A/N - This is the final part for this story! Enjoy :)

"Enough!" Rassilon's powerful voice boomed; echoing off of the ancient walls. One glance informed the Doctor that his harsh truths had stirred some of the Council members; cracks were appearing in Rassilon's leadership and the Doctor knew the Time Lord would not be happy about his interference. He was right, Rassilon was positively livid.

The President realised he needed to reassert his authority in front of the high leaders of Gallifrey; the Doctor mused that perhaps next time the Time Lord would think twice before dragging him in here like this. The Doctor was not cooperative against such diversity under the best of circumstances let alone after the treatment he had received.

Rassilon finally spoke as the whispers died out. "When you are in these halls you will show the order of the Time Lord's some respect."

"Not likely." The Master groaned in a bored tone; he had been denied yet another chance to attack the Doctor and it was clearly starting to get to him.

The Doctor frowned at the Master's childish behaviour; a thought suddenly struck him and he couldn't understand why he hadn't asked the question sooner.

"The thing I don't understand is why is he here?" He tilted his head towards the Master whilst directing his question to Rassilon.

The Master's body language showed his interest was peaked; they had both allowed their personal conflict to interfere with finding out the whole truth of their presence here. "Yes as entertaining as this is I do believe there has been some mistake."

Rassilon smirked harshly. "There has been no mistake Master. You are one of the most ruthless and evil Time Lord's in the order; a perfect weapon for war."

'It takes one to know one.' The Doctor thought inwardly.

His distaste of glorifying such heinous traits shone from his face; the conversation was starting to turn his stomach. It was all very well talking about evil when you were not facing it and the consequences of such an act in person; the Doctor had been unfortunate enough in all of his lives to witness the most corrupt villain's in all the universe. The story was always the same; good could never be born from evil. Evil only spawned death and destruction.

"You must be joking?" The Doctor laughed grimly. "You want to let him loose in this war? You might as well just kill yourselves now."

The Master threw the Doctor a predatory smile. There was a familiar glint in the maniac's eye; the Doctor recognised it well and felt his heart's clench painfully. He was looking straight into the Master's madness and longing desire for destruction and domination; it would not be long before the feeling consumed his old friend entirely. The Doctor knew when that happened there would be very little chance of stopping him; as mad as the Master was it was no secret that the Time Lord was a genius. What a waste that his brilliant mind could not be used for good; the things they could have accomplished together… The Doctor would give anything for his enemy to be different to not be consumed by such lunacy and frenzy; if the Master was not so obsessed with owning the universe maybe they could have seen the stars together.

The Doctor looked away wistfully as the useless fantasy shrivelled away to ashes. He chided himself for fantasising about what could have been; the illusion could not and would not ever come to pass. That fact alone brought more grief to the Doctor than he could have imagined; it was almost as powerful as the moment he had first turned his back on the Master; when he witnessed signs of evil already breaking through. The Doctor knew then that their friendship was over; they were destined to walk different paths; they were destined to be the other's mirror.

The Doctor was brought out of his reverie by Rassilon's powerful demand. "Explain."

The Doctor refused to look at the Master and spoke directly to Rassilon. He allowed the rage and grief he had just felt fuel his rant. "That monster is the most selfish, psychotic, maddest, murderous being I have ever met. He has the mind and the will to take your army, turn it against you, and wage war across the universe, the Master is interested in one thing and one thing only. Universal domination." He finished his speech and locked eyes with the Master; the Time Lord looked somewhat amused and the Doctor recognised another emotion with disgust: pride.

"What little old me?" The Master sang in a child-like voice; he paused and suddenly his face was veiled with mock hurt. "I'm surprised by your hostility Doctor; we were friends once."

The Doctor didn't allow himself to show any outward response to the Master's words but inwardly he was mildly shocked; honestly it was as if at times the Master could read his thoughts. The Master had only mentioned their past on a handful of occasions. It couldn't be just coincidence that the Time Lord decided to bring up their old friendship as the Doctor has just been pained by the thought of it.

Thankfully he found his voice and it was far steadier than it had any right to be. "Once, but I outgrew you."

