Chapter Nine: He Really Did Like This One

One month had passed on Rose's world. The Master worked beside her Torchwood, and he seemed to be on the side of good. Naturally, this was a front. When people weren't looking or he was alone, he would discreetly put things in place. He had already written secret protocols to allow him to command half of the Torchwood resources. It was hidden in code, so no one was the wiser. Whenever he helped fix the alien items recovered from space, he'd add special features that only he could use. He had even started the process of finding an alien ally. As for Rose Tyler, he was pulling out all of the stops, hoping that he was close to romancing her completely.

However, there was one little problem. He really did like this one…and it terrified him completely.

"C'mon, mate. You have to…" she laughed elatedly.

The Master pulled a face and held out his arms. Little Tony Tyler was placed in them, and the Master held him far from his chest with a blank look. "What do I do with it?"

"It is a he. His name is Tony. Put him on your lap."

"What if the infant soils my suit? This was an expensive outfit. Imported from Italy. Very fine materials. Very fine man. In fact, you are next to the finest man in the finest suit in the universe. No human child is going to ruin my fine rating. I'm sitting at five stars right now. Five stars."

"He's got a diaper. Just deal with it. Blimey, you're a total wimp."

Glaring, he held the kid closer and inspected the blond boy curiously. "I'm a Time Lord, Rosie. I don't do domestics. The whole thing is making me queasy."

"I've heard that one before. Give me a year. I'll have you housetrained. Now, shut it. The Teletubbies are on."

The Master and Tony directed their attention to the bright show, giggling at the fun songs and televisions in their stomachs. Rose enjoyed watching them interact. Once the show was over, she put Tony down for a nap and grabbed the Master by the hand. They went into the back garden and sprawled out on her coat.

"Look at that one. It looks kind of like a Dalek," she commented as she pointed at the clouds.

He grinned. "And that one over there looks like a duck. I can practically see it quaking! Hello, ducky!"

"I find a Dalek and you find a duck. You're spending too much time watching cartoons with Tony on Saturdays."

"Oh, shut up. Cartoons are brilliant. You're never too old to have a second childhood, especially if your first one wasn't wonderful."

That caused her to look at him carefully. "And you didn't have a good one?"

"No. Dreadful. My people take the children at eight years old to join the Academy. Initiation is when they make you look into the Untempered Schism. That's this gap in the fabric of reality. You can see the whole of the vortex. And you stare at it. The raw power. Space. Time. Just a child. Looking into all that. It's the first time I heard the drums. They've never stopped. I don't know who I'd be without that sound…but sometimes I wonder…."

Had he just poured out his hearts to her? She didn't torture him. She didn't push him. She didn't force him in any way. He volunteered it. There was no sense in that. It was impossible. The Master couldn't have said all that, could he? If he did, that meant that he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to share with her. What else did he want? No…he didn't. He refused to even think it.

"That sounds awful. I'm sorry they did that. If it makes you feel any better, I've meant to tell you that you're a bad influence on me."

Glancing, he felt a smile. "That is the best kind. How have you come to this conclusion?"

"The drums get stuck in my head sometimes. You're always tapping it. It's become a habit for me. Whenever I tap my fingers or whatever, I do it in beats of four. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome. Is it there now?"

"Not this second. You'll have to wait for it, Harold. It'll come up. Speaking of that, are you going to tell me your real name?"

He rolled his eyes. "I did. You won't address me properly. Harold Saxon is my human name. Purely a disguise. It had a nice ring to it. Made me sound trustworthy to you people. But, I do prefer it when I am addressed as Master."

"And that fact would entertain mental health professionals for decades. Now, I have a question. It's stupid, but I really want to know. Is everyone from Gallifrey given a title like that? Is there a Mistress, Saint, Duke, Professor, Count, and so on? Won't you run out of titles, or do you reuse them? I'm just wondering here. It's all a bit weird if you ask me."

Laughing, he shook his head. "We pick our titles, but we do have other names."

"And why don't you lot ever use them? Seriously, what if I went around asking to be called the Empress?"

"I'd call you that."

"You would not."

"I would too! You are an empress, just like I'm a master."

She gave him an incredulous expression. "No, I'm not. I'm Rose Marion Tyler. A person's real name is the most intimate thing. It means that you know them. You know who they are. And let's face it, I absolutely hate that your supposed name is the Master. And, I don't like calling you a name that isn't the real thing. But whatever, mate. I'll keep calling you Harold. Works all right, I guess."

