Hello, my dear readers! Have I mentioned I love you? Seriously. I really look forward to all the reviews I get after every chapter. Keep it up :) No smut here, but there is actual plot! Hurray! I hope you enjoy, and review please!
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The one thing the Master dreaded the most about living with the Doctor was the screaming. It was inevitable. Every night without fail, the Doctor woke up screaming and shaking and sweating. This night was no different from the others.
"Shh, Doctor, it's me, shhh..." the Master hushed him softly, gathering the taller man in his arms and holding him firmly. The Doctor struggled, still half-asleep, but the Master didn't let him go, hearts aching painfully in his chest as he waited.
Eventually the screaming quieted to whimpering, and the Doctor clutched at the Master tightly, still shaking violently, his naked body coated with cold sweat. "It's the same dream again," he whispered hoarsely. "Every night. I keep telling you to regenerate but you don't you just die..."
"I'm here," the Master tried to reassure him. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, Doctor. No more dying for me."
The Doctor just sobbed, burying his face in his fiance's chest. "I can't lose you, I can't," he moaned. The Master held him tighter, stroking his hair and murmuring softly in Gallifreyan.
"Strength, Doctor. Be strong for me."
But it killed the Master to know he could never say those words that the Doctor wanted to hear so badly...it's just a dream...
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The Master got up early the next morning, gently untangling the Doctor from him and sliding out of bed. Being as quiet as he could, he moved to the closet and got dressed in his immaculate suit, same as ever. He hesitated for a moment before leaving, grabbing a sticky note and pen and scrawling a brief message: going for a walk, will pick up more milk. Be back soon, don't panic.
He set the pen down and debated for a moment on where to stick it, before inspiration struck and he pressed it to the Doctor's forehead. Chuckling quietly, he gave the sleeping Time Lord a brief kiss on the lips and left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.
She was waiting just outside for him, a tall, blonde woman with a daring scarlet dress and matching fingernails. Her arms were crossed over her chest, a toe tapping inside her high heeled shoes. The Master was equal parts annoyed and amused to see her.
"Really? Lucy? That's the best you could do?"
Lucy smiled and turned her head, revealing the hand-shaped bruise across her cheek. "No, it gets better."
The Master rolled his eyes and started to walk down the street, Lucy falling into step beside him. "Is this supposed to be a guilt trip? Using my stupid human wife with a bruise?"
Lucy scoffed, glaring at him. "Look, all I had to go off of was your memories or his, and I didn't think you wanted me to be any of his girlfriends. The bruise was just an added bonus."
"Fine, whatever." The Time Lord sighed, irritated.
"It's going to be difficult to get whatever information you want out of me when you're behaving like this," Lucy pointed out mildly, smirking a little. She smoothed down her dress, heels clicking as she walked along the sidewalk beside the Master.
She knew. Of course she knew, and she was still making him ask. What a total-
No, no, he had to keep calm and stay on top of this. If he was going to get what he wanted, it would be in his best interests to be polite.
"Alright, fine. Perhaps there are a few things I want to know."
Lucy just smiled at him, waiting. She must know how irritating she was.
The Master took a deep, calming breath, and continued. "Why did you send him here with a concussion? Was there any point in that?"
The blonde admired her nails for a few moments before speaking. "Actually yes," she began. "It makes it easier for him to acquire fake memories and accept them as truth that way. It's a wonderful excuse, you see. So long as something makes sense to him, a memory or whatever it may be, his brain fills in the gaps and accepts it. You Time Lords are terribly clever, but even you can be tricked."
She was quiet for a moment, and the Master was about to state his next question, but she held up a scarlet tipped finger. "Let me finish. He genuinely has a concussion, as well. I couldn't change that even if I wanted to. Remember, neither of you are physically in this world. All of your genuine ailments can't be cured here. The Doctor just thinks he's healed because he wants to be, and his mind accepts this place as reality." She considered him for a moment. "Done now. Next question."
"Will he be alright?" the Master blurted out without thinking.
Lucy looked rather amused. "Dear me, you worry so much about him! It's just a bump on the head. He'll be fine," she reassured him.
The Master nodded, slightly embarrassed. "He makes a habit of getting into trouble," he tried to explain, mumbling a bit. He cleared his throat. "The other thing I wanted to ask...after he finds out, what happens if he wants to stay?"
There was something like understanding in her eyes, and her voice was a bit softer as she replied. "Even my power is limited. I do not have the ability to keep either of you here after he has discovered the truth. This world will dissolve and I will send you both back from where I found you. For him, he'll be safely back in his TARDIS, but you-"
"-Yes, yes I know," the Master interrupted. "You don't have to remind me of that." He was quiet for a moment as they kept walking, and to his surprise he found himself in front of the local grocery story. He must not have been paying much attention to where he was going. Or perhaps Lucy had a hand in this.
"So even you, with your so-called incredible power, can't do anything to let us stay like this if he wants?" the Master asked, his tone sulky as he walked inside the grocery store and picked up a basket. "There's no way at all for us to be together after he finds out?"
The look she gave him was sympathetic. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Only one of you came into my realm still living. Only one of you can go out. This world you see now is held together by your minds combined. Once he sees it for what it is, it will crumble and I will send you both back."
The Master was silent again as he mulled over that, putting several cans of cat food into his basket and moving over to browse through the dairy. The cats were fond of whole milk, so he picked up a half gallon of that to put in the basket, but Lucy stayed his hand. "You might want to go with the full gallon," she remarked with a knowing smile.
He raised an eyebrow at her, but no answer was forthcoming. "I've got one more request," he said, setting the milk back down and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh?" It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Explain it to him. Don't just send him back wondering what the hell happened. And..." he hesitated slightly. "I want to say goodbye to him before he has to go. Give us a meeting, all three of us, where we can explain it to him. After nearly a millennia...I want him to know."
Lucy smiled slightly and stepped in closer, giving the Master a light kiss on the cheek. "There's so much more to you than I thought, back when I first met you," she remarked. "As much as I'm sure you hate to hear it...there is some good in you." Her smile was a bit sad. "You can have your meeting."
The Master was about to respond, but Lucy turned away, and he caught sight of the Doctor, presumably looking for him.
"He can't see me," Lucy remarked. "But in either case, I think I'll be going. You know how to find me."
"Wait, but you haven't-!"
It was too late. She was already gone, and the Doctor was approaching him looking harried and anxious. He sighed, ignoring the other Time Lord for now as he picked up a gallon of the whole milk like Lucy had suggested and set it into the basket on his arm. A moment later the Doctor was on his other arm, sounding out of breath and a bit panicky.
"Master! I found you!"
The Master rolled his eyes. "I left a note, didn't you see it? I haven't been gone long at all, you know."
But the Doctor just shook his head. "No, no, I saw it, but I had to come find you, because, because..."
The Time Lord sighed. "Spit it out, then. Has something happened?"
The Doctor's eyes were wide. "Did you know Tubbie was a girl?"
