I had this chapter mostly written by the time I published the last one, but don't expect me to update this frequently on a regular basis. I'll try to have updates once a week, but I can't promise anything. Anyway! Please review and let me know what you think.

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Sensation flickered back into the Doctor a little at a time. The upper left side of his face was just a bit too warm, and vaguely he recognized the sensation of someone sponging off his face with something soft and damp. He stirred slightly, a quiet groan escaping his lips at the accompanying jolt of sharp pain in his temples.

Next came the quiet understanding that his head was resting in someone's lap, and there was an arm slung casually across his collarbone. Whoever it was, they were being very gentle with him indeed. That was reassuring. He didn't open his eyes just yet, however. His head was throbbing painfully and he was having difficulty organizing his thoughts.

"I know you're awake, Doctor. You may as well stop playing pretend."

He recognized the voice immediately. How could he not? The Doctor opened his eyes finally, his vision slightly blurred, though the face hovering above him was impossible to mistake.

"Master?" he tried in mild confusion. His voice was hoarser than he'd expected to hear, his throat terribly dry, and he coughed once, trying to clear it. There was something wrong with this picture, he knew it, he just couldn't piece it together.

"The one and only. Relax, you're most likely disoriented," the Master told him sternly, sponging his head gently. "How you manage to hurt yourself so much is beyond me."

The Doctor frowned, wincing slightly as the Master kept at it. "I don't understand..."

"Of course you don't," the other interrupted. "You're disoriented, didn't I just tell you that? Even you can't manage to concuss yourself and walk away perfectly fine. Now relax. I'm doing you a favor. You had better appreciate it."

"I concussed myself?" That might explain why he couldn't really remember much. And why his head hurt.

"Yes, Doctor," the Master replied, in the tone one might use to address a child. "You smacked your head and bruised your brain. A concussion. Now hold still, I'm going to put something on this so it'll stop bleeding."

He didn't move as the other Time Lord tossed the now bloody rag aside and exchanged it for a roll of bandages. The Doctor noted his surroundings for the first time since waking, finally taking in the fact that he and the Master were both sprawled across a couch in what looked like a makeshift tent. He frowned slightly but didn't comment.

"I said sit up, Doctor! Are you deaf as well as stupid, now?"

"What? Sorry. No, I don't think so."

A strong arm at his back helped him sit, and he swayed slightly with the expected wave of vertigo and nausea. It wasn't until he felt the Master's hands gently wrapping the roll of bandages around his head that he remembered he was sitting on the other Time Lord's lap. A pink flush colored his cheeks and trailed down his neck at the realization, but he knew pointing it out would only result in teasing, and the Master was busy enough without that.

"Finished. You're lucky I'm here to take care of you," came the triumphant announcement as the Master finished his work. "And now you're all red," he noted with a raise of an eyebrow.

"I-I..." the Doctor stuttered, licking his lips.

"And ever so eloquent. You had better get interesting again soon. Concussed Doctor isn't very fun." The Master scooted the other off his lap and stood. "Don't move."

The Doctor just blinked in confusion. As if he had somewhere better to be.

After a few moments, the other man returned with a glass of water and handed it to the Doctor. "Drink," he ordered.

He took the proffered glass with slightly shaking hands and a murmured thanks, draining it quickly. The coolness of it felt good on his dry throat and he was nearly panting by the time he'd emptied it. The Master rolled his eyes and took the glass from him, disappearing for a moment before returning again to hand the refilled glass to the Doctor. He drank the next one slower, sipping at it until his head had stopped spinning somewhat. The other Time Lord just watched him, ensuring the Doctor was satisfied.

"Good. Now sleep. You need it."

There was something...odd...about this whole thing, but the Doctor was too exhausted to think about it. He didn't question the Master in the slightest, simply giving him a small smile of thanks before curling up on the couch and promptly falling asleep.

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Things were clearer when he woke. Granted, his head was still throbbing, but he could think easier now. He yawned and stirred, a little surprised to feel the fabric brushing against his chin. The Master must have brought him a blanket while he was sleeping.

...Why?

The clarity in his mind made it easier for him to see now. The Master was never this kind to him, never had been except for when they were children. Why then had he been so gentle and caring with him the previous night? It didn't add up. The last he'd seen him...At this his head gave a particularly painful throb and he gave up on thinking about it. It was nothing he had to worry about at the moment, anyway. The point was that he should watch himself around the Master.

His eyes opened to see the other Time Lord reading in an armchair by the fire. Wait...Hadn't he been in a tent before? He remembered being curled up on a moth-eaten couch, but now he was lying in a comfortable bed. The Doctor frowned slightly, raising a hand to touch his head. The bandages were still there, and it still hurt.

"Master?" he tried hesitantly.

The Master didn't look up from his book. "Mm?"

"Where are we?"

That got a reaction. The Master gave him a sharp look and set his book down. "Our house. Same place we've been this whole time."

That just made the Doctor frown more. "And...how did I give myself a concussion?"

"You tripped over the cat and fell down the stairs." He stood up, sitting on the bed beside the Doctor and feeling his forehead. "I hope you're feeling alright. I can't have you messing with all of my plans for the day."

"I...oh." The Master was touching him again. "We have a cat?"

The Master scowled. "You're staying in bed today. Apparently you hurt yourself worse than I thought. Idiot."

Was that...concern in his eyes? Something was very, very not right about any of this. He just couldn't figure out what. Sitting in bed all day wasn't going to help him sort things out, though, that was for sure.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm fine, of course we have a cat!" He attempted to brush it off.

The other Time Lord was clearly unconvinced. "What's his name, then?"

"...Rassilon?" the Doctor guessed wildly.

That just made the Master laugh. "No, idiot, why would we name our cat Rassilon? And besides, we have two cats, Clanger and-"

"-Tubbie," the Doctor finished, stifling a chuckle. "Yes, I remember that much."

