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Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood (lt_to_chaos) wrote in whoville,
@ 2008-04-17 08:56:00

Entry tags:

lt_to_chaos, themaster

Anna's Master (Finished)
Jack woke up to the smell of coffee and cheese danish, rolling onto his side to look at the table the Master had set. Pasteries and coffee and what looked like a mini-fridge that he suspected held whatever else he'd brought back. "Morning," he murmured as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, indeed. I just ran into another of myself who was rather worried about you." The Master gestured at the food on the table. "Come, eat something."

"Worried about me?" Jack raised an eyebrow, taking a long moment to stretch before getting out of bed, and scooping up one of the danishes, munching on it while he waited for an answer.

"Seemed to think you were in danger from me."

Jack shrugged. "Sometimes I am. He wouldn't have any way to tell if now's one of those times, or if it's safe." As safe as it ever was around the Master. "Going to pack a picnic and explore today?"

"Actually, I was planning on not going anywhere, and just enjoying some alone time." The Master leaned back in his chair, grinning at Jack.

Jack twitched. "I'd rather go out." He popped the rest of the pastery in his mouth, heading for the wardrobe, and a change of clothes. "I can go alone, if you don't want to come with me."

The Master scowled at Jack's back, his fingers drumming restlessly against the table. "I want to stay in today, with you, and enjoy the day."

"I'm not planning on staying in all day." Jack looked back at the Master, his hand hovering over an undershirt. "Unless you insist."

The Master studied Jack a moment before sighing huffily, and waving a dismissive hand. "Fine, fine. Go on, then. I'll go... find a book." He reached for his mug of coffee, glaring at the dark liquid as if it were the source of his problems.

Jack sighed, pulling on a t-shirt and trousers he'd picked up while waiting for his jacket to be tailored before the party, and headed for the door. He'd find coffee downstairs, before the Master decided that he really would insist on Jack staying in the room all day.

As he stepped out of the lift into the lobby, he sighed, spotting another of the Master near the dining room. Well, at least he knew it wasn't his Master - the suit rather gave it away. Though with no rose, he doubted it was the sane one he'd first run into, either.

"Master," he greeted cautiously as he got closer, giving him a small smile.

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	themaster 2008-04-18 01:53 pm UTC (link)
	"Friends," the Master echoed, because he'd kind of stuck at that point. He flexed his fingers in Jack's. "I'm getting that vibe. It's not something I'd ever expect. It's... it feels very strange." He met Jack's eyes, one eyebrow raised. "If you were my Jack, I'd feel you were taking a lot of liberties here." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

lt_to_chaos
2008-04-18 02:07 pm UTC (link)

"Liberties how?" Jack met the Master's raised eyebrow with a curious expression, tightening his grip on the Master's hand a moment in response to his flexing his fingers. "What is he to you?"

He was curious about how his alternate had turned out, and... well, maybe later he'd go looking for him, ask him his point of view, but right now, he still didn't want to walk away from the Master. Not until he was sure this version was saner than he'd been warned he was, at least.

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themaster
2008-04-18 02:25 pm UTC (link)

The Master let out a short, bitter, bark of laughter. "He's not mine, not really. Temporarily mine, back in the real world, but here..." He lifted his eyes to Jack's face, with a self-deprecating smile. "We're on better terms than we were, but nothing like you and your Master. It's more of a... truce, shall we say, than anything else."

He took a sip of tea, and added, "And where he is mine, back in the real world, we're not friends. He wouldn't dream of presuming to be allowed to hold my hand. That's something Lucy would do, or possibly the Doctor. My relationship with Jack is... different."

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	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-18 02:34 pm UTC (link)
	"Temporarily yours?" Jack raised an eyebrow, rubbing his thumb across the back of the Master's had again. "How temporarily?" And how different, he wanted to ask, but... he wasn't sure if he really should ask. "Who's Lucy?" he added, curious about the unfamiliar name. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

themaster
2008-04-18 02:41 pm UTC (link)

"I believe I have another nine months of him, when I get back home," the Master replied, not without humour. "That is, according to the various people here who appear to be from my future - and assuming I don't change my future when I go back."

He was still undecided about that. His original list of information from Lucy was still in his pocket. He hadn't written himself any different instructions - yet.

"Lucy is my wife. Human wife. I've been forced to stay on Earth too lately, though for a much shorter period than your Master, and I needed a companion and someone to help my family image to become Prime Minister of Great Britain."

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lt_to_chaos
2008-04-18 02:52 pm UTC (link)

"I hope you do change your future, then." Jack sincerely meant it, trusting the Master to find a better future than the one laid out for him in whatever universe the others came from. Maybe a bit foolishly, knowing the times he'd had to remind his own Master that blowing up 10 Downing Street wasn't the best of plans when one wanted to occupy the place later. But it was there.

