A/N: I'm back! Sorry this took so long. Life and...other stories got in the way...and I was blocked. But I'm back! new chappie! enjoy!
Chapter 22: Twenty-two Switches
"That's not where that belongs!" the Doctor snapped.
"That's where it should go," the Master retorted, calmly.
"If it goes there it'll make her fly upside-down!"
"No, it'll get rid of that terrible sound it makes, even if you leave the brakes on."
"You think I don't know my own TARDIS?! And I like that sound!"
Olivia sighed, her head bowed into her hands as she sat in the jump seat next to the console, the Doctor and the Master working on the floor beneath it.
They'd been working on fixing the TARDIS for a week and they hadn't stopped bickering since. She offered to help, but when she did help, the Master had made a remark about her that sent the Doctor fuming, and he made her leave, telling her to stay away from him from then on. She thought to call Joyce, to check on her and Amelia, but she was afraid she'd get the third degree from her mother, and she really couldn't explain much to her yet…and she didn't want to worry her.
Feeling restless, she stood and made her way toward the steps leading deeper into the TARDIS.
"Doctor, I'm going to the kitchen!" she called from the stairs. "You two want anything?"
"A cuppa would do nicely, darling," the Master called back, and Olivia jumped when a loud clang followed, making him laugh.
"Whatever you're having, Liv, will be fine!" the Doctor called.
"Try not to kill each other while I'm gone!" she called back, disappearing into the hallway.
The Master leaned down to lift the strange-looking wrench the Doctor had thrown at him to hand it back to him. The Doctor yanked the tool from the Master to put it away before turning back to his work on a panel. The Doctor pulled his protective goggles over his eyes, spotted with grease all over his disheveled clothes, face and hands, his sleeves rolled up at his elbows, his jacket abandoned and his waistcoat unbuttoned. The Master, on the other hand, looked immaculate as he crossed his arms over his chest and watched the Doctor work, leaning against the column supporting the console.
"You needn't be so defensive," the Master smirked as the Doctor used a cutting torch, making sparks fly. "You know I prefer blondes."
"You created a parallel universe and nearly married her in it," the Doctor shot back, his gaze on his work.
"Means to an end, remember?" the Master shrugged. "I knew you'd eventually show up. And even if you hadn't I was about to make my move to finally be free of that bloody dimension."
The Doctor shut off the torch, yanked off his goggles and marched toward the Master to glare his piercing blue eyes into amused greens.
"She is not a pawn to be played by you, or anyone," he growled as the Master smirked back at him. "I won't allow you to play with people's lives any longer, Master. If I have to link with you to pound that into your brain, I will."
The Master's smirk fell, making the Doctor's glare shift from anger to wonder. He looked as though he was…sad? Was that sorrow in the Master's eyes?
"That wouldn't work," the Master muttered, making the Doctor frown in wonder. "All you would hear is…the Drums." He lifted his hands to his head, bowing it as he frowned, shutting his eyes tightly. "The Drums. The Drums. The constant Drums!"
The Doctor jumped back as the Master slammed a fist down into the metal he was standing next to. He looked to the Doctor with wild eyes before grabbing his collar to shake him as he spoke.
"You've heard them!" he recalled, the Doctor lifting his hands to the Master's, but he didn't push him away. "You tell me, Doctor, how am I supposed to think properly of anything when all I can hear are those bloody Drums?!"
The Doctor placed his hands on the Master's shoulders, looking him in the eye.
"We'll stop them, Koschei," he murmured, and the Master's eyes widened, locked with the Doctor's gaze. "But you have to trust me, and we have to work together. Let me help you, my friend."
The Master stared back at him for a moment before swallowing hard and nodding. The Doctor smiled, letting the Master lean forward and rest his head on his shoulder, revealing Olivia standing on the steps, a tray in her hands and staring huge eyes at the scene in wonder. He waved her forward with one hand before silently tapping the Master on the shoulder, who took the hint and stood tall, wiping his face with one hand as he walked around the Doctor, not wanting to be seen vulnerable. The Doctor stepped toward Olivia, who was still frowning in wonder as he took the tray from her.
"What's wrong with him?" she whispered as the Doctor looked over what was on the tray.
"Hearts to hearts," he replied as Olivia sat on the steps. "No Jammie Dodgers?"
