Without You Part 3
Without You
By: Memory Dragon
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, nor do I make any claim to.
Characters: The Brigadier, Simm Master, Tenth Doctor
Warnings: Ultimately under-preforming on slash and cuddling, but hopefully worth it anyway?
Original Prompt: The Doctor dies, permanently, and the Master somehow, accidentally ends up taking over his role of galactic saviour.
The Doctor comes back (don't care how) and the end up having awkward good guy sex.
Notes: Written for the best_enemies anon meme.
Part 1 Part 2
~
After staying with the Master for three more 'blip-hunts', the Brigadier finally asked to be taken home. The Master had made quite a bit of progress, though he'd been sullen for a while after the Brigadier said he was ready to leave. "I'm an old man," the Brigadier said by way of explanation. "All this running around and saving time is the work for someone whose bones don't creak as much. You know where to find me if you need anything."
And so the Master did, dropping in at odd hours. He waited quietly with Doris if the Brigadier happened to be out and Doris had even grown quite fond of him. He turned up every week or two, simply to talk. Sometimes it was about what he'd been doing, sometimes about the Doctor. While the Master was far from a knight in shining armor and he still made a lot of mistakes, he was slowly learning to care about more than just a few people and things. There were many missteps, but the Master was making marked progress. He'd even saved a space ship recently, for no other reason than he could and stopped by for Christmas with presents.
It was still strange talking with the Master, but the Brigadier found it easier as time went on. He'd never have believed that the Master was a reformed criminal himself... sometimes he still didn't believe the scoundrel, but he definitely wasn't the man who ran for Prime Minister any more. Still moping over a lack of new name too, which the Brigadier only shook his head at when the Master wasn't looking.
Nearly a year passed of this unspoken arrangement between them. Finally, the Master came one afternoon, looking a lot more solemn than he had the last few visits. Doris had excused herself to go shopping, leaving the two of them alone to talk.
The Brigadier waited for the Master to speak. He'd long since realized it was useless to try and prompt the Time Lord when he wanted to talk about something, so he worked on the report for the last undercover mission UNIT had sent him on as the Master sat quietly across from him.
"I'm ready," the Master said finally after about ten minutes of idle chatter. "I want... I want to burn the Doctor's body."
"Is that so?" he asked. The Brigadier looked up, watching the Master carefully. He was a lot quieter in general than he had been that first night over a year ago. If he wasn't mistaken, the traveling had actually done the Master a lot of good towards healing his mind as well as his morals. He was still sour and sarcastic and just a bit of an arse if the Brigadier were going to put it nicely, but he'd mellowed out quite a bit.
Speaking of sarcasm... "No, I was just here to see if you wanted to buy a bridge!" Mellowed, but still with a nasty temper. The Master glared at him sullenly, a bit of the old manic energy showing through as he got agitated.
Again, the Brigadier wasn't sure why the Master had come to him. That was something he'd assumed the Master would want to do privately whenever he finally decided to let go. This time, however, the Brigadier was glad the Master came. It was one last chance to see the Doctor off and the Brigadier would be honored to stand watch. "Where were you thinking of burning the body?" he asked, a little gruffer than normal.
Calming down, the Master stared at his tea absently. "I thought about here on Earth, but... The Eye of Orion is where the memorial is and he always liked it there. Will you..."
The Brigadier nodded. "I suppose I have enough left in me for one more trip, if it's for the Doctor. I owe him that much."
It only took a few minutes for him to get ready and they were back in the TARDIS. The Master glared at the console, which hummed a bit happier when the Brigadier walked in. "I don't know what she sees in you," he said moodily. The Brigadier merely smiled, greeting the old girl politely as he'd taken to doing in his earlier trips. He wasn't one to argue if a sentient ship had taken a liking to him after all. Arguing with the insanity of the universe would only raise his blood pressure and the TARDIS did tend to make sure the ride wasn't as bumpy for him.
After setting the TARDIS in motion, the Master led him through the endless corridors into the heart of the ship. Though he knew that there was no such thing in the TARDIS, it still felt a bit like the Brigadier was going downward into some particularly pleasant cave. "What are you planning to do after this?" the Brigadier asked as they walked.
"More traveling," the Master said, a lost look entering his eyes that was gone within seconds. They might be burning the Doctor's body, but the Brigadier suspected that the Master still hadn't really come to terms with the Doctor's death. "I might go back... back to UNIT in the 24th century every so often. They weren't as bad as you lot were. Jessica just got a promotion too and she asked... she asked if I would stay with them for a while."
Jessica? The Brigadier raised his eyebrows. Since when had the Master been on first name basis with Benton's descendant? He couldn't help but feel a little worried for her, despite knowing she could take care of herself very well. Still, he was happy to hear she had gotten a promotion and UNIT would always welcome help from a Time Lord. "Still being called Koskey, or whatever it was?"
