Okaaay - I guess just a little trigger warning, this chapter contains domestic violence, mentions of self-harm, and just two people not being all that nice to one another...
Armitage led her along the corridor leading her away from her room, his hand in the small of her back. Guiding her forward. Both her hearts jumped, a spike of adrenaline rushing through her when instead of heading right at the junction, towards the library, as he had done for the past month, he moved her to the left. Towards the bridge.
Hally's feet ground to a halt, her body tensing with reluctance. The hand at her back pushed her forward firmly. The Master had joked that he'd have to bring her to the bridge at some point, but she had assumed that he would have warned her. Which suggested that this was something else. Her stomach tightened. Salt stung her eyes as tears formed. Why couldn't it be enough for him to just stay with her?
Every muscle in her body felt like it was primed. Her fight or flight already kicking in even before they'd even reached the door to the bridge. She forced herself to take a breath. The door slid open with a hiss. He was gathering them on the upper bridge. The Doctor was already waiting. His deflated form sat in a wheelchair, placed in the centre of the upper platform, a perfect view out of the reinforced glass at the planet below. Her guard placed her on The Doctor's right. She was closer to him than she'd been since…
Hally thought about it.
She hadn't been this close to him since the day The Master had taken over.
If she really wanted to, she could have reached out her hand and touched his shoulder.
But, she didn't.
Armitage lingered behind her, just within arms reach if needed.
Jack was brought in next, two guards manhandled him to stand on the other side of The Doctor. Hally turned her head and their eyes met. It was a complicated look. Sharp disapproval flashed in the icy blue before the judgement softened. Perhaps he had seen the trepidation in her own face. She was just as powerless as him. The reminder clutched at her painfully. It shouldn't have to be like this.
Soon, they were joined by Francine, Letitia and Clive Jones. And finally, Lucy and The Master. She couldn't help the intrusive thought from worming its way into her brain.
How did he always arrive with her? Where had they been together?
The thought was unhelpful and she squashed it. He was tense. She could see that something had him on edge. Her husband had barricaded the gates, leaving only a cold, hard exterior. He stalked onto the bridge, eyes burning with dark determination. He didn't look at her. He sneered at The Doctor, grazed over the Jones's with disgust. But his eyes skipped hers.
One of his soldiers met him at the control panel. "Everything is set, Sir." The Master nodded, turning to briefly check beyond the glass. He rolled his jaw and looked back at her father, chin tilting down.
"This morning, a group of organised rebels blew up the entire rocket yard of northern Japan." His voice was level, almost disinterested but his eyes betrayed the rage. Watching him, Hally could see why some might think him mad. It was the contrast between the rage, the chaos and the unyielding steadiness. Cold and calculated. Like the top of a mountain inside a furious storm. Clinging to the surface, one wrong move and you could be swept away. Falling to your death.
Hally's eyes widened slightly. The humans had fought back. Somehow.
The Master clicked his tongue against his teeth. "So, we're going to show the Earth, how we deal with rebellion." His eyes narrowed and he straightened. He turned back to the control desk, pressing three buttons in quick succession. There was a crackle as a voice came through the comm link. The unmistakable childish whine of a Toclafane.
"We are primed, our Master. We shall destroy them all."
His face morphed into a smug smile. Hand hovering over a fourth button.
"You don't have to do this." The Doctor's voice was weak, but his tone heavy. The Master paused, head turning ever so slightly to the side so they could now see his profile. A pregnant pause.
The Doctor inhaled a shaky breath. "Please… you can do this another way. Think of how many children are down there."
The Master's head snapped around then, clocking The Doctor with a hateful glare. "How many children were on Gallifrey, Doctor?"
That silenced The Doctor, who bowed his head towards the floor in shame.
"So, be better than him."
The Master acknowledged her then. When his eyes met hers, a shiver ran down her spine. There was nothing familiar behind them. No flash of emotion. Nothing. Hally lifted her chin higher, she wouldn't let him intimidate her. She had told him that she would not stand by and let him hurt these people. At some point, he would have to stop. If he wanted there to be trust between them, eventually his revenge would need to end.
