"And your gentleness now, which you just can't help but show
Who among them do you think would employ you?
Now you stand with your thief, you're on his parole
With your holy medallion which your fingertips fold
And your saintlike face and your ghostlike soul
Who among them do you think could destroy you?"

"Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", Bob Dylan

Now:

Electricity was a strange thing. It could spark life in the right circumstances, or power a city. Or it could stop a heart.

The Master bit his lip as the current flowed through his body, fighting to hold back a scream. He could smell where his skin burned at the electrical contacts. He fought against the restraints where they dug into his wrists and ankles, still as unmovable as they were hours earlier when they were locked in place.

The Not-Doctor laughed at his struggles. She tilted her head as she switched off the machine, watched the Master relax as the sensation dulled. She stepped to the Master and ran her hand along his face.

"My dear Master," she said, her voice so like the Doctor's and yet so different "We can stop this little game whenever you want. It would be so easy"

"Do your research," he gasped, "Even I have standards, and they do not include this."

The Not-Doctor stared at him for a second. She took half a step back, then slapped him across the face. She turned and left the room.

The Master let himself relax. He allowed his mind to drift to another time, when the Doctor who touched him was real.

Waldorf Astoria, New York City, July 13, 1977:

The Master watched as the Doctor applied the last of her makeup. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she lined her lips, the red pigment harsh against her skin like wine spilled on a silk tablecloth. When she tilted her head to work on her bottom lip the pencil slipped from her fingers and fell on the heavily carpeted floor. The Master crossed the room as she bent from her chair to pick up the stray pencil.

As the Doctor settled into the chair the Master turned it to face him. He put his hands on either armrest and leaned over her so that he was at the Doctor's eye level. She ran her free hand through his hair, then grabbed the back of his head. She pulled him to her and nibbled gently on his lower lip. The Master kissed her, and she pushed herself into him.

"My dear Doctor," the Master said as he pulled away from her, "are you quite sure you know what you are doing?"

"Of course not. What would you suggest?" she said, raising her eyebrow as if in challenge.

"Allow me," he said. The Master ran his thumb across her top lip to remove the smeared traces of the lip pencil. The Doctor purred at his touch, and her eyes closed.

"Look at me," he said. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. The Master thought that he could see something dark and ancient in those hazel depths, a pain that told stories of a blood soaked universe. Then her gaze softened, and the corner of her mouth formed a faint smile.

The Master took the pencil from her and with his free hand he grabbed her chin. He tilted her head and began to trace the outline of her mouth with the lipstick. The Master could hear her breathing deepen as he worked, and her muscles began to loosen. He noticed that her pupils were dilated as he finished filling in her lips.

He removed his hand from her chin and she turned to look at herself in the vanity mirror. The Doctor reached out to the mirror to touch her reflection as the Master slipped her dressing gown from her shoulders. The Master kissed her neck, his beard brushing against her sensitive skin. She gasped at his touch.

"If we keep this up we are going to miss it," she murmured. He growled and bit into her neck. The Master grabbed the Doctor's hair and pulled her head back. He moved his lips to her ear.

"Remember our agreement, Doctor," he said, his lips brushing her ear lobe, "You are mine, totally and completely, until you decide to leave. If we miss it because you prove to be that compelling of a distraction you should take it as a compliment."

"Then what exactly is the point of coming here, Master?" the Doctor said, her voice breathy as she said his name. She could feel his muscles tense for a second and then he released her.

The Master helped the Doctor to her feet. She allowed her dressing gown to slip completely off of her, revealing a deep blue evening gown. The Master put his arm around her waist and guided her to the open veranda.

The air outside was almost stiflingly hot, even though the last remaining sunlight was almost faded. The lights of the city had already sprung to life as its citizens went about their lives unaware of what would happen in a few minutes.

The Doctor rested her head on the Master's shoulder, the extra few inches of height from her heeled shoes allowing such a position to be possible. The Master tightened his grip around her slender waist so that she was pressed completely against his side.

They stood together watching the city for a few minutes without speaking. Then it happened. In an instant the city went dark as the power stopped flowing through the lines. It was as if the city itself had been swallowed and replaced with faint grids were cars were still traveling.

"I have been planning on seeing this for lifetimes," the Doctor said as she let out an exhilarated laugh. She turned to the Master and kissed him roughly. He pressed his tongue into her mouth as she embraced him.

"In a few hours you will want to help some poor unfortunates. Before then, I plan to thoroughly ruin your makeup," the Master said as he came up for air.

"Of course, my dear Master," said the Doctor before she kissed him again.

