A/N: Thanks to Shian1998 for the review! I really hope they bring up or resolve the Missy stuff, or have some more resolution for the big mess between the Master and the Doctor in S13, though it would be a bit weird if they redeemed him after Gallifrey.

Anyways, this is a shorter one, and a bit more mushy than the last one. There's still a bit of angst, but only like, 10% comparatively.

A Comfort Blanket

It started with a headache. The Doctor couldn't quite shake it, found it kept distracting her throughout the day. She gave into the urge to rub her temples, but still couldn't shake it off. It was still there after the day's adventures, distracting her from her tinkering with the TARDIS.

"Doctor?" Yaz asked. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she said, letting go of the dial. She couldn't gather her thoughts enough to know what she was doing anyways. "Yeah, just a bit of a head wonk. Not to worry."

Yaz did looked worried. The Doctor couldn't really blame her. It wasn't her habit to admit something hurt unless it really hurt, which made this a bit of a counterproductive outcome, now she was thinking about it.

"Oh," Yaz said, looking her over. Maybe this was a cop thing, but between her and Graham, the ship had its share of worry-warts. "D'you need some painkillers?"

"Nah, I'm all right..." She tried to flash Yaz her usual breezy smile, but a particularly harsh pain lanced across her head and she couldn't help but wince. "Ow. Actually, ow."

Yaz was at her side in a flash, hand hovering by her sleeve. "Doctor? Can - can I help?"

"No, it... It's all right." She straightened up, supporting herself on the TARDIS console. The Doctor peeled away, wobbling her way from the console and down the stairs. "I... I think I just need to lie down for a bit. Can you ask the guys to hang out a bit?"

"Yeah, sure..." Then Yaz called after her, "And, Doctor?" She gestured to her phone and pointed to the Doctor's pocket. "Call me if you need anything."

The Doctor waved her thanks and kept heading into the TARDIS. The headache was rapidly mounting, feeling like it was threatening to tear her skull in two. Right now, all she wanted was a dark room and a pile of blankets she could bury herself under.

In the depths of dreams, a voice came through to her. At first she couldn't make out what it was, man or machine, biped or beast.

But it was a cry. A distressed one.

Images came through to her.

Fire.

Darkness.

Standing alone in a total void.

And falling, and falling, and falling.

She woke with a start, gasping. The pain had finally eased, replaced by the cry echoing all around her skull.

A psychic distress signal.

The Doctor rushed back into the console room. Now all three of them were there, just talking amongst themselves. Graham spotted her first.

"All right, cockle? Yaz said you were under the weather."

"I will be," she said, flipping the switches on the console. "First, got a call to answer. Up for it?"

"Here we go again," Ryan muttered, but he was smiling as he got up. The Doctor felt a rush of gratitude at having them with her.

Whatever it was, she was sure she could handle it with them by her side.

Rassilon help her, she couldn't handle this.

The TARDIS had landed them on a pretty nondescript planet. Green and verdant, a nice picnicking spot, even. Not much local wildlife, except for some galumphing elephant like creatures in the fields below.

And at the top of the hill, a man sitting hunched over in a familiar purple suit. Curled up on himself. Visibly shaking.

"We could catch him," Ryan broke the silence by saying. "Throw him in the TARDIS, take him somewhere safe where he can't 'cause you no more trouble? Doctor?"

"Huh? Oh...right."

"Ryan's got a point, Doc," Graham chimed in. "After everything that went down on Gal...you know, it might not be a bad idea to put him somewhere out of the way."

"Or we could just go," Yaz whispered, surprising the Doctor by tugging at her arm. "This might be a trap."

"You said you heard him in your head?" Ryan asked.

"I heard...something." The Doctor kept watching the Master, sure somehow that he didn't know they were there. And there was something about how curled up he was that made her certain of something else. He hadn't...intended to broadcast the message. It had gotten away from him.

And that hadn't happened since they were children.

"Listen, fam, I..." She turned to face them but Ryan suddenly grabbed her hands, blindsiding her. Were they especially handsy today, or was she imagining things?

"No."

"Huh?"

"This is the part where you tell us to stay here, it's too dangerous, you have to go alone. Not this time, Doctor, right?" He looked at the others for backup and they nodded their agreement. "D'you know how awful it was when he abducted you right in front of me and I couldn't do nothing about it?"

"That's not on you, Ryan..."

"Even still. Let us back you up, at least. We're your friends, and we got your back. Clear?"

She looked at the others and they nodded fiercely. "Thanks, fam," she said, softening. "But if I tell you to run...just do it, OK? I know he's...unhinged...but I've got a track record. I know how to handle him if it comes down to him, OK?"

At least, she used to, she thought to herself. But that wouldn't be reassuring, so she didn't say it.

They all nodded. They let the Doctor lead the way, even if the three of them were flanking her closely she felt unexpectedly teary about it. They really were her fam, weren't they?

If only she wasn't the Doctor, and her life didn't involve running into life-threatening danger, it'd feel better letting them in on escapades like this...

But that thought quickly escaped as her as she quickly came to the Master's side. He still hadn't noticed her. And now she was by his side, it was obvious: he was crying.

Not crying, sobbing.

Here was the source of the psychic noise. She doubted it had been intentional on his part. Even this close, his thoughts were a noisy, disordered mess.

The Doctor debated what to do. Maybe it'd be easier if she knew what he was crying for. For Gallifrey? Probably not...he had been practically jovial about all the destruction he had caused, joking tastelessly with her when he hadn't been hissing at her and trying to break her.

For her? Small chance of that, probably... He had been angry, but not enough to just hand her the truth. No, it was just another item on the pile of things he hated about her.

For himself, then? More probable, but then...why? Anger and envy had been his speed so far.

One way to find out. Do her usual trick of putting her hand in the bear trap.

She knelt down, slowly, slowly, until she was by his side. He must know she was there by now. He always seemed to sense her, even when she couldn't see who he was until she couldn't deny it any longer. But he didn't move.

She raised her hand, even slower, as slow as possible, to touch his arm...

He wasn't crying for her. Not possible. He'd shove her away as soon as she tried to touch him.

Closer...closer...

She could feel the fam all collectively draw a breath in.

The Doctor touched his arm.

Immediately the Master's head snapped up and he turned furious eyes that shone with tears on her. She didn't have any time to react as he spun around-

"Doctor-" Ryan cried -

And the Master threw his arms around her middle and started weeping openly, just like a small child. The Doctor froze, in total shock, and the Master just clung to her harder, his hands gripping her coat at the back with so much force she thought it might tear.

She looked over at the fam, finding them as shell-shocked as she was.

A prickling in her mind, like he was trying to talk to her telepathically but it was as incomprehensible as him trying to talk would have been.

She turned back to him, raising her hands again and gently resting them on his back. Holding him back.

Even now, part of her still thought - maybe always thought - why was she doing this? Why was she doing this when he was an unrepentant killer and had said as much to her face?

But she already knew why.

It wasn't just her head that hurt, her chest did too. It was tight, her heart reacting against her wishes. It always did, and it probably always would when he was in pain. She would always want to do something, anything to help when he was hurt.

And she could hope, no matter how increasingly naive that hope was, that he would do the same for her.

What other constants in her life did she even have left anymore?