The first thing Hally felt was warmth, it seemed to cocoon her. She was pleasantly warm. Then came the gentle sound of birdsong drifting through the air. She could smell flowers, in fact, the air was thick with a strange, fragrant calm. She was lying on something hard. Her eyes flickered open, squinting against the brightness of the sun, blocked out partially by the silhouette of her wife's head.

Her eyes adjusted as she blinked, Missy's currently upside-down features greeting her with a wide smile.

"There you are." Missy hummed, her eyes twinkling with a teasing amusement, as though Hally having fallen asleep hadn't been her fault entirely.

Slowly, Hally sat up, bringing her hand up to rub across her face. Missy moved her head out of the way, watching with a curve of a self-satisfied smile as Hally took in her surroundings. Hally had learnt that usually… it was never a good sign when her spouse looked so pleased with themselves. They were sat in the centre of a garden. White marble columns stood around them, flowers bloomed in every direction. Everything was a little too bright, a little too vibrant, like she'd woken up inside an overexposed photo. She glanced down and realised she'd been lying on the low, broad edge of a marble fountain, the central piece inside the white marble courtyard.

"Where are we?" Hally asked, rising from her seat as she turned to glare at Missy. "What did you do?"

Missy's grin widened as she watched her. "We're inside the Nethersphere." She replied, waving her hand casually about the space. "It's just a simple Matrix Data Slice. Thought I'd make it sexy and give it a name."

Hally blinked, frowning. "Why…?"

Missy remained seated, leaning back as though basking in the sunlight. "Well," her face curved with a smile, "because I like talking to you."

Hally narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. "Missy, I have to go home." She settled on, firmly. "People will notice quite quickly that I'm missing. Lily, Jack, then all of UNIT—"

Missy made a little pout. "Sorted it."

"What?"

Missy shrugged, almost as if Hally were overreacting. "Don't worry so much, darling. You'll be home by the end of the day."

Hally ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep her frustration in check. "Okay… but overnight?" she challenged. "If I don't go home, it'll scare our daughter. Jack will notice."

A small, knowing smile spread across Missy's face. "I already texted Jack, from your phone. Explained that you decided to stay with me last night." She smirked. "He wasn't happy about it, but… the possibility was evidently believable." Her eyebrows twitched upwards with a teasing wiggle.

Hally's mouth dropped open as she stared at her, scowling. "Right… so you're… what? Kidnapping me for a day?"

Missy just smiled.

Hally began to pace, irritation bubbling over. "I mean, you could have just asked me to come home with you." She shot Missy a hard look. "I might have said yes. What the hell even is this?" She motioned around herself, to the fake perfect garden. "Why would you—" She stopped mid-sentence as it clicked. An exhale fell from her as she turned back on her wife, fixing her with a stare. "…You're getting me out of the way."

Missy's eyes twinkled.

She stood up, brushing herself off, hands smoothing down the front of her skirt. It was then that Hally properly took in the change of clothes. Her gaze drifted over Missy's attire, a deep, dark purple that seemed to swallow the light. The fitted, long coat hugged her frame before flowing out into the skirt. Black braid trim outlined the edge of the coat, tracing down from her shoulders to her hips in a way that drew Hally's eyes, unbidden, to the subtle curve of Missy's waist.

Beneath the coat, a high-necked white blouse peeked out, fastened at the throat with a small, vintage pin, drawing Hally's eyes upward. At her wrists, the same delicate lace peeked out from beneath her sleeves, which themselves tapered to her wrists, snug but perfectly tailored, every stitch in place as if she'd stepped directly out of the Victorian era.

The skirt flared subtly from her hips, flowing down in rich waves until it brushed the floor. It was heavy fabric, structured and controlled, yet there was a quiet elegance to the way it swayed as she shifted her weight. Her hair was swept up elaborately, the finishing piece to the 'straight out of a fairytale' ensemble.

Missy gave a small, satisfied nod. "Yes, dear."

"So… what? You've connected both of our minds to your little Nethersphere so we can chat in here while you keep my actual body unconscious and powerless?"

Missy's smile grew, bringing her hands up to her hips. "Exactly. Of course, I could have just left you unconscious, but like I said… I like talking to you." She took a few, slow deliberate steps, circling around her.

"Why?" Hally growled, a stark warning hovering in her glare. "Why do you need me out of the way? What are you doing? Missy…"

"Now, now," Missy chided, her voice almost tender. "Don't give me that look." She continued to circle. "Don't you dare imagine for one second that I'm going to harm you or our daughter." She took two quick strides forward, closing the distance between them, reaching up to cup Hally's cheeks, her gaze intense and unyielding.

Hally searched her face, trying to find an answer there. "Then what is this for?"

"This is retribution, sweetheart." Missy replied, her tone playfully light. "Except it gets a little complicated, doesn't it?" She tilted her head, her eyes dancing with a wicked gleam. "When you can't simply kill someone. Just because they're the Grandfather to your daughter." She rolled her eyes with feigned exasperation. "One has to get a little more creative."

The words hung in the air, as bright and sharp as the too-vibrant sun above them.

"Right…" The word came out with an exhale. A punch to her stomach. Hally's face twisted as she stared at Missy. "Right," she hissed. "This is about The Doctor. Of course." She snarled. "Of course, it is. It couldn't, for once, just be about you and me." Hally's hands came up to wrap around Missy's wrists, pulling her touch off her. "Because that could never be enough, could it? It couldn't be enough to just come home with me. It couldn't be enough to finally just come and be Lily's parent."

Missy didn't pull her wrists away from Hally's grip, instead she remained still, gaze sharp and unwavering. "This isn't about The Doctor," she hissed, drawing out the words for Hally to catch their weight. "This is about what he did to you."

The crease of a frown pulled at Hally's face.

Missy curved in towards her, bringing her hands back to land on either side of her head. Her fingers slipped through into her hair as she held her. "You. My beautiful wife. I trusted him with you, and he walked away." Her grip tightened slightly, her touch both possessive and unyielding. There was a flash of something raw and pained in Missy's gaze, her voice low and tight. "My best friend." The words were practically a snarl. "I trusted my best friend with the single most important thing in this whole wide universe. My family. My wife and my daughter. And I watched him break you."

A shiver ran up her spine, a gentle burn forming at the corners of her eyes as she wavered under the intensity of Missy's stare.

"I did not sacrifice myself to save you from Rassilon only to have him walk away," Missy growled, her voice vibrating with tempered rage. There was an icy cold anger behind her eyes, a kind of stillness to her fury. It wasn't anything like the anger she'd seen on Koschei before. It wasn't the wild madness she'd seen on him, or the murderous intent. It was eerily contained within her, the only sign of it the freezing tempest of her eyes. "I did not hand over my regenerations to save his life, only to come home and find out that he left you. When you needed him most. I watched him saunter away and leave you to pick up the pieces. Let yourself be trapped in a cage like an animal just to survive."

Hally's fingers tightened around Missy's wrists. "Stop…"

"He broke you." Missy's voice softened, her grip loosening as her rage seemed to give way to something more tender, something unmistakably pained. "My wife. Shattered into a million tiny pieces. Dragging yourself back together for that little girl." She took a slow breath, her eyes grazing across her face as though fixing every tiny detail to memory. "I left you with him because I trusted him to protect you, and he walked away. And for what?" Her tone darkened. "To run around with his pretty little friends?"

Hally could feel the warm streaks of tears on her cheeks.

"And he got away with it…" Her voice dropped into a whisper, her thumbs absent-mindedly brushing the water from Hally's cheeks, her gaze never wavering. "He was forgiven." Her tone grew softer, understanding. "Because even with all those scars he'd given you, you couldn't help but do the best thing for her…" Missy's eyes flashed, a dangerous spark igniting. "But I have not forgiven him." Her voice hardened. "So now, he can watch. My gift to him. He can watch as the thing that means the most to him is broken in front of his eyes. Powerless to stop it. The man who is always right. He will understand…" She brushed Hally's cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a gentleness that was almost disarming. "… that he is not forgiven."

Hally swallowed hard, Missy's words dredging up a pain she had buried deep, deep down. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Koschei…" She leaned in, pressing her mouth softly against Missy's. Her face still wet as water lingered on her skin. The kiss was gentle, an almost comfort, two, ancient beings briefly sharing a moment of untempered pain. She pulled back, resting her forehead against Missy's, their breaths mingling in the stillness between them.

"I…" Hally breathed out, her voice fragile. "I don't want you to…"

Missy's mouth curved upwards, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes, her finger tracing the edge of Hally's cheek. "I know. But sweetheart, that isn't going to stop me."

Hally winced. "Missy… Mistress…"

Something flickered in Missy's eyes, something fleeting.

