Title: Monument
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: gen
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: VRD challenge - Purple, 5_prompts
Prompt: Building with a purple dome
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Tenth Doctor, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

That building. He should have known that the Master would go there.

They'd confronted each other there before -- far back in the day, when he was in a different body. It had looked different then; it had been far in the future, and the building had changed shape radically. But there was still a sense of familiarity about it.

The Doctor stood across the street from the lighted building, his gaze not leaving the purple dome that graced the top floor. That was where the Master was, he was sure of it; that would be the place he'd most likely gravitate to.

After all, where else would he choose to go but the very highest vantage point? That would be the first place that he would think of, the place where he would be able to look down and survey all that he'd like to think was his -- or would be his.

Not this time, the Doctor thought, his eyes narrowing and his lips thinning into a straight line. He would manage to avert whatever plans the Master had for the human race, just as he always had. And maybe this would be their last confrontation.

He always thought that, didn't he? Sighing, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his suede coat, a shiver going through his thin body. Every time he faced off with the Master, he was sure that it would be the last time. And somehow, it never was.

This time should be the last. But it wouldn't be. Somehow, he knew that was true.

Was his nemesis watching him now, looking at him from across the street? He couldn't feel the telltale prickle of wariness on the back of his neck; the short hairs there weren't standing on end. He didn't feel that he was being observed in any way.

But of course, that didn't mean much. The Master had always been able to take him by surprise, to show up when the Doctor least expected him. It was an infuriating trick that he'd learned somewhere, one that the Doctor would never quite get used to.

He'd never know if he was being watched. The only thing that he could do was gather his courage, and walk across the street and into the building, straight into the lion's den. The Master wasn't going to come to him, after all. He knew that.

No, he would have to be the one to make the first move. The Master would wait patiently for the Doctor to come to him -- and if he didn't, there was no telling what could happen. He had no idea what the other man's plans were, or what cards he might hold.

And if the Master held the upper hand, he needed to know. He had to find out just what he was up against before he would be able to put together his weapons to fight the Master in any way he could. Though he was already sure of what those weapons would be.

His mind, and his experience. Nothing more. He didn't need anything else.

No, that wasn't entirely true, was it? There had been many times in the past when he'd had to turn to others for help. But in the end, it was usually a battle between the two of them, with everyone else simply standing on the sidelines watching.

They were like two stalking panthers, circling each other in a civilized ritual dance before they sprang at each other's throats. And more often than not, they each inflicted more damage than they'd thought they could -- possibly even more than they wanted to.

What was it going to come down to this time? Would he have to call in Jack and the Torchwood team? He knew that he could count on their help if he needed it; they would do whatever they could to help him defeat the Master. He had Jack's word on that.

But he didn't want to ask for help. He wanted to be able to stand up to his greatest enemy on his own; he'd done it for centuries, and he didn't want to feel that the longer their conflict went on, the more help he needed to ensure his own victory.

If he was completely honest with himself, there were times when the Master frightened him. The longer that the two of them were at each other's throats, the more the other man seemed to sink into madness -- a madness that threatened to consume everything in its path.

A madness that wanted to consign the Doctor to oblivion.

The Doctor shivered again at the thought; even though the night was fairly warm, he drew the lapels of his coat around him and studied the purple dome atop the building again. Was it his imagination, or had he seen a movement at the window?

He was sure that he had. Yes, the Master was there -- and he was waiting. Watching and waiting, and ready to put whatever plans he had into action. All that the Doctor had to do was step onto the stage that the other man had set for the battle to begin.

Squaring his shoulders, he stepped from the sidewalk, hurrying across the street to stand at the foot of the steps that led up into the building. Yes, this was where the Master was. He could almost feel the other Time Lord's presence if he concentrated hard enough.

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor walked up the steps to the front door, pausing before he reached out to wrap his fingers around the handle of the door. Once he pulled it open and stepped inside, there would be no turning back.

He somehow had a feeling that he would meet his destiny here. This building would be a fitting monument to the final showdown between himself and the man who had haunted him for centuries. This would be their last confrontation. This was the end.

Or was it? There was never any certainty. Not with the Master.

Closing his eyes for just a moment, he pulled the door open and stepped inside the darkened building. In a few moments, his eyes adjusted to the light, and he moved to the stairs at the side of the door and began the ascent upwards, to the purple dome where he was sure his enemy waited.

***