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keagan-ashleigh · 4 years

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I just finished Doctor Who series 12.

(Not entirely spoiler free, maybe don't read if you haven't seen it yet)

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I had heard so many complaints about it being awful (including a guy I know who specifically warned me - but meh, he's a condescending idiot who thinks his opinion is The Best and Only True, so I kinda figured he was wrong about DW, that's a kind if people I learn to not listen too much 😂), I heard so many bad critics, i didn't believe them but it kinda makes one keep their expectations low, but... like... it was actually really great?

I loved it, it was different, and sure Chibnail changed the Gallifrey lore and Doctor's origin, but he 1) gave a new vision of the character, 2) set ground for so many new stories, 3) is getting rid of the "only 12 regenerations" boundary (ensuring the show can basically go on forever, no less). The story of the Doctor is a wonderful story but you can't keep telling this story the same way for 50-60 years, without adding new things to it, I don't get why people are mad about that. I'm not mad, I feel like it gave the story a new start and that is GREAT. This means... SO much more stories and intricate development to come.

I guess the ones who spread the complaints are the same who don't like the last Star Wars trilogy, Birds of Prey, or Captain Marvel, and some other whiney fanboys make petitions about to get rid of - such whiny babies tbh. Damn there has been worst writing than that that no one dares to consider less than classics yet THOSE ones are beyond forgiveness ? C'mon. That's ridiculous.

What I am actually a bit upset about (but not really) is that Chibnail never explains how the Master survived and how the progress he made as Missy in series 10 in becoming a bit more good turned into that boiling rage he has in series 12, but I'm not mad, I can actually fill the blanks myself.

Reminds me when in the Sherlock fandom we all went crazy trying to figure our how he faked his death and the showrunner made fun of it, explaining in the process that in writing, some things don't need explaining, HOW he did it wasn't as important as WHY he did it. And I think that's a remarkable lesson in how we consider some things as plot holes the writers are ought to fill.

I'm sorry but beyond that, the fact Chibnail re-wrote the Doctor's origins, that it's a different writing style... I fail to see where people see this is bad ? Were is it awful? 🤣 People just complain because he's not telling the same story, the same way, with the same ropes, than before.

And because the Doctor is a woman. It's not necessarily prompting all the critics, I'm not saying that, but can we stop 2 secs wondering if people (so many people and not just a couple of unsatisfied) would have been that severe with the last two series if the Doctor had been David Tennant or Matt Smith - I think not, because I know for a fact they've had bad episodes no one has so virulently spoken about, because we usually don't care that much and just enjoy the thing we claim to love. And two more seconds to think about what the movies I cited before, and lot of recent movies/shows that are criticized for no good reason, have in common. I'm not saying this is the main reason every person has to critic those things but again, let's wonder if the critics would have been the same for similar movies without a female lead. I don't want to take shortcuts but it's definitely the number one critic for a lot of people, that's enough to make it a problem, so it has to be taken into account and talked about. And it is true there has been a lot of people complaining about the Doctor being a woman - not everyone have a problem with that, not everyone will admit to have a problem with that, but it IS part of the equation. The guy I was talking about, for instance, he says the last season is bad writing, that it's boring, but that's not the only thing he thinks is bas writing and boring, the only things he admits to me not to like are movies and shows that display strong female leads, a whole black cast (I'm thinking about Black Lightning, that I have recently watched and he said he thinks it's boring, while it's actually objectively very good despite some flaws), or a LGBT+ characters (he once told me something along the line of "there is a gay character in everything now and it serves nothing to the plot" ), he doesn't dislike all the shows displaying those minorities but there is a pattern to his critics and the most funny thing is that he doesn't know that, he's not one bit judgmental, sexist or homophobic, he's just really blunt to how stereotypes affect his judgment, and as I said earlier he's a condescending know-it-all so he never really bothers questioning his judgement. (He's a gen X, and I don't like stereotyping generations but.... ehhhhh 😬 people from his generation I have encountered usually are like that too so... Sorry but 👀💅🕺)

I mean. When you see the whole picture, one begins to wonder if behind those "it's not the fact that she's a woman that bothers me", a little bit of sexism isn't hiding. Many people won't even recognize this is influencing their jugement and they may not be misogynistic nor sexists at all in their lives, but there is a probability that a misogynistic society has influenced their opinion on movies and series because of how women (or black people, LGBT+ people, etc) have been stereotyped for centuries.

People may not acknowledge or even realize it has an influence, but it has, it definitely has, that is part of institutional sexism - it's not only about plain discrimination it can be really insidious like the way we perceive a show or a movie because of stereotypes we absorbed unknowingly. I am damn sure DW s11 and s12 and many other shows and movies (like the ones I cited in this post) suffer from that.

But, this point aside, the main critic is (the critic everyone who critic the last two series will admit): it's not the same as it was. That's it. That's the whole critic. AAArgh. 😫 I can't say I'm surprised, because I'm also in the Star Wars and Marvel fandoms were there is so many hatred from so called fans, but... that's never not disappointing.

Anyway, it was actually very well written and Jodie Whittaker is doing an amazing job, she is fun and silly while also grave, and adds a depth to the character that I think is really great. So were the other actors (Sacha Dhawan as The Master gave me shivers tbh), they were all so good. It's more classic than the Moffat era because he couldn't help but giving people very complex narrative arcs, but Chibnail's simplicity is working, he gets to the point, still leaves us with something to chew on. There was fun, emotion, shock, and I really enjoyed the horror movie vibes from some episodes, it is a bit less goofy than previous eras but more intense I think. It was anything but boring.

Really liked it, and I can't wait for next season.

#doctor who #dw s12 #my posts #dw s11 #13th #chris chibnall

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tardistimes · 4 years

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Olara

Summary: Snowed in with a frozen human to care for, the Master is left with only one course of action.

Series: The Planets Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1

Word Count: 5091

N.B. I was originally going to write a ‘freezing cold companion has to be warmed up by the Master with naked cuddles’ for the #dhawan!master x reader tag but then I remembered this series was overdue an updaye. If anyone would like to read another version of this story for a reader fic, let me know and I’ll keep it on my prompts list.

AO3 link here.

It was meant to be a quick stop. The Master had been looking for someone, someone who owed him a favour. He’d tracked him down to Olara, an ice giant which had been terraformed to support life. The man had been trying to hide there – whether from the Master or others, Ana didn’t know – but he had failed. His small cabin, deep in the Olaran forests, was easily found.

When the TARDIS landed, a few kilometres from the cabin so they could better sneak up on it, the Master had warned Ana to dress for cold weather. Although terraforming had modified the planet’s atmosphere, topography and ecology, it had only been mildly successful with its global temperature. The most successful settlements were around the equator. Olara’s ice caps took up significant proportions of the northern and southern hemispheres however, and the further travelled away from the equator the colder it became.

The Master had warned Ana it would be cold. He hadn’t told her it would be freezing.

Tugging her coat as tightly across her body as she could, she was grateful she’d left some gloves in the pockets or her fingers would turn blue. If only she’d had the foresight to grab a scarf. Her eyes were watering from the bitter gusts sweeping down from the high mountains and she had nothing to shield them behind.

Unbothered by the temperature, the Master marched ahead. Ana followed him as best she could but, between walking over uneven terrain and trying to maintain her core body heat, it was a struggle.

“Keep up.” He instructed when she fell behind. After a few minutes, she lagged again, so he took up her hand and used it to drag her along the trail. He wasn’t even wearing gloves. Crazy alien.

“It’s just along here.”

Nodding, worried that if she tried to speak through her chattering teeth they would bite into her tongue, she picked up her pace. The promise of a warm cabin was an enticing one. Hopefully, the man would have a roaring fire going. Unless, like the Master, his alien physiology enabled him to tolerate such extreme temperatures. If that were the case, Ana grumbled to herself, she’d go back to the TARDIS and leave the Master alone to his plans.

Someone must have liked her as, when the cabin finally came into view, they could see smoke rising from its chimney. Instead of rushing for it however, they paused behind one of the trees.

“There’s a door around the back.” He told her, pulling the TCE from his pocket. “I’ll go in that way. I want you to knock on the front door and pretend you’re lost. There’s a campsite close to here called Olaran Views, say that’s where you’re trying to go. Got it?”

She nodded again, but he wasn’t facing her. Irritated, he looked her way when he seemed to get no answer.

“Yes.” Ana managed, only just catching the tip of her tongue with her chattered word.

“Are you cold?” The Master said, his annoyance giving way to amusement.

“Bloody freezing. So if you don’t mind.” She replied, gesturing to the cabin.

Grinning at her wildly, he strode off while Ana hurried up to the front door. Slamming her palm against it, she was only waiting a moment before it swung open and a man was staring down at her.

“Hi, sorry to bother you,” she said, no longer restraining a shiver from racking her body, “I think I’m a little lost. I’m trying to find Olaran Views? I saw the smoke from your chimney and thought you could point me in the right direction?”

Immediately a smile broke out across his features. Instinctively, Ana frowned back.

“Sure, I can help you. Why don’t you come inside while I find you a map? You look like you could do with warming up.” He invited, pulling the door fully open.

Reluctantly stepping inside, she calmed herself by curling her hand into a fist when he leered over her frame.

“There’s a fire over there.” He told her, shutting them in.

Scanning the room for any sign of the Master, Ana couldn’t spot him – he must still be getting into position, she reasoned as there weren’t many places inside the cabin to hide.

Tentatively walking over to the fire, she warmed her hands over the flame while the man made a show of looking through his shelves. The inside of the cabin was cosy, decorated with earthy tones which matched the forest visible through its small windows. There was only one big room with an attached bathroom. There weren’t any personal items, like photographs, just lots of papers, logs and work tools. They cluttered up the compact space. He’d been here for some time. For them, the Master had only been looking for this guy for a couple of hours. Ana wondered how long it had been for him.

“I didn’t catch your name.” He said.

“Ana. And you are?”

“Nice to meet you, Ana. I’m Stanfield.” Giving up the pretence of looking for a map, he walked over and extended his hand.

As soon as she took it, Stanfield used his grip to tug her into his chest.

“Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?” He growled down at her.

No longer prepared to wait for the Master to show, Ana drove her heel down on Stanfield’s foot. Lifting their joined hands above her head, she spun and, when her back collided with his chest, pushed them into the nearest wall. Their collision knocked over a bureau, an assortment of books and tools falling to the floor.

With a grunt, his grip on her loosened. Wasting no time, Ana wrenched herself free and put space some between them. Taking up a defensive position, fists raised before her, she watched him for his next move. Before Stanfield could try anything else, however, the Master spoke.

“Stanfield? Is that what you’re calling yourself here, Brod?” He laughed.

There was a bed in the corner which he must have hidden beneath when Stanfield – Brod, she corrected – went to answer the door. Rising from it, the Master aimed his TCE at Brod and motioned for him to step away from Ana.

