After All This Time

by noblecrescent

Change is inevitable. Clara understands but the Doctor & Minerva are becoming far too different now, at least that's how she sees it. Add to that a mysterious Scottish woman trying to reveal a 'truth' about Minerva to the Doctor & everything just gets worse. Realizing you've changed is never easy, & Missy will make sure Minerva & the Doctor feel the pain. [6th in Monsoon seasons]

1. Here We Go Again

Author's Note: Welcome to the sixth installment of my OC - Minerva's - story with the Doctor (now the 12th). This story will cover the entire 8th season of Doctor Who, of course with my rewrites. Fair warning I do disregard some show details to make it work for my story! As always, I recommend to any new readers that you go back and read the previous five stories in order to learn and understand who Minerva is - especially since this story will now have Missy/Master who does have some history with Minerva. You don't have to if you don't want to, but it is suggested! All stories remain on my story list beginning with Next Stop Everywhere.

The story's theme song is: All I Need by Foxes.

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In Victorian London, one could await for anything to happen. However, when there was a monstrous dinosaur that vomited up a blue time travelling machine...things were sure to get a little extra terrestrial. Madame Vastra - the Silurian - Jenny Flint - a human and Vastra's wife - and their trusted companion Strax - the Sontaran - were the first ones and only ones to get a closer look at this spectacle. They could only imagine what kind of trouble the Doctor and Minerva had gotten into now. Although, the dinosaur bit was a new one.

Strax marched up to the TARDIS and knocked on it several times as he politely said, "Hello? Exit the box, and surrender to the glory of the Sontaran Empire."

There was a pop and Liv Oswald, adoptive, human sister to Minerva, and practically to Clara Oswald, appeared on one side of the trio. "Whatever he says, the dinosaur was not my fault!" She was able to say, frantically, before the TARDIS door opened up.

The Doctor stuck his head out, looking irritated for the knock. "Shush!" he said before shutting the door again.

The brief glimpse of the new man left the Victorian trio bewildered.

"Doctor?" Strax called.

The Doctor opened the door again, still grumpy looking. "I said shush! I was in the middle of telling my sister-in-law how she got us chased by a giant dinosaur!"

Liv nearly lost it and yelled. "It wasn't my fault, dammit!"

The Doctor looked pretty lost with her presence there. "Where did you go? I wasn't finished, you know."

"But I was," she snapped.

"Hmph," the Doctor looked down at Strax, seeming as he had only just taken Strax in. "Sleepy?"

Strax, confused, stepped back. "Sir?"

"Bashful? Sneezy?" the Doctor continued to guess, or play maybe. He stepped out of the TARDIS then. "Dopey? Grumpy!" He then saw Vastra and Jenny, completely missing their bemusement with him while he ran up to them. "Oh, you two! The green one...and the not-green one. Or it could be the other way round, I mustn't prejudge! Oh, you remember, er…" he snapped his fingers while pointing at Liv. "...thingy, the, er, one of the not-me's, and the not-wife one, the asking-questions one? Names - not my area."

Liv was less than amused. "This regeneration really fried what was left of that brain."

"Can you not insult my husband, please?" requested a new voice. All eyes turned to the TARDIS where Clara was helping an older, taller woman with long, albeit messy from the circumstances, dark brown hair come out.

The Doctor may have been lost in all other subjects but he definitely knew who she was. "The wife!" he gestured to her happily. "Minerva!"

"My husband," Minerva mimicked him, "The one that needs to take a breath. Please."

"What's wrong with you?" Clara asked for the tenth time after his regeneration. She didn't understand why he was acting loopier than usual.

"Oi, big man, shut it!" The Doctor shouted to the dinosaur still roaring about. "Oh, you've got a dinosaur too! Big woman, sorry."

"Vastra, the regeneration," Minerva swallowed hard, beginning to feel a little dizzy even with Clara's support, "It's not gone quite well with him. It's affecting me through the linkage."

It was true. The last time she had changed through the Moontsay linkage it had been quick and painless, although rowdy. This time, she could still feel some queasiness in her stomach. Some of her memories failed to show up in her mind, and she couldn't remember the brunette girl standing beside her.

"Something's definitely wrong," Clara agreed with Minerva, missing Minerva's odd looks on her. She was well aware Minerva wasn't remembering her and, for the sake of time, decided not to push it.

The Doctor had heard Clara's words and was not pleased. "Wrong? What's gone wrong? Have you regenerated? I remember you. You're Handles! You used to be a little...a little robot head, and now you...you've really let yourself go."

Clara tilted her head, mildly offended then. Liv couldn't help snicker from her spot.

The Doctor hurried back to Vastra. "Reduce the frequency."

"I'm sorry?" the Silurian blinked, still processing all that she was seeing.

"Your sonic lanterns, turn them down. You're giving her a headache!"

"Giving who a headache?" Jenny asked.

"My lady friend!" the Doctor whirled around in the direction of the dinosaur then called out, "Just an expression, don't get any ideas. I'm married!"

"How do you know?" Strax frowned.

"Come on, Clara! You know that I speak dinosaur."

Liv then busted out with a laughter, ignoring the Doctor's ' What's so funny?' in favor of Clara's horrified face.

"He's not Clara. I'm Clara!" the brunette shouted.

"You're name is Clara?" Minerva smiled softly. "That's a very nice name C...C...what was it again?"

Clara slapped a hand over her forehead, wondering which one was gonna drive her more mad.

"I have a name," Minerva continued, tilting her head and squinting her eyes, "I think it starts with a K...or a C? They both make the same sounds you know."

"Why... why are you all doing that?" the Doctor had stopped moving and was now looking from one person to another. "Darling, do you mind if I take five?"

Minerva distractedly glanced at him. "Did my name start with an E?"

The Doctor collapsed on the spot afterwards. Minerva felt something in her stomach churn and placed a hand over it.

"Em, you girl," she pointed at Clara beside her, "Do you mind if I follow my husband's lead? I don't seem to feel quite well…"

Clara was not remotely surprised Minerva fell unconscious afterwards. "What do we do?" she looked up at the rest instead.

"I don't understand, who are they?" Jenny was seriously stumped. "Where's the Doctor? Where's Minerva?"

"They are them," Liv stepped over the Doctor and walked back to them. "That's the Doctor and Minerva."

Vastra raised her nonexistent eyebrows at the sight of the two new aliens. "Well then, here we go again."

~ 0 ~

Getting the Doctor and Minerva back to Vastra's was already difficult enough when they were both unconscious, but now that the Doctor was wide awake and rambling and pacing around...well, that was a much bigger problem.

Dressed in a nightshirt, the Time Lord paced back and forth inside a bedroom where Vastra remained on watch - Minerva was wide awake as well, but she seemed a little more put together than earlier.

"It's simply misunderstandable to me. I don't know what it is," the Doctor marched up to the door and opened it up, briefly looking out into the hallway before returning. Behind him came Clara and Jenny. "Who invented this room?"

Minerva, who calmly sat on one side of the bed, followed him with her new, hazel-green eyes. "Dear, I think we have one at home." But, looking unsure of her words, she leaned to one side where Liv was. "We do have one right?"

"Yes," her blonde sister nodded her head.

"But it doesn't make sense," the Doctor spoke louder. "Look, it's only got a bed in it. Why is there only a bed in it?"

"Because it's a bed-room, it's for sleeping in," Clara said promptly, then glanced one more time at it before adding, "...and...other things."

"Dear, come sit with me, please?" Minerva reached out to him with a hand. "I don't feel good."

The Doctor rushed to her, crawling through the empty side of the bed and taking her hand. "You certainly don't look good," he eyed her suspiciously, his bluntness coming as a surprise to her.

"Oh, he's even more blunt," Minerva said, not so happy. "Goodie."

"He's always been like that," Clara pointed out. "He just covered it up to you."

"Why do you keep talking like that?" the Doctor snapped. "What's gone wrong with your accent?"

"Dear," Minerva turned his head with her free hand, admiring his new soft blue eyes. "There is nothing wrong with her accent."

"You sound different too, what is that? Have you developed a fault!?" the Doctor was far more concerned with Minerva's accent despite the fact she was still sounding American.

Minerva smiled warmly. "I am just fine, Martian. But...do you think I can see your mind for a bit?"

The Doctor looked at her suspiciously, but did not refuse. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I can't remember some things," she made a gesture with her hands for him to lean closer to her. She then whispered, "I can't remember that girl over there," she discreetly made eyes for Clara.

"Oh," the Doctor pretended to be secretly talking when in reality he was talking just as loud as before. "Well, go ahead, darling!"

Minerva touched his temples and the two shared a brief moment of their telepathic link before the Doctor fell back, unconscious. Minerva sighed and glanced at the others. "I'm glad that worked, I love him but he needs his rest."

"Minerva, what's going on?" Liv walked over, bending slightly to meet Minerva's look. Through those new eyes of hers Liv could see that the old Minerva was slowly coming but there were still bits of haziness in them.

"I suspect the new regeneration cycle is doing this to him," Minerva glanced at the Doctor, now being attended to by Jenny and Vastra. "I can feel it through my mind - it makes me feel woozy."

"But I don't get it, you both regenerated but there was nothing wrong with you," Clara came to stand by Liv.

