The inside of the TARDIS had changed.
Childishly, she decided she didn't like it.
Cautious footsteps followed her inside, the click of a lock indicating the closing of the door behind them.
Despite the six people that had just entered the console room, a heavy awkward silence hung over the TARDIS. Hally forced herself to inhale, wrapping her fingers around the railing of the ramp up towards the console. The outside world seemed to blur, to fade into an external thrum. As though she wasn't really there.
A chilled numbness crept into her chest, her stomach flipped as though someone had ripped the floor out from beneath her.
The Master was gone.
She'd lost time.
Years.
And now she was surrounded by strangers.
A gentle hand landed in the small of her back as River moved into her peripheral vision.
The ginger female strode past her up to console, to The Doctor. "What's going on? Who is she?"
The Doctor didn't say anything, instead he turned towards River, swallowing, eyes boring into hers as if to plead her to help him. She hummed in disapproval, shooting him back a severe, unimpressed look as her hand dropped from Hally's back, moving up to the central platform.
Hally didn't move.
He eventually cleared his throat, painting a smile onto his face. "Uh, Amy, Rory, River, Canton…" He pointed from the ginger, to the confused man, to River and to the older American man in the suit. "This is… uh, Hally… she's my…" He coughed. "Daughter. She's my daughter."
Amy's eyes widened beyond what Hally had previously thought to be possible, and stared from The Doctor to Hally and back at him. "She's your what?!"
"You have a daughter?" Rory moved from the door, walking further into the TARDIS to stand beside Amy. "Why have you never once mentioned this?"
The two rounded on The Doctor, demanding answers. Hally clocked their familiarity with him. River had said he was what, nine hundred and nine? A few years had passed for him. They could have been travelling with him all that time. And he hadn't mentioned her name once…
Hally would have laughed, but she couldn't muster the effort. This was incredibly uncomfortable. Her gaze shifted towards River, who was offering her a look that clearly said, 'I know. I'm sorry.'
Amy then turned to River. "Is she your daughter too?!"
River laughed and shook her head. "No."
Hally's face fell into a frown. "Why would I be her daughter…?"
The Doctor made a non-descript noise of complete panic.
Amy scoffed, shaking her head with increasing frustration.
"I thought you'd ended up on Gallifrey…" The Doctor swivelled to look back at her, managing to find a semblance of his bearings. His words were a weak explanation, with a hint of almost accusation.
She shook her head. "Evidently not." River cleared her throat in a weirdly disapproving way at the slight snap in Hally's tone, so Hally rephrased. "I think we'd started to be pulled back… but he pushed me… and I ended up here."
River nodded slowly. "She fell through a crack… probably one of the last. It closed up behind her." The Doctor, Rory and Amy seemed to somehow know what the hell that meant.
"You seem to know an awful lot…"
River crossed her arms across her chest. "It's complicated."
"I'm a smart girl."
She chuckled. "I travel with The Doctor. Sometimes. But it's all out of order. Back to front. His past is my future."
Hally nodded slowly. "Right… so you have already lived through his… and by association my, future?"
River nodded.
That made a semblance of sense.
"Fine."
"And yes, I do know what you want to ask."
"Are you going to tell me?"
River paused. "I can't tell you the future. No. But…"
"I don't care about the future, just tell me… is he alive?"
"Yes." River took in a breath.
Surprise filtered through from The Doctor, Rory and Amy.
Rory opened his mouth, interrupting with an apologetic noise. "But… don't I know you?" He looked towards Amy for confirmation who tilted her head in a sure nod, recognition glinting within the eyes of the two humans.
Hally grimaced.
Alright, so looking back, long term, becoming 'celebrities' hadn't been her best plan to date.
The Scottish woman was frowning, watching Hally in deep suspicion.
The Doctor was shifting around the console rubbing his head. Amy turned away from her and back towards him, her voice demanding answers. "Ok… but what are we doing about the astronaut? There's… other stuff happening here. And… we were running… why were we running?"
The Doctor nodded, running his hands through both sides of his hair, pacing. "Yes… yes, I know. Invasion. We're dealing with an invasion but…" He stopped and looked up, his eyes locking with hers. "This is important."
Amy looked like she was about to protest when River spoke up. "I think, Amy and Rory… we should give Canton a proper tour of the TARDIS." The older woman's face lit up with a bright smile, kind but with an edge that warned the humans not to argue. "Put her into flight, dear, we'll come right back. I'm sure the invasion will still be there afterwards. We have time."
Hally's forehead twitched into a frown at the pet name aimed at The Doctor but she didn't say anything.
Amy looked like she wanted to argue, like she had many more questions but Rory seemed to want to be anywhere but inside the intense awkwardness suffocating the room, so he nodded and took Amy's hand, not letting it go as he led her from the console room. Canton followed, bemused and bewildered with River bringing up the rear.
The Doctor flicked a few switches in quick succession, putting the TARDIS into flight. As River moved to walk past him, he caught her arm, his mouth hovering by her ear.
"Did he tell her?" His voice was low, but with little other noise in the console room, Hally could still hear him.
River looked up at him, sharing a look back at Hally and then back up to him. She shook her head.
"Are you sure he didn't tell her?" He pressed, a lilt of hopeful desperation to his voice.
"Didn't tell me what?" Hally cut across the quiet.
River shook her head sternly. "He didn't tell her."
