From email
Closing his eyes against the rush of memories, the Master reached out to steady himself against a nearby bookshelf. Well, the location was certainly better than last time, but he could really have done without the trip. He needed distraction, not boredom.
Scowling a moment, he shoved away from the shelf, looking around to see if there was anyone who could have seen that moment of weakness. Oh, lovely. Only one of his previous regenerations. Just lovely. He glanced at the book his other self was reading a moment.
"That was more interesting as a movie than a book."
"Oh, I don't know, I think I prefer to imagine it for myself."
The Master shrugged, leaning against the bookshelf in a more careless fashion than earlier. "Your call. Harder to share throwing popcorn at a book than at a movie, though." He paused, a smirk curling up the corners of his mouth. "And I think the last copy I had I threw at the Doctor's head on his way out of my flat. Or was that a different book? Some early twentieth-century piece of science-fiction, at any rate."
"Whichever one you had that was heaviest, I'd expect," he said dryly. "How was your aim?"
"He's still on the same regeneration, though he might have had a concussion. Nothing bad enough to keep him from getting off my planet." He gave his earlier regeneration a toothy smile.
"What had he done this time? Wait, your planet? I rather like the sound of that."
"Yes, Earth, my planet. Not his, not the little humans. Mine. And everything and everyone on it." He paused. "Even if they don't all know that yet." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers, a smug little smile on his face. "As for what he did? What he always does. He caused trouble. Nothing I can't handle, but annoying nonetheless."
"He does excel at that. Definitely the most annoying person I know, and I certainly hope you haven't met anyone more annoying since you were me. I'm not sure the universe could take it."
"Not that I recall, no." He shrugged. "Though there was this cheeky blond who thought that an up-and-coming businessman clearly needed a wife. Nearly as annoying, if in a fashion the Doctor hasn't been in centuries."
That amused him. "There's a version of us out there, the same regeneration as yours, who actually got married." He sounded dubious about the very idea. "I wonder if it's the same woman."
He twitched. "Oh, I do hope not. I would like to think I've better sense than that." He tilted his head, regarding his earlier regeneration with idle curiosity. "Where are you in the timeline, anyway?"
"Just after that business with the chronovore."
"Oh, that." The Master made a face. "That was unpleasant, as I recall."