The Master's mock distress started to transform into actual outrage. "You, you outgrew me? No look at me Doctor no-one tells me what to do, I do as I please."

'And that is just one of the many reason's why I left you behind.' The Doctor contemplated.

"Children do as they please because they don't know any better, but to do as you please when you have our power… That's when irresponsibility tips into evil we have to follow rules so people don't get hurt."

The Master chuckled happily. "But I enjoy hurting people."

'Which is why we can never be on the same side; why we can never be friends.'

The Doctor heard the sincerity of the Master's words; the Time Lord wasn't just saying these words to make his adversary feel uncomfortable. He believed every word; this was the real truth and those five simple words explained so much about the Master that no others ever could. The Master was the perfect definition of a psychopath.

"When you are quite finished gentlemen." Rassilon interrupted in an impatient tone. "Do you really expect me to trust such a dramatic response Doctor?"

The Doctor scoffed in response. "Please… I've barely even started. There are heinous acts the Master has concocted that you couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams."

The Master beamed at the words; the Council members seemed to shift in their seats unconsciously moving away from the dangerous Time Lord; the Doctor almost snorted at the action. The Council as usual had no stomach for the details but they were more than willing to use the Master's evil for their own gain.

Rassilon growled at each of the timid Council members. "We are well aware of what he is capable of which is why he will fight for us."

The Master's mood grew sour as he picked up on the President's words; fight for the Time Lords not with them. He replied with a tight smile; evidently struggling to reign in the fragile control of his temper.

"I'm flattered by all the attention really but as the Doctor has pointed out repeatedly; I do no man's bidding. I am the Master."

The Time Lord spoke the last words in a sinister tone with no wisp of humour remaining; his glare was intense and seemingly devoid of emotion. The Doctor knew his old friend better than that; the Master was inwardly roaring in fury.

Rassilon's own expression mirrored the Master's. "I think you'll find that title means very little here Koschei."

'Now he's done it.' The Doctor muttered to himself in a panicked tone; rule number one never call the Master by that name it was a very fast route to becoming one of the man's victims. The guards recognised the complete change in atmosphere and wisely targeted the Master's back.

The Master froze completely. His mouth hung open agape at the open disrespect; the Doctor hadn't seen his enemy this caught off guard in quite some time. He imagined the last time the Master had been called that name was in their academy days. The Doctor was sure if the guards weren't aiming their stasers at him the Master would have launched himself at Rassilon. The Master was regaining use of his speech and started to splutter an outraged response; the Doctor saw fit to interrupt before the situation got anymore out of hand.

"Rassilon, why are we here together?"

Rassilon ripped his triumphant gaze from the Master hesitantly to refocus on the Doctor, and allowed a hint of genuine puzzlement slip onto his features. "I thought that would be obvious… We wanted you two to work together."

The Doctor's mind went blank; every formulation and plan he had been thinking about stalled and crashed to a halt. From the Master's pathetic spluttering and coughing he knew he had not just imagined Rassilon utter those words. The Doctor had underestimated his captor's insanity evidently.

"Excuse me?" The Doctor managed to string the words together with no help from his incoherent mind.

The Master too found his voice almost at the same time and sounded as equally shocked and aggrieved by the thought. It was as if the whole notion had offended him personally; which on reflection the Doctor reflected it probably had.

"Work together? Work with him?" The Master pointed a finger angrily across the table; his face screwed up with disgust over the very idea. The Doctor would be lying if he said the thought didn't repulse him also.

Rassilon cocked his head inquisitively; somehow the President hadn't foreseen this level of aversion to his suggestion. Like the Doctor had said; Rassilon was out of his mind. "You have worked together in the past…"

"If you could call it that." The Doctor spluttered darkly interrupting Rassilon's flow, the President pretended that the Doctor had never spoken and picked up where he left off.

"…We believed your history together would be the foundation for a good working relationship."

Rassilon was making a habit of this; both the Doctor and the Master were again utterly speechless. The feeling was akin to having the air knocked out of oneself; it was certainly just as unpleasant. The Doctor was once again quicker at finding his words; he really abhorred being on the back foot in an interrogation.

