The Doctor watched on in horror as Jack's body jerked and writhed as though he were having a seizure. A yellow light was glowing from the hand that the Doctor kept in the jar and the hand was no longer a hand but growing into the full body of a man. The Doctor had grabbed Jack's legs, pulling him back from the hand the moment he touched it, but it was too late. The damage had already been done. As Jack went still, the Doctor reached down putting his fingers to Jack's neck. He was alive, but his heart beat was very weak and he had yet to draw a breath in. As carefully as he could, he rolled Jack up onto his side into the recovery position, holding him in place.
"Come on Jack breathe," He begged. Relief filled him as Jack took a small breath followed by another. He took off his jacket, folding it to place under Jack's head. He needed to get him back to Martha, but he also needed to find the missing Earth. Jack would recover regardless of whether or not he hated to see his lover suffer. Was it really worth the risk of taking him back to the other universe while the Earth was missing and possibly billions of lives were at risk? He debated with himself which path to take as he heard another's footsteps in the control room.
"Still worried about your pet Theta?" He heard the Master taunt him. He looked up at him to see a man who looked like him standing there naked. The man had the Master's eye's though and also there was a hardness to his face that the Doctor was sure he didn't have.
"You should put clothes on," The Doctor replied as he turned his full attention back to Jack. He gently caressed the side of his lover's head, dropping a kiss on it.
"Isn't that sweet. You love your pet. It will be a shame when I drop him into a supernova," The Master sneered. The Doctor stood up, placing himself between Jack and the Master.
"You won't touch him," The Doctor snipped at his old friend. "Now stop embarrassing yourself Koschei. The wardrobe is in the same place as before you should go and get dressed."
"Don't call me that," The Master raised his hand to strike the Doctor, but the Doctor stood his ground. The Master may have knocked him down to a shell of his former self aboard the Valiant, but they were on his TARDIS now. He had his lover laying injured on the floor to protect and two babies in the other universe waiting for him to come home. He would also stop at nothing to make sure that the Master never saw the children and was kept as far away from them as possible. The Doctor wondered if the Master knew that he had impregnated the both of them. The energy transfer would not have allowed the transfer of memories and so the Master's memories would end when the ring was made. The Doctor smiled to himself, the children were safe. He sent a telepathic message to the TARDIS to hide the nursery and any evidence of the children from the Master and she hummed her agreement.
"Doctor what is going on here. How come there are two of you?" Mickey asked as he came back into the room.
"Don't be foolish I look nothing like him," The Master scoffed. He looked startled as he moved his hand to his chest. "I've only got one heart. That is disgusting, I am part human with only one heart."
"Good," Jack laughed as he came back around. He had been awake long enough to figure out the Master was back and hearing he was part human amused him to no end. He took the ring off and threw it as hard as he could away from himself. It fell through the grating of the TARDIS, clanking all the way down. Just that simple act left him feeling weak and he wanted to curl up and sleep for the next few years.
"You should not have done that," The Master hissed. He reached down for Jack and the Doctor grabbed his hand, moving it away.
"I said you are not going to touch him," The Doctor snapped. "Mickey will you please help Jack to our room. He needs to sleep until I can get him back to Martha."
"Sure," Mickey responded. He leaned down and helped Jack to stand. Jack leaned heavily against him, unable to take his own weight.
"I'm not leaving the Doctor," Jack argued as he didn't move.
"I'll be fine," The Doctor reassured Jack. He kissed him again on the head. "Please go and lay down. I will come in a little while to check on you."
"Ten minutes or I am coming back," Jack insisted. The Doctor nodded. Not trusting the Doctor to follow through, Jack allowed Mickey to help him out of the room, leaning on the wall right out of the Doctor's view. The Doctor walked over to the controls, hitting buttons as he sent he continued on his way to the Shadow Proclamation. The Master reached out and flicked a switch at random. The Doctor didn't even yell at him, as he moved around the controls, putting the switch back into place. The Master moved so that he trapped the Doctor between the controls and his body. The Doctor turned around to glare at him, continuing to stand his ground.
"The other's on Gallifrey would be so disappointed to see you now. Not that they weren't already but look at you sharing a room with a human. Letting him touch you, has he touched you Theta?" The Master ran his hand down to the Doctor's groin. The Doctor shuddered at the unwelcome contact and pushed him away.
"You don't get to touch me there anymore," The Doctor informed the Master sternly.
"Oi, leave him alone," Jack yelled coming back into the room. He had a gun drawn and the Doctor shook his head.
"I can handle this Jack," He responded as he eyed the gun. "You know I don't like guns aboard my TARDIS."
"Just be happy I had Mickey bring it," Jack replied. He used the gun to motion the Master further away from the Doctor.
"What are you going to do, kill me? You better hope I don't regenerate before you are finished or I am going to take great pleasure in listening to you scream," The Master taunted. Jack leveled the gun to the Master's chest.
"I don't know, with only one heart I think you're on the losing end this time," Jack smirked as the Master cursed at him. "Mickey I want you to handcuff him so that we can take him down to the cells. He can keep Rose company for awhile."
"So this is what you have been reduced to. You should be ashamed to call yourself a Time Lord. The council was right to banish you, but they should have left you on your precious Earth," the Master spat at the Doctor. Mickey handcuffed him and dragged him out of the room, Jack following slowly behind him with the gun. The TARDIS had moved the cells closer so Jack wouldn't have to walk that far, and the door next to Rose's was open. They put the Master into it and locked the door tightly behind him. Going back to the control room, Jack saw the Doctor sitting on the Captain's chair. He was trying hard not to let the Master's words get to him, but he felt like the lost child on Gallifrey again as he was yelled at by the Elders for running away from the Untempered Schism. They informed his parents that he would never be a good Time Lord because he wasn't loomed like the others. After 900 years he thought those words wouldn't hurt anymore, but he was wrong.
"Come here," Jack said, sitting down next to his bond partner. He pulled the Doctor close to him. The Doctor wrapped his arms around Jack holding him tightly as he rested his head against Jack's chest. "Please don't forget that no matter what happens I love you and I will always be here for you."
"I love you too, Jack," The Doctor whispered. Jack rested his head on top of the Doctor's as he continued to hold him close. They would be arriving at the Shadow Proclamation soon and then he would have to save Earth. For now, though, he could take comfort in his lover's arms.