"I want you to stop." Hally's voice was barely a whisper, but her tone was certain, even pleading. "Trust me when I say that I understand… but…" Her voice trailed off as she searched for the right words, realising she didn't quite have a reason that would make Missy stop. She didn't quite have a good enough reason why she shouldn't. She cleared her throat, trying again. "I know I forgave him too easily. I know. But I was so tired of being alone. I needed you, and he was… he was the next best thing." She winced, feeling the words cut as she spoke them. "But… I don't want you to do this."

Missy's eyes moved over her face, tracing the path of each tear, wiping them away with delicate, almost reverent touches, putting her back together. "No. I know you don't." She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the end of Hally's nose. "But we don't always get what we want, do we?" Her eyes sparkled with a glimmer.

Hally frowned, pulling back just slightly. "Missy. It's not just about you and me… you can't hurt him… if you hurt him, it hurts her." Her voice was quiet, but there was a firm, pleading tone beneath the words.

Missy's smile returned, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she pulled back. "I know, darling. I'm not going to touch him." She pouted, taking a step back, a triumphant smile tugging at her lips as she untangled herself from her. "Now… I'm going to have to leave you. Things to do." She blew her a kiss, her tone playful. "Do try to remember, when you wake up… you're not drowning. Deep breaths…"

Before Hally could open her mouth to protest, she'd blinked and Missy was gone.

"Missy?" Hally's voice echoed through the garden, now empty. "Missy!"

But there was nothing. Missy was gone.

Without Missy, the silence inside the Nethersphere was noticeably unnatural. Hally wandered aimlessly through the garden, hoping she could perhaps walk her way out of the mental prison. She searched for anything familiar, anyone else, but she found no one. Time seemed to stretch in the surreal brightness, and she was unsure how long she'd been alone when suddenly, in a blink, her eyes closed on the garden, and reopened in blue.

Sitting. She was sitting.

She was warm. She could feel her body again, the weight of it, her limbs bound in place. She was awake. This was real.

There was something in her mouth.

Water.

The warm pressure all around her, was water.

Under water.

There was a moment of an intense, primal panic. Was she… drowning?

No. She wasn't drowning. She could breathe. Her lungs expanded slowly as she took in a breath. She glanced down, eyes adjusting to the dim light, and realised she was strapped to a stone chair, wrists and ankles manacled down tightly, encased in water. All around her were walls, close on either side, in front, glass. A window? Faint lights flickered on the other side.

Hally's breath came in shallow bursts. There was a hard weight in her mouth—a tube. A breathing tube. She took a slow, deep breath, her panic easing just a little.

Something within the water shifted. Movement. Downwards. Tilting her head up she could see the water line, slowly at first, draining down. Moving towards her. The weight of the water moving away. The water receded, the edge descending over the top of her head, and as she pressed her eyes closed, down across her face. With a click, the manacles holding her wrists and ankles in place unlocked and she immediately pulled the tube from her mouth. She pushed herself up from the chair, standing on shaky legs, the water now lapping just above her knees. She was in a cell. A watery cell. Now that she was no longer surrounded by the warmth of the water, she was cold. Cold and wet. The space was small and tight, barely enough space for one person. She pressed her hand against the glass, feeling its smooth, cold surface beneath her palm.

The cold seeped into her fingers as she pressed harder, tension building up inside. Her hand began to tremble, and as it did, cracks shot out from the pressure underneath her palm, fracturing the glass in spider-webbed lines. The glass shattered, pouring shards and water onto the floor as she stumbled out of the cell.

The air was cold, her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her as she looked around, taking in her surroundings. Other similar cells lined the walls in both directions, their glass shattered, water pooled around them. They were all empty, abandoned. Whatever had been kept inside them already gone.

Hally took a cautious step forward, then another, her bare feet slipping slightly on the wet floor as she attempted to avoid stepping on the broken glass. The corridor wrapped around the edge of a balcony, its walls lined with imposing columns. She took a few careful steps forward, leaning over the edge. A large domed roof stretched high above her, rows of empty water cells lined the walls, eerily still and silent.

She looked down, following the curve of the staircase down to the lower level, a set of grand doors on the far wall.

Wonderful, an escape route.

Well… it didn't really feel like an escape when your wife had evidently planned every detail.

She moved quickly down the stairs, her steps completely silent due to the lack of shoes. When she reached the doors, she pushed against them with both hands. They were heavy, resisting her at first, impatient and cold she shoved a bundle of energy against the wood, which creaked and reluctantly opened, daylight streaming through the gap.

Hally stepped out, blinking against the sudden brightness, disoriented by the sight before her. She was standing outside, in the middle of London.

Hally took a few steps down from the entrance, her bare feet stinging against the cold stone beneath her, her soaked clothes clinging and prickling uncomfortably against her skin. She glanced around, trying to make sense of her surroundings, and then she looked up, her hearts sinking with a sense of ominous recognition.

St. Paul's Cathedral.

She was in the centre of London.

Her gaze drifted forward, taking in the expanse of the square, and her stomach tightened.

Cybermen.

They stood scattered around the street, tall, cold, and metallic, their faces blank and eerie in their utter stillness.

"Urgh," she muttered, feeling a shiver of dread and disgust run through her.

It was then that her gaze was drawn to the circle of guns, each one held steady, aimed not only at the Cybermen but also at The Doctor... and Missy. Her father's face was drawn into stern, panicked lines while beside him, unfazed and somehow almost elegant in her unflappable confidence, Missy. Even with the guns trained on her, her lips curled in a faint, amused smile, her gaze sweeping over the scene as if she were the director of some grand and darkly comic play. The deep purple of her Victorian dress even more striking and out of place within the urban reality of central London.

Hally's gaze shifted, following the line of UNIT soldiers. Ah, Kate, standing at the front of the group, her expression firm, unyielding. Beside her, Osgood looked on with wide eyes, her mouth a thin line.

Everyone, including the Cybermen had paused to stare at her.

She fought the urge to wave.

She descended another step, the cold air biting through her clothes. Just as she reached the street level, the Cybermen moved in robotic unison, each one thumping the blue disc in the middle of its chest, their arms and legs snapping into rigid coordination. In perfect sync, they stomped their feet, the ground reverberating with the force, sending plumes of dust into the air. Missy watched them all, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, her eyes glinting with a gleeful, almost predatory delight.

The engines in the Cybermen's legs began to hum. "Back, back, everyone, back!" a soldier shouted as the Cybermen zoomed up into the sky, dispersing.

The Doctor's gaze shifted from Missy to Hally as she descended to their level, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Did you know?"

"Oh, fuck you. Don't you dare turn any of this bullshit on me." Her patience snapped as she glared at him. "Don't you stand there and insinuate any of this was me. Do I look like this was me?"

The Doctor flinched, swiftly taking in her drenched, irritable appearance. "Right… no… yes…"

The glare she offered him was sharp and impatient.

Osgood's attention snapped upwards as the dome of St. Paul's began to peel back, metal folding back like the segments of a giant chocolate orange.

"Oh, my God!" Osgood exclaimed. "Is it supposed to do that? Is that new?"

"A sunroof on St. Paul's?" The Doctor muttered. "Yes, I'd say that was new."

Kate surveyed the scene grimly. "There's going to be mass panic. Everyone in London can see that."

As more Cybermen emerged from the dome, Hally let out an exasperated groan. "Fucking Cybermen, are you serious? I hate Cybermen." She turned on her wife, who simply responded with a wry smile, UNIT guards holding her by each arm. Not that it stopped Hally from approaching her, her expression dark. "And… my main question… where are my shoes?!"

Kate's gaze turned to Hally. "Where have you been?"

Missy offered her a pout. "I thought you'd hate squelching around in wet trainers."

"Oh… because running across broken glass in bare feet is better?"

"Hush, I'm trying to count." The Doctor interrupted.

Osgood squinted, counting quickly under her breath. "Eighty-seven, I think." She offered an abashed smile as The Doctor and Kate turned to look at her questioningly. "OCD."

"Ninety-one." Missy's grin was sinister, dragging their attention back her to. "Queen of evil."

"How could St. Paul's be full of ninety-one Cybermen and nobody noticed?" Kate asked, incredulous.

"Dimensional engineering," The Doctor clipped. "One space folded inside another. Bigger on the inside. Easy if you're a Time Lord."

Hally, barely listening, kept her gaze on Missy. "Where's my phone?"

"It's in my pocket." The curve of her mouth was full of mirth, offering her an over-the-top wink.

Hally rolled her eyes and approached her. "Which pocket?"

"In here." Missy said coyly, looking down at her own breast pocket. "Inside."

"You're such a bitch…" Hally muttered, rolling her eyes as she reached into Missy's coat and after some fumbling around, found her phone, feeling Missy's smirk on her.

"Oh, darling, be gentle," Missy teased with a wicked grin.

"Ninety-one. Explain." Kate asked Osgood.

"Ninety-one areas of significant population density in the British Isles," Osgood replied.

"That's one Cyberman for every city and major town," The Doctor muttered. "It's happening everywhere, all over the world, right now."