“I’m here to cash in on our favour, Brod. I don’t suppose I need to remind you what I’m owed? What I did for you?”

Slowly raising his hands, Brod backed away from Ana. He glanced her way, assessing how much of a threat she posed before pouncing. Ducking down, the beam of the TCE missed his head by an inch. Picking up a hatchet from the floor, which was knocked over in his brief fight with Ana, he threw it towards the Master. To her relief, it missed, but it gave Brod an opportunity to dart towards the door.

Immediately, Ana gave chase.

Leaping over the fallen bureau, she rushed after him. With no weapon to hand, she had nothing to aim at him as he ran through the clearing so she could only hope the Master was close behind. Following Brod on the trail, they headed in the opposite direction of the TARDIS.

Overhead, black clouds were quickly starting to gather and Ana cursed as she realised the temperature had fallen even further since their first arrival. The chase kept her warm however as she wove through the trees, bounding over the roots that crossed over the terrain and impatiently brushing aside branches that impeded her route.

Brod had a short head start on her but he was struggling with the run; the falling darkness made it hard to see where they were going and he kept catching himself on the trees. Ana was able to keep up, she’d had plenty of obstacle course training courtesy of her father, and she almost had a hold of Brod’s jacket when they suddenly burst through the treeline onto the edge of a frozen lake.

Stumbling, Ana paused as Brod unthinkingly took off across the ice. Glancing behind her, she couldn’t see the Master yet although she could hear his footsteps tearing after her. Not wanting Brod to get away, Ana continued her pursuit. The ice looked thick enough to hold them, and there was no shining sun to thaw it.

She’d lost a bit of her headway and, taking a chance, used the slippery surface to her advantage. Falling to the floor, she stuck her right foot out and, as she had hoped, it slid along the path. With the momentum of her run, she skidded into Brod’s path, her foot connecting with his ankle.

“Gah!” He yelled, floundering forward. Hands outstretched, he crashed down onto the ice. As he fell, Ana rose.

“Ana!” The Master yelled from the shoreline.

She turned to look at him. He started running toward them as fast as he could. At first, Ana didn’t understand why. Brod was still down, groaning in pain from the collision of his head against the ice. It was only when she looked at him properly that she saw the sudden urgency of the situation.

“Shit.” She breathed, watching the spindles of broken ice extend from beneath Brod’s body. All too quickly, the ground gave way from under him, and Ana – standing by his feet – went with him.

As she fell she tried to take a deep breath but however much air she managed to fill her lungs with was immediately expelled as soon as she came into contact with the freezing water. Her mouth opened to shriek, but her cry was cut short by the flood of icy lake water which flooded past her lips, reducing her shocked scream to a gurgle.

Her coat instantly saturated with water, it became a weight around her body, dragging her down with Brod beside her. In the dim light which punctured the blackened water from the gaping hole above them, she could see him struggle to stay afloat. The water around his head was stained red with blood however and he didn’t have the awareness to properly fight.

Divesting herself of the coat, Ana kicked her legs together and tried to push herself up. Her limbs were already cramping from the cold however and with no oxygen in her lungs, there was nothing to give her buoyancy.

Black splotches erupted before her eyes and it took her a second to realise she was drowning. She would die in there, Ana realised with a chilling panic. There was no way she could escape. She would die on this alien planet and no one back home would ever know what had become of her.

With another failed gasp for air, she gulped down another mouthful of water and it burned a path to her lungs. Spluttering, trying to expel it, she only drew more water in. The blackness was growing, joining together to blind her, so she couldn’t notice the sudden dimming of the light above her.

A hand encased a frozen wrist, unfeeling to his touch as he yanked her through the ice and back to his side.

“Breathe.” He instructed, frantically slapping her back to clear her airway.

She did as she was told but, instead of providing relief, breathing air was agonising. Crying from the pain, Ana wrapped her arms around herself, fighting to stay conscious.

The Master pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

“B-Brod?” Ana tried to ask through blue lips.

“He’s dead. Don’t worry about it.” The Master told her, scooping her up in his arms. “We have to get out of here, there’s a snowstorm coming. You can’t get caught out in this, you’ll freeze to death.”

He tried to activate the transporter device on his TCE but, given his howl of rage, Ana guessed it wasn’t working.

“Water got into it.” He growled. “Fuck!”

Securing his arms tightly around her, he sprinted across the lake as fast as he could without slipping.

“TARDIS is too far.” He panted, talking to himself as Ana was incapable of responding. “Got to get to the cabin.”

It was almost as dark as night when they got back into the heart of the forest. Ana didn’t know how the Master navigated it, especially with her in his arms.

She drifted in and out of consciousness, no matter how much the Master yelled at her to stay awake. She came to when he kicked open the door to the cabin. Impatiently, he dropped her onto the couch and secured the front door – he needed to get the building airtight to protect them from the snowstorm before it hit.

“Okay,” he said, hastening to her side when he was confident everything was locked up tight. “We need to get these clothes off you, get your body heat up then make sure all the water is out of your lungs.”

Ana could only stare at him, the pain from before ebbing into exhaustion. Her lungs ached, her limbs were still cramping from the cold, and she’d lost all sensation in her extremities. When she ran her tongue over her dried lips, she couldn’t even feel the action.

The Master clenched his eyes shut for a minute, pressing his hands to his temples. He seemed to war with himself for a moment before his eyes shot open and he started to work on her, with almost a clinical detachment.

Starting with her boots, he struggled to untie the wet laces but eventually succeeded. Carelessly throwing them over his shoulder, he pulled off her socks before starting on her trousers. It was a relief to get the saturated clothing off. She could suddenly feel the heat from the fire caressing her skin. She wanted to get closer to it, her head flopping to the side so she could stare at the fireplace longingly.

“Hang on, nearly there.” He said, trying to sound soothing while he thrummed with impatience. Tearing his jacket from Ana’s shoulders with little care, he yanked her upright so he could pull the sodden jumper over her head. It splatted noisily when he threw it on the floor. His hands ran over her skin as he set her back down onto the cushion, and she wanted to curl into it. How he had stayed so warm throughout the ordeal was beyond her. He hadn’t even worn gloves.

“Dumb alien.” She laughed uncontrollably, her words mumbling into each other as her brain struggled to keep up with what was happening.

The Master raised an eyebrow at her, not understanding the comment, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he focused on throwing his dry jacket over her prone body, left only in her damp underwear, and tearing the cabin apart in a hunt for clothes.

Finding some large shirts, he coaxed her up again and slid one over her head. Using a spare, he vigorously rubbed her head to wring the water from her hair. When it was relatively dry, he leaned back and observed her.

“Okay. Dry human. Now I need to warm the human.” He told himself. Glancing around, he spotted the bed in the corner.

“All right. Up we go.”

Scooping her back into his arms, Ana cried in protest when he took her away from the fire. The cabin chilled the further they moved from it, leaving her with no choice but to curl deeper into the Master’s hold for warmth. His skin burned against her exposed thigh, her skin was so cold.

Huffing, he tolerated her clawing him closer.

With one hand, he pulled back the covers and settled her in. There was an additional throw blanket over the couch, which he retrieved and added to the blankets. Still not satisfied, he retreated to the bathroom and, collecting all the towels, placed them atop of her.

Clicking on the bedside lamp as the world beyond the windows grew steadily bleaker, he looked her over again. “There. Warm and dry human. Now, let me check your lungs.”

Picking up his jacket, his entire arm seemed to disappear as he reached into a pocket for something. Blaming it on what she presumed was hypothermia making her delirious, Ana convinced herself she was imagining it.

He eventually extracted a stethoscope. Placing the resonator between his hands to warm the metal, he encouraged her to sit upright. While she wanted to cooperate, her body couldn’t.

“Fine, I’ll do it for you.” He grumbled. Grabbing hold of the tops of her arms, he gently brought her up into a seated position. When she was settled, he pulled at the back of her shirt, ignoring the hitch in her breath as the frigid air descended on her skin. Pressing the resonator to her back, he instructed her to take some deep breaths. When he’d tested several areas, he moved to her chest and repeated the process.

“That sounds good. There, you’ll be fine.” He told her.

“Master, I’m still really cold,” Ana told him miserably as he laid her down again.

Clenching his teeth, the Master realised there was no other way around this. It had occurred to him almost immediately what was the best way to warm someone, but he hadn’t wanted to take advantage. Ana was still cold however, and he was forced to admit that there was only one way to get her body temperature up. With a sigh of surrender, he worked on unbuttoning his waistcoat. Ana could only look at him in bewilderment as he made his way through his clothes. After a minute he was standing next to her, only dressed in his shorts and socks. Walking around the bed, he pulled back the covers and pressed himself beside her.

She had to bite her lip to restrain a moan of pleasure. He was so warm!

Rolling onto her side, she burrowed into his chest. He hissed when her frozen arms enfolded him and again when she pushed her nose into his neck. He accepted her however, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly against him. Rubbing his hands around her back, he tried to warm her up as quickly as he could.

Burrowed among the blankets only her head remained uncovered and, when he noticed her teeth were still chattering, he rested his cheek atop of hers so her head was sandwiched between him and her pillow. His breath warmed her cold ears and she could have sobbed with relief at the heat slowly thawing her iced body.

“Are you starting to warm up?”

Nodding frantically, Ana held him back just as tightly as he held her, hoping he wouldn’t let go anytime soon.

“Good. Because we might be here a while.” The Master groaned.

Wondering what he meant, she reluctantly drew her head back and glanced over her shoulder. A blizzard eclipsed their view of the clearing. All she could see what a screen of white.

Just the sight of it sent another shiver racking through her frame, and the Master drew her closer.

“Don’t worry. We’re safe in here. I checked everything once we got inside.”

“Can we get back to the TARDIS?” Ana asked, pleased to note her teeth weren’t chattering so much when she spoke. Settling back into his side, she curled her feet under his to warm them too.

“No,” he admitted, “the TCE got damaged in the lake water. I can fix it and teleport us to the TARDIS. It might take a while though. And we’ve still got to get you warmed up or you could get hypothermia.”

“I told you, I’m feeling warmer.”

“You still look pale.” He noted unhappily. Hesitating for a split second, he leaned in to press a kiss to the end of her nose. When Ana smiled back at him, he went for her lips.

Kissing him back tiredly, she couldn’t help but laugh when her mouth tingled as it slowly regained sensation.

“You’re not still delirious, are you? Because you only get to call me a dumb alien once.”

“Oh Christ, I didn’t say that out loud did I?”

“I’m afraid so,” the Master intoned, “at least I now know what you really think about me.”

Rolling her eyes, Ana explained: “I was just feeling jealous that you weren’t cold.”

“Time Lords are physically superior. And mentally. Superior in all manner, really.”

“Barring modesty.” She grumbled.

“I heard that.”

“I wasn’t trying to be quiet.”