Now:

The Master screamed as the iron burned his neck. He could feel nerve endings explode in pain as they died, a signal hardwired to his brain to run. He tried to pull away, to get away from the searing heat but he was held firm.

His seared skin cracked as the iron was removed. He opened his eyes and she stood in front of him. The Not-Doctor. Her teeth were bared, and he could feel the cold fury emanating from her.

"Whose face to I wear? Tell me," she snarled as she moved the iron near his cheek. He could feel the heat radiating from it, smell his hair as it singed.

"No."

Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Havana, Cuba, 1956:

"I remember the last time I ran into Eartha Kitt, now that was an interesting night. It was a few regenerations back, wonder if she will remember. That reminds me, I have been meaning to look up Marlene Dietrich. Fascinating woman. Helped her out with a Cybermat a few years back. She seemed to take a liking to one of my coats and I might have misplaced it in her dressing room. I am forever losing stuff, like that time when..." the Doctor continued to ramble about missing coats and various people that she has met. The Master was impressed by her ability to prattle on while running up a flight of stairs. "Now really, I said that I would be back in a half hour. I just have one or two things to deal with. You don't have to follow me. I can handle this."

"Of that I am quite sure, my dear Doctor," said the Master. He grabbed her and pushed her back to the wall of the landing. He grabbed a handful of her blond hair and kissed her roughly. She growled and pushed him away.

"Did anyone tell you that you are quite distracting? It is a wonder that I ever got anything done," she said as she turned away from him and continued up the next flight of stairs, "If you are coming please stay out of my way. I have enough to deal with without worrying about causing a paradox. The last time I could barely fix it with a roll of paper towels and a half peeled onion. There was an asian pear that would have been more useful, but I seem to be quite fond of them these days. Did I mention the time that I stopped a rogue Dalek with a pear core? It is an amusing story..."

The Master shook his head and followed the Doctor. This was one of her more talkative regenerations, and any one else would be convinced that all of her stories were pure nonsense. The Doctor did enjoy having an audience.

When he caught up to her she was digging through her purse in front of an obviously locked door. "Now where did I put that damned thing. I miss pockets. Everything stayed where you put it instead of rolling around. This is what I get for making it transcendental. How do humans deal with this in normally sized bags? I swear one of these days I am going to find half a platoon of Judoon in here. Note to self: research women's fashions with pockets. Not that I am going to remember in five minutes. Ah, you always remember these things. Will you remind me in five minutes about pockets?" she said as she turned to the Master and smiled at him. He glared at her. "Never mind. Forgot who I was asking."

He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, pushing her front against the door. She gasped as he nuzzled her neck, "Now Doctor, I am sure that you find your monologues quite amusing. However, when we are finished here I have other plans for you," the Master growled in her ear.

"Now really, I didn't ask you to," the Doctor started. The Master twisted her wrist further, causing her to bare her teeth. She struggled against him. With his free hand, the Master reached underneath her skirt and started to finger her. She trembled at his touch and her muscles began to go slack.

"You will ask me for help with this situation. Then you will be most grateful for any assistance that I could provide," he said. She opened her mouth to argue so he bit the soft fold of her ear.

"My dear Master, would you be willing to lend your assistance in this most arduous task," the Doctor said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. The Master growled a warning in her ear. "Sorry. Please help me, Master."

He held her against the wall for about a minute until she relaxed under his touch, then released her. The Doctor turned to face him and ran a hand gently through his hair. Her eyes were bright with desire.

"Was that so difficult? Now get out of the way," he said. The Doctor walked a few paces behind him and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. She raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. The Master took a step towards the door and kicked it open.

"So subtle. Might as well put up a neon sign and take out a few adverts in the local paper," she said as she laughed.

"Sea Devils," he said as he stepped out onto the roof.

"Entirely different situation. That was completely your fault, and I just got dragged into it. As usual," she said as she followed him. Her eyes scanned the roof for the machine, which was in the most obvious place in the middle of the roof. It was about the size of a small car, and was covered in flashing lights. "They really should learn by now. At least attempt to hide it under a bunch of rubbish. Can't anyone afford a good perception filter these-"

"Doctor," the Master shouted in warning as an energy bolt zoomed inches from her head. The Doctor swore and rolled behind the machine.

"Keep them busy while I deal with this mess," said the Doctor as she pulled a panel off of the machine. She tore a wire out of it and it went dead. The Doctor was about to start collecting some of the control crystals when she felt a gun barrel at her back. She slowly raised her hands.

"Get up," said a cold mechanical voice behind her. She slowly stood up.