Missy's gaze slid over towards The Doctor, lilting. "Sweet planet, this. I think I might keep it."

Now phone in hand, Hally turned away from her wife, ignoring her as she dialled.

"One Cyberman per city. What could they hope to accomplish?" Kate mused aloud.

It barely rang twice before he answered. "What?" Armitage's voice crackled through the line, a hint of concern mingling with his otherwise impatient tone.

Just as Hally was about to respond, the Cyberman hovering above St Paul's detonated with a thunderous explosion.

"Doctor!" Osgood shouted, looking up in horror.

Kate's eyes widened. "Has it exploded?"

"Oh, it's more than that," Missy replied casually. "Cybermen don't just blow themselves up for no good reason, dear. They're not human."

Hally's voice was tense, her gaze moving from the explosion to shoot daggers at her wife. "Is Lily at home?"

"Yes. Do you need backup?" He clipped back, tense.

"No… no, it's fine. Can you just keep her at home? Indoors."

"Of course."

"Jack too." She added quickly.

Armitage hummed in frustration. "That man refuses to take orders from me."

"Yes… yes… I'll call him. Thank you." Hally hung up, then redialled.

Missy's voice drifted over, mockingly cheerful. "No rush, darling. Don't let us disturb you."

"If it's not exploding, what's it doing?" The Doctor rounded on Missy.

"Pollinating," Missy purred. "Falling like rain into the cracks of the Earth."

Kate turned to Hally, voice brisk. "We're initiating Protocol One. You're taking the lead."

Hally waved a hand dismissively. "No. Code Mauve this."

Jack picked up on the other end of the line. "What's going on? Is this her?" Jack's tone was immediately confrontational.

Hally took a deep breath. "Can you just stay at home with Lily, please?"

"Not until you tell me what's going on." He insisted.

"Yes, it's her," she sighed, irritation creeping into her tone. "Please refrain from your 'I told you so.'"

"I'm coming," he declared resolutely.

"No. Stay at home. Do as you're told, Harkness." She hung up, shoving her phone into her pocket. Remembering too late that she was still soaking wet.

Kate and Osgood exchanged a concerned glance, their expressions filled with confusion as they stared at Hally. "Mauve?" Kate asked, eyebrows raised.

"That's what I said." Hally clipped back.

"But… you're not dead… or incapacitated," Osgood pointed out, her face twisted in bewilderment.

"Let's just reword it as compromised," Hally shot a look towards Missy, who was leaning casually into the hold of the two UNIT soldiers, still restraining her arms. As if somehow that made any difference. A sly grin spread across her face, pressing her lips together to blow her a kiss.

A growl vibrated in her throat as she took a step towards Missy, eyes flashing. "You had to just go and fuck it all up, didn't you?" She spat.

"Oh, why? Were we going to play happy families, was that it?" Missy shot back, keening, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Were we going to be all stable and boring with driving licenses and oversized cardigans, gardening and Sunday roasts?"

"Hally. Why are we initiating Code Mauve?" Kate's tone cut across them, her patience wearing thin as a scowl fell onto her face.

Hally turned her head to shoot Kate an incredulous look, as if it wasn't obvious.

Both the humans were staring at her expectantly, Kate's eye twitching as her patience waned. Hally turned, shooting a look over her shoulder towards her father who cleared his throat and awkwardly looked elsewhere.

Right.

Wonderful.

They were not aware.

"Congratulations." Hally offered to Osgood, turning back to the both of them.

"What…?" Osgood's confusion deepened.

Hally took a step forward, pulling the inhaler out from Osgood's pocket, placing it in her hand, ready. "You've completed the set."

The inhaler landed in Osgood's hand, and she froze, looking from Hally to The Doctor and finally to Missy. Her eyes widened and she stared, open-mouthed.

Kate's face shifted as understanding crossed it, her posture immediately straightening. Osgood took a sharp inhale through the inhaler.

Hally had already moved back to her wife. "Stop this."

Missy surveyed her, cocking her head to one side. "He needs to know there are consequences."

"And what about the consequences of this?" Hally shot back, anger simmering just below the surface.

"Darling, there's a part of you that's flattered." She cooed back, her smile flashing her teeth.

"There are more important things than revenge!"

"Oh, are you sure?" The arch of Missy's brow was dangerous. "What about Rassilon? Or those poor little humans you murdered?" She challenged, mischief sparkling in her stare.

"That was not revenge." Hally asserted, her eyes flashing with indignation.

"Wasn't it?" She purred, eyes flashing. "Oh sweetheart, you can't lie to me. Don't even try."

"No… we're not… that isn't what I'm trying to say." Hally stammered, shaking her head.

"No. You're trying to make me choose. As if somehow the two are linked. Show The Doctor there are consequences to his actions OR love you and our daughter. But you see, I can do both." Her smile was wide, eyes glittering.

Hally held her gaze, willing her to concede. To stop. But of course, she didn't.

Fine.

Fine.

She turned on her heel to address her father. "You!" She exclaimed, capturing his attention. "Considering that she isn't going to hurt me, what is it that you love most?"

"W-what?" The Doctor flinched backwards, confusion etched on his features.

"Doctor! Quickly! If someone was going to hurt you, what would they go for?" Hally pressed, urgency apparent in her voice.

"…Clara…" he finally said, glancing at Missy, who waggled her eyebrows in response.

"And where is Clara?" Hally demanded, her eyes narrowing.

The Doctor looked back towards the doors of St. Paul's.

"You left her in there?" She hissed, staring at him with an expression that told him just how stupid she thought he was.

"I was… I didn't…" he stuttered, struggling to explain fast enough under her glare.

"Why did you come here?" Hally cut across him sharply.

"We were… following her boyfriend," he said slowly.

She growled, advancing on him. "Dad, I need you to be concise. What were you doing here?" she insisted.

Missy chuckled softly, the sound light but mocking. "You're too late, sweetheart."

"Doctor, the Cybermen…" Kate interjected, trying to redirect the conversation.

Hally clicked her fingers in front of her father's face, refusing to let him get sidetracked. "No… no. Cybermen are a distraction. Clara. Talk to me about Clara."

Missy's laughter filled the air, light and taunting.

"Her boyfriend… he… died… Danny. PE." The Doctor managed to choke out, still slightly shell-shocked.

"Okay… so we've got Clara, we've got a dead boyfriend, and we've got Cybermen… did you say pollinating?" Hally shot a look at Missy.

She simply smiled, the mischief in her eyes unmistakable.

Hally moved, pulling the tranquiliser gun out of the hands of the approaching UNIT soldier. Missy's eyes flashed with a challenge as she approached her.

"I do hope this hurts."

"Oh, darling you say the nicest things."

She pulled the trigger, ejecting the needle into Missy's neck. It was seconds before her eyes were rolling up into her head, eyes flickering closed.

"Kate! Protocol One, round about now!" She called over her shoulder to the human.

"No. No, no, no, no! I need to talk to her! I need her awake!" The Doctor protested, panic rising in his voice as he tried to rush towards Missy.

Ignoring him, Hally aimed the next shot and fired it into her father's neck, before she made to run back up the steps to St Paul's.

"Hally!" Kate called after her.

"Argh! No. No, no. Stupid. Stupid! No, no. Argh!" The Doctor groaned.

"Hally, you're coming with us." Kate ordered.

"Uh. No. Mauve-d out. Pretend I'm dead… or something…" Hally called back over her shoulder, bounding up the stairs once more and slipping back into St. Paul's.

Clara.

She needed to find Clara.

Her hearts raced as the doors swung shut behind her, enveloping her in an eerie quiet as the outside world was shut out.

"Clara!" She called out, her voice echoing against the stone. She darted up the stairs, her feet quickening as she ascended towards the upper level, eyes scanning the corridors for any sign of the human.

She ascended to the next level and halted. In front of her lay three Cybermen, well, parts of them were strewn across the stone. Her gaze swept up, landing on the one Cyberman still standing and in its arms, Clara.

"No!" Hally gasped, adrenaline surging through her. She took a step forward, her hands instinctively raised. "Let her go!"

The Cyberman turned its head towards her, its movements smooth and deliberate. "Identify yourself," it intoned, voice cold and mechanical. It cocked its head towards her, raising a free hand to ready its weapon.

She took a moment, pausing as she pulled in a breath.

There was something in the way the Cyberman was carrying the unconscious human. Plus… although it might have been wishful thinking, she didn't expect any of her wife's Cybermen to pull their guns on her… so she asked. "Whose orders are you following?"

The Cybermen seemed to consider her before they replied. "I do not follow orders."

A breath fell from her. "Danny? I presume?" She kept her hands held up in a gesture of peace as she took a slow step forward, her hearts racing as she edged closer. The name hung in the air.

"Correct." the Cyberman finally replied, Clara still limp in his embrace.

"Hi Danny…" She breathed softly, her voice low, non-threatening. "I'm here to help…"

"Clara is in need of protection," the Cyberman stated, tone unwavering, a chilling contrast to the plea in Hally's voice.