The Doctor exhaled, wincing. "And it has to be me?"
River cocked an eyebrow up at him, dangerously. Indicating her displeasure at his words. "It should be you, yes, you're her father. The rest of us are strangers to her right now…"
"She listened to you…"
"Doctor." There was no mistaking the final warning in the woman's tone.
"I'm right here…" Hally snapped, drawing both of their gazes back towards her. River took the opportunity to move out of The Doctor's grip, shooting him a meaningful glance over her shoulder.
Then it was just to two of them.
It became quickly obvious that The Doctor wasn't going to start speaking first. He had turned instead to stare into the centre of the console.
"Tell me what?"
He let out a soft, fake laugh. "God, there's a lot to catch up on."
"No… you said 'he', 'Did he tell her?'. What did you mean?" Hally took a step forward, moving further into the unfamiliar interior.
The Doctor ran a hand down his face, his lip unhappily caught between his teeth.
"I'd… we should start at the beginning right?" He forced out a laugh, turning back to the console, hunched over the controls. "Well, I regenerated. Obviously. Actually, soon after you left… Well, left. You know… Then, this!" He motioned to his own body.
She just stared at him frowning.
"Met Amy, Amy Pond. Amelia Pond. She's great. Wonderful. There was this crack in her wall… anyway! Rory. Rory the Roman. He's her husband and actually not a Roman at all." He sent a wild grin back at her, swiftly turning around again towards the console to avoid looking at her. His boundless energy flitting around the TARDIS, all in the hopes of not having to stand still and just look at her. Not leaving a second of silence to allow her to interrupt. "River is… well, River. You've met River, it's basically just always like that." He swallowed. "Oh, and Canton is just here… for the ride… 1969, spaceships and astronauts and the President." A grin spread over his face. "I mean… there's quite a lot I've missed out but I'd say that's the highlights… TARDIS exploded. But she's fine now." He straightened up, pulling on the braces underneath his jacket. "I wear bow ties. Fezzes are cool and I'm really, really glad you're ok." He turned to her and finally paused, the vision of her standing in front of him seemed to smack him in the face. The smile dropped and he took in a breath, a pool of deep understanding plummeted open in his wide eyes. "And… I am sorry… for what happened on Earth… I mean… for you, today… it was a while ago for me. But I am sorry. I'm sorry… for a lot of it. I thought I'd lost you, see…" He coughed again. His words were… meaningful and yet he was saying them in this strangely upbeat tone. He stepped towards her, his arms twitching out to her as though he wanted to hug her, but couldn't quite bring himself to do it. "I was… we were…" He looked at her, offering an awkwardly apologetic smile. "Well… it shouldn't have happened like that. We… I was going to give you my TARDIS. Well.. maybe not give, but … we agreed…. Me and him. We were going to go… you, me and him. In the TARDIS… away from Earth but… I got 'rescued'." The laugh that came from him was bitter. Full of regret. "It was an accident… I didn't..." Again, he ran his hand over his face. "Anyway. Didn't happen. Here we are." A deep sadness lilted into his words.
Hally considered him for a long moment, absorbing his words. "You were going to let us onto your TARDIS?"
"Yeah."
"You, me AND him."
"Yep."
"All three of us?"
"Four… but yeah." His voice wavered slightly.
Hally cocked an eyebrow. "I don't… what? He changed your mind?"
"Mm." Doctor swallowed. Something was evidently waiting in his mouth to be let out, but he was doing his best to keep a hold of it.
"How?"
"Well it was… important." He huffed, sighing as though impatient. Again, he turned his back on her to look at the console, hiding his face while pretending to press buttons. "Same reason he pushed you…" He murmured. "The Master was always much faster than me…" He hummed a false laugh. "Always… flipping the switch on a plan in a millisecond. Genius."
"Doctor?"
"Mm… yeah. I know. Stalling… sorry." It appeared to take a lot of effort for The Doctor to turn back around to look at her. He masked his discomfort with a smile. "I'm not good at this. Guess I never have been." He motioned to the space between them. "Father… daughter… stuff."
"You are… freaking me out slightly…" She took a small, careful step forward.
He nodded slowly. "Yes! Sorry…. Umm… maybe you should sit." He moved over to her, bringing her gently by the shoulders to the couch, sitting her down. He awkwardly flailed then, not knowing where to put himself, thinking about sitting next to her before settling on awkwardly leaning against the console.
"Right. Ok. The Master pushed you because he knew you couldn't go to Gallifrey. He was leaving you with me because he knew that I had the TARDIS. If Rassilon killed me the two of you would be left on Earth and after… everything, that would have gone terribly. The only way you'd be safe… was with me. But not… not just you…"
"I could have gone to Gallifrey…" She clipped back, confusion crossing over her face with a scowl.
"Yes… no… not wrong. If it was just you… then… yes… I mean Rassilon knows… what you are so you wouldn't have been exactly safe but yes… but he wasn't… He wasn't protecting just you. It's.. well… I guess it's ironic really… me and him… perhaps we are more alike than we care to admit." He chuckled, the new thought leading him away from her.
"Doctor, just spit it out!"
His eyes snapped back to hers.
"You're… Hally, you're pregnant." He crossed his arms, leaning his one elbow in the crook of the other with his palm now pressed over his mouth, as though the words had never meant to slip out.