"You ate them all earlier," she explained, watching the Master as he still kept his back to them, recovering from his emotional talk with the Doctor.
"Suppose these biscuits will do," the Doctor muttered in disappointment, lifting one to examine it.
"Don't look so upset," she smirked as the Master turned back to them, heading toward them and making her straighten.
"Tea and biscuits," the Master smirked, taking one of the cups and its matching saucer. "How very British of you, Olivia. Are you adapting?"
"I've always liked tea," she replied, glancing between the two Time Lords as they sipped at their tea, the Doctor handing the tray back to her. "Why don't you two take a break? You haven't slept much since you started working."
"We don't need sleep the way humans do," the Master reminded her, and she noted the hint of arrogance in his tone, making her glare at him.
"We don't need it, but maybe we should get some shut-eye in any case," the Doctor suggested. "It has been a week, at least."
"Well, someone's whipped, aren't they?" the Master smirked, taking a biscuit from the tray, as did the Doctor before Olivia stood, tray in hand.
"Don't try my patience," she shot at him before turning to march up the steps toward the console.
The Doctor gave a small sigh as the Master chuckled before the messy Time Lord turned to him.
"Follow me," he said, turning to the stairs to head up as well. "The TARDIS will find a room for you to sleep in. She has enough power to do the little things."
"But will the misses let you?" the Master smirked again, following him.
"Enough jokes, Koschei," the Doctor replied, downing the rest of his tea before popping the rest of his biscuit in his mouth as well and setting the cup down on the jumpseat as he passed it toward the second set of stairs. "You'll only get her even more cross."
"I wish you'd quit calling me that," the Master muttered, doing the same with his cup when he finished his tea, still following the Doctor who stopped and turned to him with a frown of wonder. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You know I prefer Master."
"Yes, but—"
"No, Doctor. Sorry, but nostalgia doesn't suit me as it does you. I let you get away with it once, when I was vulnerable, but the moment's passed."
The Master marched past the Doctor who let his disappointment show before he sighed and followed the Master down the steps, toward the bedrooms. Olivia stepped out of the door to the kitchen just as the Master sauntered past her, making her frown at him before she looked to the Doctor following him.
"Where's he going?" she whispered, following the Doctor down the hall as he followed the Master.
"Finding a room to sleep in," the Doctor replied, frowning back at her. "Like you suggested. Why are you looking at me like that—? Ow! Ow! Ow!"
Olivia grabbed a hold of his ear and twisted enough to make him stop next to her as she glared at him. She released him a moment later, making him rub his ear, his face contorted in pain.
"You are letting him roam about the TARDIS again?!" she hissed. "Have you you're your mind?!"
"You suggested we get some rest!" he shot back.
"I suggested you get some rest. I could care less about him!"
"Oh, don't worry about me, Miss Olivia," the Master suddenly piped up, making the couple look to him as he leaned back in the hall, his arms crossed in front of him and a smirk over his lips. "I'll keep out of trouble if the two of you want to go have a romp in the sack."
"First of all, I trust you about as far as I can throw you," Olivia shot back with a glare at him. "Second of all, don't ever refer to our sex life again…ever."
"As the lady wishes," the Master retorted, shoving off the wall and bowing low before turning to head back down the hall. "I assume the TARDIS will give me a room that won't get me into trouble."
"Just open the nearest door," the Doctor suggested, and the Master, surprisingly, obeyed, disappearing behind the door he opened.
"Are you seriously just gonna—What are you doing?" Olivia frowned in wonder as the Doctor made his way toward the door the Master had stepped through and pulled something from his pocket. She frowned as she stepped up next to him to watch him push a strange key into the slot and twist, the lock glowing gold before it faded. "What did you do?"
"Locked him in," the Doctor smiled, pulling the key from the slot and handing it to her. She frowned at the thing in wonder before looking back up at the Doctor for explanation. "It's an old TARDIS key. It only works on the inner doors now. Makes for a very secure lock. You see, darling, I trust him as far as I can throw him as well. Which isn't very far. Keep that one. I have another one when we let him out."
Olivia twirled the key in her hand as she smiled up at him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to lead her down the hall to their room.
"You don't think he'll get out?" she wondered, pulling at the chain around her neck from under her shirt to put the key on it, along with the TARDIS key.