"Yes… yes… I know. I can help. Danny, let me help." Her eyes flicked from his face down to his still-readied weapon, swallowing.

The Cyberman hesitated. "You are The Doctor's daughter." it stated, the recognition filtering through its cold demeanour.

"Yes…" She wasn't entirely sure if he was going to perceive that as a positive or a negative.

His arm lowered back to his side and she breathed out.

"Then you… are a danger." His grip on Clara tightened.

"No.. Danny!"

His hand came up to hit against the circular blue disk on his chest, energy crackled around them as he prepared to teleport away.

"Danny, don't!" Hally shouted, lunging forward, but it was too late. With a blinding flash of light, they were gone.

"No!" she screamed, reaching out in vain as the space where they had stood flickered and faded. Hally stood frozen for a moment, fear and urgency swirling inside her. She needed to find Clara, Missy was going to hurt Clara. She reached into her back pocket for her phone, her hands trembling as she dialled Kate's number.

The line rang and rang, but there was no answer. A knot tightened in her stomach. Desperation clawed at her as she quickly hung up and dialled Osgood next, but once again, the call went unanswered. She cursed under her breath, frustration mounting.

"Come on, come on," she muttered, her thoughts racing. She needed to reach someone who could help her trace Clara. She tapped in another number, hearts pounding as she waited for a response.

"Hally!" Alina's voice came through after the third ring. "Are you alright?! We had an alert come through about a Code Mauve?"

"I'm fine." Hally clipped back quickly. "I can't get hold of anyone else and I need something traced. Are you in the office?"

"Uhh… yes." Came the uncertain reply. "Hally? What's going on?"

She pressed her eyes closed. "Umm… that's a loaded question. There isn't really time. Can you get to Osgood's computer?"

"I mean… yes. Give me a moment." The woman on the other end let out a soft sigh before the line went quiet while she moved out of her office. Hally pressed her thumb and index finger against the bridge of her nose, quelling the urge to tell Alina to hurry up. "Alright… do you have her password?"

"Geronimo_Z_11. But both O's are zeros."

She could hear Alina typing on the other end. "Okay, I'm in. What do you need?"

Hally paced back and forth. "On her desktop, there should be a program, the name is just a bunch of letters but the logo is a green box with a black spiderweb in the middle."

"Uhuh…"

"Okay, once the program is open you should be able to navigate to a tab at the top that's labelled something like recent? Or current?"

"There's a 'live console'?"

"Yes! Yes! That one. Click on that one. It'll be like a line graph with peaks on it. There will probably be a million from today but I'm looking for a peak at exactly…" She checked her phone for the time. "14:50? Or 14:51? Near that time."

"Right…" There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. "There's a small peak at 14:48 and a larger one at 14:51…"

"The one at 14:51, you can right-click on the top of the peak and it should bring up a dropdown. One of the options will be 'location'."

She waited while Alina navigated through it "It's a postcode. EC4M 8AD." She quickly used her phone to check exactly where that was.

"Yes. Yes, that's the one! Ok. After the peak, there will be a small dip underneath the baseline. A peak into the negative. Is there one of those?"

"Yes…" She could already hear Alina clicking on it. "Location comes up as SW10 9UG."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're amazing. Seriously. Thank you."

"Hally…"

"Yes… we'll talk… on a day… that… isn't today. Bye!"

"Ha-"

She hung up on Alina and redialled another number. He picked up almost instantly.

"I know I just told you to stay at home, but I need a lift." She uttered quickly.

"Where are you?" Jack replied, his voice steady, though she could hear the underlying concern.

"I'm at St. Paul's," she answered, urgency threading through her words. "I know we pretend your Vortex Manipulator doesn't work but … if for today…"

"On my way," Jack said without hesitation.

"Thanks, Jack," she said, relief flooding her.

"Stay put," he added.

"Oh! Can you bring a change of clothes? And some shoes."

The graveyard loomed under the grey sky as Hally and Jack teleported into the centre of it. Immediately, Hally had clocked the entire area, eyes grazing across the graves in search of Clara and her accompanying Cyber-boyfriend. There wasn't much point in insisting Jack go home, there was no chance he would listen to her now.

"Uh… Hal…" Jack's voice dragged her attention back towards him, her gaze following his to the Cyberman crawling itself from a nearby grave.

She let the hum vibrate weakly in her throat.

"What's happening…?"

She swallowed, shaking her head. "A distraction."

"I'd say zombie Cybermen were quite the distraction."

"What can I say… my wife doesn't do things by halves…" Her voice trailed off as she heard a voice, in the distance. Definitely not a Cyberman.

"I'm not overly happy with that hint of admiration I can hear in your voice…" Came the mumble from behind her as she set off towards the voice, moving up the hill and off the path.

"…There's a lot of switches round the edge. I'm just going to try pressing them all." Clara. Definitely Clara.

Passing across a few more rows of graves, she saw her, standing in front of her Cyber-Danny…

He'd removed his face plate, revealing what was left of the human underneath.

Hally winced.

Clara saw her before Hally could call out to her, her face dropping into one of resolute determination.

"Help me." Clara called over towards her, glancing from Danny to Hally, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Clara, I'm so sorry…" Hally breathed, the words tumbling out before she could stop them.

"Just help me…" Clara replied, her voice trembling.

Hally took a few cautious steps towards the pair of them, eyes shifting to Danny's dead face. Her gut squeezed uncomfortably.

"There's an inhibitor. It's not activated yet…" Clara explained, her voice shaky yet resolute.

"Right…"

"He wants me too…" Clara looked back towards the inhibitor, her expression finishing the sentence. Her gaze turned back to lock onto Hally's, seeking reassurance.

"Yeah…" Hally nodded, a lump forming in her throat.

So… what? Danny… Clara's… Danny. Cyberman Danny and… she'd left his humanity intact? Was that it? She'd set this up to force Clara into removing the humanity of the man she loved?

Except, The Doctor wasn't here to watch. So, that couldn't be it.

"Hally." Clara's voice broke through her thoughts. "Can you help me?"

"Clara, are you sure? Once you do this, he won't be Danny anymore," Hally urged gently. Although, what was the alternative? He was already dead… there wasn't any way back for him.

"I'm already dead." Danny echoed her thoughts. "I don't want to feel… this."

"I'm…" She looked between the two of them. "I'm so sorry…"

Danny seemed to straighten. "This was not your doing." He stated simply.

Her hearts ached.

Hally stepped closer, guiding Clara's hands to the switches she needed to press. "Here… these. Around the edge."

Something passed across Clara's features.

Hally took a step back, letting the humans exist alone for the short time they had.

She felt Jack's presence lingering over her right shoulder. "The second she disconnects his humanity…" He didn't need to finish the sentence, she understood the implications. The second he was no longer Danny he would try to kill all three of them. Unless they killed him first. That wasn't a burden she was going to leave to Clara.

"I know."

"Two more to go. Does it feel any different?" Clara asked, looking up into Danny's eyes, her voice trembling.

"No." He replied, his voice curt, emotionless if you could somehow ignore the agony behind his eyes.

Initially, her hearts soared at the sound of the TARDIS materialising, but her stomach promptly dropped.

The TARDIS meant The Doctor.

And if she knew her wife… which she did… it was most likely not a good thing that he was coming. It was more likely that his arrival was simply another jigsaw piece slipping into place. They'd all fallen beautifully into her trap. Because where was the joy in heartbreak, if there wasn't an audience?

"Are you sure?" Clara pressed, her eyes wide with uncertainty, ignoring the arrival of the ship.

The TARDIS door swung open and The Doctor rushed out, urgency etched across his face. "Clara, don't!" he shouted, desperation ringing in his voice.

The look that Clara shot him was cold, immovable.

"If you do what you're trying to do, if you succeed, he will snap you…" The Doctor pressed, his voice wavering.

"No," Clara shook her head defiantly.

"Then he will step over your broken body and break another and another and another. He will never stop." He continued, his words heavy with despair.

"I will not harm her." Danny insisted, an unusual note of protectiveness creeping into his mechanical voice.

"P E. P E. P E…" The Doctor sighed, the sound full of sadness.

"Sir," Danny replied, his expression unchanged.

"I had a friend once…" The Doctor started, his gaze flicking between the two humans. "We ran together when I was little. And I thought we were the same. But when we grew up, we weren't." He looked down at Clara, something shifting in the air around them.

Hally couldn't help the scoff that fell from her.

It was pained. Incredulous.

"Now she's trying to tear the world apart, and I can't run fast enough to hold it together. The difference is this…" He placed his hand over Danny's chest disc, his meaning evident. "Pain is a gift. Without the capacity for pain, we can't feel the hurt we inflict."

"She can feel pain, Doctor." Her voice cracked as she spoke, her father's gaze snapping to her. "What on earth do you think all of this is for?"

His expression shifted, something passing over his face.

