Twist of Fate

~It is returning through the dark, Doctor you have met your mark. Your song is ending, sir don't cry when you hear him knock four times...~

   A prophesy, a challenge, and another journey to take alone. He's done so much for the universe; why does it always feel the need to take everything and everyone he knows and loves away from him? It's not fair...

~You're going to regenerate, a new man swaggers away. No time for games, tonight we fight for the fate of all mankind.~

   "I could do so much more..."

~The Time Lords returning, the Earth will be burning, the last White Point Star is a trap for the Master. The Doctor is dying, the Doctor is dying! The Doctor is dying, the Doctor is dying!~

   "I don't want to go." He says it aloud, though no one is in the room to hear him. "I don't want to go!" He says it again, with more finality. Forget the prophesy; damn it, he's not going anywhere!

~Wilfred will be by your side, you will always save his life.~

   Easy enough to mess up at least that part, he just won't bring him. He does take the old man's gun though, just in case. He hopes he doesn't have to use it.

~Hold on now not long to wait, 'til they bring back Gallifrey.~

   The Eternity Gate! He sneaks through to the main control room, takes aim and BANG! No more White Point Star, no more threat. The Time War stays in the Time Lock, the Earth stays in one piece, and he's still not dead. Next part...

~The Time Lords returning, the Earth will be burning, the last White Point Star is a trap for the Master. The Doctor is dying, the Doctor is dying! The Doctor is dying, the Doctor is dying!~

   Ah, yes, the Master's still here, isn't he? The Doctor carries the pistol in one hand, his sonic screwdriver in the other. He uses the screwdriver to disable cameras and other security devices as he heads for the Master's cell. He opens the door to find the Master in a straightjacket, gagged, and strapped to a chair. His eyes are wide, but even with a brief glimpse the Doctor can see the relief, clarity and confusion behind them. The soon-to-be-ex-prisoner opens up a telepathic link to the Doctor's mind. *The drums are gone. Your doing, I assume?*
   *I guess so. Come on, we're getting out of here.* He pulls a small remote from one of his dimensionally-transcending trenchcoat pockets. With a groan the Tardis appears inside the chamber. The Doctor snaps his fingers to open the door and rolls the Master inside. With another click the doors shut, the Doctor running wildly around the console to flip switches and press the buttons that will get them out of that man-made hellhole. He parks the old girl in Cardiff- far enough from trouble that there are no immediate threats, close enough to the Rift to refuel, and close enough to Torchwood that emergency backup is only a few minutes away. The rest of the Ood's warning remains ignored.
   He unties the Master, using the link to quickly explain his turn against the prophesy and his stupidly simple solution to preventing its occurrence. The Master nods in approval, but still seems distant as he sits on one of the cracked leather seats. He doesn't seem to know what to do with himself now that the force that's ruled his life for nine centuries is gone as if they never existed. The Doctor joins him.
   "You fought me because of the drums." Nod. "The drums are gone now." Another nod. "So come with me." The Master jerks his head up, eyes shining with a combination of hope, fear, and longing. The Doctor stares back, a smile playing on the edge of his mouth. The Master looks down, takes a deep breath and nods again. The Doctor grins. His entire life he's played by the rules, especially if it came to destiny. Bending them, rewriting them, enforcing them, all for the good of the universe. Every time he lost something dear to him, just because he'd chosen the greater good, the path he knew he was supposed to take. Now he'd broken every rule, every law that determined the fate of life in general. And he'd never been happier.