THE MASTER, THE DOCTOR AND THE WOLF

Chapter Eight

"Aha, finally some progress," the Doctor said as he finished his repairs. "Now, my Sexy, what do you say about taking a little road trip somewhere?"

He grinned when the TARDIS purred in response and he steepled his fingers and stood at the console, deep in thought. As he thought, he sensed someone at the back door watching him. Normally Clara would make her presence known so he guessed it was Rose, trying to be inconspicuous while watching him.

"Come in, Rose," he said aloud.

He smiled when he looked over his shoulder and saw Rose heading towards him.

"Yup, instincts are still in tip top condition," he muttered to himself as she came up beside him. "What? Bored with the TARDIS already?" he said.

"No, I just miss you. I want to get to know you better," Rose said with a shrug.

"Rose, I'm not your boyfriend anymore."

"I never said you was, Doctor. But you said we could be friends and I'm sure you can be that without being grumpy and sarcastic, yeah?" Rose said angrily. "If you don't want me here, chuck me out the door but don't dismiss me and act like I'm a burden to you. Clara told me your other self told her to stay with you and be your friend and I want to do the same. I get that we can't have a relationship anymore but that doesn't mean we can't talk to one another."

"I'm…sorry," Twelve said, putting his hands on the console rim and looking down at it. "Like I said, this is what I feared would happen if I regenerated. That someday I wouldn't love you the same way anymore. That's why I put you with my clone; the one I knew would love you the way you wanted to be loved."

"I couldn't love him the same way, Doctor," Rose said, shaking her head. "I tried, I honestly did but my heart wasn't in it. And even though you have changed, I still love you and I always will and I'm glad I'm here."

She noticed a small smile on the Doctor's face as he stared down at the console controls. She reached out and tentatively laid her hand on the back of his. Twelve glanced at her hand but didn't jerk his hand away.

"So, now that you're here, where do you want to go?" he asked her. "I'm out of ideas so I'll consult you. And since you're back, you get first pick."

"How about planet of the chips?" Rose teased.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow but to Rose's delight, he cracked a smile just as she hoped

"You and your obsession with chips," he said, shaking his head good naturedly. "I'm surprised your arteries aren't clogged with chip grease now."

"How about…somewhere beautiful. Somewhere a bit romantic…and I'm not saying that to rekindle our relationship," she quickly added when the Doctor eyed her. "I'm just in the mood for something beautiful."

"Yes but what? What do you want to see?"

Rose thought for a moment.

"A waterfall," she said to him.

The Doctor nodded, an idea forming in his mind. He started to power up when there was a knock on the door. The Doctor froze with his hand hovering above a switch for a few seconds before he glanced at Rose and both of them walked to the door. The Doctor opened it and did a double take when he saw his clone standing there with a man and a boy.

"I'm not so easily ditched, Rose," the clone said.

"Doctor, why did you do this?" Rose said to the clone.

"Because I don't think our relationship is beyond saving, Rose. I think we can work things out and I want to give it a chance."

"Who are they then?" Rose said, pointing to the man and the boy.

"Friends. They came with me because I needed their help finding you," the clone said mildly.

"I've never seen them before," Rose said, confused.

The Doctor looked at the man, thinking he had seen him before somewhere. He struggled to remember where when the clone looked at him.

"May I come inside for a moment?" he asked the Doctor.

The Doctor gave him a wary look and the clone sighed.

"My business is with her, I'm not trying to take over your TARDIS," he said, gesturing to Rose.

"Fine, come inside. I thought this sort of thing stopped when I lost Amy and Rory but come inside and have it out," Twelve said, stepping away from the door.

The Valeyard smirked and thanked him politely before telling the Master and Xelok to follow him inside. He could tell the Doctor was wary about him being inside the TARDIS and with good reason. However, he was going to pretend that he was here for Rose only and spring his trap when the Doctor's guard was down.

"So," he said to Rose as they walked towards the console. "This was your plan. Just jump in the dimension cannon and think I wouldn't care if you left."

"Doctor," Rose said, turning to the Valeyard. "I told you in the letter…"

"I know what you told me, Rose, but I'm not willing to let you go, not without a fight."

