A/N: Remember! The 50th reviewer gets a little something special, so keep an eye out!
Minho'sgirl15: Thank you so much for your support! As an amateur writer, 95% of the motivation to write really comes from the reviews you guys leave, so please keep it going! Love you so much!
WRose: Hahaha, it would have been great, but then Iris doesn't like to be left out of the action (though she would have been cozy with Ianto ). I do feel horrible towards Jack, because he has to witness her get so ill, but hopefully there's something better in store for everyone!
Bwburke94: Hahaha, yeah, it's true, but I just wanted to get it out there since I love you all! I'm so sorry if I seemed a little overzealous. I was so overly excited about the reviews I had been getting, that I threw that out from my excitement.
Please keep in mind that I don't own Doctor Who, Torchwood, or any of the Big Finish stories! I only own my OCs! Especially my Iris!
Chapter 15: Last of the Time Lords
Iris slowly woke up, finding herself lying down on something comfortable. She looked around herself to find herself in something that looked like a hospital room. She put her head back down onto the pillow she had and groaned, not sure how the pain in her head had subsided.
The pain itself was still there, it just had dulled down to a soft thudding in her head. She didn't want to complain about how it had died down so much. Iris found that she was connected to a medical machinery, that seemed to have been set up to check on her health status all the time.
And as she was trying to settle into figuring out how she had been put there, the door to her room opened and the Master stepped in. Iris immediately tensed up, expecting the beat of four to escalate painfully. But she didn't move more when she realized that though it did get a little painful at first, the closer the Master got to her, the less the pain got.
"Hello, my flower, you're finally awake."
The Master sat in the chair that was right by her bed as she asked,
"What happened to me? What did you do?"
She eyed him warily, not sure how her pain had lessened so much. She distinctly remembered coughing up blood and thinking that she was almost about to die. And then she woke up to find herself feeling so much better.
"Don't you remember?" The Master asked lightheartedly.
Iris immediately frowned and shook her head, not sure what to expect, when he said,
"We formed a more… mutually consenting bond."
Iris' eyes widened. She didn't remember consenting to forming a stronger bond, and as her mind was whirling from the confusion that the Master had caused, he continued as if he heard what she was thinking.
"Ah, you might not remember. Considering that you had already been unconscious and I did enter your mind to see what it was like in your brain. Well, I was curious about what you knew about this universe, to only find it very disorientating. So, I decided to see what would happen if we formed a stronger bond. Of course, I wasn't sure if you would consent, but it seemed to have a better effect on you more than I."
Iris was about to ask him what he meant when he continued,
"You got better. The drumming noise hurts you less now."
Iris flinched and she asked,
"How do you know what I want to know without me asking?"
The Master looked at his fingernails a little and then looked back up at her, smiling and said,
"Because that was part of the bond that we formed, my little flower. We have a mental link. Whatever you think, I know. Whatever I think, you will know."
Iris frowned and said, "How long has it been since I was unconscious?"
The Master immediately lost all hints of happiness as he muttered,
"About an year."
This caused Iris' mind to go into overload again as multiple thoughts came up to her. Then she felt a tug in her thoughts, that caused her to jump. She immediately looked at the Master, who grabbed her chin gently and looked at her intensely as he slowly, and menacingly said,
"I'm not exactly pleased that all you knowledge has seemed to deadlocked itself so that nobody else can see it even if you think about it, but please do remember that I'm trying my best not to hurt you as I think you may be useful to me."
Iris swallowed a bit of saliva, not sure how to respond. He was being so overly nice to her that it confused her. This man, who was not supposed to kind to anyone, was doing what was probably not what the Time Lord enjoyed.
The Master sighed, catching onto what Iris was thinking as he said,
"The bond is an… intimate thing. Especially with Time Lords. It's… well…"
Iris looked at the Master in shock as she saw a hint of red in the Master's ear. She felt heat flow up to her face quickly as she realized that he must have been implying that for Time Lords, this meant more than any form of relationship.
An awkward silence ensued, and the Master seemed to have finally gotten so bored that he left the room.
Once the Time Lord left the room, she determined that it was a relief that the Master couldn't access the information from the show, but it also made her confused. Why had her mind done that? She had zero control over what went in her mind, so the information should have been easily readable for any Time Lord to see. Unless something else had set it there.
And the only person she knew was most likely able to do that was Rassilon. She had heard his voice when she had died momentarily with the gauntlet that Suzie had used. It wouldn't be too surprising that he had access to her mind.