“You should try being more grateful.” He said, brushing a strand of hair off her face. “My superior physiology is the only thing stopping you from freezing to death right now.”

“Oh, I’m very grateful.” Ana assured, looking up at him with a coy smile.

“Try showing it. And also, don’t call…”

“Ugh, I wasn’t calling you O.” She protested, cutting him off before he could use that old joke. “And I suppose I also have to be thankful for you pulling me out of the lake.”

“I wouldn’t leave my pet to drown.” He told her, pulling his hand out of her hair and settling it over her cheek.

“Sorry about Brod though. I know you needed him.”

“He can easily be replaced.” The Master assured her. “You can’t.”

“Still…”

“I told you before, don’t worry about it.” He insisted, petting her gently. After a moment he pulled back and contemplated her. “You’re not feeling guilty about him dying, are you? Because you know he’s a wanted felon?”

“No, I don’t,” Ana admitted, not having to lie. How terrible.

“Good pet. Try to sleep now. I’ll work on the TCE when you wake up.”

“You’re not going to work on it until then?” She asked, surprised.

“No. I’ve got to keep my human warm, don’t I?” He chuckled. “Go to sleep, Ana. I’ll be here when you wake up.” He sealed his promise with another kiss dropped on her lips.

Leaning her head on his shoulder, it was easy to drop off. Between the adrenaline she’d burned through during her chase of Brod and her near-death experience, she was exhausted. The warmth of the Master’s body next to her reassured her she was safe, and the beating of two hearts beneath her ear drowned out the ever-worsening storm outside.

________________________________________________________________

When she woke up, it was to a low, muted light. As promised, the Master was still behind her although he’d pulled back slightly when Ana had fully warmed up, not wanting her to overheat. As soon as he saw she was awake, he dropped a kiss of greeting to the crown of her head before getting up.

“We’re completely snowed in.” He told her, walking towards the fire. After stoking it, he bent to inspect his TCE. At some point in the night, he’d snuck away to disassemble it and left the components to dry. “So walking is out.”

Pulling the covers back, Ana groaned at the chilly air that greeted her, but she couldn’t stay in bed all day. After seeing her clothes were still slightly damp, she stayed in the shirt the Master had found for her yesterday.

“You should stay in bed.”

“I’m fine.” She shrugged. “Much warmer now.”

“At least eat something. There are cans in the kitchen.”

Going to rummage through the cupboard – because her stomach liked the idea, not because he told her to, she told herself – she found something which looked like blue kidney beans. Giving them a go, she found the taste unpleasant yet palatable. They settled well on her stomach and after a few bites, she didn’t even notice the slightly bitter flavour.

“Do you want anything?” She asked out of politeness, knowing he would say no. Her strange alien. How he could go so long between meals was beyond her.

“Yes. Either get back in bed or come stand by the fire.” He replied. That was where he was, sat cross-legged before the hearth while he reassembled his TCE.

“I meant, did you want any food?” Ana clarified, staying where she was, leant against the kitchen counter.

“No. Now come over here.”

“Do I get a biscuit as a reward or are you just going to pat my head and call me a good girl?” She drawled.

Glancing over his shoulder, the Master gave her a cheeky grin. “I will if that’s what you go in for.”

Determined not to let her mind go down that road, Ana did as he asked and sat next to the fire. They sat quietly together while he worked and, once she’d finished her food, the heat of the hearth started to lull her back to sleep. Before she could slump down and accidentally set herself on fire, she shuffled into a comfortable position: leaning heavily against the Master’s back with her head on his shoulder. He exhaled heavily when she pressed up against him but didn’t protest, he just continued to work.

When she came to, she was on the couch, under a blanket, and the Master was nowhere to be seen.

Sitting up so abruptly her head spun, she called out for him. There was no response and, when she looked around, there was no sign of him.

Feeling a stab of terror in her chest, Ana leapt up from the couch and ran over to the window.

He wasn’t outside either.

Beside the fireplace, all the pieces for the TCE were gone and so was his jacket.

Slumping back down on the couch, she felt her lungs constrict and struggled to draw in air.

Had he left her?

Ever since their first adventure together, a part of her worried that if she said something wrong, upset him somehow, she’d be abandoned on whatever hunk of rock they were on. Had he been angrier about Brod’s death than he’d let on? Had she ruined his plans? He hadn’t seemed angry though. Maybe it was her near-death experience? Had it finally shown him how comparatively weak she was? That she couldn’t possibly keep up with his antics.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Ana tried to make herself think. She could get down to the major cities, maybe find transport from there. Money could be an issue, but she’d learned enough from the Master to know how to acquire that in a pinch. If worst came to worst, she could call the Doctor – suffer through an I told you so speech before being deposited back home.

The thought of returning to her old, now irrefutably, lacklustre life left her gasping.

On the verge of total panic, the room was filled with a flash of light. Before the Master could say anything, Ana was upon of him, her arms caging his midsection as she held on with all the strength she could muster.

Looking at her in bewilderment, he held up his TCE. “I was just testing it. Made a few jumps with no malfunctions, so it will be safe for both of us. Thought I’d be back before you woke up.”

He prised her away and examined her. “Didn’t mean to scare you?”

Letting out a shaky breath, Ana nodded. Of course, he was just testing the TCE.

The Master was still watching her. “Did you think I’d left?”

“Did you think I left you here?”

“Ana!”

Holding up her hands, she tried to defend herself. “No, no, I just worried that something happened to you.”

“Bullshit.” He snarled. “Don’t try lying to me, pet. You’re not good enough.”

Her face fell.

He pulled her back. “I’ve told you before. I didn’t think I needed to repeat myself, you’re usually an excellent listener. It’s what I like about you.”

Ana nodded against his chest.

“What did I tell you?” He prompted.

“I’m yours.” She said. But was he hers?

Smiling at her manically, he repeated it. “You’re mine. Say it again.”

It was easy to say, harder to believe. “I’m yours.”

“Good pet.” He crooned, leaning in to seal the promise with a kiss. Unusually for him, he kept it light, feathering kisses across her lips, along her jaw until he was breathing heavily over her ear. Only when she shivered for him did he speak, keeping his voice quiet to encourage her to lean further into him. “Get your clothes on. There’s something I want to show you before we leave.”

Hasty in her obedience, she tugged on her stiff jeans, shoved her feet into slightly damp boots and threw her shirt over the one from the cabin – knowing she’d still be light on layers without her coat.

“Ready.”

The Master held a thick winter coat out for her, waiting to assist her as she stared.

“What? You didn’t think I would let you go out in only that? I’ve learned my lesson, humans don’t fare well in the cold.”

Ana rolled her eyes as she hooked her arms into the sleeves. “I thought that was obvious.”

“Maybe to a human.” He scoffed. “Your species is a lot more work than I thought. I need an owner’s manual.”

Lightly elbowing his side, the Master feigned a pained look and staggered back.

“You wanted to show me something,” Ana said, trying not to snicker at his theatrics. It would only encourage him.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he activated the TCE. They appeared in a clearing, the trees towering over them. Still on Olara, the Master had taken them further north where – at that time of year – night had already fallen. Above them, ribbons of jade streaked across the sky.

“The Aurora Borealis?”

“This planet’s version of it.”

Above them, the planet’s moon was shining fully, illuminating the meadow the Master had found them. Squinting towards the light, Ana thought the air seemed to shimmer in its rays.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He prompted, feeling proud of himself for finding them such a picturesque spot.

“Gorgeous.”

“Because it’s an ice giant, there’s an excessive amount of moisture in the atmosphere, even with the terraforming. When it gets cold enough, it forms a mist of kinds in the stratosphere which, from the ground, makes it look like the sky is sparkling.”

Tugging on the Master’s lapels, Ana brought him down to her level for another kiss.

“I take it this means you like it?”

“Love it.” She corrected.

“You’re cold though, aren’t you?”

“Bloody freezing,” Ana confirmed with a laugh.

“Let’s go back to the TARDIS.”

“No,” she said, stopping him from activating the TCE with a hand over his, “I can handle it for a few more minutes. If you don’t mind?”

“I think you can convince me.” The Master chuckled, bringing her even closer.

Olara was inspired by this post: https://263addersthetardistimes.tumblr.com/post/617343387963719680/underbetelgeuse-horizon-zero-dawn-scenery. I'm loving all the world building I get to do for this series, making up planets is so much fun!

I hope you all enjoyed the latest installation in this series! Stay safe ❤

#doctor who #dhawan!master x original female character #dhawan!master #Dhawan Master #dhawan!master x reader

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tardistimes · 4 years

Text

Master List

For anyone looking for a comprehensive list of my Doctor Who stories (which, as they’re mainly about the Master I couldn’t resist calling a Master List). I’ve only included the AO3 links in this, but if you want the Tumblr links I can add those too. And if you scroll down there’s links to stories I’ve written for other fandoms if you like my work, as well as my ongoing second novel.

Doctor Who

The Planets (The Master (Dhawan)/OC) COMPLETE

1) Daviron. Complete (1/1) 6462. The Master's human decides she wants a holiday. Things don't go as planned; at least, not according to her plan. Written for Nicola’s Birthday Writing Challenge using prompts #28 (I hear you calling me at night) and #53 (I won't let you go). Link.

2) Vabivis. Complete (1/1) 5619. After hearing about the giant spiders terrorising Sheffield from an excited Doctor's texts, O travels up north to see them first-hand and ends up being invited to travel in the TARDIS. Or, how the Master met Ana Hawkins. Link.

3) Olara. Complete (1/1) 5091. Snowed in with a frozen human to care for, the Master is left with only one course of action. Link.

4) Aractune. Complete (1/1) 5194. The Master's companion is scared of spiders. How could he possibly abuse that knowledge? Link.

The Master’s Maniacal Misadventures (The Master (Dhawan)/Reader) IN PROGRESS

1) Malaise Malfunctions. Complete (1/1) 1876. The Master made no secret of thinking human functions were ridiculous – that you needed so many hours of sleep, routine meals, toilet breaks – a period was likely held in equal derision. Link.

2) Nomadic Nightmares. Complete (1/1) 3421. Any psychologist worth their salt would tell you it was a classic anxiety dream, fuelled by fear of rejection and abandonment. You barely needed to watch as you chased after him, your feet doing all the work of carrying you there. Link.

3) Guileless Guides. Complete (1/1) 5251. It started small. The Master began to regularly ask whether you needed to eat something, either making stops at restaurants or ensuring the TARDIS kitchen was fully stocked. It was only when he sat you in front of your favourite film with a blanket thrown over your knees, that you finally noticed the lengths the Master went to in order to care for you. Link.

4) Knavish Knight. Complete (1/1) 4177. As soon as you woke up, quickly realising with a daunting chill what was happening, you had tried your best to explain to your kidnappers what an enormous mistake they had made. Link.