"Our history together?" The Doctor felt himself grow exasperated as he remembered each of the times he and the Master had been forced together, and winced inwardly from the echoes of the pain the Time Lord had inflicted upon him each time. "You are aware that he has spent almost his entire life trying to murder me. Not to mention…"

And yet you are still here." Rassilon interrupted the Doctor before he could babble on about all the times the Master had betrayed him.

Being interrupted mid-stream threw the Doctor off again; all he could manage was a confused two words as his brain struggled to calculate where Rassilon was taking this conversation. "I'm sorry…"

Rassilon grinned victoriously at the Doctor's confusion and directed his next words to both of the renegades. "You say the Master has spent his entire life trying to kill you and yet you are still alive; what does that tell you?"

The Doctor had never felt so stupid in his entire life; he hadn't been this lost for words and outtalked since his academy days. He hated it. "Well I…" He could come up with nothing; from the Master's stunned silence it was evident he could not either.

Rassilon waited for either Time Lord to come to the realisation that he had and rolled his eyes at the shocked faces; he put the pair out of their misery with an observation that a child could see. "He doesn't really want too."

A deathly stillness encompassed the ancient chamber as Rassilon's words sunk in; the Doctor couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope spark inside him. He wanted so desperately to grip and cling to Rassilon's words and believe it to be true; could it be true that the Master did not want him dead? The truth was that the answer was far more complicated than that; the Doctor doubted that the Master even knew himself what he truly desired.

The Master huffed in frustration and responded in a defending tone. He just couldn't handle anyone believing he was any less evil than his reputation demanded. "Now wait just a minute… Incase you had forgotten; if you lot hadn't waltzed in here then the Doctor would be lying in a pool of his own blood right about now."

The Doctor wasn't so sure it would be exactly as the Master said; Rassilon's earlier words still resounded in his mind. 'He doesn't really want to kill you.' Perhaps he just enjoyed the act; he would feel lost if the Doctor wasn't around anymore as an adversary.

Rassilon smiled knowingly. "You were left alone for 5 whole minutes and you did nothing; if we had left it longer there would have been no murder."

"Oh believe me there still can be." The Master responded coldly; the Doctor felt a shiver pass through his bones as he recognised the deadly tone.

The Master tensed visibly causing the guards to readjust their grip on their weapons, and all focus solely on the unpredictable renegade. The Master looked ready to lash out at any moment viciously; like a snake uncoiling to strike. Rassilon regarded the furious Time Lord silently whilst his mocking expression had long since been eradicated off his face; he could recognise a serious threat when he saw one. The Doctor quickly interrupted the exchange before it could derail into chaos; the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the cross fire of a gun fight.

"Hang on… so you knew our history and yet you still locked me in an unguarded room with a maniac that has urges to kill me!"

Rassilon dragged his intense deathly glare from the Master's own poisonous gaze with visible effort, and answered in a bored tone. "We did."

The Doctor flashed one of his famous smiles; this one didn't reach his eyes. He understood exactly why he was placed in here with the Master alone; he was no fool. "Anyone would think you wanted me dead."

Rassilon smiled slyly but said nothing it was no matter he didn't need to; his eyes shone with the truth. The manic glint proved the Doctor's initial theory. The President knew he would cause trouble and would rather be rid of him than have to deal with him; the Doctor was used to such treatment in his lives but this was rare from one of his own people.

"Oh I think he does…" The Master sang in a puerile manner.

"Yes thank you." The Doctor snapped at the Time Lord opposite; he did not appreciate being made to look like a fool.

The Master rolled his eyes dramatically and cheekily added. "Well you can be slow on the uptake sometimes Doctor."

The Doctor declined to rise to the Master's bait; he must be having a very good day with all the digs he'd managed to pull on the Doctor. He glared at the Master's triumphant face and just about resisted the urge to retaliate when his adversary's smirk widened.

"See you already have a good relationship." Rassilon chuckled sinisterly.

The smirk was ripped straight off the Master's face and the Time Lord returned his violent thoughts to the President. The Doctor had had just about enough of this lunacy; it was clear this little meeting was going absolutely nowhere.