"This is your only warning. I do not appreciate guns to my back, or alien thugs ruining what should be a pleasant evening. Get off this planet and we will forget this ever happened," she said, to a rasping laugh behind her.

"Small human, what a lovely pet you will make. Maybe I will let you keep that lovely voice of yours," he said. He turned the Doctor around roughly and put the gun to her throat. She smirked as his eyepiece scanned her.

"Not human, Time Lord. Sorry. Now I believe that the Shadow Proclamation has a rather large bounty for your capture. I am not usually one for such things but there is this lovely particle accelerator that I have my eye on. I dumped the last one in a supernova because it kept arguing with me," she said as she disarmed him. The Doctor smashed the control crystal on his belt that controlled his mechanical exoskeleton, leaving him paralyzed. "Tell your friends that the Doctor sends her regards."

The Doctor turned back to the alien machine and tore out the control crystals and put them in her purse. As she got up she noticed that the Master had joined her.

"Impressive. I prefer to rip out the power packs like this," the Master said as he tore a component off of the alien's armor, "No nasty surprises later."

"You didn't need to do that. I would have taken care of it," she said. The Master stepped in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"He threatened you and held a gun to you," he said. "That is a privilege I prefer not share with barbarians."

"I know. You expect me to feel honored, do you? I told you to stay out of this. It was my problem, and I would have handled it without having you get in the way," she said as she brushed his hand off of her shoulder.

"Doctor, you would have been dead. You seem unusually reckless in this regeneration. Or sloppy, I can't tell which."

"Both. Neither. That isn't the point," she said, turning away from him. "They are all the same, aren't they? Every alien threat, every invasion. They never stop, until I can't tell one from another."

The Master walked to the Doctor and embraced her. She struggled for a second then melted into his arms. He ran his hand through her long hair as he listened to her breathing slow. "What do you need, my dear Doctor?" he said.

"Break me".

The Doctor barely had enough time to glance around the hotel room before the Master threw her against a wall. He grabbed her wrists and held them above her head as he kissed her roughly, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She bit him just hard enough to cause pain. He transfered her wrists to one hand and grabbed her throat with the other.

"Do not do that again," he said as he squeezed her throat. She laughed and stretched her neck so that more of it was exposed to his grasp. He kissed her again until she was gasping against him for air. He released her neck and began biting it. With his now free hand he pushed aside her dress strap and began pinching her nipple. She growled and moaned at the conflicting sensations as she pressed herself against him.

Suddenly he stopped and released her. She hissed in surprise as she opened her eyes. The Master ran a finger down her cheekbone and along her neck where the skin began to redden and swell. The Doctor purred at the gentle touch then grabbed his wrist. With surprising strength and speed she twisted his arm and slammed him face first into the wall. With her free hand she pulled his head to the side and began licking his exposed strip of neck. The Doctor growled in warning as he struggled against her and tried to grab her wrist to pull her hand off of his head. She sunk her teeth into his sensitive neck and laughed when he swore at the sensation.

"I couldn't resist the taste of your neck, especially when you keep it so well hidden," she laughed into his ear, "Now fuck me properly so that I don't have to take matters into my own hands again."

She released him and took a step backwards. The Master turned and slapped her across her face. She stumbled, and he caught her by her upper arms. "Look at me," he said. Her light hazel eyes met his.

The Master slid the straps of her dress off of her shoulders with deliberate care. The fabric of the Doctor's dress pooled around her feet, exposing her body, bare except for her silk underwear. The Master ran his hands along her bare skin and watched the reaction in her eyes as he touched her. He broke his gaze as he walked behind her.

He pressed the Doctor's back against him, one hand held her neck and the other slipped under the waistband of her underwear. She shuddered as he began to stroke her clitoris. She ran her hand over his, then pushed her underwear off so that they joined the pile of fabric at her feet.

"Enthusiastic are we, Doctor," he whispered in her ear. "Kneel."

He released her and guided her to the floor. He stepped in front of her and she undid his trousers and slid them and his underwear off of him in one motion.

The Doctor took his half erect cock in her hand and licked its shaft before she took it in her mouth. The Master grabbed the back of her head and forced himself into her throat. She gagged as he grew inside of her and cut off her breathing.

The Master began to fuck her throat roughly, not allowing her to catch her breath. He could feel her fingers clench his buttocks as she tried to both push him away and pull him deeper. The Master felt her throat muscles tighten around him as her respiratory bypass activated. He didn't stop until he felt her hand weaken and slide off of his ass. The Master pulled out of her and stroked her hair until her breathing became regular again.