She let out a short laugh. "No, I'm not…"
His eyes widened, evidently not expecting her response to be denial. "Uh… no, you are."
"I'm pretty sure I'm not."
He took out his Sonic Screwdriver and scanned her, as though checking for himself. "No… you… are. Look." He offered her the screwdriver.
She stared at it, slowly reaching forward and taking the device.
According to the screwdriver.
He was right.
Suddenly, she rose to her feet.
"Uh…" He began.
"Where's the med bay?" She demanded, tone flat.
"It's umm…" He seemed to consider telling her directions but decided it was faster to just walk in the right direction. "Follow me." He tilted himself away from the console, leading her further into the TARDIS. He remained at least two paces ahead of her, Hally making no effort to catch up with him, clocking over his shoulder now and then to check she was still behind him.
"You walk weirdly." She muttered after at least a minute of silence.
He shot a look over his shoulder at her, initially a raised eyebrow which stretched into an amused, knowing smile. "Thanks." He chirped, as though she'd given him a compliment.
She rolled her eyes, using time to take in his appearance.
Her father.
He looked like he could be a younger brother.
Fucking hell.
He was skinny, although not as skinny as the last one had been. More, gangly. As though he somehow had too many limbs.
Dark trousers, a brown, tweed-type jacket. Floppy hair and features too big for his face.
She let out a soft sigh.
He opened the door to med bay and let her move inside after him.
No part of her was concerned because no part of her believed she could possibly be pregnant.
She wasn't pregnant.
She would know.
Koschei would have known.
So, she would know.
Wouldn't she?
She moved across the med bay, the ambient glow softening the clinical feel of the machinery and triad of hospital-like beds. Various advanced medical machines lined the walls, some blinking with multi-coloured lights, others humming softly with an air of quiet efficiency. She knew exactly what she was looking for. Spotting the sleek, cylindrical body scanner, she picked it up and turned it on.
"I can…" The Doctor began to offer his assistance, but his words trailed off when he saw the determined frown she directed at him.
"I am perfectly capable." She asserted, her tone leaving no room for argument. She pulled out the necessary wires and expertly attached them to the device. The wall on the far side flickered to life, displaying a projection of the results. She pressed the scanning edge to her abdomen, brushing it across and down until she had covered the entirety of her lower abdomen.
Within barely two seconds, the results clicked onto the screen.
Hally was in perfect health.
As always.
Data started to filter onto the screen.
46.5% Time Lord, 31% Human, 22.5% Unknown.
Nothing out of the ordinary, except…
Right there.
Nestled safely inside her where there should have been nothing.
Was something.
Hally froze, the scanner pressed firmly against her abdomen, continuing its work. The projection in front of her zoomed in, readings appearing in the top right corner.
Age: 64 days
Sex: Female
Species composition: 87% Time Lord, 13% Human, 0% Unknown
She moved the scanner away, her eyes fixed on the screen. The image hung there, suspended in the air.
She was...
They were...
She took a step back, her foot hitting against a counter. Before she could trip, hands steadied her, gripping the backs of her elbows. The Doctor held her—not in a hug, but simply holding her, keeping her upright.
He wasn't looking at her. He had manoeuvred them so that he was facing her, but stood almost beside her, looking over her right shoulder as she continued to stare at the screen. Neither of them said anything.
He just held her there, silently.
Breathing hard.
Shock had halted her, had frozen the inside of her veins, holding her captive.
Her mind flicked through the possible solutions.
The Master was gone.
He wasn't here.
She couldn't do this on her own.
She didn't want to do this.
She didn't want this.
This would change everything.
The rest of her life.
It had never been in her immediate plan. She had never imagined her life including a child. Maybe in the far, far, far future. But never like this.
A heavy, unwelcome feeling settled in her stomach. Inevitable knowledge.
Pain.
She didn't want this.
No part of her wanted it.
She considered it.
For a moment or two, she knew she could fix it, if she asked.
She could ask The Doctor and he might do it.
Remove the problem.
Rewrite this new future that was panning out in front of her.
Go back.
But, she just couldn't.
How, painfully ironic.
A breath fell from her in a heavy exhale, a mixture of a sob and a laugh.
That she…
She, who had spent her whole life so angry. So damn angry at him, at her father, her parents for leaving her to feel so incredibly unwanted.
And yet here she was, already full of regret and resentment towards the tiny little life they'd created.
Fuck.
She knew she couldn't do this.
She couldn't bear the idea of doing it alone. Without him.
But, she was going to.
She was going to have a child.
A daughter.
This time she did laugh, the sound strained, tailing off into a whimper.
The Doctor hadn't moved. So when she lowered her head, her forehead came to rest against the top of his shoulder. He shifted, silently. Hands encompassing her into something that more resembled a hug. Still an inch of distance between their bodies.
He stood, back straight, arms around her. A sentinel, guarding her against the outside world. Holding her. There was possibly no one in the universe who understood her more in this moment than him. So he just held her. Until the dam broke and the tears fell and she closed the gap between them, her arms ascending to hold onto him as she collapsed into him. His arms encased her tightly, a hand coming to rest at the back of her head, stroking through her hair in comfort.
"Shhhh, shhhshhh, it's ok. It's ok, I've got you." He murmured into her hair.
A weak, strangled noise of despair climbed up her throat.
"I know. I know." Her father whispered.
