The Master was entangled with her. Both of them lay on their sides, curled up in one another. His eyes were open and round, gazing at her face. Her breath was slowly returning back to normal. He hadn't left her side since they had returned to the Valiant. Five days ago.

It had been five days since she'd…

He would be there when she woke up, he'd bring her food, take her to the shower. He was treating her like a wounded animal. But she supposed that that was exactly how she was behaving. She didn't want to leave their bed. She barely ate. He would coax her into the library but she'd never be there for very long. Trailing a heavy sense of guilt wherever she went. It was easier to wallow in it in the bed. Hally knew, she knew it had been an accident. But the guilt was still hers to bear.

He brushed back a strand of hair that had stuck to her face, leaning in to caress his lips across her face. His pelvis was still pressed up against hers. Being close to him. So close. It was helping. It helped. She wasn't alone in this. He would hold her. Wrap her up in his arms, in his body. He had been so gentle with her. She didn't want to be this fragile. But the guilt was cutting into her. She was ready for them to leave. She wanted to go far away from here with him.

The Master shifted his hips, retreating from her body. She let out a soft sigh, the cool air drying the thin sheen of warmth on her face. Hally pressed her hands against his chest, feeling the familiar rhythm of four beating out underneath her palms. She missed the steady drumbeat, with it came his presence in her mind and she missed that terribly. He drew small circles across her arm, his eyes taking in all the details of her face. He was so full. She could see it. The word love didn't do it justice. The way he was looking at her. It transcended that. It was cosmic.

She missed Alina.

It was almost ironic that she'd managed to kill the only person who might have been able to help her process what had happened.

Hell, it was ironic.

It just hurt far too much for her to see it.

The worst part of it was, that Alina had been good. She should never have been involved in their fucked up little universal domination plan in the first place. She shouldn't have been here. She had only been on this fucking ship to help her.

It had killed her.

Armitage had been around. It was strange, he seemed less formal, still cold and professional but more familiar. She supposed she had saved his life. But how many had she killed? The thought crossed her mind that a man like Armitage was probably not all that shocked by death. He wouldn't hate her as she hated herself, for killing those soldiers.

"Nineteen days." The Master whispered, his breath tickling her face. "Then we're gone. Just us."

She refocused on him, his words settling on her. They'd brushed upon what they might do with the remaining prisoners, she had voiced her preference, but he hadn't confirmed anything. "Just us?"

"Yes." He dropped his forehead against hers. "We'll leave them here. All of them. He can have the earth. I have you."

Hally felt her body fill with warmth at his words. A smile tugged at her mouth, the first one in days.

His eyes twinkled back at her, contented. "We'll take the TARDIS. I'll release you. We'll do all of it together." He stroked a thumb down her face. Hally captured his face in her hands, pressing her mouth to his. They would find their place, together. Not on anyone else's terms. She wanted to explore the stars with him and they would. He was oh, so clever. They could go everywhere and anywhere. It would be perfect. Yearning shot through her and she deepened the kiss, The Master responded with enthusiasm. She wanted him closer. It was comforting. His body. Its heat. She needed it. Hally pushed him onto his back, moving to straddle him, her mouth never leaving his.

She rocked her hips, pressing herself as close to him as possible. A chuckle hummed in his throat. "Already?" He mused, a hint of dark amusement.

"Please…" She murmured impatiently against his skin, bucking her hips. He moaned softly, resting his hands on her hips, squeezing. He let her move them, let her shift and sink down onto him, rocking, building her pleasure. Her eyes fluttered shut and she let her head drop back as she blocked everything else out. No pain, no sadness, just the feeling of him and her burning desire. Chasing.

His hand wrapped across her neck, just below her jaw and he squeezed.

"Hal…" He murmured. She barely heard him.

He squeezed again, she moaned softly but then his hand shifted from her neck to her jaw. He was attempting to hold her still.

"Hal… look at me." He was trying to get her attention. She whined softly, if she could just ignore him for a few moments more she would get there. The rush would pull her away, quiet her mind. His hand dug into her hip, stalling her movements.

"Stop… sweetheart, stop."

She scrunched up her face, a frustrated cry falling from her lips. She was so close. She needed this. She needed the pain to go away. She bucked her hips.

"Petrichor."

