"Hi…"
"Hi."
The dark eyes in front of her glimmered. "Did you miss me?"
"No." She lied.
His face split into a wide smile.
His smile.
The way his eyes creased.
There he was.
The Master.
She didn't take her eyes off him. Barely aware of the others in the room. Sarah Jane was watching them, cautious confusion on her face. Mickey and Jackie mirrored the expression, all completely unaware of what was happening but reacting to Jack and Martha's evident anger and fear. Rose's attention moved from The Master to her daughter and finally to The Doctor for answers while Martha composed herself, sending hateful daggers at him.
Armitage had all his attention on the gaggle of humans in front of him, eyes wearily hovering on Jack. He hadn't raised his gun. Hally felt a trickle of appreciative amusement towards him. He'd just been teleported onto a ship full of Daleks and yet all he was focused on was doing his job. She took a step forward, leaving Davros behind her.
"You're powerless." The aged voice creaked.
"Mmhmm…" She hummed, not really listening to him. Her eyes were focused on only one thing. She took another step forward.
"Resume the detonation!"
"Go ahead…" She murmured, waving her hand back towards the Daleks.
The universe could wait.
She passed behind Armitage, placing her hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze in a silent thank you.
The detonation countdown began to tick again as one of the Daleks announced, "Detonation in 200 rels."
"You will look at me when I address you!" The inconvenience behind her screeched, but she paid him no attention, reaching her destination. Directly in front of The Master. Centimetres apart. Deep brown burning into her soul. His hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer, holding her against him. He was warm, the heat from his body spread from her abdomen up her chest, across her neck, landing in a faint blush on her cheeks. She had to tilt her head up slightly to keep her gaze focused on his. Everything about him was exactly as he had been. The angles of his face, the way his jaw tapered down to his chin. The lines around his mouth, creases of amusement around his eyes. Those eyes. Small and mischievously narrow but somehow so expressive. She could see galaxies in those eyes. Dark. Just like him. But so alive.
So fucking alive.
His lips were curved with his usual self-satisfied smirk.
Mmm.
His fingers dug into her waist, holding her unbearably tight. The only external sign of anything other than confident ease. Gripping her. Silently pleading, don't let me go.
Her own hands came to rest against his chest, his hearts beating hard underneath her palms.
Never.
Her mouth upturned into a smile, the light behind her eyes softening with peaceful happiness.
Awe.
He was right there.
Alright, they were surrounded by Daleks and the universe was about to end but, she could feel him underneath her hands. Vibrating with life.
Tension rolled off of almost everyone else in the room.
But not them.
She was soft in his arms.
All of it.
Leading to this moment here.
Burying him.
Betraying everyone.
Lying.
It was all worth it for this.
She'd waited months.
"Prisoner scan reveals he is a Time Lord."
The Master pouted, eyes widening at her in faux excitement at the Dalek announcement.
She'd missed his stupid face.
She hummed softly, stifling the laugh.
"Time Lord has been identified as The Renegade General Master. Responsible for the downfall of Dalek occupation of Oixn and the destruction of the Eternity Circle." The Dalek continued.
Well, that caught her attention.
Hally blinked, the eyes in front of her twinkled with amusement as her mouth dropped open.
"Are you serious?!" She whirled around. "So you know who HE is?!"
Davros looked back at her blankly, taken aback by her random outburst.
There was a gentle vibration of a chuckle from behind her.
"Urgh! That is so TYPICAL."
Davros snarled at her, completely ignoring her offence. "Get on your knees! All of you!"
Unapologetic rage filtered through her and her face darkened as she fixed a glare towards him. "Oh, I will not be kneeling today."
There was a light hum behind her, a sound of impish disagreement. She shot a glare over her shoulder at the culprit. "Don't you start." He raised his hands up in mock surrender.
"I didn't say anything." But she could see the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
"The Master?..." The voice belonged to Sarah Jane, Hally and The Master turned to survey her. The human looked to The Doctor, questioning all over her face. "Like… in the Death Zone?" The Doctor gave her a grave nod.
Recognition split across The Master's face and he gave Sarah Jane a winning smile. "The very same. If I remember correctly, I was trying to save your life." His head fell back with a short bark of laughter, then he shot The Doctor a look of condemnation. "He didn't believe me." He tutted, turning back to Hally with a childish pout. "Hurt my feelings."
She cocked an eyebrow, an expression that clearly offered her sarcastic condolences.
His eyes narrowed playfully at her, a low growl humming in his chest.
Hally was about to open her mouth to say something brilliantly clever, but her quip was interrupted by the unmistakable whirring of the TARDIS engines.
Everyone in the chamber fell silent.
Her forehead creased with an uncertain frown, the expression was mirrored back to her on her husband's face.
Alright, not them.
She checked over her shoulder at The Doctor, but he looked even more bewildered than they did.
Not him either.
Davros stared past them to the other end of the chamber as the TARDIS materialised into view. "Impossible."
Scenarios were running through Hally's mind, but everyone who could pilot the TARDIS was currently stuck inside the same room. So how…?
The door opened and Hally stared.
The Doctor.
The Doctor stood in the doorway of the TARDIS.
She blinked, shooting a look back at the other Doctor. He looked equally as confused.
What was happening?
The Doctor in the TARDIS bolted out, running straight for Davros. He had something in his hands. Some kind of weapon? It was pointed at the Dalek creator.
The Doctor, or the first Doctor, The Doctor trapped next to Rose in the cell shouted out to his doppelganger. "Don't!" But it was too late. Davros raised his arm and shot a bolt of white-hot electricity towards The Doctor, the new Doctor, The Doctor wearing a blue suit.
That was handy.
The newcomer dropped to the floor, spasming with pain as the weapon fell from his grip.
"Activate holding cell." Davros muttered, looking down his nose at the now trapped and defenceless Doctor.
But the TARDIS door opened again, this time a blur of red hair ran towards the fallen weapon. "Doctor! I've got it. But I don't know what to do!"
Oh, Donna.
Not dead.
Well, that was good. That was definitely a positive.
Although, what the hell was happening?
Before she could touch the device, Davros sent another bolt from his arm, hitting Donna square in the chest. The human was thrown back onto the floor, knocked out cold.
Neither Hally or The Master moved.
"Donna! Donna! Are you all right, Donna?" The original Doctor shouted over the sound of Davros ordering for the weapon to be destroyed—a Dalek blaster connected with the device, obliterating it.
Hally looked from the bizarre scene, meeting the gaze of The Master. His expression mirrored her unimpressed bemusement.
"I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor. They are pathetic." Davros sneered, turning his attention back to her father.
Well.
That whole debacle had been unexpected.
Although Donna wasn't dead. That was good. Just… unconscious.
"How come there are two of you?" Rose voiced the question on everyone's minds.
The Doctor moved his eyes away from his unconscious companion. "Human biological metacrisis."
The groan rumbled in her throat as Hally shifted her gaze from The Doctor to the 'new' Doctor.
All of a sudden, she had quite a lot of parents.
The hands on her waist squeezed and brought her attention back to the man in front of her. The countdown to universal collapse was still ticking. Davros was talking. Someone was replying to him. But, all of a sudden, it was just the two of them. His mouth curved into a knowing smile, devious desire glittering at the edges of his eyes. She forgot about everyone else and her hand came to rest at the back of his neck. Skin against skin.