He helped the Doctor to her feet. She wobbled on her feet and knocked a coffee table over. The Master steadied her and guided her to the bedroom. He pushed her face down on the bed and guided her so that she was on her hands and knees. The Master grabbed her wrists and put them behind her so that her face was pressed into the soft fabric covers. He undid his tie and bound her wrists. The Master took off his jacket and shirt as he watched her test her bonds.

The Master ran his hands over her round ass. She twitched under his touch as he pinched her and slapped her. When her ass was properly red he pushed two fingers into her dripping cunt. He fingered her roughly as she thrust against him, moaning and growling and making all sorts of wonderful sounds.

"Please," she said around gasps.

"Is this what you want? he said as he pushed a third finger inside of her. The Doctor hissed at the new addition. "I don't know what you want if you don't tell me."

"Fuck me," she said incoherently, "Take me like a fucking animal. Please, Master."

He laughed as he took his fingers out of her. He grabbed her hair and forced his fingers in her mouth. "Of course. First, clean up your mess," he said. She sucked on his fingers, tasting herself on him. Satisfied, he took his hand from her mouth.

The Master ran his hands along her sides and then grabbed her hips. She shrieked as he entered her. She panted as she worked against him, driving him deeper inside of her with each thrust. The Master rubbed her clitoris with one hand and held her down into the bed with the other. Her muscles spasmed against him, leading him closer to the edge.

When the Master felt like he could not hold back any longer he pulled out of her. She growled her displeasure. "I had the most wonderful idea," he said as he positioned his cock, dripping with her fluids, at the entrance to her ass. "Come for me."

He roughly stroked her clitoris as he slowly pressed his way inside of her ass. When she came she yelled into the covers, biting at them. The Doctor's ass relaxed around his cock, her muscles loosening as he inched his way inside of her. He could feel her shuddering around him as her orgasm subsided, and with great reserves of self control the Master waited for her breathing to steady. He kissed her shoulder blade as he waited for her to adjust to the fullness in her ass.

"Remember to breath, my dear Doctor. I will be gentle," said the Master. He slowly began to thrust, carefully watching her reactions. When she was overwhelmed and held her breath he whispered words of encouragement until she relaxed. It took about ten minutes for her to be able to take him and start rutting against him.

The Master increased his pace as the Doctor moaned. A thin layer of sweat coated her skin, and she swore in various languages as he fucked her. The Master possessed her totally, reducing her to a mass of desire and passion. He took ownership of her body, delighting in her helplessness as he fucked her.

He could feel her shudder and clench against him as she came again. Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. She struggled for breath, as if overwhelmed with sensation. The Master could feel the force of her orgasm as she lost control, her pleasure radiating from her telepathically. Waves of images, of her feelings that the universe had shattered around them, was broadcast into his head. He could not hold back against the force of her mind and shouted and snarled as he came. The Master's thoughts mixed with the Doctor's, and he projected his thoughts to her. It was as if both of them were the center of everything, and the only thing that existed was their mutual pleasure as they built it to greater and greater waves.

The Master slumped against the Doctor panting. He rested against her as he regained the ability to breath. He untied her wrists and pulled out of her. She curled up on her side barely awake. The Master pulled the covers open on the other side of the bed and picked up her slender frame. He carried her to the spot that he just made and placed her gently in the bed and watched as she nuzzled the pillow and buried her face deeper into it.

He got into the bed behind her and stroked her hair as she fell into a deep sleep. When her breathing became slow and steady he pulled the covers over them and held her against him. The Master fell asleep to the slow thump of the Doctor's heartsbeats.

The Master woke in the empty bed to a tangle of sheets and pillows. They still smelled of her, that exquisite Doctor with her brash demands, just begging to be tamed and taken. His neck was still sore where she had bitten him in her passion, and he hoped that she was equally as well marked and had to hide her neck under endless layers of fabric for a few days.

The Master slowly sat, the silken sheets slipped off of his bare skin and pooled around him. He was not surprised that she was already gone. The other Doctors that he encountered rarely stayed until the morning, usually leaving him with rather a large mess and sometimes embarrassing explanations. It was easier that way; the last time the Doctor (a young blond chap) stayed he woke up to a near endless lecture about morals and ethics and how dare the Master take advantage of him. The Master could barely contain his laughter as the Doctor worked himself into an outrage, discussions of morality rarely have their intended effect when the lecturer is still covered in the results of the previous night's debauchery. Even the Doctor that he thought of his rarely stayed for longer than it took for him to recover and dress.