To her left, she could feel Jack's attention on her. Uneasy tension rolled off him. She had placed herself right in the way of The Master's plan. It was dangerous and Jack evidently knew it. But it would be better for the Captain to not get involved. She could do this on her own. Her eyes flicked to Jack, a silent request.
Leave this to me.
"Destroy the rebels. You don't need to destroy the rest. Show them mercy." Hally offered to The Master. Her voice was low, she had not ordered him, she was asking. He could still show mercy and retain the upper hand.
The Master took two slow steps towards her, his eyes scanning her face. A flicker of something broke through his eyes. Pain. Hurt? Hally swallowed, she knew her face let slip her silent plea. The last four weeks couldn't mean nothing. She had decided that she couldn't ignore the fact that she was in love with him. This man. Despite everything he had done. But she allowed herself to settle into the knowledge that she was not going to stand idly by and let him continue. She would draw the line. Right here. She would ask him to stop. Not because she was siding with The Doctor, but because she wanted him to. It was right. Her mother was from this planet and she would not let him destroy it to make a point to The Doctor.
She would not be less important to him than her father.
"Why should I show them mercy?" The Master cocked his head to one side. A warning flashed in the dark black of his pupils. They'd both stepped onto a frozen lake, the ice underfoot cracking. Someone was about to fall through.
There were plenty of answers she could have given him. Some of them might have even worked. Tactics. 'Because The Doctor didn't.' 'Because you're better than him.' 'Because long term it will benefit you.' But she wasn't playing a game any more. So, she told him the truth. "Because, I'm asking you to."
He hadn't expected her answer either. He looked back at her with surprise initially, followed by a flash of anger and finally conflict. She could see his struggle. Part of him didn't want to do this either. Alina had been right. He knew it was wrong. If she could appeal to that part, the part of The Master that allowed her to comfort him, to love him. He might just stop. But in front of all these witnesses, he was shutting her out.
"No." His face hardened, the man who loved her retreated fully into himself, hiding in the shadows while the cruel, cold Master looked back at her. Uncaring.
Hurt flickered across her face. Once again, he'd chosen The Doctor. He would also choose The Doctor.
The Master turned to follow through on his threat, his focus on the controls in front.
Fine.
I will cut you out of there.
"He's never going to listen to you." Hally snapped angrily. It had the desired effect. His rage rolled out of him, crashing through the wall of indifference as he rounded on her. She jabbed again. Harder. "You'll spend your entire life following him. Trying to make him see. But he won't. He won't ever give you what you want. He'll never see because he doesn't look. You told me once… that he was a fool for brushing me aside. That I was better than him. Take your own advice, Master." She spat at him spitefully.
His eyes blazed with poorly concealed hurt. She was breathing heavily. The Doctor's head had turned an inch to the right towards her, but she did not want to think about him. The Master didn't move, he didn't say a word. She could see that he was wrestling with himself, willing his anger back into its box.
Coward.
"If you choose to go down this path. I'm sure as hell not going to watch you do it." Hally took a step back, turning her body away, intention obvious. Armitage's hands stopped her, holding her still by the shoulders. Hally didn't turn back around, instead, she waited, staring forward at the black uniform steady in front of her. There was a long pause, she could only imagine the silent eyeballing that was occurring above her head between her husband and her guard. She willed The Master to let her leave, or even better to stop the slaughter.
"Who do you think you are?" The murderous hiss sent a shiver up her spine.
She turned over her shoulder to look at him. "This planet. Is mine." The Master advanced on her. She faced him fully, her back connecting with the immovable muscle behind her as she took a cautious step backwards. "Every single, last, stupid ape is mine." He growled, heartless fury radiating from him. He stared down at her, inches from her face. "I will do whatever I want. Because each and every one of you exists here, for me." Hally saw the unhinged chaos behind his eyes. "And there is nothing you can ever do to stop me."