"No Clara, only the Doctor regenerated. My Moontsay genes activate this sort of...protection link between us, but because the Doctor's not Moontsay the link works in a different way." Minerva pushed herself to sit more upright, against the bed headboard. "Each time he regenerates, my link thinks that because he's dying I'm dying so it alters my body. It doesn't really give me a body because it's not a regeneration. It just changes who I am. It heals what is already healed, basically."

"Confusing," Clara declared after a moment of thinking. "But so incredibly you." Minerva nodded, and Clara took a seat on the end of the bed. "So, it's still you then. Like...your still number…?"

"Technically speaking, I've only regenerated twice. This is my third incarnation, but second appearance change," Minerva explained as simple as possible because she understood it could be rather confusing. "Number 13 over here," she pointed then at the Doctor. "And what a wonky one it is."

"Minerva, you should rest," Vastra suggested and began ushering Jenny and the others to the door.

"What I would like is to see my son, Vastra," Minerva eyed her sharply, for ever since they arrived Minerva had been asking for their son, Elias, to be brought back from the Monsoon yet no one seemed to want to comply.

"I wouldn't want Elias to see his parents in such a state," Vastra stopped by the door. "He might get scared."

The flash of pain was clear to those still in the room. "You think he would be afraid of us?" Minerva asked quietly. "Because we changed?"

Vastra shook her head. "I think Elias is a smart toddler, and he would recognize his mother and father anywhere. What I meant was he might be afraid of seeing his parents ill. No toddler ever wants to see their Mummy and Daddy sick."

Minerva looked back at the Doctor who remained completely unconscious. Clara reached for Minerva's hand and gave her a soft pat. "Maybe we can wait just a bit, until the Doctor's a little better," she suggested.

"I guess…" Minerva mumbled, her saddened eyes remaining on the Doctor. It had been centuries since she last saw Elias, and her heart continued aching with every minute, but perhaps Vastra's words had some truth in them. Elias had some knowledge that his parents were susceptible to change completely, but he was only a year and a half now...he wouldn't be able to understand completely. Plus, with the Doctor going out of his usual character, Elias might indeed get frightened that his father was sick.

"That dinosaur doesn't seem very happy," Liv walked over to the open window where they could see the dinosaur from a distance still roaring.
"What's wrong with it?" Clara glanced Liv's way.

"Well, you try being pulled from your era into a whole new world where there are no more of your kind," Minerva challenged, pushing herself back down to lie on her pillow.

Clara turned her head fast, her hair swinging with her. "I didn't know you spoke dinosaur."

"I don't," Minerva hummed, snuggling to her pillow. "It's just common sense."

"Well," Clara made a face, mildly offended. But Minerva had already closed her eyes to sleep.

Deciding it was best to leave the two aliens to rest, Clara and Liv walked out of the room.

"Are they going to get better?" Clara whispered to Liv as they walked away from the room.

"Yes, it's quite usual for the Doctor to react this way," Liv sighed. "Each regeneration is a lottery."

"I don't understand something," Clara stopped at a turn of the hallway. "If this is a new 'regeneration' and the Doctor basically healed himself...why'd he get that face? Why's it got lines on it? It's brand-new, isn't it? How can his hair be all gray? He only just got it. Even Minerva's got some little lines too!"

"Because, like I said, regeneration is at random," Liv repeated. "The Doctor can't exactly choose what comes next - if he could, he would've been ginger ages ago. And the Moontsay linkage caters to the Doctor's regeneration styles, unfortunately, because of their different species problems. If the Doctor gets an older incarnation, the linkage is more likely to give Minerva an older appearance as well."

"Poetic, I guess," Clara thought but shook her head. "I just...I just don't want them to do old people stuff."

"Old people stuff?" Liv raised her eyebrows, confused.

"You know, like, my grandmother - she rarely leaves her home now. Is that how the Doctor is going to be now? And Minerva?"

Liv couldn't help snort. "Oh Clara!"

"I'm just confused!" Clara exclaimed, slapping her hands to her face.

"The Doctor will continue being the Doctor, as will Minerva. Their appearances have nothing to do with how they act," Liv slung an arm over Clara's shoulders and led them down the remainder of the hallway.

They re-met with Vastra and Jenny, where they were immediately asked for the story behind the Doctor's sudden regeneration. Clara still being overwhelmingly confused left Liv to explain.

"And then-" Liv turned on her heel, continuing her pacing in Vastra's green plant room, "-we got swallowed by a big dinosaur. Although you probably noticed that one."

"How did it happen?" Jenny asked as she poured tea into two cups.

"Well," Liv swayed her head, "The Doctor was acting crazy - more than his usual anyways - and started pushing buttons here and there. Poor Minerva was trying to deal with the linkage so the poor TARDIS went haywire. I suppose it was the same as when the Doctor regenerated the last time and landed in Amelia's garden."

"I tried helping," Clara added, hoping to sound just a little useful in the story. "Turns out there is still far more to learn."

"With those two, of course," Vastra leaned back on her chair. "Or did you think you already knew them so well?'

"Honestly, no," Clara sighed, her face changing as she came to realize how little she actually knew of the Doctor and Minerva. "They never tell me anything."

"Of course, you must remember you are only the companion," Vastra said without meaning to sound rude. For her, it was simply a fact.

To Liv however, it was offensive. "Clara is not just an companion. Sure, my sister had refused to grow close to Clara but that was because she thought Clara was hiding a secret - me. Now that they know about me, I know Minerva feels an affection for Clara different than the rest of their companions. Each companion gives something unique to Minerva and the Doctor, just as their affection back. Do not ever tell me, nor Clara, that she is only just the companion."

Clara was smiling so widely at Liv that perhaps with a little more width her face would've cracked. She was absolutely touched to hear Liv think this of her, to go to great extents just to defend her. Meanwhile, Vastra was wearing a more amused face rather than shameful. She had come to learn that Olivia Souza - Liv Oswald - came with her attitude, despite her deceased status.

"You must admit that Miss Oswald does not know even a quarter of the Doctor," she finally spoke after Liv's scold. "As do you."

"Of course," Liv shrugged, crossing her arms. "It's impossible."

"And even more so when he...he reg...reg…" Clara paused, trying to remember the name.

"He's basically renewed himself," Jenny came by with the tea cups.

"Renewed?" Clara scoffed as she took her cup graciously. "But how can he be 'renewed' when his face has got wrinkles?"

"Did you think he was young in the first place?" Vastra was now casting her the amused look.

"He looked young," Clara responded as if that was the entire basis of her thoughts.

Vastra laughed and thanked Jenny for the tea in the middle. "My dear, the Doctor has walked this universe for centuries untold, he has seen stars fall to dust."

"Then why did he have such a young face?" inquired Clara, genuinely curious of the matter.

"I wear a veil as he wore a face - for the same reason," Vastra tried to get Clara to learn the answer on her own.

But Clara wasn't understanding. She leaned forwards on her chair. "What reason?"

"The oldest reason there is for anything... to be accepted."

Clara blinked, in the beginning not understanding the reason. She glanced at Liv who was just shaking her head.

"But...but what for?"

"For me, primarily," came the new voice that now belonged to Minerva. She stood at the threshold, dressed in a night gown as well. Her face no longer wore that dazed expression it did upon first arriving. "My Doctor has always had this idea that I would only love him so long as he wore a pretty young face."

"Minerva, you shouldn't be up," Liv hurried up to her sister and helped her walk towards an empty chair in the conservatory room.

"I feel better now, trust me. Where was I?" Minerva looked at Clara with a soft smile. Now that Clara was getting a better look at the new woman, she swore she saw a much more motherly face. "I suspect Vastra was trying to give you a lesson about regeneration - thanks Vastra."

"Of course, Minerva," Vastra took a sip of her tea.

"You don't actually think I'm...shallow, do you?" Clara was afraid to ask.

"No, but you have to understand. The last time the Doctor regenerated in the presence of a companion - she asked him to change back." Clara's eyes widened, already able to understand even more why the Doctor would be clingy to his young face. Minerva nodded, confirming she had actually said that. "Before the Doctor and I met on Earth, he would regenerate freely. He and I could be nothing beyond friends, and as an effort to keep it that way he always went for the older looks. To say, his first incarnation he let himself grow old - a full set of white hair - just so that the young princess of the Silver Monsoon would hopefully see nothing but an old man."

"Idiot," Liv tried her best not to laugh.

"Wasn't he?" Minerva smiled dreamily. "I loved him no matter what but apparently the message was never clear. Afterwards, he stayed relatively older for the same reason. It was after his ninth incarnation that he started leaning for the young side. I won't lie and say I didn't love it. Course I did - he was hot," she smirked. "But his young face was not what I fell in love with. He's yet to realize that. His young face has disappeared and now the veil has lifted for those who never saw the true Doctor. I know he trusts me, but he is just a man - and he is scared."

"But...but he shouldn't be," Clara said slowly. "B-because, because you are his wife, you've been so for centuries. He should know you would love him no matter what he looked like."

"I'll remind him, believe me," Minerva nodded. "But how about you?"

"Me?"

"Will you still love him?"

Clara slowly smiled. "Does the Doctor hate boring?"

Minerva laughed. "Clever answer, Clara!"

Their laughter was cut short by a loud upset roar of the dinosaur. Vastra immediately rose from her chair and ordered for Strax to bring round the carriage. When Minerva made to accompany them, Vastra told her to go back and rest.

