"So where are you taking me?" Clara asked as they entered the TARDIS.
"Anywhere you want." River said, leaning against the console.
"Well you already know what I'm going to wear, so why not just pull it out of the TARDIS wardrobe?"
She smiled. "I want you to figure it out for yourself."
"Okay…" Clara went silent for a moment, thinking. Then, she smiled. "I know! There's this little boutique in the West End that I've always wanted to go to, but I never got the chance. They have the most beautiful dresses in the window."
River flipped a switch and the TARDIS started groaning. "That's our destination then!"
She cocked her head. "Do you think the Doctor and the Master will get along okay while we're gone?"
"They'd better." The Woman said. "Or I'll have words with them."
Clara laughed. "I think you're the only person the Doctor is truly afraid of."
She smiled. "Oh, Koschei should be scared of me to. I often ended up settling scores with the both of them."
Clara laughed even harder at the thought of the Master as a child getting chased by the Woman. "Well that's good!"
River stepped forward as the TARDIS landed. "We're here!"
She made to open the door, but Clara grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Hey River, is it tonight?"
"Now you know I can't tell you that."
Clara groaned in frustration. For a long time she had known that the Master, her current boyfriend, intended to marry her at some point, but River had never told her when. It had been over a year since she had learned of this, and she greeted each day with anticipation of what could possibly come.
"Do you know?" She asked the Woman.
"No. I stay out of people's time streams." She stared pointedly at River.
The blond smiled. "Oh, I can't deny myself a little fun. Now come on, let's get that dress."
The Master stood up as the grinding noise of the TARDIS sounded and the box materialized into view. "Finally! Honestly, how long does it take for females to pick out some clothes?"
"They can be quite picky." The Doctor stated as he trailed behind him.
He flung open the doors, stepping inside. "Okay, now it's time for you three to get out!"
River turned to face him, hands on her hips indignantly. "What?"
"We can drop you off wherever you want. Besides, don't you females take several hours to prepare?" He smirked.
"We take a long time?" River stared at him. "You're going take a long time! Have you looked at yourself lately?"
"Well you-"
"Can you two just agree on something?" The Woman intervened.
Clara couldn't help but laugh at the Master. He made a sight with his crazy hair sticking up everywhere, his tie hanging about his neck loosely, and his wrinkled shirt clinging to his substantial frame. His eyes held a look of indignation as he stared at River. The Doctor leaned against the doorframe, not paying attention as he fiddled with his screwdriver.
"Fine." River said. "Take us to Clara's flat."
"Glad you two reached an agreement." The Doctor said, stepping forward and flipping the switch. "To Clara's house we go!"
A couple sat on a bench a substantial distance away from the TARDIS as they watched it disappear.
The woman cocked her head. "It is the Doctor. Should we go for him directly?"
"No." The male said. "We need to deceive him to get close enough without him suspecting us. The other Time Lord seems like a good prospect."
"The male?"
"Yes."
"Agreed." She smiled. "This will be fun."
The Woman exited the TARDIS, carrying the bag with Clara's dress. "Come on! We haven't got all day!"
As Clara made to leave, the Master cupped her face, pecking her on the forehead. "Have fun. See you later."
She smiled up at him. "You too, my mad Time Lord."
The Doctor grabbed River's arm gently, whispering in her ear. "Where's the jacket?"
"Under the console."
"Thanks."
"Is he…" She paused. "Is he nervous?"
The Doctor locked eyes with her. "Yes."
She patted his cheek. "He should be."
"Ow!" Clara grimaced.
"Hold still!" The Woman reprimanded as she worked with Clara's hair.
"It hurts!"
"But it'll look good in the end."
Clara was now dressed in the garment she had picked out at the store. It was a crème colored dress that pooled about her feet. The bodice was patterned with intricate lace designs, but was plain from the waist downward. River had convinced her to not wear heels, but just to wear flats, but they matched just the same.
Her flat had sort of become a headquarters for the group. It was River who hung around mostly when she wasn't being an archeologist. The Woman came by sometimes. Clara had no idea where she came from. The Doctor never came around without the Master, if at all. He wasn't keen on leaving the Master alone with his TARDIS, as much as it annoyed him. Whenever the Master came, he would always whisk her away on some adventure. He would sometimes come in the middle of the night, and she would yell at him, he would leave, and show up the next day and drag her away. She had become used to people walking in and out of her flat.
"There." The Woman put her finishing touches on Clara's hair.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair had been braided and curled up into a bun. "It's so pretty."
The Woman smiled. "What did I tell you?"
River looked up from the magazine she was reading. "The Master isn't going to know what hit him. You look lovely."
Clara turned in a circle, admiring herself in the mirror. "I must say, you two certainly know how to make a girl look nice."
The Woman peered at the clock, which read 7:00 PM. "How long do they need? It's been two hours."
"I don't know." River flipped the page in her magazine. "The Master looked pretty bad."
Clara giggled. "What was he doing? It looked like he had been chased by Daleks."
"And to think, I left him in the middle of Hyde Park looking like that."
"Oh." Clara sighed. "River…"
She was interrupted as the TARDIS began to appear in her living room. As soon as the ship had materialized fully, the doors opened and the Doctor flew out as if he had been pushed, landing on the couch next to River.
The Master stepped out, holding his hand out to Clara. "Ready to go, Miss Oswald?"