"Koschei. And no." The Master's eyes darkened for a moment, but he kept walking. "I told them a different name. I'm not Koschei anymore. Koschei still had the Doctor." If that made any sense, the Brigadier supposed the Doctor would be part of the problem. The Doctor usually was.
They got to a door on the right and the Master paused, his hand on the door knob, but not turning it. "Is he in there?" the Brigadier asked.
The Master started, shoulders tensing as he pulled open the door violently. He ignored the question altogether, stepping into the room without waiting for the Brigadier to follow. The Brigadier sighed at the melodramatics as the door slammed shut. The Doctor had never been that bad. The Master could be awfully childish in this body and it reminded him constantly of a few of his students from when he'd taken up teaching math. The Brigadier had to remember that scolding the Master only made the man insufferably worse, so he didn't comment. He opened the door again to let himself through, mentally preparing himself for what he'd find in that room.
When he walked in, the Master was at the controls of some machine. The Brigadier's eyes were automatically riveted, however, to the body laying on the bed. It was covered with some sort of translucent energy field that shimmered lightly the more he stared at it. The Doctor.
Through the field the Doctor lay still, completely frozen in time. The bruises and cuts he'd seen through the monitor over a year ago were even more noticeable. The Doctor's suit was in shambles, cut up and torn in every which way and his hair was mussed at uncontrollable angles. Not a face the Brigadier recognized. There was nothing to tell that this really was the Doctor, other than the Master's word, and it didn't even really feel like the Doctor. Just another body. But this was the Doctor's TARDIS and that couldn't be anyone but him.
Maybe it was just the field, but the Doctor almost looked as if he were still alive. Just like that old fairy story of the princess who slept waiting for the prince to wake her, surrounded by thorns. This was real life though, not a fairy tale. The Doctor was dead and the Brigadier was seeing it with his own eyes after all this time...
The Brigadier reached out to the field, surprised to have his hand snatched back by the Master. "Don't touch it, you idiot! Not unless you want to have your hand frozen in time too."
"I thought you were supposed to be turning this machine off," the Brigadier said pointedly, not bothering to hide his own sorrow at seeing the body in front of him.
The Master ignored him again, not looking at either the Brigadier or the body. He went back to flipping switches, steadily growing more agitated and nervous as he did. "We don't have to go through with this now," the Brigadier said a bit more gently. "He'll wait until you're ready."
The Master hesitated, his hand hovering over a switch as he shut his eyes. For a moment, the Brigadier thought he might just agree... then his eyes snapped open and he turned angrily to face the Brigadier. "I'm not living in his shadow any more. I'm not so weak that I can't burn the body of an old enemy!"
"I never said you were." Looking back down at the body in question, the Brigadier felt his heart break. Only one heart, but that was enough for him. He couldn't imagine what having two broken hearts must be like. This wasn't about what the Brigadier wanted though. Seeing an old friend off could wait until the Master was ready for it. "But you're also saying good-bye to an even older friend."
Advancing on the Brigadier, the Master got right in his face. The Brigadier no longer feared that the Master would hurt him, so the intimidation of this move was even less effective than it had been a year ago. "I don't need to have a body taking up space on my TARDIS. I'm fine with this."
The Brigadier gave him a look of reproach and the Master slowly backed away. He was well used to the Master's outbursts and he'd come to accept the Master's silent apologies after as part of their routine. The Master listened to him for whatever reason now and that was usually enough to keep him in line, despite how the Brigadier could never figure out why. "I am fine with it," the Master said again a bit calmer.
The Brigadier nodded and the Master went back to working on the machine in silence. It was a few minutes more before the Master turned around. Flicking the last dial, they both watched the bubble-like shield slowly fade away.
He hadn't known what he was expecting. The Brigadier supposed even after all this time, he expected the Doctor to come up with some sort of miracle and walk away from this, as smug and impossible as ever. Even the Master seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for the Doctor to beat the odds once again.
However, neither of them were really quite prepared to see the Doctor actually gasping for breath and coughing as the shield blinked from existence. It was one thing to hope for it and know it was impossible. It was quite another to actually watch the said impossible thing happen.
The Brigadier's shock broke first. He moved to the Doctor's side, helping the tall, lanky man sit up. After a few big, lungfuls of air, the Doctor turned to look at him with instant recognition in those intelligent brown eyes that the Brigadier had never been happier to see. "Brigadier!" the Doctor gasped, his lips breaking into a large grin. "Brilliant. This is brilliant. I knew you wouldn't let me dow- Oh. Ow. Didn't expect that." The Doctor winced, touching one of the cuts on his face that the smile had stretched. "Didn't expect to be alive. And you lot, I don't think you did either. Have I been dead long?"