But how? How did he have that access? She tried wracking her brain about anything that could be a logical explanation for this assumption, but nothing popped up. Sighing in frustration, she lied back down in her bed, knowing that she was not allowed to go out of the room. With that, she let sleep take over her body.
…
In the brig in the meantime, Jack was chained to posts. He wasn't feeling that cheerful when he saw Tish come up to him. It had been about an year since Iris had fallen unconscious and taken from him. Since then, the Master had tried to get information from him, but didn't succeed, so the Time Lord had resorted to killing him from time to time when he got frustrated.
Occasionally, the Master let Jack see Iris. Although he only got to see her three times the entire year, he knew that at least she was alive. The Master didn't let her die, but kept her alive for whatever reason.
Tish finally stopped in front of him as he said,
"Morning, Tish. Ah, smell that sea air. Makes me long for good old British fish and chips. Yeah. What do I get? Cold mashed swede. Some hotel. Last time I book over the Internet."
He honestly didn't really feel like talking to Tish, but the small chat he had with anyone helped keep him sane. He saw Tish put three fingers on the container and Jack winked, letting Martha's sister know that he received the signal.
…
Iris woke up with a panic when she heard the alarms ring around the Valiant. She immediately stood up to her best abilities, holding onto the wall as she walked out of her room. Breathing heavily, her shaky legs took her to follow the guards. She finally stopped when she found herself in the flight deck once again. She saw with horror as the aged Doctor tried to kill the Master with the laser screwdriver.
The Master saw her at the doorway and smirked as he took the screwdriver from the Doctor's hands. While doing this, he said,
"Isomorphic controls. Which means they only work for me. Like this."
A laser beam shot out and almost hit Francine, Martha's mother. Iris quickly stepped further into the room, grasping at the walls as she whispered,
"Please, stop."
The Master looked up at her with a glint in his eyes as if they were saying, "watch me."
She slowly went to help the Doctor as the Master yelled at Francine. The Doctor looked at Iris with an expression that she could only label as shock.
For an year, the Doctor hadn't seen Iris since she had been dragged away by the Master. Back then, she looked like she was about to die. Now, though she still looked ill, she had regained her color back. Knowing the Master, he wasn't sure what to expect. But the hug Iris was giving him was so comfortable that he leaned in. He hadn't had comfortable and warm embraces in a while, and Iris let him feel at ease.
The Time Lord and Iris immediately heard the Master come near them as he said,
"Didn't you learn anything form the blessed Saint Martha? Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away."
Both of them saw Francine and Tish get escorted by the guards to somewhere else on the ship. The Master turned around to face Iris as he said,
"It's finally nice to see you out of your room, my flower. Though, I do distinctly remember that I told you not to leave your room."
Iris looked up at him, feeling how he was enjoying this scenario. She shook her head as she whispered,
"Then why do you enjoy it?"
The Master raised one eyebrow in amusement as he asked, "Can you sense my thoughts now?"
The Doctor tensed as he looked at Iris, who lowered her eyes as she nodded warily. He grasped her hand, not sure what to do for her. A bond between Time Lords was something so intimate, that it was only saved for special scenarios. Not even he had bonded with anyone, not even his wife back at Gallifrey. So to hear that the Master and Iris had a bond was something that had been surprising for him.
But if Iris was able to connect herself to the Master's thoughts as the Master did to Iris, he realized that he was about to do something foolish. He berated himself as the Master continued to say,
"Well, if that's the case, I'm excited to say that you will be about to witness a spectacular show."
Iris shook her head, as she pleaded, "No, please don't!"
The Master just shook his head as he helped Iris sit on a comfortable chair while the Doctor was seated in a wheel chair.
"The thing is, my little flower. Despite the adoration you have for your Doctor and your love for Jack, you cannot stop me from succeeding in my revenge. I mean, look at the Doctor now, he is a grandpa. 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. And look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers. How did he ever come to this? Oh yea, me."
The Doctor struggled against the hand the Master had put on his shoulder as he muttered,
"I just need you to listen."
The Master then walked away a little towards the camera as he said,
"No, it's my turn. Revenge! Best served hot. And this time, it's a message for Miss Jones."
The Doctor looked in horror towards Iris, who struggled against the guard who was holding her down. She had guilt cloud her features as she shook her head and pleaded silently to the Master to stop. The Doctor genuinely wished that Iris didn't feel whatever guilt she had for things taking place, but he could see how it has been eating her up inside.