Tears fell and she shook with her guilt sodden sobs.
He held her the entire time. Let her cry into him. Grief. Grief for The Master. Grief for herself. The life she'd imagined, now completely different. And she sobbed for her daughter. Guilt. Her inability to feel anything other than regret.
Finally, she wiped at the wet tracks down her face, fresh tears no longer falling.
She straightened and in doing so she looked up at him. Truly looked at him. Soft green eyes regarded her. Ageless patience, despite the youth of his face, her father looked back at her.
Fuck, she'd ended up just like him.
A laugh bubbled up inside her chest, his mouth curved into a knowing smile.
They untangled, Hally taking a step back, careful not to trip this time.
This time, the laugh fell from her as she shook her head.
"Fuck."
"Mmhmm…" The Doctor hummed.
She let out a bark of laughter, covering her face with her hands, turning away from him, before swiftly turning back, running the hands through her hair. "I'm sorry…"
It felt needed.
To apologise for her own historical hypocrisy.
Her own, immaturity.
Her complete lack of understanding of anything outside her own sphere of existence.
"You don't need to apologise. Don't. Please don't." He offered back to her lightly, his own chuckle tinged with sadness. "Just don't make the same mistakes I did…"
She laughed then, a ridiculous sound, catching in the remains of her tears. "Easier said than done… I think."
"Mm…" His eyes twinkled.
She wasn't ok. She was nowhere near ok.
But she wasn't totally alone.
She pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes, letting out a groan. "This doesn't feel real."
The Doctor hummed softly. "Well… you've skipped through some time. It'll take you a moment to adjust." He looked behind him, reading her own vitals. "Actually, you're quite dehydrated… here." He moved, grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with water from the sink. "Sit." He pressed her towards the nearest bed and she leaned against it as he popped the cup into her hand. "Drink."
For once, she did as she was told. It was strange. Everything about everything was strange.
Looking at him, he was somehow different.
Well, he was different.
He looked different.
But it wasn't that.
Her perception had changed.
He watched her, offered her a small smile and cocked his head. "Are we… are we ok?"
That was indeed the question.
She answered him honestly. "I don't know." Hurt flashed behind his eyes, she continued. "I know I'm supposed to be angry at you but I can't really remember why." Bitterness crept into her soft laugh. "It sort of seems irrelevant now. Doesn't it?"
Warmth pooled into his eyes and he smiled.
She let out a long heavy sigh. "I can't do this without him."
"You won't have to. We'll find him. I promise."
"We know where he is…"
An uncomfortable noise hummed in The Doctor's throat. "Somewhere we can't follow."
"We could try?"
He sighed, shaking his head as he moved to sit next to her on the bed, crossing his right ankle over his left. "I already did." Her face fell into a frown. "Afterwards. After you disappeared. You, him, the Time Lords. I tried to look for you. Both of you. I thought… maybe if you'd both been locked into the Time War I could use that to break it open. Get you out. But there was nothing. Not a single trace." He looked towards her, face full of apology.
She sighed.
Koschei was out there somewhere.
Trapped at the end of the Time War.
And he had done it to himself… to ensure she ended up safe.
She and their daughter.
A light scowl crossed over her face. "So you both knew?"
The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh… well, um."
Irritation hummed in her throat, turning to shoot a warning glare at him.
"Uh… yes."
She crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her head to one side. "And neither of you thought to inform me?"
The Doctor rolled his lower lip between his teeth, his tongue flicking out to nervously wet his lips. "Well…"
"How is it, that I am always the last to know?" Irritation flashed hotly behind her eyes.
"Well, you have this tendency to overact…" The Doctor muttered, a small squeak leaving his lips at the murderous glare she sent his way. "You do…"
She growled, but didn't respond. Shaking her head.
Men.
Unbelievable.
"We were going to tell you… we just wanted to get you into the TARDIS first…" He tried to explain.
She cocked an eyebrow. "Minimise damage…?" Her voice laced with warning.
He whined. "I'm not going to say yes because I think you might hit me…"
"I think I'm remembering why I was angry with you." She clipped, shooting him a sarcastic smile. "You are so bloody annoying."
"There wasn't all that much time for me to tell you, if anything you should be most angry at him."
"Yes, but unfortunately for you, you are here and he is not. So, please, take note. Don't you ever keep something from me that involves me, or my body, or my life again."
He coughed. "Understood."
"Good."
She let out a tired huff.
The pair, father and daughter, sat in silence for a moment. Her frown eased. "So, what are we doing in 1969?" She offered.
It was an olive branch. An offer to move forward. A sign that she was ready, or at least that she was alright to continue on. To move past her devastation, her immediate problems and wait. To be pregnant on the TARDIS. Following him around, or whatever.
She did have a choice she tried to remind herself. But with The Master currently out of reach and Earth most likely a no go zone for a little while, the TARDIS was safe. The Doctor could keep her and her daughter safe.
"Ah. Right. Yes." He grinned and straightened up, straightening his bow tie. "1969. The moon! Astronauts!" He clapped his hands together excitably. "I'm making a plan. You should come." He offered, before his eyes slipped to her abdomen and he hummed. "Unless, well… only if you're up to it. You should probably take it easy…"
She clicked her teeth together. "I'm pregnant, not incapacitated." She clipped.
"No… well, no. I know."