"According to the Master, it's been nearly two years," the Brigadier said, smiling in spite of himself. The man was a damned nuisance at times, but the Brigadier had never been so glad to see the Doctor alive.
"The Master..." They both looked up to see a pale and trembling Master, looking like he had just seen a ghost. "Ah, there you are, hoodie and all," the Doctor said, grinning again. "Still alive? Well, that's no surprise. You've always been good at that. Had me worried there for a while, but-"
"You're dead," the Master said with a hoarse voice. "I saw you die. Your hearts stopped and nothing I did could get them to start again!"
Stretching, the Doctor winced again and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Yup," he said, popping the 'p'. "Well, I was. I think the TARDIS gave me a jump start. A few years ago, I got stuck in a parallel world where the old girl wouldn't work. Gave her ten years of my life to jump start her and get us back home. I guess she gave them back. Still, it'd have taken a while to do the transfer. Probably... oh, two years?"
The Doctor sniffed as he babbled, dangling his feet over the side of the bed and smiling happily to himself. He missed the warning glance the Brigadier gave him as he tested out his body. "Oh, time stasis. No atrophy. Tingles a bit, but that's brilliant. Really brilliant. Still got a crick in my neck though. Not sure how that happened..."
"You were dead," the Master said again, starting to tremble more violently. Pulling a gun out from under his hoodie, he pointed it shakily at the Doctor.
The Doctor grew much more serious at that. He stood up, taking a careful step toward the Master. "Master, why don't you put that-"
"Stay back!" The Doctor put his hands up in a motion to pacify and stayed where he was. His eyes flickered over to the Brigadier who nodded.
It was the Brigadier who took a step forward this time and spoke, drawing the Master's attention. "Just put the gun down."
The gun swung around to point at him, but the Brigadier kept moving forward despite the Doctor's warning. The Master's eyes hardened as his resolve steadied his hand. "I don't need him. I don't need an old man like you either! I'll go back to my own life. I don't need either of you!" The gun swung back around to the Doctor who had tried to take a step forward. "Stay where you are!"
The Brigadier continued walking forward calmly, not afraid of the gun that pointed at him every few seconds. He was counting on the Master to be thinking of all those nights they'd spent talking, all the times he'd saved the Brigadier's life. The Master had changed over the past year and he'd started to care. While that process wasn't complete yet, the Brigadier was willing to bet his life on it. And he was right. The Master didn't fire, looking more and more uncertain the closer the Brigadier got.
Finally, the Brigadier got close enough to side step the weapon and put his hand on the Master's, pushing the weapon down gently. The Master stubbornly refused to lower it though. "You know what he did to me! Why should I?" he asked angrily, looking back and forth from him and the Doctor. The Master was furious with both of them, though the Brigadier wondered if the person the Master was most angry with was himself.
"I thought you didn't like to be alone," the Brigadier said gruffly. Perhaps he should have been gentler with the words, but it seemed to work regardless. The Master shut his eyes and let the Brigadier take the gun from him. "Good lad," he said approvingly. The Master gave him a tearful glare, but didn't say anything to it.
The Doctor came over to stand by the two of them once the gun was disposed of, looking fairly astonished at the whole thing. He reached out and ruffled the Master's hair fondly, testing the waters. Expecting the Master to snap again, it was the Brigadier's turn to be surprised as the Master just closed his wet eyes and allowed the touch. "Give us a few minutes," the Doctor asked, silently thanking the Brigadier with his eyes.
The Brigadier left the room after that. He could hear quiet murmuring as he walked away, but he wasn't inclined to eavesdrop. Making his way back to the main part of the TARDIS, the Brigadier made himself a cup of tea and waited.
It was hard to tell time in the TARDIS, but it felt like a few hours later before the Doctor strode in, flicking a few switches on the console and petting her fondly. "I take it you got my message?" the Doctor asked quietly.
"I did," the Brigadier said, taking stock of this new version of the Doctor. He'd gotten a few band-aids to cover the cuts and had much more color to his face now. The outfit was, at least, fairly mild compared to some of the Doctors he'd met in the past, but the Brigadier wasn't so sure he approved of the hair. "How did you know I would do it?" the Brigadier asked finally.
"Didn't," the Doctor said with a cheeky grin. "Didn't even know if the TARDIS would get him to you. Actually, I made quite a few of the messages for other people just in case. I'm glad it was you though." Digging his hands in his pockets, the Doctor leaned against the console. "Alistair, thank you for looking after him. You've done the one thing I've never been able to after all these years... You've helped him."
