The Doctor could feel the energy building inside his son...he had to do something; so he did the only thing he could do.

"If I were you Gwen Cooper, I would move away."

He then ignored her and lay Seska down on the frozen ground. He placed one hand on his head and one on his chest.

He could feel the regeneration power more intensely now...what he was about to do was dangerous; more so for him than for Seska as he had no idea of what the consequences would be...but he wasn't about to lose another child.

He closed his eyes and slowed his heartbeats and his breathing and he crossed the divide between his consciousness and his son's and into the maelstrom that was the storm of regeneration.

Amidst the swirl of power he saw the silver purple that was Seska.

"Release," he whispered and like a rattlesnake the energy struck the golden thread that was the Doctor.

Gwen could do nothing but watch as the Doctor held Seska in his arms; he was silent for what seemed an eternity, then he spoke.

"If I were you Gwen Cooper, I would move back."

He fell silent then and laid Seska on the ground. She watched as he placed a hand on his head and his chest.

She thought she heard him whisper something in his own language but she couldn't be sure.

She jumped when the Doctor let out a cry and she scrabbled backwards when golden light started flowing from Seska into the Doctor until the Doctor was engulfed in light and his cry turned to a scream and she had to turn away from the brilliant light.

Jack and Ianto were halfway up the slope when Jack suddenly doubled over in pain and Ianto grabbed him just in time.

"Jack?"

Jack forced himself to uncurl and Ianto's eyes widened as Jack's eyes were glowing and then he cried out and Ianto almost lost his grip.

Jack took in a huge breath before looking up the slope. "Regeneration," he breathed.

"Who...the Doctor, Seska?"

"No...I don't know...Jesus it hurts."

He moved out of Ianto's grip and began climbing again but Ianto could see he was in pain.

They reached the trail and Jack doubled over again.

With Ianto's help they managed to get round the sharp bend and they were almost blinded by the golden light.

Jack doubled over again and fell to his knees and gasped. "That's not regeneration."

Ianto managed to get Jack over to where Gwen was shielding her eyes. As they stopped the golden light seemed to be sucked into the Doctor who then toppled over.

Gwen moved then as Seska drew in a huge breath and sat up.

"It's okay, I've got you," she said but froze when she saw Seska properly...the large bite mark on his face had gone and the huge bite on his throat was healing over before her eyes.

She turned her head when she heard a groan and realised for the first time that Ianto and Jack were there; although Jack looked the worse for wear.

Her attention was taken once more by Seska who had come to his senses and was trying to rouse his mother.

"Mother?" he said and shook him. "Mother?"

But the Doctor was unresponsive.

Gwen gently moved Seska away and placed her fingers on the Doctor's neck and snatched them away...his skin was hot...not human hot but hot as in made of metal and super-heated hot.

"Mother's dead, isn't he?" Seska asked in a small voice. "He took my excess regeneration energy and it killed him...I killed him because I couldn't control it."

He started to cry and Gwen had to be sure if Seska was right. Grimacing at the heat, she placed her fingers once more to his neck and smiled...there was a faint pulse; he was alive, but that's all she could say.

"No Seska, he's alive," she said and grabbed his hand and placed it against the Doctor's now thankfully cooling skin. "See."

Seska looked at Gwen and gave her a small smile and wiped away a tear with his free hand and then placed it on his mother's hair and his smile faltered.

"This is not right, his mind is too quiet...I can't hear his voice...mother?"

"I'm sure he'll be okay, but we have to get him somewhere warm, you too."

Seska nodded and then looked up sharply and stared down the trail. "You should run...father is coming?"

The Master was scanning the trail up ahead, hoping by some miracle he would see the Doctor and Seska.

He had no doubt that the destruction of the shield had been the Doctor's work and he'd already sent some of his force ahead, taking the more precarious but quicker route.

He was only on this trail because it was the way his husband and son had ran.

Up above them several of the modified drones buzzed and clicked. They now bristled with weaponry and the ones he's sent ahead would be the first to attack the camp...rule number three in the Master's personal book on war...demoralise your enemy before wasting resources, and the drones would do just that.

He was about to say something to Ashena when a wave of telepathic and psychic energy hit him and he was brought to his knees.

"Father!" Ashena cried. "Stop...stop!" she yelled at the driver.

She went to her knees next to the Master, who was frozen, eyes wide in shock.

"Father?"

"What has he done?" the Master finally said.

Ashena frowned and then drew back when she saw his eyes glow gold and then flicker gold until they returned to their amber golden brown.

"Who has done what?" she asked, worry making her voice waver.

"Your mother...he's..."

The Master blinked and came back to himself.

"Father?" Ashena said.

The Master got to his feet and said. "I've found them...they're a few miles up ahead...move!" he bellowed.

As the RV moved he closed his eyes and tried to connect with the Doctor but worryingly his golden thread was dull. But he could see the silver purple of Seska and he called out.

"We are coming."

"Please, you have to go. My father will not be in a forgiving mood," Seska said.

Ianto went to help Jack up but he was a dead weight. "Help me Gwen," he said.

"I'm not leaving them here, we've got a chance to save them both."

"He'll kill us on sight!" Ianto snapped.

"I'm not leaving without them!"

"No, you two have to go...leave him. You won't get away from the drones."

"I'm not leaving Jack!" Ianto snarled.

Jack chose that moment to speak. "No Yan, go...he can't kill me. They need leaders."

"No Jack."

Jack managed to stand and looked at Ianto. "I said go and that's an order...both of you, go!"

Seska put a hand on Ianto's arm. "I will do what I can to temper my father, but you must go now."

Gwen grabbed Ianto's hand. "Come on Ianto...we have our orders."

She looked at Seska who was once again attending to his mother and then at Jack.

"Go," Jack said and she turned away and dragged Ianto with her.

They'd just gone into the trees when the sound of engines filled the air and a RV breasted the rise.

It stopped and a figure jumped out and sprinted over to Seska and the stricken Doctor.

"No, no...what have you done?" the Master cried and gathered the Doctor in his arms.

"He saved me father..." Seska started to say but he was cut off by snarl from him and he had the sense to keep quiet.

His sister was the next to arrive but she went past Seska and her parents and went straight to the person who was standing a few paces away.

"You," she snarled and her face twisted into a feral sneer and with a snarl that was anything but ladylike she backhanded Jack.

She went to strike him again but a roared "Enough!" from her father stopped her.

"Leave the freak to the guards...we have to return to the capital."

The journey back to the capital was a lot faster than it had been going and the Master carried the Doctor into the palace and into a small room and placed him on the table in the middle of it.

He stroked the Doctor's cheek tenderly and kissed him softly on the lips.

"You are not dying on me...we are the last children of Old Gallifrey and I do not want to be alone."

He stepped away and as he left the room brilliant white light filled it.

"Come back to me," he whispered as the door closed.