"Oh, Christ. Eastenders has come to my TARDIS," the Doctor muttered as he climbed the steps to his chair.

"Doctor, I don't love you. I mean I do love you but I'm not…"

"In love with me, yeah, yeah, yeah," the Valeyard said as Twelve sat down in his seat with a world weary sigh. "You never gave me a chance. You always expected him to come back and get you," he said, pointing up to Twelve.

"Leave me out of this, please," Twelve said as he stared up at the ceiling.

"No, I'm not leaving you out of this. You're the one that chucked her out with me and expected it to all work. You left her with a broken heart and that's why she's never been able to have a relationship with me."

"Fine! I'm to blame!" Twelve said grouchily. "I'm sorry. I thought you would both be happy. I can't go back and change the past. So what are you going to do now? Because it sounds like she doesn't want you now. She wants to go traveling with me."

"Take me with you then."

"What?" Twelve said, jerking his head around and looking down at him. "Oh no, no, no, we're not sharing the same TARDIS. You can make your own way in life. Stay here and defend this Earth since I'm pretty sure you won't be able to make it back without destroying both realities but I'm not flying the TARDIS with you being a back seat driver. There's too much ego between the both of us."

"Then I want Rose back."

"I'm not coming back," Rose said.

The Valeyard spun around and Twelve noticed Rose let out a gasp and he frowned when he noticed real fear on her face. What he didn't see was the dark black eyes and twisted expression of his clone as he confronted her. Twelve looked over and noticed the man and the boy hadn't moved from the door. Both of them were watching the confrontation but with blank looks on their faces.

"Doctor!"

Twelve's head snapped back around when he heard Rose cry out and he noticed his clone had seized her wrist and was jerking her roughly towards him.

"MINE!" he bellowed at her.

Twelve leapt up. He was about to go down the stairs when the Valeyard jerked Rose to his body and turned around to face him. Twelve froze when he saw the Valeyard had a dagger against Rose's throat and for the first time, he saw the insane look on his clone's face.

"Move and your beloved's blood is spilled all over the floor," the Valeyard growled at him.

"So it's happened, has it. Just what I feared would happen," Twelve said. "This is why I wanted him watched, Rose."

"Rose couldn't do anything to stop this. Besides, you need to blame the Master for awakening me," the Valeyard said. "Master, come here and say hello."

Twelve's head jerked over when the man came forward.

"Master, you have the Master under your thrall?" Twelve said in horror as the Master came up beside the Valeyard.

"Well, he was putting me under his thrall, except he awakened my dark side and unfortunately, I proved to be too much for the little weakling."

"So who's that then?" Twelve said, pointing to Xelok.

"Dunno, some kid that came with him. Anyway, shall we continue with the matter at hand or do you not care about Rose any longer, old man?"

"Let her go, deal with me and only me," Twelve said.

"But Rose is mine, you gave her to me and I have the right to do whatever I want with her," the Valeyard purred.

"No, you don't and if you even so much as spill a drop of blood, I'll tear you limb from limb," Twelve growled.

The Valeyard laughed evily and pressed the blade of the knife closer to Rose's throat.

"Come, darling, the old man wants us to leave now," he purred in Rose's ear.

"Not her, you!" Twelve said, pointing at him. "And only you, leave the Master and the child here as well."

"Why? You don't give a damn about them," the Valeyard said.

"He was my friend and I won't let you make a puppet of him, Rose or the child. Now let them all go and I'll come quietly."

"Call the other one in here," the Valeyard said.

"What other one?" Twelve said.

"Don't give me that. I followed you lot and there's another girl with you. Short with long brown hair. Call her in here or Rose dies."

"Tell Clara to come in here," Twelve said to the TARDIS.

"Now…slowly come down the steps. Slowly…" the Valeyard said.

He backed up with Rose, keeping the dagger on her throat while the Doctor slowly came down the steps. When he was near the console, the Valeyard ordered the Master to restrain him and the Master walked over, seized the Doctor's arms and immobilized him. Twelve gazed sympathetically at Rose when he saw she was trying to be brave, even though she was visibly frightened. Then his eyes darted over to the back door when Clara came through it and froze.

"Ah, here she is," the Valeyard said. "Come and join us…and that is not a request."

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