They could both only look in horror as the Master then started to say,
"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. 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. But what if it showed?"
Iris yelled out, "No!"
The Master ignored her as he continued with,
"What if I suspend your capacity to regenerate? All 900 years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them?"
Iris struggled in her chair as she saw the Master zap the Doctor with his screwdriver, causing the Doctor to convulse as he became smaller and smaller. This caused Iris' tears to fall down her face. This was much more horrifying to watch than on a television screen. Not only that, she had met the Doctor in-person and built a friendship with him in such a short time, that watching him become a small person was too much for her.
The Master's taunting played in her mind over and over again as the Doctor 's tiny form peered out from the clothing. The big eyes met Iris' and Iris couldn't help but look at him with so many emotions flashing through her. Guilt, sorrow, hopelessness. More went through her, but the Master immediately ended the recording and headed over to Iris, whispering,
"My flower… my beautiful Iris, look at him. So helpless, so weak. Is this really the man you can continue to fight for?"
Iris shivered as the Master gently grabbed her chin to make her turn her face towards him. She couldn't look away at the intensity that shown in the Master's eyes. All she could think was,
"He's my friend."
The Master must have not heard the thought because Iris felt his thumb clean away her tears from her cheeks and look at her again. This time though, Iris held her breath, realizing just how the Master was to her. She saw how his eyes flickered down to her lips and she froze, not sure how to react. Something in her mind caused her to shiver in excitement just a little bit. There was a tug, a thought of temptation as the Master was only centimeters away from her. But she resisted.
The two stood there for what felt like hours until the Master finally let her go and stood back. His expression was unreadable, and Iris released a little breath of relief. She wasn't sure what she felt, but per the Master's orders, a guard took her back to her room. She was not to leave the room until she was called for. Iris risked a glance at the Doctor's caged form, and went back to her room.
She stepped back into her room. Iris sat down on her bed and thought back on what had just transpired. She had wanted to kiss the Master! Even if it was a very small part of her, the idea that she even wanted to started to confuse her.
The Master had caused her grievances, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the bond, but she longed for Ianto and Jack more than ever. Before she had died from Bilis' hands, she had admitted her feelings to Jack. But she couldn't deny that when she had been deathly ill before coming to the Valiant, she frequently longed for Ianto's comfort. While Jack was passionate and caring, Ianto was warm and loving.
Iris had wanted to distinguish the feelings she had for the two men, but her mind was so overloaded with pain that she wasn't sure what she was going through. Her heart ached and she wished that she had the strength to fight against the Master. But the bond prevented that. If anything, she felt that much closer to the Master. Caused her to feel empathy and more of an understanding as to why he fought against the Doctor so much.
After a while, she decided that this was too much for her, so she lie down to sleep and rest.
…
Down on the ground, Martha and a man called Tom knocked on a door, making sure nobody saw them.
Tom said, "Let me in. It's Milligan."
The door the slave quarters opened up to show a woman, who whispered,
"Did you bring food?"
Tom shook his head, looking sullen as he responded with, "Couldn't get any, and I'm starving."
The woman looked at him sadly as she said, "All we've got is water."
Martha looked at the woman and apologized, and heard Tom say,
"It's cheaper than building barracks. Pack them in, a 100 in each house, ferry them off to the shipyards every morning."
Suddenly, Martha and Tom heard a man call out in a Welsh accent,
"Martha Jones? Is that you?"
Martha looked over to the man, who looked relatively tall in jeans and a leather jacket. He looked exhausted, but the gleam in his blue eyes looked fairly similar to a description a friend of hers described before they were separated.
"Ianto Jones?" She asked cautiously.
Ianto smiled widely and nodded as he said, "It's finally nice to meet you."
"What are you doing all the way here? You were supposed to be at the Hub?!" Martha said, worried.
Ianto nodded and responded with, "I know. But knowing that Iris and Jack was trapped with the Master, I needed to come here. They need as much help they can get. The others are at the Hub."
Martha finally smiled and hugged him a little when a boy asked,
"Are you really Martha Jones?"
Martha and Ianto looked down, as she said, "Yeah, that's me."
The boy looked excited as he asked,
"Can you do it? Can you kill him? They said you can kill the Master, can you? Tell us you can do it. Please, tell us you can do it."
The woman who had opened the door for them added,
"Who is the Master?"
The people surrounding them began to all ask questions of their own as they let their curiosity get the better of them. Tom, who was clearly extremely exhausted, said,
"Come on, just leave her alone. She's exhausted."