"Danny, Danny, I need you to tell me. What are the clouds going to do? What is the plan?" The Doctor shifted his gaze away from her and back towards Danny as the grey clouds above them rumbled ominously.

"How would I know?" He clipped back.

"You're part of a hive mind now. Presumably, that's how you found Clara. Just look," The Doctor insisted.

"I can't see much," Danny said, his eyes twitching with concentration.

"Look harder." The Doctor urged.

"Clara, watch this… This is who The Doctor is." Danny uttered with a sort of bitter amusement passing across his pale features. "Watch the blood-soaked old general in action. I can't see properly, sir, because this needs activating." He tapped against his central disk. "If you want to know what's coming, you have to switch it on. And didn't all of those beautiful speeches just disappear in the face of a tactical advantage? Sir."

There was a heavy, weighted silence that fell across them.

Her father paced, back and forth across the grass. "I need to know. I need to know." He hissed.

Anger flared within her. "I mean you could just ask!" Hally cut across his moral posturing.

The Doctor turned to her, surprise etched on his face. "She told you?"

"She didn't have to tell me. Isn't it obvious?" She snapped back at him.

"I need to know her plan." The Doctor insisted, urgency lacing his tone.

"She's not going to destroy the world, Doctor!"

"She's got Cybermen on every continent. Clouds over every major city. What happens when they fall?"

"They're not going to fall!" She shrieked at him. "It's got nothing to do with the Cybermen and everything to do with her!" Hally pointed at Clara. "Doctor, she doesn't want the planet; she just wants to hurt you."

For a moment, his face broke with confusion, but before anything else could happen there was a flash of white and straight out of a storybook, Missy appeared. Floating obscenely down to the ground underneath her umbrella, the colour perfectly matching the rest of her outfit.

"Oh, darling! Oh, I love the telly here, but did you see that? Isn't she clever, Doctor?" Missy lilted with an almost pantomime accent. "Oh, Clara, you poor thing." She pouted at Clara as she landed, before turning her attention to The Doctor. "Do you like what I've done to your planet?" Her mocking tone hung in the air like a thick fog.

"Stop this…" The Doctor whispered, a note of pleading in his voice. "If you love her. If you love your daughter. Stop this."

Hally pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose, stopping herself from launching at the audacity of him. Clara clung to Danny.

Missy chuckled, a sound that sent chills down Hally's spine.

"Well, that's exactly what all of this is for," Missy purred, her laughter echoing in the graveyard. She lifted her wrist to her mouth, speaking into a bracelet. "Cyberdears!"

At her command, the surrounding Cybermen, those recently dragged out of their graves, snapped to attention. "Look at Mummy! Raise your arms. Lower your arms. Raise your right. Lower your right. Turn on the spot. There are exits at the front and rear of the aircraft. Please follow the lights up the aisle." She turned her gaze toward The Doctor, her grin wide and victorious. "You see, Doctor? The power to slaughter whole worlds at a time, then make them do a safety briefing. Everyone who ever lived, man, woman, and child, is now at my command. An indestructible army to rage across the universe. The more they kill, the more they recruit."

She beamed with delight, letting silence fall as The Doctor processed exactly what she was saying.

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "All of this. All of it, just to create an army?"

Missy laughed, a sound both sweet and sinister. "Oh. No. Doctor. The army is just an added bonus. All of this… to give you a choice."

"What?"

"Oh, but Doctor… we can fix this."

"What? How?"

"Oh, it's easy… pull the pin. Blow the grenade. All you have to do is kill one little Cyberman, and the rest will fall like dominoes. My lynchpin." Amusement glittered behind her gaze and within her grin. Her eyes widened as she pretended to gasp in mock delight.

The Doctor's gaze flickered between Missy and Danny, understanding dawning.

"Now you're getting it."

"No…"

"Mmhmm… it's good, isn't it? Mr. Danny Pink. Connected to all the Cyberdears. But… only while his humanity is in place…" She smirked, lips pulling into a thoughtful pout. "You'd have to kill him, Doctor… with all that humanity still intact. Ouchie…"

Clara looked from Danny to the Doctor, her eyes wide. "No…"

He met her gaze, feeling the weight of her despair.

She saw Clara breaking, the realisation hitting the human. She would have to watch him die.

"Missy…"

"I thought you'd approve, Doctor. All of this, for love. Isn't that what makes it so delicious?"

It passed over The Doctor's face. Understanding. His eyes trailed from Clara, to Missy to his daughter and back to Missy.

Within seconds, his expression had broken.

"I'm sorry… I am… I made a mistake…" He turned to Missy, his expression darkening. "… but she shouldn't have to pay for it!" The Doctor's voice was desperate, pleading as he motioned toward Clara.

Missy smiled, a wicked satisfaction dancing in her eyes. "Oh, but Doctor, it's far too late for that."

Beside him, Clara clung to Danny, her face stricken with disbelief. Her father stood rigid, his gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the horror unfolding around them. Missy's face twisted into a gleeful smile, relishing all of it.

"Oh, don't look so down, dear." She moved closer to The Doctor, her voice dripping with mockery. "Think of it as a mercy, really—better to have one neat little disaster than to watch your planet go up in smoke, wouldn't you say?"

"Please," The Doctor begged, his voice low and strained. "Stop this. If there's anything good left in you—anything at all—"

"Good?" Missy laughed, her voice a cold, mocking lilt. "Oh, but that's the point, Doctor! Who decides what's good? Are you good, Doctor?" Her voice lowered in a dark challenge. "Were you good when you left her? Was that good?" She lowered her gaze, a cruel glint in her eyes. "Sacrifice one to save the many—oh, you're a natural at it. You do it all the time."

Danny stirred, his movements stiff and mechanical, but a flicker of recognition shone in his eyes as he looked at Clara. With a visible effort, he managed to raise his head, his voice struggling against the cold monotone of his Cyberman programming. "Clara… it's… okay." His voice was faint, the words a painful struggle. "This is how… I can help you. Let me help you. Please."

"No," Clara choked out, clutching him tighter, her face a mask of anguish. "No. I'm not… I'm not losing you again. I can't."

She turned to The Doctor, desperation lacing her voice. "There has to be another way. Doctor, please… you always find another way."

The Doctor's face twisted in anguish as he looked at her, torn between her desperate plea and the inevitability that was the retribution brought to him by his daughter's wife. His gaze dropped, helpless. Missy's laughter cut through the silence, sharp and mocking, slicing into their moment of despair.

"Oh, come now, Doctor. I'm handing you all the answers here! Really, all the work's done for you!" She stepped closer to Clara, her smile growing as she saw the terror in her eyes. "All you have to do is one little thing. And Clara?" She put on a mockingly sympathetic expression. "Poor darling—you get to make it quick, painless. Isn't that a gift?"

She stopped just before Clara, her smile sickly sweet. "Just one little… pull. And it's all over."

Clara's face crumpled, her fingers trembling as she gripped Danny's arm, her eyes wild with pain and dread. She looked back at him, unable to let go, knowing that if she did, it would destroy everything she had left. Danny met her gaze, something tender glimmering in his expression.

The Doctor looked to his daughter, desperation etched in his features. "Stop her… if anyone can… Hally, get her to stop."

His words sank into her skin, prickling unhappily. She shook her head. "I can't stop her… it's already done."

Danny was muttering something against the top of Clara's head. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she looked up at The Doctor, silently hopeful.

"Tick-tock, Doctor!" Missy interrupted, her voice sharp and scornful. "There's no time for your sentimental little speeches! Humanity is falling apart, cities burning—all because of a cyber soldier's heartbeat." She tilted her head, looking at Danny. "Isn't that right, dear?"

Danny's face twisted, as he closed his eyes. His voice, quiet and hoarse, reached out to Clara. "I… I'm sorry, Clara," he whispered. "I… love you. And if… if this is how I keep you safe…" He swallowed hard, his voice soft and resigned. "Then so be it."

Clara's breath hitched, her hand wavering, torn between holding him close and letting him go. Tears streamed down her face as she looked into his eyes, unable to bear the thought of saying goodbye. Just as she raised her trembling hand toward the control panel on his chest, The Doctor reached out to stop her, but Missy caught his arm, leaning close to whisper in his ear.

"Feel that, Doctor?" she murmured, her voice low and taunting. "There it is. Agony. Watch her fall apart. Knowing there's not a thing you can do to save her."

With a solemn certainty, Hally realised she didn't need to be here. She didn't want to be. She didn't want to watch this. The idea took root in her mind. Missy had gotten what she wanted. Danny was going to die. The Cybermen would cease.

She didn't want to be here.

She wanted to be at home.

"Jack…?"

"Yes?"

Clara took a deep, shuddering breath, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I'm… so sorry." Her hand hovered over the control, her fingers trembling.

"Take me home…" Her voice was barely above a breath.

She could feel her hearts pounding in her chest.

