A/N: Hi everyone, I'm still writing All's Fair in Love and War but have hit a brick wall. I'm hoping to update it at the end of the week. In the meantime, Twelve and Missy keep having interactions in my head and who am I to deny them? This story is set after Heaven Sent (so there may be slight spoilers if you still haven't seen it) but the Doctor hasn't forgotten Clara.
Approaching the dingy looking pub located on a side street of London, Missy surveyed the scene in front of her. This would be the place, without a doubt. Planet Earth, check. 21st Century, check. Cheap looking pub with Neanderthal punters, check. Oh yes, this was one of his more formulaic breakdowns. Heels clicking against the wet pavement, she made her way across to the entrance. "Alright, love. What's a pretty lady like you doing all alone?" She scowled at the lone man standing outside the doorway to the pub lighting up a cigarette, "come a bit closer, love, and I'll show you why I'm all alone." She couldn't contain a smirk from spreading across her blood red lips as the idiot actually edged his way towards her. Reaching inside her pocket and pulling out her phone, turning it on him, "now seen as though you've already said something nice, let's cut to the chase." Pressing the button and watching in delight as the man's face turned from lust to confusion to horror and he disintegrated into rotting flesh and bones. Relishing in the smell of fresh death, her blue eyes scanned the surrounding area for anyone that may have watched the scene unfold. Satisfied, if not slightly disappointed that there were no witnesses to be slaughtered, she entered the pub intent on finding her Doctor.
It didn't take long, even in profile she could recognise those eyebrows furrowed and mournfully looking at the bottom of his whiskey tumbler. This one was so brooding, Missy thought to herself before making her way double time towards his table in the corner of the pub. "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in" the Doctor drawled out before she had even sat down. "Should have known it was you when the smell of burning flesh lingered in. What do you want, anyway?" She recoiled slightly at his tone, but quickly brushed it off. It wasn't personal, this was always the first stage. Anger. "Now is that anyway to greet an old friend?" She asked, batting her eyelids innocently. "Now let me get the next round" motioning sweetly for the bartender to get two double shots of whiskey. "I don't want your company. Don't won't any company." Her eyes softened as she looked over the sorry state in front of her. "Oh dearie me, we have gotten ourselves into quite the state" she paused when the drinks were delivered, addressing the young bartender, "thank you lovey." Turning her attention back to the Doctor, "Now, I know you didn't call me but I was worried. You've left a lot of psychic mess floating about and it was rather starting to get in the way." "Sorry" he replied gruffly, "was I preventing you from raising hell?" This earned him a bitter laugh, as she took a sip of her whiskey, "oh no, don't worry about that dear. I'm taking a bit of a break, only dallying in a bit of recreational killing here and there." The Doctor raised his eyebrows, but said nothing as he downed his whiskey in one. "Clara's dead" he said after a few moments looking up at her expectantly, pausing to gauge her reaction. Missy's face remained unreadable, but she did reach her hand out gently to cup his face. "I know dear. But that is what they do, you must stop getting so attached" she spoke soothingly rubbing her thumb softly across his cheek as a stray tear fell.
All too suddenly his hand was wrapped around her wrist in a tight grasp, pulling her close he whispered harshly "Was it you? I swear, Missy, if you were involved in her death in anyway, that's it for us. There's no going back from this." It took her a moment to adjust to his grip around her wrist, she could feel it was bruising but it wasn't particularly painful. Despite plenty of opportunities, he'd never quite managed to really hurt her. Missy's blue eyes locked on his grey ones, "oh love, you do lie. It'll never be over. Not for us." She watched as he blinked and looked away. It was his way of conceding. They both knew they could never completely leave each others' lives. "But I had nothing to do with it. And that's the truth. That Mayor ME has turned into quite a little fire cracker. I like her. But it wasn't her either." The Doctor looked back up at her, accepting her words as truth. He moved his hand from her wrist, grabbing at her hand instead. Missy squeezed his hand in return, gently running a thumb over his knuckles . "It really was the Time Lords all along, wasn't it?" the Doctor asked after a while. "I suspect so" Missy responded instantly. "They trapped me in my confession dial. Twelve billion years of torment and torture. I thought at the end of it, I might get her back. But I'm back and she's still dead. I don't know where my logic was, grief makes fools of us all." Silly Doctor, she thought. "Clara's death was a fixed point in time. Nothing you could do to change that." He nodded, "I know that now, I had to try though." Just then, he let out a sob he'd been stifling since she arrived. "Thank you for coming. I needed you. I still need you." That was all it took to melt her hearts. In an instant, she was at his side pulling him to his feet and leading him by hand to the exit. "Now come on, pull yourself together man. You're acting like a drunk human in the throes of an existential crisis" she chastised gently as they made it out of the pub.
