TW - non-consensual touching, mentions of/insincere threats of rape

"Isn't that right, Doctor?"

The Master had left them then, staring at each other helplessly around the glass table as he bounded up the stairs to the upper bridge. For the rest of the day he'd practically ignored them. Returning only briefly to wheel The Doctor around to the other side of the room when he decided the old man was interrupting his thought process with his face.

Hally had furiously wiped at her cheeks, removing all evidence of the tears that had fallen. The hours between breakfast and the evening, when she was finally taken back to her room, had gone by painfully slowly. Jack's inquisitive eyes had burnt into the side of her head for almost half an hour before she'd risked a look at him.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered. His eyes were so full of empathy that it almost hurt her to look at him.

She moved her gaze away from him, eyes focusing instead on the far wall. "It's fine. Just don't draw attention to yourself."

"He can't hurt me." His voice was still quiet, but she could hear the determination behind his hushed words.

She hummed in quiet disagreement. "He might not be able to kill you Harkness, but trust me, he can always find ways to hurt you." Hally shot him a warning look.

The Captain responded only with a soft sigh.

The rest of the day they'd been silent.

She'd wanted The Doctor to at least try and talk to her. Try and explain himself. But he sat, perfectly still and silent as he stared off into the distance. Hally didn't feel his eyes graze over towards her once.

It hurt and the flickering flames of betrayal only sparked with each passing hour he ignored her. Why had he created the biodampener?

There was a swish of red in the corner of her eye and Hally's attention drifted over to the waif-like woman. She seemed to hover around The Master like a wasp. Her presence only added to the unyielding tension that had captured Hally's body. Lucy gazed in adoration and wonder at the man that was holding them captive.

The poor woman had probably fallen in love with him.

How stupid.

A reluctant smile had pulled at her mouth at the realisation.

Perhaps they were as stupid as each other.

Her hand found the ring and she slipped it back inside the seam of her dress.

The days continued on like this for weeks. She wasn't sure how many. Two or three perhaps? It crossed her mind that The Master might have been trying to bore her to death. Every morning Hally would be awoken by a new but equally grating song, blasting over the speaker system. Followed by a paradoxically cheerful announcement regarding the state of the earth. The Toclafane were clearing areas the size of small countries. Humans had been enslaved. Tasked with moving all their valuable metals and materials into designated areas.

Following her rude awakening, she would be taken to the bridge where she would be met with Jack and The Doctor. Morning after morning.

Sometimes The Master would be waiting for them. His eyes glinting and his words sharp. On other days he'd make them wait. The longest had been over an hour. They'd been forced to sit and wait for him to show up before they'd been allowed to eat.

Then day after day, they would be confined to the bridge while The Master flitted around. There, only to amuse him when he saw fit.

Everything was meticulously planned. All interactions engineered in an attempt to get them to bite. To get a rise out of The Doctor, Jack or herself. The Master would taunt them for hours, before eventually giving up and skulking off to 'rule the planet' when he didn't get the reaction he wanted.

Mainly from The Doctor.

Hally hadn't heard her father speak since The Master had dramatically revealed the origins of the cuff around her neck. She wondered how he remained so stoic. She certainly hadn't inherited that skill.

Jack was seemingly trying to follow The Doctor's lead, albeit less successfully. Having learnt that silence was the lesser evil where The Master was involved.

On one of the days, Hally had managed to feign nonchalance for roughly three hours before The Master had turned his attention to his forever doting human wife. His hands at her waist. Brushing her hair away from her face. Pulling her in for long kisses. The human had lapped it up like an awaiting puppy, oblivious to the intense glare Hally was giving her 'beloved'. She wished she could ignore it, the obvious provocation. She hated how much it worked every time. He knew exactly how to rile her.

But of course, he was still keeping her at a distance.

It had been weeks and they'd not shared a single moment without the audience of The Doctor, Jack, Lucy, Armitage and the staff on the bridge.

A purposeful move, she was sure of it.

They both knew that with an audience present she was more likely to have to do as he wanted.

Coward.

As Armitage guided her onto the bridge that morning, instantly, it was obvious that something was different. The small piece of her that was celebrating the diversion from the monotonous was quashed by a relentless wave of anxiety.