The chamber had fallen into an expectant silence. It was warm. She could feel eyes on them.
Hally forced her gaze to move away from The Master and back towards their silent audience. So many interruptions. All eyes were on them. It was only then that she realised that someone must have asked her a question. She cocked a disinterested eyebrow.
The impatient growl came from Davros. "Are we interrupting?"
A breath fell into her lungs and she paused. "Umm, yeah…" She offered a simple smile. "I did mention it. Don't worry…" She shot him a winning grin. "I'll be with you in a minute." She turned back to look up into the burning eyes in front of her.
They glittered back at her. "Maybe two." He murmured with a smirk.
He leant down as she pressed up and their lips met.
The warmth of his mouth encased hers, his scent washing over her. Insistent, heated skin against skin. His hands had tugged her closer in seconds, impatient fingers digging into her back. She curved into him, moulding into the hold he had on her. Right there, in his arms, was the only place she was supposed to be. Because he was alive. Everything else didn't matter. They were in a room full of Daleks, the universe was ending and they were making out in front of her parents, but who the fuck cared. Because his mouth was on hers and he was right under her fingertips. He was warm and he was right there. She pulled in air and with it, her whole existence expanded exponentially. The first thing she felt was him. This time, he didn't give her a second to adjust, his consciousness slammed right into hers, the impact of their collision ricocheting through her mind. It sent them both spinning.
She was itchy. Itchy all over. Her shoulder burned with irritated impatience as it healed.
A burning rush of energy coursed straight through her. It burst from deep inside her, running through her limbs, through every cell in her body. Burning. Uncontainable. Power. It was delicious. And he was there. Right with her. The beat of four keeping her feet on the ground. Keeping her with him. She could feel him, all of him. The slicing pain. His fear on the Valiant. The darkness and then a light, dragging him back. Armitage. She could see Armitage. Lucy. The humans. All dead. All gone. But he was back. She could feel his fear when he'd realised she wasn't there. His impatience.
One, two, three, four.
They were so loud.
The never-ending beat of their hearts. Endlessly entwined.
The sound grounded her. She could feel everything around them. There was him but there was also what lay past him.
Unending power.
She could feel it.
She could feel Archangel. The network of fifteen in her mind. Binding. Binding her. Binding the Daleks. All of them. She could feel all of them. Every. Single. One. Millions. Hers. All that power. The energy that fizzed through the atmosphere. There was balance and the balance was power and all of it fed straight into her.
Oh, the end of the universe.
No more.
No more detonation.
One, two, three, four.
The beat kept her present inside her playground of power.
It was so easy.
His mouth was still on hers, consuming her with unyielding hunger. He'd turned them. Shifted them so her back was facing The Doctor. Facing away from the humans. She could see. See through his eyes. He'd opened his eyes. Mischief trickled through. He'd opened his eyes. Trained on The Doctor. Staring at The Doctor while making out with…
She pulled back and planted her hand in the centre of his chest, pushing him off with an irritated roll of her eyes. "Arsehole." But she couldn't help the slight curve of her mouth. He hummed with an arrogant chuckle. A fleck of gold left his hand as he tossed the golden band in the air, it arced and landed neatly in her outstretched hand, she pocketed it. "Thank you." She clipped sarcastically.
"Mmm, you're welcome." He replied, the words dripping with innuendo. "Swap?" He raised an eyebrow, gaze moving to his laser screwdriver at her hip. It was her turn to laugh as she shook her head. "Nope. It's mine." He narrowed his eyes, affronted as she shot him a playful smirk.
"Doctor, what the hell is going on…?" Rose was looking expectantly at The Doctor.
He cleared his throat, looking from her to his daughter and finally to The Master. "…well." His voice cracked and he fell silent, his face pulling into a grimace.
"Contain them!" Davros shrieked towards his Daleks. None of them moved.
A low chuckle vibrated in The Master's chest and he took a step forward. "Oh, you're right." He shot a smug smile over his shoulder towards his wife. "I'd probably best introduce myself." At Hally's audible groan, he ran his tongue over his teeth, turning back to Rose with a spark of excitement behind his eyes. He plastered his most charming smile on his face. "My name, is The Master, and I suppose, Rose Tyler, that makes you the mother-in-law." He concluded with a scandalous wink.
Hally watched as Rose's eyes widened, a definitive blush creeping across her cheeks. The Doctor let out a desperate noise of helplessness.
"You're the worst." Hally projected.
"I love you too." He quipped back, clocking her with a flirtatious smirk.
Rose looked from The Master to Hally and back again. "So… you're… he's…"
"Mother-in-law?!"
Everyone fell silent.
There was a painful pause that seemed to drag endlessly as the colour drained from Rose's face. Hally stared at her mother, The Doctor turning to look at Rose in empathetic disbelief.
No way.
Jackie Tyler pushed her way past Jack and Sarah Jane, moving to stand directly in front of her daughter. Separated only by the holding cell force field. "WHAT!?"
The Doctor emitted a soft whine as laughter rumbled in The Master's chest. "Oh, this is good…" Koschei muttered, just loud enough her for to hear.
Rose was opening and closing her mouth like a fish.
She was probably quite thankful that Hally had left her inside the force field cell now.
The Doctor was still staring at Rose, his eyes pleading. "You didn't tell her…?!"
Rose shot him a silencing glare. "It didn't come up in conversation!" She snapped back at him, her voice was low, hushed as if somehow her mother would not hear her from half a meter away.
Oh… wow.
"Didn't come up in conversation?! You had a daughter and you didn't tell me!?" Jackie's eyes were wide with anger, shock plastered on her face.
"To be fair… she didn't tell me either…" Hally mumbled.
Jackie whipped around, raising an accusatory finger towards Hally. "Shush, I'm getting to you."
"What have I done?!" At Jackie's intense glare, Hally clicked her mouth shut. Jackie Tyler was officially more terrifying than Davros. Jackie turned back to Rose, expectant impatience written across her face, her eyebrow arched dangerously.
Rose whined. "Yes… and then I lost her… but… can we not do this now." Rose pleaded with her mother, pointedly looking towards their audience of humans and Daleks. Jackie's anger was conflicted with concern. She wasn't angry at Rose for having her, she was angry at her for not being told. Her face broke with a flicker of empathy towards her daughter before the thunder returned and rounded on The Doctor. He practically shrank away from the woman, his back pressing against the force field still keeping him in the cell.
"Pregnant hmm?! You got my daughter pregnant?!"
"Ahh… well…" His voice cracked.
"It's a yes or no question!"
"Yes…" He swallowed.
There was an unimpressed hum from Sarah Jane. Mickey let out a scoff.
Davros growled from behind her. "What is the status of the Reality bomb? Answer me?!"
"So you fly around in space, picking up women and knocking them up do you?!" Jackie and in fact, all of them completely ignored Davros, who was screaming at the present Daleks.
"Oh… no… no, no, no, that's not…" The Doctor grimaced, shooting a look to Rose for help. "Tell her…" His voice broke, eyes wide with panic.
"Mum, it wasn't like that. We… well we fell… like… ummm." Rose tried and failed to get the words out.
"They fell in love." The Master mocked from behind them, amusement pulling at his mouth as he scrunched his face in disgust.