"I said I'm fine! Hand me a coat!" Minerva pointed at Liv, practically warning her not to defy. In the end, it was only Jenny who listened and retrieved one of Vastra's coats. "Honestly, acting like I'm the one that regenerated," Minerva made sure to scold them all as they headed for the carriage.

"You sure she didn't change just a tiny bit?" Clara whispered to Liv as they walked after her. "Seems a lot more...scoldy…"

"I heard that!" Minerva's boom made her wince. "Now get in the carriage, Clara!"

Deciding not to further irritate her, Clara scurried into the carriage. Before Minerva closed the carriage, Liv walked up to her and asked of the Doctor.

"Don't you think we should wake him up?"

"I have a funny feeling he's already up," Minerva shook her head. She had begun feeling the traces of their telepathic connection as it slowly re-set itself. He was up and awake, moving, and she was pretty sure where to.

As the carriage reached the Thames river, the smell of fire filled everyone's nostrils. So, when they exited the carriage and saw the still-burning remains of the dinosaur no one was surprised.

"But that's the Doctor!" Clara gasped at the sight of the Time Lord not too far from where they stood. "What's he doing there?"

"Oh c'mon, there's trouble, where else would he be?" Minerva walked up and observed her husband.

"She was scared. She was scared and alone," he was clearly feeling the guilt for the dinosaur's demise. "I brought her here and look what they did."

"Who or what could have done this thing?" Vastra asked, not intending on receiving such a snappish answer from the Doctor. "I'm sorry?"

"No. That is not the question," he looked up at them. "That is not where we start."

"The question is how. The flesh itself has been combusted…" Strax began when he was also shot down rather rudely.

"No, no, shut up! What do you all have for brains - pudding? Look at you. Why can't I meet a decent species? Planet of the pudding-brains!"

"I don't quite care for that insult," Minerva leaned over the railing, sending him a rather threatening look. But, it just seemed to fly over his head.

"For the love of God-" Liv appeared beside him, almost ready to see what insult he had for her now, "-what the hell is the question?"

"A dinosaur is burning in the heart of London. Nothing left but smoke and flame. The question is... have there been any similar murders?" the Doctor glanced up at Vastra, figuring if anyone would know the answer it would be her.

And sure enough, Vastra gasped. "Yes! Yes, by the Goddess, there have!"

The Doctor would have paid more attention if it had not been for the crowd of people forming at the embarkment. "Look at them all - gawking!" It was true. Everyone was excitedly discussing what they were seeing, but the Doctor saw more than anyone else. "

"Question two. If all the pudding-brains are gawking... then what is he?" he pointed to a man seemingly uninterested in the spectacle as he walked away.

"Ooh, one guy, out of the entire crowd, that doesn't look remotely interested in the big dinosaur burning to death?" Minerva tilted her head, propping an elbow on the rail to rest her cheek on her hand. "I smell suspect!"

"You know what I see?" Liv gave a big shout right around the same time a great big splash noise occurred. "Your husband taking a swim!"

The Doctor had dove into the river wihtout so much as a warning. Minerva, clearly taken by surprise, watched and stuttered to give him a sharp call back.

"D-Doctor! You...you come b-back! I said come back! Doctor! I said to - oh forget it he's not coming back," she shook her head and instead called to Liv.

"Liv, please just...just go with him?"

"Yeah, alright," Liv turned in the direction the Doctor was swimming in and vanished.

"And what are we gonna do?" Clara asked Minerva as the dark-haired woman turned around.

"Same thing as the Doctor - but cleaner. Follow the case," she shrugged and made way for the carriage.

There seem to be no question of who was in charge at the house from then on. Arriving back at the house, Liv was waiting for them at the doorway, making herself only visible to the group.

"Vastra, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to need a shower and then a proper change," Minerva announced the moment they got off the carriage. "Liv?"

"Your husband is a...nutcase!" Liv shivered. "Currently, he's debating on going through a sewer."

Minerva crinkled her nose. "Eugh. Don't let him."

"Oh, yeah, cos that hadn't crossed my mind. What's wrong with him? Why's he...so much weirder this time?" Liv sighed. She understood that regeneration caused everything to go topsy-turvy for a while but this was getting to be too much.

"Regeneration, what more can I say?" Minerva shrugged. "Just go and make sure he doesn't get himself into trouble, please?"

"Fine," Liv groaned and vanished again.

Minerva then continued her way for the house, but not before calling out to the rest one more time. "And, for the love of God, someone get me a damn picture of my son!"

Clara shook her head as the woman entered the house. "Are you sure it didn't affect her too?"

Vastra assured her not, and they made their way into the house. As much as they wanted to help and find the Doctor along the way, a dark night was no setting for an investigation. They would have to sleep the night through and start anew on the next morning.

Clara woke up to find a familiar ramble coming from the next room down the hall. She got out of bed and put on a night cover over her Victorian nightdress and headed for the door. Liv had yet to reappear, having spent the entire night looking after the Doctor. She tiptoed down the hallway and stopped in front of the bedroom door belonging to Minerva. She knocked two times on the door and heard a 'come in' somewhere along Minerva's ramble.

When she entered the room, she was surprised to find Minerva already up and dressed for a day in Victorian London. She wore a deep midnight dress with long checkered long sleeves. Minerva was tugging a coat more down and looking at herself in a mirror.

"Good morning, Clara. How did you sleep?"

"U-um, good, good," Clara quietly walked further inside the room, noticing a Victorian dress sprawled on the bed. "You?"

"Not a bit," Minerva said casually, turning around with a familiar beaming smile. "If my Martian's not there I can't exactly sleep - not to mention the fact my son is yet to be in my arms."

"You miss him, don't you?" Clara asked sadly.

"I miss both of them," Minerva took in a deep breath. "Time was, I used to be an only child with the world basically revolving around me. Now I can't find myself unless I have my husband on one side and my son on the other. I stopped being just 'Minerva' a long time ago. On my account it will always be 'Minerva, the Doctor, and Elias'."

Clara could notice the fidget in Minerva's stance and smiled a little wider. "So, what can I do to help all this speed up so we can get you back on the Monsoon?"

"For starters, you can get dressed. I took delivery of finding you a nice dress," Minerva walked back to the bed. "Originally, Jenny bought it for me but…" she chuckled, "I'm not exactly young looking anymore. I thought it was better suited for you."

"But you're not old," Clara frowned. "And, sure, you're not as young as before but...that doesn't really matter to you right? It's not like the Doctor can say anything."

Minerva laughed softly, shaking her head. She put her hand on her hips. "Clara, I'm not sad I'm not a pretty young face anymore. I don't care," she shrugged.

"Oh...good," Clara said after a moment, unable to come up with other things to say.

Minerva continued smiling. "I'm fine, the only thing I don't think I would adjust well to is, well, my hair," she pointed at lengthy dark hair. Now it was Clara's turn to laugh. "I love my long hair. It's...like a part of me. It would take a long time to get used to that."

Clara chuckled. "I bet it would."

"Minerva!" they suddenly heard Liv's whining call. They turned to find the blonde in the room wearing a frantic expression on her face. "The Doctor's looking through the trash now!"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Minerva said, completely unconcerned.

Liv's face was comical with disbelief. "Who did you marry!?"

The wide smile on Minerva's face said all her emotions at the time. "I know, isn't he wonderful?"

Liv let her head hang, and quietly said, "I'm gonna go stop him from eating a banana peel."

"Oh, please do, those give him bad breath," Minerva laughed as Liv disappeared again.

It was hard not to laugh at her poor imaginary friend while getting dressed for the day. Clara had found the red dress definitely looked wonderful. Minerva even helped her do Clara's hair, while simultaneously deciding to leave her own loose with just two clips pushing it out of her face. When they walked out of the room, they found Strax mopping the floor.

"Strax, how are we doing with the TARDIS?" Minerva asked instead of a formal greeting.

"Located and brought to the courtyard," he responded.

"You brought the TARDIS?" Clara beamed.

"Well of course, the TARDIS and his wife in one place? How could the Doctor resist?" Minerva smirked to herself while Clara pretended to shiver.

"I should have not asked," Clara decided to turn and leave ahead. Minerva thanked Strax and went after Clara.

On their way to the stairs they met up with Jenny who was carrying fresh laundry.

"Jenny, what are Vastra's plans for today?"

"She is slightly occupied by the Conk-Singleton forgery case. And is having the Camberwell child-poisoner for dinner…"

Clara's eyes widened. "For dinner?"

"After she's finished interrogating him. Probably best to stay out the larder. It'll get a bit noisy in there later."

"Erm…" Clara slowly glanced at Minerva, but found the woman at ease like this was just any other conversation.

"I'll tend to my husband's disappearance then," Minerva said then. "Do we have the paper?"

"Downstairs," Jenny said, already making a move to get it for them.

"It's fine, Jenny, we can take care of it. Thank you," Minerva smiled and took Clara with her downstairs.

~ 0 ~

Liv had never felt so stressed as she did right now with the child that was (still) the Doctor. And she had been imaginary friend to countless children!

The Doctor, still in a nightshirt, sifting through the trash in an alley, ignoring the fact Liv was repeatedly telling him to stop and that they should go home. She just didn't understand that he could not go home dressed the way he was! What would Minerva say? Even Elias knew better.

He was just in no condition to see Minerva yet. He needed to figure himself out first.

