"I must admit, I think that meme is my new favourite." The male, dark-haired host shot them a wide grin. Josh, was his name. He looked between the two of them, amusement glittering behind his eyes.

Currently, they were sat side by side, Josh opposite them. One camera pointed at them and the other at him. Hally let out an outward groan, not hiding the way her mouth upturned into a knowing smile. The Master offered a dark chuckle to her left.

"I'm assuming you know the one I mean."

Hally sighed dramatically and The Master, as Harry but also no doubt, a lot as himself teased her. "Oh no, do remind us exactly which one you're talking about Josh, please do show us and the camera." His face split into a shit-eating grin.

Hally pouted, shooting him a mock scandalous look which he responded to with a wide bright grin as the interviewer proceeded to go along with the act, getting out his phone and showing them and the camera the meme.

A drawback to being, oh so public. They'd been doing another sit-down interview, a less casual setting, the vibes had been professional and sleek. The interviewer had even worn a business skirt. It had mainly been about 'Harry', a dive into his career.

"Would you ever consider going back into politics? The optics love you, Mr Saxon."

Master gave her a soft laugh, face splitting. "Oh… I'm not so sure." He tilted his head over at Hally, eyes sparkling with amusement before looking back to the interviewer. "Better to keep them wanting more."

Hally's eyes had remained locked onto The Master watching him. He was so at ease. So damn charming. Her hearts swelled with something akin to pride. This man. This brilliant, hilarious, charming genius, was somehow all hers.

Of course, at the time she'd been totally unaware of the look that had settled onto her face as her thoughts flickered through her mind. But the camera had caught every second of it. Her expression could only be described as one of complete and open awe. The look on her own face was actually sickening for her to look at. So undeniably in love. The Master had teased her mercilessly every day since. However, she didn't blame him. If they had video proof of him looking at her like that she'd rip into him with equal vigour. Although, their PR team had been delighted. Their ratings had certainly spiked afterwards.

She pretended to scowl at the image on Josh's phone. A picture of herself, staring at 'Harold Saxon' as she had accidentally done so, with the caption, 'Get yourself a girl who looks at you like this' in bold across the bottom of the image.

Josh and The Master had a chuckle at her expense before Josh leant back into his chair. "So, was it love at first sight?"

Hally's 'problem' was that she very rarely had chance to hide her natural reaction. Lying or acting weren't her strong suits. Although, both she and The Master had stuck to the plan meaning that most of their stories, were in fact based on half-truths. So, when Hally let out a soft knowing chuckle and Josh turned to her, The Master gave her a look, letting her take the lead on the question.

"I wouldn't exactly say so." Her mouth curved into a knowing smirk.

"No? Oh, do tell us more." Josh's eyes lit up, genuine interest flickering over his face.

"Umm…" She pretended to consider her answer. "Well, the first time we met I hit him over the head with a book." She gave him, coyly. "Accidentally, of course."

The laugh The Master barked was very much sincere.

"Wow… so not the best start."

"Indeed."

"And when did you know you'd fallen head over heels?"

"Well… it took a little while… we're both incredibly stubborn you see." Hally continued, offering her husband a look.

The Master hummed in agreement.

"And neither of us wanted to be the first to admit there were feelings… but eventually… it just all sort of came out." She breathed out a soft laugh.

"We've overcome many things." The Master chipped in, adding further context. "In the beginning, it was easier to pretend things were uncomplicated and platonic. But you know… eventually, you can't ignore it. But it's terrifying. Taking that step. When you walk into a room and immediately you're looking for the one familiar face, that feeling in your chest, your heart lurching when you get them in your arms or the incessant need to tell them everything, to follow them to the end of the universe. Some things are worth being vulnerable for…"

Hally's smile had slowly slipped from her face as she'd turned to stare at him.

They'd not scripted that. To top it off, he offered a perfectly charming laugh with a hint of self-deprecation.

Urgh, she could already imagine the Tweets. God the internet was going to die.

He caught her gaze, amusement twinkling behind his eyes as Josh lapped up his answer.

