A/N: I apologize profusely for the massive delay. I got caught up in school and I've been working hard at all of that, so here's a longer chapter than usual. Review as usual, I love you all 3

The Doctor's rather confusing outburst about Tubbie's gender of course meant something entirely different. He seemed to be having difficulty trying to say what he really meant, and it wasn't until he'd dragged the Master back home that the other Time Lord understood.

There was a litter of newborn kittens in his coat closet.

The Master stared. He would have nearly dropped the milk if the Doctor hadn't taken it from him earlier. He turned his stunned gaze to his fiance, who was grinning a little sheepishly.

"How did we not notice Tubbie's a girl?" he managed to get out.

A moment later they both burst out laughing, still quite shocked at the sudden addition of seven new members to their household. It took some time before they calmed, both starting to move to the kitchen simply by habit.

"Can we keep them?" the Doctor asked hopefully, setting the kettle on the stove and leaning back against the counter.

The Master sighed. He should have seen this one coming. Not-Lucy's cryptic message to buy more milk...of course she knew. "That's seven more cats, Doctor. Seven kittens, and you remember how crazy these two were. That brings our total to nine. Can we really handle that?"

The Doctor was already breaking out the puppy eyes, adopting the pout that had gotten him so many things he'd wanted in the past. "Oh please Master! They're Tubbie and Clanger's children! We can't just abandonthem!"

The Master rubbed his temples and groaned. "Oh don'tbe so dramatic. We wouldn't abandon them, we'd give them to Jo or something. She'd like a kitten or two." His fiance was sulking in the corner still. "Oh for Rassilon's sake!" he exclaimed, irritable at how the Doctor had somehow won this argument before it had even started. "Look, we'll talk about this later. Let me think about it."

"Fine." The Doctor was still a little pouty, but he knew just as well as the Master that he'd already won and the kittens would be staying.

"I'll tell you what," the Master said after a moment, inspiration striking. "Treat me nicely and it might help your chances."

The Doctor's eyes brightened and a smirk crossed his lips, the sulk instantly disappearing. "Dear, dear Master. Are you alwaysin the mood?"

The other Time Lord laughed, pulling the Doctor in close and holding him by the hips lightly. "Aren't you?"

That made him laugh as well. "Shut it."

The Master grinned lazily. "Make me."

He did.

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Several passionate rounds of filthy sex later, the Doctor yawned and curled up against the Master, the both of them aching pleasantly.

"Mmm. Impressive, Doctor. I think your skill is improving," the Master purred, content. His arms draped lazily around his lover, holding him close. There was a happy sigh as the Doctor nuzzled lightly against him and stretched.

"I'm always impressive," the taller man pointed out. "Particularly when I'm working specifically to impress."

They both yawned almost simultaneously and laughed at each other, comfortably snuggled together.

"A nap," the Master declared, holding him a little closer. "Then we'll talk about your stupid kittens."

That made the Doctor scowl and bite his lover hard, right over where a bruise was already beginning to form. "They are not stupid."

The Master raised an eyebrow. "You realize the biting only turns me on, don't you?"

"Of course." The Doctor smiled, a little sheepish. That just made his husband laugh and ruffle his hair.

"Go to sleep," he said, pressing a kiss to the Doctor's forehead.

The taller man smiled and yawned, closing his eyes and relaxing against the other. "Fine," he replied, voice a little muffled against the Master's chest. "But we're talking about the kittens later."

The Master chuckled. "I know, idiot."

It wasn't long at all before the two fell asleep, plural hearts beating in time.

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The seven kittens grew disturbingly fast. In mere days, their eyes had opened and they were stumbling around the house, tripping over their own paws and just looking plain adorable. The Doctor was cooing over them like the proud mother he was, picking each kitten up and kissing them on the top of the head, just between the ears. Of the seven, five were girls. Before they knew it, the kittens were four weeks old and Tubbie had nearly lost all her pudge.

"I think it's about time we named them," the Doctor said one morning, sprawled on the living room floor with all seven of the kittens gamboling across his chest and curled up against him. He kissed three pink noses almost without thinking, glancing over at the Master.

"Don't you worry about that," the Master chuckled. "I've already got them collars." He'd told himself before not to get attached, none of this was real, but he couldn't resist. He'd been just as charmed as the Doctor with the adorable balls of fluff.

"You named them by yourself?" the Doctor looked wounded, a black and grey tabby on his chest turning her attention to the Master as well.

The Time Lord frowned slightly, getting up from the couch to retrieve the collars from a desk drawer. "That was our agreement, Doctor. We can keep the kittens so long as I get to name them," he reminded him.

