Oh I spoil you all...do you know that? You guys have to be some of the most spoiled reviewers/readers ever! I mean, you're getting a chapter a day for heaven's sake! Oh but just you wait...when I get to the serious re-writes... *cackles* You'll be waiting for so long!

Regrets? Me? Nope. None.

The Doctor stared out the window of the Valiant blankly, showing no emotion on his aged face as the music slowly cut out behind him. He was used to this by now, it had been almost the same thing every day for a year.

"It's ready to rise, Doctor," the Master spoke, looking out the window before back at him, excited. "The new Time Lord Empire. It's good, isn't it?" He asked as a small group of Toclafane drifted past outside. "Isn't it good? Anything? No? Anything?" The Master sounded somewhat annoyed as he waved his hand up and down in front of the Doctor's unmoving eyes. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they? Those Toclafane, ever since you worked out what they really are."

The Doctor knew what the other Time Lord was doing. He was trying to find an exposed nerve, trying to find a way to cause him pain and grief. He had been doing the same thing for a countless number of centuries by now, and the Doctor did his best to not let it show each time. How every word sliced through him.

"They say Martha Jones...has come back home." At this the Master internally grinned at finally getting a response, even if it was only a dry stare. The Doctor never could resist trying to defend his companions, even if he had no power to do so. "Now why would she do that?"

"Leave her alone." One statement. One statement that showed he would not let harm fall to his companions. Not if he could help it.

"Oh but you said something to her, didn't you? On the day I took control... Although I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end. The Big, Bad Wolf is at the door Doctor, and it's howling," the Master grinned, but stopped as he soon saw the reaction his words had caused. It was almost like the Doctor had flinched. But over what... "Oh? Now there's a reaction...but a reaction to what?"

"Why those words?" The Master's brow furrowed as he looked over at the old man sitting in front of him. "Why the Big Bad Wolf?" At this his brow furrowed even more.

"Does it really matter?" the Master asked, confused as to how those three words had gotten more of a reaction out of him in the past few seconds than anything he had said in the past year. "Well?"

"I only have one thing to say to you. You know what it is."

"Oh, no you don't!" the Master exclaimed, jumping up as he pushed the wheelchair away until it steadily ran into a nearby wall. It didn't really matter why those words had struck the Doctor, he had more important matters to attend to. Like...a whole new universe to control?

"Valiant now entering Zone One airspace. Citizens rejoice!"

"Come on, people!" the Master shouted while clapping his hands in a show of attention. "What are we doing? Launch Day in 24 hours!" And what a day that would be... He would get his answers out of the Doctor then, once the foolish Time Lord saw there was no hope left.

Behind him the Doctor mentally shook off the words he had heard his old friend say. Bad Wolf...not again. Surely it had just been a coincidence. Bad Wolf was gone, he had taken it out of Rose Tyler back at the Gamestation. There was no way it had anything to do with what was happening now.

No. He couldn't worry about it, he decided. He had more important things to worry about. And as he pushed Bad Wolf away and out of his mind and looked over to Francine Jones and pressed three fingers against his thigh.

He still had people to take care of here.

::

"At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die," the Master proclaimed, grandstanding far more than the Doctor would ever be able to. It made Martha wonder if large egos were just traits of those two or Time Lord traits... Although when she thought about... They were called Time Lords... "Ha, my first blood. Any last words? No?" At the blank look he received he looked over to the Doctor.

"Such a disappointment, this one," the Master muttered, and he actually sounded disappointed as he spoke. "Days of old, Doctor, you had companions that could absorb the time vortex." He had been shocked when he had first seen that in the TARDIS files. What's more the girl who had done it had lived! This one though... "This one's useless!"

Taking out his sonic device he pointed it at Martha while an insane grin played upon his lips. "Bow your head." As she did so he grinned even more. "And so it falls to me, the Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward-" He cut himself off as he heard the girl's chuckles. "What? What's so funny?

"A gun?" As the girl went on to explain about the gun that had been in four parts and scattered across the world he started to pale. Surely he was just jumping to conclusions. There was nothing they could do! He had them, had them all, right where he wanted!

"But with fifteen satellites!" As soon as the words were spoken he heard something in his head. Something else besides the never ending drumbeats. An eerie tune that made him think that his plan was unraveling and that maybe this hadn't been the best of ideas he had used.

The wolves were howling.

::

As the Doctor lit the Master's funeral pyre he couldn't stop the grief that filled him. He didn't let it show...he was done with the tears. But with this...with this he truly was the last of the Time Lords. As he walked away he heard the sound of wolves in the distance, although they didn't sound angry...they sounded so sad...as if they were crying for him.

A small smirk flickered on his lips just for a second as he remembered when he had been telling Rose of his home planet one day and she had started crying. He had initially panicked and asked what was wrong but the young human who he had become so enamored with had just said someone had to cry in his place.

As the wolves howled in sadness the Doctor felt a sense of calm fill him. He may have now been the last of the Time Lords but that didn't mean anything had to change. He would still travel on through space in time with his occasional companion. The Doctor in the TARDIS. Just as it should be.

Although why did that phrase sound so wrong...

Jesus...that last phrase kinda shattered my heart a little bit there... Well? Did it shatter yours? Yes. That is a desperate attempt to get more reviews, even if they're only one-word responses. Don't ask. It's all a part of my master plan! *cackles*