He as touched by the Doctor's thanks and almost couldn't respond for a few moments. It was more than the superficial thanks he'd gotten while being knighted. None of those people really knew him or what he'd done to save the world and he hadn't really been looking for the thanks to begin with. The Doctor knew all of that, however. This was true thanks and the Brigadier finally realized taking in the Master last year had been worth it all. He didn't do it for the thanks and certainly never expected to get it, but just this once it'd been nice to have. "How is he?" he managed to say after a while.
"Sleeping now. I slipped him a sleeping pill when he was a bit calmer." The Doctor looked absently towards the door to the corridors, a weary look crossing his face. "He just needs time to get used to it all again. I think... I think he'll be just fine now."
That was good news, at least. They still weren't friends really, but the Brigadier had, in spite of himself, grown rather fond of the Master over this past year. It was still a strange subject though that he tried not to think about too much. "What will you do with him now?"
The Doctor sniffed, coming to sit by him and leaning back lazily. "Well," he said, drawing out the word, "I thought we'd spend a little while at the Eye of Orion since we're already heading that way. After that, I might drop him off with that UNIT group he's grown attached to for awhile. It'll do him some good, that. Always did for me." The Doctor gave him another cheeky grin, both of them knowing that UNIT had been one of the few things to keep the Doctor sane during his exile to Earth.
"Then..." the Doctor continued, "we'll see, I suppose. Hopefully he'll keep changing for the better." Looking over at the Brigadier, the Doctor suddenly looked like the cat that had gotten the cream. "How do you feel about a vacation, Brigadier?" the Doctor asked.
"A vacation?" Now there was a thought. He hadn't been anywhere relaxing since that trip to France with Doris and that had been years ago. Provided the Doctor actually got to where he was going... "It would be nice to relax a bit."
"Brilliant! Next stop, the Eye of Orion. Allons-y!"
* * *
The Eye of Orion was all that the Doctor had promised, silent and peaceful. The Brigadier was glad this place seemed to be one of the few where trouble didn't follow the Doctor. The Master was quiet through most of their trip, staying close to the Doctor or to the Brigadier when the Doctor and Master got in a fight. Which there were a few of, the arguments, but even the Master couldn't keep a grudge with the positive atmosphere of the planet.
After two weeks, they dropped the Brigadier back at his home. The Doctor hugged him tightly as the Brigadier patted him awkwardly on the back. "Thank you again, Alistair. You are one of the best, most brilliant people I've ever been friends with!"
The Brigadier smiled at the Doctor's over-enthusiasm, more wishing the babbling man would let him go sometime in the next century. "You take care of yourself, Doctor. I don't need to hear about you dying again."
Finally the Doctor let him go, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking very pleased as he rocked back on his heels. "Promise, I won't be trying that again!"
The Brigadier turned to face the Master then, who was scowling to himself and looking at the ground. It'd been a while since he'd been unable to meet the Brigadier's eyes. "And you'll be off too then?"
When the Master didn't answer, the Doctor started to reach out to the Master's shoulders, but the Master shrugged him off. Looking back between the two of them, the Doctor glanced at the Brigadier with a question in his eyes. He gave the Doctor a reassuring nod and the Doctor shook his hand with one final farewell before heading into the TARDIS.
The Master stayed, still not looking up. "What do you plan to do from here on out?" the Brigadier asked, when it became obvious that the Master wasn't going to speak.
"I'm still going to stay with UNIT for a while. Then... I might travel with the Doctor. Only temporarily though." There was a defensiveness about the Master that puzzled him, but the Brigadier didn't comment. If he were to guess, he'd say the Master had no real plans of actually leaving after that.
The Master stayed where he was though, not making a move to the TARDIS. Finally, the Master looked up to face him. "Brigadier, I..."
And here he'd thought the Master couldn't surprise him anymore. The gratitude in the Master's eyes was one he'd never thought he'd see there and he was just as touched as he had been at the Doctor's thanks. "You're welcome," the Brigadier said a little awkwardly, but no less authentically.
Swallowing heavily, the Master nodded. He didn't wait this time, slamming the TARDIS door behind him dramatically.
The Brigadier watched as the TARDIS disappeared, shaking his head at the impossibility of it all. Next time the Doctor or the Master showed up, he was going to have to insist that he was retired and that they find someone else. Still, he walked back to his home with Doris and felt younger than he had in years.
~FINI~
Memory: Holy cow, that was long. Still, hopefully enjoyable. Remind me never to type over 20k worth of words in less than a week again though. -_-;;; Still, it's up for the Anon Memeabration, ant that's what counts. Maybe I can turn out another one before it ends... I had planned for three prompts this week, but with Elisabeth Sladen's death I've marked one out to have time for proper mourning. T_T RIP, Ms. Sladen. The Doctor will miss his Sarah Jane dearly, as will the rest of us.
Anyway, on to the quote of the fic! The Master does seem to understand both tragedies in this one...
"There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it."
