"Ough! This rain sucks!" Vienna groaned. She poked her jacket that still dripped on the floor. Together with her pants. Some water had even gotten into her shoes. "And to make it worse, I'm stuck here with you of all people."

The Master only smirked. He hadn't moved much since he had practically forced the girl to take a nap. Almost as if he wanted to make sure she could actually get some time to process. Which would be very considerate and therefore absolutely impossible for him. Something was strange here.

"How long has it been since we last fought?" she asked. He would never outright tell her his plans, not unless he could be certain she wouldn't be able to sabotage them. But maybe he would let a few hints slip, just a fragment, something she could work with.

At first the Master didn't move, didn't indicate that he had even heard her. The rain drummed loudly on the wooden roof, but Vienna wasn't that quiet either. He had his eyes closed, hands folded on top of the girl's chest. A casual gesture, if not for the implications. He wouldn't let her leave.

Vienna blinked. It must have been an optical illusion. There, close to his hands the air looked a bit… darker. As if the light couldn't completely reach there. Very strange. But she didn't have time to think, because he finally started to talk.

"No idea. I floated…." The Master opened his eyes, not to look at her, but to glare at the ceiling. "The Time Lords eventually resurrected me for the Time War."

"Must be why you stopped annoying me."

He chuckled, but said nothing more.

"I heard of the Time War. Hard to believe it was even real, if you ask me. Ha! Best place to put a psychopath like you."

"Yeah."

That remained his only answer. Strange. No bragging about blowing up things and murdering countless. No, Vienna squinted her eyes, unsure what to make of it. The clouds only left diffuse and grey light, but it was enough to make out his features. And that look… it was haunted, filled with memories so horrifying that they even managed to disturbed someone like the Master. He glanced down, observing the sleeping girl in his lap, not really seeing her. He raised a hand as if to touch her face, but let it sink again, the look in his eyes getting even darker. Sad?

Something about him definitely had changed.

"You're not gonna hurt that kid, are you? I won't let you."

He huffed. "What for? That idiot is perfectly capable of doing that herself." His lips pressed together to a thin line of disapproval. "If I didn't take care all the time, she would have broken a long time ago." He sighed and again moved as if he wanted to touch her. And again he didn't.

There was pain in his eyes. Whatever happened here, it tormented him. That guy wore his stupid hearts on his sleeve. He didn't even try to hide anything. Vienna wondered if that was because he didn't care or because he didn't know.

"You love her," she muttered.

"No."

"Oh, don't lie. You're too obvious."

"It's not that," he grumbled. "It's more like… having a cat."

"Well, I always loved my pets. That's not an argument."

"Yours isn't."

"Still, you can't hide it. But seriously, what did you expect? That a normal human being would fall in love with an egotistical maniac like you? She'll run away as soon as you turn your back." She knew her assumption couldn't be true and this was a poor attempt at provocation, but it was just too tempting to find out why he acted the way he did.

The Master rolled his eyes and shook his head. To her surprise he actually answered and his voice dropped to something that clearly showed pain. "It's more like the opposite. I tried to push her away. It didn't work. And then something went a little… wrong and now she has lost half her memories… doesn't even know me anymore, except from textbooks."

"Oh, they certainly paint you in a great light."

He snorted. "And still… at the first chance the silly thing came running back. I should have killed her right then and be done with all of this."

"But you haven't."

"No." Again he raised his hand and this time he couldn't resist any longer and stroked softly along the sleeping face. "The threat is mutual, Salvatori. Harm her in any way and we won't be playing anymore. I will make sure you won't survive it."

"Gotcha."

Vienna shifted, the urge to spring up and just move got stronger with every second. He lied. He had to lie. There was no way he could be telling the truth. People like him don't change. And if it wasn't love he felt, then it had to be something else, something twisted for sure. She would have to keep an eye on them.

.

The rain with its monotonous sound managed to calm me like no words ever could and despite all of the anxiety and the fact that I hadn't even been awake for that long, I slipped away quickly. The rain followed me, rushing down, down, down from the clouds above and into my dreams.

