1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

2. This is a continuation from Venusian Valentine's and Crossroads. Reading those first isn't absolutely necessary, but it helps to put this setting into perspective.

PART 2

Missy narrowed her eyes on the door before her. This was intolerable. She raised a hand and knocked hard. "Clara... open up."

Nothing.

Rolling her eyes, the Time Lady was at the end of her tether. "I know you're not sleeping."

Still nothing.

Missy was reaching boiling point. If there was one thing she hated Clara doing, it was ignoring her. Her little poppet had alot of leeway with her, able to get away with things Missy would not allow from anyone else, but outright ignoring? Never.

Part of the Time Lady was actually surprised at the situation. Nevermind her wife... Missy was not used to her own TARDIS disobeying her. It seemed her ship took a particular liking to the Human itself - yes, it was an it, not a her or she like the Doctor stupidly called his - and was refusing to open the bedroom door for Missy. Though, if anything, it was just further proof the Impossible Girl was truly special, and indeed worthy of Missy's love.

But enough was enough. Missy produced her sonic device and waved it infront of the door. In moments, it opened. She made a mental note to punish the TARDIS later for its insubordination.

As she entered the huge bedroom, Missy could sense the anger coming from the massive bed. Her wife was fuming, and it was not literal fumes from her "regeneration". Missy decided to change tact and approach from a different angle. "Poppet... ?" she said cautiously. "Tell me what's wrong."

Lying ontop of the covers, Clara rolled over so her face stayed hidden. "Go away," came the muffled response.

Sighing, Missy instead stepped closer, until her legs nearly banged against the bed. "There's no need to be scared." She softly lowered down and sat on the free side of the mattress, taking a brief moment to admire her wife's small yet exquisite figure. Thank Gallifrey it was no different. "This temporary insanity is usual after regenerations. It'll pass. There's really no need to hole yourself up in here. I can help you through it. In fact, I think you'll rather like my therapy... " She reached out to stroke Clara's thigh, but stopped at the Impossible Girl's next words.

"You really don't understand, do you?"

Blinking, Missy pulled her hand back. Then, Clara rolled back over until she was facing the Time Lady. Missy questioned her wordlessly. "I'm having no side effects from a 'regeneration'." Clara's words were cold as ice. "Because I'm no different. And you knew I wouldn't be."

Missy actually gulped with worry. For some reason, she hated whenever Clara was upset with her. There were many, many things special about her puppy, and one of them was her ability to almost make Missy feel guilt. Almost. "I... I... "

"Do you know how hard it was for me when you regenerated?" Clara asked sadly. "Having the Doctor regenerate was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Having the woman I married, the woman I gave up everything for... become a completely different person... do you have any idea?"

Missy thought back to her own regeneration. It occurred a few years into their marriage, when an "escapade" backfired. "I don't recall you complaining at the time," she said. Indeed, she knew Clara actually preferred her new form. She looked younger, had a better figure, blonde hair, was bustier, and, perhaps most importantly, now had an English accent. Her previous Scottish one was too much for Missy's liking of a reminder of Clara's ex.

"That's not the point, and you know it," said Clara adamantly. Gradually, she raised herself on her arms and sat up. "I was scared to death, Missy. Scared that I'd lose the woman I married. Scared that our children would lose you. And just so you know... " - Clara clenched her jaw in suppressed rage - "... I lost count of the times they came to me asking if this 'new woman' was still their mother."

Missy found herself looking down. "You didn't tell me that."

"No," replied the Human. "Just be thankful that I never said you used to be a man."

Missy cocked an eyebrow. "I was unaware that there was anything wrong with... "

"There isn't!" snapped Clara. "It's just that it would be too confusing for them at their age! And don't change the subject! The point is, I explained to them that regeneration was unpredictable, and anything could happen." She shook her head. "But I guess not, huh? Because look at me."

"I really don't know why you're so upset," Missy said. "As you said, you haven't changed - so what's the problem?"

"The problem is you DID!" Clara's eyes were full of fury. "How could you do that to me? How could you put me through that? You changed and made me have to accept you all over again, when it turns out you don't have to change at all! You could've stayed the same and spared me and our children the fear of you becoming a different person! And then ontop of that, you let me think I'm going to change!"

So that was what was bothering her angel. Missy should have known. "Clara... you just... don't get it..." If only Clara knew what Missy had to do to give her Time Lord/Lady traits; how long Missy searched and experimented, threatened and sacrificed. Giving Humans a regeneration cycle was no easy task. To have Clara able to take on Gallifryan abilities and not die of the strain? Missy almost lost track of the time it took to find a solution.