-George Bernard Shaw
By: Memory Dragon
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, nor do I make any claim to.
Characters: The Brigadier, Simm Master, Tenth Doctor
Warnings: Ultimately under-preforming on slash and cuddling, but hopefully worth it anyway?
Original Prompt: The Doctor dies, permanently, and the Master somehow, accidentally ends up taking over his role of galactic saviour.
The Doctor comes back (don't care how) and the end up having awkward good guy sex.
Notes: Written for the best_enemies anon meme.
Part 1 Part 2
~
After staying with the Master for three more 'blip-hunts', the Brigadier finally asked to be taken home. The Master had made quite a bit of progress, though he'd been sullen for a while after the Brigadier said he was ready to leave. "I'm an old man," the Brigadier said by way of explanation. "All this running around and saving time is the work for someone whose bones don't creak as much. You know where to find me if you need anything."
And so the Master did, dropping in at odd hours. He waited quietly with Doris if the Brigadier happened to be out and Doris had even grown quite fond of him. He turned up every week or two, simply to talk. Sometimes it was about what he'd been doing, sometimes about the Doctor. While the Master was far from a knight in shining armor and he still made a lot of mistakes, he was slowly learning to care about more than just a few people and things. There were many missteps, but the Master was making marked progress. He'd even saved a space ship recently, for no other reason than he could and stopped by for Christmas with presents.
It was still strange talking with the Master, but the Brigadier found it easier as time went on. He'd never have believed that the Master was a reformed criminal himself... sometimes he still didn't believe the scoundrel, but he definitely wasn't the man who ran for Prime Minister any more. Still moping over a lack of new name too, which the Brigadier only shook his head at when the Master wasn't looking.
Nearly a year passed of this unspoken arrangement between them. Finally, the Master came one afternoon, looking a lot more solemn than he had the last few visits. Doris had excused herself to go shopping, leaving the two of them alone to talk.
The Brigadier waited for the Master to speak. He'd long since realized it was useless to try and prompt the Time Lord when he wanted to talk about something, so he worked on the report for the last undercover mission UNIT had sent him on as the Master sat quietly across from him.
"I'm ready," the Master said finally after about ten minutes of idle chatter. "I want... I want to burn the Doctor's body."
"Is that so?" he asked. The Brigadier looked up, watching the Master carefully. He was a lot quieter in general than he had been that first night over a year ago. If he wasn't mistaken, the traveling had actually done the Master a lot of good towards healing his mind as well as his morals. He was still sour and sarcastic and just a bit of an arse if the Brigadier were going to put it nicely, but he'd mellowed out quite a bit.
Speaking of sarcasm... "No, I was just here to see if you wanted to buy a bridge!" Mellowed, but still with a nasty temper. The Master glared at him sullenly, a bit of the old manic energy showing through as he got agitated.
Again, the Brigadier wasn't sure why the Master had come to him. That was something he'd assumed the Master would want to do privately whenever he finally decided to let go. This time, however, the Brigadier was glad the Master came. It was one last chance to see the Doctor off and the Brigadier would be honored to stand watch. "Where were you thinking of burning the body?" he asked, a little gruffer than normal.
Calming down, the Master stared at his tea absently. "I thought about here on Earth, but... The Eye of Orion is where the memorial is and he always liked it there. Will you..."
The Brigadier nodded. "I suppose I have enough left in me for one more trip, if it's for the Doctor. I owe him that much."
It only took a few minutes for him to get ready and they were back in the TARDIS. The Master glared at the console, which hummed a bit happier when the Brigadier walked in. "I don't know what she sees in you," he said moodily. The Brigadier merely smiled, greeting the old girl politely as he'd taken to doing in his earlier trips. He wasn't one to argue if a sentient ship had taken a liking to him after all. Arguing with the insanity of the universe would only raise his blood pressure and the TARDIS did tend to make sure the ride wasn't as bumpy for him.
After setting the TARDIS in motion, the Master led him through the endless corridors into the heart of the ship. Though he knew that there was no such thing in the TARDIS, it still felt a bit like the Brigadier was going downward into some particularly pleasant cave. "What are you planning to do after this?" the Brigadier asked as they walked.
"More traveling," the Master said, a lost look entering his eyes that was gone within seconds. They might be burning the Doctor's body, but the Brigadier suspected that the Master still hadn't really come to terms with the Doctor's death. "I might go back... back to UNIT in the 24th century every so often. They weren't as bad as you lot were. Jessica just got a promotion too and she asked... she asked if I would stay with them for a while."
Jessica? The Brigadier raised his eyebrows. Since when had the Master been on first name basis with Benton's descendant? He couldn't help but feel a little worried for her, despite knowing she could take care of herself very well. Still, he was happy to hear she had gotten a promotion and UNIT would always welcome help from a Time Lord. "Still being called Koskey, or whatever it was?"
