Note: Just to let you know that I've moved the blog over to Wordpress instead of Blogger. That means that if anybody's a little further behind in the story and are vaguely interested then they won't be pelted with spoilers every time they click (all the entries are on self-contained pages). I've changed the link on my profile page, but the Blogger version will still be updated.

Also, don't worry - the Master will be back. I'm not saying when, of course, but he will come back into it soon!

26/05/15: I know you guys are waiting for an update, and it will come, don't worry. It's just that the end of uni comes with more than just exams - packing up and heading back home, visiting family, deciding what the hell I'm actually going to do with my life after this point... oh, and lots of drinking. Plus real life stuff and... well, I don't want to bore you with the details, but basically my life is a bit hectic at the moment, and rushing this would just be horrible, do both characters a terrible disservice and make me thoroughly unhappy.

I'm not going to promise when it will be updated, since that just makes me panic, but I'll give you a rough estimate: Tuesday or Wednesday next week. I'm out of practice though, so be gentle?

It's not forgotten, I promise. I will see you next chapter.

Turkaholic.

Chapter 43

"Don't you dare."

The smirk on the Doctor's face was short-lived. It fell almost as fast as the wild flurries of snow now pelting against the side of the Valiant. An irritable glare took its place as he tilted his head towards Francine: she was staring into him, her face full of indignant anger as the light outside caught the lines on her face. He didn't need her to explain, he already knew very well what she thought of him; what it was she was afraid of.

"I wasn't going to." He growled. He'd spent so long being patient, staying calm, unable to do anything but watch as the Master destroyed and corrupted everything. Now he was finally in a position to change that, and Francine was wasting the little time he had with her own concerns, too stubborn to see the bigger picture. Despite his best efforts, he was beginning to lose his temper.

"I'm going with him, mum."

The Doctor closed his eyes heavily as Tish turned her back to him, frowning at her mother. This was the last thing he needed, and the thing Francine had been afraid of. "If he can help-"

"Letitia." Interrupted Francine, her voice shaking as she reached out for her daughter's hand. She lowered her voice to a whisper, though the Doctor could still hear every word. "You are staying right here. I will not lose another daughter to that…" Her eyes moved over Tish's head, examining the Doctor as she searched for the right word, "madman."

The Doctor kept his mouth firmly shut, even as indignation rose up in his chest. Allowing his frustration to get the better of him would just delay him more.

Tish looked defiantly into her mother's face and took in a deep breath. "It's my choice."

"He's going to get you murdered."

"Your mother's right." Interjected the Doctor quickly. He had to get this resolved as fast as possible, and Tish had misunderstood him entirely. "I can't ask you to come with me, it's too dangerous. Just tell me where to go."

"But-"

The Doctor gritted his teeth and sighed forcefully in frustration, cutting her off. He was starting to panic now. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her round to face him. "I don't have time to stand here and argue." He said impatiently. Tish looked at him with an almost hurt expression, and the Doctor suddenly felt a pang of regret. None of this was her fault. All the pent-up frustration of the last seven months had apparently taken their toll on him now he was free.

He sighed, biting back the inappropriate anger, and moved his features into a sympathetic frown. "Look, I understand. You want to help, and it's appreciated – really, honestly, it's brilliant." He added quickly, palms outstretched in front of her, "Ten out of ten, points for effort... but the best way you can help right now is just to tell me where to go."

"Finally the man talks sense." Said Francine lowly. Tish sighed, looking at him dejectedly as she stepped away. Finally, she simply raised her hand and pointed down the corridor they had come from.

"Second turning on your right, third on your left. There's a hatch in the floor, about halfway down." She said simply, the fire gone from her voice. The Doctor watched her silently for a moment. Part of him was desperately tempted to give in; to let her come with him even in spite of the risk. He'd spent so long alone that some honest human company would have been a comfort, but the danger was too great, and the Jones' had already suffered enough. There was the slightest chance the Master might spare him if all went wrong, but he knew the other Timelord too well to think he would spare a human.

"Thank you." He forced himself to say instead, taking one last look at both of them. Something about this seemed ominously final, but he kept that thought to himself. His lip twitched upwards in a half-hearted smile as he looked into Tish's still disappointed face, then he glanced reluctantly over at Francine. She surveyed him carefully for a moment, her lips pressed thin and her expression conflicted. Apparently hating him was a little more difficult when he'd just protected her daughter.

"Good luck." She said, the words coming out as if they were somehow foreign; as though she was trying to speak a different language.

The Doctor finally turned away, not trusting himself to say anything else. He began down the corridor, following the directions he'd been given, but he'd barely travelled a few metres when Francine's voice reached him once more.

"…And if He comes looking?"

The Doctor paused mid-step, the words making his stomach tense. Slowly he turned and looked over his shoulder, levelling on Francine with a serious, wide-eyed stare. He shook his head just slightly.

"Do nothing." He commanded quietly, his teeth bared. There was a brief second's hesitation before he said the next words. "…He's my responsibility."