Her eyes flew open at his voice and she stopped. Her breath fell ragged from her mouth and she stared at him. He stared up at her, the grip on her jaw lessened and he guided her head down towards his with his hands.

"Don't…" He commanded gently. "Don't you dare hide from me."

She didn't say anything, her eyes fell shut, trying to stop the tears that were building from escaping.

He caught her chin, lifting it. She could feel his breath warm on her face. His other hand moved to press into the small of her back, keeping them close. "You need to let yourself process it." He whispered. She tried to pull her face away from him, to bury it against him but he held her firm. "Open your eyes."

She reluctantly blinked them open.

The Master held her, hovering above him, his eyes met hers with a burning intensity. "It was an accident."

She exhaled, emotion catching in her throat. "But I still did it."

He sighed. "Yes." His jaw clenched. "You did. But did you mean to?"

She tried to look away but he moved her face back to his. Daring her to answer with his stare. "No."

"Did you have any control over what happened?" He hissed. His face was hard, but his eyes still swam with genuine gentleness.

She winced. "No…"

"If your power hadn't exploded… would we be here?" His eyes flashed meaningfully.

"No." The noise came out like a whine.

"Would Armitage be here?"

Hally shook her head.

"Say it."

"No."

Both of his hands came to cup her head, his eyes boring into her. "It is not a curse Hally. It is not something you can escape or hide from. Your power. It's you. It's part of you but it is you. You were made from it." His thumb rubbed across her face. "You are magnificent. There has never been anything wrong with you. Your pain, your anger… it doesn't define who you are. It can make you stronger." He explained with calm sincerity. "Alina died. It was an accident. But yes, the power inside you is what killed her." Breath caught in her throat, water trailing down her cheek. He wiped it away instantly. "It does not make you a monster. It does not make you bad or evil. You are a God." He exhaled, eyes widening. "No one is ever going to understand the weight of the responsibility that has fallen into your lap. So no one can ever judge you for what you do with it." He tilted her head, kissing her forehead, before moving and pressing a passionate kiss to her mouth. "But I am here… I will always be here. If you want to lock it away forever, I will support you. If you want to burn down the entire universe, I will be by your side. If you want to learn to fully control it, to live in harmony with it, I will be there every step of the way. You are so beautiful."

Hally stared at him. He was burning with passion. Every single word. He meant it. Her hearts exploded with a whirlwind of obsession, adoration and acceptance.

She loved him so completely in that moment.

She kissed him, her lips parting to grant his tongue entrance. His hands fell to her back, running his fingertips over the soft curve of her spine before coming to grip her hips. He rocked himself upwards, eliciting a soft moan from her. He hummed appreciatively. She was with him, no more hiding. His mouth curved into a knowing smile as he held her down against him. One of his hands pressed into the small of her back, forcing her to arch her back. He bucked up and a thready moan tumbled from her.

A growl rumbled in his chest. "My turn…"

"There's something different about you."

Hally's eyes flicked up to Jack's. She was sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor, her back against the wall with a plate resting in her lap. She raised an eyebrow as she lifted a forkful of her dinner to her mouth. He was sitting opposite her, legs stretched out in front of him, resting against the bed.

"Oh?"

He stabbed a meatball onto his fork, watching her. She tried to keep her face impassive. She hadn't told him about Alina. She doubted she'd ever tell anyone.

"You've made a plan." He cocked his head to one side.

She shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. I think we have."

"But it makes you sad…?" His eyes flashed with concern.

Hally frowned and shook her head, looking down at her plate. "No… I'm not sad about that. I'm just… I think I'm tired." She settled on, giving him a soft smile. "Been a long year."

His mouth twitched with a sad smile. "You're telling me."

She exhaled a chuckle.

There was a moment of silence as Hally inspected her food. She could feel his eyes on her. Waiting for her to elaborate.

"I've made my decision. I wish… I do wish it didn't have to be like this. But… well, nothing is ever that simple is it?"

He nodded in understanding. "And The Doctor?"

She pursed her lips. "He'll stay here."

"Won't you miss him?"

Her forehead creased into a thoughtful frown. "Yes. I will." She let out a soft, dismissive sigh. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"What do you want to talk about?" He countered back at her.

She shrugged, eyes trailing down to her lap. Avoiding his gaze.

"So you came to eat dinner with me in silence?" She could hear the sceptic challenge in his voice.

You can't con a con artist.