"What are you doing?" Liv sighed when the Doctor picked up a broken mirror from one of the bins.

He was taking a look at himself, for this was probably the first time he'd gotten a glance. He was older, definitely a lot older than his last self. He had short, gray hair and blue eyes. He had thicker eyebrows this time, probably to make up for the lack of them in his last incarnation. There were wrinkles across his face but there was something else that he couldn't quite understand from this face...

"Bitey," the Doctor said suddenly.

"Bitey?" Liv repeated, her voice implying the deep weariness she carried.

"The air... it's bitey, it's wet and bitey," the Doctor mimicked his hands in the air.

Liv rolled her eyes. "It's cold?"

"That's right. It's cold!" the Doctor snapped his fingers at her.

"Oh, so we're still doing that then?"

The Doctor ignored her genuine question and walked up to her. "I need, um... I need clothes. I need clothes, that's what I need! Minerva can't see me like this!"

"Honestly, I think my sister's so stupidly lovestruck she wouldn't care!" Liv released a big sigh then, as her words practically flung over the Doctor's head.

"Have you seen this face before?"

"What?"

"The face - have you seen it before?" the Doctor pointed at his current, mildly dirtied face.

"No, Doctor, I have not," Liv resigned to another round of irrelevant discussions.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"It's funny, because...I'm sure that I have," the Doctor went back for the mirror he left over a pile of trash. "You know, I never know where the faces come from. They just pop up. Zap! Faces like this one. Come on, look at it, have a look, come on, look, look, look!"

Liv walked over just so that he wouldn't shout for her. The Doctor pointed her to see into the mirror.

"Look, it's covered in lines, but I didn't do the frowning. Who frowned me this face? Do you ever look in the mirror and think, 'I've seen that face before'?"

"I don't know, Doctor. I just don't know," Liv looked at him struggling not to sound impatient again.

"Why this one? Why did I choose... this face?" the Doctor insisted. "It's like I'm trying to tell myself something, like I'm trying to make a point. But what is so important that I can't just tell myself what I'm thinking?"

"Er…"

"I'm not just being rhetorical here, you can join in."

Liv made a face to the side before answering. "It's just a face, Doctor, nothing to it."

Apparently it was not the answer the Doctor was looking for, judging by his new frown. "I don't like it very much. Well, it's all right up until the eyebrows. Then it just goes haywire. Look at the eyebrows! These are attack eyebrows. You could take bottle tops off with these!"

"They're just fine," Liv tried to assure but the Doctor was going on again.

"They're cross! They're crosser than the rest of my face. They're independently cross. They probably want to cede from the rest of my face and set up their own independent state of eyebrows. That's Scot…" he stopped suddenly and looked at Liv, "I am Scottish. I've gone Scottish?"

"Yes you are - took you long enough," Liv crossed her arms. "Yes, Doctor, Amelia Pond has left you a little influence. Boy I'd love to tell her that!"

"Oh, no, that's good. Oh-h! Oh-h!" the Doctor gasped. "It's good I'm Scottish, I'm Scottish. I am Scottish. I can complain about things, I can really complain about things now! I can give Minerva a run for her money!"

"Are you saying that my sister complains too much?" Liv raised an eyebrow, finding it almost impossible not to laugh when the Doctor winced.

"No! Shut up!" he violently pointed at her. "I didn't say that! Nobody tells Minerva!"

But Liv was too far into her laugh to give a notice.

"No, wait. Shut up, shut up! Shut up!" The Doctor suddenly scurried back to the trash and began ransacking through it. "I missed something. It was here, it was here. It was... What was it I saw, what did I see?" He scored the day's current newspaper. "This is what I saw! Spontaneous combustion!"

Liv stopped laughing to take a look at the headline which read "Fourth Case of Spontaneous Combustion".

"Now what could that mean?" she asked, this time serious.

"I don't know, but I probably blame the English," the Doctor shrugged, meeting her questioning look with his own.

~ 0 ~

"Minerva, look what I found!" Clara came running up the stairs with the newspaper in hand.

"Clara, stop running," Minerva scolded while coming out of her bedroom.

"Look at this!" Clara waved the newspaper in hand.

"Was that about the spontaneous combustion case? Because I saw that one," Minerva straightened up and recited what she remembered off the newspaper. "There have been nine reported incidents of people apparently exploding in the last month...which I don't quite believe they were 'spontaneous' between you and me. Whoever killed the dinosaur had the other 9 victims on their hands. Vastra's working on deciphering its peculiarity in regards to location."

"Right, but Minerva-"

"She also mentioned something about concealment strategies in the victims-"

"-If you could just listen-"

"-I mean she was wrong, it could hide the fact the victim is missing something of it's body-"

"-it really is important - no, hold on," Clara blinked then quickly formed a crinkle face. "Did you say the victims might be missing something?"

"Vastra seems to think so, and she is the one who knows more about crimes so I'm gonna give her this one. Now, what did you want to show me?"

Clara shook her head, gracious to move on. "It was in the newspaper, look-" she handed Minerva the newspaper, "It's on the personal ads section. See?" she tapped a particular advertisement for Minerva to see.

Minerva squinted her eyes to see through the dozens of advertisements. "Well - Snowflake princess? Since when am I the snowflake princess? He knows I hate that name."

"Why?" Clara frowned.

"Because, a very bad man gave me that name and I would rather it die along with him. But I'll let it slide because the Doctor's not himself yet," Minerva walked back for her room. "So then, he wants to finally meet me - about goddamn time!"

"I couldn't quite figure out where though," Clara followed after her.

"Lucky for you I know how to work puzzles," Minerva smiled.

~ 0 ~

Looking once more to the newspaper, Minerva led Clara down the road to the Mancini's restaurant where the Doctor apparently would be waiting for Minerva.

"Kinda fancy," Clara remarked when they stepped inside. "Sure this isn't a date? I don't wanna be a third wheel or something."

"I don't think the Doctor's head is all well for a date," Minerva observed the restaurant. She concluded at once that it was too quiet for a fancy restaurant. There was no but of conversation at any table.

The two women chose a circular booth to sit at. Minerva took a look at the menu, as did Clara, and sniffed when a foul odor crossed their area.

"Well this is a gloomy restaurant," Liv's voice made both women to find the blonde standing at the table facing the silent restaurant. The Doctor, meanwhile, had sat down beside Minerva.

Minerva was bemused by his raggedy appearance, complete with the disheveled gray hair and tattered blue coat. The bad smell was just a small addition for her. "Well, where the hell have you been, mister?" she inquired, sounding very much like she was talking to a would-be-older Elias.

"And why do you smell so bad?" Clara was coughing and covering her nose.

"And the coat? You definitely didn't have that yesterday," Minerva looked at the coat more closely.

"I do the questions!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Not you!"

Minerva raised her eyebrows. "Not today you don't. Where'd you get that coat from?"

"Er... I bought it…"

"From where?" Minerva raised an eyebrow.

"Er, a shop?"

The fact that it had come out as a question basically told everyone it was a lie. Minerva tilted her head the other way and studied him completely. "Where's the watch, Martian?"

The Doctor winced and slowly slid his hands underneath the table.

"Martian?" came the edgier tone of Minerva.

"Might have been a tramp...that I made a deal with."

"You made a deal to give up a beautiful watch for an ugly, smelly coat?" And yet, as Minerva made the question, it did not surprise her in the least.

"Well, I was in a hurry...and there was a terrible smell," the Doctor said as it were only logical he had to have done that.

"Okay…" Minerva said, straightening up.

They looked at each other for a full minute in silence until they both started to smile.

"Are you cross with me?" the Doctor asked her, leaning towards her. Clara was confused how Minerva could stand the smell, truthfully.

"That depends…" Minerva suddenly tried being casual and innocent, "...did you meet any pretty lady out there while you were gone?"

"Not at all," the Doctor quickly shook his head. "The only woman I met was her-" he chucked a thumb in Liv's direction, "-and she's dead."

Liv looked mildly offended at the statement. "Well, I don't quite like this overly-blunt Doctor."

Minerva bit her lip and mildly glanced at the other two women there. "Yes, that does seem to be new here, doesn't it?"

"Yes!" went both Clara and Liv, each respectfully huffing.

"Well, I'm not married to either of you, am I?" the Doctor snapped, leaving them both silent a minute.

"Settle down, children," Minerva looked at all of them sharply before landing eyes on the Doctor again. "There is one thing I didn't very much like, Martian. The name you used on the newspaper advert - You know it brings back horrible memories. I don't understand what game your little head was trying to play but I don't want to play it."

The Doctor seemed very much surprised and confused by all she was saying. In fact, it would almost appear as if he…

"I didn't post the advert."

Taken aback, Minerva glanced at Liv who nodded her head in confirmation of the Doctor's words.

"We thought you put it out to catch his attention," Liv explained.

"No, but that was the Doctor's way of getting Minerva's attention," Clara argued, now suddenly unsure of her position.

"Why would I call my wife that? She hates that name," the Doctor sounded (and looked) indignant of the accusation. He reached for Minerva's hand - the latter still looking puzzled - and spoke softer, "Honestly, Minerva, you have to know that no matter what happens during my early regeneration hours I would never harm you."

It was a little relief for Minerva to see him stretching himself to prove a point just for her. It meant that he was slowly readjusting from the regeneration and was on his way to becoming how he would be from now on in terms of personality and customs. She squeezed the hand in hers and nodded her head, giving the Doctor a breath to release.