5) Perplexing Presents. Complete (1/1) 6353. There was a box underneath the wrapping and you pulled the lid off. Nestled inside was a pendant made of polish stone, looped around a fine gold chain. Dangling it from the end of your finger, you admired the way it caught the light, setting off shades of blue which painted your skin. “This is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it. Where did you get it?” The Master wasn’t ready to disclose that type of information yet, so O carefully answered, “Covent Garden.” Link.

6) Dastardly Dates. Complete (1/1) 4159. It wasn’t like he’d care that you were going on a date. No matter how much you’d like him to. Which was ridiculous. Insanely ridiculous. Link.

Miscellaneous Doctor Who

You Don’t Know My Name. Complete (3/3) 2207. Lucy Fletcher/Grant Gordon. A few interactions between Grant Gordon (The Ghost) and Lucy Fletcher. Link.

Original Work

Hallucinations of Normalcy (novel). Complete (30/30) 101,000. Adjusting to life in the trenches, Harry Grey and his two brothers do their best to survive the realities of the Western Front together. When his eldest brother Tom is hospitalised with trench fever, their efforts quickly begin to unravel as Harry and Richard are left to combat the rampant insanity of war alone. Link.

#fanfiction list #dhawan!master #doctor who #dhawan!master x original female character

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tardistimes · 4 years

Text

Aractune

Summary: The Master's companion is scared of spiders. How could he possibly abuse that knowledge?

Series: The Planets Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1

Word Count: 5194

N.B. Okay, I know some people will be put off by the mention of spiders in the description (I would be, as I have a spider phobia) but I promise I use minimal descriptions and their appearances are intended to be funny not scary!

AO3 link here.

“You’ll like this one.” The Master promised, opening the door for her. “Zenus. It’s a level five planet, like Earth. Its main inhabitants built their civilisations from the treetops, using a series of interconnected bridges to travel between the forests.”

“Err, I don’t think so,” Ana said, glancing outside at the arid landscape before them. There wasn’t a single tree in sight.

Giving her an innocent look after he peeked out the doors – immediately making Ana suspicious – he declared, “How strange. The TARDIS must have brought us here for some reason. Well, it would be a shame to come all this way and not have a look around. Shall we?”

Reluctantly following him outside, Ana took in their surroundings. The sky overhead was a reddish hue, a stark contrast to the greenish-black soil covering the majority of the landscape before them. It was only broken up by the odd jagged rock protruding from the dirt or a short plant of some variety, which resembled a black cactus.

“Where are we?” She asked once she had seen enough. It really was a desolate looking place, especially when she had been prepared for a luscious forest full of treetop houses.

“Hang on, I’ll check.” The Master said, turning to go look at the console.

“You mean you don’t just know?” Ana teased, taking a chance. “Wow. If the Doctor was here, she’d probably eat a bit of soil and immediately know where we are, what week it is and where the nearest doughnut shop is.”

She didn’t often try to compare him to the Doctor, knowing their relationship was a sensitive subject, and Ana immediately bit down on her lip after making the remark as she waited nervously for his response.

The Master glared over his shoulder at her, resolutely shutting the TARDIS door before stalking back to her side. “Fine.”

He drew in a deep breath. “Aractune.”

“No doughnut shop?” Ana asked, glancing at him out the corner of her eye.

“No. And I don’t need to eat dirt to figure that out.” The Master replied dryly.

“Good,” she smiled, “to be honest, I always found that kinda gross.”

He grinned back. His smiles were always so sharp, but Ana found them increasingly endearing. Especially as he moved closer to weave their fingers together. “Come on, pet. Let’s see what’s around.”

“Doesn’t look like much of anything.” She pointed out. There were no roads or trails to suggest a civilisation of any kind. The landscape, to her, looked too barren to support any kind of life, but, as the Master said, the TARDIS wouldn’t take them there for no reason.

The Master swung their hands between them as they walked, making her laugh. He was only doing it as a joke; even without an audience, he loved to be dramatic. Ana still enjoyed the contact though. Usually, his touches were possessive, it made a nice change when they could be light-hearted like this.

“So, what do you know about Aractune?” She asked as they walked along. They were getting further away from the TARDIS, currently disguised as a large boulder, but no matter how far they walked there were no signs of people.

“Level two planet,” he replied, “so not much chaos to create here. I do seem to recall though,” the Master drawled, “I mean, I’m not the Doctor so I’m not sure how accurate this is…”

Ana rolled her eyes. She should have known he wouldn’t let the matter go.

“…but Aractune is known for a nightly meteor shower which, when viewed through the planet’s atmosphere, is meant to be quite spectacular. To a human, anyway. Can’t imagine it would hold much interest to me.” He sniffed.

“We can leave if you don’t want to be here.” Ana said. “We were meant to go to Zenus anyway.”

“Yes, us Time Lords always taking you to the wrong places.” He said lightly.

“This is the only time you’ve ever done that.” Ana pointed out. “And you said that was the TARDIS’s fault, not yours.”

“It is.” The Master agreed.

“There you go then. The Doctor was always taking us to the wrong place,” she laughed, perhaps overexaggerating a little but it wasn’t a lie, “did I ever tell you about the time she promised to take me home and we ended up on an iceberg? No? Well, I’ve made my point. You’re obviously the superior pilot.”

His grin grew and he preened under her compliment. The Master was such a vain creature, which she never failed to find hilarious.

“So we’re staying for the meteor shower?” Ana asked. “I guess we can only see it at nightfall? How long do we have to wait?”

“The days are quite short here. I’d say we only have to wait half an hour before sunset.”

“Great.”

Glancing around, she was unsurprised to see there was still little to do to pass the time.

“What do we do until then?”

Reaching into his pocket, which Ana had learned were bigger on the inside a while ago, he pulled out a blanket and unfurled it on the floor.

“Do you just carry that with you all the time?” She asked sceptically. That didn’t sound like something the Master would waste space on.

“Never know when you might need a blanket.” He told her.

She still didn’t believe him but took a seat beside him on the ground. He laid back after he was sure she was comfortable and, as always, she followed him. Pointing up at the sky, he told her more about the planet, some of the reptilian-like animals which had begun to develop over the past million years, how the environment would develop over subsequent millennia until it was suitable to maintain intelligent life; trying to show off with his knowledge and dispel any comparison with the Doctor.

As he started to tell her about the natural satellites in orbit, the reddish sky darkened into a deep purple before fading into black. The stars lit up the night sky, softly illuminating the landscape around them. It was very dark once the sun set on the planet and, feeling slightly exposed, Ana shuffled closer to the Master where she felt safer.

“Are you warm enough?” He asked.

While the temperatures had dropped with the departing sun, she was fine beside him. “No.”

“Scared?” He teased next.

“No.” Ana intoned.

He stretched his arm out and, taking the invitation, Ana rolled into his side. “Silly human.” The Master mumbled into her hair, pulling her closer with his free hand.

The meteors began to shoot across the night sky, pulling a delighted cry from Ana as she saw them. The sparks from their trails flared brightly, illuminating the entire sky above them with flashes of warm yellow. They swirled into the dusty atmosphere, mixing into explosions of bright oranges and fiery reds.

The Master grinned smugly as Ana exclaimed how beautiful it was – his human was so easy to please.

She became entirely entranced with the display as it continued to unfold overhead, so Ana barely heard the rustling that first sounded behind her. When it came again, however, suddenly closer, she jumped. Pressing her hands to the Master’s chest, she pushed herself up and squinted through the shadows surrounding them.

“What was that?” Ana asked nervously.

“What was what?” The Master replied lazily, idly running his fingers through the ends of her hair.

Shaking her head, sure she was imagining it, Ana settled back against him.

“Okay, no. Do you not hear that?” She said a minute later, sitting upright as the noise came again.

“It’s just the wind.” He dismissed, still laying down. “Now pay attention to the meteor shower. You see those meteors at the end? In about ten thousand years they will finally come close enough to the planet to be pulled in by its orbit. Where they crash will become the first major body of water, which will advance the development of intelligent life. As for the other meteors, they crash five million years from now and destroy the civilisation which ultimately forms here. Absolute devastation, we really should visit…”

“Master!” Ana exclaimed. Whatever caused the noise was close enough now for her to pinpoint it, coming from her left.

Her head turned just in time to see the spindly creature approach, its numerous legs slowly breaking through the shadows as it neared them and Ana realised with a stab of terror, “SPIDER!”

It was nearly the size of a basketball and scurried towards her. With a cry, she rolled over the Master’s torso until she was firmly behind him, fully prepared to use him as a human (alien, she corrected) shield.

Instead of complaining about the indignity of her actions, the Master calmly pulled the TCE from his pocket and killed the creature approaching them.

“Honestly,” he tusked, once it was taken care of, “that is not a spider. We’re not on Earth, darling. Look.”

Reaching forward to pluck up the miniature, he held it close to Ana’s face, sighing when she immediately scampered away.

“Don’t put it near me!” She yelled.

“Pet, I’m just trying to demonstrate that it only has seven legs. Not eight.”

Refusing to look, Ana declared, “I don’t care, it still scared the crap out of me. Sneaking up on us like that. Hang on a minute,” she said, a shudder running down her spine, “are there more of those?”

“Yes. At this moment in time, they’re the dominant life form on the planet.”

Hurrying back to his side, Ana grabbed his arm (the one not holding the spider-like creature) and held him tightly. “Get me the hell out of here.”

The Master raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s fine. As I just demonstrated,” he flicked the figurine away from them, “I am more than capable of protecting us. Besides, they’re not venomous. Not to humans anyway. As far as I know.”

Ana shot him an unimpressed look. “I am not sitting out here with those things all around us.”

“But love, the meteor shower.”

“No.” She insisted, standing up and crossing her arms.

The Master, unable to remember a time he had seen Ana ever so resolute, slowly stood. Carefully folding the blanket while she tapped her foot impatiently, he only led her back to the TARDIS once it was properly tucked back inside his pocket. Offering her his arm, she quickly took it and stayed pressed to his side the entire way back.

Holding the door open for her, Ana hastened inside the TARDIS – determined to have a scolding hot shower in the hopes it would kill the feeling of invisible spiders crawling over her skin. She always felt that way after an encounter.

The Master watched her go, waiting for her to leave the console room before allowing a mischievous smile to cross his face.

________________________________________________________________

Every few weeks, the Master returned Ana home so she could maintain the life she’d left behind to travel with him – making calls to relatives and paying her bills. He was never happy about it, constantly making the argument for her to quit her job, sell her things and move aboard the TARDIS permanently. Every time, Ana pointed out she still had family on Earth and she needed somewhere to stay while visiting them.

Really, she knew it wouldn’t matter much to her if she never saw her family ever again, and she had no friends of note. Getting rid of her home, however, seemed too great a risk. Realistically, despite the developments in their relationship, Ana would always think there was a chance the Master would tire of her one day and leave her somewhere. On the chance he had enough compassion for her left to make that place Earth, it would help to have somewhere to go.