Martha smiled a little as she said, "No, it's all right. They want me to talk, and I will."
Ianto also listened in, intrigued about what Martha was about to say. Iris said that Martha would tell the world about her journey and their plan, but the woman really did tell a nice story.
"I travelled across the world, from the ruins of New York to fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe. And everywhere I went, I saw people just like you, living as slaves. But if Martha Jones became a legend, then that's wrong, because my name isn't important. There's someone else. The man who sent me out there. The man who told me to walk the Earth. And his name is the Doctor. He has saved your lives so many times, and you never even know he was there. He never stops. He never stays. He never asks to be thanked. But I've seen him. I know him. I love him. And I know what he can do."
Then a woman came running over to Martha and Ianto, looking at both of them as she said,
"It's him! It's him! Oh my God, it's him! It's the Master. He's here."
…
Iris woke up when she felt a strong tug, almost like a wake-up call hit her. She then saw a vision of sorts as she saw what the Master was seeing. She froze. Tom was on the ground, dead, while Martha stood with a familiar looking man. Ianto. Ianto was there with Martha Jones.
Without thinking much, she pleaded the Master to spare Ianto. At first, the Master seemed displeased that she was so emotional towards the Welsh man, but agreed, making sure to take Ianto and Martha back to the Valiant with him.
Iris immediately tried to brush her hair a little bit with her hands, frustrated with how things turned out. Why was Ianto there? She had specifically told him not to leave the Hub. But soon enough, guards came to her room to tell her that she was to go to the flight deck. She nodded and walked over.
When she arrived, she made immediate eye contact with Ianto, who smiled at her widely. That stupid idiot! She was absolutely angry now. Why did he risk his life to come here? He was supposed to be back at the Hub and not remember any of the events that took place. But she didn't have much time to think as she was seated in a chair with a guard standing by her.
Then Jack was brought in, causing him to look at Ianto with surprise of his own. Iris heard him whisper out,
"Ianto?"
With that, Ianto smiled at the captain, causing the 51st century man to look just as angry as Iris must have appeared just a minute ago. But the joy of reunion was short as the Master started to say,
"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe."
Martha was brought in with her family, and the Master held out his hand as he said,
"Your teleport device, in case you thought I'd forgotten."
Martha threw the Vortex Manipulator on the ground, clearly not happy. But the Master just continued to smile as he said,
"And now, kneel. Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. 200,000 ships set to burn across the universe. Are we ready?"
A man's voice came over as he reported, "The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!"
The Master chuckled darkly as he said,
"Three minutes to align the black hold converters. Counting down. I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"
The Toclafane said, "WE will fly and blaze and slice. We will fly and blaze and slice."
Iris trembled in fear as the Mater continued to say in excitement,
"At zero, to mark this day, the child Martha Jones, will die. My first blood. Any last words? No? Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless. Bow your head. And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward-"
Then the ship rang out with Martha's laughter. The Master immediately frowned and Iris felt a wave of annoyance flow within her. She shifted, trying to ignore the annoyance as the Master bit out,
"What. What's so funny?"
Martha merely chuckled as she said, "A gun."
The Master, clearly not liking not knowing what was happening, asked, "What about it?"
Martha muttered out "A gun in four parts?"
The Master still didn't understand why Martha was taunting him as he said, "Yes, and I destroyed it."
Martha rolled her eyes as she said, "A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on, did you really believe that?"
The Master frowned even more, if that was possible. The Master looked at her momentarily as he asked warily,
"What do you mean?"
The Doctor then gained the strength to speak as he said, "As if I would ask her to kill."
The Master then rolled his eyes as he tried to gloat his victory, "Oh well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her."
Martha then spoke up again as she said, "But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here at the right time."
The Master stayed quiet for a bit before smiling as he said, "Oh, but you're still going to die."
But as the conversation continued, Iris felt a tug and she winced. She shifted a little, not sure why she was feeling so anxious, and worried? But it wasn't for anyone around her, but for the Time Lord in a black suit.
She focused back to the conversation and heard Jack say, "the Archangel Network."
Martha continued with, "A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person of Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is Doctor."
Iris felt panic arise in her own mind and her throat clenched in fear, but she managed to whisper out the name, "Doctor" multiple times.
But at the same time, she felt the hold the Master had on her weaken ever so slightly as the signal from the Archangel Network weakened. She saw with awe at how the Doctor returned to his younger, looking-self. It honestly surprised her how it amazed her to see it all in-person than horrible CG.