"Hal?" Jack's voice broke through the chaos surrounding them. She turned around, looking back at him with an expression filled with determination and sorrow.

"I want to go home," she said, her voice steady despite the storm raging in her mind.

Jack glanced behind her, taking in the devastation happening to Clara, the anguish etched on The Doctor's face, and the culprit of their suffering, Missy.

Hally shook her head, her resolve hardening. "This has nothing to do with me… it's done, Jack. I want to go home."

"Stop her…" The Doctor begged, desperation lacing his voice.

She turned to him. "I can't stop her?! He's dead! He's already dead!" Hally's fingers pressed against her temple, her breath ragged as she struggled to contain the flood of anger and heartbreak welling up inside her. She fixed her gaze on Missy, her voice low but heated, words spilling out before she could hold them back.

"This doesn't fix anything. Do you get that?" She took a step closer, her voice thick. "Yes, he hurt me. I know that better than anyone. But I forgave him. I chose to forgive him because hanging onto my pain wasn't helping."

Missy's eyes narrowed, a flicker of something passing across her face. Hally pressed on, not giving her a chance to dismiss her words. "I don't want this," Her voice cracked. "None of this madness, none of this destruction… this isn't revenge, Missy. It's just more pain. You're just moving it around in an endless cycle where we all get hurt." She swallowed, steadying herself, her gaze unwavering. "Where do you think this leads? Did you honestly think we'd walk away from this any better?"

Missy's smile faltered, the bravado in her demeanour wavering for a moment. "You think he deserves to walk away from everything he's done?"

"No…" Hally exhaled, her tone softer, heavy with sorrow. "I'm saying it doesn't matter anymore. We could have been okay. You, me, and Lily. We could have had that. But now?" She shook her head, her hearts aching. "Now, you've just made sure they'll never let you stay on this planet. You're making me choose… between you and what's best for our daughter."

Something in Missy faltered, but immediately her expression hardened. "No. This is for you. All of this."

"Making him hurt doesn't heal me." Hally had stepped towards her. She pressed her hand against Missy's chest, feeling the fierce heartbeats beneath the surface. "It's not going to make you feel any better. This is what you're not understanding… it isn't just you and me…" Her chest rose and fell with sharp breaths. "We can't be selfish. We can't get our revenge. We can't always fix our pain because now there's her. And everything we do… has consequences."

Rage flashed across her wife's face. "But he gets to walk away with everything!"

"I know! I know!.. It isn't fair. It isn't. But I promised myself… I promised that I would do everything and anything for that little girl. I can't be selfish." Her face twisted with a snarl. "Don't you think I've thought about it? Don't you think I've wanted to punish him for years? There are so many things that I want…" Bitter tears wormed their way from their prison, escaping across her cheeks. "Do you think I like being stuck on this planet? Do you think I've liked being watched every second of every day for the past seven and a half years? Do you think I like being treated like an unstable bomb that might go off at any minute? I hate it. I hate all of this but I do it. I stay because it's what our daughter needs. I would do it all again because she is happy and she is safe and she is loved."

Her hand wrapped around the device on Missy's wrist.

She didn't rip it from her, she didn't trick her. She simply, without resistance, pulled the band from Missy's wrist.

Her wife watched her, her eyes moving from the band now in Hally's hand, up to her face, lingering as she waited patiently for her next move.

"I might be broken, Koschei… but hurting him doesn't put me back together…" Hally took a step back, wiping her eyes as she turned away. The heaviness in her chest lingered.

With barely a glance his way, she threw the device towards Danny, he caught it silently.

"Don't… walk away." Missy called after her.

Hally stopped, she didn't look at her. "I'm not walking away. I'm just going home." Hally exhaled as she reached Jack's side. Seconds later, the pair of them were gone, the world around them fading into nothingness as they reappeared in the familiar comfort of home.

For a short moment, there was silence.

Before her daughter burst into the kitchen, arms wide open, bundling into her mother. Almost, absent-mindedly, Hally wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her tight. Armitage followed her through from the lounge, his gaze meeting Jack's with a hint of concern.

"Mummy, did you see the Cybermen?" Lily asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"I did…" Hally hummed softly, her hands wrapped around her daughter while her mind lingered elsewhere.

"Are they taking over the world?"

"No, I don't think so."

A low rumble echoed through from outside. Lily's attention snapped to the patio doors. "Woah," she exclaimed, pressing her face up against the glass as flames burnt up the dark clouds hovering above the atmosphere.

Hally simply looked at it.

"Is Mamaidh coming home?" Lily asked, throwing a look over her shoulder, breaking the silence.

The weight of the question hung heavily in the air. Hally could feel multiple sets of eyes on her. She ran a hand through Lily's hair and sank onto the kitchen floor. "No, sweetheart. She isn't. Not for a little while."

Lily's brow furrowed. "Why...?" Her daughter turned to her, her face scrunched with concern. "Are you angry about the secret?"

Hally shook her head, pulling her daughter into her lap. "No. It was… an important secret to keep, and I'm glad you got to spend some time with Mamaidh. But…" She exhaled, gathering the right words to use.

"So why can't she come home?" Lily pulled back slightly, frowning as she searched her mother's face. "Why are you so sad?.."

Hally swallowed hard. "I…" She pushed the feeling down, knowing that if she let it surface, it would only upset Lily. She needed to be strong. Rational. "Missy… Mamaidh, she's made some choices that mean she can't be with us right now. She wanted to do something her way, even though it wasn't the best way."

She paused, her voice soft but steady. "Sometimes people we care about make choices we don't understand or choices that hurt people. And when that happens… it's best for everyone if they have some time away to think about what they've done."

Lily's frown deepened. "Don't you love her anymore?"

"No… Lily, of course, I do… it's not… it's just best… for everyone if for right now she has some time away."

"But I don't want her to have time away. I want her to be here." Lily stood up, determination set in her small frame.

"I know… I know… but we need a little time…" Hally knelt slightly, trying to connect with her daughter.

Lily shook her head, the frustration clear in her expression. "No, we don't! You always promise Daddy will come home, but now she's here, you won't let her?"

Hally took a steadying breath, watching Lily's expression harden with frustration. "Look... some things… some things take time to work out."

"But why?" Lily's voice cracked with anger, her small fists clenched tightly. "Why can't she just come home now? Why won't you let her?!"

Hally's chest tightened at the intensity of Lily's glare, she reached out a hand, attempting to calm her. "Lily, listen. I want her here too. But this isn't something I can just fix for us right away."

Lily pulled back, her eyes flashing with defiance. "Yes, you can! You just don't want to!"

"Lily... I know this is frustrating..."

"It's always you! You were supposed to bring her home. You were supposed to rescue her! Why do you always take so long to do everything?!" Her daughter's voice rose to a shout.

"Lily, don't speak to your mother like that." Jack interjected, his voice sharp.

"I want her back!" Lily yelled, stamping her foot. "Why do you have to ruin everything?!" Hally tried to reach for her, but Lily took another step back, hurt and anger spilling over in her words. "I hate this! I hate you!"

The words landed with a sting, and Hally's face faltered momentarily, but she steadied herself. "I know you're angry, Lily, and I understand. I do. But I'm trying to keep us safe. You and me and Mamaidh… we're a family, but sometimes—"

Lily shook her head furiously, cutting her off. "No! Shut up! You're the reason she's not here! It's your fault! It's always your fault!"

Before Hally could say another word, Lily turned and fled from the kitchen, stomping up the stairs before finally, slamming her bedroom door with a sharp bang that echoed through the house.

Hally remained seated on the kitchen floor, ignoring the slight tremble to her hand as she ran it through her hair. Jack moved to go after Lily, but she stopped him.

"Jack, don't." Hally forced herself to her feet, taking a slow, deep breath. "She's just upset... let her be upset. She'll cool off."

Jack frowned at her, concern etched on his features, but he eventually nodded.

Armitage cleared his throat. "Do you need anything?"

Hally shook her head, shooting him a small appreciative smile. "No... you can go. Thank you."

He nodded, giving Jack a meaningful look that Jack chose to ignore. Armitage exited while Jack lingered.

"Jack... go home..." Hally exhaled softly. Not having the energy to argue with him.

"I don't think—"

"Please."

Thankfully, he left.

Hally sat herself down in one of the dining room chairs. Although she tried to stop the steady shaking, she could not. A numbness coiled through her, starting from the centre of her chest and steadily suffocating the strength in her extremities.

She replayed each and every moment.

Was there anything she could have done differently?

Was Lily right?

Was this selfish?

Her daughter wanted her to bring Koschei home.

That was obvious.

But how was Hally supposed to do that now?

Missy had practically just announced to all of UNIT and the world that she was dangerous. How the fuck was Hally supposed to persuade UNIT that it would be fine for her to exist here, now?

She rubbed a hand over her face.

Was that what she wanted?

Hally sat there for hours, lost in her thoughts until darkness enveloped the outside world. Lily didn't come back out of her room. She could feel her daughter's presence, eventually drifting into sleep.

