The Unexpected Hero

Slow Dancing with a Master

*Rubie's POV*

"Come on, lets dance!" I grabbed the Master's hand and dragged him over to where everyone else was dancing. Somehow he managed to overtake my sugar overloaded legs and become the one dragging me along.

He stopped us right in the middle of everyone, what was strange about that was that he pulled me close to his chest, wrapping an arm around my waist, and started to slow dance with me. We stuck out like a sore thumb, because everyone else was grinding on each other like there was no tomorrow, though I guess he didn't need to worry about that, being a Time Lord and all.

I snaked my arms around his neck and rested my head on his chest, so that we were pressed together like a sandwich.

I wouldn't mind taking a bite out of him! My distracted female mind commented. I smiled, hoping that all those other times were coincidences and he really couldn't read my mind. Though, if he couldn't, by now he would have asked me my name, but he hadn't, which meant he already knew. I started to hyperventilate, then I thought 'Maybe Lacey already told him?' Had he called me by my name? I couldn't remember. Had he erased my memories so I wouldn't come to this conclusion? Screw that, skip the hyperventilating stage and go straight to all out panicking!

"Are you ok?" he asked, his breath fanning my hair, making me shiver from the delicious sensations running along my scalp.

"I'm fine," I said softly, hoping that my voice didn't sound as shaky to him as it did to me.

He chuckled, "What have I done now?" he asked.

"Well you never asked my name, and now we're slow dancing and if you couldn't read my mind you would have asked my name, unless you asked Lacey but I don't think you did and maybe you can't read my mind because I can't remember you calling me by my name but then maybe you edited my memories so I couldn't remember that which is wrong you shouldn't have done that at all, and I'm scared cause maybe you're just like the Doctor and you've just got a perception filter or something!" I attempted to get my breath after my monologue, while the Master just laughed.

Then his whole body went stiff. He stepped away from me. Despite how apprehensive I was of him right now, I missed the sensation of being in his arms. Especially when I turned to see what he was looking at with such a blank but angry expression, only to find the Doctor approaching us. He looked terrifying and I wanted to run behind the Master and hide from this mad man!

The Master murmured, "You'll see how alike I am to the Doctor," I spun my head to see his face set in stone, his eyes locked with those of the Doctor, in the most deadly staring competition I had ever witnessed.

Lacey ran over to us, she paused near the Doctor, but eventually approached the Master and I, standing on my left side. The Master filled the gap on my right.

The music slowed in an eerie way, then stopped. Everyone turned to stare at us, forming a circle around us. We were trapped.

The Master's hand snaked into mine, holding it tightly. Mimicking him, I grabbed Lacey's hand as well.

"Lacey, get over here," the Doctor said, his tone dangerous.

I looked at her, wondering what she would do. Here was her hero, her special mad man in her favourite incarnation, but did she see him for what he truly was? Did she see that the only monster here was him? I squeezed her hand, hoping she made the right choice.

"No!" she yelled vehemently. I felt a speech coming on... "And I will never follow you like a sweet little thing ever again! Sweet little Lacey, works as a graphic designer cause she's not smart enough to do anything else! Well for your information, I am certainly not sweet, and-"

"Sssh," I told her as I brought her hand in front of my face, pressing a kiss to it. I moved to step in front of her, but the Master anticipated my move and stepped in front of me as he released my hand. He pushed his sleeves up, revealing his muscular forearms. If it was any other situation, I would be drooling.

"Are they going to fight over us?" Lacey whispered, quite close to my ear. "That's so, so... sweet..."

"Do you mean the Doctor or the Master, cause which one you meant would determine my response?" I whispered back.

"The Master, stupid!" Lacey whisper yelled.

"Oh. Good, I guess. But he's mine, you got that!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she rolled her eyes.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me!"

"Sssh, they're getting to the interesting part!" My head snapped around, and I realised that the whole time Lacey and I had been having a moment the Doctor and the Master had been talking. Scratch that, tension filled discussion, bordering on all out argument!

"You stay away from her!" the Master yells. Definitely an argument now.

"You stay away from her!" the Doctor yells back.

"What'd I miss?" I ask Lacey, assuming that she'd been listening more than I had.

"Enough. Now shush, I'll tell you later," Lacey answered distractedly.

The Doctor brought his fists up in front of him, the Master brought his hands up in defence saying that he refused to fight. It was such a role reversal from what the world knew of the relationship between the Master and the Doctor.

I wanted to help, but I didn't know how, so I just stood there with Lacey, helpless. Watching a man I cared about fight a man I once cared about, fictionally. It was the strangest thing, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. Or the universe, for that matter.

Then the Doctor threw the first punch and a scream got caught in my throat, instead coming out as a shocked gasp. The Master dodged skillfully and I sighed in relief.

It went on this way for what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes. Then the Doctor made a fatal mistake. He underestimated the Master, he wasn't paying full attention, assuming that he had already won. The Master used this distraction to deliver one hefty punch to the Doctor's face. There was a sickening crunch and a gush of blood from his nose, all in the split second before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

I ran over to the Master, he turned and I ran straight into his arms as he held me tight. "You won," my voice was muffled as my head was tucked into the Master's chest.

He chuckled. "Yes I did."