Of course the next day the tabloids were full of praise for him. His male vulnerability.

He revelled in it.

It was actually getting easier and easier to keep public attention. It seemed the more people loved them, the more interviews they were invited to, the more events begged for their presence and the more articles were written about them, even without the push from their own team. Companies were falling head over heels for Harold Saxon and brands were quite literally fighting over her. Hilariously, some articles had even started to compare them favourably against the UK Torchwood team. The immense amount of publicity they'd garnered around Torchwood America had of course had a knock-on effect for the Cardiff team. Meaning all of them were now basically living in the public eye. She knew Jack would be even more enraged, but… that sort of made it more amusing. They were untouchable. The human race loved them. But most importantly, they loved them together.

The Master watched his wife as she stared out at the skyline from their penthouse window. He could feel her rage still pent up beneath the surface. They'd left Armitage and the PR team to deal with the 'clean-up'. Everything would be fine. But he needed to check in on her.

It was a subject they'd not broached before. A subject that she evidently had no idea how to deal with judging by how she'd reacted.

"So, can we expect any little Saxons anytime soon?" The young blonde smiled innocently up at them, tucking her long hair behind her ear. The question caused them both to pause. In part, because neither of them knew how to answer it and in part because it was one of the few questions on their 'no go' list. Questions that reporters, interviewers and chat show hosts weren't allowed to ask them. And so far, no one had.

The Master had sent a brief look towards his wife, who had uncharacteristically, immediately closed down her barriers. With hindsight, he realised, he should have jumped in. Awkwardly laughed away the question and changed the subject. Hally blinked slowly and her face shifted into a hard mask of contempt. "Are you illiterate?" The question came out cold and clipped and quite rightly the journalist took a second to realise what Hally had said. The blonde looked over at her, her face falling into a frown.

"Oh… umm, sorry?"

The Master cleared his throat, a half-hearted attempt to diffuse the situation, but his wife cut across him. He could feel her rage now, it was seeping from her, escaping through the tiny gaps in her mental blockade.

"I said… Are. You. Illiterate?" Her gaze never left the woman in front of them. The Master's eyes never left her face. The usually soft features had hardened into sharp lines and dangerously pointed edges. He should have probably stepped in but watching her shift was… fascinating. She was magnetising and terrifying all at once. The meek journalist didn't stand a chance. She went bright red and immediately folded under Hally's stare.

"I didn't mean… I just… sorry, I didn't know I couldn't… umm…" She looked up at the team standing awkwardly behind the pair of them, hoping someone would come to her aid.

"That isn't an answer to my question." Hally cocked her head to one side. The Master practically keened. His initial need was to touch her, to take this magnificent creature and make it his. But, for now, he would have be content with watching. Watching his wife tear this silly little human apart.

Water started to pool in the young woman's eyes. "I'm… no. No, I'm not illiterate."

Hally hummed, as if actually considering her answer. "Did you read the press packet that Hannah sent to you?" Again her voice was perfectly calm but ice cold. Danger lurked.

The journalist cleared her throat and tried to regain her compose. "Y-yes… I did... I just…"

"You did. So, in what world did you think that asking that question was going to be alright? Who the fuck do you think you are?" Hateful intent flickered behind his wife's eyes.

Alright. If he waited much longer she was going to do something they couldn't cover up.

He stood up abruptly, offering the journalist a hum of disapproval. "I think we're done here." He turned and offered his hand to Hally, who momentarily paused, most likely considering if she could actually get away with hurting the human, before luckily or unluckily in his opinion, she decided against it, took his hand and let him lead her from the room.

He watched her profile, letting her stew for a few moments more before approaching her. He ghosted his hands over her waist, testing to see if she pulled away or if her festering irritation spiked. When it didn't, he wrapped his arms around her fully, pressing his chest to her back. He didn't say anything, for once, he wasn't actually sure where to start. He rather hoped she would initiate. But she didn't. So instead he held her, dropping his face to inhale her scent at her neck.