The Master was stood in the console room when she came back from her bedroom – where she had collected a few things she’d need on Earth – scrutinising the screens to try and avoid a goodbye.

With a sigh, Ana crossed over to his side. It seemed her trip home would be like every other. Just once, she wished she could say goodbye for a few days without the Master treating it as though she were saying goodbye forever.

Pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, Ana said, “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Three days.” The Master confirmed grumpily.

She didn’t know why he always made such a performance about this. He had a time machine. He could literally close the door and travel to exactly three days’ time when she was due to come back to the TARDIS, leaving no time to miss her. Instead, he’d go off on his adventures – which he’d tell her all about once she came back, making them sound as enchanting and wonderful as he could – in the hopes it would make her regret her decision to leave and choose to move into the TARDIS permanently.

If she were being honest with herself, Ana did miss the Master and the TARDIS when she left. In an ideal world, she would stay with him for as long as she could before her mortality got in the way. Life was never ideal however and she knew she had to maintain a life beyond him.

“Goodbye, Master,” Ana said, saddened when he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

He started toying with the switches on the console, which she took as her cue to leave.

Sighing again, Ana pulled open the TARDIS door and stepped outside into her living room.

Glancing around, customarily checking to see everything was in place, she paused when she saw an ominously large cobweb in a corner of the room. It spanned about a foot and was worryingly empty.

Leaving the TARDIS door open just to be safe, Ana tentatively stepped closer to it, her eyes jumping around so nothing could sneak up on her. The experience of Aractune was still fresh in her memory and she had no desire to relive any part of that.

Rationally, she knew her fear was irrational. Unfortunately, there was nothing rational about phobias and she’d been scared witless of spiders for as long as she could remember. It was something her family had always teased her for, using it as an obstacle to her following in their footsteps. How could she work in law enforcement, act in a capacity to keep others safe, if she fell prey to irrational fear so easily?

There was nothing around the cobweb and Ana prayed the creature that had created it had since departed her apartment.

Turning around, she clapped a hand to her mouth to contain the squeal which left her lips.

She only muffled part of it, enough escaping to capture the Master’s attention.

“Was that you?” He asked, stepping into her house. Casting a disparaging look at his surroundings, he declared, “Honestly pet, I don’t know what you see in this place. You could fit the entirety of this apartment inside your room in the TARDIS. At least let me find you somewhere suitable on this scrap heap of a planet?”

“Master.” Ana squeaked, jabbing a finger towards the dead, offending creature laid in the middle of her living room floor.

“What is it?” He said, curiously following her gesture. When he saw what had gotten her so excited he groaned. “Not this again. I do not understand your preoccupation with eight-legged animals. We have faced far worse, love. Significantly more dangerous and, in my opinion, much uglier. This,” he condemned, scrutinising the small arachnid before him, “it would barely fill the palm of your hand, let alone mine. And it’s already dead!”

Ana shuddered at the thought of touching it.

“Can you just get rid of it, please?” She implored, trying to keep her tone even and courteous. The last thing she needed was the Master to decide the situation was funny and torment her with the thing even further.

Luckily, after one glimpse at her face, he realised how strongly she wanted it gone and did so without complaint. Only once he’d scooped it up and left the room to dispose of its body, did Ana feel the tension leave her body. That encounter had come too close off the back of the one on Aractune and she prayed, for the sake of her nerves, she wouldn’t encounter any more spiders for quite some time. Or, ideally, ever again.

“All gone.” The Master announced as he came back in.

“Thank you,” Ana said, gushing with gratitude. If he hadn’t just handled its body, she would have thrown herself into his arms to show just how appreciative she was.

“Don’t mention it.” He grinned. “Now, about this flat of yours. I really do think you can do better. Why don’t I…”

“Master.” Ana moaned. Not again.

He held up his hands. “Very well. I won’t mention it. You stay here, in your adorable little hovel. I just hope, for your sake, that you don’t have an infestation of those silly little creatures.” The Master said idly. “Hey, do you remember that woman who was killed by those giant spiders in her apartment when we first met? I couldn’t say so at the time – given the part, I was playing – but that was quite funny, wasn’t it?”

Ana felt all the colour leave her face.

Her eyes bounced around the flat and suddenly her body was tense again.

That sneaky bastard.

Shooting him a glare, Ana stalked past him back into the TARDIS.

“Oh, are you not staying? How delightful, darling.” He grinned. “Now, how about we try and get to Zenus this time. I really do think you’ll enjoy it.”

________________________________________________________________

Ana had been trying to shower away the grime from their latest adventure when she caught sight of the first black leg emerging from the drain. With a shriek, she leapt out of the cubicle, hollering for help.

Grabbing the closest towel, Ana wrapped it around herself just in time for the Master to burst through the door to come to her rescue. If she had thought about it rationally, she might have questioned how he had responded so quickly – given he had last been seen in the console room and, no matter how much the TARDIS aided him by rearranging the corridors, he shouldn’t have been able to get to her so fast.

Instead, she watched him kill the spider and flush it down the toilet, before hurrying to his side to thank him. He pulled her into a hug, grateful for all the skin bared to him by the towel she wore, as he ran his hands along her arms before pulling her flush to his chest.

Once her heart had slowed down to its normal rate, Ana pulled back and switched off the water.

“Your clothes are all damp.” She apologised when she returned to his side.

“Don’t worry about it. I have plenty more where these come from.” He assured, pushing the hair out of her face. “Besides, all in the line of duty. I can’t let those pesky things get to my human now, can I?”

His hand trailed down her face to brush over her bottom lip and he delighted as Ana immediately gave into temptation and leaned in to initiate a passionate kiss, the leftover adrenaline from her encounter making their embrace increasingly desperate.

________________________________________________________________

“How do spiders keep getting aboard?” Ana lamented, her legs pulled up onto the seat of her chair while the Master caught the spider which had just crawled out the kitchen cupboard while she was trying to get some cereal for breakfast. “We’re in space!”

“We must have picked some up when you wanted to go to Earth yesterday.” The Master explained pointedly. He’d given Ana free reign to choose their destination and, to his chagrin, she wanted to go to Earth to see the launch of Apollo 11. To him, a trip to her sub-par planet to witness the development of primitive technology was a waste of a trip, but she’d found it fascinating.

“The launch probably disrupted a lot of the wildlife and they would have sought shelter.”

The notion that the latest scare was probably her fault, made her apologise for causing such a commotion.

“It’s all right, pet.” He said good-naturedly. “Gave me an opportunity to swoop in and rescue you.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her, making Ana laugh.

“My hero.” She grinned, going along with the joke.

At least he was trying to be.

________________________________________________________________

Picking up her phone, Ana quickly dialled the TARDIS phone.

“Miss me already, love.” The Master answered, picking up after the first ring. There was a sound of machinery clunking in the background, so Ana presumed he was working in the console room.

“Erm, are you busy?” She asked nervously.

“You do miss me, don’t you?” He chuckled deeply. If the hairs on the back of her neck weren’t already standing on end, they would have been after hearing his pleased tone. “Good pet. Why don’t you tell me what it is you need?”

She was too panicked to respond to his flirting and demanded, a bit too sharply, “Can you just come back? Please?”

The line was silent for a moment before the Master slowly agreed.

“All right, Ana. I’ll be right there.”

Pocketing her phone, Ana concentrated on what was before her. As long as she kept her eyes on it, she wouldn’t lose it. The Master would arrive and get rid of it, then she could go back to enjoying her holiday.

In exchange for the night she’d missed on Daviron – when he’d eagerly whisked her away from her vacation early despite their deal – Ana had convinced the Master to let her stay at a resort for the day. They’d come across the place on their latest adventure. The resort was surrounded by natural geothermal springs and sat secluded in the middle of the planet’s woodlands. It had seemed so beautiful and peaceful, that Ana had implored him to spend more time there and, like last time, the Master had secured her a beautiful suite at the resort’s hotel where she would stay overnight.

Her time there had been blissfully relaxing. Right up until the spider before her emerged. It was the biggest she’d seen since Sheffield and Ana was desperate to get away from it, however, it was between her and the door, leaving little room for her to escape without coming into contact with it.

The sound of the TARDIS landing was the most wonderful noise in the universe Ana decided, as it landed in her bedroom. Taking up space beside her wardrobe, it disguised itself as an additional door.

Stepping outside, the Master raised his hands in question.

Jerking her head towards the problem, she watched as he amusedly realised what he had been summoned for.

“Darling, if you missed me all you needed to do was call. You don’t need to orchestrate these things to justify it.” He jested, raking his eyes up and down the length of her body. “You know I’d never leave you lonely.”

“Master, please.” Ana pleaded, returning her eyes to the oversized bug so it couldn’t disappear on her. She’d spend the night dreading its reappearance.

With all the airs of a long-suffering man, the Master sighed as he withdrew his TCE and killed yet another creature which had offended his human.

Turning on her heel, Ana threw her arms around him and hugged him desperately.

“I knew you’d missed me.” He crowed into her hair, reeling her close.

Shivering slightly, she tried to will herself to relax. It was gone, the Master had dealt with it and she was perfectly safe.

The Master sensed her distress and hugged her more gently, with a firm hand stroking her back to calm her. “It’s all gone now, Ana.” He promised. “You can get back to your holiday now.”

She grimaced at the thought – no longer feeling safe alone in the room it had emerged in – and, after a moment, the Master added, “Unless you want to come back to the TARDIS early?”

Nodding into his shoulder, Ana was unable to see the delight on his face.

Scooping her up, the Master hastened her into the TARDIS without a backward glance.

________________________________________________________________

In hindsight, Ana should have realised what the Master was doing long before she did. As it happened, she only found out when she caught him in the act. The squirming spider was trapped between his fingers by one of its legs, about to go on Ana’s bed.

Slamming the door behind her, the Master froze before he could let it go.

Glancing over his shoulder, he gave her a guilty grin. “Pet. I thought you were going for a swim?”

“I forgot my towel,” Ana explained dryly, pointing to the item she had left slung over a chair.

“We have spares in the lockers beside the pool.” He told her, his tone casual as the spider continued its struggle against his grip.

Ana arched a brow. “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t know that or I wouldn’t have come back so soon.” She drawled. “Just what exactly are you doing with that spider?”

“I was removing it.”

She hummed sceptically. “What were you doing in here to begin with?”

As the Master of lies, he spun her a pretty story about wanting to do something romantic by leaving a gift on her bed – he even had a box in his pocket to produce as part of the charade, something he often kept on him in case he attracted his human’s ire and needed a distraction. The lie may have worked on her – it was, she begrudgingly conceded, convincingly told – if, while he spoke, her memory hadn’t produced all those times she had been terrorised by one of those eight-legged creatures, with the Master always conveniently placed to come to her rescue. Taking her to Aractune, even though he knew from their first meeting she was terrified of spiders (or in Aractune’s case, spider-like creatures). The one in her apartment, in the shower, in the TARDIS’s kitchen, in her hotel suite, and now one on her pillow. Undoubtedly he would have waited just around the corner, waiting for her screech of terror before dashing in to rescue her.

