Let's play charades

[neverreallygone]

Characters: The Master, Lucy Saxon, the Doctor
Rating: PG (for now)
Time Period: Modern
Location: Lucy's bedroom
Relative Date: During the period of demon possession. Follows on directly from this.
Status: Closed

The Master looked down at Lucy for a moment, seeing her cheek flush and tears start in her eyes as she thanked him for hitting her. "

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[thedoctorx]

She was someone he'd never thought he'd see again. Never wanted to, either. Most people he'd rather easily forget about. After all, he did tend to meet them during circumstances and situations that didn't exactly make for happy memories. Happy memories would be a blessing in fact, he'd settle for slightly okay. But more often than not the people he'd meet would serve as anchors to other things. Things he didn't dare think of. In fact, it was always best not to play too much with memories, lest run the risk of drudging up an anchor unexpectedly. This was easier done than one might think and the Doctor found that if you move forward instead of back, there's less of a chance you'll be burdened with terrible things. Of course, some anchors were worse than others and if the Doctor thought about it (which he didn't) the worst anchor of them all went by the name of Lucy Saxon.

The Doctor moved quickly down the long corridor. Lucy's distressed reply over the mobiles was enough to shake the Doctor firmly into action. Not only was she in trouble, but she claimed the Master had survived. Neither of those things independently would merit a second of hesitation, but together they made an explosive pair. 'It's the Doctor,' was all he could think of to say as he knocked on the last door on the fourth floor of the castle. He waited there with his hands pressed firmly in his pockets; it was the least he could do to stop himself from pacing. He wasn't ready to see her again, but that hardly mattered now.

[neverreallygone]

The Master's head went up, listening to the faint sound of footsteps in the corridor outside, coming closer. And then the knock and the words, "It's the Doctor."

Doctor. There he was. The Master sat up straighter, jaw tense, and listened through the dull thud of the drums for Lucy's response.

[ms_saxon]

Lucy took one glace at the bathroom door, she could barely see Harry through it but she knew he would be siting in anticipation.

"Coming, I'm just..." she lay the bottle of witch hazel down on the table and moved quickly towards the door, opening it slightly and peeking out. There he was, the Doctor. He hadn't changed one single bit since she'd last seen him, same hair, clothes, well everything. She looked him up and down. He gave her the creeps for some reason, she felt uneasy.

"Doctor, please, umm...please come in," she gestured into the room, and gave him a small smile.

[thedoctorx]

Her voice was so familiar, he nearly shuddered at the sound of it. Such a strong emotion caught him off guard and all he could manage was a discreet nod as a reply. What was she doing here? Same thing as everyone else, of course. And he couldn't imagine what she must be going through, forced to see 'Harry' again. He shuddered again and this time it really did chill him. He was alive, wasn't he? Wasn't he... He looked up to see her face staring out at him and then entered without a word, noting at once the mark on her cheek. He shut the door behind himself gently, buying himself some time with awkward silence.

"Hello, Lucy," he said finally, his expression the result of centuries of practice in stony neutrality.

[neverreallygone]

The Master swallowed at the sound of the Doctor's voice. So close... he was so close. Silently, he stood up and crossed to the door, angling himself so he could see out through the narrow gap. All he could see at the moment, though, was an empty part of the room. He could hear, though. And he was listening hard.

[ms_saxon]

"Doctor," she replied quietly. She could tell he wasn't comfortable being here, the stony air of indifference and his stance. The memories of that last year obviously were still strong in his mind.

"Would you like...something, somewhere to sit?" she said indicating to a chair in the corner near the window, where she knew he wouldn't be able to see into the bathroom. "I'm sorry I don't have much, I've only just...well, I've been here long enough..." she wrapped her arms around herself.

It was difficult doing this with him in the other room. She could almost hear the drum beats of anticipation herself. She shuddered slightly.

[thedoctorx]

"It's okay," he said quickly, trying to comfort her. He didn't want her apologizing for the accommodations. He liked to think he didn't want her apologizing for anything, but the real truth was far different. "I'll just..." He ran a hand through his hair and gestured to the chair. "Here's good." He really rather stand, but not accepting her simple invitation didn't seem worth the struggle.