It was quite fine that she was gone, the Master mused as he climbed out of bed, he did not want his morning to be ruined by ill tempered morning after Doctor. Which was even worse than smug, just thwarted an evil plot Doctor. Clingy, needy Doctor was the easiest to deal with, he thought as he stumbled around the room looking for his trousers which for some reason were hiding under an overturned coffee table. The Master pushed the table out of the way, cringing at the loud crash that it made as it rolled into a wall. He grabbed them and shoved them on while he scanned the room for more of his delinquent articles of clothing.

"You are finally awake," said a feminine voice from behind him. The Master turned to see the Doctor sitting on the veranda. She was already dressed in the sort of outfit that made the Master question the Doctor's permanent lack of anything to do with a fashion sense. Her hands were wrapped around a cup of coffee, and there was a second cup of it sitting on the table next to her. "I was going to get you up in a few minutes. Cold coffee is the worst."

The Master, after locating the rest of his clothes, joined the Doctor on the balcony. He stood in front of her and grabbed her chin, tilting her head so that she looked at him. "You are still here," he said.

"No. Actually I am off dealing with some giant four headed authoritarian land lobsters. They are really quite annoying, especially when they start-" the Doctor said. Before she could truly start rambling the Master kissed her. For a second he could feel her lips move as she tried to talk, and then she started to nibble on his lower lip. The Master pushed his tongue into her mouth, tasting her coffee. He pulled away from her and watched her as she closed her mouth, a faint flush on her cheeks.

The Master sat in the chair across from her and moved his coffee closer to him. He watched her carefully as he brought it to lips, watching her face for any sign of deceit. Satisfied with her lack of reaction he took a sip. The coffee was excellent, rich and smooth with a complex aroma, even though it was sweeter than he preferred (the Doctor did seem to have a thing for sweets, and seemed to forget that he did not share her tastes in that regard).

"I have made certain arrangements. There are going to be some ground rules. If there is a crisis I am the one in charge, and we are going to solve problems my way. I have become much more of a slob and you are just going to have to deal with it because I like the mess. Also, if I catch wind of you plotting something particularly nasty for myself, younger regenerations included, or anyone else I will stop it and bugger off when I am done," the Doctor said, "And no cooked mushrooms. I hate cooked mushrooms. Oh, and if you are going to indulge in your cigar habit do it when I am not around."

"What are you talking about?" the Master said as he looked in horror from the Doctor to his coffee and back again convinced that she really had slipped something in his drink.

"I'm bored, and you won't be doing anything for a bit if my memory is correct.," the Doctor said, oblivious to the look of shock on his face. "It would be nice to have your company."

At that, the Master drained the rest of his coffee in one gulp.

Now:

The Master's TARDIS, The Time Vortex:

The Doctor was half asleep with her head resting in the Master's lap. He was reclined against a pillow reading a book and with his free hand he was stroking her neck.

She shifted her position, and the Master caught a glimpse of a metal bracelet around her left wrist. A Time Ring. He closed his book and put it on the nightstand.

"Doctor, how long will you stay?" he said.

"Dunno. Depends. There will be a point when I have to leave. Time lines and paradoxes and all that fun stuff," she said, yawning.

"Until then?"

"Yes. A respite, you can think, from running against time," she said, sitting up and looking into his eyes, "Have you ever needed to go to a time and place where things still made sense?"

"Nostalgia does not suit you," he said. He ran his hand along her face.

"You will understand when you get there," she said. The Master felt a cold power radiating from her, and saw glimpses of worlds burning flashed across their telepathic link. He thought that he could recognize some of them as she regained control. "There will be a morning when you wake up and I will be gone. Back to all of it."

"I will try to stop you," he said.

"I know. And if you do I won't want to leave," she said. The Doctor put her hand behind his head and kissed him.

The Master stepped into the control room, not expecting the truly spectacular mess that awaited him. Cables and parts were arranged haphazardly on the floor. The casing had been taken completely off of the central column and was in a heap at the door. To add to the general confusion, half eaten plates of food and tea cups of various amounts of liquid were strewn amongst the TARDIS components.

The agent of the disarray was currently laying on her back half under the partially dismantled central column. A pile of tools and parts were piled at the Doctor's elbow and a half eaten sandwich rested on her stomach. An almost full mug of tea was perched dangerously on the edge of the console, and the remains of a broken cup and half dried liquid were proof that it was not the only cup to occupy that precarious position.

"Doctor," the Master growled as he negotiated the chaos to stand next to her.

"Ah, you are up late. I was trying to convince your TARDIS to make the round things bigger and I got carried away. There was a fault that would have given us a nasty surprise in a few materializations, and I think that she likes the attention. You really need to talk to her more," the Doctor said, her voice muffled.

"Doctor," the Master repeated. He nudged her leg with his foot. She ignored him and continued to poke around the inside of the console.