She hummed in resolution. "No… I suppose not."

He waited for her to speak silently. Emotion rushed to the surface, the grief she'd been trying to squish. Tears fell onto her cheeks, she quickly tried to wipe them away but he had already seen. "I…" The words got stuck in her throat. Part of her wanted to tell him. About what she'd done. The Master had been so good but he was also so understanding. She almost wanted an outside opinion. She wanted someone to look at her in disgust. "I did something…"

Jack frowned, genuine worry flashing across his face.

She shook her head. "I can't… I don't know if I can tell you."

"It's ok, Hal…" He encouraged softly.

She hated crying. She really did. But it needed to come out. She wanted him to be angry at her, to judge her but he wasn't. Her hands came to her face as tears streamed down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking from the heavy sobs. Jack moved, the cutlery clinking against the plate as he set it down. Then he was beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. He didn't say anything. He just let her cry, just held her supportively until she could breathe unhindered by sobs, until her eyes dried up.

"He'll be sad to see you go…" Jack breathed, his hand squeezing at her shoulder.

She winced. "Will he?"

Jack exhaled. "Of course, he will. He loves you. You're his daughter."

Hally shook her head, wiping her face with her hand. "Just because one of those things is true, doesn't mean they both are."

Jack looked at her. "Families are complicated." He agreed.

Hally cleared her throat and gave him an affirmative nod.

"But he does love you. He's a good man."

Irritation flickered inside her and she fixed him with a frown. "You trust The Doctor… even after he abandoned you?"

Jack considered her words carefully, before he nodded. "Who you are isn't solely the actions you take."

She had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't only talking about The Doctor. Hally lifted up her knees and buried her head into her arms letting out a loud groan. She wanted to scream. She just wanted to run away with The Master already. Part of her wished that she'd never met The Doctor. It complicated things. It made her feel things she didn't want to acknowledge. Because she loved him. She would miss him but she couldn't exist in both The Master's and The Doctor's worlds. Her trust in The Doctor had been shattered. But that didn't stop her from loving him. It didn't fill the gaping hole inside her that craved him to love her in return. A parent. A family. Any of it. The Master's love was beautiful and all consuming, but it was different. She wanted a figure who would be a parent. Someone who would be there, to nurture her, teach her, mould her into the best version of herself. Someone who could tell her off when she made mistakes, but who would also support her when she needed them to. The Master was so accepting of everything that she was. But sometimes she couldn't help but think that might not always be the best thing. Because despite her husband's moral flexibility, she believed in the distinction between good and bad. Selfish and selfless. She wanted to be balanced. The Doctor kept her good. Not that The Master was inherently bad, but he was wild and free and chaotic and chaos could burn. But would The Doctor ever forgive her? For any of this. It still grated on her. How high and mighty he could be. She would never be good enough. He had always left her in the end.

"I'm never going to be good enough for him." She muttered.

Jack laughed, the sound jolted her out of her misery and ignited a moment of anger. He shook his head. "So stop trying."

Hally scowled at him. "I'm not."

"Stop apologising for being who you are. Own it." Jack looked at her, his eyes smiling at her. "If he decides that he doesn't like who you are, then it's his loss." He shrugged, as if her major, spiralling sense of self was not a problem at all. "If you're pissed off because he lied to you, own it. If you married a psychopath who destroyed the world, own it. Or if you're going to run off to the stars with the love of your life, own it." He shot her a look that might have been patronising if it had been anyone else. "People will like you or dislike you either way, so just be whoever you want to be, Hal."

She stared at him, begrudging irritation behind her eyes. She knew he was right.

"I'll miss you." She mumbled.

Jack laughed. "Well, I'm immortal. I'm sure I'll see you around."

Hally unfolded the final corner of the map in front of her. She was sprawled across the floor of the library, resting on her elbows as she studied the crumbled paper, plotting the Orrean galaxy. The Master was sat to her left, also on the floor, hunched over his Laser Screwdriver. He was tinkering, concentration etched into his face.

"You know, you could teach me how to fly the TARDIS?" She mused out loud.

He shot her an amused look. "Oh darling, you almost failed temporal physics three times."

She rolled her eyes. "So? The Doctor definitely failed it once too."

The Master barked a laugh. "Yes and look how terribly he drives."