She let out a strangled pant, his words smacking her hard in the stomach. He wasn't going to budge. He was going to stand there and act as if she meant nothing. He would rather take revenge on a planet that meant nothing to him than compromise for her. For a moment, she stared at him. Neither of them moved. Then, without a second thought, she clenched her fist and hit him directly in the middle of his face.
Hard.
It happened so quickly. One second, he staggered back. The next, the back of his hand had connected with the side of her face. Lights exploded behind her eyes, everything spun as her brain rattled inside her skull. Hally only realised that she'd been sent tumbling towards the ground when she felt rough, strong hands catch her. Armitage pulled her upright. She could hear The Master cursing behind her, an angry commotion. The side of her face throbbed painfully. Everything was still not quite right, her vision blurred, the images not catching up with her brain fast enough.
"Get her the fuck out of here!" The Master's voice barely registered before Armitage's hands were dragging her away. He was taking her towards her room, his hands shifted and he caught her by the upper arm. Hally tripped over her own feet, trying to shake the dizzying motion from her head. He paused them, the white walls of the Valiant's corridors glared into her eyes. Her back connected with the wall and suddenly Armitage's hand was at her neck, holding her still. He scanned her face quickly, a look of irritation flickering over his.
"For fucks sake." The guard muttered under his breath, letting out a desperate huff, before he grabbed her arm once more and turned them back down the corridor. No longer taking her to her room.
Armitage pushed a white door open and he guided her inside what must have been the ship's medical bay. There were six stations with patient beds. Three on either side. The room was too bright. Her eyes scrunched against the light. A dark-haired man in a white coat noticed them enter, his gaze flicking over her briefly before turning to Armitage. His voice trembled. "Um, can I help you?"
Armitage manoeuvred her to the middle bed on the left and forced her to sit on the edge. Hally wasn't in any state to fight him. A shaky hand came to her face, it was hot under her fingers. The bright red stain of blood came away.
Armitage turned to the man. "I need you to check her for concussion. And her eye." He looked back at her and frowned. "I think it's just bruised but check." Armitage looked back at the man, a physician, shooting him an impatient stare. "Now."
The man let out a squeak of fear, grabbing a thin white torch from a nearby station. He placed himself in front of her. Hally could see he was shaking. He flicked on the torch, shining it in both of her eyes haphazardly. She flinched away from the light. Her brain had stopped rattling at least. Looking down she saw the blood once more.
He'd hit her.
Had he done that before?
She had hit him too…
Hally didn't quite feel like she was in her own body. Blood rushed around inside her head, deafening her ears.
Perhaps this was what shock felt like.
The side of her head hurt. Her eye too. The left one was still pretty blurry. Hadn't Armitage said something about her eye?
"Umm… I think I'm going to… give you something for the swelling." The physician nodded to himself and moved away, coming back moments later with a needle. She let out a hiss as he injected a clear liquid into her cheek. Then he grabbed a gauze, gently trying to clean away the blood.
Everyone's eyes flicked to the door as noise travelled through from the corridor. Someone was shouting. Multiple voices.
Armitage audibly groaned and looked back to the doctor. "You're going to need backup. Page someone."
The doctor frowned, evidently not understanding Armitage's warning. The door slammed open, banging against the wall. The Master stormed inside. Followed, very swiftly by two guards, struggling to keep up with him. Hally realised then, that she hadn't seen the damage she'd managed to do when she'd punched him. Her head had been too busy spinning. He pressed a white piece of cloth to his face, but it did nothing to hide the fact that he was bleeding. He was bleeding quite heavily from his nose. Blood spots spattered his usually pristine shirt. His eyes found Armitage first, a look of confusion crossing his face before his gaze landed on her.
"What the fuck is she doing here?!" He rounded on Armitage once more. "You were supposed to take her to her room!"
Armitage barely moved, most humans would shrink under the hot rage of The Master, but Armitage simply answered back calmly. "I was concerned about her eye and a possible concussion."