"Koschei. And no." The Master's eyes darkened for a moment, but he kept walking. "I told them a different name. I'm not Koschei anymore. Koschei still had the Doctor." If that made any sense, the Brigadier supposed the Doctor would be part of the problem. The Doctor usually was.
They got to a door on the right and the Master paused, his hand on the door knob, but not turning it. "Is he in there?" the Brigadier asked.
The Master started, shoulders tensing as he pulled open the door violently. He ignored the question altogether, stepping into the room without waiting for the Brigadier to follow. The Brigadier sighed at the melodramatics as the door slammed shut. The Doctor had never been that bad. The Master could be awfully childish in this body and it reminded him constantly of a few of his students from when he'd taken up teaching math. The Brigadier had to remember that scolding the Master only made the man insufferably worse, so he didn't comment. He opened the door again to let himself through, mentally preparing himself for what he'd find in that room.
When he walked in, the Master was at the controls of some machine. The Brigadier's eyes were automatically riveted, however, to the body laying on the bed. It was covered with some sort of translucent energy field that shimmered lightly the more he stared at it. The Doctor.
Through the field the Doctor lay still, completely frozen in time. The bruises and cuts he'd seen through the monitor over a year ago were even more noticeable. The Doctor's suit was in shambles, cut up and torn in every which way and his hair was mussed at uncontrollable angles. Not a face the Brigadier recognized. There was nothing to tell that this really was the Doctor, other than the Master's word, and it didn't even really feel like the Doctor. Just another body. But this was the Doctor's TARDIS and that couldn't be anyone but him.
Maybe it was just the field, but the Doctor almost looked as if he were still alive. Just like that old fairy story of the princess who slept waiting for the prince to wake her, surrounded by thorns. This was real life though, not a fairy tale. The Doctor was dead and the Brigadier was seeing it with his own eyes after all this time...
The Brigadier reached out to the field, surprised to have his hand snatched back by the Master. "Don't touch it, you idiot! Not unless you want to have your hand frozen in time too."
"I thought you were supposed to be turning this machine off," the Brigadier said pointedly, not bothering to hide his own sorrow at seeing the body in front of him.
The Master ignored him again, not looking at either the Brigadier or the body. He went back to flipping switches, steadily growing more agitated and nervous as he did. "We don't have to go through with this now," the Brigadier said a bit more gently. "He'll wait until you're ready."
The Master hesitated, his hand hovering over a switch as he shut his eyes. For a moment, the Brigadier thought he might just agree... then his eyes snapped open and he turned angrily to face the Brigadier. "I'm not living in his shadow any more. I'm not so weak that I can't burn the body of an old enemy!"
"I never said you were." Looking back down at the body in question, the Brigadier felt his heart break. Only one heart, but that was enough for him. He couldn't imagine what having two broken hearts must be like. This wasn't about what the Brigadier wanted though. Seeing an old friend off could wait until the Master was ready for it. "But you're also saying good-bye to an even older friend."
Advancing on the Brigadier, the Master got right in his face. The Brigadier no longer feared that the Master would hurt him, so the intimidation of this move was even less effective than it had been a year ago. "I don't need to have a body taking up space on my TARDIS. I'm fine with this."
The Brigadier gave him a look of reproach and the Master slowly backed away. He was well used to the Master's outbursts and he'd come to accept the Master's silent apologies after as part of their routine. The Master listened to him for whatever reason now and that was usually enough to keep him in line, despite how the Brigadier could never figure out why. "I am fine with it," the Master said again a bit calmer.
The Brigadier nodded and the Master went back to working on the machine in silence. It was a few minutes more before the Master turned around. Flicking the last dial, they both watched the bubble-like shield slowly fade away.
He hadn't known what he was expecting. The Brigadier supposed even after all this time, he expected the Doctor to come up with some sort of miracle and walk away from this, as smug and impossible as ever. Even the Master seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for the Doctor to beat the odds once again.
However, neither of them were really quite prepared to see the Doctor actually gasping for breath and coughing as the shield blinked from existence. It was one thing to hope for it and know it was impossible. It was quite another to actually watch the said impossible thing happen.
The Brigadier's shock broke first. He moved to the Doctor's side, helping the tall, lanky man sit up. After a few big, lungfuls of air, the Doctor turned to look at him with instant recognition in those intelligent brown eyes that the Brigadier had never been happier to see. "Brigadier!" the Doctor gasped, his lips breaking into a large grin. "Brilliant. This is brilliant. I knew you wouldn't let me dow- Oh. Ow. Didn't expect that." The Doctor winced, touching one of the cuts on his face that the smile had stretched. "Didn't expect to be alive. And you lot, I don't think you did either. Have I been dead long?"