She stuck out her tongue. "Well… perhaps I just need a tutor." Her eyes flashed with mirth.

A wide grin spread onto his face. "You were the worst student."

Hally shot him a pout. "Oh, I don't know about that. If I was so awful, you wouldn't have fallen in love with me."

He scrunched up his face. "I fell in love with you, despite how terrible you are at physics."

"Well, my talents evidently lie elsewhere." Hally huffed dramatically.

A dark chuckle vibrated in his chest and his eyes sparkled with scandal. "Indeed they do."

It took a moment for her mouth to drop open. She poked him hard in the ribs. "I wasn't talking about that."

"Oh?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, the dark brown glittering with mischief. Hally snorted, pushing herself up to lean over him. The screwdriver lay open in front of him, he had a menagerie of smaller and larger intricate tools lain out next to it.

"Whatcha doing?" She sang childishly.

The Master huffed and shot her a warning look. She ignored it, reaching out to pick up something that looked like a tiny wrench. He slapped her hand away immediately and she pouted, sitting back on her heels to watch him.

He picked up a thin mechanised instrument, using it to delicately turn dials inside the screwdriver. His tongue peeked out from behind his lips and Hally felt a small smile pull at her mouth.

"You're so sexy when you're being clever." She purred, watching him with intrigue.

He didn't look up from his work. "And you're sexiest when you're being quiet…"

Her eyes went wide with mock offence. "Hey!" She berated, moving to knock the instrument from his hand. He caught her wrist and with swift, wholly unfair agility he flipped them. Her back connected with the floor as his leg swung over her. He settled his weight across her waist, straddling her. Trapping her underneath him with her arms stuck between herself and his inner thighs. She let out an indignant huff but he ignored her. Instead, he brought the Laser Screwdriver up and lay it across her chest. Using her body as a workbench, he continued fiddling with the tool.

She flexed her muscles, but the way that he was bearing his weight down across her, she couldn't move. Damn him. Stupid smug bas…

He chuckled to himself, no doubt sensing her irritation. His eyes flicked to her face.

"You're lucky I don't gag you." Danger swirled behind his eyes.

She squirmed. "You wouldn't…"

A predatory smirk played at the corner of his mouth. "Oh, you know I would. I might try it sometime. I can imagine you'd be much more agreeable."

A growl hummed in her throat. He held her down as he continued to work. His forehead creased in focus, the screwdriver resting happily in the dip between her breasts. The device clicked, a soft hissing sound coming from the mechanism. Hally suddenly wondered what would happen if it accidentally went off…

"What are you doing though…?" She grumbled after a few minutes of long silence.

"Shush." He clipped.

"Koscheeeeiiii…" She whined. The Master let out a puff of air, grabbing something beside her head. He held it out in front of her, it was a slightly thicker metal bar, about thirty centimetres in length, it tapered off at one end.

"Hold." He commanded, his eyes connecting with hers.

She frowned at him. How is he expecting her to hold that when her hands were…

Her eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

The side of his mouth twitched up, but his gaze held steady and demanding on her. "Hold it for me."

She glared at him and yet her jaw relaxed and she opened her mouth. He placed the tool across her mouth, letting gravity hold it in place. The cold of the metal pressed down against her tongue.

"Don't bite it. You'll hurt yourself." He muttered quickly, an afterthought, before he returned his attention to the screwdriver. She swallowed, with some difficulty. Warmth spread from her chest up to her face. Calm settled inside her. The sensation was strange. But she liked it. It was sensual, a little bit sexy, but still definitely a lot infuriating.

She watched The Master's face as he worked. Every now and then he would suck in on his cheeks and his eyes would narrow. He would hold his breath when he got to the bits that required his most attention, then he'd exhale heavily with a pout. Her cheeks pinched into a smile, her mouth stuck around the metal tube. Finally, he lifted the screwdriver and shifted his weight. He grabbed her right hand from underneath his leg and brought it to the weapon. "Hold." He ordered again, shortly. She exhaled heavily in contempt but wrapped her hand around it nonetheless. He rolled his eyes in despair. "Hold it like you're using it." He tutted.

Hally scoffed, sound impaired by the tool in her mouth, adjusting her grip.

He pressed her fingers into the cool metal, using his other hand to fiddle with the bottom. The device clicked and closed itself up. A satisfied grin split The Master's face. "Perfect. Test it."