"Let me in…" The sound that came from his throat was far too close to a whine, so he distracted her with a gentle knock at her barrier. She didn't shove him away, but she didn't open up to him either. Something was stewing inside her. He held her for a few moments and waited. If he knew his wife, which he did, she wouldn't be able to hold it inside for very long. Predictably, after about ten minutes she let out a long sigh and twisted in his embrace to face him, looking up at him. Her face had set into something akin to resolute determination. She was ready to say something.

"I don't think… I want children." Her eyes met his and despite the fact that she still had her barriers fully in place, The Master could feel the nervous unease practically seeping from her. He quelled the urge to chuckle, to laugh. It wouldn't go down well. He gave himself a moment to put together his thoughts. He perhaps understood why she had chosen to block him out of her mind. It was a topic they hadn't broached. His thoughts on the matter were scattered. Inconsistent. Neither absolutely certain of the other's standpoint. It probably should have been a conversation they'd had a long time ago. But it had never been a good time. Rassilon. Time War. Valiant. Dead. On the run. No. Not the right time. But then, she most certainly knew his general feelings on the matter. She'd spent enough time in his head and he in hers. He already knew. But. Hally was evidently feeling, prickly, about the subject, so something else was happening beneath the surface. His initial response might have been something along the lines of, "Neither do I. Obviously." But this felt different. She didn't want him to agree with her. Well, no, she did. She was also terrified she'd said the wrong thing. She was telling the truth. She didn't want children. But she wanted the option to change her mind. She wanted his affirmation, but not his complete agreement.

He hummed. "I know you don't." His hand came up to cup the right side of her face, offering her a small smile. He squashed the impulse to raise her evident 'mummy' issues.

Not the time.

"It would be highly inconvenient trying to take over the planet with a baby in your arms." His amusement curved at his lips and thankfully, she smiled up at him. Her eyes never left his, a curious spark still behind them.

"Do you… as in, I know you don't. I'm not asking if you do, I'm just…"

He cut in for her. "Eternity is an awfully long time. Circumstances change."

That seemed to settle her. She grasped what he was hinting at.

Not now.

Not for a long time.

Her face relaxed, she'd evidently gotten the answer that she wanted and incrementally her barriers dropped. He lowered his face to capture her mouth, hands moving to tug her closer into him. "I don't think I tell you often enough…" He mumbled against her skin as he trailed his mouth from her lips to the sensitive skin at her neck. "You're so fucking sexy when you're angry." He groaned. "Edible." He nipped at her neck, his hands squeezing at her impatiently.

The laugh fell from her lips, but he heard the slight gasp of air that caught in her throat. "You know, you really shouldn't get so turned on by my temper."

He chuckled, continuing to fuss at her neck. Soft kisses and sharp bites. "She shrank from you. She was terrified. And you…. You liked it."

He heard her let out a soft, contented sigh, her body melting between him and the glass. More than happy to let him act out his profuse delight. His mouth captured hers in another kiss, this one burning with now impatient heat. "It suits you." He murmured. "The power." He pushed his thought through into her mind, not able to bare parting from her mouth for a second longer.

"Their Queen."

There was something wrong with Armitage. Hally watched him as she spooned the cinnamon squares into her mouth. He was tense. He had been tense all morning. Her eyes narrowed at him as he moved from the dining area to the lounge area for the fifth time. He was masking it well, pretending to move files and check his laptop. But he was pacing. That was worrying. Everything was going perfectly and yet Armitage was on edge.

That was never good.

The Master let out a loud sigh to her left, shooting her a silencing glare.

"You can't police my thoughts."

"Well stop projecting them so loudly." His eyes flashed with warning. "He's fine."

"He's not."

"He's always like that."

"No, he isn't."

"He's my employee. I know when he's fine and he's fine."

"He's been my shadow for the last two years, trust me, I know when he's malfunctioning."

The Master groaned softly, tiring of her quickly. He rolled his shoulders and looked up over at the cause of their disagreement. "Armitage." He clipped. The human paused, looking up towards him, the hint of an irritated question lingering on his face.