The Master was planning something new.

She sat across from Lucy, as usual. Jack and The Doctor in their familiar seats to her left. Even The Master sat, grinning happily at himself, at the head of the table as he had done for all the previous days they'd been forced to join him.

He was smiling down at his plate as he stabbed at a baked bean that had been evading his fork.

The whole table ate their breakfast in silence.

The Doctor, Jack and Hally in fear of what was to come. The Master in impatient excitement.

At the far end of the table, had been placed a large, white projection screen. It sat there, its bright surface glaring down at them in foreboding. The Master waved his hand and the table was cleared within a few minutes. He smirked, resting his chin gently on his hands. He surveyed his unwilling audience, eyes glittering with mirth. The heavy tension had only grown from the moment she'd sat down, it was practically palpable.

He was waiting. Playing with them. He wanted one of them to ask.

"You've obviously got something to say, so why don't you just spit it out already?" Hally snapped. His lip twitched upwards. Whatever he had planned, she would rather it be over and done with as quickly as possible.

His forehead crinkled in mock sympathy. "You're right. But you see… your father has a terrible habit of not listening to me. So I thought, I know, I'll give him something to watch!" The Master grinned, eyes darting to the screen.

He pulled out a small rectangular remote and pressed a button. The projection blinked into life, the image settled onto the familiar interior of the TARDIS. "Let's call it father, daughter bonding time." The Master chuckled lowly at his own joke, looking between them both.

"Now… I'm feeling some hostility across the table. Have you two still not figured out your differences?" He stuck out his bottom lip in a mock pout. Hally looked to The Doctor, but his eyes were firmly on The Master, whatever emotion he was feeling locked away out of view.

The Master scowled at the old man. "Oh come on. Now, Doctor, I'm afraid your daughter is a little bit upset you with for making the beautiful device I placed around her neck." The Master blinked innocently, reaching his hand out to ghost his fingers across her neck. His fingers settled under her chin and he turned her head gently towards the screen. The image began to move.

"But… perhaps he had good reason?"

It was playing a recording of inside the TARDIS console room. They watched as Martha walked out of shot, leaving just Hally and The Doctor hanging next to the central column.

"Why didn't you just kill it?"

Her own voice crackled through the room. She recognised the moment, it had been just after New York, with the Daleks. She wondered briefly how many cameras the TARDIS had, how much The Master had been able to watch of her life with The Doctor.

"Or… before, when the four of them were in the laboratory. I could have taken them all out. Job done, everyone goes home happy."

Hally frowned, eyes flicking over towards The Master, now leaning back into his chair. She didn't understand his reasoning for showing this clip. What was the point?

"Hally…" The Doctor on the screen considered her. "Sometimes a battle can't be won with destruction. Would we be any different from them if we did simply destroy every problem in our path?"

"But wouldn't it save more lives to eliminate them sooner?" "Do one bad thing for the greater good?"

"And who decides the greater good? Us?"

There was a pause. Nothing about what they were saying was new to either of them. They both knew exactly how this conversation had gone.

"We're not Gods Hal… the Time Lords, we were never meant to intervene."

"But we do…"

"I know we do. But… do you think killing is right?"

"No… I don't… but, when it's kill or be killed?"

The Master hummed happily. She sent him a questioning look, getting a knowing wink in return.

"I'm not trying to catch you out, but from where I'm standing. If I had gone into that room today with the primary goal of destroying that Dalek… I'd be no different from it. That's why we must always offer a choice. Everything and everyone deserves a second chance. A chance to evolve, to change."

"I know… I do understand that. I guess it's just hard… when it's something that's taken so much from you."

The Doctor's face was impassive as he regarded the scene playing out in front of him. Hally wondered if he had any idea as to the reason The Master was showing them this.

"I know. I feel it too. The rage. The pain"

"We just have to be better than them. Doing the right thing, it's not always going to be easy, it won't always align with what you want. But it's all we can do. Day to day, try and be good. Try and be kind."

