bakerstreet | Damn you, spruce bark beetles!

[He drops down to his knees as well, placing his hands on the Master's shoulders and looks back at Rose. She goes into the other room, giving them a moment alone and waiting to see how this plays out.]

Master, we're going to try and help you. I can't let you go out hunting. It doesn't matter who you are to me. Pete will throw you in a cell.

[He moves his hands to his temples.]

Is there anything else I can do? Anything?

Hide it from him, then!

Or give him a good reason to let me go. He can put me on a leash if he likes, he can punish me for it with electric shocks. Think of something, anything, and I'll do it in exchange.

Wouldn't you like to be the master for once? You'd have total control over me, the threat of losing my medicine will be enough that you could ask anything of me and I'd obey in a second. *He's clutching at Handy now, shaking.* Anything from sleeping in a box to being a whore to jumping out the window, because I could appease the drums with your help.

And it's pretty much it, yeah. Unless you can create artificial people that look and act and scream and die and taste right.

That's not who I am. I can't do those things to you. [He pulled the Master into a hug, holding him tightly and rocking him a little. There had to be some way they could compromise on this. He knew that all eyes were on them and anything the Master did was under scrutiny.]

Is there a way to psychically appease them?

Does convincing me I've killed someone count? *His eyes are running with tears, making most of his face wet.* Really, you'd be better off just executing me. Quick shot to the back of the head, I promise I won't struggle if you can bring yourself to do the shooting personally.

I'm not. You told Rose what I'd do if you died, yeah? Well, I would. I promised you I would help you, and I will. I'm not going to let you die again.

[He frowned and opened his mind a little to him, just to let him know he was there.]

Do what you need to do, okay? I can try to hold Pete back as long as I can.

Th-thank you. Oh thank you! *He opens his mind back, as much as he can without letting Handy hear the drums. And there's a bit of a tackle!hug.* See if you can come to a compromise with him, okay? There are enough crimes happening in the world that I can probably stick to thugs if it would help. I know he didn't want me to kill the bastards who hurt you, but if he knows the result of stopping me he ought to think twice.

I can talk to him again about it. Just stick to the criminals for now. I might be able to help you soon enough.

[He smiles and presses his forehead against the Master's.] Don't ask me to hurt you or use you again, okay? You know I won't.

I know. But it proves I'm sincere, now doesn't it?

I will, promise. I can go to the bad parts of town, search for nice tasty rapists and play with any muggers who try me.

I just don't like to hear it. Especially since I can't help you properly like he'd be able to. [He keeps his arms around the Master, but closes his mind off.]

I think I should go check on Rose.

*He closes off too, with a sigh.* Don't be too hard on yourself. He couldn't just fix things either.

Alright. *His turn to eavesdrop now! He's a fair bit better at it, good hearing helps.*

[It's that superior Time Lord hearing he lacks, which makes him a terrible eavesdropper now.

They're in their bedroom, talking in hushed tones. Rose sounds upset and he's trying his best to smooth things over. She's worried and upset over what he said and there's nothing he could say about it. Because if he lost the Master a second time he didn't know what he would do. He knows it upsets her.]

*Poor Rose. The Master sighs and goes to the guest room to lay down and relax. He wonders absently what they'll do about all this.*

[It's going to be a real load of work, that's for sure. He and Rose talk for a half hour before it's quiet.

Then five minutes later he walks into the quest room and shuts the door behind him.]

Well? Would I be correct in guessing she's not on my side here?

She's letting you stay. You convinced her with your speech about brotherhood and whatnot.

[He pushes himself away from the door.] She's just a bit upset with me right now, and rightfully so.

Not exactly on either side, then.

Didn't like hearing the truth? Poor silly girl.

Oi! [He frowns, moving to sit at the edge of the bed.] You'd be upset if I went barmy if Rose died. So don't pretend you'd fair any better, got it?

Oh, alright. *He sighs.* I suppose there's no chance of an IV or something to keep me fed? I don't want to wind up biting you.

[He sighs himself and falls back onto bed.]

I don't have that sort of stuff on hand here. It's hard to sneak anything out of the lab. So you'll just have to try your hardest.

Okay.

If you'd feel safer with my door barred I don't mind that. Or you could always give me a sleeping pill, that might help with the bad dreams too.

Pft. [He rolled onto his side and tucked a hand under his pillow.] I can help with dreams and I trust you enough to leave the door unlocked. There's some stuff in the freezer if you get hungry and I left you a key by the front door.

Okay, good. *He yawns.* Nice of you.

I'm just trying to keep you sane. [He lets himself drift off after a while.

The next morning they had an unexpected visitor after breakfast time. Pete had shown up, wanting to talk to them about the Master. He wasn't at all happy with the arrangement, already noticing how Handy was slacking off at work with some secret project and how Rose was caught in this. Everyone was worried with just cause, but the real icing on the cake was the late night phone call Jackie had gotten from Rose about everything that had been said.

So they all sat in the living room, the three of them (Rose had gone to see her mother), with Pete looking none too happy]

*Sigh.* Honestly, what do you expect? Incomplete or not, he's my best and oldest friend. We're the only people with Time Lord blood in this universe, and his original is the only one still alive back home.

We have 1000 years of history together, good and bad and sometimes bizarre or downright insane. But we were babies together, as close as twin brothers, and nothing you do can change that.

I've offered every concession to you, human, and I've never done that before. But death is my only medicine and without it I will break. The only reason I haven't broken already is because the disease started slow--I can never show anyone else the real force of it, for fear of breaking them worse than me.

I can be an assassain, an executioner, a soldier. I've been in much worse wars than any you humans have fought yet. I fought in the Last Great Time War, and I was in skirmishes of the Second War in Heaven. Your brain can't even imagine a Time War, Pete.

So would you rather gain a Black Ops type, or possibly lose everything? It shouldn't be that hard a choice.

Is that a threat? [Pete wasn't at all amused by any of this, especially with an offer like that. Really he was thinking of having the team come and pick the Master up.

Handy tries not to roll his eyes at being called incomplete, but he knows how true that is. He feels like they're sitting back at the Academy, being yelled at for their latest prank. If this weren't so serious, he'd laugh a little.]

John, I've already warned you about this. You've been slacking off with your duties, working on who knows what. Don't think because you're with Rose that I won't have you sacked and thrown into a cell for insubordination. I understand that you've been having a hard time adjusting to your life year and that you're excited to have someone from your former species, but we have the planet to look out for.

the BAD MOVIE NIGHT meme

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Do you suppose there's any way they can compromise?

I'm going to think of a way.

He could kill rapists or something, I suppose. It's not like Torchwood is the /most/ moral, really.

Very true. They would still be watching though.

But if he was saving people by killing bad guys they could justify it to themselves

They could. It's just a fine line to walk.

I know, but I like happy endings better :D

Happy endings are indeed nice. Sadly rare for these two. T-T

But we can change that, now can't we?

Totally :D

Yay.

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So, shall we do the next chat with Pete when they wake up?

Sure thing! Just a bit later. I'm heading off to bed. :)

KK :D

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