The Master turned his head towards Hally, silently gesturing for her to jump in. She rolled her eyes at his set up and looked Armitage in the eye. "What's wrong with you?"

A crease flinched between Armitage's eyebrows and he stared at her. He let out a short hum and flexed his jaw.

This, got The Master's attention. His eyebrows raised into an expression of surprise, finally cottoning on to what Hally had been thinking all morning.

Armitage still hadn't moved to speak, or do anything else, so she pressed him again. "What aren't you saying, Armitage?"

The stoic hulk in front of them let out a noise. A soft of, half groan, whine. Before he abruptly turned and strode across the dining area and out of sight. Hally looked to her husband and he offered her a look of baffled confusion before he shrugged. She continued to feed herself, the obnoxious crunching the only noise. She could hear voices now. John was speaking, only intermittently interrupted by Armitage. After a few moments, John stormed back into the dining room, his attention back towards where he'd come from, eyes on Armitage.

"Tell them."

Hally cocked an eyebrow, looking from John to The Master and finally to Armitage when he finally plodded into view. He was glaring hatefully at Hart.

"You have to tell them." Hart's arms waved frantically towards the two sat Time Lords.

"Tell us what?" Hally cut across their strange exchange. Armitage hummed again, a deeply uncomfortable sound as he turned to look between them both.

"If you don't tell them… and it comes out… what do you think happens to you then, hmm?" John's eyes widened meaningfully at Armitage, silent messages evidently passing between the two via their facial expressions. A conversation that neither Time Lord understood.

Armitage flexed his jaw again, his mouth remaining tightly closed, almost as if he were trying to swallow down the words he needed to say.

"Urgh." He huffed loudly, before stalking towards them both, innocently sitting at the dining table, oblivious. He plonked himself down on the seat on the opposite side and without a word, closed The Master's laptop, moving it to the other side of the table out of his reach. He proceeded to take the spoon from her hand, rest it in the bowl and move that to the other side of the table as well, so no items sat between him and them. He let out a long breath, taking a moment to press his face into his hands.

"Okay… but… please, can both of you just… not… overreact." He lowered his hands and looked between them both.

Hally was officially worried. She had no idea what would possibly get this man, this cold, unfeeling man to be so concerned. She shot a quick look over towards The Master, who looked back at her with uneasy confusion. Hally turned back to Armitage, answering for the both of them. "Well, I can't promise anything, I have no idea what you're about to say…"

"Yes.. no… but can you just… not…" He winced, shooting her a meaningful look.

"Explode." Hart concluded helpfully for him, shooting her a smile.

She huffed and shot him a silencing glare before nodding at Armitage. "I shall endeavour not to kill everyone in the building, yes." She snipped back sarcastically.

"Mmm…" Armitage's face pulled into a pained wince. Still unconvinced. "Alright. It's just… well." He cleared his throat and got his bearing. "I need you both to be aware, fully aware that neither of you are aware of what I'm about to tell you."

"Obviously…" The Master drawled, shooting the human an impatient look, wordlessly commanding him to hurry up.

"No, because that's important. Neither of you are aware of, or… remember what I'm going to show you."

Hally's eyes flicked up to John, who was watching the interaction intently, his amusement had gone. Armitage continued. "There's something you're both unaware of. I am almost certain that all photographic evidence and CCTV footage was wiped but there's a chance that someone out there might still have it. Someone could access it and with the both of you living in the public eye, I need you both to be aware of its existence, in case it… came out."

His eyes scanned over the both of them, pausing for a moment as he gathered the courage, or idiocy to proceed. He groaned and got back to his feet, leaving a room for a brief second before returning, a brown paper file now tucked under his arm. He placed the file on the table in front of them, his hand lingering on top of it, keeping it closed. "It's just… now… the public are so obsessed with you but… one wrong move and they would turn. You need to be ahead of everything they could possibly know. Also… our… 'fame' has rather put a spotlight on Torchwood and one Captain Jack Harkness."