The Master's smile slowly widened as the scene transitioned from the TARDIS interior to a laboratory. It might have taken her a second to recognise it, if it wasn't for the giant, insect-like form of Professor Lazarus advancing slowly into the picture. She could see herself standing in his way. She'd been separated from The Doctor and Martha and there had been a moment where Lazarus had cornered her in one of his labs. There was a bright flash and amber flames flew from her body, hitting the monster square in the chest. It recoiled, its deformed limbs flailing as it tried to pull away. But the flames were unrelenting, they drew Lazarus further in towards them as he screeched in pain. As the creature continued to writhe, Hally shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Watching the footage back was different to how the moment had felt at the time. At the time, she'd wanted to scare the monster away. It had felt like self-defence. But watching it back now, she could see how easily she'd overpowered Lazarus. She could see him now, trying to pull away from the pain of the flames, trying to pull away from her grasp. She hadn't let him.

The Doctor's head turned, his eyes dropping to the table.

"Watch it, Doctor!" The Master barked loudly, brandishing his laser screwdriver menacingly in the direction of the household staff members that had their backs pressed against the walls of the room.

A dark look passed over her father's face as he forced himself to look back at the screen. Her stomach knotted, eyes stinging with the realisation that he was ashamed.

The screen flickered again. Gone were the flames. Replaced by the cold, grey walls of the facility. The long tables with their bright blue plastic chairs. The canteen.

She knew this bit.

She could see herself sat on one side of the table, her back and side of her face visible to the camera. Of course, there had been cameras. Opposite her sat Courtney, her face in full view. On the screen, Hally rose to her feet swiftly, swinging the canteen tray into the side of Courtney's head. The other girl crumpled to the floor.

Hally frowned, of course, that scene without context wouldn't paint her in the best light.

Another cut.

Outside in the yard of the facility. People were milling around. The moments seemed slower now that she was viewing them from an outsider's perspective. At the time she'd been frantic. Overcome with panic. Watching it now, however, it didn't appear that way at all. She had cracked Armitage's arm, seized his gun, and hit him over the head with it before stepping back and raising the gun, poised to attack. It looked calculated, purposeful even.

"Quite a violent little thing isn't she…" The Master mused, diverting her attention from the screen. "Did she learn that from you?" He was smirking at The Doctor.

There was a pause as The Master waited for The Doctor to look at him. "Leave her alone, Master." His aged voice wobbled. He sounded so tired. "She has nothing to do with this."

The Master's face split into a grin of almost giddy excitement. "Oh, you're absolutely right!" He mocked, pouting at her. "She has nothing to do with this at all." He was laughing at her behind those eyes. She could see it. Their own little private joke. She sneered at him as he cupped her cheek, running a thumb across her skin. "But she's the most exquisite collateral damage, isn't she?"

He tilted her face so she was looking directly at The Doctor. His sad, brown eyes stared back at her.

"Take your hands off her."

Hally's eyes fluttered closed in exasperation as the fingers at her jaw tensed at the unwelcome American input.

"Take my hands off her?" The Master's voice was low, dangerous. Regarding him, Hally could see the playful spark had been squashed by instant rage. He had finished playing with them. This was different. "I own her, freak. I own you all. I can do whatever I want with her and there's nothing you can do." He spat at the Captain.

Immediately Jack was out of his seat, lunging for The Master with a cry of hatred. He didn't get very far before there were guards at his side, wrestling him back into his seat. The hand on her face dropped away as The Master rose to his feet. He packaged his rage neatly away behind his eyes as his entire exterior chilled to a cold front. "Perhaps I'm not making myself very clear…" He muttered softly. The contrast was terrifying.

He turned his attention back to Hally. "Get on your knees."

Her blood ran cold as she looked up at him. Expecting to see some glint of amusement, a hint of some kind of joke. There was nothing but cold indifference in the deep brown.

Hally's body refused to move. She just stared at him.

"Do I have to kill someone?" He asked her casually, his screwdriver clicking.

She swallowed and forced herself to her feet, pushing the chair back before slowly getting to her knees. Her face was hot, her eyes left his as she glared holes into the floor.

The energy around him shifted and he growled loudly. "Mmm… now doesn't this give me a few ideas…"

Hally's eyes snapped up to his as she gave him a sharp, warning look.

Once again, Jack fell into The Master's trap. "You're a fucking bastard!" He yelled, struggling fruitlessly against the arms of the guards holding him back.