"While you are here will you grab my tea? I know that it is somewhere around here. Did I knock it over again?" she said, as if oblivious to the Master's irritation.

The Master grabbed the tea cup and put it a few inches out of her reach as he knelt above her, straddling her hips with his knees. The Master picked up the sandwich and took a bite out of it; it was a particularly foul blend of sardine, peanut butter, and jalapeño pepper. The Master could hear the Doctor laughing softly at his snarl of displeasure.

"We need to talk," he said.

"I'm not doing anything. I was going to put it all back together in once piece. If I am going to stay for a while I need to know where everything is and she needs to-" the Doctor said.

"That is not the problem," he said. The Doctor started to get up and swore loudly as she banged her head on the underside of the console. "Imagine my displeasure when I want a smoke and find that two cases of my cigars are missing. Now I know that you find that particular habit distasteful, which leads me to believe that someone managed to get on board my TARDIS and evaded my security measures. So I spend several hours checking things over, which leads me to the only suspect."

"And who is it? Did we pick up something nasty?" the Doctor said, barely able to contain her laughter.

"Not anything too out of the ordinary. Just the usual Time Lady with terrible taste in both food and clothing," he said.

"I hope that you took care of it. They do have the habit of showing up in the strangest places," she said, with mock seriousness.

"It depends. Does the Time Lady in question want her tea before it gets cold?" he said, torn between frustration and amusement at the absurdity of the situation.

"Well, I guess that she needed to use them to 'convince' the governor of the last planet that she visited that the man she was traveling with was not a wanted intergalactic criminal. You know how these things are when you have a terrible choice of traveling companion and they get themselves arrested because they insist on going back to a place that they almost conquered. She could have left him there to sort out the problem on his own but that would be a bit rude," she said.

"Of course. And the next time that situation arises she will make sure that she tells him where his cigars went," he said.

"Only if I get my tea while I finish up here," she said, "Also, will you take a look at that control crystal I salvaged. There are a few irregularities, and I would like a second opinion. It is in the lab."

"Fine," he said as he got up, picking up the mug, "And the tea is mine now."

"Petty bastard," he heard her snarl as he left the control room.

The Doctor was right, the control crystal was unusual. It was almost as if it were reverse engineered from- no, that was impossible. It would be beyond the capabilities of a roving band of barbarians to do something like that.

He was about to run another test when he heard the door open behind him. The Doctor wrapped her arms around his waist and began nuzzling his neck. The Master put the control crystal on the table.

"Finished? I need a shower," the Doctor said as she nibbled on his ear.

"Yes, if you are expecting something completely insane. Reverse engineered Cyber-technology. How a pack of mercenaries got their hands on this..." he said, "I don't know if I should hire them or annihilate the lot of them."

"I was just going to scare the shit out of them and wipe every computer that they have ever used. Do they even shit? They are mostly biological, but with a few modifications that can be prevented. I knew this guy who tried to power a ship on flatulence alone. He severely underestimated the power output after ruining his local bean economy, and I had to-" she said.

"Doctor," the Master said, in a tone of voice that signaled his displeasure with a discussion of unusual power generation, "I want nothing to do with this."

"Don't be so boring. Aren't you the least bit curious," she said, kissing his neck between words, "I won't even be too mad if you blow them up."

"That won't be necessary," he said, "And Doctor, you owe me."

The word 'shower' would not be sufficient to describe the room in question. A more accurate description would be a walk in swimming pool that happened to have a shower-like area in the shallow end. The floor and walls were made of silver veined black marble, and the room was lit by recessed lights.

When the Master entered the room the Doctor was already in the deep end of the pool. He could barely see her through the waves of steam and thick layer of bubbles floating on the water.

The Master waded into the pool to join the Doctor. He wrapped his arm around her slender body and kissed her. She pressed her tongue into his mouth as he ran his hands down her back and in her wet hair.

He seized a handful of her hair and pulled her away from him. The Doctor's eyes widened in shock as he forced her body down so her back was parallel to the surface of the water. He stood over her so that her head and back were supported in his arms.

"You will not tinker with my TARDIS without permission," he said. The Master could feel the tension in her muscles loosen. She ran her hand along his arm, and she let him feel some of her arousal through their telepathic link. The Doctor met his eyes, and a smile formed on her lips.

"Make me," she said. He forced her head under the water's surface. She struggled against his grip, pushing against his arms. The Master held her under for about a minute, then let her return to the surface. She gasped for air.

"Are you going to behave?" he said. He did not wait for an answer as he forced her under the water again. He held her down for longer, until he felt a telepathic flash of her need for air.