"This is madness. I will never fight in your war and with the Master no less?" The Doctor laughed mockingly at the very thought before growing very quiet. "You're insane."

Rassilon's own smile fled as the insult hit; the Time Lord was just as volatile as the Master. When all was going swimmingly he enjoyed causing others pain, but if anyone dared to taunt or disgrace him then they faced the full wrath of the Time Lord. The occupants of the room waited with bated breath as their President's mood grew fowler and his gaze grew stormier.

"I could make you." Rassilon growled threateningly; his metal gauntlet shaking under the strain of his fury.

The Doctor held the enraged Time Lord's fierce glare refusing to shrink under the intensity and power the elder man emitted. He had faced down worse in his lifetime; the Doctor did not relish the idea of finding out exactly what that gauntlet did but he would never turn his back on his morals and principles just so he could live.

The Doctor folded his arms across his chest nonchalantly and responded in an equally dark tone. "You really couldn't."

He could feel his hearts thumping faster against his arms but refused to let on about his growing anxiety levels to the room; he was surprised had managed to hold up this strong facade for so long when inside he was little more than a nervous wreck, but thankfully his determination continued to fuel his struggle. How had he gotten himself into such a situation? He was once again at the mercy of the most powerful man in the room, and was under no illusion that Rassilon was more than capable of carrying out his threat.

Rassilon held the Doctor's gaze for what felt like hours when in reality it must have only been 30 seconds; the Doctor could almost see the cogs turning in the Time Lord's mind. The President was deciding his fate. The Doctor saw the moment Rassilon has come to a decision and waited on bated breath like the rest of the room for the verdict; he attempted to remain stony and non-caring outwardly but a tremor started to run through his hand. The Doctor scrunched up the appendage and shoved it out of sight before the weakness was pounced upon.

Rassilon finally broke the silence. "Perhaps one day we'll find out…" The Doctor's gut clenched at the words; he acknowledged the threat and it's seriousness. Rassilon held the Doctor's determined stare for another beat before breaking away. "…But not today, guards the Doctor is to be released. Please escort him to his TARDIS and see he leaves Gallifrey safely."

The Doctor let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding; at some point during their exchange he had evidently forgotten to breathe and his respiratory bypass must have kicked in. He was honestly stunned by the sudden change in Rassilon; the hostility the man had felt all seemed to flee at once. The Doctor honestly thought he had met his end; he thought he would never be leaving this place.

"You're letting me leave?" He squeaked astonished; his body was still prepared for a flight or fight reaction and he felt the excess adrenaline race through his veins at super speed.

Rassilon didn't even look at the Doctor as he replied in a bored tone; suddenly the papers in front of the President were very interesting to the Time Lord. "I do not want cowards fighting in my war Doctor; you have turned your back on your own people."

The Doctor's mouth opened and closed without any words coming out; he imagined he looked ridiculous and rather like a fish out of water. One glance at the Master confirmed he wasn't the only one left shell-shocked by the President's change of heart; the other Time Lord looked genuinely dismayed that violence was now off the table. The Doctor decided not to respond to Rassilon's jibe about his seemingly traitorous decision; he had his reasons and they would remain private to him.

He looked down and placed his hand's upon the smooth surface preparing to get up, but he still half expected to be hit by Rassilon's gauntlet at any second. "Next time you want a chat give me a call; no need to go to all this trouble."

Rassilon lifted his eyes from the papers to stare directly at the Doctor. He did not speak but the Doctor got the message quite clearly; there would be a next time and he would not be given any more warning. The Doctor gulped at the threat; he would have to start making some modifications to the TARDIS… The last thing he wanted was to be at Rassilon's mercy and dragged back into this war; if that time ever came he doubted he would ever leave Gallifrey again.

The Doctor didn't intend to stick around and overstay his welcome; Rassilon struck him as someone who could easily change their mind. He stood and started to head towards the appealing exit.

"Doctor." Rassilon only had to utter one word for the Doctor to stop in his tracks entirely; had the man already changed his mind? The Doctor stopped and faced the President. "One way or another you will return to Gallifrey before this war is out."