"Not unless he's got a key like that," he smiled, turning them into a door that opened on its own. "Well, it seems the TARDIS isn't as broken as we thought, eh?"
"She never was," Olivia smirked, heading into the room ahead of him as the door shut and he chuckled.
"Oh, I know," he smirked as they stepped to either side of the bed in their bedroom. "I knew a week ago. The moment I took a look under the hood. I suspect the Master knows as well, but I doubt he knows why you've hatched this little scheme, the TARDIS and you."
"Do you?" she wondered, sitting on the mattress and kicking off her shoes as the Doctor pulled off his waistcoat to toss it into a slot for dirty laundry.
"I don't need to know, Liv," he replied, sitting to start unbuttoning his shirt and kick off his shoes at the same time. Olivia froze and turned to him with wide eyes as he peeled off his shirt, discarding it in the same place the waistcoat went. "Honestly, whatever your plan is, you know what you're doing. I trust you with my life, you know that."
He frowned when he felt the bed shift almost violently and turned just in time to catch Olivia when she threw herself into his arms and he fell back onto the mattress, making him laugh as she planted kisses over his face. She nuzzled against his face, not caring about the grease she was smearing onto her own.
"What's this for, eh?" he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her before she lifted her head to grin at him.
"For trusting me," she smiled before planting her lips to his.
He hugged her closer to roll her onto her back, making her giggle through the kiss, before it turned passionate and she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. The sound of a soft click caught her ear, making her eyes open as she frowned then pushed on the Doctor's shoulders. He pulled back with a matching frown as he stared down at her in wonder.
"What's wrong?" he murmured as she glanced around the room, straining her ears to hear anything else.
"Did you hear that?" she asked, still looking around the room.
"Hear what?" he asked back, now looking around the room as well but seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "I didn't hear a thing."
"Hm," Olivia hummed before turning her gaze back to him and smiling softly. "Must have been my imagination then."
"Well, let's distract that racing mind of yours, shall we?" he smirked before planting his lips to hers again.
Meanwhile...
The jiggling of a handle echoed through the hall of the TARDIS, quiet enough that the other occupants couldn't hear it, but loud enough to make the Master cringe in worry that they might. The TARDIS gave an angry hum, nearly a buzz, through the room, making him smirk, but he didn't let go of the door handle, even when it started warming up under his hands.
"Really, darling? You think that's gonna have any kind of effect on me?" he retorted in response. "Pain is a reward for me."
He finally managed to turn the key from his side and open the door, the handle instantly cooling as he did. He smirked and pocketed the key that looked exactly like the one the Doctor had used to lock the room, then strolled down the hall humming The Danse Macabre as he did. He gave a small frown when he sensed a presence in his mind, but smirked as he closed off all thoughts, knowing the TARDIS was trying to read his thoughts.
"Now, now, that's not polite at all," he chided. "A boy had to have some secrets, doesn't he? All will be revealed soon."
He turned a corner, only to be met with the door to his room. He chuckled, continuing past it and down the hall to turn another corner…to be met with it again.
"Challenging my patience, are we?" he smirked, strolling past the door again. "Trust me, I've acquired an abundance of it over the years. You can lead me 'round in circles, but it doesn't mean I'm going to stop."
He rounded the corner again and froze when he heard the sound of a giggle come from behind the door that greeted him this time. He gave another chuckle before stepping toward the door to lean back next to it.
"Ah, the happy couples' bedroom," he murmured, pushing a hand into his pocket. "Wish I could join in the fun, but I have work to do."
The Master pushed off the wall to stand in front of the door and carefully slipped the key into the lock, then just as carefully, and slowly, turned it in the lock, wincing slightly when it sounded like the click of the door locking was too loud. He felt a jolt of pain run through his mind, making him sigh in contentment before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the door then turned and strolled away.
"Trying to punish me, darling?" he smirked at the TARDIS as he made his way down the hall, and this time it looked like she wasn't going to try taking him back to his room. "I couldn't have them getting in the way once they found out my plan, could I? They'll be released eventually. Now, if I were you, I'd warn the Doctor what's going on, hm? Oh, wait…you can't, can you? Not while he's with Olivia. It'll just prove her right about me. You shouldn't be mad at me, darling. You should be angry with him for being so naïve. Nobody changes so easily. Olivia knows that better than he does, it seems."