The rain was pelting down now, "where's your Tardis?" she asked, still holding onto his hand, "I would take you back to mine, but I'm in between places at the moment." She was always in between places these days, but the less said about that, the better. The Doctor looked up at her, eyes still rimmed with tears and looking pathetically sad. It hurt her hearts to look at him when he was in this state. "She's round the corner" he mumbled, motioning down a dark alley to his right. They both stepped over a discarded lighter laying in a puddle. Missy couldn't help but smile at the lingering memory of her latest kill. Her smile didn't go unnoticed by the Doctor who commented, "you killed the old drunk that was out here, didn't you?" "He was trying it on with me. It was self-defence, I'll have you know" she replied, not wholly committing to the explanation. "If you say so." He looked away from her, not wanting to hear anymore about her murderous tendencies. They walked the rest of the way in silence, but still holding hands. Missy soothingly rubbing her soft thumb over his rougher knuckles.
"Here's the old girl" stated the Doctor as he pulled a key from his pocket and made his way into the console room. "You're coming in, right?" he asked suddenly becoming frightened at the prospect of another night alone. "Of course I am" Missy smiled at him, pleased to see he had perked up a small amount. "I'd have to be stupid or heartless to leave you alone in this state. And I'm definitely not one of those things." They both sat down on the sofa in the library, the Doctor resting his head against Missy's shoulder while she ran her slight fingers through his silver curls. They stayed like this for sometime, each of them just enjoying the company of the other. "I miss her more than I ever thought possible" the Doctor confessed and it sounded as though it was the first time he had said the words out loud. "I know I've lost companions before, but it feels different this time. Maybe I'm getting too old to recover from these things." "mhmm" Missy was pleased to hear him expressing his feelings, adding, "she was a special one." She thought about passing a sarcastic comment, reassuring him that he'd pick up another stray from the shelter soon enough but decided now wasn't the time. "And you'll always have the memories. They'll hurt at the moment, but soon they'll be a comfort sweetheart" her words were soothing and genuine and made him weep. Missy encased him in her arms as his shoulders shook with sorrow "shh, shh. Come on now, let it all out" she soothed in Gallifreyan, sweeping her fingers along his temple in an attempt to fill his mind with warmer thoughts.
As his sobs subsided, he sat up but didn't venture too far from Missy's embrace. "Why are you being so kind? You didn't even like Clara" he asked, holding onto her as though she was about to disappear. "True. I didn't like her that much. But even I can appreciate that she was an extraordinary young woman who died too young. So much potential." She heard his breath hitch as she finished her sentence, she went too far. "Sorry, love. Didn't mean to upset you. As for being kind? I'm not being kind. This is what we do. It's our duty as the last two. You know that." He nodded, "we're not really the last two though, are we? Rassilon and the High Council are still around. They've tortured us both and are determined we pay for running away from the Time War and Gallifrey." This time it was Missy's breath that hitched, the mention of the other Time Lords and their torture methods were always raw for her. She'd been skirting around his latest encounter and entrapment. Not because she didn't want him to talk about it, in fact she knew from experience that he needed to talk about it, but it was hard knowing how to approach the subject. Missy also needed a bit of time to prepare herself mentally for such a discussion. He needed her to be the strong one today. "They don't count" she responded resolutely, "yes they're our species, but we're nothing like them. We are the last of our kind. There's only ever been two of us when you look at it like that. What did they do to you this time?" The Doctor looked up at her as if she'd asked a stupid question. "I told you. They trapped me in my confession dial for twelve billion years. Tortured me with my nightmares- you remember the one I used to have about the old lady that died" she nodded him and urged him to continue. "They made me confess my deepest secrets and then gave me nothing in return. I really thought if I went through that hell, I'd be able to get Clara back."
Missy sighed, he was so naive at times. Rassilon and his cronies never gave anything back. But they took so much. "I'm sorry you went through that alone. It won't happen again, I won't let them hurt you again." "You've nothing to apologise for, not this time. Though, I am surprised that you remembered how to use the word" he quipped. "Cheeky", she chuckled "I remember when it suits me." "What I went through was nothing compared to what they've done to you. I must seem so weak to you" he confessed. "This isn't about me. Don't compare our pain, it's different but when it comes down to it we both hurt" Missy declared, rather thoughtfully. "You need to go to bed" she declared several seconds later, "when was the last time you had any sleep?" she asked, arching an eyebrow accusingly. "It's been a while. Probably close to five weeks" he confessed, suddenly feeling as though he was about to be scolded by a school mistress. "I'll go to sleep, if you promise to still be here when I wake up." She did make a habit of doing a disappearing act when she stayed with him but she wasn't about to leave him in this state. "Oh darling, I'll be here. I'm using it as an excuse to get back under the covers with you" she winked dramatically at him. In truth, she wanted to keep an eye on him. The Doctor had terrible sleeping patterns and they only got worse when he was stressed and grieving. If he didn't get at least a few hours sleep soon, someone that wasn't her might succeed in killing him or destroying Earth. That just wouldn't do. "What?" he scowled at her, "you can stay in the bed with me but I'm in the mood for any of that tonight." She suppressed a laugh at him, he was almost too exhausted to walk to bed, let alone try anything amorous in the bedroom. "It was a joke, dear. Don't look so petrified. Now come on, its time to go up the apples and pears to Bedfordshire." Missy stated in a singsong manner, reaching her hand down to pull
him off of the sofa and lead him up to his bedroom.