Iris immediately felt a pair of hands on her shoulder and she jumped, still having the Master's fear rampaging her mind. She immediately looked up to find Ianto looking at her, smiling warmly. How could he smile so warmly to her? Despite everything that he must have suffered through the year? She leaned into his touch, loving how it comforted her.
She honestly wished that she could help, but Ianto made her sit, stating that she wasn't well enough to move around much. She complied in a small amount of annoyance, trying to focus on muting the wide spectrum of emotions she currently felt. Jack pecked her cheek before heading back to the TARDIS to fix the paradox machine. Martha reunited with her family.
Then Iris felt a thought click in her mind and yelled, "Doctor! The Master-"
The Doctor immediately looked over at what the other Time Lord was doing and yelled, "No!" and was transported out of the Valiant via the Vortex Manipulator.
Iris relaxed immediately, realizing just how tense she felt. Ianto knelt in front of her and said,
"Hello again."
Iris wasn't sure what to say, but managed to whisper out, "H…Hey"
Their eyes met and they looked at each, relieved that most of the action was over. Then Iris smiled and hugged him as tightly as she could. Ianto still smelled like coffee, which made her smile into his shoulder. She continued to stay there, finding relief in the hug, and Ianto gently ran his fingers in her hair.
He was surprised how thin and pale Iris looked. But he was honestly happy that she was safe and alive compared to everything. Despite having read from Iris' letter to remain in the Hub, he didn't want to remain helpless when he knew what he and the team could do to help. That was why Torchwood immediately was part of the intelligence base of the Resistance in Cardiff, remaining hidden from Saxon.
Once Martha had gotten out of the Valiant, they contacted each other to make sure that Martha and the team remained safe and carried out the plan Iris had provided for them.
Iris pulled away first, when suddenly the Doctor and the Master reappeared on the flight deck of the Valiant. The Doctor quickly yelled,
"Everyone get down! Time is reversing!"
Ianto immediately grabbed Iris and put his body around her, protecting her from any debris that flew around the room. When time returned to a year before, the Doctor said,
"The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past eight in the morning."
They all hear a man on the communicator say, "This is UNIT Central. What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated."
Iris let out a shaky breath, feeling terrified, despite knowing that she was now safe. She looked up to hear Francine shakily say,
"But I can remember it."
Iris felt guilt, but her eyes focused on the Master, who was crawling away from the Doctor, trying to stealthily escape. But as the Master immediately bolted for the door, Jack came in, stopping him from escaping. Jack grabbed him as he said,
"Whoa, big fell! You don't want to miss the party. Cuffs. So, what do we do with this one?"
He handcuffed the Master, and Iris stood up with the help of Ianto. Jack glanced at Iris, smiling tiredly. Iris smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes. She had a weird feeling crawling beneath her stomach and she warily looked around when Francine said,
"Oh, I think so. Because all those things, they still happened because of him. I saw them."
Iris nudged Ianto a little towards Francine, eyeing him a signal to remove the gun from Francine. Ianto nodded and went towards the woman, saying,
"Francine, here, give me the gun."
The Doctor joined as he said, "Francine, you're better than him."
Francine lowered the gun and Ianto immediately put it on the ground. Iris frowned, but the fear and paranoia was eating at her.
The Master then asked, "You still haven't answered the question. What happened to me?"
The Doctor looked back at the other Time Lord and said, "You're my responsibility from now on. The only Time Lord left in existence."
Iris flinched a little at that, knowing how he really wasn't alone. She really wished that he could know, but he wasn't supposed to. At least… not now. But Jack eyed the Master warily as he said,
"Yeah, but you can't trust him."
Iris scoffed a little, causing everyone to look at her strangely. How that was strange considering just how the two Time Lords were going to interact with each other in the future. There was another tug in her mind and she quickly looked at the Master, thinking that he had said something to her, but she didn't quite catch it. Her mind was brought to reality when a loud gunshot rang in the room.
Iris quickly looked up at Lucy, who had shot the Master. The Master staggered into the Doctor's arms, paling considerably. Iris felt shock rack through her body as she saw this happen. Ianto immediately grabbed the gun from Lucy while the Doctor said,
"There you go. I've got you. I've got you."
The Master glanced at Lucy with surprise and amusement as he said, "Always the women."
But Iris also felt the tug of the bond she had with the Master and noticed how he also thought of her. But nobody noticed Iris wince while the Doctor said,
"I didn't see her."
The Master said, "Dying in your arms. Happy now?"
