Timing is Everything: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

three

"So, Doctor, what's the plan?" Missy inquired. She was leaning up against one of the outer pillars, playing with a ring on her finger.

"Well," the Doctor started, "first we're going to see Yaz."

Missy rolled her eyes. "God, Doctor, I don't understand why you're even friends with that girl," she recalled. "Honestly, she's such a simp."

Ryan stifled a laugh.

"A what?" The Doctor questioned.

Missy grinned. "Never mind. So, what are we doing after we see this 'Yaz'?"

The Doctor let out a huff, "Well, she's coming with us," Missy rolled her eyes once more, "and then we'll....figure out the rest then." She entered the coordinates for Yaz's place, and pulled the lever to dematerialize.

~

The TARDIS landed about a block away from Yaz's flat. The Doctor stepped out first, and motioned for the others to follow her. She locked the door of the TARDIS, and they began walking down the pavement, towards the destination.

Graham and Ryan stayed behind Missy, the Doctor in front. They were having a conversation about nothing in particular. After a few moments, Missy rushed up, so that she was walking beside the Doctor. She looked over at Missy.

"I suppose you want to talk?" The Doctor asked.

"Well," Missy thought, "there is something that's been bugging me for a while now...." She glanced at the Doctor, who was looking her way. She bit her lip slightly.

The Doctor looked away quickly. "No, we are absolutely not talking about that."

"Why not?" Missy hadn't even said what she had wanted to talk about.

"Because," the Doctor paused, "it's not important now."

Missy looked down. Her eyes followed the cracks in the sidewalk. She made sure to step on all of them.

~

In a few minutes, the group arrived at Yaz's home. The Doctor knocked at the door. In almost no time at all, someone opened the door. It was Yaz's sister.

"Hiya! We're looking for Yaz," the Doctor said, excitedly.

The woman at the door held up a finger. "I'll be right back."

She closed the door behind her, leaving the four standing blankly outside. The Doctor was growing anxious waiting.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal only Yaz. Her eyes grew wide once she noticed the Doctor.

"Doctor!?" Her smile grew wide, as she pulled the Doctor into an emotional hug. "I thought you were gone forever!"

"I'm glad you're okay, Yaz," the Doctor said, calmly.

They both released themselves from the hug, looking at each other before finally pulling away.

Yaz's smile faded. A tear fell on her cheek. "No, you're dead. You're gone. You said your final goodbyes, and I'm supposed to be living a great life...."

"What? No! I'm real, Yaz," the Doctor stated, placing a hand on her shoulder. "See? You can feel my hand on your shoulder. If I wasn't real, you wouldn't feel a thing."

Yaz was sobbing at this point. "I've gone completely mental!" She put her face in her hands, and sniffled.

Missy rolled her eyes for the hundredth time. She pushed her way to the front of the group. "Look, you're kinda wasting valuable time with all this crying and doubting," she paused as another memory left, "If you really believe you've gone crazy, why don't you just close the door, and forget this ever happened."

The Doctor shoved Missy out of the way. Missy had a shocked look on her face. "Excuse you!" She exclaimed.

The Doctor glanced back. "Sorry." She looked back at Yaz, "I'm as real as it gets." Her mouth formed a straight line after she spoke.

"I...." Yaz held onto the door as she spoke. "I can't." She backed away slowly, closing the door behind her.

The Doctor let out a sigh, slapping her hands against the sides of her thighs. She looked back to Graham and Ryan for any sign of hope, but none came. Looking to Missy with sadness in her eyes, the Doctor began walking away from Yaz's doorstep. She didn't look back, and assumed the others were following.

"Hey! Are we just going to leave Yaz in that state?" Ryan questioned. "She seems like she needs someone to talk to, especially now."

The Doctor didn't want to face her friends. She could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes, but wouldn't let them fall. She felt as though she had lost a friend today, and technically did.

"Is everything alright, Doc?" Graham asked, then added, "You just need to give Yaz some time to think about what's happened."

The Doctor stayed silent. She felt as though Graham already knew the answer to that question. The TARDIS in sight, she began walking faster.

"I'll talk to her," Missy whispered to Graham.

Missy skipped up beside the Doctor. She glanced over, and noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks. Cringing inside, she looked away.

"Should I stop?" The Doctor questioned, her voice cracking a bit.

Missy was looking at the ground. "Stop what?"

The Doctor bit her lip. "Trying to...." she looked for courage, "....find a new best friend...."

Missy's hearts began to beat faster. "Why do you feel the need to find a new best friend?" She had known the answer for a while now, but asked anyway.

"Because," the Doctor started, "we're technically not friends anymore." Her tears had stopped falling. "I thought you knew that," she added.

Missy replied simply with an, "Oh."

The Doctor sighed again, "We both agreed that it would be better if we stopped." She paused, then continued with, "We're too different, and we want completely different things." They reached the TARDIS, and she added, "Our friendship was at it's peak at the academy, and we both know it won't ever be better than it was then."

Missy knew she should stay quiet, but couldn't help but add, "What if our friendship could be what it once was?"

The Doctor looked down, and unlocked the TARDIS. "Like I said before, it doesn't matter now." She opened the door. "Besides, what we need to think about now is how to undo what I've done."

Missy followed the Doctor into the TARDIS, Graham and Ryan close behind.

"So, Doc, what's the plan?" Graham inquired.

The Doctor walked over to the control panel. "Well, I was thinking we go to Gallifrey," she paused to flip some small levers, "but, like, before the Master destroyed everything."

"Oh!" Missy exclaimed, "You want me to figure out when we need to land?"

The Doctor looked to Missy. "Yes, could you do that?"

Missy searched her mind for the right memory. They were all jumbled up, and therefore not in order. After several moments, she found what she was looking for.

She leaped over to the TARDIS' control panel. "Mind if I....?"

The Doctor stepped out of the way. "I would prefer to do it myself," she motioned with her hand, "but go ahead."

Missy nodded, and entered the date. She noticed the Doctor had already set the location as Gallifrey. Without question, she pulled the lever to dematerialize, and they were off.