He's not the enemy

The note

Master

I sit down on the couch and pull the envelope out of my pocket and stare at it. I can hear the Doctor set the controls to head off to another moment in time and I sigh. I hear the signature sound of the TARDIS leaving and soon know that we're traveling throughout time.

I open the envelope and listen to Donna and the Doctor as they talk and laugh about who knows what. I pull out a letter and set the envelope aside and open the letter.

Dear Master,

I can take good guess and say that you're traveling to another spot in time with Donna and the Doctor. That also means that what you are about to read, can't be stopped. Well it can, but the chances of you telling the Doctor that he needs to change his course is likely impossible.

So, goodbye Master. I'm grad that I was able to get them to come and save you from a fate far worse than death. I will miss you, and some day, you should confess to the Doctor. But, I didn't write this to tell you what you need to do. I wrote this to say goodbye. You and I both know I won't survive if I try and regenerate, so the plan isn't to try, the plan is to just give up.

I left some thing for you in the envelope. Goodbye Master, do continue to live your life.

Sincerely,

Mark (Your illegitimate son)

I set the letter down and grab the envelope and pick it up and look inside. I find the ring he always wears and pull it out. Attached to it is a chain necklace and I slip it over of my head and glance back over at the letter and it clicks. I stand up quickly and it catches the attention of Donna and the Doctor.

"Master what is it?" The Doctor asks.

"We need to go back."

"What for?"

"He was wrong. I'm not about to keep quiet about this."

"Who?"

"Mark. He's planning on doing something stupid. We need to go back."

"Master, what is he going to do?"

"Dammit, Doctor! If you don't want to go back then I will make us go back!"

He changes the course that we're on and I pace for a moment until we stop. I run out of the TARDIS and out onto the street. Donna is quick to follow and I can here the Doctor mumble something about wanting to know what's going on as he runs to catch up while locking the TARDIS.

I continue running and spot his house and notice that a window is open on the ground floor. I run over jump through his window and run up the stairs. Based on the description of his house that he gave me while we were in captivity, I was able to locate his room quickly. Donna and the Doctor and come running up the stairs while I open Mark's bedroom door.

"MARK!" I run tackle him and pull him into a hug, before he puts the rope around his neck.

Donna and the Doctor walk in and stare at the noose that's hanging from the ceiling and I continue to hold Mark close to me. He tries to pull away from me but I hold onto him tighter and sigh. He eventually relaxes enough to hug me back and he rests his head on my shoulder.

"Why did you do it?"

"There were complications that you never heard them talking about. Killing myself if easier than going through a forced regeneration. I know that holding back a regeneration is stupid and makes it worse. I've gathered enough information to know that, but if I can die before it can start, then I'll be fine." Mark says and I place a hand on the back of his head and close my eyes.

"Come with us Mark. I can help you find a way to prevent this from happening." The Doctor says and I look over at him and he stands there with a neutral look on his face, but his eyes hold pain.

I stand up and help Mark up and he sighs. I hug him tighter and he does the same. We stand there for a moment and then we leave. We head to the TARDIS and I take off the necklace and hand it to him. He takes off the ring and hands me back the chain. I put it back on and he slips the ring onto his right hand ring finger.

He sighs and looks back out at the town around him and gets into the TARDIS. The Doctor leads him to a medical wing and I stand with Donna.

"How did you know what he was going to do?" Donna asks.

"I didn't. Not until I read the letter, and even then, I didn't know how."

"I'm glad we went back."

"So am I. He wasn't wrong, in my letter."

"What do you mean?"

"He is my illegitimate son."

"Because of the DNA transfer?"

"Yes."

The Doctor walks back to us and runs a hand over his face.

"He's resting. He won't go through a forced regeneration, and I ran a scan over him. His body adapted to the test quickly, and he'll be able to withstand a regeneration, should he ever need to go through one." The Doctor says.

Doctor

I stare at the Master and he seems to relax at hearing that and I can't blame him. I walk over to the console and set our course back to where we were originally going to. Donna and the Master walk over to the couch and sit down and talk.

It seems as if the Master has had a change of hearts and I smile as I look over at him. I can't help but feel the love and admiration I had felt for him that first day back at the Academy. His smile seems a little more genuine now as well, much like it used to.

I walk over and join them on the couch and smile as Donna tells the Master about our first meeting. A fond memory that was, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Well accept for her calling me a Martian.

I look next to me and spot the letter that the Master had gotten from Mark shortly before we left the second time. I skim over it and understand why the Master had such an urgency for me to make us go back. Mark is the closest thing the Master has had to family in a long time.

I always have my companions, but the Master has been alone so much longer than I have. When I still had my family, that was the closest he had gotten to a family. I remember him explaining that he and his family were never close, and I never recall ever meeting them, but I know that things were never good for him.

I can understand wanting to protect those you care most about, and if Mark is going to calm him down enough that he finally has someone for him to care about, then so be it. I'll gladly help him out and vow to protect Mark, like he once vowed to protect Susan. Because as far as I'm concerned, he never broke that vow, she made her decision and he still tried to keep her safe. It's my turn to pay back those efforts.