"Now why would I want to do that?" she said, between gasps. He did not let her catch her breath before he pulled her back under. She thrashed and struggled against him, but he noticed that she was careful to not do anything that would actually hurt him or cause his hold on her to weaken. It was not an act of surrender for her, more of a brief moment of security where the concerns of the universe faded from her and she could just exist.

The Master let the Doctor return to the surface. He watched as her breathing became more regular. He could feel the Doctor's contentment as she floated in his arms.

"Now Doctor, don't cheat and use your respiratory bypass," he said. He waited for her to give him a slight nod before he held her under. They fell into a pattern as he pushed her under and let her surface, him careful to vary the lengths of time of both actions so that she could not anticipate how long she would be held under.

When the Doctor began to tire, he helped her to the shallow side of the pool. The Master laid on his back, and positioned the Doctor so that her head rested on his chest. He ran his hand along her back as the water lapped at them softly. He could hear the Doctor's purrs as she relaxed against him.

About a quarter of an hour later she started to stretch as her energy returned. She sat up, and he joined her and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his touch.

"I'm cold," she said as she wriggled out of his arms and moved into the deeper water. He followed her, and turned her so that she faced him. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, and started to nibble on his neck. He laughed, and pushed her back to the side of the pool. He spread her legs open and entered her.

"Do you really expect me to let wet, naked Doctor to go to waste?" he said as she bit into his neck. The Doctor wrapped her legs around him, forcing him deeper inside of her. He set a slow pace, savoring each thrust as she writhed in his arms. The Master wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as possible, ignoring the Doctor's urgings for him to go faster.

When he could feel the Doctor reach the edge of climax, he quickened his pace. The Master felt her muscles spasm around him as she came. He could not hold out against her moans and shudders and exploded inside of her. He reached out to her mind, and let her feel the sensations of his orgasm causing her to become engulfed in waves of pleasure. The Master could feel her weaken in his arms while she struggled to process the layers of sensation.

When he felt his aftershocks fade he pulled out. He turned so that his back was against the side of the pool and held the Doctor in his arms. Her arms were wrapped around his neck weakly, and he supported most of her weight. The Master let her slip into a shallow sleep.

"You can pilot my TARDIS the next time I want to get chased by a ten meter tall velociraptor," said the Master as he entered the final calculation into the console. The Doctor gave him a dirty look while scraping the bottom of a peanut butter jar with a butter knife.

"It was fun. And I don't remember you complaining when we ate its eggs," she said. The Doctor began licking the peanut butter off of the knife. The Master paused to watch her.

"When I want to go somewhere I don't want to end up on the other side of the universe. And how much of that stuff do you eat? That is your second jar in as many days," he said.

"Who said I was eating all of it? I have been smearing it all over your circuit boards," she said. She rested her head on his shoulder and put the knife and jar on the console. The Master cringed as a large glob of peanut butter fell off the knife and splattered on some of the controls. The Doctor picked up the substance on her finger, smearing it, and licked her finger clean.

"My dear incredibly maddening Doctor, do you want me to dump you on the nearest barely habitable world?," he said. The Doctor laughed in his ear at the empty threat.

"I thought that was where we were going. When you finally figure out how to enter coordinates," she said, omitting that she was the cause of the Master's distraction.

It was not the nearest barely inhabitable world, but an asteroid base in what the Doctor was in the habit of referring to as the odious bunghole of the Milky Way galaxy. After a few days of analyzing the metal composition of the salvaged control chip (well, more like a few hours of analysis and a few days of the Doctor finding new and inventive ways of becoming distracted) they had found an asteroid belt containing metals with the same trace elements as those in the chip. The largest asteroid had an artificial atmosphere and a large metal building.

The Master pulled a level on the TARDIS console causing it to dematerialize. The Doctor instinctively grabbed the console, steadying herself for shakes and jolts that never came. The Master allowed himself a chuckle at her expense as the the TARDIS finished materializing on the asteroid base.

The Doctor walked to the door, pulling the door release as she passed it. She started to leave the TARDIS when an energy beam struck its energy shield. She swore and moved to stand at the side of the door.

"Of all the places to land you just happened to pick someplace occupied. My old girl always manages to put me in an empty storage room," she said, crossing her arms.

"On the wrong planet and timezone," he said, "Don't you ever check before you go out?"

"Nope," she said. She stuck her head out the door to see the cyborg eying the TARDIS suspiciously with her gun drawn. She was standing in a large office, and various weapons were in pieces on tables along the parameter of the room. "Is this how you treat all of your potential clients?"

"Not when they put a new filing cabinet in the middle of my office," the cyborg said.