“If you want me to be your damsel in distress,” Ana said acidly, once he was finished telling his fabrications, “perhaps you could try something different next time? Maybe pay someone to dangle me off a building or accidentally drop me into shark-infested waters? This act with the spiders is starting to wear a bit thin. How about some real jeopardy?”

“Pet, I just told you…”

“Treating me like an idiot isn’t going to win me over, you know.” She bit back. Marching over to her bedroom door, she yanked it open and gestured outside. “Take your eight-legged friend with you on your way out.”

“This is my TARDIS, Ana. I’ll go where I please.” He stated, immediately rebelling.

“Fine. You can take me home then. At least I know you haven’t had time to sneak anything into my house just to scare me back to you. Take me home.”

The Master crushed the spider in his hand, annoyed with its wriggling, and Ana fought not to grimace. She must have failed as, upon catching sight of her face, his ire magnified.

“Why don’t you get the Doctor to take you home if you’re so disgusted?”

Ana was taken aback. “The Doctor? What has she got to do with anything?”

“I travelled with you all, pet.” The Master reminded. “I saw you all together. The way your eyes used to light up whenever she would swoop in to rescue you from danger – which, for the record, she also used to put you in. Never did you blame her for that, instead you would all simper and praise her intelligence, her bravery. Your precious Doctor. I’m sure if she had done this, you would have found it delightful!” He yelled, the bitterness dripping so heavily from his words, Ana could feel it wash over her from the other side of the room.

Her bewilderment grew. “That’s why you did this? You wanted an excuse to rescue me so you could be more like the Doctor.”

Out of habit, he rejoined, “I am nothing like the Doctor!”

“I know!” Ana yelled back. When his face fell, she added softly, “That’s why I chose you.”

Walking closer, still mindful of his hand and the crushed remains of the insect smeared over his palm, Ana looked at him. “When I was with the fam and I got into danger, there was always a part of me that thought they wouldn’t miss me if I was gone. I was never really a part of their family, and part of me wondered if sometimes they wouldn’t like to get rid of me. That, given the opportunity of me being in danger, they would just leave me there. That’s why I was so happy when O started to come with us because, with you there, I knew there was always someone who would notice if I wasn’t there, who would push to get me back whatever the risk. That’s why I’m with you now. You might get me into ridiculously dangerous situations, but I know you’ll always try to rescue me from them.”

“Always.” The Master confirmed without hesitation.

Ana believed him. While she knew there was a chance the Master might get sick of her one day and send her packing, she was confident he would never leave her to fall victim to one of his messes. She believed he cared for her enough to never wish her physical harm. If she was in danger, he would rescue her. There was no doubt in her mind. And she certainly didn’t need any convincing to stay with him – she had never regretted her choice to leave the Doctor for the Master and couldn’t imagine there would ever be a time that she would.

“You don’t need to play pretend being the hero, Master. There’s nothing for you to live up to. I’m happy where I am.” Ana said. “No more spiders, okay?

“No more spiders.” He confirmed. Raising his hands, ready to tug her into a kiss, he pouted when Ana hastily backed away.

“Okay, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to kiss you, really I would. But you’ve got to wash that hand first, I’m not getting spider guts in my hair.”

His dour expression was replaced with a grin as he realised her true motive for pulling away. Pointing a finger at her, he said sternly, “Don’t go anywhere.”

The Master hastened into her bathroom to do as his pet desired, Ana giggling as she watched him run off, so eager to return for his kiss.

“I’m still mad about you planting all those spiders though.” She called after him.

“I know.” He replied sulkily, prompting her to laugh again. “I’ll make it up to you.”

My hero, she thought wryly.

Note: That second experience is based on something that happened to me when a relative, who had been house sitting for us, thought it would be funny to leave a dead spider in the middle of my bedroom floor for when I got home because they know how much I hate spiders. Suffice to say, I didn't find it funny!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this and no one found the spiders creepy! I know this story doesn't progress the series much, I just thought it was a funny idea as I'd already set up that Ana hates spiders in Vabivis. Let me know your thoughts!

N.B. I've now made a Discord group for Master fans (and other Dhawan characters like Orlo, Davos etc). If you're interested in joining, message me for the link!

#doctor who #dhawan!master x original female character #dhawan!master #Dhawan Master #The Master

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tardistimes · 4 years

Text

Vabivis

Prequel to Daviron (which I posted on my main blog but all future DW stuff will go on this one). I’ve not posted many fanfiction on here before, so I’m still figuring out how to lay this out. If you prefer AO3 the link for that is here.

Summary: After hearing about the giant spiders terrorising Sheffield from an excited Doctor's texts, O travels up north to see them first-hand and ends up being invited to travel in the TARDIS. Or, how the Master met Ana Hawkins. A prequel to Daviron.

Ana had first met O when he’d helped the Doctor find out some useful information about Jack Robertson, the American billionaire they had linked to the giant spiders terrorising Sheffield. A long-suffering arachnophobe, Ana hadn’t been thrilled by that escapade and often found herself in the company of O, who – intrigued by the Doctor’s description of the creatures – had travelled up North to look at them first hand.

Despite taking the initiative to join them, he was always careful not to get in the way, hanging behind the fam and observing the Doctor’s performance. Ana stayed beside him once they were introduced, happy to be as far away from the gigantic arachnids as was humanely possible. Standing beside him, she could almost pretend that she was a spectator too; a spectator, she reasoned, was less likely to get eaten by a spider.

She felt safe in his presence. Despite everything that happened around them, people being killed – eaten – by the creatures, he was unfailing inquisitive, never tense or frightened or confused. O never seemed to mind her presence either, always waiting for her to join him with a question on the tip of his tongue about her, the fam, the Doctor, the aliens they’d encountered and the adventures they’d had. He was also kind enough not to laugh in her face whenever the creatures got too close and her phobia would rear its ugly head. She could still see the humour in his eyes though, dancing behind his calm expression, but she conceded she was acting rather ridiculously. Even the relatively small spiders made her shriek and attempt to dive behind him.

When the Doctor had suggested he tag along for their next trip, a reward for his contributions, Ana had been thrilled. As the newest addition to the TARDIS, she had often felt she stuck out among the fam – not having the connections they had forged. Sometimes it felt like she would never fit in and had suggested on more than one occasion that she stay behind so the others could enjoy a trip without her. The Doctor had urged her to stay however, and so she had. With O there she wasn’t the only oddball anymore: existing outside the close-knit bond the fam had. That was what she’d thought at first anyway, but they quickly discovered the strange synergy that existed between the Doctor and O. He seemed to understand her more than anyone else in the TARDIS, even the fam. But then again, O had been in touch with her for longer than any of them. That’s how he explained it away when Ana had asked about their past.

“What about you?” O queried, looking at her curiously from across the kitchen table. “How did you first meet the Doctor?”

“It was an accident,” Ana said. “I’d gone to Sheffield for work…”

“What do you do?” O interrupted, immediately apologising for doing so.

“No, it’s okay. I work in private security. A family who lived there were interviewing for a new head of security so I went along…”

“Did you get it?” O asked. “Oh, I did it again. Sorry.”

She smiled at him indulgently. “It’s fine, really. And, to answer your question, I didn’t actually make it there.”

“The Doctor?” He predicted eagerly.

“The Doctor,” Ana confirmed. “Grace had just died – Graham’s wife.” She hastily clarified before O could interrupt again. “And they were all staying in Sheffield while they organised the funeral. The Doctor was knocking around the place, going on the odd trip in the TARDIS, mostly on her own but sometimes Yaz went with her.”

“So, aliens?” O guessed.

“No.”

His face fell and Ana grinned at him again. “Robertson wasn’t an alien. Neither were the spiders.”

“True.”

“The Doctor was looking for materials to make a new sonic screwdriver. Yaz knew there was this scrapyard near to where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS, and they both went to see if they could find anything useful. A lot of cars went to the scrapyard, and they loaded them into these gigantic metal frames. A grapple truck was being driven through the lot when the arm suddenly swung out and hit the frame. All the stuff on the lower tiers was tightly strapped in and didn’t budge, but it knocked everything on the top row off. And standing right underneath it all was Yaz and the Doctor. I was walking near the entrance, which luckily is close to where they were, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get them out of the way in time…”

“So you saved their lives?” O said, impressed.

“They probably would have been fine even if I hadn’t shown up.” Ana protested. “It made a lot of noise, they knew to run.”

“We absolutely would have died.” The Doctor chimed in, walking past with a box of tools to work on the TARDIS console. “I had my head inside a car bonnet at the time.”

“She’s exaggerating.”

“No, I think we would have died too,” Yaz said in passing, following the Doctor to the console room. Poking her head around the door to the kitchen, she added: “Ana definitely saved our lives.”

“As soon as I saw they weren’t hurt, I went after the guy driving the truck and stopped him. Yaz identified him as a criminal she’d encountered before – you know she’s a police officer right – then she made an official arrest and took him into the nearest station where he was charged with attempted murder.”

“Nasty piece of work he is,” Yaz said. “I was part of a raid which broke up a dogfighting ring he’d set up and I was the one who caught him when he tried to run out the back. Hated me ever since. Was happy to watch Ana kick his ass.”

Ana sighed. She reserved her next comment until she was sure both women were out of earshot. “Anyway. They felt like they owed me for ‘saving’ them, so the Doctor took me on a trip to Drion-5 while Graham and Ryan had the funeral. She introduced me to everyone when we got back. I thought that would be it, but Graham convinced me to tag along on their next trip and I’ve been with them ever since.”

O sat silently, turning her story over in his head before pressing on with his seemingly never-ending list of questions. “So how did you get into private security?”

Habitually rolling her eyes, she explained that the Hawkins’ all had lengthy careers in law enforcement.

“Police?”

“Everything really. Army, navy, police force, even had the odd spy, or so I’m told.” She added, eyeing O.

He held up his hands. “I’m just an analyst.”

“Hmm. That’s what they all say.”

“Where did you train?”

“Lots of places. My Dad taught me a lot, enrolled me in defence classes when I was a kid. Then I did some training with the Army, but I didn’t like it there. Dad had gone into private security after he retired from the NCA and it seemed like something I would enjoy more. Fewer rules, more freedom.”

“Did you ever try the secret services?”

“Are you asking if I’ve ever been an analyst?” Ana chuckled. “No. Didn’t seem like it would be for me.”

“It’s not like James Bond you know.” O pointed out, almost looking disappointed.

“I know. I’d be more interested if it were.” She laughed.

“You like danger then?”

Her nose wrinkled. “I don’t think any of us would be here if we didn’t.”

“And yet a spider sends you running for cover?”

“They move so fast!” Ana defended herself while O took his turn to snicker. “I don’t know why you’re laughing, you’re here too.”