She rolled her eyes, moving past him towards the doorway. "So, you have a plan?"
He quickly realised he needed to follow her, back out into the corridor, jogging to catch up and step in beside her. "Yes. Well, it's a work in progress plan. I'm not really sure what we're looking for. There's an invasion. I think. But I can't really remember." He grinned. "We were running."
Hally hummed in agreement. "You were."
"But, what were we running from?" He waggled his eyebrows.
She frowned. Huh. She couldn't remember. She remembered arriving. River. A gunshot. Running. "I have no idea…"
"No… an invader that you can't remember. Fun isn't it." He grinned wildly at her, moving forward towards the console room. She snorted at his excitement, at his ability to sort of just drop the last twenty minutes and pretend everything was totally fine.
She hummed to herself.
Alina would have a field day.
She could hear voices coming from the console room, the others had congregated back there. Hally straightened her back, ready to drop her own mask into place before she stopped herself.
No.
She didn't need to pretend to be fine.
She might stop herself from being unreasonable but she didn't have to pretend to be ok. Stepping through the slight indent of an archway, she followed The Doctor's wide steps across into the threshold of the console room once more. He clapped his hands, gathering the attention of the others.
"Right. Yes." He clipped to begin. Hally moved into view of the others, arms crossed protectively over her chest. She felt the eyes of Amy, Rory and Canton swivel over towards her immediately. Ignoring them, she brought herself up towards the console panel. Silently, she fiddled with the controls, doing her own quick search. The Doctor's eyes softened as he clocked her over his shoulder. He knew what she was doing.
But he was right.
No sign.
No Master.
No Gallifrey.
So for now… she was here. She would be here and she would protect their child until the time came where she could find him.
"So, what have we got? We've got a spacesuit and a little girl and 1969 and the moon and aliens we can't remember." The Doctor grinned. "Anyone excited yet?"
Hally watched as Amy looked from her to The Doctor and back again. An incredulous expression fell onto her face.
"What we need is information. Of which we currently have very little. But if we can't remember them, they could be anywhere, they could be everywhere. Ah. Yes. Everywhere."
"Doctor…?" Amy cut across him, her lilt of a Scottish accent tinged with an irritable edge.
He turned to her. "Yes." He grinned, eyes wide.
"So… you're just going to brush over… her." Amy motioned towards Hally.
Rory looked awkwardly between them.
The Doctor cleared his throat, frowning. "I'm not brushing over her. We talked. We're good. She's here. She's coming with us."
Amy scoffed. "She is? Sorry… but twenty minutes ago she didn't exist."
"Of course she existed…" He pulled a strange face. "She's always existed. She's my daughter."
"Yeah… but you have never mentioned any daughter before…" Rory added in.
He scoffed. "Well, there she is. Daughter." He motioned back towards her. "Wave at the nice people."
Hally snorted at him, but gave Amy and Rory a small wave.
"No… but sorry, I have questions." Amy pressed and Hally let out a soft chuckle.
"I'm sure you do, but not to worry, I'm sure you'll keep up." The Doctor quipped moving over to gently pat Amy on the head.
River chuckled, shaking her head.
Amy turned to River. "Ok, but you know her, right?"
River's face curved with a knowing smile. "She has never met me."
"But you've met her?" Amy pressed.
River offered her a small smile in response.
Rory turned back to look at Hally. "Ok fine… so if you're his daughter… why do you look like that Saxon woman? You know, from the internet and TV and everything else. Years ago."
Amy looked to The Doctor for answers.
"Well…" Hally shifted her weight from side to side. "That would be because I am she…" She cleared her throat, wincing. "It seemed like a great plan at the time. Anyway. Pretended to be human, blah, blah, blah. I'm not a Saxon, I'm Hally and I'm also a Time Lord and I'm his daughter."
"Just Hally." Amy clipped.
"Right, like 'The Doctor', but just Hally."
Rory hummed. "So Saxon isn't your last name?"
She shook her head, shrugging. "I don't really have a last name."
The Doctor cocked his head to one side. "Well… technically."
Hally let out a low exhale, shooting him a look that told him he wasn't helping. "Yes, technically we have last names."
A grin settled onto The Doctor's, his eyes alight with something that looked strangely like pride. Hally's face fell into an immediate frown. "Oh, no… our last names are different." She added, hoping to correct any confusion between them.
He pouted, not understanding. "No, they're not."
Her eyebrows arched and she nodded slowly. "Yeah… they are. I got married."
She watched as he considered her words, then, his eyes widened, catching her meaning. "Ooooh… I suppose. He had estates." He clipped.
Hally's mouth opened immediately to rebuff him. "No, that is irrele-"
"Sorry, you married who?" Amy cut across the pair of them.
Hally sighed softly. "The man." Hally offered, looking between Amy and Rory. "The one with me in the period of time that you recognise me from. I married him."
Realisation trickled across Rory's face. "You married the Prime Minister?"
"Sort of."
Rory shook his head, looking from Amy, to River and back to The Doctor again. "I am so confused." He murmured.
Hally chuckled softly, feeling slightly sorry for the human, he had the face of someone that was confused rather often. "He was also a Time Lord. You got duped."
Rory's face twisted with deep thought. "But I…. I voted for him."
Hally snorted. "There was a period of time, pretty damn recently for me, a few years ago for you, where we were… hanging out… on earth and we needed a vaguely loud cover story so we… you know, pretended to be celebrities."