"I apologize most sincerely for the shock," the Doctor said as she stepped out of the door, holding her hands up in a placating gesture, "This is what you get when you have an incompetent buffoon as an assistant. I hope that your services will be of a higher standard."

"Doctor," the Master said as he crossed the control room to join her.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" the Doctor snarled. In a quick motion she grabbed the Master and shoved his back into the side of the TARDIS.

"Play along until you get the chance to incapacitate her," she whispered into his ear. The Doctor heard a wheezing laugh behind her as she released the Master.

"Pretty human needs better behaved pet. Maybe I can help?" said the cyborg.

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary. He is rather new, and I picked him up from some backwater dump. He is unfortunately a bit curious, but I can't bring myself to break him of that habit," said the Doctor. She watched the Master out of the corner of her eye as he began circling around the room, and hoped that her deflection was enough to keep the cyborg from becoming suspicious. "Enough about him, I have business to discuss. May I sit?"

"Of course. Of course. What services do you require?" said the cyborg as the Doctor took a seat in front of her desk. She sat in the chair behind her desk. The Master was slowly making his way across the room, pretending to be fascinated by various broken weapons and other artifacts.

"Well, on my travels I came across a certain piece of technology. I am curious as to its origins, and your firm came highly recommended. I have tried the usual routes, but they have proved to be unsatisfactory." she said. The Doctor removed the control crystal from her coat pocket and put it on the desk. The Master was slinking a few feet behind the cyborg.

"Yes, we do that," the cyborg said as she picked up the crystal and held it to her eye. Her remaining exposed skin turned red as she recognized it. "What game is this! How did you get one of our-"

The Master reached on arm around the cyborg's neck, and ripped out the control crystal to her exoskeleton with his other hand. The cyborg slumped in her chair paralyzed.

"You see, I know exactly where they come from. I just want to know how," said the Doctor as she leaned forwards in her chair. The Master loosened his hold on the cyborg's neck.

"I will tell you nothing," the cyborg said, as he struggled to breath. The exoskeleton was apparently responsible for more than conscious actions.

"Why do they always say that?" the Doctor said, stretching as she put her hands behind her head, "I am not the one you should be worried about. My assistant, as you have probably surmised by now, is much more than he seems. He is the renegade Time Lord known as the Master. Now I would prefer not to get my hands dirty, but he is not bound by the same morals."

"Crystals were from the black market. We don't know where they come from beyond that," said the cyborg. The Master snarled as he turned the chair to face him.

"I do not tolerate lies," the Master said. He grabbed the cyborg's chin and forced her to stare into his eyes. The Master forced way into her tangled mind, a teeming swamp of half formed thoughts and images. The Master caught glimpses of a time and a life before the cyborg's modifications, and the Master pushed those thoughts to the forefront of the cyborg's mind. "Tell me what you know. I am the Master, and you will obey me."

"Please don't hurt me," the cyborg said. Her voice and demeanor was changed, her tone softer, "I was told that they were going to cure me"

The Doctor jumped out of her chair and walked behind the desk. She pushed the Master away from the cyborg and knelt so that she was at her eye level. The Master tried to pull her away, but the Doctor batted his arm away.

"I am not going to hurt you. Just tell me what happened so that I can help you," she said, her voice soft.

"There was a ship of dead Cybermen. They were trying to reverse engineer them. They thought that they could turn us into a better version of them." she said.

"I understand. What happened to the ship?" said the Doctor.

"I don't know. Some of us tried to steal it when we figured out what was happening so they dumped it before we could get to it," she said.

"You are safe now. You don't have to keep fighting," the Doctor said. She put her hand on the cyborg's temple and willed her to go to sleep. The Doctor detached the small cube that made up the cyborg's computer and slipped it into her pocket.

The Doctor stood up and turned to the Master. "Take care of this mess for me. Just make sure that I don't have to deal with them again. It would be a mercy," she said. She turned and returned to the TARDIS.

Over the next few days, the Master rarely saw the Doctor. She was in a proper sulk, only making her presence know when she was hungry. When the Master encountered her, she could not hide the dark circles under her eyes and the slight stench of alcohol on her breath (a foul human habit that the Master did not approve of).

After a week, the Doctor finally resurfaced. The Master, quite familiar with the Doctor's moods and habits, waited for her to find him. She found the Master in the TARDIS gardens, the only reminder of the past few days a tension radiating from her.

She sat next to him, and ran her hand through his hair. "I found the expected crash site of the ship. You are not going to like it," she said.

"Where is it?" he said.

"Cambridge, July 28th, 1973"