Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Note from me: Thank you to everyone who's read this so far. After this chapter the story's just in my head, I've not written any part of it yet really, just sketched a few things out. I know where it's going but I'm not committed to an exact journey yet. Any thoughts, reviews, requests would really help.

Also, I'm deliberately not following the series too closely, after all we've all seen it, right? And I know I couldn't do it justice in print so I'm just using bits and pieces where it fits or where it's necessary for the story to get where I need it to go, which is why the Master isn't PM and why the Toclafane aren't in it. Loved those episodes but didn't want to ruin them with my clumsy writing. Hope that's okay.

Chapter 8

Rose awoke with the most almighty, clouting hangover she'd ever had. Her first thoughts were 'What was I drinking last night?' followed by 'What did I do?' followed by 'Hang on. Wasn't drinking…? Was I drinking…?' Oh, yeah. She'd had some of Jack's JD, but blimey! Not that much! And where the hell was she anyway?

She squinted her eyes against the harsh, bright light from above as she tried to make out the shapes around her. She was on a settee, it smelt richly of new leather and it was deliciously cool against her cheek. There was a funny taste in her mouth and her body felt hot and heavy like she was coming down with the flu.

She looked around the room, the shapes beginning to take on definition as she became more conscious.

"Well, well, well!" the voice from the shadows startled her. "What do we have here? None other than Rose Tyler! I've been itching to get my hands on you!"

From his voice and expression Rose could tell three things. One, that he was gleeful. Two, that he was insane. And three, that he was dangerous. Very dangerous.

"Wh… who are you?" she stammered.

"Oh! How disappointing!" the man tipped his head to one side, his eyes smiling, his mouth pouting. "Go on! Guess!"

"The Master?" Rose ventured, already knowing it was true. Something about him reminded her of the Doctor, something about the way he looked at things.

"Spot on! Have a gold star!" he chimed.

"How did I get here?" Rose asked.

"Friend of mine picked you up. Of course, he wouldn't have needed to pick you up if he hadn't knocked you down!" the Master clapped his hands as he laughed at his own joke.

Rose remembered the shape in the shadows. Then a sudden splitting pain in her head. She winced, hissing through her teeth at the memory, her hand rising unbidden to touch the top of her head. Ow! It stung as she touched it.

"Yes… sorry about that." The Master didn't look sorry. He smiled at her as he shrugged. "Had to be done – couldn't have you shouting out and giving the game away after my man had gone to so much trouble to stage your 'near death' for the Doctor's benefit of course."

Rose had no idea what he was talking about but the mention of the Doctor's name had her trying to sit up. "The Doctor! Where is he?" she demanded. Nausea rolled through her like a breaking wave at high tide and she quickly slumped back down.

"Hmmm…. Well…. Probably on his way here." The Master mused. "Especially since I knew that scoundrel Jack Harkness would be able to trace the call I made to your mobile phone with his Torchwood team, and especially since I kept the Doctor on the phone more than long enough for him to trace the call – well, I sort of bounced it around a little bit, it won't lead him directly here because I needed time but he's on his way."

"You know he's coming and you're still here?" Rose asked incredulously. "Are you mad? Have you met the Doctor?"

"Oh, tish and pish! The Master chided, still grinning. He pursed his lips. "He's not as brilliant as you think he is! He's good, but… yeah, I'm better! Yes, he's coming here and yes, he suspects a trap and yet he still can't help himself… aawww!" He frowned in mock pity. "He thinks he can make me better you see. The Doctor, always making people better. Why can't I be more like him? They all ask… but did anybody ever think to ask, WHY CAN'T HE BE MORE LIKE ME?" The amused calm had turned to rage, quick as a flash, then back to calm again as the Master smiled at her serenely.

Okay, this guy was Bonkers with a capital 'B'. Rose tried, through her pounding headache, to assess the situation. She was in a living-room, maybe or perhaps a hotel suite… yeah. That felt more right. The Doctor, may or may not be on his way… although, if Jack had anything to say about it then he definitely was. The sky outside the large, picture windows was black so it was still night-time. She wasn't tied up, or restrained in anyway, although the headache, the nausea and the general feeling of being completely drained of all energy was restraint enough right now. And she'd been captured by the Master. For what? She had nothing to offer and from the Doctor's recent distance, she wasn't sure she was really a bargaining chip… then something else occurred to her.

