Blue Christmas

Part 17:

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Osgood had imagined this situation so many times and always there had been shouting. Even in the best scenarios where her parents had accepted it without her Mother descending into hysterics first Osgood had always imagined there would be shouting. So in some ways she had been prepared, and yet in others nothing she could have imagined could have prepared her to face this.

What had never figured in the middle of her mother's ranting, her father trying to calm the situation, her sisters smug gloating and the rest of the family talking over each other was her Aunt Becky suddenly exclaiming.

"Oh goodness there is an intruder in the garden!"

Well at least it stopped the yelling even if Osgood could feel an outburst of a different kind was getting ready to explode when she caught sight of just who was there standing at her family's patio doors grinning like an idiot. "Oh no."

"That's no intruder!" Her Uncle Tom suddenly exclaimed excitedly and Osgood literally sank into her seat and willed the floor to swallow her up. "That there's the Tardis so that must be The Doctor!"

"The who?" Mr Osgood asked as his older brother showed decidedly more excitement than he had shown all day as he rushed over to the patio doors and wrenched them open before grasped a surprised Doctor by the hand and shaking it rigorously.

"Well I never thought I would see you again old chap!" Uncle Tom exclaimed slapping The Doctor heartily on the shoulder. "What's the emergency this time?"

"No emergency." The Doctor replied squinting at the older gentleman in front of him for a moment before he finally placed him. "Didn't you used to have more hair?"

Patting his balding head a little self-consciously Uncle Tom merely shrugged it off affably. "I could say the same for you Doctor, wearing it shorter these days I see."

"Yes well." The Doctor waved it off as he stepped into the room and shifted awkwardly under the scrutiny of the Osgood family.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting?" He added shooting a nervous smile in young Osgood's direction as she looked more than a little peaky for some reason. Perhaps she had indigestion, these humans were delicate creatures.

The twins at least were pleased to see him, straining with all their might against the plastic restraints the silly humans had put them in, little arms outstretched. Lowering his shields The Doctor sent them a mental greeting as he moved around the group, patting them both on the head and reinforcing his parental bond before approaching the silent Missy who hadn't so much as glanced up from the table top.

"I know I told you I wouldn't be five minutes." The Doctor joked, feeling his smile freeze awkwardly on his face until it was actually painful.

"But I'm afraid that the Tardis had other ideas and there was nothing I could do to shift her...I did try..." He added when Missy remained silent and unmoving. "Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"For what exactly are you apologising dear?" Missy finally broke her silence but there was no hint of warmth in her tone, in fact it was positively arctic. "Do be specific."

"Ummm for everything." The Doctor hedged carefully watching as Missy's fingers seemed to close dangerously on her table knife.

Right that was clearly the wrong answer...

"For not telling you about River before, for not explaining properly when she called, for not promising you that it really is over between us, for leaving to go after her and not insisting you came so you could see for yourself I am telling the truth..." The Doctor trailed off, there was undoubtedly more but Missy was making him nervous as was this nagging sense he was missing something important.

"And that's all you're sorry for? Nothing else in particular?" Missy goaded him, a bitter smile pulling at her lips as she caught Osgood's pleading gaze, yet even for her human pet she could not contain the monster in her chest that was screaming for blood and retribution. "It figures."

"I am sorry for more but that's...well that's personal." The Doctor replied with an embarrassed glance at their rapt audience, reaching out and resting his hand on her shoulder. "Missy please..."

Yet that was the final straw.

One moment there was only the clue of cool fingers reaching up covering his own then a grip that was far stronger than it should be was hauling him forward.

Unbalanced and outplayed The Doctor was thrown into the dining table scattering tableware and glasses over the stunned Osgoods as Missy pinned The Doctor to the table and pressed her knife into his neck.

Staring up into the unhinged eyes of a vengeful The Doctor's realisation of just what he should really be apologising for came too late to be of any help and he cried out in pain as Missy's mind crashed against his own ripping gouges into his powered down mental shields. She tore through them like they were tissue paper, pouring her pain and anger down on him like an unrelenting onslaught of enemy fire.

Barely able to remember to breathe The Doctor did his best to duck and cover, yet it was futile, there was little room to hide in his own mind, there was nothing else to do but beg for mercy and hope it was forthcoming.

"Missy don't...stop...please..."

"My name Doctor... is The Mistress."

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