The Doctor rolled his eyes, shooting him a glare of disapproval. "You can talk." Her father and her husband shared equally childish stares over her head.
Of course, The Master's interjection brought Jackie's attention back around to Hally. "Did you know?! When he picked her up. Did you know?"
"No!" Hally raised her hands in the air in surrender. "I was basically the last to know! Apart from… well… apart from you apparently."
Jackie narrowed her eyes, a growl vibrated in her throat. Then her gaze fell on The Master. "And you? Who the hell are you?"
The Master's face didn't change, he crossed his arms over his chest and leant back slightly, pointing an uninterested thumb towards Hally. "I married her."
Jackie's glare moved from them to their left. "And what about you? Huh? What are you supposed to be? Are you going to tell me you're their secret son?!"
Hally followed her gaze to Armitage and she choked. "No?!"
"No." Armitage replied calmly, his face never changing from the usual cool, calm and disinterested.
"No…" Hally shook her head, shuddering at the thought. Then, she paused and met Armitage's gaze. "No?"
"No." He shut down her inevitable train of thought with a tired eye roll.
"Thank God…"
"This is some serious Jeremy Kyle shit." Mickey muttered towards Martha, who gave a hum of agreement.
"Yeah, except the husband's a genocidal maniac." Jack growled towards the pair.
Rose and Jackie's attention snapped to Jack, eyebrows raised in alarm. Rose looked to The Doctor, her eyebrows furrowing together. "He's joking right…?"
"Oh, you flatter me, Harkness." The Master drawled towards Jack.
"I command for you to CEASE!" Davros screamed from behind her.
Jack took a threatening step towards The Master, hatred burning through his glare. Armitage sidestepped into his path as he raised his gun towards Jack. Hally grumbled and batted the gun towards the floor before Armitage sent the whole group spiralling into chaos. "Put that down." He growled irritably but did as she'd asked. Jack took another step towards The Master, who was confidently smirking at him, eyes glittering with challenge. She slipped herself in between them both and pressed a hand against Jack's chest, halting his advance. His gaze slipped down to her, his face awash with anger and betrayal. For a moment there was silence as she stared back up at him.
"After everything he did, and you would still stand with him." His voice was low, hatred seeping into his words.
"I'm sorry." She breathed. She meant it. If she could have done this without hurting Jack, she would have done.
Jack's face fell, the hurt of her betrayal slipped away and in its place lay only cold rage. His eyes turned a icy grey as he looked down at her. "Well, I hope you're ready. When you're left. Again. Alone. With no one around you. Just a child with no parents. No friends. No nothing because you gave it all up for him. The monster you fell in love with. The man who wouldn't even stay alive for you. You think this is it? You think he'll stay now? One day, he'll be gone and you will have nothing left. And I for one… can't wait." His voice held no emotion, there was nothing in front of her that looked like her friend. Cold, piercing eyes stared down at her and she felt the hurt as it slapped into her chest.
"Jack…" Rose's face was creased with a dark frown as she stared at their friend, not believing the words she was hearing from him.
Hally knew that he was only saying those things out of anger. Out of hate. Hatred for the man behind her. And she understood. She did understand why. But hearing him. It hurt. It really hurt.
"Move." Master's voice cut through her mind. She could feel his intent, seething underneath a stoic shell. She probably shouldn't have let him, but that had hurt.
Hally moved from between the two men, her eyes glaring at the floor as she heard The Master's fist connect with Jack's face.
"Stop it! Both of you! Stop it!" The Doctor bellowed over the sound of commotion. Jack recovered quickly enough, moving to strike The Master.
"ENOUGH!" Davros screamed. She felt the bolt of electricity before she saw it, aimed directly at her. It crackled angrily as it scattered across the barrier she threw up, the sound echoing through the chamber.
She turned towards him, darkness fizzling behind her eyes as she took two steps away from the group, towards him. Rage erupted inside her chest. Anger. Anger at him. Anger at Jack. And for the first time in a long time, the anger was free. It moved through her, a tidal wave of fury that flowed from her centre to her extremities.
"Oh, you want my attention? Well then, you've got it!" The four Daleks flanking behind Davros simultaneously exploded.
Mickey, Martha and Sarah Jane jumped, ducking to take cover while Jackie took a shaky step backwards. A blood-curdling scream erupted from Davros as he observed the destruction around him, the shells of the Daleks hissing as the energy dissipated around them.
"Exterminate her!" He screamed towards the remaining Daleks.
They didn't move.
The tin can closest to him, shifted forwards an inch. "Negative."
She stared at him, the side of her mouth curving with a dangerous smile.
"The reality bomb?!" He exhaled, face pulled back with fear.
"Not happening." Her voice was barely a whisper. But he heard her, because now, now, he was paying attention.
"It's not possible! We wiped you from the system!"
"Oh, I know." Her face split into an easy grin. "You see, it's a bit complicated so I'll keep it simple for you. Archangel hacked into your system and then you infiltrated it with all your little Daleks. So now you've got Archangel in your system and Daleks inside Archangel. But there wasn't that much I could do with that until he," She motioned back towards The Master, "took this off." She raised the limp golden band from her pocket to eye level. "Because you see, well you wouldn't know this, but those satellites they all sort of centre in on me." Her eyes twinkled. "Psychically linked. Again, him."
"You're welcome."
Hally hummed in disapproval. "So now, what we've got is Archangel in your system, Daleks in Archangel and then right at the centre, with total control over all of it. Me." Victory flashed brightly inside the depths of her iris.
"No…"
"Yes. And that's not even the best bit." Her eyes widened as her eyebrows rose. "Because, yes, that would probably be a bit much for anyone. And I wouldn't usually have the power to actually utilise all that control. I mean I'm good, but I'm not that good. It'd take way too much energy, but, BUT, you've sorted that all out for me too, haven't you?" She cocked her head to one side, considering him.
Davros opened his mouth but for once, nothing came out.
"Mmm… yeah, twenty-seven planets. Just sitting here. A powerhouse. And now. Now, I have access to all of it."
"You can't…" The Doctor's voice was quiet, he was begging. Begging her. Strangely enough, his doppelganger was silent. He hadn't said a word since barging onto the Crucible.
She clicked her tongue against her teeth, irritation scrunching her nose. "No. I can." She turned her head to shoot him a sarcastic smile. "I literally just explained it for you."
He shook his head, eyes wide, imploring her to listen to him. "Please, Hally. Not like this. You don't have to do this."
Her eyebrows pulled together and her chin lifted as she looked back at him. Rose was looking between the pair of them, Hally could see that she wasn't sure which of them to agree with. Hally figured that if she really wanted her to stop, Rose would voice it.
She addressed her father. "I know I don't have to. I want to."
"Be better than them. Be better than h… us."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Why?"
His face fell into an expression of fear. Of parental concern. "Because you have to be. Because of all that power. Just think. All that death. All that blood on your hands. You can't… death isn't the answer."
"They're Daleks Doctor, what would you have me do, release them onto the universe? We stop this here and then what? We just let them go?"
"But it's not up to us… Hally, we're not Gods."
She took in a slow breath, considering his words. "Speak for yourself." She removed her gaze from him then, turning back to Davros.
There was no other way.
The Doctor would see that too.