"Alright," Clara spoke up to get them before they were lost in a moment, "so if neither of you sent the message...who did?"

"This could be a trap," the Doctor immediately said, gripping Minerva's hand as he looked out to the other guests.

"Something's not right," Liv turned to the tables, making herself only visible to the travelling group as she began making way towards them.

"It's a vanity trap," the Doctor mumbled, his free hand slowly making its way to his short hair. "We were so busy congratulating ourselves on solving the puzzle-" he effectively pulled a strand of hair from his head, "- you don't notice that you're sticking your head in a noose."

Clara watched in confusion as the Doctor raised the hair to the air. "What are you doing? And that isn't the only grey one, if you are, erm, having a cull."

"What, do you have a problem with the grey ones?" the Doctor shot her a look.

"If I got new hair, and it was grey, I would have a problem."

"Minerva, do you have a problem with it?" the Doctor quickly looked at his wife, momentarily anxious.

"Do you have a problem with mine considering it's not ginger anymore?" Minerva countered with.

"...no," he smiled. Minerva made a face as if to say 'see?' and looked back at Liv who was nearing a table.

"Oh, these people are...not people," Liv sucked in a breath as if she were actually in need of it. She looked up and glanced at the group. "Air disturbance? Try 'there's no air coming out of these suckers' instead."

Minerva's eyes widened and snapped her head to the Doctor in time to see him let drop his strand of hair. It fell straight down. Both aliens looked straight at the different tables, this time actually looking closer at the 'guests'.

"What? What's wrong?" Clara felt her heart begin picking up. The last thing they needed was trouble when the Doctor wasn't exactly himself.

"These people are not people," Liv was now walking through other tables. "They're not eating!" Clara turned her head, squinting her eyes to study some of the guests. She realized what Liv was saying was true - no guest actually put the food in their mouths.

"They're not breathing either," the Doctor said quieter.

"How long you think we have till they notice we're different?" Minerva whispered to him.

"Not long."

"Anything we can do?" Clara coughed, suddenly self conscious.

"How long can you hold your breath?" the Doctor asked.

"I clearly win at that contest," Liv came back with a wide smirk.

"We could just casually stroll out of here, like we've changed our minds," Minerva suggested.

"Clever Girl," the Doctor praised. He quickly tugged her down the end of the booth while Clara got out the other end. However, the moment they all got up, the rest of the diners did too. Taking one step towards the doors made all the diners turn for them.

"Sit down!" Liv exclaimed, still only visible to the group.

"Let's...just take another look at the menu, dear," Minerva said to the Doctor and so they glumly went back to sit down.

"What are they?" Clara picked up a menu and pretended to look at its contents.

"I don't know. But don't worry, because that's not the question," the Doctor discarded. "The question is what is this restaurant?"

"OK, what is this restaurant?"

"He doesn't know," Minerva gave her a look that said Clara should have already known this.

A 'waiter' had come up to their table and was expectantly waiting for them.

"Er...no sausages?" the Doctor picked up another menu, "And there's no pictures either. Do you have a children's menu?" Instead of answering the question, the waiter pulled out a wand-like device and scanned the Doctor with it. "Any specials?" the Doctor trailed the wand's device.

"Liver," the waiter said.

"I don't like liver," the Doctor crinkled his nose. "Reason why I don't let Elias try it."

Liv was intently studying the waiter from the side. "I don't...think…"

"Spleen. Brain stem. Eyes," the waiter had continued to list.

"Mm. Is there a lot of demand for those?" Clara raised an eyebrow, taking another look at the menu.

"Um, I don't think he's telling us what's on the menu…" Minerva swallowed hard, "...I think we are the menu."

And just like that the waiter had moved to scan Minerva. "Lungs, he-"

The Doctor in anger had leaned forwards and ripped off the waiter's face, ultimately revealing a pilot light burning underneath. No one scanned his wife for 'food to eat'. Plus, he had a suspicion it was a robot anyways.

"First of all - ever so the gentleman," Minerva chuckled at the Doctor's gimmick. "Thank you. Second of all, that's...peculiar," she blinked at the 'waiter' and leaned forwards. "Is that...is that a...face?"

"Yeah, it's very convincing," remarked Clara.

"No-" the Doctor waved the mask that-was-in-reality-a-face in front of Clara, "-it's a face."

Clara nearly threw up there and then. "Oh!"

"Yes," the waiter suddenly said.

"Yes, what?" Minerva eyed it suspiciously, now awaiting for any attack.

"Yes, we have a children's menu."

Minerva never felt so furious and disgusted in her life. "YOU FILTHY-" but metal restraints had popped up from their seats which restrained them over the arms and the chest, waist.

Their booth zoomed down a raft to come to a stop somewhere underneath the restaurant. From lack of use, the entire room was covered in dirty rust. Figures in alcove surrounded the room but didn't seem to acknowledge them yet, as we'll as the prominent half-faced man sitting in the middle of the room.

"Hello?" the Doctor started calling out to the half-faced man across them. "Hello, are you the manager? I demand to speak to the manager."

"This is not a real restaurant, is it?" Clara concluded affirmatively.

"Well... it's more a sort of automated organ collection station for the unwary diner," Minerva swayed her head. "Sweeney Todd without the pies."

"So, where are we now?"

"Factually, an ancient spaceship, probably buried for centuries, functionally... a larder."

Clara glanced one more time at the motionless figures in the room before asking. "So why hasn't somebody come for us?"

"Because we are alive," Minerva answered like it should've been obvious.

"But we're alive in a larder."

"Exactly. It's cheaper than freezing us."

"OK," Clara looked away to mask her uncertainty.

"Not to worry though, this metal is nothing to a Moontsay," Minerva looked down at the metal bounds and slowly began to spread her ice.

"Where's Liv?" Clara asked, looking up from where they came from.

"Gone to get help I'm sure. She can't exactly appear if she doesn't know where you are, Clara, remember?"

The snapping noise indicated Minerva successfully broke apart the metal restraints around them.

"I said so!" Minerva cheered and got up, turning to help the others.

"I know I did the right thing marrying you," the Doctor remarked as he got up, his hands clasped with hers.

"Oh, is that the only reason you married me?" Minerva raised an eyebrow.

"...among...other things," the Doctor responded, his eyes giving her a little trail.

Minerva smiled with a tiny blush, all in the meanwhile Clara once again looked up from the shaft waiting for Liv to come back. The Doctor grabbed Minerva's hand and made way for the closest figure in an alcove.

"Doctor?" Clara called for after seeing the two aliens far from her. She quickly scurried to join them.

The Doctor was studying the figure when she caught up. "Dormant," he declared.

"How do you know?" Clara asked.

"I don't. I'm just hoping," the Doctor admitted with ease, although his hand did tighten a little around Minerva's.

"Well I guess we can conclude who killed the dinosaur," Minerva sighed. "What better inventory than from a dinosaur?"

Clara glanced at them, raising her eyebrows. "Why would robots need organs? Burke and Hare from space?"

"No, but that's a good theory. Droids harvesting spare parts," the Doctor said distractedly as he turned for the half-faced man still sitting motionless, "That rings a bell."

Minerva playfully smiled and patted his arm with her other arm. "The Clockwork droids and Madame de Pompadour."

Clara had curiously gone up to the half-faced man in the meantime. She was bemused by his half face structure and the fact he wasn't even moving a finger to acknowledge them. She spotted a long wire from the chair he sat on and gasped. "Is he...is he...charging?" she asked the other two aliens as they joined her. "Like a cellphone?"

"Like a cellphone," confirmed Minerva.

"OK, so half-man, half-robot. A cyborg, yeah?"

The Doctor was silent as he intently studied the half-faced man, and soon spotted the winning difference. "Oh."

Clara looked at him, waiting for an explanation. "Oh?"

"Oh-h…"

Minerva soon got the meaning and scowled. "It's the hands, Clara."

Clara shot a look at the hands of the cyborg and frowned. "What about them?"

"Look at them," the Doctor instructed her.

Clara did as told but came up with nothing again. "I'm looking!"

The Doctor leaned forwards and raised the hands. "They don't match. These hands don't belong to the same body!"

Clara made a face. "I don't understand."

"I don't blame you. See, this...this is not your normal cyborg. This isn't a man turning himself into a robot. This is a robot turning himself... into a man, piece by piece."

Clara gasped and looked up. "That's what the restaurant's for."

"Well, it would need a constant supply of spare parts," Minerva pursed her lips together as she began getting images of what that must feel like for the humans. "You can tan skin, but organs rot."

The Doctor was once again examining the hands, but closer. "Some of that metalwork looks Roman. Wonder how long it's been around, how much of the original is even left. The eyeballs look very fresh, though. Eugh!"

Suddenly, the half-faced man sprung upwards, causing the trio to move back. It placed his hands on the arms of the chair while the visible clockwork gears turning inside his head.

"Is it awake now?" Clara didn't dare speak louder than a faint whisper.

"It's waking up... I think," Minerva whispered back before leading the Doctor and Clara away from the cyborg.

As they made it past an open door, the Doctor had the idea to stop and turn around. "I've seen this before. I'm missing something!"

"Dear, there's no time!" Minerva tried reaching for his arm again but he moved away while he thought out loud.