The smile that crossed the other man's face was almost sweet, though the Doctor didn't have much time to puzzle over it. "Oh, alright, I'll take you to the park today then, mm? We'll have lunch there. Some fresh air would be good for you."

"Fresh air," the Doctor repeated slowly, a small frown crossing his face. "What planet are we on?"

Now the Master really did look worried. It was a very strange expression on that face. "Earth, of course," he said, watching the Doctor closely. "We've been living here since the Time War. You talked me into settling down with you, and we vacation every weekend in the TARDIS," he explained as if it was obvious. "Don't tell me I have to pull out those hideous scrapbooks you put together for us..."

The Doctor scowled slightly. "They are not hideous, and yes, please go get them for me."

The other Time Lord rolled his eyes, feigning some annoyance. "Of all things to remember, you still have it in your twisted mind that those things actually look nice. I'll be right back."

He waited until the Master left the room before pushing the blankets off and sliding out of bed. His head throbbed annoyingly and his legs felt unstable underneath him, but he ignored that for now, choosing instead to set about investigating the room.

He wasn't entirely sure what he expected to find. The bedroom was the same one he'd been living in for the past however many years it had been now, the bed occupying only a portion of the rather large room. He smiled slightly as he traced a hand lightly over the armchair the Master had recently abandoned, situated just beside the fire. A copy of Shakespeare's Macbeth rested on it, apparently the next play he'd taken up in his crusade to read all of Shakespeare's work on the Doctor's recommendation. He remembered how surprised he'd been when he'd found the Master lounging by the pool with Romeo and Juliet. The man didn't usually listen to him, after all.

After a few minutes of going through old keepsakes, he returned to the bed, his head starting to throb again. It was a relief that some of his memories were coming back to him, but he still had a nagging feeling that he was missing something big, something terribly important. He brushed that thought away with mild annoyance. If it was really that important, he was sure it would come back to him eventually, most likely sooner than later.

The Doctor was debating changing out of his pajamas by the time the Master returned, a fat grey tabby cat with startlingly green eyes winding between his legs. He smiled slightly as the Time Lord picked the cat up and set it on the bed, where he immediately went to curl up in the Doctor's lap, purring loudly.

"He's been very fond of you recently," the Master remarked, watching the cat with amusement before sitting down on the bed beside the Doctor. He dropped several heavy scrapbooks onto the blankets beside him. "What did you do, lace your clothes with catnip?"

"Maybe he just likes me more," the Doctor pointed out, stroking the cat rather affectionately. "Don't you, Tubbie? I'll bet you do." The other man scoffed as he pulled out the oldest of the scrapbooks, flipping through the pages of pictures.

Yet despite his apparent uninterest, the Master was surprisingly talkative about the photos. Loosely draping an arm over the Doctor's shoulders, he kept up a running commentary, reminding him of their many adventures together. Each story was familiar and the memories associated with them returned quickly. He'd just needed a few reminders, that was all.

It wasn't until he'd gone through two of the scrapbooks that he started to notice it. The casual affection of the two Time Lords in nearly every photo. An arm around the shoulder, just as the Master was doing now, holding hands, a few photos of them walking with their arms around each other's waists.

He realized the Master was watching him closely as he turned the next page, looking almost...nervous. A bit wary of what this next page might contain, he glanced down at it.

For one long moment he just stared, forgetting to breathe as his hearts skipped. Most of the pictures invoked a memory right away, but not this one.

"Doctor?" There was a note of concern in the other Time Lord's voice, and he shook his head, glancing over at the Master and focusing in on that left hand.

Oh, of course! It all came rushing back and he sighed a little, smiling. It only made sense that they were engaged now. After all, they'd been together for as long as he could remember. For as long as they'd known each other, practically. He remembered that day so clearly now...that deserted planet that had looked just like Gallifrey, the Master getting down on one knee and proposing...They'd already decided to spend the rest of their lives together, after all. They may as well do it properly.

He realized after a moment that the Master was still watching him. "I'm fine," he said quickly. "I was just confused for a moment, that's all. Probably just the concussion talking."

The Master smiled a little, though it looked fake, and squeezed the Doctor lightly. "I think that's enough of these horrid things, don't you? Come help me make sandwiches and we can eat in the backyard. I'm not sure if I want you making that walk to the park just yet."

He nodded, wincing a little when that made his head ache. The Master ruffled his hair gently and slid out of bed, walking over to the Doctor's side. The other Time Lord nudged the cat out of his lap before moving to get out of bed as well. He was a bit surprised when the Master put an arm around his waist almost protectively and shied away, not knowing how to react. This ought to feel perfectly normal and natural, but there was something in the back of his head that told him something was very wrong here.

"You're a bit jumpy today," the Master remarked, looking surprised at that reaction.

The Doctor hesitated slightly, debating what to say. "Does something feel a bit...off, to you?" he asked slowly, watching the other man.

"No," his old friend replied quickly. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure it's nothing." Yet he seemed a little edgy as he spoke. He's just a little worried about me, that's all, the Doctor reassured himself. I'm sure he's right. It's just because I'm a bit off today.

The Master frowned a little and leaned in, brushing a light kiss across the Doctor's forehead. "You really ought to take better care of yourself, dear. There's only so much I can do to contain your stupidity."

His hearts skipped a little at that and he sighed quietly. "I'm trying."

"Evidently not hard enough." The Doctor was surprised at the hard note in the Master's voice and the flash of-was that anger?-that passed briefly through his eyes. It was gone a heartsbeat later and the shorter of the two cleared his throat, guiding the Doctor through the doorway and into the kitchen. "Come on then...I'm sure you're dying to have your little tea party in the backyard."

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