"But if you need the Doctor for something, why did your men try to kill him?"

"That was a mistake." The Master spat. "One that they won't be able to make again."

Rose went cold. So he'd killed them.

"They were supposed to bring you to me, that's all."

"Me? Why me?"

"Well, not likely the Doctor would cooperate without something to entice him. That annoying American can't die – so not really an enticement… 'Do what I want or I'll kill the American… oh no I can't …' That's not really going to work is it?"

So the Master knew that Jack couldn't die… well, couldn't stay dead. He must've died on that planet in the far future where they'd first run into the Master.

"So how long have you been back here, on Earth?" Rose asked him.

"About a month. The Doctor locked the coordinates of the TARDIS so that I couldn't travel anywhere but here. Of course, I'm obviously grateful that he showed me how to use the watch once he recognised it. Trusting fool that he is, he shouldn't have said anything… I just wish that I'd not been right next to him when I opened it."

The watch? What watch? What was he talking about? The explanation for the Doctor's absence after Canary Wharf had been sketchy at best. Rose knew they'd been to the end of the Universe, or the end of time… or both. Jack had somehow attached himself to the outside of the TARDIS, they'd run into a group of humans trying to survive as the Universe died around them, they'd run into the Master he'd taken the TARDIS and the Doctor had done something to bring it back to the present, then they'd used the vortex manipulator to bring them back. Two weeks later.

She'd spent the best part of the first week in so much distress at her abandonment that she'd been unable to leave the flat, then after several phone calls she'd managed to get an evening job waiting tables at a restaurant in the high street. The pay was rubbish and her boss was awful but with the rent due on the flat and with the cupboards getting scarily empty of food she had to put practicality ahead of her emotional state.

Of course, she'd probably lost that job now having thrown 2 sick days in her first week…

"So, if you've been here a month, why didn't you try to get me before this?"

It was the Master's turn to look confused. "I didn't know there was a 'you' to get until this morning, when I saw you on the CCTV footage in the shopping centre. The records state that you died at Canary Wharf."

A shock, like an electric jolt passed through Rose. What did that mean? The Doctor wouldn't have registered her as dead – at least, not without talking to her about it first. Unless he does that in the future… but if he does, what the hell does that mean? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and swallow the rising panic.

"What d'you need him to cooperate with and why does that involve me?" she asked, trying to assemble her jumbled thoughts.

"I need to get into the TARDIS." The Master told her. "I got in before. Then I brought it here, and now, she won't let me back in."

"Join the club, mate!" Rose whispered, half sniggering. "She won't let me in either! Not sure I can help you there mister."

"Master!" he corrected darkly with a scowl. "And no, you can't help me, you? A pathetic human! I need the Doctor to tell the TARDIS to obey my commands. He locked it as I was taking off. You're here to make sure he does just that."

"He's not gonna do it." Rose shook her head slightly. "You're so wasting your time."

"Oh he'll do it." The Master stated confidently. "You see, I know him so very well. I really needed to focus the Doctor's attention. So right now, he's on his way here thinking you're dead or almost dead… he'll be oh so relieved when he sees that you're okay, that all the blood he saw wasn't actually yours, and then, once that's sunk in, I'll tell him about this…" He held up an empty syringe.

"What's that?" she asked, her voice thick with fear.

"Oh that?" He laughed. "That's poison! Don't you see? The Doctor thinks that you're dead, almost dead and then gloriously not dead and then… ooops! No, actually you're really, properly going to be dead… that's got to unhinge him right? I'm right aren't I?" He grinned widely, showing all of his teeth.

"You've poisoned me?"

"That's right! I'll trade the antidote for the TARDIS – he cannot refuse! …but guess what?" He knelt beside her and made a point of cupping his hand around her ear to whisper conspiratorially, "There is no antidote!" eyes shining with mirth he leant back to look at her horrified face. "Shhh!" he put a finger to his lips. "Don't tell! Anyway, I think you should sleep now." And with that he put his fingers to her temples and everything went black.