Title: Nothing Left To Lose
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: gen
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: G3, 5_prompts
Prompt: 3, Nothing left to lose
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.

***

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

The Doctor looked down at the message in his hand before crumpling the paper and throwing it to the floor. He didn't want to respond to the Master's obvious taunt, but he didn't have a choice. He had to face his nemesis, whether he wanted to or not.

The note that he'd found stuck to the door of the Tardis when he'd opened it to look around outside at the planet he'd been led to was simply for show, of course. The Master knew exactly where he was -- and he also knew that the Doctor would come out to confront him.

The Master had led him on a merry chase across the universe; from Earth, to several other planets, to finally bring him to this deserted place, a planet that hadn't been inhabited for centuries. There had to be a reason they were here.

If he was completely honest with himself, he'd prefer to walk away from this confrontation. It wasn't that he was afraid of the Master -- but he definitely didn't like being pitted against a man who had once been his friend, though that had been long ago.

Had the two of them ever really been close, or had that only been in his own mind? Even when he'd considered the Master a friend, when they were at the Academy, the other man had always had that streak of cruelty in him that came to the forefront now.

He'd always hated that side of the Master; in fact, even when they were friends, a part of him had feared it. He hadn't wanted to be around his friend when that side had come out; he'd known that it would only bring pain, and trouble.

Usually, he was the one to suffer that pain -- very rarely had the one who created the trouble been the one to suffer for it. Even then, the Master had been good at turning the tables, directing the blame for his own crimes onto other, innocent people.

But had he himself really been so innocent? The Doctor sighed, closing his eyes, letting his shoulders slump for a moment. No, he hadn't. He'd known that what the Master was doing was wrong more often than not, but he'd gone along with it.

At that time, he'd had too much to lose if he didn't agree to whatever the Master insisted that he do or say. But now .... his eyes snapped open, a scowl forming on his features. Now, things were different. He really didn't have much to lose.

His life, obviously -- but what was that? Unless the Master prevented him from regenerating, he would come back -- albeit in a different body. That was something the Master would probably take great delight in; forcing a regeneration would be a victory for him.

And there was always the risk that he would end up with a body that he disliked, one that wasn't nearly as attractive as the one he had now. He didn't want to lose this body; he loved it, and he wanted to stay in it for as long as he possibly could.

On second thought, the Master wouldn't want him to lose this body, either. He'd know the inherent risks of regeneration -- he could end up losing something that he coveted, a body that he considered to be his favorite plaything when he could get his hands on it.

So .... that was one thing he could lose, but it wasn't very likely that he would. The Master wouldn't take the risk of losing something he wanted. He knew the renegade Time Lord too well; he could safely say that he wouldn't be forced to regenerate.

What else could he lose? Not the Tardis; even if he was forced to regenerate for some reason, she would still be his. That bond would still exist between the two of them -- and once he ceased to exist, she would fade away as well. She couldn't -- or wouldn't -- exist without him.

The Doctor's scowl intensified as he thought; there didn't seem to be anything else of importance in his life that should stop him from confronting his nemesis. No, as far as he could see, he had nothing left to lose. Nothing to stop him from walking out of that door.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Had the Master meant that as a taunt? He'd thought so at first, but now he couldn't help but wonder if it was a warning, the other man's way of telling the Doctor to think carefully before he placed himsef in a confrontation that he might or might not win.

He had always managed to win in their battles before this. There was no reason to think that he wouldn't win now. After all, this time, he really didn't have anything to lose. The fate of the Earth, or of some other planet, didn't hang in the balance.

No, the only thing he had to lose was the spark of life that resided within this body. And at this point in his life, to him, it didn't seem like much. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing left to lose when he confronted the Master -- nothing but himself.

True, he was the only being who stood between the Master and whatever plans he might have to destroy the world as it was now and reshape it in the way he saw fit. But wouldn't there be others to take up that fight once he was gone?

There had to be. He wasn't the only person who was fighting for the universe to remain free of predators like the Master. Torchwood fought for that freedom on Earth -- and there were others on distant planets who did the same. He wasn't the only one. He had allies.

Did they all feel as though they had nothing left to lose whenever they took on a formidable enemy, not knowing what was going to happen? He'd had that feeling before, but never as acutely as he did now. He had never felt that he might have truly reached the end of the line.

The Doctor squared his shoulders, taking a deep breath and straightening up to his full height. He might feel as though he had nothing left that he could possibly regret losing, but that didn't mean he was going to hide here in the Tardis.

He'd never been one to cower in the shadows. Even all those years ago when he'd hated the cruelty that the Master had manifested, he'd stood up against it. He'd known that cruelty would eventually be directed at him if he did, but that still hadn't stopped him.

And it wouldn't stop him now. He took another deep breath, clenching his fists and trying to focus his mind. He might not have anything left to lose, but if this was the battle where he was vanquished, he was going to go down fighting, with everything he had.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Oh, he would come out, all right, the Doctor thought grimly, striding towards the door of his ship. And he would go after the Master with everything he had. Maybe having nothing left to lose would make him fight all the harder. There was no way of knowing until he tried.

***