"What… do you think about staying? Here and there. I don't like to be on a run all the time."

Hope sparked in his eyes, doubt. It was on me to answer and I knew exactly what to say.

"We will make a deal, you and I." The Master held me closer, shielding me from the cold. "You help me find the drums and in return…"

He would make the pain go away. The gnawing, burning agony of loneliness that had haunted me for my whole life.

"So far you are the only person who doesn't run away from it. Everyone else got scared. They wouldn't let anyone intrude into their own mind. But not you."

No. It didn't scare me. Why would it? Here, I felt warm and safe, here I knew how it felt to be connected. Here…

Here there was nothing. No connection, no warmth. Only I lingered within my own mind, only myself with all the darkness that it held. All that black, swirling smoke that rose around me, engulfed me. It was everywhere, above, below, inside. Purple eyes watched me, leathery wings stretched to all sides, huge, no… tiny. Size had no concept in this space.

It wasn't enough. A scared squeak next to my ear, bright eyes searching for an answer, for recognition. I didn't know how to help the small creature.

And then everything slipped away, faded into nothingness, black, then colour. Sounds followed. The rain falling on wood, cloth rustling, boots tapping.

Right. I had fallen asleep for a moment. I could stay for a bit longer, despite the position I had been… convinced into. Gentle fingers stroked along my cheek. But I had to know if the shadows of my dreams held any meaning or were nothing else but creeping darkness. I turned a little to face him, looking up.

"There might have been a memory," I whispered. "I dreamed I promised to find those drums for you."

The Master stilled, looking down at me with an expression I couldn't name because my glasses still dangled from his shirt. But there was a shift in how he felt, a subtle change.

"You did," he said as quietly and swallowed. A huff, a smile. "To stop me from being so annoying."

I laughed at that and had no doubt that it was true. "Sounds correct."

"It stopped raining, you two!" Vienna made herself noticeable. "Stop the cuddles and let's move. Can't wait to get out of this highly stimulating company." She made some disgusted voice.

I sat up and shared a grin with the Master and then reached out to take my specs back. "You don't mind, do you?"

Oh, if looks could burn.

.

As predicted it took us several hours until we came near the mansion again. That wasn't too much of an issue, since neither of us knew if it would be of any use to be there at all. The Master only insisted because that was his base of operation and because he would be able to build a new perception filter.

They bickered here and there, but seemed to get tired of it, eventually. Then Vienna told me about the Chronovore and the Atraxi and the role the Master had played in those stories. He turned out to be as much of a menace as you would expect and none of his defences made it any better.

I had fun listening to those stories. Of course they had something awful in them, but I couldn't help but giggle at the image in my head of the Master with a pulse gun, shooting Daleks as if it was a sport.

Noon came and we got food from a fast food booth. Some hot sausage with a spicy sauce. It reminded me of something I had eaten in Germany once, but there it had been rather bland compared to this dish.

We were lucky with the weather. For the rest of our trip the sky stayed clear and no more rain fell. A bit of bad luck caught us anyway, the screens of various public tellies showed our faces. Someone had spotted the Master and had given the pictures to the press. He shrugged it off, mumbling something about decimating everyone who would try to stop him; from what exactly he wouldn't tell.

Soon the mansion came into sight and now it would only take us maybe ten minutes to get to the monument and then inside. Silently, I sighed in relief. All that walking had made me tired. Especially without coffee.

"Say, Lucy, I wanted to ask you the whole time already, but…"

"But what?" I turned my head away from the sight of the crumbled and burnt pantheon and looked at Vienna. "I don't really have secrets. Ask away."

"He said you've lost memories." She thumped at the Master who was a few steps ahead. "What did he do?"

"Oh. Mhm… I'm not too sure about the details, to be honest. I had some of his life force. He took it back and then… stuff happened."

"Stuff that was never meant to happen," the Master growled, slowing down to let us catch up.

"As if." Vienna snorted. "Just admit that you needed some means to manipulate her better."

