Two Of A Kind

Forever Forgotten

The Doctor, the Master and Astrea had been travelling together for a good six months now. Amy and Rory had returned to the TARDIS two months prior as well. Everyday, since the Master came on board, the Doctor kept sensing a tension between the Master and Astrea. He took note that Astrea hasn't been acting her normal self since they encountered the Master. She has hardly talked and ate. There was even days she was walking with a limp but he put it down as an adventure gone wrong. He has asked numerously if she was alright and what's wrong to the point he was demanding; knowing she's hiding something important. But she kept giving him the same reply. They've even argued a lot throughout this period of time. Astrea's TARDIS was still a red phone box because she won't let anyone fix her chameleon circuit.

Astrea has been taking daily beatings from the Master behind everyone's back. In Astrea's eyes it was her past being relived; the punishment for causing her mother's death. The Master has, however, been discreet on how he was treating the Time Lady so suspicion didn't arise. There were days that Astrea found it difficult to move without crying out in pain and today was one of those days. She was finding it hard enough to keep herself from whimpering so she didn't wake the Doctor. As much as she liked the comfort brought by the Doctor's arms around her waist, it was actually delicate to touch her waist  and stomach with the large bruises there. The Doctor's arms weren't even that tight around her waist. They were gentle and loose.

There was a soft knock on the door about half seven in the morning and a male voice saying quietly, "Doctor? Ast?" The door opened and Rory walked in, seeing the Time Lady wide awake. "Ast. Can you tell the Doctor, when he wakes, that Amy's not feeling well and that we'll be staying on the TARDIS today?" He asked.

Astrea nodded in reply. "Yeah. I'll tell him."

Rory caught the sound of pain lacing her voice. "Are you alright?" He asked. "You sound like you're in pain." He fully entered the room, walking towards her.

"I'm fine." She told him, using the same reply she has given for the past six months.

"You're hiding something." Rory said, bluntly. "Something that we should know." 

"I promise you, Rory, I'm fine." She told him, plastering on a fake smile. Rory gave her a look before he left shutting the door behind him. "You can stop pretending your asleep, Doc." Astrea said.

"How did you know I was awake?" The Doctor mumbled, still half asleep.

"I felt you staring at me when Rory came through the door." She answered.

The Doctor mumbled something incoherent before stating. "You've done an all night-er again, haven't you."

"So what if I did."

"You need sleep, love."

"It's not my fault I can't sleep."

"And keep losing your appetite." The Doctor continued.

Astrea closed her eyes and said softly, "Yeah. That too."

There was a few seconds of silence before the Doctor muttered, "Well. That was the longest conversation we've had in months."

 Astrea opened her eyes and turned around, ignoring the pain shooting from her stomach, to face the Doctor. She looked into his eyes saying softly, "I'm sorry."

The Doctor's brows furrowed in confusion. "Sorry for what?" He asked just as softly.

"Worrying you. Avoiding you. Not talking to you. Arguing with you when I do. All in all being a pain in the ass."

"No. Don't ever say that. You are not that."

"But I am. I've made your life a living hell for the past six months."