The Doctor interpreted the veiled threat almost instantaneously; perfect understanding passed between the two Time Lords. The Doctor felt the hairs stand erect on the back of his neck;

he would have to fight harder and run faster than he ever had to keep out of Rassilon's vengeful clutches.

"We'll see." The Doctor responded cooly not at all feeling as confident as his voice sounded.

The Doctor spared one more glance at the maniac before turning his back on Rassilon and the whole bizarre proceeding; he distantly heard the Master clear his throat but continued intently onwards towards the now open set of doors.

"Well that's my cue to leave." The Master declared quickly; clearly in a hurry to catch up with the Doctor. He rose from his seat hastily and went to make a beeline towards the exit.

"Guards." Before the Master could take two steps he was fighting off limbs that were attempting to restrain him; he was physically strong when heated but the Master was sorely outnumbered. It wasn't long before the guards held him securely between their grips.

"Get your hands off me!" He roared sharply.

The Doctor spun round at the sound of the commotion; he hadn't heard the Master say anything threatening as far as he was aware the other Time Lord was intent on following the Doctor.

"What's happening?" He asked already distressed by the manic look in Rassilon's eye; it was directed squarely at the Master.

"This doesn't concern you Doctor. You have made the same mistake to run away; now run before you cannot."

The Doctor almost stumbled back under the intensity of Rassilon's rage; all of the man's attention was now upon the Master. The Doctor knew it was foolish to not carry on walking straight out of the doors whilst he still could but his feet stayed rooted to the ground; in his hearts he knew this was not right. He glanced at the Master who was still struggling aggressively against his captors and he felt his gut clench painfully; he couldn't just walk away could he?

"This isn't right." The Doctor finally managed to stammer out; he couldn't formulate words all of a sudden.

"He was re-born for this very purpose Doctor; it is time he finally lives up to his potential." Rassilon was now standing and stalking towards his captured prey; it was like watching a child with a shiny new toy.

The Master attempted to rip his arms away again and roared back at Rassilon; unleashing the inner rage and madness that lived within. "I will do no such thing. If you don't release me this instant I will destroy you; your stupid Council, and this whole planet!"

"Such anger…" Rassilon reached the Master's position and inspected the Time Lord with an inquisitive gaze. "You will make a good warrior."

The Doctor stepped forward instinctively as he witnessed his old friend in trouble; he knew the Master would never stand up like this for him but he could not help but feel like this. It was in his nature to care. He was brought up short as several Chancellory guards blocked the path between him and the Master; who was the Doctor kidding he could not help the Master even if he wanted to. There were a dozen armed men in the room who would stun him before he even thought about taking another step.

The Master stopped trying to wrench his arms free as he took in Rassilon's words. "I will not fight for you!" He muttered bitterly.

Rassilon smiled wickedly. "Yes you will and every time you die you will be reborn until this war is done."

A genuine flicker of fear flashed over the Master's face and the Doctor felt his heart's clench painfully in response. No-one deserved such a grisly and eternal fate; not even someone as villainous as the Master.

"Rassilon…" The Doctor spoke carefully.

Rassilon didn't let him say another word; he interrupted the Doctor fiercely bringing up his gauntlet menacingly. "You have made your choice Doctor! Now leave before I change my mind over your fate." His temper abated as he observed the Doctor's inner war. He glanced between the two Time Lords and chuckled darkly. "The two renegade Time Lords, did you know you're almost as well-known as me these days? The famous sons of Gallifrey, look at you now…"

The Doctor glanced at the Master and caught the other's eye; he saw such desperation in those dark depths; more than he ever thought were possible. The Master was begging him to help. The Doctor took in the room with a critical sweep and came to the same conclusion; there was no way he could help even if he decided to. Perhaps the universe would be safer if the Master wasn't causing havoc out in it; he was debating about rescuing a mass murderer after all.

As the Doctor stared into his oldest enemy's frantic gaze he saw all of the Master's most heinous crimes flash through his mind; endless civilisation's destroyed, countless innocents murdered. The Master would burn an entire world just to watch the flames. The Doctor had to make a choice between saving the universe from the Master or saving the Master from an eternity of agony and death. It was the hardest decision he had ever made and yet it took the Doctor less than a second to choose. He turned his back.