Rory frowned, cocking his head to one side. "I'm not sure you can pretend to be a celebrity."
Hally offered him a nonchalant shrug.
Amy still wasn't satisfied in the slightest. She turned back to the Doctor. "But you said you were the only one left?"
A sharp cackle of laughter escaped from Hally. "Yeah, he says that a lot."
The Doctor huffed, shooting Hally a withering stare. "Well, I thought they were elsewhere."
"So there are three Time Lords now?" Amy pressed.
He sighed, waving his hands in the air as if he could waft her curiosity away. "Kind of. The third is stuck… actually, elsewhere." He cleared his throat, crossing his arms. "Right… Any more questions?"
Rory hummed insistently. "Loads."
Canton interjected. "So are more aliens going to fall out of the walls?"
Hally laughed, and the Doctor waggled his eyebrows. "Who knows! It's exciting, isn't it?" He grinned and moved over to Amy, holding her shoulders.
"Doctor, I'm so confused…"
He sighed softly. "I know. I'm sorry. My fault. I should have told you about them before, but I…" He glanced back towards Hally, a flash of guilt crossing his face. "I'd just lost them. Again. And I wanted a fresh start. I wanted to pretend like everything was fine… so I did just that. And I'm sorry." He looked from Hally to Amy. "To both of you."
"We shouldn't keep secrets," he uttered meaningfully. Hally caught the guilty look Amy passed to River, mirrored on Rory's face.
"I'm sorry, Amy."
A snort came from Hally, followed by a chuckle. The Doctor looked at her, slightly affronted by her amusement.
"What?" He clipped, clearly miffed.
"You… apologising. I think you've said sorry more times in the last hour than I've heard you say my whole life." She quipped. Her voice laced with jest although they both knew she wasn't being solely jovial.
He cocked his head to one side, eyes flashing with understanding and he nodded. "Yes, alright. I apologise now. Perhaps that's me. The regeneration who says sorry."
A smirk tugged at her mouth. "No, I like it. Very mature of you."
"I am mature." He pulled at the edges of his bowtie, grinning.
"Mmm… did you regenerate into a twelve year old just to spite me?"
He huffed. "I don't look that young!"
River chuckled knowingly. "Oh, you do, honey."
Hally turned to Canton, who she deduced was the most neutral party currently standing in the TARDIS. "Canton. Other pressing emergencies aside. Who… between me and him, looks younger? And be honest. Don't just flatter me because I'm a woman."
"Urgh…" Canton looked between the two in complete confusion. "Well… maybe… you could be the same age… perhaps… but if you're going to twist my arm… maybe him."
Hally's eyes lit up. "See!"
The Doctor huffed, leaning against the console, crossing his arms over his chest as he pouted.
"Unbelievable." Hally shook her head. "I'm going to have to start telling people you're my brother." She made a face, turning to lean on the console, crossing her ankle over the other as she leant back, crossing her arms.
"Huh…" Rory murmured.
"Yeah." Amy nodded, looking between them. "I'm starting to see the resemblance."
Hally frowned, and looked from The Doctor to herself, realising they had settled into the same position leaning against the TARDIS, arms and ankles crossed.
She pushed herself off the console the same second he did, uncrossing her arms and shooting him an irritable look.
River chuckled under her breath. "Well… Anyone up for saving the world?"
"Yes. Yes! Getting distracted." The Doctor hummed, skipping into action while shooting her a look that offered highly unfair blame. "The plan. We need to find out how many of these things there are. Across America. Across the world. But we can't remember them. So we need time. We need time and a place where they can't get to us. Hm." He pressed his palms together. "Amy, Rory and River… I'm going to drop you off. Surveillance. Gathering Intel. Couple of months. Keep out of danger. Canton… you're with me." His gaze landed on her once more. "And you."
River made a soft noise of disagreement. "No, dear, she comes with me."
The Doctor's face fell into an immediate frown. "No. She stays on the TARDIS or with me."
River hummed softly. "For a couple of months? Doctor we both know you'll probably kill each other way before we've worked out what these things are." A coy smirk had grown across her features. "She's better off with me."
"Better off? You want me to trust you with my daughter…" Her father's voice had dipped, a darkness lingering in a wordless warning.
"You do." River offered him an assured smile. "She told me herself."
The Doctor's face fell into a petulant scowl. "Spoilers." He clipped, as though River had just cheated him.
The woman wasn't swayed by his resistance. "Some things are more important."
At this, The Doctor huffed loudly, looking from River to Hally. "Well. I suppose it's up to her isn't it." He motioned towards his daughter, eyebrows raised.
Hally stared at him, cocking a slow eyebrow. That was new too. "Ohh, letting me make my own decisions. Just how long has it been, Dad?" She poked, feigning intrigue.
His face shifted, eyebrows rising in awe. She frowned, not understanding the change in his face.
"You called me Dad…"
"Uhh… yeah? I call you Dad all the time."
"No… you don't." A smile crept onto his face, bright and disgustingly hopeful. "It's actually quite rare… or … when you want something." His eyes twinkled with resolute happiness. It tugged unnaturally at her hearts. She snorted in response, offering him a lopsided smile that didn't quite meet her eyes.
"Well, 'Dad', 'Grandad', what's the difference." She hummed, light twinkling behind her gaze.