He turned away, tapping his head constantly. "It's the brand-new head, rebooting! Come on! I've seen this before!"

"Minerva! Doctor!" Clara called frantically from the threshold of the next door.

"Coming, Clara!" Minerva waved the human off, more focused on getting her husband to walk. "Doctor, I am not gonna say it again! GO!"

She barely managed to push him through the doorway when the door slid closed, blocking her off.

"Oh, great!" She huffed and glanced back to the half-faced man, seeing him begin moving up from the chair.

"Minerva!" the Doctor was urgently using the sonic on the door to get it back open but it was of no use.

Minerva saw the man was busy unplugging himself. "Let it go, just get out!"

"No-"

"Martian!

The Doctor paused his attempts and looked at her through the small window on the door. They shared a look that Clara didn't quite understand, and so when the Doctor suddenly pulled her away from the door, leading her away, she was utterly astounded.

Did the Doctor...just leave Minerva!?

~0~

Minerva whirled around to see the half-faced man going for the booth they originally came for. She quickly slid into an indentation by the door and waited for the man to turn away. When he did, she dashed for another door. She took refuge in an empty alcove but winced when a Chinese robot bent to look at her.

Minerva did no more tries to escape. She straightened, fixed her dress, held her head up high by the chin and walked back to the main room. The robots she passed turned to her, but she maintained eyes on the half-faced man.

"You should give your chair for a Queen," she stated in a highly authoritative tone.

The half-faced man discarded her words and instead came up with. "Where is the other one? There was another. Where is he?"

"Leaving my good friend Clara out of this? I don't know if I should thank you or scold you for that," Minerva looked around at the other figures.

"Where is the other? You will tell us... or you will be destroyed."

Minerva scoffed. "Yeah, okay."

"You will tell us."

"Or what?" Minerva leaned on a foot with one hand on her hip.

"You will die."

"So?"

"You will tell us where the other one is."

Minerva raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to the man. "Never tell a Queen what to do."

"You will be destroyed."

"And then you won't have the answers to your questions. So who loses there?"

"Humans feel pain," the man changed tactics, much to Minerva's amusement.

"Bigger threat to smaller threat - nice one," Minerva smirked then crossed her arms. "Although I should tell you the joke is on you because I'm not human."

The half-faced man seemed to ponder on the news but still, in the end, came up with, "The information can be extracted by means of your suffering."

Minerva crossed her arms again, arching one eyebrow, looking rather amused. "Are you trying to scare me? Honey, I've been through hell and back- you are nothing to me."

The man didn't take that lightly and reached to his lapels. He attached a blowtorch that seemed to be positioned somewhere near his lapels and held it out to Minerva.

"Shoot me, I don't care. I've got plenty bodies left. But then, once more, who wins there? You don't get answers at all so I suggest a little peace between us - question for a question strategy."

"We will not answer questions," the half-faced man declared.

"But did I ask if you wanted to?" snapped Minerva, dropping her hands to her side. "Question number one, why did you kill the dinosaur?"
"We will not answer questions."

"I asked the question so now answer it," Minerva responded in a growing angry voice. "Why did you kill the dinosaur?"

"We will not answer questions!"

"You killed an innocent creature and I will not stand for that so either you tell me why you did it or I will freeze every last bit of you until those fresh eyes of yours crumble into nothing," Minerva had stepped impossibly close to the cyborg with such a dark look in her new eyes.

After a moment of consideration, the half-faced man consented. "Within the optic nerve of the dinosaur is material of use to our computer systems."

"Nope, two things wrong with that," Minerva shook her head. "First one, you literally burned a whole dinosaur for a spare part. Second of all, if you know what's in a dinosaur's optic nerve it means you've seen them before-"

"Where is the other one?"

"Excuse you I am talking," Minerva interjected quite irritated before continuing, "How long have you been rebuilding yourselves? What am I saying - look at the state of you! Is there any real you left? What's the point?"

"We will reach the Promised Land," the half-faced man responded.

Minerva blinked incredulously. "The Promised Land? Are you religious or something? What's that?"

"Where is the other one?"

"Really wanna know the answer?" Minerva smirked and began backtracking away. "The Doctor - my Doctor - is always with me. And, if not, then he's making his way back to me."

The moment she turned her right hand palm upside, it was taken by a figure in a black cloak. The figure peeled off a robot face to reveal the Doctor. Behind them, Clara slowly inched forwards - she wanted to be as far away as possible from the cyborg.

"How'd I do, dear?" Minerva sweetly smiled at him.

"Excellent, as usual," the Doctor smiled back, although gripped her hand discreetly. It wasn't exactly the ideal plan he had in mind but they had to take advantage of the moment to get some answers.

"Hello, hello, rubbish robots from the dawn of time, thank you for all the gratuitous information. Five foot one and crying - you never stood a chance," he slapped down the half-faced man. "I don't appreciate you aiming weapons at my wife. In fact-" he pulled out his sonic and pressed it to the torch, "This is your power source, and feeble though it is, I can use it to blow this whole room if I see one more thing that I don't like, and that includes karaoke and mime, so take no chances."

"Why are you here?" the half-faced man demanded, making Minerva scoff.

"You're one to talk."

"Why did you invite us?" the Doctor half snapped. "The message, in the paper... that was you, wasn't it?" the half-faced man tilted his head, clearly in the dark. "Oh. I hate being wrong in public. Everybody forget that happened."

"Dear, how about we forget that and call in some friends?" Minerva had been staring at the shaft from where they originally had come through. "Someone is giving off a rather unique scent…"

"Clara, say the word," the Doctor glanced back at the human.

"What word?" she blinked.

"They never sent you in here without a word."

Clara frowned when she understood. "I don't want to say it."
"I've guessed already."

Clara sighed deeply and glanced at Minerva who merely shrugged, already resigned to it.

"Geronimo!" the trio exclaimed.

From an opening in the ceiling, Vastra and Jenny dropped in gracefully by un-rollowing a silk sash. Immediately, they revealed their weapons.

"Remain still and lay down your weapons, in the name of the British Empire!" Vastra ordered.

Behind them, someone else dropped and blonde hair whipped back to reveal Liv. "Whoo! Now that was fun!"

Strax fell beside her head first, giving a sharp yelp of pain.

"Liv!" Clara happily cried, rushing to her imaginary friend to give her a hug.

Liv laughed and hugged her back. "Had to come in the manual way because I didn't know where you were."

The half-faced man started coming towards them. "I burned an ancient, beautiful creature for one inch of optic nerve. What do you think you can accomplish, little man?"

"Let's find out, Vastra?" Minerva smirked.

The lizard woman was already on her way to block a torch attack from the half-faced man. "The establishment upstairs has been disabled with maximum prejudice, and the authorities summoned."

"Hang on," Clara paused and shot a look at the Doctor, "she called the police? We never do that, we should start."

The Doctor flat out ignored her and addressed the cyborg. "You see? Destroy us if you will, they're still going to close your restaurant," he then made a face, "That was going to sound better."

"Then we will destroy you," the half-faced man declared and motioned for the other robots to start moving. A door to a hallway slid open to reveal more robots coming for them. The group was pushed together eventually.

"You don't kill," Minerva called. "Because you're logical. You have restraint. You kill to survive - you're not a murderer."

Clara's head whipped towards the woman. "He's not a what? This is a slaughterhouse!"

"And how does that make it different from any other restaurant?" the Doctor sounded irritated at the accusation. "You weren't vegetarian the last time I checked." Clara quieted and looked down. The Doctor looked at the half-faced man. "This is over. Killing us won't change that. What would be the point?"

"To find the Promised Land."

"You're millions of years old, it's time you knew - there isn't one."

"I am in search of paradise."

"Yeah, well, me too. I'm not going to make it either."

The half-faced man backhanded the Doctor, knocking the Time Lord to the floor. "Doctor!" Minerva cried.

The half-faced man went for the shaft where the booth was still placed on. "I will leave in the escape capsule. Destroy where necessary."

"Escape capsule?" Vastra called. "This ship is millions of years old, it'll never fly."

"It has been repaired."

"What with?"

"You."

Alarmed, Strax shouted, "Defensive positions everyone."

The others surrounded the Doctor and Minerva - or so they thought - as the robots advanced.

"Doctor! Minerva! He's getting away!" Clara exclaimed as she heard the booth begin to rattle.

"Your friends are intelligent. They'll know better than to follow me," the half-faced man said so sure of himself. Because as the remainder fought off the robots, they soon realized neither the Doctor nor Minerva were in the room anymore.

The half-faced man, now in his restaurant/ship, stood by the threshold looking down at the city. He heard glass clinging and looked back to see the Doctor pouring whiskey into two glasses that Minerva held.

"What are you doing?" the half-faced man inquired.
"I've got the horrible feeling I'm going to have to kill you," the Doctor sighed and put down the whiskey bottle. "I thought you might appreciate a drink first. I know I would."

He took his own glass but Minerva refused to give the second one up. "I'm not giving him squat. He can ki - you're actually drinking whiskey?" she was surprised to find the Doctor actually drowning down the liquor.

"I guess I am," the Doctor said, surprised himself that he finally found an incarnation that sustained alcohol.

In the meanwhile, the half-faced man had reached for a lever and pulled it down. The entire place shook and dropped dust from the ceiling.

