Reunions

It was over, all over. The end had finally come. There was no escape, no prayer for quiet lips to whisper. No hope, no chance. It was all over.

Not for his own self of course. Oh no, not for the Master.

For the Doctor.

"Come here, my darling," said the Master kindly, extending his hands to his wife. Lucy smiled and grasped his hands, allowing herself to be pulled close against him

"Mmm how does it feel to be in charge of the world?" he murmured seductively. Quickly he spun her around, holding her around the waist and nuzzling against her ear.

Lucy smiled, eyes closed.

"Well we aren't quite there yet," she whispered back.

"Ah, but becoming Prime Minister is merely the first step. It is only a matter of time. And when we are, my dear, then we shall truly have fun!" he exclaimed. Without another word, the Master grinned and spun Lucy away from his body suddenly. Laughing brightly, Lucy joined him in a gleeful dance around the room.

A few hours later, the Master regretfully had to leave Lucy to perform matters of state. Rather bored, Lucy plopped down on their bed.

Being rather simple-minded, Lucy could think of nothing important to do, so she contented herself with lying down and thinking back over her memories with her husband, each one absolutely perfect.

After all, she loved him. Truly, truly loved him.

Why do I love him? she asked herself. This was not a sincere question; indeed she never doubted her feelings for him, it was merely a game she liked to play with herself.

Thinking on it, Lucy began to make a mental list.

1. He's charming

2. He's handsome

3. He's brilliant

4. He has shown me things I never knew existed

5. He's funny

6. He's clever

7. He's passionate

8. His quirks are so endearing

9. Something about his speech pattern appeals to me... is that odd to think? I suppose it has something to do with the tone of his voice or something

10. He loves me

Lucy practically beamed at this last point. It had never ceased to astound her that a man that was as amazing and exceptional as the Master could have fallen in love with someone like her. She was from a good enough family she supposed, but she had no misconceptions of having any particular measure of intelligence. There was nothing to distinguish her from all the other women in Britain. She was, in fact, quite plain.

But for some reason the Master had chosen her.

Indeed, he had made his intentions clear quite from the start. When they met at a social gathering, as soon as he had seen her face the Master had made his way to her. Already he clearly had an interest in her, and though she feared his interest would diminish once he spent more time in her company, she found this never to be the case. Instead he courted her, and proposed, and more importantly than that, Lucy could tell that he truly loved her. This was something she could hardly account for, yet made her happy beyond reckoning.

Martha stopped dead as the voice in the cell phone changed. This wasn't her brother anymore. This was Harold Saxon.

"Let them go, Saxon," she said dangerously. "Do you hear me, let them go!"

Quickly the Doctor strode to her side and plucked the phone from her hand.

"I'm here," he said quietly, strolling away from Jack and the distressed Martha. A momentary pause ensued. Then-

"Doctor," came a soft voice.

"Master."

"I like it when you use my name."

"You chose it. Physiatrists' field day."

"As you chose yours. The man who makes people better. How sentimonious is that," mocked the Master.

"So, Prime Minister then."

"I know. It's good isn't it?"

"Who were those creatures? 'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane, that's just a made up name for the Bogeyman."

"Do you remember all those fairytales about the Toclafane when we were kids back home? Where is it Doctor?" he asked.

"Gone."

"How can Gallifrey be gone?" the Master hissed.

"It burned."

"And the Time Lords?"

"Dead. And the Daleks, more or less. What happened to you?"

"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there... I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they'd never find me. 'Cause I was so scared."

"I know," the Doctor replied calmly.

"All of them? But not you, which must mean..."

"I was the only one who could end it. And I tried, I did, I tried everything."

"What did it feel like though? Two almighty civilizations burning. Tell me, how did that feel?"

"Stop it!" he ordered.

"You must have been like God," continued the Master, his voice full of envious wonder.

"I've been alone ever since. But not anymore. Don't you see, all we've got is each other."

"Alone? Now Doctor, I'm hardly alone. You know, this entire time you haven't once mentioned my beautiful wife. I'm disappointed in you."

"You know that's not-"

"She is my faithful companion," the Master cut in.

"She's a human. Whatever you've done to manipulate her, to... hypnotize her like the rest of the world, it amounts to nothing. You're still alone. Except for me."

"I'm rather saddened by your lack of interest in Lucy. Actually, I find myself quite glad that I'm not your friend anymore, seeing how quickly you forget them."

The Doctor stopped cold.

"What are you talking about?"

"Think about it. Take a moment. I believe in you," came the amused taunt. "Oh yes, I believe in you."

The Doctor's mind immediately began to rewind back through the centuries, all his time on Earth. Had he seen Lucy's face anywhere before? He couldn't remember her. So what was the Master going on about?

"You're wrong," he said definitively. "I don't know her. Tell me why you would think that I do."

"You're not thinking Doctor," hissed the Master sharply. "Think."

Feeling incredibly frustrated with the Master's mind games, the Doctor's mouth opened to snap a retort even as his mind simultaneously began to flip once more through his memories, trying to place that face. As much as he didn't want to admit it, there was something... familiar about her. But no, that must just be the Master getting to him.

About to speak, the Doctor suddenly stopped. His thoughts froze and his jaw slowly closed. He allowed a moment to pass in silence. On the other end of the line, the Master slowly strolled around the table, his finger lightly tracing the wood, a smirk plastered all over his face.

"That's- that's not possible," stuttered the Doctor.

"Oh but it is," replied the Master, relishing every moment of it. "And she's mine. Does that make you angry, Doctor?"

"What have you done to her?" the Doctor hissed.

"I've done absolutely nothing. She escaped the Time War the exact same way that I did. It was mere luck that I found her here. And the best part is, she doesn't even remember me! Not you, not I. Oh but she loves me. Oh-ho-ho yes, she loves me."

"You're a liar, a sick liar," he snarled. The Master tutted disapprovingly.

"Now now, is that any way to speak to an old friend?"

"Why haven't you restored her to her true self if you know who she is?" snapped the Doctor.

"Well... I felt that now was not the most convenient time to do that. Because if I did, well, she might remember you and stop loving me, and I assure you... I won't allow that to happen. How's it feel, Doctor? Having lost her. Just like you've lost everything else. The Time Lords. Gallifrey. Your precious TARDIS-"

"Stop it, just stop it!" The Doctor took a breath to calm himself, trying to control his emotions, trying to get his focus back online. "Listen, you could stop this right now, we could leave this planet, all three of us. We could fight across the constellations if that's what you want, but not on Earth."

"Too late."

"Why do you say that?" he asked curiously.

"The drumming. Can't you hear it? I thought it would stop, but it never does. Never ever stops, inside my head, the drumming, doctor, the constant drumming."

"I could help you, please let me help," he begged.

"It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen. Here come the drums. Here come the drums," whispered the Master maniacally.

Suddenly the Doctor heard a familiar four-beat rhythm. Head snapping up, he saw a man slapping his hands against his thighs, playing out the Master's drumbeat.

"What have you done? Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!" he demanded, becoming anxious.

"Oh look, you're on tv!" was the gleeful response.

"Stop it! Answer me!"

"No really! You're on telly! You and your little... band. Which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box, congratulations on that. There you are. You're public enemies one, two, and three. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack, that I've set his little gang off on a wild goose chase in the Himalayas, so you won't be getting any help from them. Now go on, off you go, wanna start by turning to the right."

"He can see us!" The Doctor quickly sonic-ed the street camera, obliterating the Master's view of him.

"Oh! You public menace. Better start running. Go on. Run!"

The Master grinned evilly, the exhilaration of the hunt rushing through him.

"Run Doctor! Run for your life!"