The Doctor didn't want to accept it, denying with, "You're not dying. Don't be stupid. It's only a bullet. Just regenerate."
The Master glanced at Iris, then back at the Doctor and smirked as he whispered vehemently, "No."
The Doctor, however, didn't see that the Master had looked at Iris in his devastation as he shook his former friend and pleaded,
"One little bullet. Come on."
The Master smiled even wider, seeing just how devastated the Doctor was at the idea of his death and chuckled as he said, "I guess you don't know me so well. I refuse."
The Doctor heard a gasp and then looked up to see Jack grab Iris, whose legs gave out.
Iris felt shock, then pain, then her legs gave out underneath her. She felt two hands grab onto her to soften her fall.
"Iris?!" Jack yelled as he caught her.
Iris' face paled considerably as she struggled to breathe, feeling something press into her stomach, just like the bullet embedded in the Master's stomach. She looked at Jack, fear finally kicking in as she whimpered.
"Jack…" She whispered.
Then she saw Ianto come up towards her, screaming, "No! No this can't be happening! Not again!"
Iris looked up to see Jack freely crying, begging to her, "Please, hold on…You will be fine. Just-just wait a bit."
Iris smiled a little, feeling comfortable in Jack's grasp and all noises started to dim as she struggled to hold on like Jack asked. But she started to feel the cold start to settle in and she felt disorientated. She looked around, trying to focus her eyes on the now, blurry vision of Jack. As she tried to do so, she felt a tear slide down her cheek and tried to say goodbye, but couldn't gather the energy to talk. She wheezed as she breathed in and out the best she could. But the pain was becoming too much to bear. Her vision began to fade and then the world turned black.
…
Jack shook Iris, who had closed her eyes for the last time.
"Iris?! Iris, you have to stay awake! Please…don't leave me! Wake up!"
Jack hugged Iris tighter, feeling how she was limp. It couldn't be happening. She had come back to him just a year ago, and this happened again.
Ianto felt his own tears fall and he went to the Doctor, asking him,
"Please… save her."
The Doctor looked up from crying over the Master's death and then finally seemed to realize what happened. He had a look of shock come across his face as he quickly, but gently set the Master down and went towards Iris.
He took Iris from Jack, trying to see if she had a heartbeat. Fortunately, her heart was still weakly beating. The bond was killing her. The only way for him to be able to save her was to bond with her, therefore breaking the bond she had with the Master. The Doctor looked up to see Jack, who was looking desperate and quickly said,
"Jack, listen to me very carefully."
Jack nodded and the Doctor started,
"I have to break the bond she has with the Master, but in order to do that, I have to bond with her."
Jack then interrupted urgently, "Then what are you waiting for?"
The Doctor shook his head, feeling exhaustion and sadness hit him as he said,
"Because it's an act of intimacy for Time Lords."
Jack froze and his eyes hardened as he thought over this, clearly understanding what the Time Lord was implying. Not a second had passed as he said,
"Do it, Doctor. Save her."
The Doctor breathed in hesitantly and then put fingers on Iris' temples. He quickly went into her mind to find it something akin to a maelstrom. Not organized, but floating with various thoughts, flashes, emotions that were about to throw him out. He pushed through, trying to find her amidst the harsh and almost deathly condition of her mind. He sifted through the dark memories and thoughts of Iris. He ignored the doors that looked like they were deadlocked, for they were metallic and looked like spaceship doors compared to those that had broken down, which were wooden.
He saw a dark center, and within that gray and black area, he found Iris, sitting down, holding her knees.
"Iris?" He whispered, finally relieved to have found her.
His hearts stopped beating for a second when Iris looked up, not recognizing him. He quickly said,
"I'm the Doctor. I'm here to save you."
"The Doctor?" She whispered out in fear and curiosity.
Her eyes penetrated him, almost reaching into his mind, and he quickly said,
"Jack's waiting for you, please, you have to follow what I say."
At that, Iris cringed and tried to hide her face from the Doctor. He noticed how heavy his hearts felt. It was as if Iris felt the very same exhaustion and weight of the world like he did after the Time War. He quickly knelt by her and with his hands, cupped her cheek. He lifted her head to make her face him, and he said,
"We don't have much time. You're dying. We have to form a bond."
Iris looked at him, still seeming like she wasn't able to recognize him, but she stayed quiet. After about a minute, she asked,
"Will I be alive then?"
The Doctor nodded, and for a moment, he thought Iris would refuse him and prevent the bond from breaking with the Master, but she nodded.