"According to the Master, it's been nearly two years," the Brigadier said, smiling in spite of himself. The man was a damned nuisance at times, but the Brigadier had never been so glad to see the Doctor alive.
"The Master..." They both looked up to see a pale and trembling Master, looking like he had just seen a ghost. "Ah, there you are, hoodie and all," the Doctor said, grinning again. "Still alive? Well, that's no surprise. You've always been good at that. Had me worried there for a while, but-"
"You're dead," the Master said with a hoarse voice. "I saw you die. Your hearts stopped and nothing I did could get them to start again!"
Stretching, the Doctor winced again and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Yup," he said, popping the 'p'. "Well, I was. I think the TARDIS gave me a jump start. A few years ago, I got stuck in a parallel world where the old girl wouldn't work. Gave her ten years of my life to jump start her and get us back home. I guess she gave them back. Still, it'd have taken a while to do the transfer. Probably... oh, two years?"
The Doctor sniffed as he babbled, dangling his feet over the side of the bed and smiling happily to himself. He missed the warning glance the Brigadier gave him as he tested out his body. "Oh, time stasis. No atrophy. Tingles a bit, but that's brilliant. Really brilliant. Still got a crick in my neck though. Not sure how that happened..."
"You were dead," the Master said again, starting to tremble more violently. Pulling a gun out from under his hoodie, he pointed it shakily at the Doctor.
The Doctor grew much more serious at that. He stood up, taking a careful step toward the Master. "Master, why don't you put that-"
"Stay back!" The Doctor put his hands up in a motion to pacify and stayed where he was. His eyes flickered over to the Brigadier who nodded.
It was the Brigadier who took a step forward this time and spoke, drawing the Master's attention. "Just put the gun down."
The gun swung around to point at him, but the Brigadier kept moving forward despite the Doctor's warning. The Master's eyes hardened as his resolve steadied his hand. "I don't need him. I don't need an old man like you either! I'll go back to my own life. I don't need either of you!" The gun swung back around to the Doctor who had tried to take a step forward. "Stay where you are!"
The Brigadier continued walking forward calmly, not afraid of the gun that pointed at him every few seconds. He was counting on the Master to be thinking of all those nights they'd spent talking, all the times he'd saved the Brigadier's life. The Master had changed over the past year and he'd started to care. While that process wasn't complete yet, the Brigadier was willing to bet his life on it. And he was right. The Master didn't fire, looking more and more uncertain the closer the Brigadier got.
Finally, the Brigadier got close enough to side step the weapon and put his hand on the Master's, pushing the weapon down gently. The Master stubbornly refused to lower it though. "You know what he did to me! Why should I?" he asked angrily, looking back and forth from him and the Doctor. The Master was furious with both of them, though the Brigadier wondered if the person the Master was most angry with was himself.
"I thought you didn't like to be alone," the Brigadier said gruffly. Perhaps he should have been gentler with the words, but it seemed to work regardless. The Master shut his eyes and let the Brigadier take the gun from him. "Good lad," he said approvingly. The Master gave him a tearful glare, but didn't say anything to it.
The Doctor came over to stand by the two of them once the gun was disposed of, looking fairly astonished at the whole thing. He reached out and ruffled the Master's hair fondly, testing the waters. Expecting the Master to snap again, it was the Brigadier's turn to be surprised as the Master just closed his wet eyes and allowed the touch. "Give us a few minutes," the Doctor asked, silently thanking the Brigadier with his eyes.
The Brigadier left the room after that. He could hear quiet murmuring as he walked away, but he wasn't inclined to eavesdrop. Making his way back to the main part of the TARDIS, the Brigadier made himself a cup of tea and waited.
It was hard to tell time in the TARDIS, but it felt like a few hours later before the Doctor strode in, flicking a few switches on the console and petting her fondly. "I take it you got my message?" the Doctor asked quietly.
"I did," the Brigadier said, taking stock of this new version of the Doctor. He'd gotten a few band-aids to cover the cuts and had much more color to his face now. The outfit was, at least, fairly mild compared to some of the Doctors he'd met in the past, but the Brigadier wasn't so sure he approved of the hair. "How did you know I would do it?" the Brigadier asked finally.
"Didn't," the Doctor said with a cheeky grin. "Didn't even know if the TARDIS would get him to you. Actually, I made quite a few of the messages for other people just in case. I'm glad it was you though." Digging his hands in his pockets, the Doctor leaned against the console. "Alistair, thank you for looking after him. You've done the one thing I've never been able to after all these years... You've helped him."