It had gone past midnight when the TARDIS quietly materialised on her lawn. Hally sighed to herself as she watched the ship shift into existence, rising to her feet to open the patio doors, stepping outside.

The Doctor emerged from his ship.

They didn't hug.

He didn't hug much anymore.

Hally could immediately tell he had packed away some of his hurt for her, offering a weak, small smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern flickering in his eyes.

"Sure. All fine," she lied.

"Okay..."

"What happened?"

"The Cybermen self-destructed. Burned through the clouds."

"Yes, I saw. That wasn't really what I was asking."

He cleared his throat. "She... uh... disappeared."

"Mmhmm."

"Well... no... a Cyberman shot her. She disintegrated. So... you know. To anyone watching..."

"She'd be dead."

He nodded. Many words lingered unsaid between the pair of them

"Is that what you told UNIT?"

He hummed, looking away for a moment. "I told them what I saw..."

Hally nodded slowly, absorbing the implications.

He pulled her into a hug then. It was... unexpected. Holding her for a few silent moments as the world around them continued, incessantly.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

She let out a soft, bitter exhale. "We both know she's not actually dead… you don't need to be sorry."

The Doctor didn't let go. "No… no, not for that. For what I did, to you… to her. I'm sorry. I think… I think she might have been right…"

Hally frowned and pulled back, searching his eyes. "Nothing about what she did today was right."

"No… I know. I know…" He reset himself, gave her a weak smile and patted her gently on the shoulder. "Be careful."

Hally frowned slightly. "She's not going to hurt us…"

"Hasn't she…?"

His gaze lingered on her for a moment too long and she shifted away from him, clearing her throat.

He left then, leaving her to stand in the fading light, uncertainty swirling around her like the encroaching darkness.

She'd forced herself to go to bed, though sleep didn't come easily. Tossing and turning, she finally drifted off sometime around 4am.

When she came downstairs the next morning, Lily was already up, fixing herself breakfast at the counter. Hally's steps slowed as she passed her, heading to the dining table. "Morning…"

Lily ignored her, expression set in a way that made Hally feel even more weary. She didn't have the energy to fight, so she let it be, and soon enough, Lily was heading upstairs to get ready for school. Hally stayed there, the silence settling around her, unsure of what exactly happened next. Should she go to work?

It was nearly eight when a knock sounded at the door. Hally opened it cautiously to find Jack standing on the doorstep, Alina just behind him and a cluster of black cars parked outside—more than usual. She frowned slightly, glancing at Jack.

"Can we come in?" he asked, his voice steady but carrying an edge she recognised all too well.

"Yeah…" She stepped aside, moving out of their way as they entered.

They walked into the lounge, Jack's eyes drifting upstairs as he passed the stairs. "Is Lily upstairs?"

"Yeah," Hally nodded. "Do you need her?"

Alina shook her head, offering a gentle smile as she settled onto the sofa. "No, it's alright. We're just going to need both of you to stay in the house for the next few days."

Hally frowned, her confusion deepening. "Right… uhh… ok… I think she's getting ready for school."

Jack cleared his throat. "Well… the school is currently closed… for everyone. UNIT needs to ensure it's safe… understandably."

"Yeah…" She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. Everything was heavy, as if the very air were weighed down with questions she couldn't ask.

"I can go and let her know, if you want?" Alina offered.

Hally shook her head. "No… it's fine. Just give me a minute." She pushed herself up, moving slowly up the stairs until she reached Lily's room. She knocked, receiving no answer until, finally, the door opened. Lily was in the middle of getting dressed in her school uniform.

"Umm… sweetheart, apparently the school is closed today. But… it should just be for a few days. Ok?"

Lily didn't reply. She didn't even look at her mother, only huffed softly before pulling off her school jumper and folding it with deliberate silence.

Hally winced, holding herself back from reaching out. "I'm sorry—"

Lily cut her off, closing the door in her face.

Jaw tight, Hally let out a long breath, then made her way back downstairs. She dropped onto the sofa, crossing her arms. "Message received," she muttered.

Jack gave a short nod. "Thanks."

Alina offered her a sympathetic smile. "It should only be for a few days. Once the school reopens, we'll send Lily back. We just need to have you inside the house until we can complete a full safety assessment and finish the incident reports. Kate is… taking a few days, so it'll be a little delayed."

Hally's stomach dropped.

She understood now.

This wasn't just about safety, it was them putting her under a kind of house arrest, a silent statement that UNIT needed to be sure she hadn't been involved in Missy's actions. She let out a soft exhale. "Right… gotcha." Her voice wavered slightly. "Is… Kate alright?"

Jack and Alina exchanged a look, both expressions hard to read. Alina answered, her tone gentle. "She's going to be fine." She managed a small, reassuring smile.

Jack shifted, his gaze unsteady. "Hally, there were… casualties. The plane went down."

Her frown deepened. "Right." She looked between them, both of their expressions were tight, neither comfortable. "You're both clearly skirting around something. Just tell me."

Jack's eyes softened. "She killed Osgood."

Alina shot him a sharp look—clearly not how she'd planned to break the news—but the words were out.

Hally went very still, the silence thick and suffocating. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. She felt the sting of tears pricking her eyes, blurring her vision. She brushed the water away, almost as if she could erase the reality of what she'd just heard.

Neither Jack nor Alina moved, each waiting in silence as Hally absorbed what Jack had said.

Minutes passed, and finally, Alina spoke, her voice gentle. "If she contacts you, we need to know."

Hally nodded slowly, understanding the implication. They weren't entirely convinced that Missy was dead. The thought lodged heavily in her chest.

Her daughter existed silently around the house for the next two days, leaving her room only to wordlessly make herself breakfast and lunch, waiting until Hally had cooked dinner before grabbing a plate and retreating to her room. On the second night, Hally tried to insist she eat at the dining table, and while Lily did as she was told, she ate in silence. Thankfully, on the third morning Hally received a text from Jack letting her know the school was reopening, and he'd be picking Lily up at 8:15 to take her in.

She waved her daughter off with a 'Goodbye' that was petulantly ignored.

The Headmistress was obviously absent from school so Lily's mood didn't improve.

The silence of the house lingered around Hally, left alone with nothing to do, for days.

It gave her a lot of time to think.

Which was what she did, sitting inside her silent house.

She had started out with tears. She cried for Osgood. Cried for herself. Cried because Missy had royally fucked up a lot of things. Cried because her daughter seemed to hate her for trying to be a reasonable parent. Cried because she hated herself for reasons more similar than not.

The tears slowly dried up and in their place settled a stewing bitterness.

Missy had done this.

Koschei had been so fucking selfish. Any chance of an easy reunion was now impossible.

It was as she stewed that she came to the slow realisation that she somehow wasn't angry about what Missy had actually done, but rather the impact her actions now ignorantly had on her and her daughter.

It hadn't sat well with her initially, but she'd gone through them individually, begrudgingly ticking them off.

Cybermen – not that bothered.

Side note, she hadn't ever actually planned on doing anything with them anyway.

Additional side note, they'd already been dead.

Clara – well, technically Koschei hadn't even touched her…

Look… Clara, she could forgive.

It was likely she already had…

The Doctor - She'd purposefully hurt The Doctor, again…

She wasn't against forgiving that.

Look, Hally had never said she was a good person.

Osgood – that really hurt.

Like, it really did hurt.

Osgood had been her friend.

There was a chance it might have been the 'spare' Osgood. But that… was irrelevant. Right?

No. She was more than happy to give Missy hell for killing Osgood.

It wasn't the worst thing Koschei had ever done…

No…

No, that wasn't a reasonable reason to forgive her now. Just because she'd done worse.

She had royally screwed up Hally's plan though.

Hally's, 'reunite family and live happily ever after' plan.

Well, she supposed that only made a difference if Hally intended to live by UNIT's rules.

Which she did.

But she pondered that without UNIT, without Jack and all the humans surrounding her, she might not have had a problem with bringing Missy home.

She knew, deep down that Missy had restrained herself.

Apart from those on the plane and Danny, no one else had died.

She could have taken the planet.

But she hadn't.

She'd just done what she needed to hurt The Doctor.

Plus, now Missy had gotten what she wanted from The Doctor, she'd most likely leave the humans alone.

Of course, it was unlikely Hally would be able to persuade anyone else around to her way of thinking.

Because, realistically it was certainly a very warped way to justify the past few days.

But Hally wanted to stay like this. She liked their life. Her and her daughter. UNIT, their house, all the little normal human things. She wasn't going to upheave Lily's safe, stable life for Missy. Missy was going to have to fit into it. But now… that seemed rather impossible. She doubted she'd be able to get Missy to agree to any sort of deal with UNIT.

She hadn't forgiven her wife.

Not at all.

Forgiveness implied an apology.