As they both reached the bedroom door, Missy arched an eyebrow at the state of the room. There were books and sheets of paper littered across the double bed, clearly he'd become obsessed with his latest project. Old coffee cups lined every corner of the room and his electric guitar stood rested against his wardrobe. "Sorry, I um I forgot how messy it was in here" The Doctor stammered out a half-hearted apology, Missy rolled her eyes at him. "You haven't changed since our Academy days, have you? Honesty, do you know how many times I saved your skin when it came to room inspections?" She reminisced as she made her way over to the bed and collected the books and papers into her arms. "I got distracted. Anyway, I seem to recall that you're not the neatest of people. Despite your current Mary Poppins aesthetic." She chose to ignore his jibe, instead pointing to the bedside cabinet "just get into your pyjamas while I get this place in a little bit of order." The Doctor did as she said, crawling under his duvet afterwards and watching as Missy piled up the rubbish and dirty plates in the corner of the room. "They can be taken out tomorrow" she said as she stripped down to her oversized white shirt and joined him under the covers. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "now come on, be a good Time Lord and go straight to sleep. You're shattered" she whispered into the shell of his ear. "I see her face whenever I close my eyes" he confessed "and if it's not her face, then its visions of my time in my confession dial." She ran a hand through his hair continuing to whisper, "nightmares happen, love, but they're not real. It'll be okay and I'll be here all night with you when they happen." After a few moments of fidgeting, they both fell into a near-sleep state. "You know," Missy said in low, sleep laced tone, "tomorrow, we should do something for Clara. Take some flowers up to her hometown- that northern UK beach resort." "Blackpool. It's Blackpool" the Doctor muttered into his pillow before adding, "that's a nice idea. I like that idea." "That's what we'll do then" she mumbled back before humming an ancient Gallifreyan lullaby until he fell asleep.
The Doctor awoke to the smell of fresh roses and Missy humming lazily at the foot of the bed as she rearranged the bouquet in her arms. "Morning" he spoke gruffly, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Ah good morning sleepy head", she responded chirpily, raising her head to acknowledge him. "How long was I asleep?" "Not long. Only a few hours but long enough." The Doctor looked to the flowers in her arms, "they're nice. Are they for Clara?" He asked, hoping he hadn't dreamt what she promised last night. Missy smiled up at him like a cat, "they're lovely, aren't they? I picked them myself. Yes, they're for Clara. Now come on, get dressed, I've already got us to Blackpool. I tried to get us to Clara's time period but when I went out for a walk earlier it looked like we're in the late 20th century, which is close enough really." The Doctor frowned at her slightly, not looking like he liked the idea of her flying the Tardis, but he quickly jumped out bed and got dressed. They opened the Tardis door onto the grey landscape of Blackpool Pier in the mid-1990s, both stepping out into the chilly wind. "It's a bit nippy" Missy observed pulling her jacket around her a little tighter "but it always is here I guess." "Yes, Blackpool's never been known for its tropical weather. It did get to enjoy the heatwave of 2003 as much as the rest of the UK though. Missy nodded at him, not particularly interested in his weather update. "Here" she said passing him the bouquet "take these, there's a nice quiet spot down by the beach over there. You should do this alone. I'll be sat on that bench we passed at the end of the pier." "Thank you" he responded, taking the flowers from her "I won't be long." "Take as long as you need" she shouted after him in a kind voice that even she didn't believe she was capable of.