"Doctor…" The Master stammered in utter shock.

The Doctor took a deep breath and steadied his emotions before starting his excruciating walk towards the exit; every step he took felt like he was stabbing his old friend through the chest and it hurt.

"Doctor please!" The Master screamed hysterically.

The Doctor froze mid-stride just shy of the steps leading up to the grand door; something in the Master's desperation had reached a part of him he thought he had locked away for good. His heart's felt like they were going to break in two and beat right out of his chest; this was killing him and he couldn't understand completely why. He closed his eyes and asked himself if this was the right choice; it seemed like an impossible one and he was sure whichever side he had chosen he would be asking himself this very question. Perhaps there wasn't a right answer this time.

More images flashed through his mind of faces of the Master's victims; people who never did anything wrong except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He remembered all of the pain and misery caused by the Master, and the times he had tried to pick up the pieces after his adversary's destruction moved on. The man was like a hurricane destroying all in it's path and zooming off without a care for the death and agony he left behind. The Doctor thought back to all of his encounters with the Master; all the way back to when the Master lost the last remnant of good within him forever. No matter how many chances the Doctor had given his old friend he had always ended up stabbing him in the back and innocent souls always got caught in the crossfire.

The Master could not be unleashed on the universe it was almost broken beyond repair; already screaming out in pain. The Doctor felt a tear threatening to escape and wiped it away fiercely; he opened his eyes decision made and pressed onwards. The shouts grew in volume and hatred as the Master realised the Doctor had made up his mind; he wasn't coming back.

"Doctor! Doctor you can't do this to me!" The Master exclaimed.

The Doctor's pace quickened as he crossed the threshold and felt guards fall in behind him; he heard the Master's yelling grow more frenzied and imagined the thrashing and banging sounds were the Master's final desperate attempts to get out of his captor's claws. The Doctor drove himself onwards one heavy step at a time and stifled back a choking sound; he could barely live with himself.

"Doctor I won't forget this!"

A dozen memories flashed through the Doctor's mind as he tried to drown out the Master's desperate appeals; he revisited times long past and times he thought had long since been locked away in the deepest recess' of his mind. The Doctor sprinted through pastures of red grass with Koschei by his side laughing; they ran all day long calling up at the sky. He relived the first time he ever saw the citadel sat between the towering mountains with his best friend standing proudly by his side; they had just enrolled in the Time Lord Academy together. Memories flashed faster and faster as the Master's screams grew louder, and the Doctor felt more tears threaten to breach his eyes.

He watched he and Koschei grow up and learn about the universe together. The Doctor and the Master's friendship flourished at the academy; for years they seemed to have everything in common. They challenged the norm; went against traditions and both dreamed of a larger life travelling the stars. They even made a pact to explore every star in the universe together.

He was brought out of his musings of simpler times by a particularly powerful burst of emotion slamming into his mind; the Master had reached out with every part of himself in a final effort to change the Doctor's mind. The Doctor had never hated himself more as he slammed up his mental shields and shoved the Master ruthlessly out into the dark; he felt his heart's break in two finally at the desperation and pleading he felt.

"Doctor, I will never forgive you for this!"

The Doctor had reached the end of the corridor by the time the Master shouted his final words. It would not have mattered if the Time Lord had whispered it; the Doctor would have still heard and felt the all too painful truth. He was glad the guards could not see his face as he allowed the prickly tears to fall freely down his cheeks; he was no longer thinking of the atrocities the Master had committed he was grieving for the friend that he had lost; something he had never allowed himself to do before due to the pain involved. He may have just signed the Master's death warrant; he effectively had by turning his back on him.

He heard the chamber's doors finally close with a resounding thud effectively cutting off the nosies within; it was far too late the Doctor would never get the Master's pleas out of his head. Hot tears continued to roll down his cheeks and he reminisced of what could have been; they could have seen the stars together like they were meant to. They should have.

The Doctor whispered his final words to himself knowing that the person who really needed to hear them never would. "Neither will I."

Finis