A/N: Thanks so much for reviews, they do mean a lot :D

Chapter 24 – The Return Of Bundy

Two months later...

The Master was having an exceptionally good week. In fact, he was having an exceptionally good couple of months overall. In the morning he would rise in the Doctor's TARDIS, eat the Doctor's food, then destroy something random before getting dressed and venturing out into the Shadow Proclamation for the morning's entertainment of the Doctor's interrogation. Then he would retreat back to the TARDIS and take it out for a spin to some random destination for lunch before returning to the Shadow Proclamation for the afternoon's interrogation entertainment. This would take him to dinner, where he would use the TARDIS to go to some Universally renowned restaurant for a meal, running out before he had to pay. Then it was back to the Shadow Proclamation again for the evening entertainment, before he indulged himself in the Doctor's extensive film and television DVD collection and then went to bed.

The greatest thing was he never even had to face the Doctor during it. He had taken his TARDIS, imprisoned him and his family and got to watch every beautiful second of it without ever having to confront the Doctor.

But today would be different. He was going to the Doctor's cell to talk to him. Boast a bit. Indulge in his own ego. What else was he going to do?

As per usual he flashed the Doctor's psychic paper at the Judoon, making his way towards his cell in the lower decks. He knew that the other Time Lord had been in solitary for five days now, denied even food and water. This coupled with the month of extensive interrogation made the Master pretty sure he was in no fit state to even blink at him... Let alone act on his death threat. Not that the Master was actually scared of him.

Well... Maybe a bit.

But he wasn't about to admit that.

The Judoon guarding the Doctor's cell parted to let him through, opening the door. The Master stepped inside, and smiled at the sight of the other Time Lord.

"Good morning, Doctor! How are you?" the Master greeted happily. The Doctor didn't move, lying on the floor looking like an utter bloody mess, sightlessly watching the far wall with his hands and feet bound.

The Master stepped forward. "I said good morning, Doctor!"

The only part of the Doctor that moved was his eyes, flickering around as if watching something the Master couldn't see. The Master frowned, kneeling down next to the other Time Lord, waving a hand in front of his eyes. The Doctor stared right through him.

"Doctor," the Master said firmly.

The Doctor continued not to react. The Master made to slap his cheek to try and get his attention, and then he realised how hot the Doctor was. He was running an exceptionally high fever.

The Master got up, making to leave, when finally the Doctor spoke, a tiny voice, high-pitched and topped with pain...

"He's stopped crying, now."

The Master turned back. "What?"

"He's realised that no matter how much he cries no one will come."

"Who has?"

"His Mother hasn't even come. He thought she would, by now," the Doctor continued, his eyes still flickering around. "He's all alone. He's so scared. He's cold. He hurts."

"Doctor..."

"He hopes it will end soon."

The Master stared at him. Was he hallucinating from the fever? Or had the constant interrogation and solitary confinement driven him to insanity?

"He knows it'll be over soon," the Doctor continued. "He knows when it does he'll see him again, and they can run through the fields of deep red grass."

The Master knelt down again. "Theta?"

"But it's all gone," the Doctor suddenly sobbed, shaking. "He's gone. He's dead. He loved him, and now he's gone..."

The Master stared at him, little Theta, so helpless and hurt. "I'm not gone, Theta, it's me, it's Koschei, I'm right here."

"Why did you leave him?" the Doctor suddenly yelled, crying. "Koschei left him all alone, and he's scared, he's scared!"

"I'm not gone..." the Master began weakly, but the Doctor cut right over the top of him, still gazing at the far wall as he began to whisper an ancient Gallifreyan chant...

"N'cera'qe zachit'ia u'ce'chira. N'cera'qe lola'ia ye anim'mira. N'cera'qe chai terna werak'minok. N'cera'qe bainoral'ia ye kahsi'alok. Ce, ei'baniora, tara kai'afa'ce, tara rio ei'alox, ei'mina, ei'figa'ia'alole..."

The Master stared at him. "Doctor, listen me..." he began, kneeling down to the other Time Lord.

"Koschei left him!" the Doctor screamed and suddenly his bound arms launched out and his hands gripped around the Master's neck, strangling him. The Master yelped in surprise as suddenly the door burst open and Judoon flooded in. The Doctor was forcedly wrenched off of the Master and slammed against the wall held there as the Master got off of his feet, backing away with a hand on his neck.

"Time moves in circles, Master..." the Doctor said, laughing. An old Gallifreyan proverb... "He'll come for you and avenge Koschei..."

The last thing the Master heard was the Doctor's insane giggle as he quickly left the Doctor's cell, making his way hastily towards the end of the corridor, trying to re-establish his composure.

Then suddenly he bumped into Leah, who was on the way to being escorted back to her cell. He stopped at the sight of her – the picture of her father. It was very quickly he realised he was going to have to do something to re-establish his broken pride at the fact he had just fled from the Doctor in utter terror.