The Master opened his mouth to argue, lips curling in a snarl, but his eyes crossed back over to hers and his mouth clicked shut. He grumbled something inaudible to himself before skulking over to the bed opposite hers on the other side of the room. Shifting himself onto it. He pulled the cloth away from his face for a moment. Hally felt her eyes widen. There was rather a lot of blood. Dark circles were already beginning to form under his eyes.
Shit.
Although, judging by the look The Master had given her a moment ago, she figured that she probably didn't look much better. The dark-haired doctor looked between the two of them. A look of pure panic passed across his features. He took Armitage's advice and fumbled to press on his pager in his pocket.
The young doctor was seemingly struggling with a decision. Which patient to go to first. Armitage coughed, eyes flicking over towards The Master. Hally felt a small smirk turning the corner of her mouth as the doctor gasped softly, understanding the hint and briskly manifested himself at The Master's side. He gave him one of the injections he'd given her, to reduce the swelling and carefully began to clean up his face. Removing as much of the blood as he could so as to get a better look at the problem.
Hally watched silently, her face dark. She could still feel the adrenaline burning through her veins. Arms shaking. She realised she might be here a little while, and sitting upright was beginning to make her feel dizzy again. Hally pushed herself further onto the bed, resting against the upright back.
Armitage watched her, suspicion heavy in his gaze. She could see that he was bracing for impact, he was ready to grab her should she decide to have another swing at her husband. The two guards who had accompanied The Master looked awkwardly between themselves and to her guard for guidance. He hadn't dismissed them just yet. Perhaps wondering if he might need backup should The Master go for her.
If her face didn't hurt so much, she might have chuckled at the sharp tension between them all.
"Umm… I think… I think it might be broken." The male doctor mumbled apologetically. He took a precautionary step away from The Master, expecting him to take out his anger on him. The Master remained seated, the flash of fury reserved only for Hally. She glared back at him, unapologetically.
Armitage shifted in the corner of her eye.
The door swung open once more and Alina strode inside. Initially, her face fell into one of confusion, not understanding why her colleague had paged for help when there were only two patients, then her eyes took in which patients were sitting in their med bay and she exhaled heavily. Hally swore she saw the woman shoot Armitage a knowing eyebrow as she passed him.
The evidently terrified doctor scuttled over to Alina. "His nose is broken." He mumbled, looking fearfully back to The Master. It was evident in his tone that he was hoping Alina would take over for him.
Alina fixed him with a stern look. "Well, you used to be an A&E doctor, I'm sure you've seen a broken nose before?"
He nodded quickly.
"So fix it. He will heal must faster than a human, so just make sure you set it right if you need to." She offered, an edge of impatience in her voice. He nodded again and scurried back over to The Master.
Then her gaze fell on Hally. Hally winced under the intensity of it. Disappointment. Alina came to her side and scanned over her face, a concerned frown pinching her forehead.
She brought a thin, white torch to Hally's eyes, as the other doctor had done and quickly had her keep her eyes open as she shone the light in both eyes, then alternating.
"Any pain in either eye while I'm doing this?" Alina asked.
"No… my left eye feels… I don't know… it hurts."
Alina sucked on the back of her teeth. "Yes, it will do. You've got quite a nasty subconjunctival haemorrhage going on." She clipped back.
Hally wasn't too sure what that meant, she bit the inside of her mouth in discomfort. Alina sighed softly, her gaze softening. "It's like a bruise, but in your eye. It will heal like a bruise and it will be sore for a few days."
"Ok…" Hally crossed her arms over her chest, clutching at her shoulders.
Alina checked the vision between her right and left eye quickly, confident that the eye hadn't received any permanent damage. Then she dabbed gently at the open cut just on the edge of Hally's cheekbone, closing over the wound with steri-strips.
"You're going to get a nice black eye." Alina muttered softly, before she straightened up, considering her. "Now, let's check that concussion."
"Any headache or dizziness?"
"Umm yeah… both."
Alina nodded. "Blurred vision, dark spots, or flashing lights?"