No, that wasn't it. The moments after my resurrection lingered as vividly in my mind as they could. He had shown all sorts of behaviours, all of them stupid and mean and defensive. Hadn't I come here on my own accord, he might have even left for good without ever speaking to me again.

That thought stung.

"It wasn't that," I said, before he could.

"How would you know?" Vienna whined. "He manipulates people left, right and centre, every chance there is."

"Yeah." I glanced up at him and he made no move to speak up for himself. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips, taunting me. "But he made it pretty obvious that he doesn't want me anywhere near him, unless I could pose the danger of letting a void gap open up around us. Or unless I agree to dig through his head to get rid of a certain something. Am I right?"

The not-yet smile dropped.

"A void hole?" Vienna repeated. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Just the reason he wanted to keep an eye on me, 's all. Could be the reason we're still alive." I never let the Master out of sight when I said all of it. I knew I couldn't believe him, so all the niceness so far had to be for something. And he certainly wouldn't tell me.

The Master huffed and shook his head, smiling again. "You don't trust me. What a pity."

All those hours of walking and thinking and piece by piece the puzzle had formed a coherent picture.

"Why would I? All I know speaks against you and people always want something if they are nice. I've got nothing to offer you. I'm sure the Doctor can find those drums just as well and there's nothing else special about me."

My own words hurt, but they were the truth. Not a single time in my life had it happened that anyone wanted me near them, except if they gained something from it. And since an ancient and powerful being like him could impossibly benefit in any form…

"He could, yes," the Master admitted calmly. "He never agreed to it, though." He folded his arms and glared at me, frowning. "And when he finally did… it almost broke him. And not in a way I'd be happy with. You're not affected like that. And it's not as if you wouldn't get anything in return."

"Hate to be interrupting, girls, but…" We both ignored Vienna.

"I get nothing! All you do is pretend to care and as soon as I look away you'll push me away again! Or use me as bait for something. Or… I don't know what. I don't know if I want to know."

The Master shook his head, holding his hands up in defiance. "You're getting this wrong, little light."

"And stop calling me that." I sighed and gnawed on my bottom lip. There was nothing light about me. "There's way more darkness in me than light."

The smirk was back. Knowing. "And you're still wrong. You just can't remem-"

"Then tell me!" I snapped. "How can I be who I'm supposed to be when no one tells me?"

There was silence for a moment. Not even the assassin dared to speak a word. The Master went completely still, watching me, calculating. He stepped closer and tipped a finger under my chin to make me look at him.

"It was you who insisted on not knowing. And for all the right reasons."

"Yes. Yes, I know. But it's too much. I can't… I just can't. I don't know who I have to be. I don't know who you've been to me. We could have been friends, I could have hated your guts. What if I do it wrong this time? What if I do the exact opposite of what used to be?"

"I don't care," he deadpanned, his look serious, boring into mine. I couldn't look away, no matter how uncomfortable it felt.

"You're all about power and control," I muttered, then scoffed. "You have the chance to literally turn me into whatever you want to have. No hypnotism needed."

He hummed softly. "That is exactly what I don't want. I need you to be you. Not some mask, not some programming. If you end up liking or hating me doesn't matter at all, as long as it's genuine." He cupped my face, sliding his thumbs over my cheeks. "I'd be alright with whatever you choose. You are stubborn, you think about people whatever you want and no matter what others tell you. Do that. Just be you. That little, messed up, twisted thing you are. Be that. Just that. That's all I want. That's the person I fe-"

"Master!"

Vienna's scream rang through the air together with the ear piercing shot. Dust splashed upwards from the ground. The Master winced and shoved me away, just in time for another bullet to hit the spot I had just occupied.

"They saw us!" The head hunter held her hands up, facing a small crowd of people "Hey, don't shoot me, I'm here to arrest him!"

"Coward," growled the Master.

The people screamed something, but I still couldn't understand them. The Master spoke up and they seemed to at least try and listen to what he told them, whatever that was. He did his best and used his most charming voice while I counted. Eight, maybe ten people stood between us and the manor.

I heard a click. Cold metal pressed against my temple. My breath caught in my throat, my body froze.