She narrowed her eyes at the helpless creature in front of her. "Alright. Why don't we try it his way, huh?" A malicious smirk flirted with her mouth. "Davros. Creator of the Daleks. Murderer of billions. Children. Planets. Literally… right here, you were about to destroy every single universe." A giggle of disbelief ran up her throat and she shook her head. "Well, now I suppose you're aware of just how I can stop you. I'll ask…" A short exhale fell from her, her eyes tilting upwards in an amused roll. She pushed ahead. "Stop all of this. Call off all your Daleks. Leave and never come back. Take your little metal children and hide on the far side of the galaxy where no one will ever see you again."
Davros bared his teeth at her, a hateful growl rumbling in his throat.
She watched him, patiently. She arched her eyebrows, blinking. "Was that supposed to be an answer?"
"My children will never surrender to you."
Hally took in a deep breath, nodding. Her eyes shifted to her right giving her father an 'I told you so', look.
Then she took in a loud, deep breath. "Alright, how about an option two, hmm?" She pressed her lips together in a mocking pout. "You see, because as I just explained I have control over everything. Meaning I can also do this…" The remaining half a dozen Daleks in the room swivelled and slid over towards her, lining up behind her as they shifted their blasters to aim at Davros.
Davros let out a cry of desperation.
"All of them." She shot him a wink, clicking her fingers together the screen behind her flickered and projected an image. A broadcast from the edge of the Crucible, showing all the surrounding Dalek ships in orbit around them. "How many is that? Almost a billion?" She hummed in thought. "One billion Daleks. All mine." She rested an elbow on the nearest one, patting its shell. "And just think, what I could do with an army of Daleks." Her eyes twinkled with mirth. "Take over a planet. Take over lots of planets actually. Oh, I don't know, end a Time War?" A laugh rumbled low in her throat before her face shifted into one of thought and she shook her head. "Except… I don't want an army of Daleks." She pouted, her eyes narrowing. "Not really my thing." She sent a look behind her at The Master. "I mean, it's more his thing really. Do you want an army of Daleks, darling? Resurrection gift?"
The Master pretended to ponder it for a moment. "Hmm. Nope."
"Oh, no… Doctor? Daleks?" She offered her father an innocent smile.
The Doctor didn't respond, his eyes watching her wearily.
She sucked on the back of her teeth. "Going to take that as a no. Anyone?" She looked to the humans. "Army of Daleks? No? No one? Oh, hard pass I guess." She shrugged, turning back to Davros. "So, I suppose… that just leaves us with one option really doesn't it?"
The screen behind her lit up as half of the Dalek fleet exploded on the image behind her. The Crucible rumbled and shook with the aftershocks of the obliteration outside.
"Oh, mind the turbulence."
"NO!" Desperate pain shrieked from Davros.
Her father banged a fist against the force field holding him back. "Hal!"
But she wasn't listening to The Doctor. Because there was no other way this could end. The Daleks were not surviving this. Another wave of explosions rattled the Crucible, taking out the remaining Dalek ships. Her eyes fluttered closed. She could feel it. All of it. It was exhilarating. The power. It was so easy.
There was a high-pitched giggle from the corner of the vault. Caan.
Davros noticed it too, because he turned to him, screeching. "You have betrayed us all!"
The Crucible vibrated as death ricocheted through the void of space outside. The army was no more. Only the Crucible remained. The air around them spiked with heat, the screams of thousands of Daleks burning. Dying. But she could feel more. Beyond the Crucible. Beyond the Medusa Cascade. Through the Rift. Beyond. Across the whole universe, she could feel them. Everywhere. Parasites. Death and destruction wherever they went. The Daleks. Across the universe. Across time.
"She can see!" Caan's voice wailed over the heavy rumble of the ship.
"What?! What are you showing her?!" The Doctor roared back at him, desperate fear etched onto his face.
Her eyes opened, her pupils alight with a bright golden glow. "So many… never-ending death, Doctor." She could still see past herself. She could see them everywhere. Now. Then. Here. Everywhere. Throughout time. Earth. Gallifrey. She could end them all. Right now.
The Crucible groaned as it shook under an invisible weight.
"All of them…" Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Hally stop! You have to stop!" Her father begged her, but he couldn't reach her.
She could see them on Gallifrey. She could save them.
A warm hand landed on her shoulder.
Koschei.
She could feel his fear, his uncertainty.
But underneath, there was trust.
He trusted her.
She could wipe them all away. Wipe away the damage. End the Time War. Koschei wouldn't have to run. Torchwood. Canary Warf. Rose wouldn't have to go. No Daleks. She could stay.
She could fix it.
Jack.
She could fix Jack.
She could fix them all.
The Doctor and Rose.
Hally and The Master.
All safe.
All as they should be.
Happy.
Together.
She could do it.
Right now.
She could end all of her anguish.
Pain sliced through her mind.
Her hands shot to her head in an attempt to stop the agony.
Ripping.
A blade slamming into her mind, cutting her out.
A scream ripped from her throat, the hand at her shoulder pulled away as she heard The Master's pained shout. Her consciousness was shoved back into itself and the link broke into a million tiny pieces, each shard scratching at her mind. Hands held her upright as the pain dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. She shrugged Armitage off of her, turning to check on The Master, he shook his head, a furious scowl imprinted on his face as he recovered from the aftershocks that had ricocheted from her into him.
She was, just herself once more.
She couldn't feel the Daleks. She couldn't feel Archangel. Just her and The Master.
Something had shoved her out.
She rounded on The Doctor but his gaze was fixed behind her, towards the central column. Hally looked and her gaze focused on Donna.
Donna?
"Ow…" Hally bit out a groan.
"Donna, what did you do?!" It was The Doctor's voice, but the Doctor from the TARDIS, the doppelganger.
She'd severed her link with Archangel.
Donna shot her an apologetic look before her face split into a smile. "Well, I figured total universal collapse wasn't on the agenda, so I kicked her out."
"You could have killed her!" Rage streamed from The Master as he spat the words at the human.
Donna's face crinkled with distaste. "No, I couldn't, I made sure I eliminated the transmission field, preventing deadly recoil first."
There was a moment of silence as everyone processed what the human had just said.
"What?" The Doctor, the pinstripe-wearing Doctor asked.
Donna motioned towards Hally, attempting to appease The Master. "She's fine, look."
Hally stared at Donna, her face dark. "That really fucking hurt."
"See. Totally fine." Donna grinned at her.
The Doctor spluttered. "Donna, you can't even change a plug…?"
"Do you want to bet, Time Boy?"
Hally stared at the human, utter bemusement on her face.
What?
"You'll suffer for this." The growl came from behind her, she'd almost forgotten about Davros. He raised his arm, aiming again towards Hally. But before Hally had to defend herself, Donna had already come to the rescue. Davros screamed as the bolt of electricity meant for her crackled up his arm instead.
"Oh, bio-electric dampening field with a retrograde field arc inversion." Donna muttered, her eyes ablaze.
"Exterminate her!"
With Hally no longer in control, the Daleks shifted and began to move, intent on following their creator's instruction. "Exterminate. Exterminate. Exterminate."
Donna's hands worked quickly at the central column, her face a picture of amusement as the Daleks began to flail their blasters helplessly.
"Weapons non-functional."
"Phwor. Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix."
The Doctor's eyes were wide, complete disbelief on his face. "How did you work that out? You're…"
The new Doctor cut him off, his face curving into a small proud smile. "Time Lord. Part Time Lord."