"51st century, right?" the Doctor called. "Time travelling spaceship, crashed in the past. You're trying to get home the long way round."

"I go to the Promised Land," the half-faced man responded.

"So you keep saying."

Minerva watched him go for another lever and shook her head. "You do realize this ship will never fly, right? You're wasting your time."

"The escape pod is viable."

"How? You can't patch up a spaceship with human remains!"

"You know, this really is ringing a bell," the Doctor mumbled, missing Minerva's roll of eyes. He didn't remember she already explained this to him.

She was brought to attention when the half-faced man pressed several more buttons on the control panel that caused more shaking.
"How are are you powering it?" she curiously asked. She and the Doctor quickly moved for the panel to see for themselves.

"Skin."

As the escape pod configured Minerva rushed for the threshold to see a view begin to form. "Okay...rather clever I will admit."

The Doctor meanwhile, pulled out a fuse and saw a particular name written over it. "'SS Marie Antoinette.' Out-of-control repair Droids, cannibalizing human beings. I know that this is familiar, but I just can't seem to place it."

"For real?" Minerva whirled around frowning. "I wasn't even there-" she pointed at herself, "-and I know!"

"Sister ship of the 'Madame De Pompadour.' Nope, not getting it."

Minerva groaned in exasperation, throwing a hand to signal she was done with it.

"How would you kill me?" the half-faced man inquired.

Minerva looked his way inquisitively. "Peculiar question," she remarked. "So let me ask you a better one: what do you think of the view?"

"I do not think of it."

Minerva scoffed. "There's more human in you than machine. So quit wasting time and tell us...what do you think of the view?"

"Go on, answer her," the Doctor motioned.

The half-faced man walked over to a window and moved the curtain to the side. "It is beautiful."

"No, it isn't. It's just far away," the Doctor corrected. "Everything looks too small. I prefer it down there. Everything is huge. Everything is so important. Every detail, every moment, every life clung to."

"How could you kill me?"

"Because you want us to," Minerva dead seriously responded with. "Because you don't really want to carry on."

"What'll happen to the other Droids when you die?" the Doctor asked. "You're the control node, aren't you? Presumably they'll deactivate."

"I will not die. I will reach the Promised Land."

"The Promise Land is what comes after death for many humans," Minerva pointed out. "It's a superstition that you have picked up from all the humanity you've stuffed inside yourself. Get it?"

"I am not dead."

"Debatable."

The Doctor sighed and came up with another explanation. "You are a broom. Question - you take a broom, you replace the handle, and then later you replace the brush and you do that over and over again. Is it still the same broom? Answer - no, of course it isn't. But you can still sweep the floor. Which is not strictly relevant, skip that last part. You have replaced every piece of yourself, mechanical and organic, time and time again - there's not a trace of the original you left." He went to a nearby table with a silver platter and brought it back to the half-faced man to see himself in the reflection. In doing so, he got a view of his own new face, one the Doctor still had not figured out yet. "You probably can't even remember where you got that face from."

The half-faced man chucked the platter to the side. "It cannot end!"

"But you're looking for the Promise Land and you know damn well that's what comes after death," snapped Minerva who went towards the doors.

The half-faced man started walking for her."Self-destruction is against my basic program."

"And murder is against ours, yet here we both are," Minerva said without noticing.

The moment he raised his hand to strike her, the Doctor lunged forwards and grabbed him from behind. Minerva turned around late and stumbled from the surprise.

The Doctor managed to lock the half-faced man between the wall.

"Doctor, be careful!" Minerva shouted frantically. They were far too close to the doors for her liking.

"You are stronger than you look," the half-faced man commented.

"This is over. Are you capable of admitting that?" the Doctor asked.

"Do you have it in you to murder me?"

"You tried to do the same to my wife - that alone should constitute grounds for retaliation."

"Don't forget about the people down in the city," Minerva stepped forwards. "And don't you ever make the mistake of making assumptions about how far we will go to protect them."

The half-faced man lowered his torch weapon and the Doctor stepped back closer to Minerva. "You realize, of course, one of us is lying about our basic programming."

"Yes."

"And I think we know who that is."

Minerva stepped up beside the Doctor and took his hand. "The Promise Land is superstition, but perhaps, for your peace, you can reach it… if that's what you truly want."

For a moment, it appeared like that half-faced man wouldn't relent. He then glanced out the window.

~ 0 ~

Down in the city, all the robots stopped their attacks on the remainder of the group. With their leader dead, they were deactivated. The police cleared everything up at the site, sending onlookers off with the idea it was merely a trick from cruel culprits. Clara, being unable to find neither Minerva nor the Doctor, took a ride on the carriage with Vastra and her trio. Liv received them with the news that the TARDIS was gone, however...

Clara slowly peered through the bedroom door that was left open a crack. She saw a dark haired woman's hair swing by in a walk. Clearing her throat, she gently pushed the door open a little more and saw Minerva making the bed.

"Clara," she smiled upon seeing her human friend. Her face betrayed nothing of a trace of what happened a while ago.

"You're...in clothes…" Clara had taken notice of the modern clothes Minerva wore. "Regular clothes, I mean…"

Minerva chuckled and patted down her buttoned-up green blouse. "Oh yes, I have a spare of clothes here with Vastra - we all do actually, if you wanted to change."

Clara, for a moment, glanced the other way. "Um...the...the Doctor's gone…"

"Oh no, he's not gone," Minerva said so casually as she fluffed a pillow. "I lost him back there but I'm sure he'll be back any second. Regeneration is still affecting him."

"How can you be so sure he's coming back?" Clara had to ask. The Doctor had changed after all, so what assured her that he would stick by his old habits.

Minerva seemed completely at ease. She put down the pillow in it's place and sighed. "Because, if he's not with me then he's making his way back to me. And it works both ways," she winked.

Clara smiled lightly. Minerva went back to the tall mirror and tilted her head as she examined herself thoroughly. Her dark hair was straight as ever, matching her hazel-green eyes. Her cheekbones were thinner, and her age far older than ever before. She was tall once again, though.

"How do I look, Clara?" she turned to Clara anxiously, gesturing to her appearance and attire of the moment. "The Doctor's clearing his mind now so...he'll be actually looking at me now. I've got to look my best."

Clara's smile widened, chuckling as she felt things slowly begin to normalize again. "Wonderful - he was drooling for you in his past incarnation and he'll be drooling for you in this one."

Minerva playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm being serious. I've never been...older."

"If you haven't noticed, he kinda grew some gray hairs…"

"But it's different, it's always different for women," Minerva sighed. "Ever since the Doctor and I met I've always been a young pretty face. He got used to that, I know he did. For me I have seen young, old, middle aged Doctor versions. But he's yet to see me."

Clara looked to the side, genuinely considering her words and feelings over this. "So, the Doctor changed, but...not when it comes to you. I admit for a while I thought he might be different now, but back there he looked the same when he was by your side. And I don't think he was looking at your 'pretty face'. He was looking at his wife, his 'Clever Girl'-" Clara had to laugh, as did Minerva, "He might be shallow with some things but never when it comes to you. Besides, if you never looked at his young face, why would he?"

"Thank you, Clara," Minerva smiled softly, feeling slightly better. However, when they heard the TARDIS materializing Minerva felt her heart beating at a rate of a thousand. "Guess we should...go see how he is…" she bit her lip and nervously led the way out of the room.

Bidding goodbye to Vastra, Minerva, Clara and Liv made their way towards the TARDIS. Minerva barely pressed a palm on the doors when the box herself opened them up for her.

"Thanks, old girl," Minerva patted it on her way inside.

The first thing she (and and the others) noticed was the darker mood of the TARDIS interior. The upper level was now full of bookshelves, complete with a leather chair the Doctor was currently sitting on. There were absolutely no more circles.

"You've redecorated," Minerva said, surprised. She walked further inside, Clara and Liv purposely lingering behind. "I'm not sure if I like it just yet."

"Not completely entirely convinced myself," the Doctor admitted as he got up. He walked down the line. "I think there should be more round things on the walls. I used to have lots of round things. I wonder where I put them."

"I think Elias will wonder that too," Minerva smiled sadly.

"I think...Elias will wonder many things when he comes back home," the Doctor corrected, now heading down the stairs for the console. "Neither of us are the same anymore. Who are we?"

Minerva thought about it, and let him go first in the process.

"I'm the Doctor. I've lived for over 2,000 years and not all of them were good. I've made many mistakes, and it's about time that I did something about that."

Minerva walked up to meet him halfway. "Well, I'm Minerva. And I won't even begin to yell the hell out of you for adding another 300 years to our age difference...so count yourself lucky Doctor."

The Doctor looked down smiling widely. That was his Minerva alright.

"It's impossible to live that long and not make mistakes," Minerva continued, now serious. "What matters is how we mend them. And if...you still want me around...I think we can fix it."

"Want?" the Doctor now looked at her oddly. "What else would I want?"

"A younger face?" Minerva croaked. "I was telling Clara how you'd never seen me older until now and...maybe it might change things."

The Doctor looked past her to Clara and Liv . Without saying anything, Clara nodded to confirm Minerva's words.

The Doctor then returned his focus to Minerva. He remembered the last time she'd been forced to undergo another change due to his regeneration and how anxious she was about what he would think about her new self. He understood it, he himself had the same thoughts in regards to himself at the moment. But he remembered what had eased all her doubts the last time.