Her wife had come in and stomped all over the tiny slice of control she had managed to slowly build. To try and convince the humans to let Missy exist with her now was going to be hard. She knew that Missy wasn't gone, not really. She'd be lurking nearby, most likely just waiting for the most opportune moment to emerge. Or perhaps hiding until she could work out just how pissed off she'd made her wife.

All of this, it didn't have to be completely out of her hands. She still had control. More of it than she pretended. There were ways she could force the humans into giving her what she wanted, but she didn't want to have to do that.

Urgh.

She really disliked it when Koschei came along and made her choose between being a good person and the things she actually wanted.

For now, she'd wait, see what happened with UNIT. See how Missy was going to make her continued presence known.

The following week, Jack drove Hally to UNIT headquarters in near silence. He gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder as they arrived, but there was little conversation. He led her not straight to her office or even Kate's but through into one of the smaller computer labs.

He tapped on the keyboard, bringing up a word document for her. "Incident report. I'll leave you to fill it out. Every time you've had contact with The Master through to parents' evening and what happened afterwards."

"Missy." She corrected him absentmindedly as she took a seat in front of the computer.

"Just put in as much detail as you can remember, ok?"

She hummed her agreement before he left her to it. Hally stared at the blank page for a long moment, chewing on the inside of her lip. Her thoughts churned in a mix of defiance, guilt, and an unshiftable ache. With a sigh, she began to type, detailing each and every interaction she'd had with her wife since Lily had started at school.

Jack would poke his head around the door every so often to check in or offer tea. Once she had finished, he leant across her, sending the document to print. He collected the pages together. "Hang here for me. I'll be back."

Minutes stretched into an hour.

She was starting to wonder if perhaps Jack had forgotten her when finally, the door reopened, and he stepped in. He'd schooled his expression, which was never a good sign, although his voice was gentle. "Kate's ready to see you."

She followed him from the lab, letting him lead her along the corridors and up a few floors. Ah, they were heading to Kate's office. Alina joined them just before they reached Kate's office, giving Hally a faint nod of greeting as the three of them filed in.

Kate sat behind her desk, the normally unremarkable furniture seeming to loom larger today, making her presence more imposing than usual. Hally, at the nod of Kate's head, slipped into the chair opposite, feeling its stiff, uncomfortable edges pressing against her. Jack and Alina took seats in the corner, their quiet presence only adding to her discomfort. It was bad enough getting told off, but it was even less fun being told off in front of an audience.

Kate flipped through the incident report with a considered slowness, her eyes scanning each page. Her expression remained unreadable, a mask of command that allowed no room for reassurance or sympathy. The silence stretched long and taut.

Her hands fiddled in her lap, the urge to shift her gaze, to glance at Jack or Alina for some unspoken signal, was overwhelming, but she forced herself not to, keeping herself still and as relaxed as she could. None of this was her fault.

Kate finally looked up from the report, her sharp gaze locking onto Hally. Her tone was clipped but calm, each word deliberate. "Your report is thorough, but I have questions."

Hally swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course."

"Were you aware of The Master's presence on Earth before last Tuesday?"

Hally shook her head. "No."

"Your report suggests that, while acting as Headmistress at Bridgewater Primary, The Master was in direct contact with your daughter. Did Lily know who she was?"

"Yes. It would seem that she did."

"Do you know when she became aware?"

Hally shook her head again.

Kate's eyes stayed on her, sharp. "You didn't immediately inform UNIT of The Master's presence on Earth."

"I was going to…" Hally began.

"But you didn't." Kate pressed.

"I was going to come to you the next day. I thought I had time. I didn't think she was going to…" She exhaled, the words trailing away.

"She drugged you?" Kate continued.

"Yeah…"

"And she brought you to St. Paul's?"

"Yes."

Kate considered her for a moment, the scrutiny never leaving her gaze. "If you had informed us of her presence immediately, we could have stopped her."

Her face twitched with the edge of a wince, understanding the implication that Kate was not saying out loud. 'If you'd informed us when you should have, Osgood wouldn't be dead.' Hally looked back at her, she took in a slow, deep breath as she considered her words carefully. "Maybe. Yeah." She straightened in her chair. "So, maybe that is on me. But… respectfully… she'd already done most of it." Hally began, keeping her expression and tone as neutrally polite as she could. "The Cybermen, Danny… She would've planned for the possibility that I might go straight to you." She watched Kate's face carefully. "People got hurt because she was here, and she was here because I am here," she admitted, softly. "But we're all responsible for that."

Kate's stare was unyielding. "Having you here puts the planet at risk, Hally. I have to consider that. I have to consider that she will come back."

"Okay… yes," Hally's tone lilted, a gentle hint of an incoming caveat. "She killed everyone on that plane. I'm not… minimizing that… but she had complete control of the entire planet." She spoke the words slowly, lacing them heavily with implication. "And she did nothing with it."

A flicker of a dispute crossed Kate's face. "The Doctor—"

"The Doctor did very little." Hally interrupted. "She had plenty of opportunity to do much, much worse. I'm not saying this to minimise what she did do. I'm not. None of those people should be dead. Danny, Osgood, they should be alive. I just… I need to make sure you understand the nuance to it."

Kate didn't respond straight away, although the weak twitch of her jaw told Hally that she was not pleased by Hally's rationalising. After a moment, she turned her head to catch Alina's gaze, a silent question passing between the pair. Alina tilted her head down, an affirmation.

Kate turned back to Hally. "Explain it, then."

Hally let out a soft breath. "Just… parking the fact that everything she did was morally wrong… if you look at it completely objectively, it becomes clear that she wasn't out to hurt humanity. She showed us all her cards, she did have complete power over the planet, if she had wanted to, she could have turned the whole of humanity into Cybermen, the fact that she didn't, was a choice. None of it was about the planet. She just wanted The Doctor to watch someone he loved hurt. Which… again I'm not saying is ok… what I'm trying to say is… she isn't going to touch the planet."

Kate leaned back, arms crossing. "Do you believe she'll come back?"

"Yeah. She probably never left."

"But you don't perceive her as a threat?"

Hally rolled her lower lip between her teeth. "Not really… no. Well… she's always a threat, but she's already shown she could destroy the planet… and she didn't."

Kate arched an eyebrow. "That doesn't fill me with reassurance, Hally."

Hally let out a soft, sardonic laugh. "No… I know. It's twisted. It's… her way of saying we can trust her."

Kate stared at her as if she'd grown an extra head. Hally could see the disbelief in her eyes.

"I know," Hally admitted, "but we can 'trust' her because she could have destroyed the planet and she didn't. It's the closest thing to reassurance you're going to get."

Kate seemed to consider this, exchanging another quick glance with Alina.

"If she reappears, you need to inform us immediately." Kate's tone held no room for anything other than immediate agreement.

"I know. I will."

"And it will not be up to you how we proceed if she does."

Hally sucked on the back of her teeth, before offering a small, resolute nod.

Kate sighed, something in her gaze softening. "Fine. Go back to work."

"You mean I still have a job?" Hally hummed, a trace of humour edging into her voice.

Kate gave her a pointed look, the kind that very clearly noted 'don't push it'. Hally caught the unspoken warning and stood, clearing her throat to smother an awkward laugh. Before the tension could dissipate, a knock came at the door, drawing all their attention.

"Come in," Kate called, her tone brisk.

The door creaked open, and a UNIT soldier stepped inside, cradling an enormous bouquet of deep purple flowers. The sheer size of the arrangement made him look utterly ridiculous. His posture was hesitant, his expression almost sheepish, as though he felt the absurdity of interrupting such a serious meeting with something so out of place. "These are for here…" he said, his voice tinged with an apologetic undertone.

"Here?" Kate echoed, suspicion creeping into her voice.

"Yes…" the soldier clarified, glancing at Hally. "But they're addressed to her."

Hally blinked.

Jack rose immediately, wrist strap at the ready, scanning the bouquet before the soldier even stepped into the room. Kate's sharp gaze followed every movement, her apprehension palpable.

"They're just… flowers," Jack said after a tense pause, though his wariness hadn't subsided.

The soldier nodded quickly. "They've already been through security," he assured them before stepping inside and placing the bouquet on Kate's desk. The arrangement was massive, vibrant, and utterly out of place, dominating the otherwise utilitarian office.

Hally reached for the small white note tucked in between two roses, on the one side, printed was indeed her name and the very specific address of Kate's office. She flipped over the card, eyes lingering on the sharp lines and exaggerated flourishes of the handwritten note.

How is it that you always somehow ignite a need in me to apologise to you.

Doesn't love just take all the fun out of cruelty?

I'm sorry.

Forgive me.

Koschei

The room fell silent, the air heavy with expectation. Hally cleared her throat, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. She glanced up at Kate, lifting the note slightly as if presenting evidence.

"So… this is me informing you… straight away…" Her tone was lightly cheeky, though it was clear she was treading carefully.

Kate's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes narrowing briefly before she sighed. "Yes. I think it's quite clear."