Hally's mouth dropped open.
Donna's eyes glittered, her face pulled into a wide grin. "Part human. Oh, yes. That was a two-way biological metacrisis. Half Doctor, half Donna."
The Master lost interest in the human, or now half human and turned back to his wife. He drew her up in his arms, looking down at her in concern.
"Are you alright?"
She rubbed a hand across her temple, the echoes of pain still tingling her extremities. But her body was practically already healed. She gave him a quick nod, but she didn't move. Content to let him hold her while everything happened around them.
Donna flicked a switch. "Holding cells deactivated. And seal the Vault. Well, don't just stand there, you skinny boys in suits. Get to work!" Donna shouted towards the two Doctors. As soon as the force fields disappeared both versions bounded out, towards the central column.
A hand fell onto her shoulder and squeezed gently, a hopeful uncertainty. She twisted in The Master's arms to meet the eyes of her mother. Rose was checking in on her. Checking she was ok. Hally tilted her chin, but Rose didn't leave her side. As Donna took control of the Daleks around them, Jack rushed into the TARDIS, bringing out two weapons for himself and Mickey. It didn't take long for them to disarm Davros and the remaining Daleks.
Hally, The Master and Rose remained in the centre. Not moving. Armitage had his gaze fixed on them a few meters away.
Alright, now she was on the back foot.
The situation had moved out of her control and that was where danger lay.
Right now, the most important thing was keeping the others away from The Master.
"Come on then, boys. We've got twenty-seven planets to send home. Activate magnetron!" Donna, along with both Doctors set the transport in reverse, each planet disappearing as they were pulled back to where they'd come from. Meanwhile, Mickey turned his gun on Davros.
Tension rolled off of Hally, she could feel The Master's unease. Hidden, buried but still there.
Her mother still hadn't left her side.
Alright, new plan.
Sarah Jane approached Donna and The Doctors. "Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?"
Donna shot her a smile. "He poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand. I touched the hand, and he grew out of that but that fed back into me. But, it just stayed dormant in my head till the synapses got that little extra spark, kicking them into life. Thank you, Davros! Part human, part Time Lord. And I got the best bit of the Doctor. I got his mind."
"So there's three of you?"
"Three Doctors?"
Jack cocked an eyebrow at the three around the central column "I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now."
Hally bit her tongue, now was not the time for smart comments, she needed to keep quiet. They needed to draw zero attention to themselves.
Davros turned to Caan, betrayal etched onto his face. "But you promised me, Dalek Caan. Why did you not foresee?"
The Doctor moved away from the column. "Oh, I think he did. Manipulating all of this. Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages…" His gaze moved to Hally and The Master before landing back on Donna. "…her, him, Donna."
Caan giggled. "This would always have happened. I only helped, Doctor."
"You betrayed the Daleks." Davros spat.
Caan hissed, anger filtering into his voice. "I saw the Daleks. What we have done, throughout time and space, I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed, no more!"
The deep voice of the Supreme Dalek boomed through the chamber. "I will descend to the Vault." A Dalek descended into their midst, its casing a deep red, contrasting against the shimmering gold. "Davros, you have betrayed us."
Davros shook his head. "It was Dalek Caan."
The Supreme Dalek turned its blaster towards the control panel. "The Vault will be purged. You will all be exterminated."
Jack turned his gun on the Dalek and it exploded with a scream.
The Doctor rushed back to the central column. "Oh, we've lost the magnetron. And there's only one planet left. Oh, guess which one." An idea lit bright behind his eyes. "Oh! But we can use the TARDIS." He turned on his heel and bolted for the TARDIS doors.
"Get on the TARDIS." Hally projected swiftly into The Master's mind. She felt his immediate reluctance, but they had no other choice, the TARDIS was the only thing that could pull them from the Medusa Cascade.
The new Doctor worked quickly at the control panel. "Holding Earth stability. Maintaining atmospheric shell."
Caan wriggled. "The prophecy must complete."
"Don't listen to him!" Davros begged.
"I have seen the end of everything Dalek, and you must make it happen, Doctor." Caan hummed.
The new Doctor paused, a frown appearing on his face. "He's right. Because with or without a Reality bomb, even one single Dalek could slaughter thousands. They've got to be stopped."
Donna looked up at him, concern filtering into her expression. "Just, just wait for The Doctor."
Hally's eyes fell on the new Doctor. For a moment he paused, then his face set into determination. "I am the Doctor. Maximising Dalekanium power feeds. Blasting them back!"
Her eyebrows rose as The Doctor, the doppelganger, set in motion the destruction of the remaining Daleks aboard the Crucible. She felt a similar surprise ripple through The Master, followed by an inkling of something else. Something akin to appreciation.
The Doctor, her Doctor, ran out of the TARDIS doors, his face thunderous as he turned on his newer counterpart. "What have you done?!"
His own face stared back at him, unapologetically. "Fulfilling the prophecy."
The Doctor's rage fell from him, directing, quite ironically at himself. "Do you know what you've done? Now get in the TARDIS! Everyone! All of you, inside! Run!"
Hally didn't need telling twice. She shoved The Master forward, Armitage close behind them as they led the way inside the TARDIS. The humans followed as the Crucible shook with impending collapse.
The TARDIS was suddenly very full, the console hummed towards her in greeting, swiftly followed by a whine of irritation at the presence of The Master. Her husband shot a pout towards the central console, ignoring the ship's protest. After a moment, The Doctor slammed the TARDIS doors shut, running to the other side of the console as the humans fanned out around the circular column. Hally had manoeuvred herself and The Master to the side, out of the way. Certainly out of the way of the now-armed Captain Jack Harkness.
Without retrieving it from her pocket, she had her phone send a text.
H – Need that favour ASAP. Hold for location.
"And off we go…" The Doctor worked at the console and the TARDIS wheezed as she dematerialised.
The console room suddenly felt very enclosed.
Too many humans.
Too many Time Lords for that matter.
The Doctor contacted Torchwood, Gwen and Ianto helping him attach a tether through the Cardiff Rift so the TARDIS would be able to drag the Earth back home.
"Now then. Sarah, what was your son's name?" The Doctor turned to Sarah Jane, who lit up at the mention of her son.
"Luke. He's called Luke. And the computer's called Mister Smith."
"Calling Luke and Mister Smith. This is the Doctor. Come on, Luke. Shake a leg."
Hally couldn't see the console monitor, but she heard the young boy's voice. "Is Mum there?"
The Doctor's face split into a happy grin. "Oh, she's fine and dandy. Now, Mister Smith, I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it around the TARDIS. You got that?"
Another voice crackled over the monitor, a slightly robotic male voice. "I regret I will need remote access to TARDIS base code numerals."
The Doctor groaned, running a hand over his face. "Oh, blimey, that's going to take a while."
Sarah Jane shifted around the console, coming to The Doctor's side. "No, no, no. Let me. K9, out you come!"
"Affirmative, Mistress." Came the robotic voice of the ridiculous robot dog.
Hally quelled the impulse to roll her eyes as The Doctor cooed. "Oh! Oh ho! Oh, good dog! K9, give Mister Smith the base code."
K9 got to work immediately. "Master. TARDIS base code now being transferred."
A low hum vibrated in The Master's chest. "It calls you what…?"
