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It was embarrassing to lose her TARDIS for such a long time. It was even more embarrassing that when she found the TARDIS again, Missy was standing outside, leaning against the doorframe, her parasol pointing down with a general air of mild disapproval.
The Doctor’s hearts gave two particularly loud thuds at seeing Missy again. Then she remembered that she didn’t know which Missy this was, at which point on her timeline.
The Doctor realised Missy had hardly seemed to blink at the sight of her newly female form. Could it be this wasn’t the first time Missy had seen her as female? Intriguing.
”Finally,” Missy said. ”I was getting cold. You forgot to leave a key under the flower pot.”
”I don’t have a flower pot,” the Doctor pointed out.
”Even worse. How are old friends supposed to get in and make themselves a cup of tea while you’re off raiding charity shops for your outfit?” Missy eyed her pointedly up and down. ”My dear, your tastes are increasingly eccentric.”
The Doctor smiled. ”Thank you!”
A slight smile. ”I do approve of the braces.” From the glint in her eye, Missy looked like she was thinking about something nefarious, such as grabbing them and snogging the Doctor breathless, or possibly tying her up with them.
”Good,” she said, trying to watch Missy’s face for any clues of when this was for her. ”Now would you please move out of the doorway so I can greet my TARDIS? It’s been a while.”
Missy looked amused, but stepped out of the way.
The Doctor went in. She let the door close behind her.
She took in the new interior.
Wow. That was different. Very different. But oh, so beautiful. She could tell she was going to love this.
She inhaled deeply, taking in the new smells, new sounds. She sighed and smiled. She let the TARDIS flood her senses, all of them, making her feel whole again.
”Hello, sexy,” she murmured, and laid her hand against a wall. ”We’re home.”
The TARDIS hummed pleasurably in return.
It was quite a bit later when the Doctor stepped out again. She stopped, surprised. Missy was still there. It had grown dark outside.
”Well? Looking good in there?” Missy asked.
She was sounding as disinterested as ever, but she must have been burning with curiosity to wait for this long.
”Oh, yes. You’ve no idea.”
Missy looked a little wistful. ”Aren’t you going to show me? I located her for you. Some Time Lady you are, just falling out of the sky and leaving your TARDIS to go wherever.”
”I located her,” the Doctor corrected. ”You just happened to locate her before I did.” She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Ooh, it was fun to be able to do that! She did it a few more times, just because. ”I need to stop regenerating inside her. She doesn’t take well to it. Especially not in flight.”
Missy laughed, her eyebrows shooting up. ”You what? In flight? Oh, you really didn’t listen to the Care and Maintenance of Your TARDIS lectures, did you?” Missy crossed her arms under her chest.
The Doctor grinned and shrugged. ”I may have daydreamed sometimes.”
”It’s one of the first rules. If you can help it, don’t regenerate in your TARDIS in flight!” Missy looked delightfully cross. She really was rather attractive in that ridiculous dress, possibly even more attractive through this new pair of eyes. How she could move in it, though, the Doctor didn’t understand.
The Doctor gave her best attempt at a disarming smile. ”Something to remember for the next time. But I don’t intend to regenerate very soon, anyway.”
”Oh, you’d better not.” And then Missy was grabbing her by the braces and kissing her. Not quite breathless, but she did try her best.
Kissing seemed to feel good in this body.
When the kiss finally ended, they rested their foreheads together.
”So, are you going to take me on a test ride?” Missy asked.
The Doctor pulled back. She really would have liked to know which Missy she was dealing with. Her instinct was that it had all happened to Missy too - her scheduled execution, the Vault, the mess with the black hole and Missy’s younger self – but she wasn’t sure, and she didn’t know if she could find out without asking directly.
Missy smiled. ”You need to continue your little education project, don’t you?” she said dryly. ”Make an honest woman out of your Mistress, hm? I could tell you a few things I’ve learned since the last time.”
Likely just wishful thinking, but the Doctor thought she discerned a hint of an earnest plea behind the smile.
”There’s just one problem,” the Doctor said. ”You’re not dressed to run.” She gave a long look to Missy’s dress.
Missy shrugged. ”I’ll find a way. Trust me.”
The Doctor closed her eyes. Well. She already knew what she was going to do. There was a risk involved, of course; there always would be with Missy. But what was life for if not taking risks?
She held out her hand. ”All right. Crab Nebula, two millennia from now. Ready?”
Missy laid her hand on the Doctor’s arm.” Of course. A lady is always ready.”
The Doctor grinned. ”Right, then. Off we go.” She was ready, too. Ready to meet the whole wide universe and introduce it to her new self.