I really like this chapter. This is a good one. :)
Chapter 8
The Master pulled another piece of candy out of the bag he'd swiped from the Doctor's pocket.
Somehow, the Doctor's pockets were always stocked with a seemingly-endless supply of jelly babies.
The Master lay on the sofa, turning the yellow sweet over thoughtfully in his fingers.
Some days he liked the Doctor's sweets. Some days he found the uncomplicated sugar flavor cloying.
Today, he found he didn't have a taste for them.
However, they still made excellent projectiles.
He carefully gauged distance and angle and threw the jelly baby. It hit K-9 square in his eye panel and bounced away to join its comrades on the TARDIS floor.
"Say my name," the Master ordered, pulling out another candy, green this time.
"Negative," K-9 responded.
"Say my name," the Master insisted, throwing the jelly baby. He cackled triumphantly. Another perfect strike.
"Negative," the robot said again.
The Master sighed in annoyance. "Why do you call him master? It's not fair."
K-9's ears whirred. "Fairness: immature delusion of universal equality."
Life wasn't fair. The Master understood that. But...
"It's my name," the Master cried out indignantly. "I had it first!" He threw another handful of candy, just because he was angry. It was a far less successful attack.
"Primacy of claim and continued ownership," K-9 mused. "Conclusion: concepts fail to demonstrate any correlation."
The Master propped himself up on his elbows to glare at the dog. "Finders keepers?" the Master translated. "That's your justification? Really?"
"Justification not required," K-9 said smugly.
The Doctor walked in from the interior corridors. He stopped to survey the multitude of fallen jelly babies scattered across the floor.
"Now, who's going to clean up this mess, hmm?" he asked mildly.
The Master grinned. "K-9," he called. "Clean up!"
"Affirmative!" K-9 agreed. He spun in a tight circle, disintegrating the candies with precision zaps of his blaster.
"What mess?" the Master asked innocently, raising his arms in a gesture that was more smug triumph than shrug.
"Nice trick," the Doctor said appreciatively. "Now, I have to go out for a while and I'm taking K-9 with me. Will you be alright on your own?"
The Master shrugged, contemplating the few jelly babies left in the bag. They still looked unappetizing. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
"Just stay inside, alright?" the Doctor said seriously. "Don't go anywhere."
The Master waved him off with a superior look and turned back to his television. "You worry too much," he said.
"Hmm," the Doctor said, unconvinced. "Alright, come on, K-9."
"Affirmative, master," the robot said, tail wagging.
The Master shot the dog a disapproving glance as they both left.
It was barely ten minutes before the knocking started.
Knock knock knock knock.
The Master sat up, staring at the doors, his hearts sinking.
It was for him.
He knew it was.
'Do not go outside, Little One,' the TARDIS said in his mind.
Knock knock knock knock.
"But they're calling me," he answered helplessly.
The rhythm bounced around in his brain, making it hard to think.
Reflexively, needing the knocking to stop, he went to open the door.
It was locked.
"Let me out," he said to the TARDIS.
'Not today, Little One,' she declined. 'Stay here, with me.'
The knocking continued, insistently. He couldn't even tell if it was still coming from the doors or if it had made a home inside his head.
He tried to pry the doors open with brute force, desperate to answer the summons.
Knock knock knock knock.
Unsuccessful, he slid to the floor, covering his ears, trying to block out the sound.
It wouldn't go away.
There was only one way to make it stop.
"I have to go..." he said to the TARDIS. "You don't understand. They won't stop. Not ever."
'Trust me, Little One. Today, you must not go.'
"But I can't stand it," the Master told her. "Can you make them go away? Please?"
'Come with me until they go. I will keep you safe.'
The rhythm began to fade to a more tolerable level. The Master opened his eyes. Gold was creeping in at the edges of his vision.
He smiled and leaned against the exterior door. "Sorry," he called to whoever was outside. "Mum says I can't come out and play today." He giggled at his own joke.
He sat back and watched the gold. It was pretty... Little flickering, dancing sparks of pure life that moved every time he blinked. But looking at them made him tired.
'Come rest, Little One.'
He could feel the TARDIS pulling him away... Somewhere else. Somewhere safe.
He curled up back on the couch and fell asleep, slipping into the gold.
There was no knocking in the gold...
He woke to a hand on his shoulder and a pair of concerned eyes looking down at him.
He rubbed his eyes sleepily and sat up. "Back already?" he asked the Doctor.
"Already?" the Doctor echoed in confusion. "It's been two days. Are you alright?"
The Master blinked, remembering the gold. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Did you stay inside like I told you?" the Doctor asked anxiously.
"Yeah," the Master said. He remembered Rassilon had wanted him, that he had tried to go. He couldn't imagine now why he would have done that. "Why?"
The Doctor sighed in relief. "Something bad happened. I was afraid they might have pulled you into it."
The Master squinted, trying to piece this information together.
"You kept me safe?" he asked the TARDIS.
'As I promised, Little One. Whenever I can.'
The Master had a sneaking suspicion that he would be in trouble with Rassilon later... But right now that seemed like a victory in and of itself.
"I'm fine," the Master assured the Doctor. "I told you, you worry too much."
The Doctor smiled. "Good," he said. He sat down next to his friend. "What are you watching?"
"Uh," the Master said, staring at the empty screen. "I don't know. Whatever's on."
The Doctor leaned back on the couch. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, though he clearly already had.
The Master snuck a glance at his friend, slightly concerned that the Doctor was willingly choosing to stay in one place.
The screen switched on to The Muppet Show.
Thoroughly watchable but not the Master's first choice.
The constant stream of Earth celebrities he had never heard of interspersed with literal nonsense made for an odd viewing experience.
Far more the Doctor's cup of tea...
The Master snuck a glance at his friend. The Doctor was staring vacantly at the screen, eyes far away, forehead knit in silent pain.
"Bad?" the Master asked after a few minutes.
The Doctor nodded slowly. "Very bad..."
The Master cuddled closer to his friend. The Doctor put an arm around him and held a little too tight. The Master didn't protest.
"I'm just glad you weren't there," the Doctor said.