"You know, that was quite sexy." the Master commented. The Doctor grinned shyly and tugged on his ear.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah."

The Master stepped away to examine Jack. "He's beautiful." the Master breathed, circling Jack's corpse. "How long d'you think it'll take for him to reform?"

"I dunno. Maybe a few hours. He's pretty badly done." the Doctor observed. The Master observed the dead man a little bit more and then looped his arm back around the Doctor's waist. Jack had almost ruined the surprise, but it wouldn't take very much longer for the Doctor to forget again.

It was time. The Doctor had completely forgotten Rose Tyler - again - and the world was still in the palm of their hands. They'd even hurled the Earth across space to conquer parts of the Universe. The Time Lords were in complete control of the Vegas Galaxies and the Lotus Nebula. The Master and the Doctor both were less than satisfied with their acquisitions, but they didn't complain. Even if they were the top drug and sex spot of the Universe, they were ridiculously popular. And the neighboring galaxies were weak against the power of the Time Lord Empire.

Today, the Doctor and the Master were celebrating in the TARDIS with slave-made Earth liqueur. The Master had grown quite fond of it during his time as Harold Saxon. Of course, the liqueur made by slaves tasted much better than the regular stuff. The Master smirked to himself and finished off his red wine in one big gulp. "I've got a surprise for you." he said smugly. The Doctor instantly brightened with child-like wonder. "Really? What is it?" he demanded instantly. The Master raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips.

"I'm not gonna ruin the surprise."

"Oh, come on! Please?"

"Nope. But if you wait here I can bring it to you." the Time Lord said. The Doctor looked so excited he might just burst, and the Master slipped away to a room in the TARDIS he'd been careful to keep the Doctor away from. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, letting a bright beam of light fall into the darkness. There was a woman's muffled whimper, and he stepped into the room, smirking wickedly. He could sense exactly where she was. He strode toward her and seized her by the hair, yanking her to her feet. She tried to resist, but the Master just sighed and jerked on her hair harder, making her stumble in the direction he wanted her to. Still, the stupid woman persisted in trying to escape. The Time Lord rolled his eyes and tugged a collar and leash out of his hoodie pocket. She couldn't see the thing due to the darkness, but his Time Lord senses were superior and he could see her wide, panicked eyes. The Master wrapped the collar around her throat and yanked it tight, making her choke for a moment before he loosened it just enough. He clipped the leash onto it and began dragging her out of her little room and into the control room, where he dumped her in front of the Doctor with a proud smile. The Doctor beamed back at him and looked down at the woman. "What is it?" he demanded impatiently.

The Master gestured to the captive with a smug smirk and the Doctor knelt down to look at her. "She's very lovely." he observed.

"I should think. Only the best for my Doctor."

"Really? For me?"

"Of course!" the Master cried, hugging the Doctor tightly. He pushed the gag out of the girl's mouth, but kept her hands bound behind her back. "Doctor!" she cried instantly. He looked from the Master to her with a quizzical look. "She knows my name?"

"Yup."

Again, the Doctor knelt down and examined her closely. Her clothes were mostly intact, save a few rips and tears with blood crusted around the edges. Her face was hollow, as if she hadn't been fed as much as she needed to be, and her blonde hair was knotted and dirty. Her face was riddled with various cuts and bruises, one eye nearly swollen shut. The Doctor assumed this was the Master's doing. "She smells bad." the Doctor noted. The Master sniffed and grimaced. "Sorry about that."

"I don't mind. Who is she?"

"Does it matter?"

"S'pose not. What am I supposed to do with her?"

"You're supposed to kill her." the Master said simply. The Doctor looked up at him and made a face. "Really? She's very pretty, though."

"It's a test." the Master replied. The Doctor was instantly intrigued. "A test of what?"

"A test of whether you're worthy to rule the Universe by my side."

"I am!"

"Prove it. Kill her."

The Doctor looked from the Master down at the girl, who frantically backed away, tears spilling over her lashes. The Doctor stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching her trying to get away with interest. "Doctor, please, you know me!" she cried.

"It's me, Rose! Rose Tyler!"

The Doctor frowned. There was something in the back of his mind… distant and fuzzy - he couldn't quite make it out.

"You've never heard that name before, have you?" the Master purred. The Doctor shook his head firmly. "No."

"It's me. I was your companion, don't you remember? I fell in love with you!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"He's lying to you, Doctor! He's fooling you! This isn't you. My Doctor!"

The Doctor stopped dead and couldn't bring himself to move again. Something about those words… not just that the Master had said them before. Something else…

"Go on, Doctor. Kill her!" the Master snarled. The Doctor was wrenched out of his stupor and advanced toward the panicking girl, his eyes dark.