He quickly explained to her that he was in her mind and that she had to fully accept his ability to enter her mind whenever and wherever.
Iris felt scared at the man who claimed to be saving her, and the bond sounded scary. However, a corner of her heart didn't want to give up, and she decided to follow the instructions the man was giving her.
She did everything that he said to do, and then, her body felt incredibly lighter and the threatening beat of four stopped. The world around her was finally quiet. Then, she felt a warmth flow through her body, making her comfortable.
The Doctor felt Iris enter his mind, cautiously looking for any hints that he was a threat to her. But she explored his good memories and bad memories that he showed her. She laughed like a child at some of the antics and silly things he had done in the past. Then she surprised him and his hearts clenched in an unrecognizable emotion when she seemed to embrace and comfort him when the information regarding the Time War accidentally played out. She had stretched her hand out to the memories and then smiled warmly, her lips pulling up gently. He felt a rush of warmth settle into him, and then, the bond formed, a blinding light waking him up from the connection.
He opened his eyes and then looked at the limp form of Iris beneath him. He checked for her pulse, which got stronger and her eyes flittered. Iris drew in a breath and then, opened her eyes, which focused to the light from the ship. The Doctor looked at Iris, not sure if she remembered everything that happened, when Iris pulled her hand up to the Doctor's face, cupping his cheek with that hand.
They shared that moment, until Iris' hand fell down and she turned her head to see Jack who was watching the two warily. Then a tear fell down Iris' eyes as she whispered,
"Jack… Ianto…"
The two Torchwood agents let out a huge breath of relief and looked as if they wanted to hug her. A flash of protectiveness went through the Doctor, but he handed Iris to Jack, who embraced her in a tight hug. Ianto joined in, who realized that the nightmare of an year never happened and that they were all alive.
The Doctor watched the girl he just bonded with, shoving down the emotions raging through him as he looked back down at the Master's corpse. As if sensing his sadness, Iris let the men go and looked back at the Doctor, and then grabbed Jack's and Ianto's hands in each of hers, silently mourning along with the Doctor.
Eventually, the Valiant went back down to Earth, and Martha's family was sent back home with the assistance of UNIT while Jack, Ianto, Martha and Iris remained with the Doctor.
Everybody was tired and slept on the TARDIS. Ianto had unable to close his mouth when he had first entered the TARDIS. But noticing how the recent events were weighing heavily on everybody, he admired the ship before heading to rest himself. Iris was still dazed with the fact that she survived and remembered forming the bond with the Doctor, that she couldn't sleep. She walked to the console room, silently saying,
"Hi… I… I'm so glad to finally meet you."
The TARDIS hummed a little, as if saying hello back at her. The Doctor had parked the TARDIS to do a funeral for the Master. She sat down in the chair in the console room, waiting for the Doctor. When he finally came in, he shrugged out of his trench coat, upset, when he noticed Iris sitting down in the chair.
"Iris? What are you doing instead of resting?"
Iris looked up, and her eyes bore into the Doctor's as she said,
"I couldn't sleep… and… I wanted to say thank you for saving me."
The Doctor looked at her as he said, "You're welcome."
Iris stayed silent a while, letting the Doctor drive the TARDIS. She silently went up to him when he parked the TARDIS somewhere, and hugged him from behind. The Doctor froze as he felt Iris' arms around his waist. Normally, he would initiate the hugs and not many people hugged him from behind like this. He would have dropped her arms, but he liked the feeling of Iris' arms. It felt nice. He could feel from the bond he had with her that she was trying to comfort him. And unlike anybody else, he let himself relish in the way she was doing it. When they had bonded, Iris' own memories slipped a little, only to indicate that she knew of the Time War. How it scarred him ever since.
Nobody else knew now, and having someone to help him through it, even if it was through this small hug, meant the world to him.
But alas, Iris pulled away from the Doctor and smiled when he turned towards her. They looked at each other for a while when the Doctor said,
"You don't hear the drumming anymore."
It was supposed to be a question, but it sounded more like a statement. Like he knew the answer already. Iris nodded, assuring him that it really was gone.
"Yup."
With that Iris beamed, as if the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders. He smiled a little, glad to see Iris smile so brightly. They stood like that for a while when Ianto came in with Jack and Martha. They had slept for a long time and were ready to head back to Earth.
The Doctor smiled a bit more as he said, "Well, we've arrived at Cardiff."
Jack hugged Iris, who hugged him back enthusiastically, and pecked him on the cheek. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he led both of them out. Ianto followed suit and gazed at the TARDIS in awe.