This time The Master ignored him, his attention unwavering as he ran his thumb softly over Hally's bottom lip.

"Open your mouth." It was barely a whisper. But she had heard it.

Jack continued to writhe in the corner of her eye. If only he could keep his hero antics to zero, she wouldn't be in this position.

No, she realised.

This wasn't Jack's fault.

This was all The Master's doing.

She glared icy daggers at him. He raised an eyebrow, hand tightening on the weapon in his free hand as the thumb at her mouth waited insistently.

Her jaw shifted and she opened her mouth. Hot humiliation raced across her face as his thumb pressed into her mouth. Pushing down forcefully on her tongue.

Judging by the silence, Jack had stopped struggling.

Hally's jaw twitched.

"Captain, I suggest you take a seat." The Master commanded calmly. His eyes never left hers.

There was a moment where no one moved before she heard the Captain take his seat once more.

"Now… ask me nicely, Harkness." His voice lilted in mocking. The Master was playing a game of chess, while it felt like the others were playing draughts. He knew all the pieces on the board, with one move he had them all at his mercy. This little show right here. This was his checkmate against the Captain.

But of course, her husband would never miss an opportunity to enrage his wife. She could see the glint of self-satisfaction in his eyes. Playing multiple games of chess at once.

Jack finally spoke. Deflated and defeated. "Let her go… Master."

"Say please."

She hated him in this moment.

She was not going to be a pawn to move around as he wished.

"Please." Jack whispered.

A smile crept onto The Master's face and the pressure on her tongue vanished. He had the audacity to offer her his hand, the same hand that had just forced itself into her mouth. She ignored the offer and rose to her feet unaided.

"And you, sweetheart." He chimed, innocently.

He smirked, elaborating for her when she didn't respond. "Say thank you, to your Master."

The smack sounded loudly in the otherwise silent room. Hally had slapped him hard across the face.

The Master recovered quickly, his eyes darkened as he let out a cruel laugh. He was still playing a game. "Do you like it rough? Is that it? Because I can give it you to rough…" To everyone else in the room, it probably sounded like a threat but Hally could see through his moves and countermoves and she'd had enough.

"Bullshit." She snapped.

The smirk fell from his face in an instant. "What did you say?" He hissed.

There. He'd finally dropped the act.

"I said. That's bullshit." Hally bit back at him. He'd shown her a crack in the façade, there was no way Hally was going to back down now. "You won't fucking touch me. I know you won't touch me. Do you know why?" She flashed him her own winning smile. "Because you're a fucking coward."

Checkmate.

Someone, possibly Letitia Jones, let out a fearful whimper.

All eyes were on them. She could feel them, like lasers hot on her skin. Even the eyes of The Doctor were darting between the two.

It was as if someone has flipped a switch on The Master. His face twisted in maddening rage as he lunged at her. She barely had time to register that his hands were on her before her back slammed against the surface of the table. Her cry of pain was cut off by his hand at her throat. Fingers dug into her leg as he forced her thigh to his hip.

The threat was obvious to everyone in the room.

No one moved.

It might as well have just been the two of them in the room. His body pressed against hers in a silent challenge. His scent filled her nostrils, she could feel the tension running through every muscle in his body. Their eyes were locked in a silent battle. He was desperately willing her to shut up and she was refusing. She wasn't sure how far he would go to prove his point. As of now, they were both playing a dangerous game of chicken. Neither quite sure where the line was, or who would break first.

"You're pathetic." Hally whispered softly.

The rage inside the deep brown of his irises cooled. A look of realisation passed over his face. Slowly, she watched as he rebuilt his steeled front. Her hearts jumped as an inkling of uncertainty hit her.

"Everyone out." The Master muttered, his weight shifted, releasing some of the pressure on her neck. His eyes scanned her face.

No one moved. Either they hadn't heard him or they were all still watching on in shock.

"Out!" He barked. The room was instantly filled with noise and movement as the onlookers scrambled to exit the room. She could hear Jack shouting again, the sound getting further and further away as he was dragged from the room.

There was a hiss as the door slid closed and finally, they were alone.

A nervous knot tugged at her abdomen.