"Everything is a little bit blurry. Umm… no flashing lights now, but there was when… well… when he…" Hally frowned slightly. Alina finished the sentence for her.
"When he hit you?"
Hally frowned, but nodded. Her eyes flicked over to the other side of the room. The doctor was scanning The Master's face with a rectangular device, a blue holographic laser skimming over his skin. Alina followed Hally's gaze before turning back to her patient.
"You broke his nose?" She asked. It wasn't an accusation, more an invitation to talk.
Hally shifted awkwardly, she didn't really want to do this in front of him. "Apparently." She muttered, the answer coming out with more bite than she'd intended.
Alina caught it and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you happy that you broke his nose?"
"No…" Hally scowled, pushing her tongue against her teeth.
"Liar." The Master spat across the room. Hally's face curled into a dark scowl. Of course, he would listen in.
Prick.
"Shut. Up." Hally snapped at him.
The Master simply rolled his eyes, scoffing.
"I'm not lying. I'm not happy. Do I look fucking happy? You're…" Hally grit her teeth, anger bubbling back up inside her. This was all his fault. This entire situation was his fault. "You're fucking insane sometimes."
His eyes darkened.
"I'm insane?" The murder in his voice had the doctor taking a slow step back from him, glancing over towards Armitage for assistance. No one else moved. "You're the definition of unstable, sweetheart." The Master growled. "You have the emotional control of a toddler."
"It's not abnormal to freak out when your husband threatens to murder 100 million people for NO REASON!" Hally screamed at him, leaning forward on the bed. The Master matched her, pushing up off the backrest. Armitage moved himself closer to her side of the room, ready to restrain her.
The Master's voice was cold, angry and impatient. "When are you going to understand, I do not take orders from you."
"And I will not be your prisoner! I'm either your wife or I'm not. I'm done pretending."
Hally heard Alina sigh loudly, waiting for them to shut up so she could continue with her job.
"Pretending? You ARE my prisoner." The Master yelled back.
"Cut the bullshit, Koschei." She snarled.
His face dropped into one of furious disbelief. "You dare use that name in front of them."
"Oh, crawl out of your arse." Hally rolled her eyes, sending a fresh wave of dizziness over her.
The Master got to his feet, murderous intent blazing behind his eyes. As he stepped towards her, so did Armitage, placing his hand against her chest to stop her from rising from the bed too. The way he moved his body in front of her also prevented The Master from getting to her too.
"Enough!"
The Master stopped moving, and everyone in the room looked curiously at Alina. She sent a stern look to both of them. "Right now, you both require medical attention. If you don't both sit down and let me do my job I WILL restrain you. BOTH of you."
The human was angry.
Hally's eyebrows tweaked upwards. The Master rolled his jaw, shooting another deathly glare towards Hally before he turned and pushed himself back onto his bed like a petulant child.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence while both Alina and her colleague continued patching them both up. Armitage removed his hand from Hally's chest, sending a nod over towards the two additional guards. The two removed themselves from the room. Perhaps Armitage deemed the threat to have passed.
Hally heard the male doctor speak softly to The Master. "It's just a hairline fracture, Sir. None of the bones have moved, so it will just be a matter of letting it heal. Umm, the bruising may take a few days… but we've hopefully prevented the swelling." He swallowed awkwardly. The Master didn't respond.
After asking Hally a few more questions, Alina also used the blue laser to scan over the side of Hally's face. "Alright, nothing is broken but you do have a mild concussion." The blonde woman gave Hally a slightly disapproving look. Hally looked away, rolling her jaw. The woman's voice softened, encouraging her gently. "Tell me what happened?"
She didn't reply.
It hurt.
Physically, it hurt. But also, she didn't want to talk about it here in front of him. Not after they'd just done this to one another. Was this what they were doomed to be?
When Hally didn't reply, The Master took the chance to cut in. "She punched me in the face. That's what happened."
Hally felt Alina's gaze leave her, to look over towards The Master "I'm not asking you." The tone was firm and yet polite enough that it wasn't an outward challenge. Hally looked back up to the blonde, eyes wide, catching The Master's affronted expression in the corner of her eye.