"Koschei," he murmured before he knew that he had said it.

"What was that?"

"That's my name, you idiot. Koschei. But don't you dare call me that in front of another living soul. I mean it. You're the only one allowed to know, got that?"

She smiled gently at him. "I swear that I won't tell anyone. It's our secret, Koschei."

The way she said it gave him chills. He hadn't been called that in ages. His arm slipped around her and she didn't pull back. They looked at the sky in silence. He could distinctly hear something other than the drums. When he looked, she was idly tapping a hand to her hip. One two three four. One two three four. His chest swelled. Could it be that the demented, immoral, sadistic Master genuinely liked being with the human girl? That she wasn't just a plaything? But he was heartless, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Still…this was different.

It was Rose Tyler.

"All right, I really do have things to do this afternoon. I'll see you inside, yeah?" she asked as she slipped from his grasp and stood.

He got onto his feet with a frown. "What things?"

"Boring, human chores. Why don't you watch the television? It's still on cartoons."

Smiling, he got her by the wrist and they went inside together. Before she left, she said that she'd find him before dinner. She muttered his real name and he felt the same tingly feeling. Upon collapsing on the couch, he turned on cartoons and felt his eyelids drooping. He drifted into a light sleep, but dreams plagued his mind. He saw Gallifrey burning as the Doctor laughed. The drums were booming. One two three four. One two three four. Destruction surrounded him. The people of Gallifrey pointed accusingly, saying that it was his fault for running away. It was his fault for hiding like a coward. They had no choice but to put the Doctor on the frontlines. And he's the one that killed them all. It was the Master's doing. He was the cause for their demise. It was all him…and he felt like God.

But, Rose suddenly appeared. He showed her the destruction. Reveling in the flames, he offered the power to her. It could all be hers if she said the word. With a disapproving glance, she shook her head and walked away. He could hear her crying, even over the drums. When he went to follow her, the ground ripped between them. He called her name over and over again, but she wouldn't come back. She left him standing in the debris. Alone, the Master felt his hearts breaking to the beat. One two three four. The Wolf ripped him in two.

"Koschei?" Rose called hesitantly when she found him on the couch hours later.

He woke screaming and shaking. When he saw her, he pulled away and held his head. One two three four one two three four…repeat. She didn't like to see anyone in so much distress, and she had started to count the strange Time Lord as a friend. Cautiously, she moved closer and got in front of him on the floor. He refused to make eye contact and hunkered down in the corner of the couch.

"What's wrong? You can talk to me."

"The drums. They're getting closer. Can you hear them? They're calling to me. It's what I was made for. It's why they brought me back. I'd be the perfect warrior. It's who I am. Oh, the rhythm…it's intoxicating. It fills me. But I don't understand. I can't explain it. I was broken. Why'd you go?"

She blinked in confusion. "Go where?"

"You left. You walked away and ignored me when I called for you. Why'd you do that?" he demanded, growing incredibly angry. She backed away nervously at the edge in his voice.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been right here."

"Oh, please. I saw it with my own eyes. You kept going. You wouldn't listen!"

"When? You've been asleep all afternoon. I just got down here for dinner about a minute ago."

He began to piece together that it was a dream. Breathing, he managed to calm himself. "Right. Well. For future reference, don't do that."

"Do what? Walk away?"

"Yeah. I need you with me."

"Why's that then?" she wondered softly.

"You're Rose Tyler. What's for dinner? Tell me it's something good."

"I haven't checked."

He stood up and took her hand. She reluctantly followed him into the kitchen. There was just something off about the whole thing. They sat down to a large dinner before bed and he seemed to bounce right back. He had her laughing and smiling in no time, but inside he wasn't as sound. There was only so much patience a man could have, especially since he feared the worst.

This girl meant more than most.

On the TARDIS, the Doctor connected the last piece of the puzzle. The parallel world jumper sprung to life and he happily embraced Donna. "We did it! You were genius, Donna. Absolutely genius."

"I was, wasn't I? I'm not your best mate for nothing. Do we have a plan going into this other world or not?"

"Well, obviously we don't want to rip apart the universes."

Donna nodded. "Yeah, that'd be well bad."

"Yeah, just a bit. After that, we have to find the Master. I should be able to track him down rather quickly."

"And Rose."

He smiled almost giddily. "Yeah. And her."

"Look at you grinning away! I've never seen you so happy. What is it about her that makes her so different?"

"So many things. Too many. She has a way of getting to people. Even the unreachable."