"You!" he said, stopping the Judoon escorting her. "I'm just going to have a little talk with this child," he said them, flashing the Doctor's psychic paper. He grabbed Leah's arm and pulled her away as the girl struggled, obviously terrified.

They finally reached a secluded area, away from any unwanted ears. He sat the struggling Leah down, and offered his most genuine-looking smiling.

She looked up at him with her hands clasped together, before looking at the floor. "Mummy says I shouldn't talk to you."

"I just saw your father," the Master said evenly. "Would you like to know how he is?"

Leah shook her head quickly.

The Master frowned, slightly shocked. "Why not?"

"I know already," she replied quietly. "They're doing what you did. I can feel him crying like he was before." She paused, then looked up at him. "Jhu'ha'eon'alok ei'poha?"

The Master blinked. "Eon'i'holah Gallinao?"

"Ce'aiiw," Leah replied quietly.

"Does your Dad teach you Gallifreyan?"

She nodded. "He said you should never forget where you come from."

The Master couldn't find any words to reply to that.

"... Do you come from Gallifrey like Daddy, Uncle Harry?"

The Master nodded. "We were friends for a very long time," he said before he had a chance to stop himself.

"Why do you hate Daddy now?"

There was a very long pause as the Master tried to recall the actual reason he hated the Doctor so much. Wait a minute. Why did he hate the Doctor, again? He quickly realised he had completely forgotten why...

He was acutely aware Leah was waiting for an answer. "... Because he's a dirty half-human hybrid," he finally answered.

"If you came from the same place why does that matter?" Leah wondered.

The Master stared at her, this short toddler stood in front of him, currently challenging the foundations for his entire life – and winning. He truly had no reply. He was sure he had a reason for hating the Doctor...

"Ah!" the Master suddenly exclaimed, finger in the air. "He gets in my way all the time when I'm trying to dominate the Universe. That's why I hate him," he said, obviously pleased he'd remembered.

The conversation sank into uncomfortable silence as Leah was suddenly staring at him, as if silently judging him. She didn't seem very impressed. A few intense seconds of analytical silence passed before she jumped to her feet and ran off back to the Judoon without another word, leaving him standing there all alone to wonder what the hell had just happened.

Leah arrived back at the cell where her mum was waiting for her, engaging in a hug, as they always did.

"What happened today?" Rose asked her gently.

"They made me do a test," Leah replied, looking annoyed. "I don't like tests!"

Rose laughed. "Was it about words?"

Leah nodded. "And sums!"

Rose laughed again, kissing her forehead. "But you love sums, you always do it with Daddy."

"He was funnerer," Leah replied, sniffing.

Rose was about to smile, when she realised something about Leah's sentence... "Leah, you used the past tense, there. Your Daddy isn't a 'was', he 'is', yeah?"

Leah didn't reply. Rose was beginning to get very worried. It had only been two months. She couldn't have started forgetting her Dad already... It was too early...

"... D'you remember what he looks like?" Rose asked the toddler quietly.

Leah just shrugged.

"What's his hair like?" Rose asked quickly. "What colour is it?"

"Brown," Leah replied quietly. "And... It's always messy."

"Good," Rose said, somewhat relieved. "What about his eyes?"

"Brown," Leah said again. "And he's really tall. He can lift me up really high and laughs when I wanna get put down. And he knows everything, like sums and words and he knows how to play. And he does funny voices at bedtime stories. And when I'm sad he gives me a big hug."

Rose smiled. "See? You do remember him."

"I don't like remembery him," Leah said quietly, her eyes watering.

"Why not?"

"Because it makes me sad that he not here," she whispered, a couple of tears escaping.

Rose sighed. "I know. It makes me sad too, Leah," she said, holding Leah again tightly. "But Daddy wouldn't want you to be sad, would he? Especially on your birthday!"

Leah pulled back and blinked. "My birthday?"

Rose laughed. "God, you're almost as bad as your Dad, forgettin' your birthday. You're three today! And I've got a present for you."

Leah suddenly perked up, looking very happy indeed.

"It's not much," Rose warned, reaching behind her. "It's the best I could get." She pulled out a colouring book and a pack of colouring pencils, giving them to the girl, whose eyes lit up as though she'd just been given the Holy Grail.

"Thank you," Leah said happily, holding it carefully.

"When we get out me and Daddy will give you a proper birthday," Rose assured both Leah... and herself. It had taken a month of arguments and persistence with the Proclamation to get that for her, but the look on Leah's face had been worth it all. "You've been really good and brave through all of this."

"Thank you, Mummy," Leah said again reaching up to hug her Mum, who smiled and hugged her in return. "Can I go play with it now?"

Rose nodded. "But do it slowly and carefully, you don't wanna colour everything in one day, yeah?"

Leah nodded obediently, jumping off of her mother's lap and running to the table, clambering onto the chair.

"Keep in the lines!" Rose told her.

Leah nodded again, pulling out a green pencil and carefully starting on her work of art, her legs swinging back and forth.