He moved over to the chair and had a seat, trying his best to relax into the back of it. "So Lucy," he leaned forward fidgety, "the Master... you said that he came to see you? That he hit you?" He tried to hide the eagerness in his voice. "When's this?"

[ms_saxon]

"Not long ago," she replied, taking a seat on her bed, and carefully touching her cheek. "I wasn't expecting it though....I just, well, you know it's difficult for me to talk about it all..."

She fidgeted herself, and hoped that he wouldn't be able to take any second meaning from her uncomfortable stance. She tried to keep her kind clear of any thoughts concerning Harry, it was difficult considering what had just happened.

[neverreallygone]

The Master listened impatiently, unable to see more than the back of the Doctor's head from his hiding place. Though at least he could see the strain in the Doctor's back, and the eagerness with which he leaned forward to question Lucy.

Get on with it, he thought irritably. However lovely it was to see the Doctor in such distress, he needed Lucy to start asking questions of the Doctor instead of the other way round.

[thedoctorx]

Behind any resentment he had for her was very real concern. He felt bad for her. Really bad. He knew how manipulative the Master was and to get away from that finally- only to find yourself right back in the middle of it- it must have been terrifying. "Not long ago?" he repeated, rising from the chair. Another question nearly left his lips, one that he'd hope would clarify beyond a doubt the time frame and squash any possibility that the Master saw Lucy before he had been killed, but he suddenly switched gears to a more sympathetic approach. It wasn't fake, but right now he was finding it very difficult to be human. "Lucy, I know how hard this must..." He moved toward the bed slowly.

"And I am so sorry about everything that's happened to you." He paused. "But when you said, not long ago, when exactly did you mean? Because," he took a deep breath, "because not long ago I came across the Master and he was dead, Lucy." He looked down at her, waiting. The mark on her face was recent...

[ms_saxon]

Lucy frowned. "Dead?"

She paused for a second looking up at the Doctor her eyes filled with questions. "Dead, but how did he die?, and if he died why didn't he..you know...regenerate?"

"He was here doctor, less than an hour ago he was here, with me..."

She shuffled uncomfortably on the bed. Awkwardly.

[thedoctorx]

He was alive. The Doctor wasn't sure what the sum of his feelings were, just that there were many of them. His mind quickly focused in on Martha and how much she would have disapproved of some of them. He really was a sorry excuse for a best friend, wasn't he? He looked briefly over the room. He was here less than an hour ago, she said. That would explain how heavy his presence felt. Now that was a feeling like no other.

"I don't know," he admitted, feeling a bit more comfortable now that he got his answer. "He didn't though. Before..." he trailed off, figuring that didn't need any further explanation. "I won't let him hurt you anymore, Lucy." A pretty bold statement, though he meant it none the less.

[ms_saxon]

Lucy smiled. It was as sincere as she could make it in the circumstances. Hurt? He didn't know the first thing about hurt, and love and the deepest...he didn't know anything about her relationship with him...with...she whispered in her mind, the name he'd once told her and she had feared to use, Koschei....

What? What....? That name. How did she....Lucy puzzled for a moment, she twitched, blinking suddenly. A red glare flared in front of her eyes, and she opened them again. All of this in the blink of an eye. She hoped the Doctor's thoughts were elsewhere.

She turned to the doctor.

"Thank you...."

"How did he die...originally then. Do you know or..."

She tailed off reaching out to the table looking for something that wasn't there. The necklace.

[neverreallygone]

Oh at last! Lucy really was doing very well. She was a superb actress. Definitely worthy of him.

He waited impatiently for the Doctor's reply.

[thedoctorx]

The Doctor watched her, concerned. To say she didn't seem all here would be an understatement. "Lucy?" he said softly, following her gaze to the table. "Everything all right?" A silly question he realized straight away. "I mean, well- originally?"

[ms_saxon]

"Yes..umm..yeah. I think I've just...misplaced something..." she replied slowly.

"I'm sorry, you have to understand this is all a little strange for me." She shock herself, smiling again, time to get back on track Luce...

"You have to tell me what has happened here Doctor, he is part of my life whether I want him to be or not, what's done is done..."

He looked so sweet when he was concerned.