Eventually, Martha and the Doctor stepped outside and leaned on the railing. They all shared a look before Martha said,
"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name. Now, they've all forgotten you."
The Doctor had a glazed look for a split second before saying, "Good."
Jack then pat Ianto in the back as he said, "Back to work."
Ianto chuckled a little, and saw that the four people needed a moment to themselves and shook hands with Martha and the Doctor.
While shaking hands, the Doctor said,
"Ianto, it has been an honor to meet you in person. Good luck working with Jack."
Ianto smiled and said, "Thank you Doctor. Good day."
With that, Ianto headed for the Hub.
The Doctor then turned to Jack and Iris, saying,
"If you want, you guys can come with me. I really don't mind."
Jack smiled a little and said, "I had plenty of time to think that past year, the year that never was, and I kept thinking about that team of mine. Like you said, Doctor, responsibility."
The Doctor smiled as he responded with, "Defending the Earth. Can't argue with that. Although…"
With that, the Doctor grabbed the vortex manipulator on the 51st century man's wrist and sonicked it, continuing,
"I can't have you walking around with a time travelling teleport. You could go anywhere, twice. The second time to apologize."
Iris and Martha watched two men interact. Jack looked at Iris, then back to the Doctor as he asked,
"And what about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"
The Doctor shook his head, feeling Iris get a little saddened at this information as he responded, "Nothing I can do. You're an impossible thing Jack."
Jack smiled as he joked, "Been called that before."
The Doctor then looked at Iris, who still had Jack hold her, not letting her go, as he asked,
"And what about you Iris? You're welcome to join us and travel."
Iris looked up with a sparkle in her eye, clearly indicating that she did want to go. But she held herself back, he could feel it in their bond. Iris felt the little hope that the Doctor had, waiting for her reply. She blushed a little, and looked up at Jack.
The captain was clearly letting her choose. She thought about it quickly and asked,
"Would it be alright for you to pick me up from time to time? The team also needs me, but I want to travel with you too. If that's too much-"
The Doctor immediately smiled brightly as he cut her off by saying, "That will work fine!"
Iris thought about it for a while and then dug around in her pocket and then pulled her phone out, tossing it to the Doctor, and said,
"Here, take it. When you arrive, just shoot a message to Jack or something We will text you the new phone number I get, if you want to contact me instead."
The Doctor caught her phone, which she had managed to find and nodded. Iris then looked at Martha, and quickly hugged her tightly. Martha laughed as she said,
"I'm glad to have met you Iris. I wish we got to know each other more."
Iris smiled as she said while pulling back, "Don't worry. We'll see more of each other in the future."
Martha looked at her, intrigued when Jack coughed a little and Iris pranced back to him, clearly overjoyed that the Doctor invited her.
Iris hugged the Doctor again, feeling his arms wrap around her back as they embraced warmly. The presence that each other felt from the other let in a sense of comfort for both of them, a result of the two-way bond.
Jack then pulled her back, smiling to see how happy Iris was and then decided to ask,
"But I keep wondering. What about aging? Because 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 and said, "I really don't know."
Iris tried to hold back her giggle as Jack said,
"Ok, vanity. Sorry, yeah… can't help it. Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid living in 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. The Face of Boe, they called me. Hmm… I'll see you. Iris, I'll be in my office."
Iris nodded back at him, watching his figure retreat a little towards the Hub, when Iris looked back at the Doctor and Martha, only to see their flabbergasted faces. The Doctor looked down at her, seeing how she smirked and winked at him as he said,
"No!"
Martha laughed, as she had noticed Iris wink as she said, "It can't be."
The Doctor shook his head in wonder as he said, "No, definitely not. No, no."
Iris laughed a little, making the Doctor smile more and waved at the duo, saying,
"Oh, and Doctor, try looking up Adipose Industry. I have been monitoring it, but seems interesting. Try checking in on it!"
The Doctor looked at her, baffled, but smiled and waved back and said, "Until next time!"
Iris smiled and ran back to the tourist center, excited to see her friends again. When she entered, she realized Jack and Ianto were talking. She smiled, seeing how friendly the two men were.
"Jack, Ianto." She called out to them.
The two men looked up and smiled warmly at her, approaching her desk. She then continued with,
"Well, since we survived the year an rested up, how about we go find our team?"
Jack and Ianto glanced at each other, then smiled widely as they all got ready to reintroduce themselves back into their lives as Torchwood agents.