"So?" Hally pressed, impatient irritation itching across her skin. Her face had warmed, the deep pit of dread starting to eat at her insides.

"Just going to reiterate that NEITHER of you knows about this… and neither of you consented… it's..." He sighed. "It's easier if I just explain after I show you…" With that he moved the paper file across the table towards them, flicking the cover over to reveal the contents.

There were photographs inside. It took her a few seconds to fully register what she was looking at. It was stills from a CCTV camera. She recognised the area from one of the angles. Cardiff. Just outside the Torchwood base, and others dotted around the bay area.

The photographs were of her.

And Captain Jack Harkness.

She stared at one of the images, very slowly reaching over and picking up the picture. She could see that it was her. She could see her face and his clearly, but… what she was looking at didn't make any sense. She had no recollection.

"What is this?" Her voice came out in a soft breath as her eyes flicked back up to Armitage. "This didn't happen." A spark of anger ignited behind her eyes as she placed the false image back in the folder, shooting Armitage a dark scowl.

He swallowed. "The Torchwood team was infiltrated by some kind of memory-altering extra-terrestrial. It implanted itself in your memories via touch. It… altered things. Made you believe things that weren't real. You eventually realised and wiped your memories of the whole thing, wiping it from existence." The look Armitage was giving her made her want to throw up. Gentle kindness was seeping into his gaze. Empathy. "The two days missing from your memories… you remember that?"

Her head gave a minute tilt downwards in admission.

They had lost two days.

The whole team had talked about it for weeks.

Her eyes lowered back down to the image.

It had happened.

Water blurred the edges of her vision as she looked at it.

Her arms, wrapped tight around Jack's neck, her mouth pressed to his in what looked to be a passionate kiss. His arms pulled her into his body. The image next to it, taken from what looked to be just moments later, the look on her face was so clear as she looked up at Jack.

She was going to be sick.

Water tracked down her cheek and she swiftly wiped it away, clearing her throat as she looked back up at Armitage. "Did anything else happen?" She swallowed, watching his expression closely.

He understood her meaning and shook his head. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

She bit into her lip, heaviness churning in her stomach. She flicked the cover of the folder closed, removing the images from sight.

The Master hadn't said anything.

He was silent.

He was more than silent, he'd completely shut her out and withdrawn from her. Not even a ghost of his presence echoed in her mind. She forced herself to look at him, terrified of what she'd find in his eyes.

He wasn't looking at her. His gaze was still lowered towards the file.

His face had cooled into a mask of complete nothingness. Even in the depths of his eyes. Nothing.

Abruptly, The Master got to his feet.

Still, he didn't look at her.

Panicked, she immediately followed suit, stepping automatically behind him when he turned on his heel and began to make a beeline for the hallway leading to the lift. "Koschei…" She reached out for his arm, needing him to look at her, to talk to her. He shrugged off her grip, not faltering in his stride. Desperate for him to engage she grabbed his wrist this time, pulling him around to face her.

Her lower back connected with the edge of the dining table with a painful thud, The Master's fingers digging into her lower jaw, shoving her backwards, away from him. There was a shout of objection from behind her and she saw Armitage move out of the corner of her eye. The Master was forced off her, the pressure on her jaw ripped away as Armitage pushed him back forcefully. John came up on her left, placing himself in a position to stop him should he decide to come at her again. The Master's face flinched as he took two steps backwards, eyes darting across the three of them before landing on her.

His eyes burned with something dark and pained before, without a single word, he turned and stalked from the room and into the lift.

Sheer panic had her moving forward, still intent on following him.

He hadn't said anything.

She didn't know where he was going.

He'd cut her out.

Where was he going?

The idea that he was walking out to not come back wouldn't leave her mind.

John captured her in his arms. "Woah… wait up. Let him cool off."

"No…" She struggled out of his hold.

"Hally." Armitage commanded from behind her. She looked at him over her shoulder, the tears beginning to break free.

