Chapter Text
The doctor lays there, injured beyond belief. He can feel regeneration coming on, knowing that he'll change yet again, if he manages to escape before the explosion. But a large part of him doesn't want that to happen. He chose this face for a reason, to honor one of his most best friends. He can't just change thus face. He refuses.
As he lays there, feigning of religion a thought suddenly hits him. God, he was an absolute idiot.
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"This is a face that didn't listen to a word you just said."
And with that, the master walked away. The doctor looks at him heartbroken. Just maybe, he thought the master might take some sympathy on these people, on him. They were childhood friends, surely he can understand the urgency of this moment. He turns back around to missy.
"Missy. I know you've changed. I know you have, and I know what you're capable of. Stand with me, it's all I've ever wanted."
He knows this is a last ditch attempt, a plea. The doctor has never felt more helpless than he does right now. If he can't get through to missy then what happens next? He let's the cybermen convert all of these helpless people? Let them kill him? Leave Bill to live life as a cyberman for the rest of eternity?
Missy looks at the doctor, tears threatening to fall.
"Me too. But no. Sorry. Just...no."
She begins to walk away before grasping the doctors hand, looking into his eyes sincerely.
"But thank you for trying."
The doctor watches her leave, the same feeling of heartbreak all over again. He thought all that work he put into trying to get on good terms with her again would mean something.
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"I'm an idiot!"
The doctor realises something that he should've noticed earlier. He was right about missy. He knew somewhere deep down his words had gotten to her and he was such an idiot to not see it.
The doctor couldn't die here, he had one more person to save.
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The master can feel his body shutting down. Missy was precise.
"How long do I have?"
He asked, leaning against his assassin for balance. How funny, in the end his own undoing was himself.
"I was precise. You'll be able to make it back to your TARDIS, maybe even get a cuppa, though it may leak a little."
She says as she pushes the master into the lift. She begins to walk away, satisfied by how things played out.
"And then regenerate...into you."
She stops and turns around to him before speaking with a smirk.
"Welcome to the sisterhood."
"Missy, seriously, why?"
"Oh, because he's right. Because its time to stand with him. It's where we've always been going, and its happening now, today. Its time to stand with the doctor."
The master cannot fathom even helping the doctor with everything he's done to him. He cannot understand why his next self is so willing to help him. He's caused nothing but trouble for them both, no matter what faces they had, the doctor was always there to ruin everything for him. Maybe the lingering fondness he still had for him from the academy had grown exponentially, not that he was willing to admit.
"No. Never."
Missy remembers this part. He'll shoot her with his sonic and they'll die together, both laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world. And yet, that didn't happen as it was supposed to. An all so familiar groaning sound engulfed her and suddenly she was standing on cold hard metal instead of grass. She looked around and saw the interior of the TARDIS. This wasn't how it was meant to go. And the doctor. Oh, the doctor. He looked worse for ware.
"I...had to save one last person before going."
"Don't be so dramatic, you'll be right back. Different, sure, but still you."
"Not this time, I can't lose this face"
Missy looks at him like he's lost his mind.
"Are you daft? You'll die."
"Then so be it. I can't change again. I refuse."
"I don't care what this face means to you, you are not leaving me in your ship that barely tolerates me all alone. So you'd better not hold off that regeneration or so rasillon help me i'll force it on you."
The doctor looks at her with shock and a touch of appreciation.
"I didn't think you cared that much."
"Oh, get over yourself. What am I meant to do with your TARDIS once you've gone and died due to stubbornness."
The doctor actually laughed, something he hadn't done for a while. Maybe he xould let this face go. He'll always remember Donna, hell, he could never forget her. Someone who changed his life for the better. How could he forget that.
And so, he let the warm, practically painful light overtake him. Regeneration wasn't a fun thing for him to go through. Every cell burning in his body, dying and reviving over and over again to recreate his body from scratch. The blinding light soon subsided and he staggered forward. Missy looked at him and hummed.
"Seems like you could afford the upgrade after all."
"What?"
"Welcome to the sisterhood."
That's when she realised. She was no longer a time lord, but a time lady.
"Come, I'll help you get adjusted."
Missy grabbed her arm and started walking towards one of the winding corridors.
"You don't know any of the rooms."
"I'll find one eventually."