He hummed, eyes widening adorably. He took a step in towards her, all limbs and excitement. Before he chuckled lowly to himself. "Yes. Well. Yes." His grin only broadened as he rocked forward onto his toes and back again.
She rolled her eyes at his excitement, shrugging it off. "I think. River is probably right."
The Doctor looked between them, having completely forgotten their previous discussion.
"The universe might implode if we spend too long stuck with each other." Hally quipped offering him a smile.
River grinned, hands on her hips. "Told you, Sweetie."
The Doctor shot her a silencing look, turning towards them, palms pressed together. "Great. Brilliant. Off we go. Any questions?"
None else spoke, so Hally raised her hand.
"Yeah… why does she keep calling you pet names…?"
"Right! Florida! River, Hally. Florida!" The Doctor brushed past her, moving to press a button to her left on the console.
"With this hair?" River scoffed.
"Yes! Disney! Oh wait no…" He checked his watch. "We're too early for that. Alright… New Orleans?"
River hummed. "Oh, I like the sound of that."
"Make your way up to New York. Three months. You've got three months." He flicked a switch, twirling the deceleration lever clockwise, landing the TARDIS. "Off you go. Record all sightings. Find out what you can. Up the East Coast."
River nodded, apparently already formulating a plan which Hally was rather grateful for because she still didn't really have a clue what was going on or what they were trying to do.
Older woman turned towards Hally, shooting her a confident smirk. "Well. Are you coming?"
New Orleans
The humid air clung to them as Hally and River Song settled into their third temporary refuge. This one, an old Creole cottage on the edge of the French Quarter. The wooden shutters creaked, and the scent of magnolias drifted through the open windows. River helped herself to a glass of bourbon from the unwilling host's cupboard, pouring Hally a similarly sized glass of orange juice to Hally's amusement.
Hally raised her glass, clinking against the other woman's as the pair of them sank into the sofa that seemed to engulf them with its overly comfortable cushions. Hally let out a long, audible groan. She was fed up of the heat. It stuck to her with an uncomfortable clamminess.
"It's not quite a New York penthouse." River quipped, shooting Hally a knowing smile.
The snort Hally expressed was undignified, shaking with a low chuckle. "It's unsettling, the amount you appear to know about me."
"It's all only things you've told me." River clipped back, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Well… evidently. I'm going to have to start writing all this shit down." Hally grumbled knowingly. She raised her hand, playing out the act of opening a book and holding up a pen, rolling her lip between her teeth in mock consideration. "River, when I crash through a wall, please threaten to shoot me with your barbaric bullets in order to swiftly prevent me from stealing the TARDIS and blowing a hole in the universe"
"You know… that's not far off."
Hally barked a laugh.
Hally was covered in blood.
And the worst part was, she couldn't really remember why. "You know, this would be much easier with a video phone." She grumbled, pushing past River as they entered the shitty, motel room, beelining for the shower.
"Mmhmm." River hummed, annoyingly clean.
She stripped on her way to the bathroom, barely three weeks into their excursion, the boundaries between the two had faded a great deal. Scrubbing the blood from her skin took a while and when she finally exited the bathroom, clad in a cheap dressing gown, River was feet up, laid back on one of the single beds, flicking through the magazine left on her bedside table.
"How is it, it's never you who ends up covered in bodily fluids?" Hally grumbled, sinking down onto her own bed, face set into a scowl.
River chuckled. "Spoilers."
Hally rolled her eyes, endlessly done with the woman's cryptic responses to practically all questions. "You know… I know you think you're all mysterious, but I can see right through you River Song."
River tilted her head back, letting out a loud, genuine laugh. "Oh, really? Darling, no offence, but it's rare you see anything past your own shadow."
Hally's mouth dropped open. "That is… unbelievably rude." She scoffed, shaking her head.
River chuckled lowly, assuming she'd won.
Hally ground her teeth together, sitting up on the bed and turning towards the woman, narrowing her eyes in concentration. "Alright… how's this?" River cocked an eyebrow with mild interest. "You like him, don't you? The Doctor."
River hummed with cold amusement. "Everyone likes him, dear."
"Ah-ha! No, you like, like him…"
"That's not a secret."
"Mmm… perhaps not to you, but I bet it is to him…?" Hally waited, River cocked a warning eyebrow her way and Hally's face split into a victorious grin.
"Ha! Timey-wimey."
River grimaced. "Oh God, don't do that."
"But it's true though… isn't it. He doesn't know you as well as you know him." Her voice lilted with endless innuendo. "Do I need to start calling you, Lady Tremaine?"
River laughed, the sound, free, echoed through the room. "If you like." River clocked her. "You know… you're taking this rather well…"
Hally hummed, shifting to lie back on her own bed. "I know." She lilted. "It's a surprise to us all."
Hally had apologised at least three times on the train from New Orleans to Georgia.
River kept insisting that it was fine, that nightmares were normal.
Hally continued to apologise for the uncontrollable destruction anyway.
Atlanta
Sometimes, she'd be fine.
She'd be light and they'd bat quips between them. Working as a perfect team. It was fun. The girl wasn't nearly as constricted as her father.
They got on, a nice surprise for River.
Other times, she'd stare off into the distance.
An empty shell.
Her mind completely elsewhere.
She would catch her, lying on whatever bed they'd found to sleep for the night, staring silently at her stomach, a mixture of fear and hatred lingering on her face.
