Chapter 2: Like Moths To Flame

The trio stood outside of the TARDIS, gazing at their surroundings. The Doctor licked his finger and stuck it in the air.

"We're on…" he paused, thinking.

"Earth," chipped in the Master.

"Shh, or I'll leave you in the TARDIS." It was friendly banter, thought Martha. As if they were… friends. She would never have believed it of the Doctor, her Doctor, who fought evil and injustice so forcefully. So this is what loneliness could do to you. Part of her regretted agreeing to this trip. Right now, all she wanted was to be home, away from the Master, who had tortured her family. If only Lucy Saxon had had better aim.

They were on the edge of a forest. Behind them, the trees became dense and dark. The undergrowth was thick and the air smelt dank.

"Not that way, then," said the Doctor. In front of them the trees thinned out to nothing within a few hundred metres, and beyond that, lit up by the crisp winter sunshine, was a sparkling lake. A huge castle rose up dramatically beyond it, imprinted majestically on the horizon. "That way," the Doctor said, and bounced off, the Master never more than a metre away. Martha followed, unsure of herself. She could deal with this? One trip? Of course she could...

/You like beauty, don't you, Doctor?/ A questioning glance passed between them.

/Of course. Who doesn't?/

/I don't/ The Master's laughter filled the Doctor's head. He turned to face his – friend? Enemy? Brother? Or something else altogether? – Master, but saw only a small smile playing around his lips. The Master smiled wider, and the terrible sound exploded into the Doctor's head, echoing with the Master's laughter, accompanied by images of death and destruction. The Doctor, in a moment of weakness, lifted his hands to his ears to block out the sounds of horror; the screams of every broken person, the deaths of every one resting on the Doctor's conscience. The Master pushed harder, filling his enemy's head with the very thing he couldn't bear: suffering. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

/A door once open can be passed through both ways, Master/ The drums receded and for a moment the Master could relax. And then his head was filled to bursting with static. The white noise when you tuned the radio half way between stations. The static on a television set with a broken aerial. This terrible, terrible... emptiness.

And then it was gone.

/There you go, Master. You're not the only one/

"Huh," muttered the Master out loud, and they continued the trek through the woods.

Martha eventually caught up with what she had taken to calling 'the happy couple'. Sarcastically, of course. And only in her head.

"This looks interesting..." the Doctor was saying. He was tilting his head, gazing at the castle from different angles. Martha mimicked him, confused. They looked like strange, nodding puppets, tipping their heads from side to side, watching the castle flicker between majestic glory and unstable ruins.

"What the hell..."

/You never can resist a mystery, Doctor/

/Talk out loud, Master/

/So she can hear me? Nah, I don't think so/

"Doctor..."

/What's your problem, Master? Just act civilised/

/Civilised? Me? I'm very civilised/

/Yeah, because taking over Earth and torturing me is civilised/

/In a way/

"Doctor, please take me home. I don't like this." The Doctor forced the Master's voice from his mind.

"Why? This is exciting!" Martha glared at him.

"I wanted a shopping trip. Not a flickering castle and probably something awful going on. You're drawn to trouble like a moth is to a flame."

"What makes you think something awful will happen?"

/Oh, come on Doctor. Even you're not that stupid/

"We're on Earth! On Earth, castles are castles. They don't change!"

"Fine," the Doctor said, losing the sparkle from his eyes. "We'll go back to the TARDIS" – he paused – "After we've checked this place out! Come on!" The Master stuck his tongue out at Martha and pranced off after the Doctor. He was unable not to.

Martha felt like a third wheel. The Doctor and the Master. And Martha Jones. She should never have come.

"Doctor!" she yelled, and he stopped and turned. I'm going back to the TARDIS." He gave a thumbs up, turned away from her and carried on making his way round the lake to the front of the castle, Master in tow. So much for that.

Feeling rather dejected, more than a little betrayed and extremely jealous, Martha attempted to forget about the Doctor and Master's new found 'relationship'. She would hang out in the TARDIS (it had more than enough stuff to keep her entertained) and wait for the Doctor to return and take her home.

"Hey!" She'd walked right into someone. The voice was deep, with a heavy Scandinavian accent. Sexy, even. She snapped out of her thoughts and found herself face to face with a tall, dark haired man, good looking in the 'just got out of prison' sort of way.

"I'm sorry, I was just..."

"My name is Viktor Krum" – he held out his hand – "Are you a part of the Tournament too?" Martha, more out of surprise than politeness, took the stranger's hand. He had a firm, steady grip, and shook her hand once before letting go. "So?" he asked.

"What tournament?" He just stared at her. She felt a bit flustered. She just wanted to get back to the TARDIS, but she seemed captivated by this man's eyes. Without taking hers off them, she said, to break the silence: "Martha Jones, pleased to meet you. I've only just arrived and have no idea what's going on, so do excuse my lack of knowledge." She was rambling now, and begged him with her eyes to make her stop.

"How can you not know about the Triwizard Tournament?" She opened her mouth to explain, but he was too quick. "Never mind. I like you. Let's take a walk, I will explain."

Martha liked the way things were going. Viktor was attractive, friendly (after the initial shock of her bumping into him had worn off) and definitely better company than the Doctor and Master. However, he did seem to talk rather a lot of nonsense.

"So, the Triwizard Tournament is for young wizards – and witches – to prove themselves. Of course, there is money as a prize, but I have money already. I just want the glory." Martha decided not to ask about witches and wizards; she didn't want to seem too stupid. And she liked this guy.

"So what do you do? Are you like some rich heir or something?" she tried, nonchalant. She would love it if he wasn't, though. She didn't like rich kids. Krum looked shocked.

"Of course not! You know not what I do?"
"I'm sorry, I honestly don't." She blushed slightly. So much for not sounding stupid. He gazed at her, incredulous.

"I am seeker for the Bulgarian quidditch team!" She guessed that that was supposed to be impressive, working from both his body language and tone of voice, so she responded accordingly.

"That's amazing! I can't believe I didn't know that!" She must have guessed right, because Viktor puffed his chest out proudly. "You won any matches lately?" It was a sport, wasn't it?

"Well, my team did get into the world cup finals..." he looked glum now.

"I take it you didn't win?"
"No. I caught the snitch but Ireland already were too many points in the lead.

"Mhm..." The universal word of agreement, not that she had a clue what he was on about.

"But enough of me," he said, which obviously took some effort. He seemed to enjoy talking about himself. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm Martha, as you know, and I used to work in a hospital-"
"St. Mungoe's? That's the best one, I've heard."

"Um, no, a different one." She wasn't sure which country she was in; Krum seemed to be speaking English, but for all she knew, the TARDIS could be translating. She'd have to ask the Doctor. "Very far from here," she settled with. "I'm a long way from home." She had got used to saying that now.

"Don't worry, I look after you." This statement, so frank, made her smile. She definitely needed someone to look after her right now, and she felt relieved to have admitted it, even if only to herself. "You were a healer?" Viktor asked. This meant doctor, right? Or nurse?
"Yeah, in a way." She didn't want to admit that she was unsure as to what he meant.

"Ah..." He nodded, as if he was now in on some joke. There was silence for a moment, but it felt relaxed and comfortable, nowhere near awkward. As they had been talking, they had been walking deeper into the forest. Now it was almost completely dark, the light cut out by the thick branches overhead.

"You have a boyfriend?" Krum asked after a while.

"Not at the moment. Do you? Have a girlfriend, I mean?"

"No," he said, and he kissed her.