“I have to be. Who else would you use as a human shield the next time we encounter an arachnid?” He teased.

While they were all somewhat envious of O’s close relationship with the Doctor – Ana having listened to many conversations between the fam discussing it, discussing him and wondering what on earth O’s real name was – she no longer felt quite so alone in that infinitely large TARDIS. She might still be the outsider when it came to the Doctor and the fam, but she’d found a close friend in O. Someone who always volunteered to partner with her when the fam split up to look for clues. A willing ear whenever she wanted to talk about any of the crazy and amazing things they’d seen on their travels. He was the person who gripped her hand as they ran from the danger they both secretly thrilled for. O was the only person who really seemed to understand what she was thinking.

Within a few trips of O joining the TARDIS, Ana became eager to join the latest trip; no longer feeling like a burden who stuck out in the group. She had someone now who seemed to want her there; not out of obligation, because they thought they owed her. But someone who enjoyed her company. O texted her when they were out of the TARDIS and, having returned to London after failing to secure the job in Sheffield, Ana would sometimes meet him during the periods they went home to live their normal lives. He became her closest friend, which became apparent when they returned from Pendle Hill.

It had been a stressful adventure. Between the women facing accusations of witchcraft – that had been bandied about with casual threats of murder – to Ryan and O dealing with racist comments from the locals, they were all ready for some downtime. Graham had suggested a trip home to relax but, instead, the Doctor had jumped to offer some fun.

“Fun?” Graham asked a little dubiously. “No offence Doc, but you’ve tried taking us out for fun trips before. We nearly always end up running for our lives.”

“What did you have in mind?” Ryan chipped in, curious of what the Doctor considered fun.

“You each choose somewhere you want to go. We’ll take it in turns.” She said happily. “Any time, any place, any planet. Whatever you want.”

“Oh, can we go to the moon?” Graham immediately requested. “I’ve always wanted to go to the moon.”

“Yeah!” The Doctor agreed, twirling towards the TARDIS console. “When would you like to go? Present time, when it’s a somewhat large planetary satellite with a couple of flags stuck in it? In the past when no human has set foot on it yet? Or in the future when it’s been terraformed and has its own theme park?”

“A theme park?” Graham repeated dumbly, somewhat horrified at his childhood fascination having been converted into an amusement park.

“Theme park it is!” The Doctor cheered, misperceiving his question as a decision. She grabbed hold of the console and started inputting their destination. Ana quickly grabbed hold of a rail and O wisely mirrored her move. Trips in the TARDIS were never smooth.

Leading them outside, the Doctor started explaining about the amusement park – O listened to her intently. It took her a minute to realise she had no one else’s attention however. The rest of them were fixated on their planet, slowly spinning before them on the horizon.

“Is it weird that this is freaking me out more than the guy who had teeth stuck in his face?” Ryan asked.

“What’s wrong fam?” The Doctor asked, walking over to them.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” O said in Ana’s ear, whose gaze dropped away from Earth to focus on the grey dust beneath her feet.

“That’s our planet,” Ryan said, pointing at it.

“Yeah,” The Doctor said, a little dumbfounded.

“I’m looking at our planet,” Ryan continued

“You’ve been off-world before, guys.”

“I know, Doc. But it’s one thing being off your planet and another seeing your planet, while you’re stood on the Moon, which you’ve only ever seen in the sky and never thought you’d live to visit.” Graham explained.

“This is so freaky.” Ryan agreed.

“Amazing though,” Yaz added, noticing the Doctor’s crestfallen expression.

“Oh, right. Totally amazing.” Ryan said, trying to match Yaz’s enthusiasm.

“Ana?”

“Awesome.” She replied hollowly, dragging her eyes from the dust to the Doctor to give a half-hearted smile.

“So you all want to go to the theme park?” The Doctor grinned.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Yaz enthused.

“Great!” The Doctor exclaimed. Leading the way, the fam quickly followed after her. Ana and O stayed where they were.

He lightly took her hand to draw her attention to him. When that didn’t work, he squeezed it hard.

She startled but, instead of pulling free, she clenched his hand back. “Huh?”

“You okay?”

“Oh, sure. Just taking in the view.”

“By looking at the ground?” He laughed.

“We’re on the moon.” Ana said, giving him an incredulous smile. She dug the toe of her shoe into the ground and watched the dust move. The grey dust she had only ever seen in the grainy footage of the moon landings. “The moon. Do you not find that weird?”

“You realise we were all just nearly burnt as witches in 1612, right?”

“You really don’t find this bizarre? I thought everyone had a thing about the moon?”

“What thing?” O asked curiously.

Ana checked on the fam, not wanting to lose them.

“It’s fine. We’ll catch up.” O encouraged, noticing her distraction. “What about the moon?”

“You can get so caught up in life, the things happening all around you. But the moon. You look up and see it in the sky and it puts everything into perspective.”

“What perspective?” He pushed, moving closer to her side.

“That we’re just one planet, spinning around one sun, in one solar system, in one galaxy. In the incomprehensible size of the universe, it’s nothing. You can forget that when you’re walking around thinking about yourself, but when everything’s quiet, you look up, you see the moon and you remember. And now I’m standing on it. Because I got brought here by an alien who can travel through time and space.” Ana giggled. O matched her. “And now we’re going to ride on a roller coaster. On the moon. This is so weird.”

“Come on.” He said, tugging her towards the entrance. “Let’s see who vomits first.”

“Graham,” Ana predicted. “You know he’ll eat before he goes on any of the rides.”

“True.” O sighed. Graham never failed to remind them all of his stomach’s needs. “Have you decided where you want to go when it’s your turn?”

“Well I enjoy visiting new planets, but since I don’t know any of them until the Doctor takes me there, how can I ask?”

“She can suggest one.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

The Doctor had procured them all passes and their wristbands were waiting for them at the entrance hut. Putting them on, they looked for the fam.

“Over there.”

As predicted Graham was getting something which looked like orange candy floss, that Ryan was cautiously pulling a piece from.

“It tastes like pineapple,” Graham told them when they arrived.

“It tastes like pizza to me,” Ryan argued.

Ana plucked off a piece. “More like strawberries.”

Graham offered O a piece, but he declined, asking: “Where’s Yaz and the Doctor?”

“They went on the first ride they saw,” Ryan said, pointing at a ride that was spinning, free of any support, mid-air at an alarming speed.

“Huh, maybe Yaz will barf first,” Ana muttered to herself.

They waited by the food stand until they all regrouped, then they moved to queue for the main rollercoaster which looked terrifying. Ana couldn’t wait. Graham looked green.

Yaz bumped Ana’s arm to get her attention and beckoned her towards the back of the group where they were less likely to be overheard. “What’s going on with you and O?” She teased.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been holding hands most of the time we’ve been here.” Yaz pointed out.

“I was having a bit of an out-of-body experience when we landed,” Ana shrugged, “he was just making sure I didn’t wander off and get lost.”

“Mmm, if you say so,” Yaz said with a cheeky smile.

“What?”

“I think someone has a crush.” Was all she said in response, as they were the next group to be ushered onto the ride.

_______________________________________________________________

They all asked the Doctor to let them rest before their next journey, which she agreed to as Graham was still looking peaky around the gills.

The TARDIS had given O a room next to Ana’s and, once again, she marvelled that while the rest of them immediately fell on their beds in an exhausted heap, O was settling down to work. She could hear him through the wall, gathering papers and typing on his computer. There were times she wondered if he ever slept. He seemed to be awake whenever she was.

She found the distant sound of him pottering about his room relaxing and dropped asleep in minutes.

When they all regrouped the next morning the Doctor tried to ask O where he wanted to go, but he immediately deferred to Ana.

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” She said. “You go first.”

“Please.” He insisted. “You said you wanted to go to a new planet, right?”

“I do.” Ana intoned, still dubious about going before O when the Doctor had clearly wanted him to choose. It also didn’t help that O’s offer had left Yaz wearing a wide smirk. “Can you suggest somewhere?”

“Sure. I have somewhere I’m sure you’ll love.” The Doctor said, her enthusiasm unfailing. “Emara.”

O frowned, but Ana didn’t notice.

“It has five suns in its solar system so the entire planet is permanently bathed in sun. Ninety per cent of the planet is water, which is always warm,” she described, programming in their destination at the console, “and in the centre is a luscious island, bordered with pink beaches. It has a huge rainforest in the mainland. Home to the Eocrar, a tree which has blossoms shaped like hearts. There’s a rumour that one day a year they secrete powerful aphrodisiacs capable of making people fall in love with each other for the rest of their lives, but there’s no scientific evidence to back that up. How’s that sound?”

“Great. As long as we stick to the beaches.” Ana amended under her breath, glancing at Yaz whose expression had grown increasingly mischievous.

“I’d better go find some swimming trunks,” Graham said, clapping his hands together. “Wonder if the wardrobe has a snorkel.”

Ryan groaned at the thought of his granddad embarrassing him. “I’m not walking around with you if you’re wearing a snorkel and goggles.”

“Maybe there’s a spade and bucket too. We can build a sandcastle.” Graham continued cheerfully.

They all retreated to the wardrobe as none of them had thought to bring beachwear when they’d packed for their latest expedition in the TARDIS. The girls separated from the boys, heading up the spiral staircase to see what they could find.

“There are some sunglasses here,” Ana said, selecting a rose coloured frame and sliding them on. “What do you think?”

She turned to find Yaz dangling a red bikini from the end of her finger. “Would go well with this? I bet O’s eyes would fall out his head if you wore it to the beach.”

“That’s not the only thing I’d be worried about falling out.” Ana dismissed wryly. “Is there much more to choose from?”

“Yeah, a whole draw full,” Yaz said, picking out a floral patterned tankini for herself. “It’ll be nice lounging on a beach. More relaxing than that theme park. Good choice.”

“Thanks.” She accepted although it hadn’t really been her choice. Still, she was glad it would give everyone else a chance to relax – they’d probably need it before things went back to normal and the Doctor put them all into a life-or-death situation again. Sadly, that sounded more interesting to Ana than lounging on a beach, but she was sure if she said that aloud they’d all think she was psychotic.

A purple one-piece went under her shorts and t-shirt and she managed to find some flip flops to go with the beachy look.

Graham was the last to emerge, his arms loaded with beach necessities, including a large beach ball, a folded windbreak and a parasol. “Wasn’t able to find any sunscreen though.”

“I’ve got some in my room, hang on,” Yaz said, jogging off. “Meet you outside.” She yelled back at them as she went.

Ana offered to take some things from Graham and O hurried to do the same, wanting to appear to be helpful.

“I’m going to go to the rainforest if anyone else is interested in a hike?” The Doctor offered as they entered the console room.

“No thanks, Doc. I think I’ll find a quiet stretch on the beach and relax for a while. Maybe get a drink – do you think they have cocktail umbrellas here?”

“I’ll go with him,” Ryan said. “Go do some swimming.”