Indeed, once Missy decided to make her wife effectively immortal, she dropped her and their children off on some harmless planet, explaining she had something very important to do. Once promising Clara it was nothing immoral, Missy dematerialised and spent 71 years searching for her goal. Of course, to Clara and the little ones it was mere seconds, as Missy returned as soon as she left.

Missy could not deny she was confused. Apart from conquest of the universe, she never spent so much of her personal lifetime on one goal. Why did she go through so much trouble? Why did she not give up and return to her family sooner?

Missy knew why. The 71 years she spent away from Clara was nothing compared to the very idea of losing her forever. She would not lose her wife to a woefully-short Human lifespan. It was out of the question.

Quite, the relief she had upon returning and finding Clara right where and when she left her... the sight was like water to a wanderer on Aridius. Missy grabbed Clara right there and then and kissed her madly, swearing to herself never to be apart from her for anywhere near that amount of time again. And thankfully, she would not have to be.

"I've never tried understanding the details of it," Clara continued, referring to the experiments and procedures endowing her with a regeneration cycle. "Well... I did, but quickly gave up."

"I didn't want you worrying your pretty little head over things you couldn't comprehend," said Missy. The words might have seemed insulting, but she actually meant them as compassionately as she could ever be.

The Impossible Girl tutted, but seemed to let that detail go. "Just tell me the truth... did you know all along? I already know the answer, but I want to hear it from your own mouth."

There was a momentary silence, before Missy's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Yes, my angel - I did." At Clara's angered shake of the head, the Time Lady quickly carried on. "But it was unique to you. Don't you see? Because I had to effectively 'break the rules' for you, I was able to create new rules. I could control your regenerations, specify them. And I know becoming someone else would freak you out too much - and don't say it wouldn't, because I know it did - so... " To finish the sentence, Missy dramatically shrugged her shoulders. "I was only thinking of your wellbeing, Clara." And the fact Missy did not want to lose the physical perfection that was Clara Oswald.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" The Impossible Girl still sounded pained.

"I don't know," the Time Lady admitted, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I suppose I didn't... want to think about it. Because honestly - and even after all this time, I'm hurt that you still don't understand - but I just can't bear the thought of losing you, Clara." That was one of the truest things Missy ever said, much to her own surprise. "Thinking about you regenerating meant thinking about you having to regenerate, and that was just too painful to think of why that would happen. Other peoples' deaths don't matter to me much... " - they turned her on, actually - "... but my wife's? No, I'd rather not ponder that, thank you."

Clara looked down, her anger dulled somewhat. "I'm sorry," she eventually whispered. Another moment's quiet. "But you still should've told me."

"I know... I'm sorry, too." Clara was the only person Missy would ever say that to, and almost mean it.

"So your regenerations? Can you control them?"

Missy pursed her lips for a second. Truth or... ? "I'm afraid not, darling. Like we Gallifreyans say, it's a lottery. I wish it was otherwise, I really do." She again reached out, and this time was able to make contact with her poppet's leg. "But it's just further proof of how special you are, my Clara. Do you even realise it? You'll live for hundreds, if not thousands of years, then when you regenerate, you'll be exactly as young and as beautiful as you are now, all over again. And you'll get that... " - Missy lidded her eyes momentarily in thought - "... eleven more times. At least."

Clara's lips curved ever-so in a tiny smile. "And meanwhile, I get you in a parade of different supermodel bodies?"

Missy chuckled: she knew her wife would come around. "Anything to keep you interested." She did not dwell on how literal those words were. "Now c'mere, puppy."

Clara seemed reticent at first, then sighed deeply and moved from her seated position to her knees, and the two hugged deeply. Clara wrapped her arms around the Time Lady's neck, while Missy kissed her now long and luxorious hair and patted her back. "Are we good?" she asked.

The Human nodded, then pulled back slightly to look her wife in the eye. "But stop keeping things from me. How am I supposed to understand if you don't talk to me? Especially about things like this."

"Oh... you mean this?" Missy began kissing Clara's neck. She could feel the goosebumps appear instantly.

"Oh... ooh... n... nnno, Missy," gasped Clara. "I meant... you... you know what I... "

"No, I don't." The Time Lady moved her hands under Clara's top and cupped her chest. "Maybe you mean this... "

Clara's breath caught. "Nnno... Missy, no. Don't... don't start... "

Missy grinned wickedly. "I have to do this, Clara. I need to inspect you... make sure you regenerated properly... " She nuzzled deep into the Impossible Girl's neck.

"Oh God... Missy... " Clara began breathing heavily again. "We can't... the... the children... "

"... can get along fine for an hour." Another smirk. "Or two. Or ten." She then sealed her lips on her wife's, exploring Clara with her tongue. Meeting no resistance, Missy lowered them both down to the mattress.

She won again. She always did.

Except her hearts: Missy lost those to Clara Oswald long ago.

Not that she would ever admit it.

THE END