A moment later, he turned a corner and found the entrance to the control room, making his grin widen before he ran toward the area under the console where he and the Doctor were working before to survey it. He stripped off his suit jacket, then his waistcoat and undid the cuffs of his shirt to roll up his sleeves.
"Right," he sighed, closing in on a cluster of wires to start examining them. "Let's get started, shall we? How do I…? Ah! There! That looks important!"
He grabbed ahold of the wires and yanked them out, snapping all of them, and the TARDIS made a horrifying sound before the engines started and it thrashed with takeoff. The Master laughed manically as he grabbed a hold of the railing to pull himself up the stairs to the console, grabbing onto the edge to keep himself on his feet and operate it. He flipped switches and pressed buttons, making it thrash again, falling forward against the console with a grunt.
"You can't fight me forever, darling!" he laughed. "You'll have to let me in sometime!"
Meanwhile...
"Why won't it open?!" Olivia screamed at the Doctor as she tried to get her jeans back on, the Doctor having taken them off not ten minutes earlier.
"I don't know!" the Doctor snapped back, trying to open the door to the bedroom, wearing only his trousers. "He must've locked it from the outside. Sonic!"
Olivia shot her gaze around the room before she located the Sonic rolling across the floor on the other side of the bed. She raced around to grab it, but before she could pick it up, the TARDIS thrashed again, sending her and the Sonic rolling back toward the bed, the Doctor holding tightly to the doorknob to keep himself from tumbling across the room. The screwdriver rolled under it, but Olivia went tumbling head over heel and her head hit the frame of the bed.
"Liv!" the Doctor called in shock and panic when he saw her hit her head. She lifted a hand to her head to rub the spot that hit the frame then turned to reach under the bed to search for the Sonic. She soon wrapped her fingers around the silver wand and struggled to get to her feet, her head spinning as the Doctor held a hand out to her. "Take my hand!"
Olivia reached out and grabbed onto his offered hand and he yanked her toward him, still holding onto the doorknob with his other hand and wrapping his other arm around her to keep her pinned to the wall.
"I've got you," he assured her as she shook her dizziness away. "Use the Sonic on the door."
She nodded and turned to aim the Sonic at the knob. The purple light on the end flickered a few times before it hummed steadily and the Doctor tried the door. It opened easily under his hand, making him grin widely before grabbing his Sonic from Olivia and tucking it into his trouser pocket then grabbing her hand to pull her behind him down the hall toward the control room.
The were thrashed from side to side in the hall a few times before they finally reached the stairs leading to the console. The Doctor grabbed onto the railing just as the TARDIS shuddered violently, making Olivia slip but she kept a firm hold on his hand to keep from falling completely. They stumbled up the stairs to the console to find the Master laughing maniacally as he held onto the console before the TARDIS leveled out.
He went dancing around the console, still humming The Danse Macabre, noticing the Doctor and Olivia struggling to get up the stairs, Olivia heading up first. When the Master passed her, he grabbed onto her hand and started twirling her around with him in a Waltz, still singing, making Olivia shout in shock before she began struggling. The Doctor took the opportunity to run toward the console to try stabilizing the TARDIS while Olivia tried to free herself from the Master's grip.
"Get off me, you psycho!" she growled, but even as she struggled and he still sang, they rounded the console toward the Doctor and rammed into him to send him stumbling into the jumpseat.
The Master stopped and twirled Olivia once before shoving her toward the Doctor, making her land in his lap with a grunt and she shifted in the Doctor's lap to glare up at the Master.
"Oh, don't look at me like that, darling," the Master pleaded in mock hurt. "We didn't even get to dance at our wedding. You can't really blame me for that, can you?"
"What are you doing to the TARDIS?!" the Doctor demanded as neither of them moved.
"Making her mine," the Master grinned, evilly, turning back to the console and flipping more switches then turning more knobs. "You've had far too much fun roaming about the galaxy. It's my turn, now."
"Master," the Doctor called, making him freeze and look to the Doctor with wide, green eyes. The Doctor gently pushed Olivia onto her feet so he could stand then moved her behind him as he approached the Master. "You didn't have to do this. I would've taken you with me, you know that. I offered all those years ago, but you said it would be like a prison for you."
