Missy's Plea (4)

Dawn heard the ancient metal and wood clap shut as the guard locked the door behind her. The screeching sound sent shivers down her spine, but she turned her head just slightly to see the locked walls she was now enclosed in. The guard was already gone, probably laughing with his friends or starting a game of cards. Dawn almost pitied him. He'd probably be here for the rest of his life, or at least until retirement. He'd never see the stars and all the planets that lay out there. Then Dawn remembered where she was and realized that she, too, may be trapped here forever, and without the luxuries of cards and friends and going home at five, or whenever his shift ended.

She turned away from the dusty, cobwebbed walls and let her eyes fall on the patch of moonlight filtering in from outside. Her heart leapt to her throat and beat out of time as she took in the body of the Doctor, laying on his side, facing away from her. His dark coat draped over his still form, wrinkled and dishevelled. The darkness of his clothing contrasted sharply with the paleness of the outstretched hand Dawn could see and the bright, curly hair that danced around his head. The young teen took a step forward with a small smile. "Hey, Doctor. Guess I found you."

Dawn crouched down and put her hand on the man's shoulder. After a few light shakes, her eyebrows creased and her lips parted in confusion. "Doctor? You've never been one to nap...you okay?"

Feeling her breath quicken in apprehension, Dawn stepped over the Doctor and knelt on his other side, so that she could now see his face, even paler than his hand. His eyes remained closed, even as she shook his shoulder and called his name again.

After repeating this action a few more times, the teen took his hand in both of her own. Her eyes darted frantically up and down her friend's body, big and shining in the moonlight. The sinking feeling of helplessness settled deep in her abdomen. It reached up into her throat and cut off almost any breath and every attempt at speaking. Softly, she whispered, "I finally found you. Now what am I supposed to do?"

But the Timelord still hadn't moved, and hardly even looked alive. Dawn sat huddled beside him, pushing back her fear and doubt so that she could think a bit more clearly, but to no avail. Every exit seemed hopeless; every idea clouded in distraction whenever the Doctor's breath hitched or even a muscle moved. The young teenager from inner London was out of her depth, and, for once, she wasn't sure she could get herself out.

The Doctor hovered over Missy with venom laced in his gritted teeth; the tablet lying forgotten on the floor by the staircase. It had taken only about a minute for the Time Lord to be filled with rage he usually saved for the Daleks and Cybermen, and he now stood over his oldest friend and enemy without any glint of mercy in his icy eyes. "Missy; stop this or I will. Let her go and never take her from me again."

"I didn't know she was one of yours, Doctor; have you been busy since we last met?"

The Doctor shifted his weight onto his other foot, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from lashing out all of his pent up fury. After a slow, deep breath, he continued softly, "Do not joke with me right now. Dawn may not be my daughter, but she is in my care. I have to get her home safely."

Missy rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm hurting her; she'll be fine. Maybe a bit shaken up-"

"Call it off. Right now; please."

A tiny smile crooked Missy's lips. "Begging has never worked on me, Doctor, you know that."

The Doctor stepped away, rubbing a hand over his mouth as his mind worked furiously. Quickly, he turned back around to face the Time Lady. "Why are you even doing this?"

"I need to know she can take care of you!"

The whole Console Room seemed to freeze with the echoes of Missy's last sentiment. The Doctor's owlish gaze watched his old friend silently, but the Time Lady avoided meeting his eyes, opting instead to glare at the roundels on the wall. Her weight shifted awkwardly from one foot to another in rapid succession. The Doctor could've sworn she had never looked so uncomfortable.

In a softer tone, without any of the hidden malice it had held just moments before, the Doctor asked, "Why do you care about that?"

Missy finally brought her eyes up to his unblinking stare. A smile worked its way into her lips. "Can't let my oldest enemy get killed, now can I?"

The Doctor watched her for another moment, as she went back to the Console and took the tablet back into her hands. "Alright, I'll let your little girl go. I guess she's capable of the job."

"What job?"

"Watching over you."

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't need a babysitter!"

Missy pursed her lips and didn't look up from the screen. "How many times have you regenerated in the past, oh, two thousand years? You go through bodies like The Librarian goes through books; and you know what she was like."

"Point taken."

Missy's fingers flit across the tablet, and then her blue eyes found the Doctor's again. As she dropped the device back onto the Console, she explained, "She'll be transported right here within the next day."

The Time Lady stood and put her hand on her wrist, but the Doctor grabbed her arm tightly. "Wait! Within the next day? She could be dead by then! That, or think I'm dead."

"Oh, your clone will be dead soon. Forgot to mention."

"Why can't you just get her now?"

Missy's smirk stretched across her face, eyes squinting and brightening madly. "Oh, Doctor, I am still a villain; even if I do want to keep you safe."

She clicked a few more buttons on her Vortex Manipulator and then gestured to the tablet sitting on the Console. "You can keep that."

With that, the Mistress disapparated, leaving the Doctor stunned with only the small tablet to tell him how Dawn was doing. His thoughts were racing wildly, but the only one that he could hold onto was this: Dawn will definitely need an ice cream when she gets back.