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"Tegan! How splendid to see you! What are you doing here, of all places?" The Doctor wore a mask of pleased astonishment, but he carefully watched to see how his former traveling companion would react to his decidedly unexpected presence.

As expected, she gaped at him for no more than an instant before gasping, "Doctor? What are you doing here? You're not the right one!" She sounded terrified, and he regretted the part he was forced to play, that of innocent ignorance, but it was vital to his plan that Tegan react naturally.

He frowned, moving slowly toward her, not wanting to startle her any more than he already had. She stood far too close to the cliff's edge for comfort, and he stopped a few feet away before answering. "What d'you mean, I'm the wrong one? The wrong me, you mean?" He allowed the frown to deepen. "Were you expecting one of my other selves?" He allowed a touch of bewilderment to enter his voice. "Why? What's going on?"

"That's a very good question, Doctor." This time he didn't have to falsify his reactions; he truly hadn't heard the Master come up behind them, and Tegan had been so fixated on his own unexpected presence that she apparently hadn't noticed, either.

At least, he presumed it was the Master, the stranger with the hand-held weapon pointed at them. No beard this time, a clean-shaven face, dark-eyed and brown-haired, tall and lean but still clad in his signature black, the long-sleeved jumpsuit strikingly out of place in this tropical paradise of an island.

They studied each other for a moment, the Doctor unmoving in case the Master decided to shoot first and ask more questions later. "Well? Miss Jovanka is correct; you're the wrong Doctor."

"And you're the wrong Master," the Time Lord replied slowly. "At least, I presume that's you?" He squinted a little, then gestured toward the other man, indicating the weapon and black clothing. "It's certainly your style."

"This is certainly an interesting conundrum," the Master mused. "A Doctor, a TARDIS, a Master, a hostage." He grinned savagely. "Time for an exchange, even if you don't necessarily understand what's going on here. One hostage for one TARDIS."

"Two hostages," Tegan interrupted her voice shaky but her eyes blazing with fury. "Don't you dare try and keep my son!"

While the Doctor did his best to pull off wide-eyed amazement at Tegan's "revelation," he carefully maintained his attention on the Master. How he responded to Tegan's words would inform the Doctor's next move. Because, without a doubt, Tegan was going to do something incredibly stupid if she heard the wrong answer; stupid and brave and ultimately fatal, if he wasn't quick enough.

A bark of laughter escaped the Master's lips. "Of course, what use would I have for your brat? Although it would be an interesting experiment in nature vs. nurture, all I really want is a way to resume my travels through space and time. Since I no longer have my TARDIS," he turned his attention back to the Doctor, "yours will do quite nicely." He held out his free hand. "The key, if you please."

A voice rang out from near the cottage. "Don't do it!"

The Doctor ground his teeth in frustration. Kyris and Ace, of course, with the others no doubt bringing up the rear. So much for sending them off to a safe location while he took care of this mare's nest himself.

"Doctor, you don't understand what's at stake here!" That was Kyris again, and his father's fifth self blinked in confusion he didn't otherwise dare allow himself to show. "You know it's my father's seventh self you're waiting for, he's the one who'll be coming to deal with you. He didn't know I was on Terminus; I'm the one who answered the call but he's on his way, don't do anything rash."

Ah, playing for time; the Doctor understood now. Of course, it didn't help him with his own semi-carefully laid plans, but there was nothing wrong with a spot of improvisation. As long as the outcome was the one they all wanted.

Well, maybe not all. With a sound very much like a feral growl, Ace launched herself at the Master. "Give us back our daughter, you bastard!" she howled as she bowled into him. A single shot blasted from the end of the laser, and Kyris dropped like a stone, clutching his burned shoulder.

Ace and the Master grappled for possession of the still-smoking weapon even as the Doctor snatched Tegan out of the way. "Get into the cottage," he snapped. "And bring my idiotic son with you!" Tegan jumped to obey, not bothering to argue for once in her life. The Doctor turned his attention to the struggling forms in front of him, tensed to jump in as soon as he could do so without furthering endangering his enraged future companion.

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Author's Note: Thanks to LilacFree for inspiring the name of this chapter. Opinions and reviews encouraged and greatly appreciated!