The Doctor shot him a silencing glare. Hally shifted herself so she was slightly in front of The Master, willing him to shut up. They needed the TARDIS to land. Right now, the console room was practically a ticking time bomb.
The Doctor leant back, eyeing his plethora of companions circling the console. "Now then, you lot. Sarah, hold that down. Mickey, you hold that. Because you know why this TARDIS always is always rattling about the place?"
Of course, The Master couldn't help himself. "Because you're a terrible driver."
The Doctor opened his mouth to rebuff him but instead decided to simply ignore his interjection. "Rose? That, there. It's designed to have six pilots, and I have to do it single-handed. Martha, keep that level. But not anymore. Jack, there you go. Steady that. Now we can fly this thing. No, Jackie. No, no. Not you. Don't touch anything. Just stand back." He stared at Jackie, before moving past her wearily. His fingers ghosted over Hally's elbow and she felt his presence drift across hers.
"Stay out of the way." His voice echoed in her mind. The warning wasn't stern, it wasn't angry. He was warning her out of concern, he knew just as much as she did the delicate balance existing within the TARDIS at this moment. She'd brought a metaphorical bomb with her. The Master.
"Now we can fly this thing, like it's meant to be flown. We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARDIS by Mister Smith, and we're going to fly Planet Earth back home. Right then. Off we go." The TARDIS jerked to one side and strained as it began to pull the Earth from the Medusa Cascade. The Master's hand was hovering insistently at her waist. She kept herself in front of him.
Us and them.
A void between her and the people surrounding her.
With a judder, the TARDIS released the Earth back into its original position and those surrounding the console broke off into a happy celebration.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, the tension in her body not shifting.
Us and them.
As Donna pulled Jack into a tight hug, arms tugged her away from The Master's, she was about to push the arms off her when she realised that Rose had pulled her into a hug. For a second, she froze, every muscle in her body tensing. Then, almost without thinking she returned the hug, her arms crossing over one another as they wrapped around the human.
Her mother held her. Rose held her tightly. The other humans continued to celebrate, continued to move about the console room but Rose didn't let her go.
It took all her effort not to break.
Her eyes squeezed shut and her body shook, but she couldn't break down right now. Rose eventually pulled away, offering Hally a bright smile. The human turned to The Master and before Hally could stop her, she'd pulled him into a tight hug.
Hally's eyebrows arched high on her forehead, watching the plethora of emotions flash across her husband's face. She had to cover her mouth to stifle the laugh. Rose released him and moved away to grab The Doctor. The Master's gaze slid towards Hally, shooting her a murderous glare as he straightened his clothes.
"I'm only not killing her because she's your mother."
A mischievous smile spread over her face. "I knew you loved hugs."
"Shut up." He sneered.
"Soft and fluffy you are really, aren't you?"
"I could still kill her." He cocked a warning eyebrow.
She smirked back at him. "Sure you could."
His eyes darkened. "You are in so much trouble." The double meaning was heavy in his tone.
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I think there's going to be a line."
The TARDIS still hadn't landed anywhere. That made her nervous. The Doctor was purposefully keeping them in the air, which meant that he was planning something, or avoiding something. Either way, keeping them all enclosed in this tiny space wasn't ideal.
She caught his gaze. There was conflict on his face. Something he needed to do but didn't want to. A sincere apology flickered over his face, before she could consider it any further there was a click of a gun. For a moment, she kept her eyes trained on The Doctor, concern filtered across his features. She didn't need to turn her head to know where the sound had come from. She could see Jack's arm in her peripheral vision, she could feel his furious resolve rolling off of him.
The gun wasn't aimed at her.
Of course.
But she was stood in the way.
She dropped her gaze from The Doctor, moving it to Jack. He had the barrel of his gun trained on The Master, but Hally, knowing the likelihood of this outcome, had already placed herself in front of her husband, so the gun was trained on her head. Hally and her husband knew the difference. But those spectating did not. To those around the console room, instead, it looked like Harkness had pulled the gun on her. She stared sadly at her friend.
"Jack. Put the gun down." Her father spoke first, breaking the silence that had befallen the TARDIS.
Rose moved, taking a step towards her daughter.
"Rose. Don't." The new Doctor tried to warn her, but she didn't listen. Rose placed herself in front of Hally.
"What the hell are you doing?" She stared Jack down, fury that Hally had never seen before directed at only him. It was almost as if Rose didn't see the gun in his hand, only the man behind it. Jack's face scrunched with effort.
"Get out of the way."
"No." Rose growled at him.
"Rose you have no idea!" Jack spat the words, laced with pain.
"You dare shove that thing in my daughter's face." Jackie stepped up beside Rose, glaring at Jack.
His grip on the gun wavered, but he kept it up, still trained on The Master. Except, now there were three people in his way.
"Jack…" The Doctor circled slowly around the console, coming to stand in front of both Rose and Jackie, the gun pressing directly against his chest. "You know this isn't right. Put the gun down."
Pain broke Jack's face. "After everything he did…"
The Doctor held out his hand for the gun.
Us and them…
Except it wasn't.
Because in front of her, placing themselves in front of the gun aimed at her head, she had her family. It wasn't us and them at all.
She wasn't alone.
But…
She wasn't about to let any of them take a bullet for her betrayal.
"Move." Her voice was quiet, it barely caught their attention. So instead, she pushed through them. She stepped between Rose and Jackie, gently pressing The Doctor out of the way.
Then, it was just her and Jack. The barrel of his gun never wavering from her head. She looked up at him. His rage.
She didn't blame him.
She couldn't.
She'd known, all along that this was inevitable.
He was her friend.
A real friend.
The kind of friend that had sacrificed for her.
He'd invited her into his life.
Forgiven her.
Trusted her.
Loved her.
And she had stabbed him in the back.
Knowingly.
She looked up at him, accepting his anger.
"It's not him you're angry at Jack."
His jaw tensed as he grit his teeth together.
"You know, if you shoot me, you'll have to get the Biodampener out of my pocket. Put it on quickly otherwise I'll just heal. That's the only way, really." She offered, simply.
His mouth upturned into a snarl.
"I am sorry."
A slight tremor shook the gun and slowly, as if fighting himself, Jack lowered it to his side. The man in front of her took a deep breath before he could look her in the eye. "I am never going to forgive you."
"I know."
After a long moment, Jack turned his back on her, moving away to the other side of the console room, over towards Martha and Mickey. Seeing that the immediate danger had passed The Doctor shifted away and back towards the controls. Hally turned back. She expected to see anger on The Master's face, or perhaps bitter confusion at her idiocy. But she didn't. His eyes were wide with surprised appreciation.
Empathy.
That was a new look.
She felt him. Felt his surprise. His knowledge. His realisation of what she'd given up to bring him back. The dark pit inside himself that didn't believe he was worth the sacrifice she'd decided to make.
"I'd do it again." The thought murmured through both their minds. The side of his mouth twitched upwards in a smile.
With a familiar hum, the TARDIS landed. The Doctor hovered by the controls. She looked back towards him.
Right here.
Right in the moment.
She had it all, just about.
Her hearts were split.
The two halves of her life stood in front of her.
Her parents.
The Master.
The good and the bad.
Right here, in the TARDIS console room. An impossible pocket of time.
Because this could never exist.
Not really.
Not like this.