"Oh no, you don't!"

The Master whirled around and shoved me out of the way, shoving the person with the gun to the ground. Voices got louder, screams, demands. They were furious. The Master pushed me behind him and enough to the side that I could see what happened. No one looked happy, but they let us slowly back away.

Another shot rang so close to my ear that it left a high pitched beep. I raised my hands up and… the Master stumbled forward a step, then crumbled to the ground.

Perplexed and confused I glared at the heap in front of me. The laser screwdriver fell from his hand and blood pooled out from underneath him. Red, red, so much red. People screamed. Another shot, hitting nothing. No, no, no, I could not panic now, could not hide. I forced my body to move, pushed everything to the back of my mind and dropped to my knees.

The Master was still breathing. He groaned when I touched his shoulder, but barely moved.

"Get away from him!" a man called.

I didn't listen. There it was, the bullet hole. Right through one of his hearts. He coughed up blood. Probably also a lung. His eyes flickered open, barely seeing me. "Run," he ground out. More red. It was all I could see. I couldn't do anything. I didn't know how. He would die.

"Get away from him or die too!" someone else shouted, but I didn't move.

Another shot rang through the air and threw me backwards. Pain, somewhere. My shoulder. Aimed to warn, maybe? Don't panic, don't run, don't stop. It wasn't that bad, barely hurt. Vienna came out of nowhere, grabbed me from behind and heaved me back to my feet.

"Let's get away from here."

"No," I mumbled.

I wouldn't leave him here. It didn't matter who he was and what he had done. I would not… I couldn't. Another shot, two more. I stumbled forward, dropped to the ground to grab the laser screwdriver. The metal felt strangely warm in my hand, humming, vibrating, responding to my touch.

"Get away!" I shouted, aiming the laser at the crowd.

"He will die!" A woman screamed. The crowd went wild. Shot after shot. Some in the air, some close to me.

No choice. No way out. I gripped the screwdriver harder, letting the pulse inside guide me. "I don't know if you're worth dying for," I whispered to the Master. His eyes widened. Still responsive. I raised the laser and for a second there was a hint of fear on his face.

Pain pierced my arm and I cried out in shock. Enough! Enough! I would not let him die here! I aimed, pressed a button.

One person fell. The crowd went silent. Salvatori shouted something, but I ignored her. The next raised gun dropped to the ground together with its owner when I pressed the button once more. My hand shook. This wasn't enough. It wasn't. Too much blood. Pain. Red, hot, searing pain. The laser screwdriver thrummed in my hand and I knew… felt what I had to do. A twist of one ring, more shots, blood, shouts. Vienna grabbed me by the shoulders, but I slipped out. "I'm not leaving him!" And aimed once again, on the ground, shooting. The beam ripped open the cobblestone, flames, an explosion of splinters. People stumbled backwards. A line of fire, drawn in the ground, hot, hot, burning, until they fled.

The laser burned a flaming wall into the ground, letting the small crowd panic and flee. They took one, two… no, three dead bodies with them.

"Shit! Lucy! What have you…?!"

I let the laser sink, breathing out, shaking. This wasn't over yet. I dropped to my knees and tried to heave the Master from the ground. The bleeding had lessened, but I had no idea if that was a good thing. He was still breathing, I felt a pulse. Weak, but there. "Help me get him somewhere safe," I said to Vienna. When she didn't budge I aimed the laser screwdriver at her chest. "I don't fucking care about any argument you have, right now. Help me!"

Vienna licked over her lips and finally moved, helping me to drag the Master towards the mansion and towards a bunch of his soldiers who hurried towards us. The whole commotion couldn't have lasted longer than a few minutes. They never had enough time to reach us.

"You're just as insane as him," she ground out, heaving the Time Lord over her shoulder.

"I don't care." I didn't lower the weapon. She had every reason to let him die and I wouldn't allow it. I wouldn't…

Couldn't…

Couldn't think.

The laser screwdriver felt so heavy all of a sudden, the world lost its colour and turned sideways, slipping away into a haze of blackness. I felt arms catching my fall. And then nothing more.