He's always been a bit mad, but whatever control he used to have is gone."
"Look, Doctor, if Martha feels the need we'll leave London and get off the grid," Mickey assured him with a nod. "And we'll keep an eye on Jenny, you focus on the Master and well… keep Rose safe if you can. If we run we'll take Jenny and you can track us down later."
"Yes," the Doctor agreed tightly as he turned to Mickey and nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course," Mickey replied calmly as he met the Doctor's eyes calmly and evenly. "Do you have what you need?"
"No," the Doctor replied, shaking his head and pulling on his glasses. "Sorry about the microwave."
An hour later and half of Mickey's computer later the Doctor was holding a small cobbled together device with a small whirling piece of metal on the top. Martha was looking at it with fondness, probably thinking about the gadgets he'd constructed back in 1969. Jenny was taking it in curiously with a small smile of understanding blooming on her face that made a flash of pride rush through the Doctor's chest.
"Alright I've got what I need," the Doctor announced, pulling on his long coat. "Jenny stay here and keep monitoring events with Martha and Mickey."
"No, I should go with you," Jenny countered with an almost horrified look.
"I want you to stay here and help them," the Doctor told her firmly.
"But Dad," Jenny whined, taking a step towards her father until he caught her face in his hands looking down at her gently while his fingers found the right spot on her temple.
"Jenny," he whispered. "Please, I know this isn't what you want, but stay here and see if you can't figure out a pattern. Track the recent news, see if anything stands out."
"I'm not a baby," Jenny reminded him. "And I'm not afraid of the Master. You said we'd do this together."
"We are," the Doctor promised, almost grimacing at the dubious look his daughter gave her. "But Jenny I need to keep trying to find him so I need someone looking to see if there is anything wrong happening."
"Martha and Mickey can do that."
"They aren't Time Lords," the Doctor pointed out. "He's our responsibility."
Jenny frowned at the words and the Doctor felt a flash of guilt using that against her, manipulating her with her desire to be a Time Lady and make him proud. Reaching out, he kissed her forehead and held her a moment. Just in case he wasn't going to in this body again.
"I trust you with this," he added gently. "You're clever and don't take anything for granted. You can do this."
"Okay," Jenny agreed and it was all the Doctor could do not to sigh in relief. "But under protest."
"That's fair," the Doctor agreed with a fond chuckle, kissing her forehead again. "And if Mickey and Martha tell you to do something then do it."
That statement earned a surprised look from Martha and Mickey, but they both nodded in a silent promise to look after her. The Doctor nodded in return, hoping that they both knew how grateful he was. He turned towards the door and found Rose waiting calmly with a soft sympathetic look on her face.
"I won't stay behind," Rose announced with a very stern expression on her face.
"I know," the Doctor admitted in defeat. "But when we find him stay back."
"Alright," Rose agreed with a sigh, meaning the words despite her hesitation.
A look of utter relief blossomed on his face and Rose couldn't help but wonder if it was going to be trying to save her and Jenny that would cost him his life. Shaking her head, Rose leaned up and kissed him in the living room of Marth and Mickey's home for a long moment.
"Alright then, Doctor," Rose whispered as she stepped back from him. "Lead on then, Shake."
"Allons-y, Shiver," the Doctor remarked as he took her hand and they stepped out of the Smith's house.