This wasn't a fairytale.
And she wasn't the princess.
She wasn't sure how, but she knew where they were, she knew what had to happen.
They'd fixed the universe.
The walls of the dimensions would be rebuilt.
Only now, she had one parent too many.
The Doctor's reluctance made sense now.
But Rose wouldn't want to leave.
She would want to stay with The Doctor.
They could be a family…
Except… they couldn't.
That time had passed.
Hally was never going to be able to fix that lost child inside her. She couldn't wrap herself up in a past that had never happened.
She couldn't change the past.
It was ok.
They hadn't been there.
But it was ok.
Because it had led them here.
It had led them to all of this.
The Doctor.
The Master.
Rose Tyler.
She couldn't change any of it, for the world.
And she wouldn't.
She knew.
She knew what she had to do.
Hally wasn't the princess in the fairy tale, with her happily ever after. Her ever-after was complicated. But Rose…
Hally could give her that.
As she looked up, she met his gaze.
They both knew.
"You're never going to see her again."
"Neither are you."
The Doctor cleared his throat, swallowing the sadness that threatened to overpower him. "Right. First stop." He forced a smile onto his face. His eyes never left his daughter's face.
Hally could feel The Master's presence in the back of her mind. A warm flood of encouragement squeezed at her.
"Where are we?" Rose asked, looking between the two Doctors.
The TARDIS was eerily quiet, considering there were so many people.
She hadn't had nearly enough time. But she had to do this.
This was right.
Rose was just a human.
Hally forced her body to move, she swallowed and turned to her mother, she placed a bright smile onto her face and held out her hand. "Come with me." Rose frowned at her, not moving, so Hally leant forward and took her hand, pulling her towards the TARDIS door.
A thought crossed her mind, she turned back to the others. "Don't…" Her eyes flicked between all of them. "…move." Her face fell into a frown. The Master offered her a small smile, his eyes glittering. The Doctor nodded.
They wouldn't do anything.
Not right now.
This was more important.
Hally tilted her head in a definitive nod, turned and dragged her mother out of the TARDIS doors.
The breeze hit her face, a welcome cooling sensation after the Crucible. She pulled the air into her lungs, the salt tickling her nose. The TARDIS doors closed behind them. Rose recognised the beach immediately. "But this is…" Her eyes widened in realisation. "No. No! I'm not going back! I spent all that time trying to get back to you."
Hally stared out at the sea, her face scrunching with pain as she forced the water away from her eyes. She turned to look at her mother. "I know." She hadn't let go of her hand. She pulled them both a little further away from the TARDIS. "But you have to." Her voice shook with emotion as she looked back at Rose.
She shook her head vehemently. "What? No. I'm not leaving you again."
"Yes, you are."
Rose grabbed both of Hally's hands, squeezing them painfully tight. "But I'm…" The words died in Rose's throat.
A tear slipped out from her eye, and Hally dragged Rose into a hug to hide it. The two women held one another. Words couldn't possibly encompass this. They both knew, they didn't need words.
She felt Rose vibrate as she cleared her throat, she could hear the tempered emotion in her voice. "I left you once… I'm not doing it again."
Hally pulled back from the hug, offering her a small smile. "Why don't you let me do the leaving then this time?"
Pain cracked Rose's face. She didn't understand.
Hally didn't trust her voice to hold, so instead she pressed her fingertips to Rose's temple. She eased her mind to the edge of Rose's, not wanting to startle her. Tears formed in Rose's eyes at the certainty that poured from her daughter.
"You have to stay here, to look after him."
"I can't. I should be with you."
"But I'm fine. I'm ok. You don't need to look after me."
"But…"
"It's ok." Hally smiled. "I spent so long being so angry, so lost. Because I thought I was a mistake… I thought my parents hated me. I thought I was abandoned but I was wrong. I was wrong about all of it. We can't change what happened Rose. Mum… but we can move forward and I want you to move forward with him."
"How? I don't understand."
The sigh fell from Hally in an exhale. "He's got one heart."
"What does that mean?"
"He'll grow old just like you… You can be with him. Properly. For your whole life and for all of his."
Rose's face broke as understanding filtered through her mind. She understood what they were doing. What they were giving her.
"I want this for you. Let me give it to you. Let me know that he's with you and you're happy. Forever."
Tears flowed freely from the light brown eyes in front of her. She sniffed and against her better judgement, Rose nodded. Her hands came to grasp at Hally's arms, a gasp forcing away her sob. "But, we haven't had enough time…"
Hally looked back at her mother and nodded sadly. "We've had all the time the universe could give us. All the time we were ever going to have."
"But…"
Hally silenced Rose, pressing their minds together gently. Just for a moment. She showed her. Showed her mother all of it. Well, almost all of it, the 'parent-friendly' version. She showed her Gallifrey, The Master, The Doctor, Martha, Torchwood. All of it. She needed her to know, that she was ok.
"I love you." Rose whispered.
Hally's face broke into a smile. "I love you too."
Rose moved her hands to cup her daughter's face, brushing her thumb across her cheek, wiping away the stray tear. "I want you to know, that I'm proud of you. And you've never been alone. You'll never ever be alone because I will always love you."
Hally's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't stop the tears anymore. They streamed down her face as she fought to stop the sobs.
She could have stayed there forever. In her mother's arms.
But, all too soon, Hally pulled back, clearing her throat.
She wiped her face as she heard the TARDIS doors opening once more.
"Oh, fat lot of good this is. Back of beyond. Bloody Norway? I'm going to have to phone your father. He's on the nursery run." Hally hummed with soft amusement as Jackie stepped out of the TARDIS, looking around. She turned back to The Doctor, to both Doctors. "I was pregnant, do you remember? Had a baby boy."
The new Doctor smiled down at her. "Oh, brilliant. What did you call him?"
Jackie looked back up at him. "Doctor."
"Really?"
"No, you plum. He's called Tony." Jackie's face split into a wide smile.
Hally took a small step back, her hands falling away from Rose.
Jackie moved towards them both, looking Rose up and down first before turning to Hally. Jackie hummed in gentle approval before she pulled Hally into a tight hug. "I always wanted another daughter." Jackie mumbled against Hally's hair, shooting her a wink as she pulled back.
Hally couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her.
She took a deep breath and turned back towards the TARDIS. The Doctor and the new Doctor hovered between her and the doorway. The Master was leaning up against the frame, watching. She took a step forward, her hand coming to rest on the arm of the new Doctor. Her gaze met his. "Look after her." He nodded, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
Over her shoulder, Rose's voice called. "Are you safe? With him?" Hally turned back to her mother, shooting a look back at The Master. A wry smile tugged at her mouth as she locked eyes with Rose. "Only as safe as you were with The Doctor."
Rose laughed at that, nodding in understanding. Her face shifted as her gaze travelled to fix on The Master. "If you hurt her. I will come for you."
Koschei offered Rose a small smirk. "Noted."
Hally reached him, taking his hand in hers as they moved back inside the TARDIS. She let herself take one last look back at Rose, before she forced her feet to carry her inside the TARDIS, the door closing behind her.
