neverwouldiever | Valiantly Living On.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly happy about it, either." For the most part, he was over it, and had discussed it at length with the Doctor already. "If it were up to me, you'd be at the bottom of a ravine somewhere getting pulled apart by dogs. But the Doctor is better than me, and you should be damn thankful he decided to share some shred of mercy with you."

Jack was somewhat thankful that the Doctor was holding him back, however subtle the insistence was. "Dying just to spite him... that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

The Doctor's hand tightened a bit on Jack's shoulder, not exactly sure himself whether it was because he wanted the support or because he wanted to make sure Jack didn't just lunge at the Master. He knew how good the other time lord could be at provoking and there was no doubt that he had had the time to find out about Jack's weak spots.

"I'm sorry." The apology wasn't empty and meant for them both, for using Jack, for forcing the Master to be alive, to be with him, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. He swallowed and rubbed his face, carefully feeling for any swelling. "You would have done the same, Master. You'd have done anything if I'd tried dying on you."

"Thankful that he took what I wanted from me, using you in the process? To ensure the murderer and torturer you were locked with for a year survived. I should be glad of that? Are you glad of that? Being used to save me? This wasn't mercy, Freak. It was dependence. He doesn't even like me, I'm just the last one standing," the Master reasoned because it wasn't anything he was feeling glad over. He could save himself if he wanted to be saved. And he really didn't need the Doctor. "And I didn't die in spite, I was dying anyway. Did you forget how my wife shot me or do you remember it as a suicide?"

Rolling his eyes, the Master struggled to his feet, pushing himself up so he could stand to look at them. Sitting on the floor was just annoying.

"Doctor, I try to kill you every time I see you. Do you really think that I do that just to save your life a little bit later on?" There was a very loud and annoyed sigh. "I can't believe I'm alive and stuck in this ship, trying to reason with the two dumbest idiots in the universe. Were either of you paying attention the last year or what?"

"You could have survived it if you'd wanted." Jack was already tired of him, and he wasn't hearing any of it. Even the insulting name didn't bother him any more, since he'd heard it so many times before. "The fact remains that you are alive now thanks to him, which means that I'm sure you'll go back to scheming and trying to think of ways to kill him just like your little black hearts desire."

Jack too rose to his feet, refusing to cow to the Master any longer. He was free, he was angry, and hopefully just a little intimidating. "You've been rude to the Doctor, and I think you should apologise."

"I paid attention." Which meant that he could bring up the fact that he'd not been killed at any point there. Which was really quite telling, especially coupled with a lot of other examples he could give, but evidence wasn't what the Master wanted to hear right now.

Here he was in the middle between Jack and the Master and he already knew that this had been a horrible idea. Alright, perhaps wisest to deal with the one who wasn't restrained first, especially since he was also more likely to listen to him. The Doctor got up and turned to Jack, ignoring how his stomach cramped when he unfurled.

"I have wronged him, Jack, from his perspective. He just says the truth." In a rude fashion, admittedly.

The Master had to laugh. Loud unpleasant laughter edging on the side of insanity but he was so close to just losing it entirely and trying to bite his arm off to escape these two. They were already pissing him off and he'd been awake for what? Ten minutes? These two were more fun when they were his. And all hurt and worried... much more fun.

"You think I should apologise?" the Master stopped laughing with a smirk on his face, smug and annoying, the kind of smirk you want to wipe off someone face by force. "You're an idiot if you think that will ever happen. For either of you. No apologises, no regret, no moments of seeing the light and wanting to change, nothing. So why don't you do everyone in this TARDIS a favour and be clever."

Then, he leaned himself forward, just enough that he was closer to them. "Either let me go or kill me. Those are the options. Because let's be honest, whatever screwed up plan the Doctor has will never work. They never do. I'll leave here eventually and then who knows what?" he paused, knowing the perfect button to hit. "Maybe I'll swing by Cardiff? I hear it's a fun place to be."

Jack frowned at the Doctor. Self-pity wasn't like him... at least not as far as he knew. He hated seeing the Doctor so down on himself like that and could hardly bear to look at him without his heart breaking. He placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as if to silently tell him to sit down if it hurt him that badly.

And then the Master opened his mouth, leaving Jack very thankful that the Doctor had decided to stand between them. Had he not, Jack very likely would have been making the Master eat the railing he was cuffed to. "Haven't you done enough to them?" Sure, none of it ever really happened, but Jack was certain that any fate designed for them by the Master would have been hellish at best.

"You want to know why you were brought back?" he snapped. "Because death was too good for you. Because letting you live is worse for you than the sweet comfort of death, and you don't deserve it. Because anything that ends your pathetic life is a fucking treat compared to what you deserve to happen to you."

"Don't let him get to you, Jack." Since the Master was choosing to address Jack instead of him, the Doctor could gladly return the favour. "He can't do anything to them now. He won't." The Doctor ran his free hand through his hair, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness. It still hurt, he was probably starting to bruise, but at least he felt a bit more steady again.

He lowered his voice, not to exclude the Master but simply to address Jack in a more intimate way. Make him pay attention. "This isn't about revenge, Jack. You know that. Not for me, it isn't."