Missy spent about five minutes sat on the bench alone, enjoying the crisp sea air, before she became aware of the small human child that had sat down next to her. In truth, she loved spending time by the coast and was more than a bit annoyed at the interruption. She liked the cleansing effect that each deep breath of sea air had on her soul. It made her feel cleansed and new and like she could take on the worlds again. "Are you in the pantomime?" the inquisitive young thing asked looking Missy up and down. "Why on earth would you think that?" she asked, not turning to look at the child but feeling inside her pocket for her disintegrator. There were no parents in sight and if they did come looking for her, she could just kill them as well. "Your silly costume. You look like an actress, I like actresses. My mummy and daddy wouldn't let me go to the pantomime this year" the girl continued pluckily, unaware of her imminent danger. Something about the regional twang sounded familiar to Missy and as she turned her head to face the child, her lips parted into a smile. The accent was familiar but the large saucer-shaped eyes were undeniable. Little Clara Oswald, all eyes and curiosity. Missy dropped the weapon back into her pocket, thankful that she had recognised the child before she got trigger happy. That really would have caused some nasty timeline mix ups. "oh no poppet, I'm not an actress. I'm just a wee bit eccentric. No pantomime, this year? Now that is a , didn't your mammy ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" Missy asked, enjoying looking over the tiny Clara. She did look rather cute in her red winter coat and mittens, brown hair in bunches. "Yes, but you meet such interesting people when you talk to strangers. Anyway, if you tried to kidnap me I'd scream blue murder. That's what my daddy taught me to do" Clara responded proudly. "Good advice" Missy said returning her gaze out to the horizon. "If you're not an actress, what are doing here then? You don't sound like you're from here. You sound like you're from Scotland. You know where the men wear funny skirts and people play the bagpipes. We had an assembly at school the other week because it was Burns Night. But that's all I can remember about Scottish people. Sorry." she trailed off, kicking her legs back and forth over the edge of the bench.
Missy laughed, "I do sound Scottish this time, don't I? Never have before, I usually sound like an old Londoner." Clara gave her a cautious look, as though she really had found the strangest stranger of all this time. "But no, I'm not from Scotland. I'm from Gallifrey, you'll learn about that one when you're older. I'm here with an old friend. He's a bit sad and I'm trying to cheer him up a bit." Missy confessed. She had watched the Doctor walk down to the shore earlier. He was still down there now. He looked like he was talking as he placed the roses one by one into sea. It was all very moody and dramatic but she suspected it would help him in the healing presence. "He'll be okay though" she added smiling down at young Clara. "Where are your parents anyway? Aren't you a bit young to be out on your own?" She asked, clearly offending the young girl who spat back "I'm eight and a half years old. I'm not a baby. But I'm not on my own, they're just at the travel agents booking our summer holiday." "My mistake, you're positively ancient. Be claiming your pension soon. A summer holiday, eh? Lucky girl where are you going?" Missy asked, feigning an interest rather convincingly. "We're renting a caravan and going to the Lake District. It will be nice but one day I'm going to go everywhere in the world." Missy smiled at her "oh poppet, I don't doubt that but why stop with this world? You could travel the stars and cross universes. And you will." Clara looked up at her, confused "will I be an astronaut? That'll be cool." "Something like that" Missy started, catching the Doctor making his way back up to her. "Now I have to dash, dear, but do me a favour?" Clara nodded up at her, "you are going to have an extraordinary life and see things that you can't even begin to comprehend. It's all going to be down to a very special man. Well, down to one special man and his very clever friend. Just make sure you appreciate every single second of it? Time is fleeting and it will be over before you know it. Do you promise me that?" Clara nodded up at her, thinking she was a bit odd but strangely believing everything she said, "I promise." "Good girl, see you in about twenty years" she said as she speed walked over to the greet the Doctor.
"Feel any better for that?" Missy asked as she reached the Doctor, chancing a glance back at the bench, relieved to find it was now empty. Probably for the best. The odds were that Clara wouldn't ever remember meeting her- the human brain was hilariously small after all. But Missy wasn't foolish enough to risk the Doctor catching sight of little Clara. He was still grieving and would do something stupid, again, to try and bring her back. "Yes, thank you. It did help actually" the Doctor responded, seeming to have let go of some of his guilt. They both started to walk back towards the Tardis deciding it was too dark, boring and depressing to stay any longer. "What did you get up to anyway? Did you behave?" he asked cautiously, scanning the location one last time just to ensure she hadn't left behind any blatant destruction, before stepping inside the Tardis. Missy held her hand over her left heart with a faked offense, "I was on my best behaviour, honey" she replied, with a little pout. "Actually, I got talking to a young human" she added nonchalantly, she had no intention of revealing the true identity of this young human, of course. The Doctor's eyebrows shot up, "and you didn't hurt them?" "No I didn't. And do you know what else I didn't do? I didn't pick them up and tell them to come and travel all of time and space with me. I just spoke to her and left her right where she was. Just so you know, it is possible. Something to work towards in the future, eh?" He scowled at her, clearly unimpressed "well, I won't be picking up anyone new for a while." Missy rolled her eyes at him. Deep down, they both knew that one was a lie. "Anyway" he said "do you fancy going somewhere? Just me and you? "Sounds good, let's go and raise some hell like the good old days." "Not too much hell" he said quickly as he got the controls working, "just a healthy dose of mischief."