"No… he doesn't 'cool off'!" She pushed John off of her and rushed to the lift. But of course, the doors had already closed and the lift itself was already descending. She took in a deep, shaky breath.

"Take a breath kiddo…" John offered, approaching her slowly with his hands up like she was some kind of cornered animal.

But she'd already made up her mind, she shoved open the door to the emergency staircase and started to descend. Of course, by the time she'd gotten to the bottom, The Master was long gone. But that didn't stop her from trying to look for him.

"Fuck…" She growled as she exited their building out onto the busy street. She wiped her face quickly, scanning left and right to see if she could see any sign of him. She couldn't sense him anywhere. "Fuck!" That garnered her a few odd looks from passers-by.

Swallowing, she took a deep breath and started to walk. She wasn't sure where she was going. But she needed to move. She needed to feel like she was doing something.

Find him.

He was gone.

Gone.

He'd walked out.

He had walked away.

The thought had the bile rising back up her throat.

She needed to breathe.

Breathe and not throw up.

She was drawing attention.

Of course, she fucking was.

Everyone knew who she was.

She could have screamed.

Hally kept walking.

Away.

Anywhere.

Find him.

Would he come back?

She thought he would. The rational part of her brain was telling her that he would. He had to. He was angry. He was upset. Which was understandable. She was also angry. Furious. She wanted to tear the universe apart to find whatever creature had done that to her. Find it and destroy it. Painfully. She was murderous.

She also wanted to break down in tears.

Her whole body itched with discomfort.

The idea, the knowledge that someone had touched her, kissed her, without her knowledge.

She stopped walking, clearing her throat as she forced herself to swallow.

She hated it.

Hated it.

She'd done that.

It was her.

This had been a bad idea.

She was just wandering aimlessly around Midtown New York. She couldn't breathe and she was going to throw up. And now she was alone. Her hearts were thudding painfully in her chest.

She was panicking.

She knew that.

A deafening roll of thunder clapped above them. Her eyes were drawn upwards. The previously clear sky had darkened with the threat of a storm.

Shit.

Shit. Shit.

She tried to take a slow, deep breath, but the more she tried the worse the feeling got.

Lightning struck across the clouds with a vicious crack.

People had stopped to look up at the sky, some were videoing the sudden change, in awe at the sudden closeness of the storm without any rain.

Hally moved, pushing through the loitering humans to get… away. Somewhere. The storm rolled across Midtown, darkening. The bright lights of Times Square greeted her as she continued dodging between the bodies trying their best to keep to the sidewalks. She wasn't sure if being surrounded by people was making it better or worse. It was certainly distracting.

All of a sudden, despair hit her, fear and the unavoidable sense of being alone.

She was alone.

He'd walked out.

Uncontrollable sobs wracked her body as she tried to cover her face with her hands.

The mass around her continued to knock past her. Either blissfully unaware or purposefully ignoring the hysterically crying woman.

A soft pressure found her elbow. "Are you alright there?" A female voice asked, hesitantly.

Hally tried to nod but the woman was already guiding her out of the crowd.

"Here you go, sit down. Take a seat." Hally let the arms guide her into a seated position. The woman, a blonde, perhaps in her mid-fifties, had drawn Hally out of the crowd and over towards the end of the Square, placing her down on the obnoxious steps plonked for the perfect viewing point. The human took a seat next to her, giving her a comforting pat on the back. "There you go. Let it all out."

Hally tried her best to put herself together, but every time she tried, a new thought would wriggle its way into her mind and she'd set off all over again.

After everything she'd done for him.

She wiped her face furiously. She could feel the woman looking at her.

She would have to call someone.

Wouldn't she?

Could she call The Doctor?

Tell him.

Tell him, what?

That she'd lost the most dangerous man on the planet.

That Jack had been right.

No.

No, no.

He'd come back.

But what if he didn't.

The lady sat with her until Hally eventually managed to get a hold of her tears. She sat, her head in her hands as she took deep, shaky breaths.

"Do you want to talk about it, dear?"

