Chapter 12! Enjoy^^

"A diamond?" questioned Jack, watching the Doctor. "How is that going to help?" He was still a little peeved from being killed.

"Oh, it's not just any old diamond," grinned the Time Lord. "This particular diamond is called a White Point Star. It's only found on Gallifrey."

"So what does it do?"

The Doctor walked up to Jack and placed his hands on each of his shoulders, looking him in the eye with excitement. "It's a connection," he explained with almost-glee. "Possibly the only remnant left of Gallifrey – and it can reach within the Time Lock." His eyes sparkled. "Now we have the ability to find the real source. It must have something to do with the Time Lords." He stepped away from Jack, staring down at the gemstone. "I could bring them back," he murmured, so quietly that Jack barely heard him. The Doctor seemed to be in a trance, his eyes locked on the diamond; unblinking.

Jack was worried. He stepped up to the Doctor cautiously, placing a hand on the side of his face. "Doctor," he murmured. The Time Lord looked up, gaze unfocused. Jack leant forward, his lips brushing the other's; and the Doctor snapped out of it as they kissed.

Shame burned inside of him, and the Doctor quickly broke away, rushing about with his sonic screwdriver. Jack cleared his throat and walked over to the Doctor, who was acting as if nothing had happened. He seemed to be rewiring something. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the Time Lord was hooking up sensors to the diamond, which led into the console.

"Ha!" exclaimed the Doctor. "Come on, old girl. Show me what you got." He pulled a lever and glanced up at the monitor, smiling. "Oh, yes. I knew you could do it." Before Jack could say anything, the Doctor rushed out of the room. The Human struggled to keep up, but he found that they had entered the sick bay.

"Doctor!" shouted Jack. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

The Doctor looked over at him and grinned. "Oh, Jack. So oblivious," he said in reply. "This is what I've been waiting for. I can bring him back."

"But how?"

"The White Point Star," he explained, "Is connected to Gallifrey from within the Time War. I analyzed the material, and found that it resonated with the drumming inside the Master's head." He paused, but Jack was still oblivious. "Which means," continued the Doctor, "That the source is coming from within the Time Lock! All I need to do is increase the TARDIS's Artron energy level, and I can use the White Point Star to punch a hole in the fabric of reality!"

Jack was horrified. "Why the hell would you want to do that?" he countered. "It could tear apart the entire Universe!"

"Well – yes," said the Doctor after a moment. "But the odds of that happening are very slim. If I can focus the energy toward the Time Lock, the Universe shouldn't be in danger."

"Okay – so say you do get into the Time Lock," replied Jack, thinking. "Doctor – doesn't that mean we'll find the Time Lords? You can bring them back!" But to his surprise, the Doctor's expression hardened. "Isn't that what you want?"

The Doctor was silent, and then he met Jack's eyes. "I don't know," he said without expression. "My people, they – changed. In the last days of the Time War, they became desperate. They wanted to destroy the entire universe, and become beings of consciousness alone." His eyes sparked with anger. "They wanted to commit genocide on every living thing besides themselves. That is why I—" He seemed on the verge of tears, fighting to control his expression. He swallowed. "That's why I ended it." The Doctor turned quickly, bracing himself against a railing with his head down.

Jack was speechless. He'd thought the Time Lords were just like the Doctor – same purpose and beliefs. I guess not. He walked up to the Doctor slowly, placing his hand on the Time Lord's back. He could feel the sorrow and regret coming off from him in waves, and in that moment, felt pity for the man before him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I had no idea." Jack cleared his throat. "But I can promise you, Doctor, I will do everything in my power to help you through this." He turned the Doctor around and held him close, wrapping his arms around his back and hooking them over his shoulders. He brought their lips together, and this time the Doctor gave in. Jack felt tense muscles release as the Time Lord relaxed into the kiss.

"Thank you."

BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM…

The Master was worse than ever. He clawed at his existence, tying desperately to escape his prison. The Drums were relentless, never subsiding in the least. He couldn't even think with the noise taking over his mind.

'Let me out!' he screamed.

BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM…

'Let me out!'

The Doctor was shaken from Jack's embrace when he heard the voice, more desperate and terrified than ever. He released the Human without explanation, circling the console and entering codes while seeming to activate almost every lever, button and dial available. The TARDIS lurched violently, but this time both men held on until it stopped. The lights were dim from the power drain, and the TARDIS moaned in protest.

"Sorry, old girl," apologized the Doctor. "I'm so sorry. I'll get us out of here as soon as I can." He rushed away and opened the doors. "Stay he-" he began, but Jack was already beside him, gaping.

"It's beautiful," he breathed, gazing out at the landscape before him. Tall red grass, sloping hills, silver trees, and huge snow-capped mountains – all overlooked by a bright orange sky and twin suns. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. "This is your home?"

"I haven't been here for a very, very long time," murmured the Doctor. "I can hardly call it a home." He paused. "But yes. This is Gallifrey." His voice was soft and quiet, and his eyes sparkled with life and long-forgotten memories. Jack had never seen the Doctor so genuine. And then it was gone, his expression hardening into an unreadable mask. Jack found himself being pushed back into the TARDIS. "You will stay here," commanded the Doctor. "It's bad enough that we're even here at all. You are not coming with me."

Jack's face fell. "Why not?" His voice took on an almost pouting tone.

"Because the Time Lords will recognize your scent. They will know you're not one of us."

Jack nodded, and he stood straight. "I understand. Good luck, Doctor." He saluted as the doors closed behind the Time Lord, blocking off the outside world.

This is starting to get complicated, even for me. The Doctor breaking through the Time Lock was not what I had originally planned, but stories have an odd way of writing themselves. Oh well, hopefully I can make this work so that it'll still be interesting. And now even I can't wait to bring the Master back. This is becoming frustrating. This story was supposed to be Master/Doctor, dammit!

Anyway, review!