The Doctor and His Sister

Chapter Nine

The Master, a much younger version, chuckled at the sight of the Doctor's face. The realization was present in all of their faces. He felt his new bread and mustache with pleasure. The TARDIS gave him weird looks.

"What? Do you not like your new form?" the Master asked.

"I want to go back to the way I was." She held a straight face now.

"But you can live out the rest of your life as happy as you can be. Happy human." His Irish accent hurt her ears.

"I'd rather live with the Doctor and his companions for a very long time than live with him for less than twenty-four hours, thank you very much."

"Rude! Doctor, did you let her become like this all own her own?"

"This is how she is. I think she's perfect." The Doctor held the TARDIS' hand.

"Aw, love at first sight, now was it? Too bad I'm going to end her."

BAM! Ashley had shot the Master with her screwdriver. "I think not."

"Ashley, what have you done?? He's the only one who can turn her back!" He let go of the TARDIS' hand and ran to the Master. Ashley automatically regretted her actions and rushed over to the Master. The TARDIS decided to go along as well.

The Master was already telling the Doctor how to turn the TARDIS back with some advanced technology of some sort. Ashley apologized, and the Master just nodded. The TARDIS seemed to notice something the others didn't. "You're not going to regenerate, are you?"

The Master shook his head. "I refuse to."

"No, you can't!" Ashley knew the Master almost her whole life, he was even her prom date. She was going to be really upset if he was going to go.

The Doctor stared at his long time friend and spoke, "Are you sure about this? There's no coming back after this."

"Very funny-" he winced in pain. "Can I please talk to Ashley alone?"

"S-sure. I'm going to miss you." He took the TARDIS towards the lifeless police box.

Ashley looked at the Master and said, "So I guess this is goodbye."

"Ashley...you were the prettiest girl in all of Gallifrey. And I was glad to have you as my date."

Tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you-"

"Take care of yourself," he interrupted her, "and don't let them get you."

"Them who?"

And then he was gone, just like that. She cried and buried him on the grounds he was on, but kept his vortex manipulator. She went over to the Doctor and the TARDIS, wiping her tears away.

The Doctor was alone with the TARDIS. Ashley was grieving in her TARDIS, and he would soon help her. But this time, his precious magic blue box came first. He held her soft, gentle hand in his young hands, almost shaking.

The TARDIS noticed his shaking, put her hand on his cheek and said, "I will always be here, you know. I may not respond, but I am here."

He nodded and kissed her knuckles on the hand he held. "You have always been there for me, no matter what. How will I ever repay you?"

She smiled a little. "My madman. You do not need to repay me. Consider it my gift to you."

He started to tear up and they hugged tight; he didn't want to ever let go. But he had to, or she would die. He let go and wiped his tears out of his eyes.

"I love you," he told his TARDIS.

She smiled. "I love you too."

He did what he needed to do to put her back where she belonged and went to Ashley to comfort her. They spent the rest of the time trying to comfort each other. But one question still remanded.

Them who??