Hally shook her head, her breath catching in her throat.

"Okay… we can just sit for a bit, yeah?"

She nodded in response, not trusting her voice not to break.

He could be anywhere by now…

Well, probably not anywhere.

Definitely still New York.

But for how long she wasn't sure.

Although… he was 'Harold Saxon'. Like her, he wouldn't be able to move completely freely about the city without people noticing. Following her new train of thought, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking social media fervently to see if anyone had posted a sighting of him.

A news article pinged up a notification at the top of the screen. Her eyes hovered on it for a second, everything else around her, fading into silence as she clicked on it.

'Cardiff Bay Explodes. Bomb suspected.'

She stared at the headline, before scrolling quickly down to the article.

'Roald Dahl Plass hit by an explosion minutes ago.'

Her eyes flicked up, to find the same news story playing on one of the large LED screens adorning the buildings. She got to her feet as the image on the screen changed, a helicopter view of the damage. That wasn't just Roald Dahl Plass. That was Torchwood.

He couldn't have…

Someone was talking to her, the lady, but Hally wasn't listening. She dialled The Master's number. Praying he'd pick up. Wishing he'd answer the phone and tell her he hadn't…

But he didn't answer.

So instead, she called Armitage, who picked up after one ring.

"Where are you?" There was panic in his voice. He knew.

"Times Square…" She paused, her mind not sure where to go.

"John called Jack. They're fine. They're all fine. Someone called them out on some wild goose chase before it happened and the whole area had been evacuated minutes before due to some chemical leak."

She was listening to him, but her brain was taking a second to order her thoughts into something tangible.

Minutes before.

Minutes.

He had.

He must have.

There were no casualties.

He hadn't killed them.

He could have.

Could have.

But he hadn't.

"Hally?" Armitage's voice dragged her back to the present.

"Yeah… ok… good. Do you know where he is?"

"No…" The human's voice trailed off with uncertainty.

"What?"

"Well… UNIT reported a security breach about four minutes ago…"

"Right… where? Send me the address."

Armitage cleared his throat, the apprehension clear in his voice. "The Archives. I'm sending you the address. But Hally there's… some of those artefacts could rip a hole in this planet… could rip a hole in time."

She packaged the immediate panic that rose in her chest and shifted into action. "I'm on my way." She hung up, checked the address and hailed a cab. Her hearts beat frantically. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as the car moved far too slowly to her destination. Her phone buzzed with a call.

Armitage.

She ignored it.

Not right now.

She didn't know what he was planning.

But it couldn't be good… right?

She needed to get there.

To stop him.

It would be alright.

She could stop him.

She bounded out of the taxi, practically throwing a $50 note at the driver as she forced her way past the security. For an archive full of potentially world-ending objects, it was worrying easy to get inside. Well, perhaps not for the average human. Perfectly hidden in one of the unassuming high-rise buildings. The archive went underground. Underneath even the subway. The underground cavern opened out into a warehouse-like building. Stacks of shelves lining both sides, each labelled and sporting various-sized boxes.

Her phone buzzed again.

Armitage.

Not now.

She could hear noise. The faint mechanical whirring drew her closer with each step. She couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension that clung to her like a suffocating shroud, her senses alert to every creak and rustle echoing through the cavernous space. She forced herself forward, knowing she needed to confront The Master eventually, but not quite ready for the possible consequences that would bring. She rounded a corner between two towering shelves, the sight that greeted her froze her in her tracks.

It wasn't The Master who stood before her.

She had no idea who this man was. His features partially obscured by the poor lighting but she knew, it wasn't Koschei. A surge of confusion washed over her, mingling with the adrenaline-fueled tension that coursed through her veins. The stranger's gaze met hers, a grimace twisting their expression into a sneer that sent a shiver down her spine. "I wondered when you lot would show up." He spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "Well, you're too late."

"Sorry..." Hally was completely taken aback. This was not the situation she had been expecting to walk into. She was poised and ready to take on The Master. To talk him down, perhaps use force if she had to. Anything to get him back home.