“Okay.” The Doctor said, trying not to look disappointed at their choice to split up the group. “O? Ana? You guys up for a hike?”

“Sure,” Ana said, her enthusiasm souring as soon as she agreed; suddenly remembering the love trees. “Erm, I’ll just go change my shoes.”

“Love to.” O grinned.

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Yaz said when Ana crossed paths with her in the TARDIS corridor.

“Need to go change my shoes. The Doctor’s taking me and O into the rainforest. You’ll come too right?”

“Yeah, all right.” Yaz agreed easily, like Ana, preferring to explore. “See you in a second.”

Once they’d regrouped outside the TARDIS, the Doctor pointed Graham and Ryan towards a pleasant stretch of beach and said they’d meet them there in a few hours.

“As for us, there’s a trail just over here. Leads through part of the rainforest and up to a cliff which overlooks the Odrine ocean.”

O walked beside the Doctor, asking questions about the planet’s atmosphere, inhabitants and other life forms. His questions came so quickly it was almost like he was quizzing her. Eventually, he ran out and turned his attention to Yaz. They hadn’t talked as often as he had with Ana, so he asked about her police career. Including the incident where she met Ana.

“It was great.” Yaz praised. “I told her afterwards she should become a police officer. She had him on the ground with an arm behind his back before anyone could bat an eyeline.”

“I have too many relatives in the police force, it’d be weird.” Ana objected, reluctantly pulled into the conversation. She had been enjoying looking at the surrounding nature. The pink-tipped blossoms glowed in the soft sunlight that dappled through the forest, every one of them a classic heart shape. She was tempted to pluck one from the branches to keep as a souvenir, but it would only die if she did.

“Hmm, maybe you should join MI6 then? She’d be an excellent fit, right O?”

“Undoubtedly.” He immediately agreed.

“I already have a job,” Ana said, moving past Yaz and O to talk with the Doctor. “Hey, Doc?”

“Yes, Ana.” She replied brightly.

“What you said before about the trees…”

“Don’t worry Ana, it’s completely unsubstantiated. Besides, I’d never take you lot anywhere where you could get drugged. Who knows how alien aphrodisiacs would respond to human physiology. I can understand why the myths persist, though. It is a romantic place, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.” Ana agreed. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

“Good. I want you to enjoy yourself!” The Doctor grinned. “I’m happy to take you wherever you want to go.”

The view from the cliff was as stunning as promised. The blue ocean had a lustre to it which Ana fixated on. Yaz excitedly watched the marine life floating among the waves, asking the Doctor all about them and if they could get any closer when they went to the beach, while O returned to Ana’s side.

“Pretty?” He asked.

“Beautiful.” She replied.

“Bored?”

Ana glanced at him incredulously, not sure she heard him correctly. “What?”

“Are you bored?”

“N-no.”

The Master chuckled. “I’m not a beach person either.”

“I like the beach.” Ana protested.

“But in the scheme of any place in the entire universe you could go, a beach has got to be pretty boring right?”

She made a choking sound which vaguely came across as a protest, but O was already walking off. He turned after a few steps and beckoned her to follow.

Ana made a point of having as much fun as possible when they returned to the beach. Playing volleyball with the ridiculously oversized beach ball, eating an alien version of ice cream – which was watery and not nearly as nice as actual ice cream – swimming in the pearlescent ocean, playing with the life that dwelled there and sunning herself on the pink sand.

The Master watched her the whole time, not believing the act. He’d seen genuine excitement cross her face during the many times they had fled for their life. Ana liked a thrill, she just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

Yaz watched O, thinking she was watching a real-time romance unfurl before her eyes. Graham and Ryan were oblivious, and the Doctor wasn’t much more use – still being somewhat socially awkward.

________________________________________________________________

Yaz waited until the Doctor was distracted with the TARDIS to ask the others if she could make her request last. She wanted to ask about the Doctor’s home world again, hoping they could visit. The Doctor didn’t seem to enjoy spending half the day at the beach though, and Yaz wanted to wait until she was in a better mood to ask. So O stepped up to go next and made his request, choosing a planet no one had heard of before. Even the Doctor seemed surprised to hear him say its name.

“Vabivis. Where did you learn about that?” She asked curiously.

“You told me about it.” O replied. “It sounded interesting. But if you’d rather we go somewhere else…”

“No, no, no. A promise is a promise.” She assured, though she lacked her usual eagerness as she made her way over to the TARDIS console.

O made his way over to Ana for the first time since they’d spoken on the cliff and joined her in grabbing hold of a railing for the flight.

“Vabivis was home to a species called the Vabivi who frequently warred with one another.” He told her conversationally. “They built elaborate kingdoms designed to best repel enemy attacks. Lots of secret passageways, booby-trapped rooms, that sort of thing. They were all eventually wiped out when they finally developed weapons of mass destruction. Killed all the Vabivi and most of their animals too. The kingdoms were so incredibly well built however that the buildings withstood everything. The planet’s turned into a memorial of sorts now. Safe to visit, although the odd visitor has died before when they accidentally triggered a booby-trap. People have been studying the place for centuries and they still haven’t mapped them all. Sometimes races try to take it over, use it as a fortress of their own. So far no one has been successful.”

“Sounds grim,” Graham observed, clutching onto a column as the TARDIS rocked sharply.

“I like military history.” O smiled back. “I am an analyst after all.”

“Spy.” Ana badly disguised in a cough, prompting the fam to laugh.

“Analyst.” O corrected habitually.

“It sounds interesting though,” Ana said. “Which kingdom do you want to see?”

“Vrots. The victorious kingdom.”

“Didn’t you just say they were all dead?”

“Yes. They still technically won.”

“Wiping out your entire species doesn’t exactly sound like a win,” Yaz commented.

“We’re here.” The Doctor said, her lips pursed into a thin line. “Not too long, okay? Ryan and Yaz are still due a turn.”

“Just a quick tour,” O promised, pulling Ana’s hand from the rails and yanking her towards the door.

“There’s this balcony,” he told her as they hastened from the TARDIS, “from which you’re meant to see two of the other kingdoms on a clear day. Looks like we’re lucky.”

As he guided her, Ana glanced around at the colossal kingdom, every building made from incredibly thick stone walls, each one a smooth, polished black. If they were on Earth, she would guess they were made of granite, gleaming under the sun that burned in the clear sky. The Vrots had designed the streets – made of a slightly rougher but equally dark mineral – to be difficult to navigate, twisting around, often leading to dead-ends, coming out at unexpected parts of the kingdom, tapering into tiny mouths which then emerged onto large plazas. The black stone which made up every building in the kingdom made the experience even more disorientating. O seemed to know exactly where he was going though.

“You seem to know this place very well,” Ana said. “Has the Doctor brought you here before?”

“Promise you won’t tell the others?” O asked, still guiding her through the kingdom like he’d been there a thousand times before.

“No?”

“Not very convincing, Ana.”

“No.” She drawled.

“The Doctor gave me a book from one of the gift shops here.” O laughed. “Don’t feel too jealous about it.”

“What?”

“Couple of years ago, thought I’d find it interesting. I think he also wanted to give me some perspective about the destructiveness species are capable of. I think they worry about me sometimes, working for secret services and all.” O said, a little less amused.

“Did you just say he?” Ana asked, distracted from the point as O had intended.

He explained as they walked, answering any questions Ana had about the planet too.

“Wow, how many times have you read this book?”

“I have an excellent memory.” O boasted, finally bringing them up to the main castle of the Vrots’ kingdom.

“Are we allowed in here?”

As O had said, there had been tourists on the planet – looking inside the empty homes, abandoned shops and overgrown parks. Amazingly, none of the buildings looked derelict, they were exceptionally well built. Nature had taken over however, that was clear. Vines grew along the streets, making them even more treacherous to navigate. Long grasses bloomed everywhere, weeds shooting up in the drains. It was stunning. It was haunting.

Around the castle, the streets were deserted. Vines were growing over the main doorway which snapped under the unexpected movement of their resting place and spiralled to the floor in clumps, throwing up dust in the air and making her cough. When O finally pushed his way inside, everything looked undisturbed.

“Of course we are. Come on.” O encouraged, guiding her up the main staircase, across to a smaller staircase, then to a spiral staircase that went up one of the towers. They finally emerged on a jet black balcony. Ana was grateful of the vines this time, without them she was sure she’d slip on the smooth surface of the rock.

“Will you look at that.” O breathed, dropping her hand to walk over to the balcony’s edge. Planting his hands on the low stone wall, he pushed himself forward and breathed in the destruction which could be seen for miles. Slowly, Ana followed him.

There had been a large forest between the three kingdoms, each made up of the impenetrable, dark stone. The other two were slightly smaller but no less daunting in her eyes. While the buildings stood tall, the forest had been decimated, stubs of trees were all that remained, having crystallised under the heatwave of whatever bomb had been used to wipe out life in that area.

“Those two kingdoms,” O pointed them out, “were the Vrots’ biggest competitors. While the Vrots’ had the advantage over their species once they developed their latest weapon, the other kingdoms were confident in their safety – knowing their proximity was their advantage. The Vrots’ couldn’t drop the bomb on them without obliterating themselves. They underestimated their determination for victory.”

“This place is amazing,” Ana said to O, envious of his destination compared to her beach holiday. She felt like a classic adventurer, delving into long-buried places, forgotten by the universe. Despite what O said, she was certain other people hadn’t come in the castle before, and the thought of being the first in thousands of years thrilled her. “I mean creepy but amazing. You made a wonderful choice coming here.”

“I can’t say I ever thought about coming here in person, it didn’t seem like somewhere the Doctor would take us.” O said. “But when she offered to take us anywhere, and we started talking about the places we’d all want to go, well I thought it sounded like somewhere you’d actually enjoy. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seemed bored on Emara.”

“I wasn’t bored… wait a minute.” She looked at him so quickly she nearly gave herself whiplash. “O. This is meant to be about where you want to go! Who knows how many chances we’ll have to choose somewhere?”

He shrugged casually. “You know me. If it’s alien, I enjoy it.”

Looking at him disbelievingly, she continued to protest. “Still, it doesn’t seem fair. We all only got one choice.”

“Plenty of more places we’ll be going, Ana.” The Master said, his decision already made. “This is only the beginning, isn’t it?”

After a moment she nodded, giving him a soft smile as they both stood over the destroyed remains of Vabivis, observing the planet’s struggles to repair the damage its inhabitants had wrought. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is.”

The last story Daviron may be my least popular work so far, but I enjoy writing this too much to stop 😂 if only I could bring myself to write in the second person, Master/Reader is so much more popular!

Oh and @wonders-of-the-multiverse, you said you wanted to know if I posted anything!

#doctor who #the master #dhawan!master #dhawan!master x original female character #world building #so much world building #the moon #amoral character #master still pretending to be o #dhawan!master x reader #why can't I write in second person

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