Alina turned back to look at Hally, her gaze softening. "Why did you feel you had to hit him?"
Hally tried to answer quietly so he wouldn't hear. "He wouldn't listen…"
But, no such luck. "I was listening. You just didn't like what I was saying." He passed back quickly, scoffing.
Hally scowled deeply at him. "You brushed me aside like I meant nothing." Irritation prickled inside her as she heard her voice threaten to break, emotion threatening to escape from her eyes.
"What did you want me to do?!" The Master pushed back hard.
"I wanted you to stop!" Her voice did crack this time.
"I…" He ground his jaw. "I can't be seen to do whatever you tell me to do!" His stare was unyielding and stubborn, he would not back down.
"Why not?!" She screamed back at him.
"Because you are not in control here! I will not be weakened by…" The Master growled, baring his teeth as his eyes flashed hatefully. "I will not be weakened by what you've done to me."
Hally exhaled a huff of disbelief. "I haven't done anything to you."
Alina looked between them, stepping in quickly. "What was he doing that you wanted to stop?"
Hally took in a deep, shaky breath. "He was destroying Japan. All of it."
"Are you responsible for his actions?" Alina batted back quickly, raising an eyebrow at her.
Hally met her gaze, sighing loudly. "No.. but…" She shook her head slowly, defeated. "No."
"Did you try to walk away?"
"Yes." Hally grumbled. Alina shot a look over her head to Armitage who gave her a quick nod.
She heard Alina exhale slowly. "So you hit him, because you felt like you didn't have any other options."
"Yes." Hally mumbled, shame hot on her cheeks.
Alina cocked her head, considering her. "Did it help?"
Hally chewed on the inside of her mouth. She sent Alina a knowing look, like a child who knew they'd been caught in the wrong. "No."
Alina gave her a small nod before her attention turned to the other side of the room, landing on The Master. "Why did you hit her?"
The Master's gaze locked with hers and he shook his head, scoffing. "No. I didn't bring you here to psychoanalyse me."
Alina's voice was sharp, perfectly professional but immovably firm. "No. You brought me here to help her. You brought me here because she hurt herself and it scared you. That she would rather cut herself than talk to you." Alina fixed The Master with a knowing look. "There are two people in this relationship, Master, and nothing can move forward by just focusing on one half of it." She softened slightly. "So tell me, please, why did you hit her?"
There was rage blazing behind her husband's eyes, he stared at Alina and Hally could practically see the possible scenarios playing out inside his mind. He was definitely considering killing her on the spot. That much was obvious by his face. However, after a moment, he moved his gaze to meet hers. The anger cracked and a flicker of regret brushed across his face for not even a second. He deflated, resting back against the bed. "She took me by surprise. I lashed out." He bit out.
"And?" Alina pressed. The Master flicked an irritated look towards her. Hally snorted a soft laugh through her nose. It seemed like the human could read both of them. She had a magical ability to sense their bullshit.
The Master ran his tongue across his teeth. "And… I couldn't let her get away with hitting me in front of everyone else."
Alina nodded slowly. "You needed to control her. To put her back beneath you."
Master shifted. His silence only confirmed she was right.
"Can you control her?" Alina asked swiftly, raising an eyebrow.
"Evidently not." The Master shot Hally a begrudging look.
Alina dismissed the male doctor, filling out records and recommendations for the both of them in silence. Letting them both stew in their guilt. Neither The Master nor Hally managed to look the other in the eye. Once she'd finished her paperwork Alina addressed them sternly.
"Both of you are refusing to acknowledge the fact that neither of you are going to come around to the other's way of thinking. You cannot control each other's actions or opinions. You both need to come to terms with that, otherwise, this cycle will not stop. It will only get worse. If you both want to exist on this ship together. You're going to need to stop hiding and talk to each other. Properly."