River couldn't help but worry.
She felt responsible.
She was supposed to help.
Or at least that's what she'd been told.
"I'm not sure what you did, but it helped. You, helped."
She watched the young Time Lord, silence ticking through the room. "You're going to be alright." River offered, feeding confidence into her words.
Hally hummed, her eyes remaining cold and distant. "Did I tell you that?" Her tone was cutting and hateful.
River swallowed.
"I can't do this." She muttered weakly.
River lowered herself onto the other side of the bed slowly. "Yes, you can. You do."
"I don't want to."
"I know… but you…"
"Have to." Hally finished for her, her face curling with an ugly sneer. "But what if I don't want to River? What if this time. I don't."
River exhaled, not knowing what to say.
"Ah. There. Finally. A question you don't know the answer to." Hally uttered, her eyes never moving from the space on her abdomen.
They were in a bar.
A relic of the 1920s, the Art Deco charm still palpable in the polished mahogany building, intricate brass fixtures, and the smoky mirrors that lined the walls. Soft jazz music played in the background, mingling with the low hum of conversations and the occasional clink of glass. The dim light cast a warm, amber glow over the room.
River, undeniably drew every eye in the bar as she moved with effortless grace. The curls of her face framed her mischievous eyes perfectly, and her form-fitting dress highlighted her curves in all the right places, as designed. She exuded a magnetism that turned heads and sparked whispered conversations.
Hally, on the other hand, felt like she was merely blending into the background. She sat at the bar, stirring her virgin drink absentmindedly, feeling almost invisible.
River finally made her way back to Hally, sliding onto the stool beside her, whatever information she'd been seeking, evidently gathered. She leaned in, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "You know, you're causing a rather sizeable distraction yourself." She muttered with a playful smirk.
Hally looked around sceptically, humming. "Don't you find it weird?"
River tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "What?"
"I mean... he regenerated into a teenager."
River took a sip of her drink, considering the question. "It is unusual, I suppose. But The Doctor's always been one for surprises. Maybe he felt he needed a fresh perspective, or perhaps it was a reflection of how he felt inside—conflicted, seeking a new beginning."
Hally frowned slightly. "But isn't it... I don't know, unsettling? To be so young in appearance yet so old in reality? It freaks me the fuck out."
"Eloquent as always." River smiled, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. "The Doctor's age has always been a paradox. He's ancient yet childlike, wise yet playful. This regeneration is just another facet of his complexity. And besides." She added with a wink. "Youth has its advantages."
Hally spat her drink out into her glass, face scrunching with disgust. "God… please don't."
Amusement echoed through River's loud unabashed laughter. "Oh come on, surely you've thought about it. You've been rather lucky yourself."
"Lucky?" Hally quipped.
"Mmmm." River insisted. "Well, you've been attracted to every one of your husband's regenerations. I'd call that a lucky streak."
Hally paused, shifting her glass around.
River chuckled. "Regeneration is a lottery. Have you ever even considered the fact that he could regenerate into a body you don't want to immediately climb on top of?"
"Well… no." Hally uttered, her lips curling into a pout. "I'm not entirely sure that'd be possible."
River laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Really? So he could regenerate into anything? An old man? A burnt out husk? A woman?"
Hally barked a laugh.
"He wouldn't regenerate into a woman. He, like all men, is far too attached to the appendage between his legs for that."
River hummed in low amusement, taking a long sip of her own drink.
"Do you have a favourite?" River asked. "I suppose you're quite young really, aren't you… do you have a current favourite?"
Hally cocked an eyebrow. "How cryptic. Hmm." She cocked her head to one side. "A favourite? As in, a favourite regeneration?"
River's mouth curved with a wicked grin. "Yes. So far."
"So far." Hally mocked. "Well… I suppose."
River's grin widened.
"I mean… he's always… climbable." Hally settled on. "I suppose it's hard."
River snorted at her choice of words, silencing at Hally's petulant glare.
"I just mean… they all mean slightly different things to me. I fell in love with the first…" Hally's voice trailed off, his image coiling up in her mind pleasantly. "He was…" Her lower lip curled between her teeth. "Erm… he was a twat. Fuck, I hated him." River didn't miss the way Hally's voice lowered. She cleared her throat. "But who could resist those bright blue eyes, hmm? I suppose I fell in love with him first… then there was the second…" Desire fell across the Time Lady's eyes in a fog. "I imagine everyone remembers their first with a certain… obsession."
River watched her, a slow smirk spreading across her face.
"But if I'm perfectly honest… the most recent regeneration is probably my favourite. There's something about him." Her own mouth curved with a wicked smile. "He's just…" Her words melted away. "I don't know. He's inevitable. He can enslave an entire planet, torture all my friends… and weirdly… it's still kind of sexy?" She caught River's gaze with an impish twinkle in her eye. The smirk on the other woman's face twisted into a light chuckle of amusement.
Hally cocked an eyebrow towards the other woman. "Do you?"
River's face split into a grin. "Oh yes, but… spoilers."
Hally made a vomiting noise, drowned out by River's infectious laughter.
The journey to Washington DC was long.
River was annoyingly chipper.
Hally was beginning to feel 'pregnant'. Whatever that meant.
Almost 102 days of pregnancy.
There was certainly now a bump.
Fuck.