"Oh. Right." The Doctor rubbed the back of his head and sat up, the kitten sliding into his lap. She gave him an irritated look before stalking over to the Master. The smaller man smiled, scooping her up.

"You are Luna," he told her, fastening a black collar around her neck. He set her down and Luna curled up against his side, purring.

As if understanding, the six remaining kittens fell into line. The Master chuckled, picking up the two boys of the group. They were nearly identical, both pure white. "These two are Flim and Flam," he declared.

The Doctor grinned as the Master went through each kitten, naming them and fastening on a collar. Fluttershy, Trixie, Scootaloo, Applejack...by the time he had finished, the Doctor was wiping away tears of mirth, laughing so hard his sides ached. The Master scowled at him, but it was hard to look intimidating when covered in mewling kittens.

"I named them what I wanted," he said defensively. "And the names fit."

The Doctor wiped his eyes, still amused at the names the Master chose. "They do fit," he agreed, grinning. "I can't help but notice a theme."

"My Little Pony is a brilliant program!" the Master growled, arms folded across his chest.

The Doctor just burst out laughing again.

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When the Doctor woke, he was back in the TARDIS. He groaned, crumpled up on the floor against the wall. His eyes opened reluctantly, but his vision was blurred, and the dim, flickering lights weren't helping much.

"Wha..."

He coughed dryly and sat up with an effort, wincing when it made his head throb with pain. He reached back to touch the base of his skull. His hair was matted with dried blood from a deep gash there and he shuddered, taking a deep breath.

"What...happened?" he asked the empty console room, but there was no response. Everything was fuzzy and confused. "I remember...the Master..."

He shook his head and stopped a second later when it made his vision blur worse than ever and his skull throb. "Must have been a dream," he murmured thickly. "Master's dead. Saw it happen, I burned his body, he's dead." The grief that accompanied this recollection was almost soothing. It was something solid, something he knew.

"Hit my head and had a funny dream," he told himself firmly. "We would never...he wouldn't ever want...a domestic life with me." The Doctor snorted with humorless laughter. What a strange dream. Engaged to be married to the Master, living a happy, peaceful life, with a litter of kittens. It would never happen. It couldn'thappen. Even if the other Time Lord wasn't dead, it had been centuries since they had been friends. Neither of them would never want a life like that anyway. It would be too dull, too slow.

"Taking the slow path on Earth with the Master and kittens. What a nightmare."

Still, his hearts ached in his chest at the thought. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, living with him. He'd been happy in his dream, happier than he ever imagined he could be. Despite everything they'd gone through together, a part of him had never forgotten the past he'd had with the Master, the life they might have lived together, if only Theta Sigma hadn't been so foolish. Getting married...now that had been a terrible choice, the first of many more to come. If he'd only stayedwith Koschei, stayed with his best friend, maybe things would be different now.

And really, if he were to marry anyone and have it stick...

"Stop it, Doctor, now you're just being stupid," he told himself, sighing. "The Master is dead, and Ko-" Oh that name. It hurt far more than he expected just trying to say it out loud. "K..Kosch..."

He swallowed thickly, choking on that nickname, on all the memories it brought back. His best friend, his companion, roommate, his whole world during those Academy days. He remembered the feel of his friend's hand in his, the sound of his laughter as they ran through those red fields, the tall grass whipping at their bodies. They would abandon those ridiculous robes and play in the golden streams beneath silver trees, innocent, naive, carefree.

He remembered that one night, the feel of Koschei's lips on his, their naked bodies pressed together, so delicious and perfect. The muffled groans, nails scratching against skin, the sound of labored breathing and the whimpers that came with every movement until everything was perfect and right and it was too much. Theta had been so convinced nothing could ever be as right as that moment ever again, and it was utterly terrifying. A few days later, he ran. Left his Koschei, his home, and never stopped, not realizing he was destroying both of their lives in one fell swoop. The Doctor was so lost in his thoughts that it took him time to realize there were hot tears streaming down his cheeks and he was sobbing uncontrollably into his knees, hugging himself and rocking back and forth.

He's dead...

Never got to tell him how much I...

Oh Koschei...I'm so sorry...

"Doctor...Doctor!"

The Doctor's eyes snapped open and he woke with a start, the Master's worried face hovering over his.

"Oh good, you're awake. Don't...do that again, alright?" he snapped, trying not to sound concerned when he clearly was.

The Doctor just shook his head slowly, wincing at the throbbing headache at the base of his skull. That...dream...it had been so vivid. And so familiar. He was surprised to feel hot tears on his face and wiped them off with a sleeve, his whole body trembling slightly. He tried to sit up, but the Master pushed him back down.