Contentedly Rose laid back on the bed, struggling to get comfortable with her really now quite huge belly. Leah and the Doctor hadn't been the only members of the family to undergo a daily ritual with the Shadow Proclamation. She hadn't told Leah because she wouldn't understand, but the fact Rose had only been pregnant for almost four months, yet looked and felt like seven months meant the Proclamation were doing something to try and hurry up the baby. And if they kept going, it meant she really didn't have much time left to figure out an escape plan.

She had deemed that task to be her responsibility, but so far all her attempts to get out had failed. She could feel the Doctor through the bond becoming more and more unstable every day, and she had long since accepted the fact that he might be different when she found him again.

Not that that meant she was going to leave him behind. Whatever damage was done, they'd either fix it or learn to live with it. But not before she ripped the Shadow Proclamation to pieces. Police or not, they had no right to do that to the Doctor, Leah or the baby... and they were going to pay.

Suddenly her thought trail was interrupted by a knock at the door, and she frowned. No one visited after Leah came back...

She glanced at Leah, who was absorbed in her colouring. Rose navigated her way to her feet and moved over to the door, when suddenly the sliding window opened and a gloved hand stuck through...

A hand holding Bundy the teddy bear.

Rose gaped, taking her from the hand. "Thank you... Who are you?"

There was no answer. The hand moved out again and the window quickly slid shut before she even had a chance to try and work it out.

"Bundy!" Leah's voice suddenly yelled, and the crashed of footsteps indicated the girl coming towards her. Rose turned to see the girl reaching up, smiling.

Rose gave Bundy to her with a smile, but as Leah moved back to the table her smiled turned into a frown. Was it the Doctor? Was it Jack? Had Jack come to get them out?

Suddenly she didn't feel so helpless anymore. It made sense. Jack had come, and he was just letting them know he was around while he executed the plan. All they had to do was wait.

She resumed her position on the bed, feeling a lot, lot happier.

"Assessment of child hybrid complete," one of the head Judoon gruffed, reading from his info watch to the same panel of Proclamation women that had ordered the Doctor's interrogation.

"And?" the woman in the middle asked, stepping forward.

"Biological and physiological tests show hybrid has more similarity to gallifreyan father than human mother. Bone density above average. Immune system very efficient. Huge amounts of stamina, strength, speed and agility for age found, potential for great enhancement over time. Psychological tests show huge intelligence for its age and ability to judge based on morality and intellect. Parapsychology currently minimal. Evidence of development in regions of brain show potential for future."

"I see," the woman respond thoughtfully. "What do you recommend?"

"To avoid future threat, recommend immediate execution."

The woman paused to consider this, but didn't respond. "And what of the Time Lord?"

"The gallifreyan male upgraded to level six interrogation one month ago. Continues to remain silent. Mental state also indicates a massive instability, possible insanity."

The woman thought again for a moment, but again didn't respond. "And the foetus?"

"Unable to confirm exact status. Approximation of delivery one to two months."

"I see," the woman said, turning to her associates behind her and starting up a small discussion in low voices. It carried on for a few minutes before she finally turned back to the Judoon.

"The tested hybrid's mind has already been poisoned with ideals, and the potential it has to grow into is disturbing. We order immediate execution. The second hybrid will be born and raised in controlled conditions, and upon birth the human woman's mind will be wiped and she will be delivered back to Earth. And as for the Time Lord, the information he has is useless, now. But execution would be genocide. Therefore, he is to serve out his 500,000 years in Volag-noc..."

"That won't be necessary," a voice suddenly spoke from the darkness. The crowd in the room turned, and the Master stepped forward into the light, smiling broadly.

"And who are you?" the woman wondered vaguely.

"I'm a Time Lord," the Master replied, smiling as he held a handheld scanner from the TARDIS infirmary over his chest, showing his two hearts pumping away to the entire room. "Which means, his death would not be genocide. You're free to kill him."

The woman stared at him for a moment, gazing at his two hearts. The undeniable mark of a Gallifreyan.

She didn't really need anymore proof as she smiled and looked back at the Judoon. "Schedule the Doctor and his daughter's execution for tomorrow morning."

"Hold on," the Master said, stepping forward again. "Make the hybrid's after the Doctor's. I don't want to miss a minute, and I don't want to miss my lunch, either."

Translation

N'cera'qe zachit'ia u'ce'chira
N'cera'qe lola'ia ye anim'mira
N'cera'qe chai terna werak'minok
N'cera'qe bainoral'ia ye kahsi'alok
Ce, ei'baniora, tara kai'afa'ce
Tara rio ei'alox, ei'mina, ei'figa'ia'alole

All those thunders in the sun
All those moments of hurtful fun
All those songs with solo refrain
All those memories of beautiful pain
That, I remember, and we are one
And now I cry, my love, my hearts undone

Jhu'ha'eon'alok ei'poha? - Why have you hurt my Daddy?
Eon'i'holah Gallinao? - You can speak Gallifreyan?
Ce'aiiw – A little