Hally stared down at her lap. It was easy for the human to just tell them to talk. The theory was sound, of course. But, actually talking. Where would it even get them? They were never going to see eye to eye. Talking would only lead to conflict, which might lead somewhere worse. The Master wasn't one to compromise and Hally couldn't back down on this. Which meant…
Hally didn't want to lose him.
Alina addressed The Master. "What is it that you want from her?"
He frowned at the question. "I want her to do as she's told."
Hally shot him a glare, about to quip childishly at him, but Alina cut her off. "That's bullshit. Try again. The woman in front of you. Look at her."
Hally could see The Master's discomfort, it was written all over his irritated face. However, he did as Alina had told him and he looked at his wife.
Alina looked between them. "Tell her, what you want."
The Master's eyes locked onto hers and she felt warmth creep up her neck and onto her face. He was on the opposite side of the room, but she could see every conflicting emotion as it passed across his face. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, uncertain. "I want…" He paused. "I want her." His eyes glossed over, shimmering slightly under the harsh lights of the med bay. "By my side. I want her support. I want to be a team."
Alina turned to look at Hally, indicating for her to speak. Hally swallowed. "I can't support you in this." She whispered. Afraid he would flip back into a rage. "I want to be by your side too. But that doesn't mean I'm going to sit by and let you hurt people. People that I care about." She implored, eyes never leaving his.
"What if I didn't hurt them?"
She stared at him, unsure if she'd heard him correctly. He'd barely moved. The question had slipped out before even he had registered it.
"Would you let me build my empire, if it didn't personally affect you?" He elaborated slowly. His eyes swam with uncertainty. She recognised it as fear. He was afraid.
Hally blinked. He was…
Was he?
He was trying.
She looked to Alina for help, having no idea how to navigate the new path he'd just presented to her. Alina gave her a look of encouragement, a push to say something.
"It would depend… I'd have terms…" Hally stuttered out. A frown creased her face. "Plus… I don't understand why you want to build an empire. What the fuck do you need an empire for? Apart from to spite him…" Betrayal fluttered over her face.
His face twisted into a saddened scowl. "Not everything I do is about him."
Hally huffed softly. "No, I know." She cocked her head to one side. "But sometimes, I feel like I come second to him. And it hurts." She exposed, continuing quickly before he could cut her off. "And I know… you probably felt the same. I know, you probably feel like my not standing with you has something to do with my loyalty to him. But it doesn't. I don't agree with this. Not because it's what The Doctor would want but because I don't like it. So… I understand that maybe this is something you feel like you have to do. You want to build something of your own… but do we have to do it this way?" Her eyes begged him to see where she was coming from.
He watched her with an unreadable expression on his face for a few long moments.
"Have dinner with me?" He finally said.
She arched an eyebrow. "Are you asking?"
He huffed softly, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Yes. I'm asking. Will you have dinner with me?"
"Tomorrow." She offered.
"Why not today?" He frowned.
"Because, I'm concussed." She sent him a wry smile.
He breathed out a short laugh. "Alright then. Tomorrow."
Alina looked between them both and hummed in thought. "I suppose that will do, for now." She concluded, before checking Hally's eye one final time to ensure it wasn't getting any worse. When she was satisfied she gave a nod to Armitage, smiling at Hally. "You're free to go. Please rest."
Hally slipped off the bed, letting Armitage take her by the upper arm as he led her to the doorway. Just before he could take her through to the corridor, she paused and looked back at The Master, taking in a deep breath.
"I'm sorry I hit you." She offered to him softly.
He nodded briefly, she turned back towards the door and from behind her heard him send back. "I'm sorry I left you no other choice…" The room fell into a complicated silence. Hally stepped over the threshold and let Armitage guide her back to her bedroom. A small smile playing at her lips.
Hally hadn't looked in the mirror until the following morning. Upon arriving back in her room she'd forced herself straight to bed, the lights had made her head throb and the constant blurriness was doing nothing for her spinning head.