But… it wasn't him.

If this wasn't The Master then who the hell was it?

And where the hell was The Master?

"Who are you?" She started with, feeling very much on the back foot.

He sniggered at her, his face scrunched up in an ugly scowl. "The question you really should be asking yourself is... what is this?" He picked up the whirring device with both of his hands. It was gold and circular, with intricate designs slipping across the surface, it whined and clicked.

"I don't…" It was swiftly dawning on Hally that she was out of her depth. She'd unwittingly walked into something she shouldn't have. Additionally, she'd walked into it alone. Again.

"What is the point in having a phone if you never pick it up?" Despite the very audible irritation lacing the words, she couldn't help but breathe a soft sigh of relief at hearing The Master's clipped tone approaching her from behind. She checked over her shoulder, watching as he approached and took his place beside her, his eyes focusing dangerously on the threat in front of them.

"I'm so confused…" She muttered, looking from The Master to the total stranger in front of them.

The man smirked. "I'm afraid, you're now both in my way." He tilted the device, she assumed pointing it at them.

"Wait!" Hally held up her hand in front of her. "Let's talk about this… let us help you." She tried, but it was too late. The device clicked and something snatched her backwards.

When she hit the floor, she immediately became aware that it was wet.

Everything, was incredibly wet.

Sharp bullets of rain were slamming down onto her.

"Hal?!" The Master's voice cried out against the rain. She managed to get to her feet. They'd been transported. To where, she had no clue. But it certainly wasn't New York anymore. Dark green fields sprawled in every direction. His face cracked into one of relief upon seeing her, before rage clouded over it. "How many times do I have to tell you, you do not go out on your own!"

She scoffed. "I was looking for you!" She screamed back at him, her voice drowned out by the rain. Both of them were completely soaked through and cold bit at her skin.

"I'm right here!" He cried back, anger and desperation flashed over his face.

"You left!" She advanced on him. "YOU LEFT ME!" She shoved her hands into his chest, pushing him back. "I thought you'd GONE you fucking PRICK!" He grabbed her wrists, his grip vice-like as he forced her into him.

"GONE?!" He threw back his head and let out a maniacal laugh. "Gone?!" His eyes met hers and she shrank away from him. "Where would I GO? How. How would I go?! Don't you understand?! I can't go!" He shook her, leering down at her. "I can't leave! I need you! I hate it! I fucking burn for you! All the fucking time! Can't you see?!" His eyes were wide and wild as he snarled at her. "I hate you. I hate it. All of it. I hate what you've fucking done to me! I hate it because I NEED you. I can't fucking breathe!" His hands released her wrists to move to entangle in her hair, forcing her forehead against his. "I fucking hate you. I hate this FEELING! He touched you. He touched you and you're mine. Do you understand?! Mine."

"Koschei you're… you're scaring me…" She gasped out, her body completely unable to move.

"Scaring you?!" His fingers dug into her skull. "No, I'm not. I'm not scaring you. You love it. All of it." Somehow his voice was drowning out the sound of the rain. "You pretend but you love it! The Valiant! You wouldn't change a fucking thing! You love what you've done to me! You have ruined me! You love making me chase you! The games. The pain. ALL OF IT!"

She stared at him.

"I've let you pretend." He pressed his forehead against hers, holding her head still as he stared into her. Holding her captive. "I've let you pretend for so long!" A growl vibrated in his throat. "I've been the bad guy. Protected you. Protected your precious self-image. You are not the good guy. The saviour. You're just like me. Just like ME." He took her lip into his mouth, biting down on it hard. She winced but didn't push him away.

"I could have killed him." His voice lowered into a snarl, hatred burning through his gaze. "I would have killed him. But I didn't. Because of YOU." He slammed his consciousness into hers, flooding her with all aspects of him. The absolute depths of his need for her, crashed into her. It took her breath away.

"Look at me."

She opened her eyes, not having realised they'd fallen closed.

"I know who you are."

"You're mine."

She moved, crashing her mouth onto his.