Hally raised an eyebrow, making a questioning noise. He huffed. "Just press the button. It's not fully active."

She did as she was told and pressed down on the main control button, a green light flashed just to the side of her thumb. "Beautiful." He muttered to himself, pleased with his handiwork. The focus of his iris shifted from the device to her face and as it did his pupil enlarged, darkness engulfing his eyes as he took in the sight of her. Lying beneath him, unable to move, unable to speak, with his screwdriver in her hand. "..beautiful."

A barely audible whimper slipped from her mouth.

The door to the library opened and heavy footsteps advanced on them. The Master didn't move, he just waited for Armitage to approach. As he came into her line of sight, Hally shot a look up at him. He looked back, unfazed by the position he'd found them in.

"Sir, sorry to interrupt."

Hally snorted a laugh.

The Master's mouth pulled into a smirk. "Does he sound sorry, sweetheart?" He cocked his head to one side. He gently pulled down her jaw, taking the rod from her mouth and resting it back on the floor. Her lips curled into a wry smile, eyes dancing with amusement as she watched her guard. "Definitely not."

Armitage sighed at them both. "Sir, there's something that may require your attention."

Always the professional.

The Master pouted down at her. She could see the conflict behind his eyes, but they both knew Armitage would never have disturbed them unless he deemed it truly necessary. Especially in the position The Master still hadn't released her from. Her husband took the Laser Screwdriver from her grip, shifting back and rising to his feet. He offered her his hand, helping her off the floor.

"What is it?" Hally asked Armitage.

Armitage looked from her to The Master. "Martha Jones."

The Master raised an eyebrow. "What about her?"

"She just handed herself in at the French-German border."

Hally felt a shiver race down her spine. Her eyes widened.

What?

Something shifted in her husband, a cloud of darkness descended. "Then I assume she's already on her way here?"

Armitage nodded.

He hummed in thought.

Hally looked at him, her eyes narrowing in confusion. There was an insistent niggling feeling forcing its way into her mind. She scrunched up her face.

"She just… handed herself in?" She turned back to Armitage, her disbelief evident.

"Yes." Armitage confirmed, his eyebrows raised a fraction.

"I assume her effects have been confiscated?" The Master crossed one arm over his chest, the other coming to rest underneath his chin.

Armitage nodded. "She was unarmed. Just the teleportation device, which we now have."

Something flashed behind The Master's eyes, he gave Armitage a nod of dismissal. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Armitage nodded and left them alone once more. Hally turned to The Master. "She just handed herself in, after all this time…?" Her voice dripped with scepticism.

"Mmhmm. Evidently."

Hally looked at him incredulously. "Don't you think that's suspicious?"

"How could it be suspicious?" He quipped back.

"Because… why after almost a year, would she just give up and hand herself in?"

He shrugged, shooting her a frown. "I don't know. Maybe she realised it's all been for nothing and she wants to come back to her family."

Hally cocked her head. "No… I think..." She shook her head. "This doesn't feel right Koschei."

He sighed softly, giving her a look. He rested his hands on her shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze. "We're so close… what could she possibly do? She was unarmed. No gun, no weapon, nothing. And now we have her vortex manipulator. She has nothing."

That made it sound even more suspicious.

"But why now?" Hally pressed.

"Who cares? We'll be gone in 5 days."

"But…" She wasn't sure what else she could say, she rolled her lip between her teeth.

The Master placed a kiss against her mouth, silencing her. "What could she possibly do?"

As Hally considered his words, she realised that he could be right. What could Martha Jone do? She shouldn't be a threat. But the niggling continued. It didn't make sense. But what could she possibly do? She was one human. Unarmed.

"I suppose…" Hally conceded. His eyes lit up and he hummed happily, stroking a hand across her cheek.

"Come to bed with me." His eyes glinted with mischief.

She laughed softly. "It's not even 4pm?"

His face split into a wolfish grin. "I want my wife at all times of the day."

She tried to stop the stupid smile from spreading onto her face. "I thought you just told Armitage you'd 'be right with him'?" She cocked a playfully accusing eyebrow at him.

He consumed her mouth, rolling his tongue forcefully over hers. His throat vibrated with a growl. "Oh, I did." His hands slid down her back to grab at the back of her thighs, he lifted her off the floor, wrapping her legs around him. "But this is far more important."