As they gave The Doctor a moment to say goodbye, Hally and The Master hovered to the side of the console. No one said anything. Everything was silent. She could feel Jack's eyes on them. He'd positioned himself between them and the console, no doubt assuming they were going to try something. But neither Hally nor The Master were really paying attention to the others. Koschei wrapped her up in him. Holding her close. His warmth was a comfort to her. His consciousness blanketed over her pain. She couldn't stop the water as it fell over her cheeks. The Master held her. A barrier to the rest of the world.
The door creaked as The Doctor re-entered. Alone.
He moved directly to the console and piloted them away.
Hally shifted, her eyes moving over her father. Her own pain mirrored back at her. She gently untangled herself from The Master's arms and without a word she walked over to him. His eyes met hers but before he could say anything, she fell into his arms, wrapping her own around his waist.
They held onto one another tightly. Neither letting go as the TARDIS dematerialised and flew through the vortex. She could feel him shaking. A sob racked up her throat. His hand pressed into her hair. With a soft hum, the TARDIS landed. Hally sniffed, wiping her face. She looked over towards her husband, a small smile of amusement pulling at her mouth his expression. He was glaring at The Doctor, a mixture of bitter resentment and childlike jealousy on his face. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Master, do you want to join?" There was a soft tone of teasing in her voice.
The Master and The Doctor locked eyes and realising the utter ridiculousness of the situation, both of them broke into a laugh.
And there, just for a moment, everything was not what it was. For a brief second, they didn't hate one another. Just two Time Lords, laughing at their own absurdity.
But, of course, it lasted only seconds.
Hally and The Doctor moved apart.
"What do we do with them?" Jack's voice broke over them.
Oh, wow. They were a them now. Back on the Valiant, it had only been him. Now it was them. Armitage shifted closer to The Master, his eyes warily watching Jack and Martha. Mainly Jack who was staring at The Doctor expectantly.
The Doctor cleared his throat, a tired sigh falling from him. "Well… I hadn't really thought… I figured when she did it they'd just run away somewhere. Didn't realise it'd all be so loud…" He rubbed a hand across his face.
"You knew she was planning this?!" Martha's question was full of accusation.
Doctor nodded, humming. "Mmm, she told me." He spoke simply, neither of them had the energy for anything else.
"She what?!"
"She did?" The Master cocked an unexpected eyebrow at her. She shrugged in return, catching the eye roll Armitage sent her way.
"You could have stopped her…" The words fell from Jack in a desperate exhale.
The Doctor looked over to his daughter, she'd moved back to The Master's side. "What kind of father would I be if I did?"
Jack scoffed. "Oh, I don't know, maybe a responsible one?!"
Hally winced.
Again, without touching her phone, she forced it to send a text.
H – Need extraction x 3. ASAP.
"Doctor he's dangerous." Martha was trying to reason with him.
Jack was having none of it, his patience towards all of them obliterated. "They're both dangerous."
The Doctor let out a long breath, before he snapped. "This is not up for discussion. The TARDIS has landed you're all free to go." He motioned towards the doorway. "Thank you for your help." He clipped.
No one moved. The Doctor took out his Sonic Screwdriver, fixing the TARDIS to this location, essentially locking the controls, before he growled and marched from the console room, out onto into the park where he'd landed. As predicted, Jack and Martha followed him, intent on continuing their 'discussion'. Mickey, Donna and Sarah Jane filed out leaving Hally to pull The Master from the TARDIS, Armitage bringing up the rear.
"Doctor, you can't just let them go?!" Anger had fallen back into Jack's tone. Martha quickly added her agreement.
The Doctor stared up at the sky, raking his hands through his hair. "What makes you think I have a choice?!"
Jack closed his mouth, confusion flashing over his features.
The Doctor motioned to his daughter. "What, you think I can contain her?! I can't! I can't contain her. Were none of you watching?!" The Doctor looked back to the sky. "Last time…" He groaned, shaking his head. "Yes, last time I could have kept them both on the TARDIS. But now…"
The Master hummed from beside her. "Now keeping us on the TARDIS would be a very stupid thing to do."
"Exactly." The Doctor shook his head, looking from the pair of them back at Jack and Martha, his eyes begging them to understand. To concede.
Jack sneered at him. "So, what? You're going to hope for the best and let them go?"
The Doctor shook his head, full of tired exasperation. "Yes. I don't have any other choice."
Sarah Jane tried to comfort him. "Doctor, it's ok."
He groaned, shaking his head.
"Is this a bad time?"
The voice floated over towards the group from behind Hally. Jack's attention shot towards the culprit, his face creasing with irritation. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Captain John Hart offered the group a winning smile. "Came to see the show!" His eyes grazed over all of them as he swaggered up and into the frenzy. "Oh, more pretty friends."
Hally shifted, wrapping her hand around The Master's wrist.
"Grab Armitage." Her eyes met The Master's and his pupils dilated in understanding.
John hummed in perverse appreciation. He pouted and sucked on the back of his teeth. "Still no blonde, you need a blonde."
The Doctor looked at Jack and back to John. "Sorry… who is he?"
Jack scowled at John. "He's a pain in the arse."
"Oh, I'm offended." John pouted, sticking out his bottom lip towards Jack. "Anyway, I thought you liked the way I…"
Jack cut across John's comment. "We're kind of busy!"
John chuckled low in his chest, turning away from Jack as his gaze settled on Hally. His pupils flicked over Armitage first, then The Master before finally coming to rest on her neck. His eyebrows arched and he sucked on the inside of his mouth, masking a smile. "Oh, did someone set the pretty birdie free?"
Her grip on The Master's wrist tightened, feeling the muscles under her hand tense.
A smug smile split over John's face as he purposefully raked his eyes down her body, his pupils darkening with unsaid insinuation. Rage sizzled underneath the growl that rumbled up The Master's throat as he stepped forward, squaring up to the ex-Time Agent. Hally swallowed her groan, she reached forward intent on pulling The Master back to her side when there was a blur of movement around them.
"Hands in the air!"
"Nobody move!"
Within seconds, humans she'd assumed to be civilians, members of the public walking in the park had shifted and encircled their entire group, guns raised at them all.
Well, she said at them all.
Most of the guns were pointed towards The Master. And Her.
Martha let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry Doctor."
Koschei growled again, this time aimed towards the brunette. "Martha Jones."
The Doctor raised his hands. "No! Stop this! Don't! Stay back all of you!"
"If you won't contain him, then Earth will." Martha offered to The Doctor in sympathetic explanation.
Great, she'd called UNIT.
Looked like Hally was less in charge now that she'd brought 'Harold Saxon' back into the fray.
Hally kept her grip tight on The Master, manoeuvring herself closer to John. Less than an arm's length away.
"Just stop this! Put the guns down!" The Doctor begged her, his eyes widening with concern. He took in the surrounding soldiers, checking behind at his daughter.
Martha raised her hands, trying to reason with him. "Doctor we won't hurt them if they come with us."
Hally scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh Martha, he's not worried about you hurting us." Her face fell into a dark scowl.
The Doctor looked back at his daughter, his expression a mixture of nervous unease.
Hally took a deep breath, clicking her tongue against her teeth.
"Grab. Armitage. Now."
"You both just saw what I did to the Daleks… Take this as your only warning. Don't send anyone after us."
A frown split Jack's face. "You're surrounded."
She hummed. "Yeah."
John's hand wrapped itself around her upper arm as she saw The Master reach out to grab Armitage by the shoulder. The ground slipped out from under her and in an instant, all four of them were gone.