He stepped closer and took one of her hands, raising it to his mouth. "Minerva, I love you. It's been centuries and centuries, and you just don't get the message."

A light smile spread across Minerva's face then. "I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes…"

"No you're not - that's my job," the Doctor kissed her hand then lowered it down. He turned sideways to put the TARDIS into a specific destination.

Afterwards, he gestured to his new choice of attire. "What do you think?" He wore a black buttoned-up shirt with matching black pants and shoes. Over it he wore an opened red-lined jacket.

Minerva glanced at Clara and Liv to see what they would think. She already had her own conclusion.

"You don't have a bowtie anymore-" Liv began, "-so you're definitely less of a dork now."

The Doctor shot her a mini-glare. "How about someone's opinion that matters?" He glanced at Minerva.

"Hmph, then I won't even say what I thought," Clara mumbled to Liv.

Minerva stepped closer to the Doctor and looked him up and down a moment. She placed a hand over his shirt and started to smile. "I...think I kinda like it. It's a lot more mature."

The Doctor was pleased with her response. He took her hand from him and turned them for the console, ready to go when Clara called out.

"Where are we going exactly?" she and Liv moved towards the console.

"Only one place we want to go right now," the Doctor said so sure that Minerva doubted with a look. He smiled. "Would you like to see your son again?"

Minerva's face lit up in that second. "Take me right now!"

The Doctor nodded and moved around till the monitor was in front of him. "Just give me another 2 minutes."

Liv appeared beside him and looked at the monitor that read the current time: 4:58. "So...why?"

"Something important is happening right about now," the Doctor promised, leaving the three women to wonder.

~0~

"Elias, don't throw your teddy bear," Zohar, Minerva's childhood friend and current leader of the Monsoon's military, said to the toddler who had indeed just thrown his teddy bear across the playpen he was in. Elias giggled, plainly ignoring her words, and waddled over to retrieve his teddy bear. Zohar walked by the playpen when she heard the landline ringing. She glanced back at the toddler one more time before picking up the phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Put Elias on."

Zohar's eyebrows knitted together. "What? Who's this?"

"Zohar, put Elias on, please please. It's the Doctor."

"...yeah...why do you sound like that?"

There was a clear frustration in the Doctor's voice, as well as pain which was putting Zohar on edge.

"I'm phoning from a very difficult moment, please Zohar, put my son on the line. Let me say goodbye."

Zohar whirled around to see Elias taking a bite of his bear's ear. "Um...um, okay…" She started walking for the toddler.

"What time is it, Zohar?"

"4:58, why?"

"Don't worry about it. Put Elias on."

"Elias? Come here," she leaned down and took the toddler out of the playpen. "It's your Daddy, you wanna talk to your Daddy?"

Elias beamed and dropped his teddy bear to reach for the phone. "Daddy!" Zohar lowered the phone to Elias' ear. "Hi, Daddy!"

The Eleventh Doctor felt his hearts swell as he heard his son's voice after more than 300 years. "Hi there, El."

"Daddy, come home?" Elias beamed.

"Um…" the Doctor sighed, he knew this would be difficult but he felt he needed to do this. He needed to say goodbye to Elias. But he couldn't bring himself to change before at least hearing his son's voice one more time. "Elias, your Daddy with the silly bowtie...isn't coming home anymore."

Elias tilted his head, gripping the phone with his two hands. "Why?"

"Daddy's...going to change...and...and when I come back...I'm going to look different," the Doctor tried to explain as simple as possible.

"I want Daddy," Elias firmly said, his thin eyebrows knitting together. "I want Daddy!"

Zohar curiously looked at Elias wondering what the Doctor was telling him.

"Elias, Daddy and Mummy are coming right now, I promise."

"Okay, Daddy," Elias quickly sobered up.

The Doctor sighed again. He could feel the regeneration energy inside him trying to burst out. He needed to hang up already. And so, with both hearts clenching terribly, he bid goodbye to his son. "I love you, Arlo. And no matter how many times I change, Daddy will always love you."

Elias was more serious than ever, and it even surprised Zohar. "I love, Daddy," he said quietly. The simple words meant more to the Doctor than the little toddler could ever imagine. "Come home?"

The Doctor smiled from his spot, his eyes tearing up. "I'm coming," he sniffed. "Goodbye, El."

The TARDIS began materializing in the room almost immediately after.

"Bye, Daddy!" Elias said, and gave the phone back to Zohar when the line went dead.

"Now what was that about?" Zohar hung up and picked up Elias' bear from the floor.

The TARDIS door opened up and first came out Clara and Liv (invisible to Zohar of course).

"Hi Ca-yah!" Elias waved a hand.

Clara smiled softly as she came up and bent down in front of him. "Hi there, El. Good to see you again." She kissed his hair but he quickly messed it up, cheekily smiling at her afterwards. She playfully rolled her eyes

"Elias, your Mummy and Daddy look a little bit different now…" Liv began when the Doctor and Minerva stepped out.

Zohar's eyes widened in shock. "How did you…?"

The Doctor didn't tell Minerva she was currently squeezing his arm cutting off blood circulation. She was nervous enough and truthfully, so was he. Would their son reject him? Even Minerva? He had never seen them change after all.

Elias left both Clara and Zohar silently, slowly taking steps towards the alien pair. He was examining them with his little green eyes. That box was his, anyways, and the TARDIS wouldn't let anyone but his Daddy and Mommy to drive it.

"Elias?" Minerva swallowed hard, still clinging to the Doctor. Elias stayed still, only staring at her. "Elias, it's Mommy. Your Mommy."

Elias turned sideways to look at Clara and Liv. It seemed he was trying to put in pieces.

"Elias?" the Doctor spoke up, making the toddler turn again. "Remember what I said on the phone? Daddy was coming to pick you up - but no more silly bowties."

Elias gasped. "Where bowtie!?"

"I put it away so that you can wear it later," the Doctor smiled. He looked down at Minerva who was still nervous as ever. He carefully unlatched her hand from his arm and moved slightly closer. Bending down, he extended his arms up for Elias. "Do you think we can make your Mummy smile again? I don't like it when she's sad, do you?"

Elias' eyes flickered to Minerva, the woman tearing up already.

"C'mon El, you remember what we do when Mummy's upset right?" the Doctor tried again.

Something went off in Elias' mind that showed in his widened eyes. "Kiss! Kiss!" he exclaimed and ran up to the Doctor, letting himself be wrapped up in arms and lifted up. The Doctor had to hug his son tightly for a moment. After centuries he was holding his son again and he was damn sure he would never go centuries without seeing him again.

After planting the biggest kiss on Elias' head, the Doctor pulled away and motioned to Minerva. "So, how do we help Mummy?"

Elias giggled and leaned closer to Minerva, planting his small hands on her cheeks before pepper-kissing her entire face. Minerva couldn't help it and burst into tears. She practically snatched Elias from the Doctor to hug him herself.

"My baby!" She kissed the top of his head. Much like the Doctor, she had to hug Elias tightly.

Elias kissed Minerva's cheek then glanced back at the Doctor. "Daddy? Turn! Yo' turn!"

The Doctor nodded and moved closer to Minerva as well. He wasn't quite sure if Minerva was alright with it but when she grabbed him by a lapel and kissed him, he was assured she was.

"How long were they gone?" Zohar whispered to Clara and unknowingly to Liv. The way they had hugged Elias made it seem like so much had happened in just one day.

Clara smiled widely as the Doctor joined in on the hug. "Far too long."

~ 0 ~

The half-faced man woke up in a bright, green garden. Confused, he sat up and put on his hat that was sitting on the ground beside him. He spotted a woman dressed in Edwardian clothing across him, sitting on the side of a fountain. Her icy blue eyes gazed back at him and a wicked, little smile stretched across her face.

"I'm Missy. You made it!" the woman walked over to where the half-faced man was. "I hope that little ending wasn't as bad as it seemed." She took the man's hand and led him to a table. "Now did he push you out of that thing, or did you fall? Or..." her smile turned into a smirk, "...did she push you out? Wouldn't put it behind her now that I've seen what she's capable of."

"Where am I?" the half-faced man looked around, completely lost.

"Well, where do you think you are? Look around you, you made it. The Promised Land. Paradise!" the woman stood up with arms stretched on either side of her. "Welcome... to Heaven!"

---

Author's Note:

Ta-da! Hope you guys liked the first chapter! Now I couldn't really see 11 calling to Clara because I couldn't see Clara going through that little moment of her not 'seeing the Doctor'. I felt that after everything, Clara couldn't feel the same as she did in the show. Besides, I didn't see 11 being able to regenerate without some last contact with his son. Of course he would call Elias instead! I loved writing that moment because it was so simple, sweet and yet so sad. Anyways, we also got a glimpse into Missy, uh-oh. If we remember what went down between her & Minerva in the previous stories then we know it'll definitely be interesting when they re-meet.

A note, the cover will be up soon!

For Minerva's new appearance change (because it is not a regeneration, do note that) I see her as the actress Kristin Davis. She has long, dark hair and hazel-green eyes. She's taller now but not as much as the Doctor. She's still American too so no account there.

Also, for new readers, Liv's appearance looks just like the actress Kimberly Dos Ramos!

And so, we go back to our original updates of every 2 weeks! Thank you guys for reading and if there are any new readers I'd like to say hello and hope you stick around!