He as touched by the Doctor's thanks and almost couldn't respond for a few moments. It was more than the superficial thanks he'd gotten while being knighted. None of those people really knew him or what he'd done to save the world and he hadn't really been looking for the thanks to begin with. The Doctor knew all of that, however. This was true thanks and the Brigadier finally realized taking in the Master last year had been worth it all. He didn't do it for the thanks and certainly never expected to get it, but just this once it'd been nice to have. "How is he?" he managed to say after a while.
"Sleeping now. I slipped him a sleeping pill when he was a bit calmer." The Doctor looked absently towards the door to the corridors, a weary look crossing his face. "He just needs time to get used to it all again. I think... I think he'll be just fine now."
That was good news, at least. They still weren't friends really, but the Brigadier had, in spite of himself, grown rather fond of the Master over this past year. It was still a strange subject though that he tried not to think about too much. "What will you do with him now?"
The Doctor sniffed, coming to sit by him and leaning back lazily. "Well," he said, drawing out the word, "I thought we'd spend a little while at the Eye of Orion since we're already heading that way. After that, I might drop him off with that UNIT group he's grown attached to for awhile. It'll do him some good, that. Always did for me." The Doctor gave him another cheeky grin, both of them knowing that UNIT had been one of the few things to keep the Doctor sane during his exile to Earth.
"Then..." the Doctor continued, "we'll see, I suppose. Hopefully he'll keep changing for the better." Looking over at the Brigadier, the Doctor suddenly looked like the cat that had gotten the cream. "How do you feel about a vacation, Brigadier?" the Doctor asked.
"A vacation?" Now there was a thought. He hadn't been anywhere relaxing since that trip to France with Doris and that had been years ago. Provided the Doctor actually got to where he was going... "It would be nice to relax a bit."
"Brilliant! Next stop, the Eye of Orion. Allons-y!"
* * *
The Eye of Orion was all that the Doctor had promised, silent and peaceful. The Brigadier was glad this place seemed to be one of the few where trouble didn't follow the Doctor. The Master was quiet through most of their trip, staying close to the Doctor or to the Brigadier when the Doctor and Master got in a fight. Which there were a few of, the arguments, but even the Master couldn't keep a grudge with the positive atmosphere of the planet.
After two weeks, they dropped the Brigadier back at his home. The Doctor hugged him tightly as the Brigadier patted him awkwardly on the back. "Thank you again, Alistair. You are one of the best, most brilliant people I've ever been friends with!"
The Brigadier smiled at the Doctor's over-enthusiasm, more wishing the babbling man would let him go sometime in the next century. "You take care of yourself, Doctor. I don't need to hear about you dying again."
Finally the Doctor let him go, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking very pleased as he rocked back on his heels. "Promise, I won't be trying that again!"
The Brigadier turned to face the Master then, who was scowling to himself and looking at the ground. It'd been a while since he'd been unable to meet the Brigadier's eyes. "And you'll be off too then?"
When the Master didn't answer, the Doctor started to reach out to the Master's shoulders, but the Master shrugged him off. Looking back between the two of them, the Doctor glanced at the Brigadier with a question in his eyes. He gave the Doctor a reassuring nod and the Doctor shook his hand with one final farewell before heading into the TARDIS.
The Master stayed, still not looking up. "What do you plan to do from here on out?" the Brigadier asked, when it became obvious that the Master wasn't going to speak.
"I'm still going to stay with UNIT for a while. Then... I might travel with the Doctor. Only temporarily though." There was a defensiveness about the Master that puzzled him, but the Brigadier didn't comment. If he were to guess, he'd say the Master had no real plans of actually leaving after that.
The Master stayed where he was though, not making a move to the TARDIS. Finally, the Master looked up to face him. "Brigadier, I..."
And here he'd thought the Master couldn't surprise him anymore. The gratitude in the Master's eyes was one he'd never thought he'd see there and he was just as touched as he had been at the Doctor's thanks. "You're welcome," the Brigadier said a little awkwardly, but no less authentically.
Swallowing heavily, the Master nodded. He didn't wait this time, slamming the TARDIS door behind him dramatically.
The Brigadier watched as the TARDIS disappeared, shaking his head at the impossibility of it all. Next time the Doctor or the Master showed up, he was going to have to insist that he was retired and that they find someone else. Still, he walked back to his home with Doris and felt younger than he had in years.
~FINI~
Memory: Holy cow, that was long. Still, hopefully enjoyable. Remind me never to type over 20k worth of words in less than a week again though. -_-;;; Still, it's up for the Anon Memeabration, ant that's what counts. Maybe I can turn out another one before it ends... I had planned for three prompts this week, but with Elisabeth Sladen's death I've marked one out to have time for proper mourning. T_T RIP, Ms. Sladen. The Doctor will miss his Sarah Jane dearly, as will the rest of us.
Anyway, on to the quote of the fic! The Master does seem to understand both tragedies in this one...
"There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it."
-George Bernard Shaw