"Bad Wolf!" Rose suddenly cried. Again, the Doctor stopped. This was something he knew. Something important. The Master growled and rolled his eyes and stalked toward Rose, seizing a handful of her hair again and yanking her to her knees. "Who're you gonna trust, Doctor? Me - your childhood friend - or this stranger who claims to be some old Earth bedtime story?" he thundered. The Doctor looked between the two, almost unable to believe that he couldn't make up her mind. What made this Earth girl so special? The Doctor was certain he'd never seen her before, and yet… something wasn't right. But he had to trust the Master. He flexed his hands and pounced on the girl, pinning her to the grating that was the floor of the TARDIS and crushing her windpipe. She flailed, eyes bulging as he slowly pressed down harder, putting all of his weight on her. He felt her throat begin to buckle and collapse underneath him and her face turned red, and then an angry shade of purple. Her eyes rolled back into her head but he kept on, leaning down further and further, tightening his grip until she stopped pulsing underneath him. He slackened his grip and examined her closely, making sure she was dead. There was no movement, no breath, no heartbeat. He got to his feet and looked at the Master, seeking approval, and he got it. The Master looked on him with pride, but then it all went wrong. Something in the Doctor snapped back to reality and he looked down at Rose Tyler with horror. The Master saw his terrified expression and his hearts skipped a beat. "Doctor?" he stuttered anxiously. The Doctor didn't tear his big, brown eyes from the warm cadaver of the girl he fell in love with. He didn't move. It didn't even look like he was breathing. And then, he stumbled back, away from her and the Master. He frantically looked between the other Time Lord and the dead girl at his feet with plump, hot tears falling from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. His mouth hung open in horror.

"What've I done?" he rasped. The Master started toward him, but the Doctor staggered back, trying to distance himself from this man. "It's… it's Rose. I've… I've killed Rose!" he squeaked in disbelief. The Master's face darkened and his lip curled animalistically. "Not just Rose," he snarled darkly. The Doctor looked up at him desperately, searching for any sign of a lie. This time, the Master didn't need to lie. The entire, whole truth was excellent. "You've killed Jack. You've killed his team. You've killed millions of people on this stupid, stinking planet. You turned it into a war machine with me and waged war on the Vegas Galaxies and Lotus Nebula, killing billions." the Master snarled, advancing on the Doctor with sinister intentions. The Doctor was frozen there, staring at nothing, barely breathing. "I can't… I didn't… it wasn't me!" he begged.

"Oh, yes it was. It was the Doctor who beat poor Captain Jack to death with an iron brand. Better than that - you mutilated him! Go take a look. He's not even human anymore."

As if on cue, the two of them heard Jack shrieking from his room down the corridor. "Listen to that, Doctor. That's your doing. You did that!"

The Doctor's eyes were terrified. He scrambled away from the Master, who continued stalking toward him, eyes glittering with dark loathing. "You killed all those people!" he bellowed. The Doctor scrambled away, backing himself against the door and cowering away from the psychopath. He slowly stood and felt the knob and lock of the doors digging into his back, and all at once… he was calm. He knew what to do. In one movement, he reached behind him, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. The TARDIS was floating just barely inside the Earth's atmosphere, at a point high enough where they could see their new empire. The Master looked behind the Doctor at the open air and then his eyes widened. "You're not serious." he said with a smirk. Tears streaked down the Doctor's cheeks and he took one step toward the edge.

"You would never." the Master growled. The Doctor glanced behind him as he took one more step.

"What will the Universe do without its Doctor? Perhaps it will have to get used to a new Master once you're gone."

The Doctor didn't want to listen to the Master. He didn't want to have to kill himself. But what choice did he have? Never cruel nor cowardly. He'd failed. He didn't have a choice now. He was right on the edge. The wind rustled through his hair.

"Don't you dare, Doctor." the Master growled. "I know you're just gonna regenerate."

"I'm really not." the Doctor said shakily. He took one shoe off of the floor and dangled it over the edge. The Master took one step forward but the Doctor jerked back, nearly toppling off of the edge. "What will the Universe do without its Doctor?" the Master demanded again. The Doctor remained silent, but the Master grinned. "Oh,wait. Just hold on one minute." he commanded, darting back through the TARDIS and emerging with a mostly-formed and conscious Jack. "Look, Girlie! Look at your Doctor."

Some of Jack's bones crunched into place, provoking a scream of agony, and then he cracked open his eyes to look at the Doctor. "Doc - tur…" Jack slurred. The Doctor looked down at him, and then at the Master. "Don't. Don't let him see this." he begged quietly. The Master smirked and seized a handful of Jack's hair, forcing him to look at Rose's corpse. "You know who that is?" he demanded. Jack was only able to offer a gurgle. "That, my dear, is Rose Tyler. D'you know who killed her?" the Master asked innocently. Jack tried to shake his head and look away, but the Master instead directed his head in the Doctor's direction. "The same one who beat you to death."

"N-no…"

"Yes."

The Doctor looked hopelessly between the Master and Jack, and then down, below him at the Earth. "I did this." he whimpered. The Master nodded with an evil glint in his eyes. "Go on, then. Do it." he hissed. The Doctor's knuckles were white as he held onto the doors of the TARDIS, but then he let go. He was nearly doing it. But what about the Universe? The Universe didn't need someone like him. He was just like the Master now.

He tipped backwards, falling down, down, down. He saw the Master leaning against the doors of the TARDIS, looking down at him with a smug expression. The psychopath grew smaller and smaller as the Doctor kept falling. It was a relief. For the first time in all his lives, he felt free. He didn't have an obligation to anyone, no one that needed his protection right now. It was just him. For those beautiful moments, it was quiet. He looked above him at the sky. Funny, he'd never really looked at the sky of Earth before. Really looked. It was so blue… the clouds were so white and graceful, like horned kimpers - the cows of Gallifrey. The wind felt so good, going through his hair, pressing against his back as he kept on falling. He knew it had been several seconds. There wouldn't be much more time to appreciate the things he'd never appreciated before. But then again, there was that sense of contentment again. He didn't need to do anything. He closed his eyes and let himself fall, overcome with peace.