"Exactly!" the Master snarled back, making the Doctor stop in his tracks as Olivia watched them, warily. He marched up to the Doctor to glare at him in the eye as he snapped, "It would be a prison! To go where you and your little companions want to go! I would have no freedom if I traveled on your terms!"
As he spoke, the Doctor waved Olivia toward the console with a hand behind his back. She caught the gesture, but hesitated for a moment when the Doctor grabbed the Master by the shirt collar and shoved him back on the console to distract him from what Olivia was doing.
"I told you I wasn't as merciful as I once was!" the Doctor snarled as Olivia shuffled toward one of the panels of the console to operate it, the Master gripping the Doctor's arms, ready to push him away. "Why did you have to test me?! We gave you a chance, and this is how you repay us?!"
The Master reared back and punched the Doctor square in the jaw, making the Doctor's grip loosen and the Master shoved him off of him and onto the floor. He stood tall to stare down at the Doctor, still not noticing Olivia at the controls and it was all she could do to keep working on getting the TARDIS back under control as she watched the Master loom over the Doctor. The Master snarled down at the Doctor, who was on all fours and trying to stand, but the Master kicked him in the ribs, making him grunt and fall onto his other side.
"Stay there!" the Master shouted before turning back to the console and finally noticing Olivia. She worked one of the levers as he marched toward her, snapping, "Get away from those controls! You know nothing about the TARDIS, you little tart!"
"Oh, but don't I?!" she shot back, yanking her Sonic from her pocket and backing out of his reach as she aimed the screwdriver at the console, making him freeze and stare at her in wonder at what she might do. She panted with a smirk as she kept his gaze, the Doctor giving a cough and a groan as he stood and slid into the jumpseat. "There are twenty-two switches on the console that all have to flipped at the same time to put her right, and I can do it with my Sonic."
"Then do it," the Master smirked, knowingly.
"Then you would have control," she retorted. "And I don't know about the Doctor, but I'm a bit tired of your—"
"Shall we dispense with the monologues, darling?" the Master cut in. "I thought we were past that, you and I. Aren't we friends?"
"The Doctor's right. We gave you a chance and you blew it. Now, he may not be as merciful as he once was, but neither am I. And you might wanna consider that not only did you use my brain for a playground, but you also took me away from my child."
"And so, what are you going to do about it?" the Master smirked, lifting his arms up in a challenge before he frowned when the monitor on the console beeped, making him look to it before looking back at her as she still held the Sonic up toward the console, her smirk still in place.
"Why don't you have a look at the monitor?" she entreated, and he hesitantly stepped toward it, his back facing the door as she rubbed a finger over her wedding band, finding her telepathic link to the Doctor. "Strap yourself in or hold onto something, Theta."
"What's your plan?" he asked, slowly strapping himself into the jumpseat as Olivia slowly shuffled around the console, opposite the doors, to grab ahold of edge of it as they both watched the Master staring at the screen.
"Something clever. Trust me."
"This…" the Master breathed, staring in disbelief and terror at the screen. "This is…"
He looked to the Doctor, noticing he was strapped to the jumpseat, then looked to Olivia and also noticing she changed positions, grasping the console, then turned around…to see the doors to the TARDIS directly behind him.
"Oh, bloody hell."
The Sonic's hum rang out and all twenty-two switches were flipped…including the one to open the doors. The Master grabbed onto the edge of the console just as he felt himself being sucked out of the TARDIS, Olivia being shoved against the console as she held onto it and the Doctor pushing against the edge of the console with his feet beside her to keep himself from flying out of the chair, even though he was strapped in. He stared out of the door with huge eyes, even as the TARDIS shook violently, to see the Crack outside, bright and open amongst the darkness of space.
The Master struggled to keep a grip on the console, but felt himself being pulled by the Crack, causing his grasp to falter. Tendrils of light soon emerged from the Crack and grasped his legs, making him shout in horror before looking up toward the Doctor, his wide, green eyes meeting shocked blues, and the Doctor could see only fear in them.
"Don't make me go back!" the Master cried. "Not to the War! Please!"
The Doctor felt his hearts clench in sorrow for his once childhood friend, making him yank the restraints off, allowing himself to be pushed forward into the console, next to Olivia.