"I always liked your lot," the Master continued, happily ignoring the whole issue of the horrible words being flung at him to stubbornly continue baiting Jack. Leaving him impotently angry was victory enough because it wasn't like Jack would ever hit him... right? The Doctor would never let him. He was far too tolerant of the Master to let him get hurt and surely Jack knew that. So he could say whatever the hell he wanted.

"The team, what fun they were. Off to the Himalayas with barely a thought, where did you even find such a dull bunch? They didn't even protest!" Which was dumb because frankly the Master would always question such a stupid mission. Quite a foolish group of idiots. "They were nice though. Grumpy, obviously, but nice. I liked them. Especially the welsh one. Well, both the welsh ones."

There was such a lecherous smirk on his face as he continued on, unable to help himself from saying the worst things possible. "Welsh people scream so nicely, don't they?"

Listening to the Doctor was becoming increasingly difficult the longer that the Master continued to talk. He'd heard all of this before, and it pissed him off just as much now as it had back then. But that was back before he could do anything about it to get him to shut up. He didn't even look at the Doctor, just glaring straight past him to that smug bastard mocking him and his team. There were so many things he'd have liked to do to him, but none of them would let him stay on the TARDIS for very long.

He couldn't take any more. Jack's patience was so much less than the Doctor's, and he was sure that later he would regret that, but for now, he stepped past the Doctor, pulling a handkerchief out from his pocket. He wrapped the cloth around his knuckles and as hard as he could, struck the Master in the jaw with that fist. It stung, but not nearly as badly as he was sure it hurt the other man more.

Once he'd shaken out his fist, he unwrapped the handkerchief and grabbed the Master by the jaw to force it open so he could stuff the cloth in his mouth. "You had your chance to speak and apologise. You've now lost that privilege."

Shock was the wrong word. It wasn't as if the Doctor hadn't expected that reaction after the Master's words. It was more akin to seeing a disaster happen but being unable to stop it. Only after Jack had already gagged the Master he shook himself out of it, immediately stepping around him and putting his hands on his chest. He pushed him backwards, away from the Master, meeting his eyes, not with anger, but ever so serious.

"Jack. I understand, I really do and your anger is justified, I understand that. He's done horrible things and he's still provoking you, but what you have to accept is that this is my TARDIS. My rules. You can't hit a man that can't defend himself. You're not his jury, not his judge and definitely not his executioner." He moved one hand to cup Jack's face, catching his eyes. "If you can't accept that, you can't stay here."

The Master really hadn't believed he'd get punched in the face. He was helplessly tied to a post, it was the Doctor's job to defend him and he'd never let Jack hit him.

Except he did. And it really hurt. And it was harder than it looked to dodge it because he couldn't just move his head out of the way as he'd thought, by the time he tried that, Jack's fist was hitting his jaw, slamming his head back into the post by accident. The pain was exceptionally, as was the fact that in the process, he'd accidentally bitten his tongue. He barely had time to react afterwards but he fought against the handkerchief was vainly as he couldn't, trying to clench his exceptionally painful jaw... and failing.

Oh yeah, take away the one he had left? Nice. He was going to destroy that freak. He couldn't silence him for long, he was already working the bloody thing out of his mouth.

Jack was shaking, looking past the Doctor's shoulder to the Master. Who cared about fairness, or whether it was an honourable thing for him to do? Jack had waited far too long to be able to do that, and he wasn't even the least bit sorry about it. He couldn't avoid the Doctor's accusing gaze forever, and when his head was turned to him, he couldn't help but feel like a child being scolded for bullying at school.

"A year is a very long time, Doctor," Jack said through a tight jaw. "He didn't have any problem hurting a man who couldn't fight back. He didn't have a problem with hurting me with whatever it was he thought might be amusing that day." He glared past him to the Master again, actually a tiny bit pleased to see some bright red bleeding through the cloth. "He's lucky to have gotten away with that. He deserved it for running his mouth like that. I tolerated him talking about my team like that for far too long."

"JACK!" The Doctor did shout the name this time, wanting to be sure he was heard. "I understand how you feel, but I'm telling you, you can't stay here expecting to get your revenge. You'll have to leave. And if the reason you wanted to stay is your damn revenge, then I never should have let you stay in the first place."

His voice softening he continued, almost apologetic. "Revenge isn't my way. It can't be. You know that."

The Master finally managed to dislodge the handkerchief from his mouth, blood dibbling out after it because not only did he bite the inside of his cheek but his tongue too. Spitting a horrible mouthful onto the TARDIS floor, the Master glared at both of them, head absolutely pounding and his jaw on fire. Still, could be worse. It'd heal, that's all that mattered.

Though it'd probably bruise his wonderfully handsome face. Oh poor Jack, must of been jealous. "You can't silence me, you know? All I have now is talking so I'll talk away," the Master complained as he slid back down, feeling a little too pained to keep on his feet. But he tried his best to look bored and annoyed, not in pain and wanting to sit down for a moment. "I'm not going to stop. I'm never going to stop as long as I'm here, freak."