So, the next morning, when she finally looked in the mirror. Hally understood why Armitage had insisted on getting her medical attention. She had indeed developed a magnificent black eye, the skin over her cheekbone and around her eye socket had turned a deep purple with splashes of red. The most disturbing, however, was her eye. Dark red blood had infiltrated across the white of her left eye. One normal eye, the other striking red. She looked like some kind of vampire.
Shit.
Hally brought her fingers up, gently brushing across the small cut. Whatever the doctor had injected into her face had left her with almost no swelling at all. It would probably look much worse if the left-hand side of her face had been all puffy as well.
The Master had done this.
Looking at her face brought up complicated feelings. The most unwelcome was fear. It wriggled its way into her stomach and wouldn't budge. In her hearts, Hally still felt like she'd been in the right. She hadn't meant to break The Master's nose, and while a small part of her was irrationally proud that she'd even managed to, most of her was drowning in guilt that she'd caused that much damage.
But then, she could now see what he'd given her in return.
It scared her.
What they could do to one another.
How far could they go?
She would not let herself accept the violence they had inflicted on each other. It could not happen again. Hally let out a long, sad sigh at herself before dragging herself into the shower.
It was just after lunch, when Hally was perusing her wardrobe wondering what to wear for dinner when there was a light knock at her door. She cocked her head to one side. Armitage didn't knock like that. The door slid open as Hally came around from the dressing area.
Alina smiled at her, eyes taking in her bedroom quickly. "Afternoon."
"Hi…" Confusion crept into Hally's voice.
Alina chuckled softly. "I've come to check on that concussion."
"Oh…" Hally shrugged, sitting herself on the edge of her bed so Alina could do what she needed. She pulled a chair up to the end of the bed, quickly checking on her eye while she was in front of her.
"How are you feeling?" Alina's eyes scanned Hally's face.
Hally wasn't sure if Alina was after a purely physical answer or an insight into how she was actually feeling. She kept it simple.
"Fine. I'm not getting dizzy anymore. I went straight to bed so I think I've slept through most of it."
Alina nodded. "And your vision?"
"Better… not completely, my left eye feels a bit funny… but… well… I guess that's kind of normal."
Alina smiled at her. "It might take a few days for your vision to go back to normal."
Hally cooperated as Alina performed a few of the tests she'd done the previous day, answering her questions politely.
Alina gave her a quick once over. "Alright, well it's definitely improved. So I'm happy enough."
Hally smiled shyly.
"He wanted me to check you would be well enough for dinner." The blonde offered, watching Hally's face with intrigue.
A warm blush peppered her cheeks. "Yes. I am."
Alina cocked her head, something twinkling behind her eyes. "He'll be glad."
Hally shifted on the bed. Alina rose to her feet, collecting another syringe full of clear liquid from the case she'd brought with her. "I'll give you another shot of this to keep the swelling away, it should help a bit with the pain too."
Hally kept still as Alina injected the solution into her cheek. "Try to remember… he's just as scared as you. You're both wanting to avoid the same thing." Alina muttered softly, her concentration on the needle.
"How can you be sure?" Hally's eyes flicked up to meet Alina's, careful not to move her face.
A wry smile played on the woman's lips. "Because, part of my job has involved watching hours of footage of the both of you." She explained simply. "You're both going into this on the defensive. So watch out for the tactics you're both probably going to try and use to avoid difficult topics." Alina pulled back, catching Hally in a knowing look. "Don't let him distract you." The arched eyebrow Alina gave her told Hally exactly what kind of distraction she was hinting towards.
Hally let out an awkward laugh. Cheeks warming.
Alina smiled. "Make sure you both say what you want to say. Then feel free to be as distracted as you wish."
Hally tried to cover her eyes with her hands, letting out a whine of protest. Alina laughed kindly, packing away the few things she'd brought with her and making to leave.
"Thank you." Hally offered. It wasn't a simple thanks for her medical assistance. "I don't think I've ever had anyone tell me the truth quite as bluntly as you. It's refreshing."
Alina's face split into a warm smile. "I think people sometimes underestimate you. You're tougher than you think."