Tish stood still, watching as the Doctor's figure grew smaller and smaller along the corridor. Finally he paused, resting a hand on the wall as he peered around the corner, and then disappeared.

"Now... we just pretend this never happened." Muttered Francine, reaching down to pick up the things she'd dropped. Tish didn't move. She seemed rooted to the spot. Francine paused, her eyes darting up to the back of her daughter's head. "Don't even think about it." She said dismissively. "You heard him: he doesn't need your help. For once he and I actually agree on something."

"Just because he said so doesn't make him right." She said quietly, eyes still fixed in the distance.

Francine stood upright, abandoning the bucket and the items scattered across the cold floor and stared down the empty corridor, her lips pursed. "Everything that's happened to this family is because of that man."

Tish shook her head. "No."

"Yes." Hissed Francine. Tish turned to look at her. "Just look at us. Look at Leo – and Martha."

"Martha's not dead." She breathed. "She's alive, because of him. She trusted him."

"Then for once in her life she was foolish." Francine said harshly. She reached up and placed a hand on her daughter's cheek, staring into her intently. "Tish listen to your mother. He's not a hero... he's not even human. He's an alien. A dangerous alien."

Tish glared into her mother's face. "And who told you that, mum? Harold Saxon?"

The words seemed to strike the older woman momentarily dumb. Tish sighed and pulled her mother's hand away. "You weren't there when Professor Lazarus died." A nervous smile spread across her face. "I was. I've seen what the Doctor can do… and he's incredible." She began to back away from Francine, slowly retreating along the corridor. "If anyone can stop this, it's him."

"Then let him do it alone." Called Francine desperately, trying to keep her voice low.

"And what if he dies?"

Francine shifted uncomfortably, opening her mouth in silence as she thought. "...Then at least you won't die with him." She said eventually, the words coming slowly and sternly.

"I may as well." Laughed Tish coldly. She spread out her arms to the walls around her as she backed away another step. "Because if this is all I've got to look forward to then I'd rather die trying to do something about it, thanks."

"Tish, please. Don't make the same mistake as your sister!"

There was a pointed silence as the words sank in. The two women stood staring at each other, Tish's eyes widening in disbelief, her eyes glistening just slightly with tears. Francine shook her head, a look of realisation dawning on her face as she saw the younger woman's expression harden defiantly.

"You know what?" Said Tish quietly, "one of these days you might just trust us both to make our own decisions."

With that she turned on the spot and walked away, leaving Francine staring helplessly after her, silent and alone in the half-light.

The sky outside had now reached a dangerously light shade of violet. The Doctor walked at a furious pace along the passageway, his attention divided between the floor in front of him and the corridor ahead.

He'd passed the engines here, and they were returning to that distant hum that he'd become so sickeningly accustomed to these past months. It meant he couldn't rely on background noise for cover anymore, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd made a wrong turning, or missed what he was looking for..

Arguing with Francine and Tish had used up time he didn't have to spare, but so far he'd sensed no change in that connection between the Master and himself. That was a good sign, but once the Sun rose and the Valiant came to life, there was no knowing how close the other Timelord might pass – either to himself, or the empty white room, and either event would raise the alarm. If that happened, there was no way of telling where and how this day would end.

He narrowed his eyes on the dimly-lit floor, scanning it for any sign of the hatch Tish had mentioned. She'd said it was dangerous, but he'd had no time to ask about the details. He would have to deal with whatever it was when he came to it.

The Doctor suddenly halted, feeling his breath hitch in expectation as he noticed an inconsistency in the floor ahead: A thin black line made itself apparent in the plain white, running against the line of tiles. It was only as he moved closer towards it that he let his breath out in relief. The line actually formed part of a square, the outline of it barely wider than a hair. The only other indication that it was any different to the rest of the floor was a small steel lock. He brushed his foot over it out of curiosity. It was set perfectly into the floor. He could barely feel the difference.

He imagined that was the point. The Master had designed the Valiant himself, after all. Working for the Ministry of Defence, making concessions in the design must have infuriated him, but apparently he'd made sure that any points of weakness were well disguised. The Doctor's hearts went out in gratitude to Tish: If she hadn't told him to look for it, he would have walked right past this without even noticing.

He lowered himself silently to his knees, running his fingers over the hairline crack in the floor. There was a chance that it would be deadlocked, but the Doctor was hoping that the other Timelord had imagined the risk too small to bother. He plunged his hand into his jacket, pulled out his screwdriver, and rested it against the barely visible lock.

And then he froze.

He'd heard something: the soft squeak of rubber against tile. He felt his hair stand on end.

For a moment he thought he was imagining it, but even as he listened he heard it again. Someone was coming down the corridor. Someone trying desperately to be silent.

He raised his head and turned reluctantly towards the source of the noise, every muscle in his body tensing, ready to run. His eyes focused on the figure moving towards him and he sighed, rising slowly back to his feet as his hearts sank in recognition.

The guard halted as their eyes met. Wordlessly he raised his gun, taking careful aim at the Doctor's chest.