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	themaster 2008-04-18 02:57 pm UTC (link)
	The Master raised his eyebrows. "He's really that good to you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-18 03:01 pm UTC (link)
	Jack smiled, and shrugged. "Often." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-18 03:05 pm UTC (link)
	"He doesn't... abuse you? Take advantage of your immortality? See it as an opportunity for all sorts of interesting experiments and games? He actually... cares about your feelings?" Hmm, a few things had obviously seeped through from the other Jack's talk to him. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

lt_to_chaos
2008-04-18 03:15 pm UTC (link)

Jack shifted, a small frown on his face. "When the drums are louder - usually when the Doctor's around - he's not that stable. He'll kill me, he'll play games, mind games. But he's not sane, not stable then, and it's better me than someone who won't get back up." He took a deep breath.

"He does care, even then. He cares enough to not involve someone else in his games, to focus on me, and let me take the brunt of his insanity."

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	themaster 2008-04-18 03:24 pm UTC (link)
	"He does that for you? Restricts himself to taking it out on you because you asked him to?" It was an intriguing look at what might have been - and in some ways, he felt, not so very different from his own world. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	And note to self... always remember to change the log in when posting. lt_to_chaos 2008-04-18 03:31 pm UTC (link)
	"Sometimes it's because I asked, sometimes it's because I don't give him a choice." Jack shrugged. "I'm not above making sure that I'm the only one available for him to take out his frustration and instability on." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	*g* themaster 2008-04-18 03:35 pm UTC (link)
	"That's very... noble of you, Captain." The Master couldn't help staring a bit. He was aware that the Jack he knew definitely used his immortality in that way occasionally, to draw fire away from others who wouldn't come back, but this was taking it to extremes. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-18 03:41 pm UTC (link)
	Jack looked down at his coffee, finishing the last of it. "It's what needs to be done, and there's nothing noble-minded about it. If there are bodies in the streets, they'll take him away from me." He held the Master's gaze. "And as much as I'm his, he's mine, and I'm not about to lose him because he does something stupid when he can't think clearly." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-18 03:42 pm UTC (link)
	He frowned. "Who'll take him away from you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-18 03:50 pm UTC (link)
	"UNIT. The British government. Anywhere else he decides needs reduced to rubble while his mind is busy dealing with the drums." Jack tightened his grip on the Master's hand a moment, before consciously relaxing. "After a century on Earth, he's a citizen of Britain. Even running Torchwood isn't going to keep him safe if enough people die." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-18 04:42 pm UTC (link)
	"Captain, this is me we're talking about," the Master admonished gently, sipping at his tea. "I've spent a lot of time on Earth and they've never taken me away yet. I really can't see that happening, unless of course your version really is a lot more insane than I ever was." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-19 12:16 am UTC (link)
	"From what Emma got from UNIT's archives, the only reason they didn't lock you up the first time was the Doctor. At least, in my world. And that was just the version he knew he was dealing with - not my Master." Jack shrugged. "And maybe I'm just paranoid." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-19 09:19 am UTC (link)
	The Master smiled. "You're just afraid that what you have will be taken away from you. I can relate." For the first time, he deliberately curled his fingers around Jack's in a gesture of comfort and understanding. It felt a lot less strange to be giving Jack comfort than receiving it from him. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 02:22 pm UTC (link)
	Jack raised a brow, a questioning expression on his face. "What did the Doctor take away from you?" Because in the end, no matter how much they both disliked it, his Master and he, it always came back to the Doctor. Or almost always, anyway. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 02:32 pm UTC (link)
	The Master snorted gently. "Everything. Over, and over, and over again." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 03:04 pm UTC (link)
	"He's very good at that, isn't he? Leaving you with nothing." Except in his universe, the Doctor wouldn't be able to do that, not ever again. Jack wouldn't let him. He was staying, and even if the Doctor managed to take everything else, the Master would still have Jack. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 03:08 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh, yes. Very good indeed at that." He smiled bitterly, meeting Jack's eyes with complete honesty for the first time. "Even when I've got him, I know it's not forever. I know it's just a matter of time before I lose him again, and spend most of my time wondering how long I've got left." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 03:21 pm UTC (link)
	Jack tightened his gripon the Master's hand. "Then seize every moment you have. And when it's over, find a way to keep your Jack close. And never let him go. You'll have someone the Doctor can't take away from you." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 03:24 pm UTC (link)
	The Master raised his eyebrow scornfully. "Forgive me, Captain, I know you're special, but you're not the Doctor." Apart from the fact that however much he 'reformed' he had more chance of keeping hold of the Doctor than his Jack. He was very sure of that. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)