Alone.

What would this mean?

Perhaps finally some truth.

What would they be now that they were alone?

The Master hadn't moved, his hand still resting on her neck. The heavy rise and fall of his chest against her brought her attention to how out of breath she was. Surprisingly, her rage had dampened, but she still needed to push him. They were alone. She would demand answers.

"Would you?" She spoke finally, she hadn't expected her voice to hold such emotion. She swallowed and reinforced her glare. "Hmm? Would you really rape me Koschei? To make a point." The grimace she sent him was full of resentment.

He pushed himself off her as if she'd burnt him. Hally's hearts were pounding in her chest as she watched him turn away from her, his hand went to rub at his face in frustration. A mixture of trepidation and defiance welled up inside her as she straightened her dress and got back to her feet.

The air between them was thick with tension as he spoke, his voice low and measured. "Don't call me that."

"Why not?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"I am The Master!" He cried, turning back to snarl at her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Not my Master." Hally crossed her arms in front of her chest.

He laughed, but it was a cold, bitter sound that sent shivers down her spine. "Now who's bullshitting?" He sneered.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Don't do that to me again." She demanded, referring to the spectacle that had just transpired. She needed to force his hand.

"Oh, you're really not in any position to demand things from me." He raised an eyebrow mockingly. He was scrambling to regain control, she could see it. Not that she was the perfect picture of control. Having him stood just in front of her, after all this time, she wanted to reach out and touch him. But she kept her arms firmly locked together.

Her lips twitched into a smirk as she gave a purposeful look around the now, empty room. "Aren't I?"

The low growl that vibrated in his chest gave her the answer she needed. He was losing his patience. "Why must you make things SO difficult?!" He bared his teeth, taking a menacing step towards her.

"Because you're hurting people I care about!" She shouted back. "Because you're doing things that I don't agree with!" Her hand made heavy contact with the middle of his chest, forcing him to stop his advance.

He snatched her wrist, pulling her in towards him. "If you behaved, I wouldn't have to put you in your place." A sly smirk pulled at his mouth.

She matched his arrogantly assured energy, batting her eyelids at him sarcastically. "We've done this already. Don't you remember? You can't control me Koschei. I know you." She hissed.

He hummed, the vibration running down her forearm, trapped by his hand against his chest. His intense gaze flicked down to her mouth, a self-assured smirk curving his. She felt her cheeks heat against her will, and her breath hitched. His pupils expanded, deepening the darkness in his eyes.

His breath fanned across her face as he exhaled. "I can control you. Because I have your secret." He purred. "I am your secret. And you wouldn't want daddy dearest to find out about us now, would you? Not when you've done such a wonderful job so far of keeping it from him."

There it was.

His winning move. As she'd suspected.

Although, the fact that he was already using it as a threat meant that he had very little else to use.

Her brows knitted together. "Just… stop all of this."

He rolled his eyes, dropping her wrist as he put distance between them. "Oh, you sound just like him." His voice was dripping with disappointment.

She winced. "No… I just… I don't understand, why you're doing all of this…?"

"Wrong question, sweetheart." He quipped back, resting his arms across his chest as he considered her. She couldn't figure out what he wanted from her.

"You will learn, how to step in line." He declared, his voice devoid of any hint of mischief. "Yes, Master. Of course, Master. Whatever you wish, Master..." He narrated for her slowly. "..Or one of the Jones's will die."

She rolled her eyes. "Because I haven't heard that one before."

"I mean it this time!" He snapped back. "I'm giving you one last chance. Their blood will be on your hands."

Her retort was sharp. "It'll be on yours…"

He ignored her. His face set in hard determination. "I think I'll start with the youngest one. That seems the most tragic."

Before she could stop herself, she'd rolled her eyes again.

"Final warning."

Hally stared at him. It was clear this time that he wasn't about to back down. As much as she needed to fight him, he'd outmanoeuvred her. If she wanted their secret to remain as such and if she wanted to keep the Jones family alive, she had no choice but to obey him.

So she would concede. This time. But she was sure as hell going to make sure he knew that he'd pay for it in the future.

"Yes, Master. Of course, Master. Whatever you wish, Master." She bit at him.