"Doctor, what are you doing?!" she shouted over the rushing gusts around them, but instead of answering her he shuffled toward the side of the console, making sure he had a firm grip on it with one hand before holding the other out toward the Master.
"Take my hand!" he shouted, and the Master looked relieved as he reached for him, grasping his hand. The Doctor smiled before it dropped at the sudden look in the Master's eyes. He'd changed again. The fear was gone, only to be replaced with triumph.
"If I'm going, you're coming back with me!"
"No!" Olivia screamed as the master yanked on the Doctor's hand, causing him to lose his grip just as the Master released the console and they were pulled out of the doors. "Doctor!"
She shuffled around the console and let herself be pulled forward until she grabbed the railing next to the doors to look out…and see the Doctor holding onto the handle of the TARDIS door, the Master holding onto the Doctor's leg to pull him with him, laughing maniacally.
"Liv!" the Doctor shouted, trying to kick the Master off. "Start the takeoff!"
"I can't!" she called back. "Not while he's got ahold of you!"
"Just do it!" he barked.
Olivia growled as she turned to pull herself along the railing again, her Sonic still in her other hand, and she aimed it at the lever on the console that would start the takeoff sequence. The lever came down, and the TARDIS thrashed, but she kept a firm grip on the edge of the railing as one of the doors behind her shut, but the one the Doctor and Master were hanging onto was still open.
"Let go of it, Doctor!" the Master shouted. "You'll have to, if you want to save her!"
"You're not the only one with a knack for reckless survival maneuvers, Master!" the Doctor shot back, feeling the Master losing his grip on his leg as he looked down at him. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, my friend."
"That's your weakness, you know!" the Master laughed. "It was never your mercy…it was always your sentiment!"
"Perhaps," the Doctor replied. "But it doesn't make me any less sorry."
The Master laughed even harder as his grip finally loosened and he was pulled back toward the Crack, the Doctor watching him fall into it, laughing before he turned away just as the door he was holding onto slammed shut.
Olivia shouted when she fell to the floor of the TARDIS when the door slammed shut, but she quickly scrambled toward the console which sparked when she got close enough. She operated the console to get her back home, but when she didn't hear the Doctor's voice or footsteps running around the console with her, she froze, looking up and around the control room.
"Where…?" she trailed off in panic before she heard pounding on the door, making her looked to it with wide eyes. "Oh my god. Theta!"
She ran toward the door to try opening it, but it wouldn't budge as he continued to pound on the door.
"I can't open it!" she cried, tears coming to her eyes. "She won't let me!"
The TARDIS suddenly thrashed, sending her to the floor and the ship came to a halt, having landed in the coordinates Olivia had given her. Olivia scrambled to her feet and opened the door, only to find the Doctor lying unconscious in the grass of the lawn in the backyard of their house.
"Theta!" she sobbed, kneeling next to him to shake his shoulders, trying to wake him. When he didn't wake up she pressed her ear to his chest to see if his hearts were still beating, not noticing Joyce standing in the back door, watching them. "Hearts still beating. Come on, Theta, wake up!"
She sat up and held a hand above his nose and mouth to see if he was still breathing. His breathing was shallow. She had to wake him somehow. Knowing he wouldn't let her hear the end of it, but not knowing what else to do, she knelt over him and slapped him across the face, making Joyce gasp and Olivia looked up at her in surprise, finally noticing she was there.
"Ow!"
Olivia turned her wide, jade eyes back at the Doctor as he now stared at her in disbelief, lifting a hand to his cheek.
"What the bloody hell was that for?!" he questioned, struggling to sit up as Olivia sat back.
"To wake you up!" she shot back, as if he should know.
"I was waiting for the Kiss of Life!"
"You choose stupid times to flirt with me, you idiot!"
"Would the two of you stop bickering?!" Joyce snapped, turning their attention to her angry expression. "What the hell happened?!"
Olivia and the Doctor sat back against the TARDIS, both a mess and both exhausted before Olivia spoke again.
"An old friend came to visit…"
A/N: And so the Master is defeated again! Olivia is really coming into her own, isn't she? honestly, I didn't think this story would get this far. I only prepared for one when I started. and now, prepare yourselves for a fluffy interlude! well, reviews?