Licking his lips, he looked at the Doctor defiantly, hating that pathetic morality of his. "And please, get off your high horse. You've done pettier things to me before than a punch. Remember when you set me on fire? Or that blackhole? Oh! Locked in the heart of the TARDIS. That one was a bitch."

Jack drew a deep breath in through his nose to calm himself and closed his eyes. He was hearing the Doctor loud and clear, and though he wasn't exactly happy about what he was being told, he understood. He wouldn't disobey an order from the Doctor. His shoulders slumped with defeat. "I know. That wasn't why I wanted to stay... I really was worried about you two alone together." He opened his eyes, looking saddened. "But I'm not sorry."

He looked back over to the Master when he began speaking again. He should have known it wouldn't have kept him quiet for long, but the silence had been wonderful while it lasted. "No one's listening. Talk all you like, but no one cares. May as well be shouting out the doors."

Saying that no one was listening was a slight exaggeration, because the Doctor was certainly paying enough attention to turn and look over his shoulder, his expression something of a disbelieving, angry frown. Seriously? Did he want to justify getting punched?

But luckily for the Master, Jack listened to the Doctor instead of him. So the Doctor looked at Jack again, giving a tense smile and a nod. Good. He trusted Jack. That was why he'd allowed him to come along, after all.

"He can't just stay here."

"Funny thing about noise is that it's easy to say you can ignore it but actually ignoring it is harder. Trust me, wealth of experience. You'd think after a thousand years the drums would bug me less but they're somehow more annoying," the Master ranted, more for the sake of talking than anything else. Clearly they wanted him to shut up so that definitely wasn't happening. Nope, not at all.

Then, pausing, an idea hit him and the Master couldn't help himself but feel a little amused because they hadn't thought this one through. He really couldn't stay here forever. And he wanted to make that just a little bit more annoying for them.

"What happened when I need a piss?" the Master asked bluntly, tugging at the cuffs to make a point. "You've got to uncuff me sometime, boys."

Jack shrugged and smiled at the Doctor. "I'm sure there's an asteroid out there we could chain him to. I wouldn't mind that." Mostly a joke. Mostly. "Or we could tie him up to the outside of the TARDIS. Have him on a lead. Kind of ugly for a dog, though."

He then turned to the Master, looking bored. "This is a big TARDIS. I'm sure we've got a bucket round here somewhere."

"There's only one person who can survive a journey outside the TARDIS, Captain, and we both know it's not him." The Doctor turned around to face the Master fully, studying for a while as he considered. "I'll find you a room somewhere." Room, because it sounded better than cell and because, quite honestly, he very likely wouldn't throw him into a cell. The TARDIS however might. Gladly would, probably.

"I just can't let you leave it. Not yet." He had hopes, high hopes. In time, he'd be able to trust the Master. They were so much to each other. The Doctor also knew that Jack would disagree with his leniency, but then, if it wasn't for Jack he'd probably still let himself get beaten up.

"Bucket? Oh but I have such poor aim, I'd get it everything. I hope you enjoy cleaning that sort of thing up," Yes, he was so unable to do anything that his best threat was pissing around the TARDIS. Not like he'd actually do it, mind. He had dignity... to a degree. But seriously, all he needed was a chance and a weapon, then he'd be fine.

"A room? What, is that it? You're going to lock me away?" the Master rolled his eyes, looking more fed up than anything. "Good. I'm fed up of hearing you talk anyway. And looking at the freak, he makes me nauseated. Just give me a book or something, I don't want to be bored half to death."

The suggestion also surprised Jack, not having expected the Doctor to just... let him free. Surely the Doctor was smarter than that.

"Are you saying you're just gonna let him go? Come on, you can't be serious with that. He's insane and he's not going to let you get away with this... What makes you think he won't tear apart his little cell to find a way out?"

"Nothing makes me think that. I just know the TARDIS wouldn't be that kind to him." Indeed, there was a disapproving hum from the console that suggested that the TARDIS was really more on Jack's side in this argument. The Doctor glanced back at the console and bit down on his lower lip, letting out a groan of frustration while reaching up to tug at his hair.

"What if I kept the handcuffs on him?"

"I can't keep them on! What if I do need to take a leak? Or I have an itch? Or even if my shoe lace comes undone? Plus eventually my arms will strain," the Master complained because he wasn't being ignored during this debate of his future. He wanted to have a say in how he was locked away. He needed his hands free... so he could do exactly what Jack assumed he would. Tear apart his cell and find a way out. As you do.

"You said this wasn't revenge. It's cruel to keep someone handcuffed. Even human's have a whole law about how long you can do that to someone," Yes, using the Doctor's favourite race against him. Seemed like the best plan right now. "Leave me loose and let me have a room. I'll be good, honest!"

The Master had a point, and as much as Jack honestly didn't care about his discomfort, he knew that the Doctor did. "Wouldn't do much good to keep him handcuffed in front... Limited mobility, but he'd be able to do just about anything he'd normally be able to do if they weren't."

He folded his arms, struggling to think of a solution to the situation. If this were the Hub in Cardiff, he'd have him just chucked into one of those cells. Cement walls, bulletproof glass. Inelegant, but effective.

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