"Just relax," he ordered, stroking his hair and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "I'm going to get you a drink."

"Feel terrible," the Doctor mumbled, finally getting words out. Emotionally and physically, he just felt worn. Exhausted. He didn't want the Master to go, reaching out to catch his wrist. "Please stay," he implored. "Please. Nightmares. Don't want to be alone right now."

The smaller Time Lord sighed a bit and climbed back into bed beside the other. "Alright, fine," he agreed, his voice gentle as he pulled the Doctor into his arms. "Just breathe. I've got you." He held the Doctor close and stroked his hair. His reassuring murmurs slipped into Gallifreyan after a few moments. Hearing that language felt nice, comforting. It felt like home. The Doctor relaxed, eyes closing.

After a few moments, the Master began to sing quietly, an old lullaby that he recalled from his home planet. Holding the Doctor close, the Gallifreyan song reverberating between them, the Master couldn't help but remember their childhood together. Koschei had been prone to rather violent nightmares from the moment he looked into the Untempered Schism. On particularly bad nights, he would crawl into bed with Theta, who would just hold him. He would fall asleep to the sound of his voice, either speaking gently to him or singing quietly.

Now, the Master supposed, it was his turn to do so for the Doctor. He kept singing until he felt the other man finally fall into an uneasy sleep, his breathing slowing and his mind calming. The Master fell silent, kissing the other man's forehead lightly once more. For a long moment he just lay there with him, until he couldn't stand the silence and slipped out of bed, gently untangling the Doctor from him. The other Time Lord stirred and made a sleepy sound but didn't wake, curling back against the pillows. Smiling slightly at him, the Master left the room, closing the bedroom door gently behind him.

He found her waiting for him in the kitchen, arms folded across his chest. She was different this time, and it took a moment to recall. That princess...no, queen from Atlantis, the one he had seduced into betraying her husband, at least until the Doctor had got in the way of his schemes, as per usual.

"..Do you just appreciate reminding me of women I've mistreated? Is that what this is?" he asked in a low voice.

Galleia shrugged one shoulder and smiled, tossing her absurdly curly hair for no apparent reason. "I pick the forms of women you found pleasing in your memories. I believe you took to Galleia much better than Lucy, so it seemed natural to make the change."

The Master scoffed. "I did not find her pleasing.She was the queen, I was plotting to take over. She was the means to an end, that's all."

Galleia smirked, turning away from him to start picking through the refrigerator. "Enough. You called me here for a reason. Now tell me of it."

He glared at her back, crossing his arms over his chest. "...It's the Doctor."

"Isn't it always? Continue."

This woman irritated him more than anything, but he didn't have much of a choice here. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before freezing. Oh no...was he picking up the Doctor's habits? He brushed that aside. He'd think on it later.

"The nightmare he just had...it was different from the others. Much worse, and he talked..." the Master explained, unable to keep a note of worry out of his voice.

Galleia closed the refrigerator after a few moments and just watched the Time Lord, a strange expression on her face. "He's finally woke up, in his reality. He knows the truth now, though he may not understand and will probably deny it. He seems fond of repression."

The Master frowned. "But he's been here for ages, what do you mean he's only just woken up properly?"

"Time," she said with a shrug. "It shouldn't surprise you that it is different here. Your Doctor is injured, in mind and body. He slept for several days, and now he has woken. My power over him is not so strong that I can keep him here against his will. While he wants to stay, while his mind is drifting, he is mine."

"He's not yours," the Master snapped. The news had him on edge and irritable. He'd known all along that this would be temporary, that he wouldn't be able to keep the Doctor forever, but that didn't stop him from wishing, from wantinghim to stay.

"I apologize," Galleia said smoothly. "He is yours, of course. However, I believe you understood my intention." She watched him for a few moments, something like pity crossing her face. "I am sorry I cannot do more for you. I have seen how important he is to you."

The Time Lord sighed and turned away. "He's everything," he murmured. "I don't know how he does it, or why I need him like I do."

His companion was silent for a moment. "Then I suggest you return to him," she said softly. "You may not have much time left."

They were interrupted by a quiet mew, and the Master sighed a little, scooping up the kitten in his arms. "Trixie, you're supposed to be in bed with everyone else," he told her, stroking her absently. Her star spangled cape that the Doctor had made for her had gotten a little tangled up in her paws, and he rearranged it gently, careful not to hurt her. By the time he looked back up, Galleia was gone.

Sighing, the Master carried Trixie back up to bed, setting her down with her siblings before climbing into bed with the Doctor. It was a long time before he finally fell asleep.