Previously:
It was then that I notice who she was. Sophia Myles, the woman who played Madame De Pompadour. This hallucination must be from before the Doctor revealed his name to her, She looked over my appearance and grimaced in shock and outrage.
"Child, what on God's Earth are you wearing?!" I looked down confused and promptly blushed. Oh. Yeah. I'm still in my hospital gown. She shook her head and then turned to a servant woman who stood nearby. It was then I noticed the crowd that had formed.
"Apporter-la quelque chose à se couvrir jusqu'à ce que nous trouvons quelque chose de plus approprié à l'usage.₄" The servant nodded and rushed off. The woman then addressed the crowd.
"Vas-y! Tu ne vois pas que la pauvre fille est indécent? Fermer!₅" The crowd immediately dispersed. The maid returned a moment later with a large cloak. The woman helped to wrap it around me and helped me up.
"Come along child. Let us get you inside and taken care of."
With that, they led me across the lush green lawns and inside the infamous French palace.
Chapter 3: Corsets are the Devil's Main Form of Torture
Six. Months.
Six freaking months I have been here and I still haven't woken up. I have to say, my hallucinations are really persistent. However, at this point, I'm starting to doubt that I'm dreaming. I had only been to Versailles once on a trip to Europe with my school and we only saw certain areas of the palace. Plus, the majority of the original furnishings had been destroyed in the French Revolution so it had been drastically different to what I've been seeing for the time I've been here. As if all the ornate designs with unneeded gold literally everywhere wasn't enough, now there's also unnecessary extravagant furnishings and decor. My mind would never have been able to make that up or the rooms that I had never been in during my school trip.
Then there's the fact that I learned French. I've been taking five years of Latin and my repertoire of French consisted only of what was in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. That's not a lot. There is also the fact that I can read. From what I've heard, in the mindscape, it is impossible to read something because the words and letters get jumbled up. Also, in that one episode of Teen Wolf, a telling factor that someone was dreaming was having extra fingers. I've checked multiple times. Still ten.
Plus, no one would be able to imagine the kind of pain that comes from wearing a corset.
"Carli!" I snapped back to attention as my name was called. I turned and looked at Reinette and Catherine, both looking at me funny.
"What?" I asked, confused. They gave each other looks and looked at me again.
"You were not paying attention," Catherine explained. I grinned sheepishly at them.
"Sorry. What were you saying?" I asked.
"We asked you if you were excited for the Yew Tree Ball tomorrow." Reinette grinned, already knowing my answer. I groaned.
"Why must I go? I'm not even an official member of the courts! I understand that it is a celebration of the wedding of the Dauphin to Maria Theresa of Spain, but I truly doubt my presence will be missed," I said in annoyance. Reinette rolled her eyes.
"You just do not wish to wear the gown that we had made for you," She said in exasperation.
"Okay, yes. I hate wearing these kinds of dresses," I said gesturing to the one I was wearing (AN: Dress link on profile). "I feel like a clothed wall! I understand the concept of extenuating the hips, but this is ridiculous!"
"You should be proud to be wearing the height of French fashion. Most would love to be in your position and be able to wear such finery. After all the time spent making it, you could at least wear it this once. Besides, you have to go! I've already specified with the cooks to make a separate meal for you so that you do not become ill," Reinette said. I sighed as we turned the corner towards her chambers.
"Fine, I'll wear it. I hate when you pull the guilt trip card." I grumbled. Catherine laughed quietly at me. Reinette grinned in triumph as we finally entered her chambers.
"Good." She said. She walked over to the manikin that held her dress and began inspecting it. Catherine and I looked at each other and began laughing. Reinette turned to us with her hands on her hips. "What?"
"You seem awfully concerned with how you're going to look at the ball tomorrow," I said. Catherine continued.
"It doesn't have anything to do with a certain king of France, does it?" Our teasing caused her to blush deeply. She went over to her bed and plopped down.
"So what if it does?" She said defensively. Smiling, I went and sat down next to her, wrapping my arm around her. Catherine sat on her other side and did the same.
"Stop worrying. He's going to love you. He'd be mad not to. By the end of tomorrow night, you'll have him wrapped around your finger," I reassured her. She sighed relaxing against me.
"You're right," she said. She then straightened up out of my grasp and looked at me. "Now then. Would you mind ever so much sharing one of your stories?" She asked. Catherine looked towards me expectantly. I grinned nodding. I had gained somewhat of a reputation as a storyteller among those who lived in the palace. I would tell them stories of far off lands and magical adventures. Reinette and Catherine got as comfortable as they could on the bed in those godforsaken dresses and waited for me to begin.
"Once, in the far of deserts of the east, there was the kingdom of Agrabah. It was ruled by the Sultan Hamed, who had a lovely daughter named Jasmine..."
I shifted uncomfortably in front of the mirror. I lifted a hand in an attempt to adjust the neckline only to have it slapped away. I glared at the attacker.
"Oh, hush you look beautiful. Stop fussing," Reinette admonished as she pinned her last curl to her head. I grumbled in response but obeyed. The dress was beautiful, but that didn't stop me from being uncomfortable in it. (AN: Dress link in profile). She gave us a quick glance over before nodding in satisfaction, placing her arm in mine, and leading us from the room. Catherine had already left for the party. As we walked down the hallway, I saw a figure up ahead enter a room.
"Isn't that the king?" I asked, motioning towards the figure. Reinette, upon confirming that it was, turned towards me pleadingly. I laughed and pushed her towards the room. "Go get your king. I can make it to the mirror room by myself." She grinned and, once she straightened her dress and hair, made her way to the room.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" I called after her. She turned and stuck out her tongue at me before disappearing in through the doorway. Laughing quietly, I continued on. A few moments later, the king passed by going in the same direction I was and nodded in acknowledgment at me. Slightly puzzled why Reinette wasn't with him, I opened my mouth to call after him. I froze as a loud commotion sounded from the room Reinette went into. I spun around and sprinted back the way I came. Slamming the door open, I found Reinette standing in the room with four other people. I rushed over to her and grasped her shoulders as I looked her over.
"Are you okay?!" I gasped out, trying to catch my breath. Finding nothing, I pulled her into a hug. "I heard a loud commotion and feared the worse!" She hugged me back.
"I am fine," She reassured me. The sound of someone clearing their throat reminded me that other people were in the room. I spun around and stood in front of her only to gape in shock. Standing in front of us were Ten, Billie Piper, and Noel Clarke. Or Rose and Mickey. Even though logic told me that this was real, I still had my doubts. They gaped back.
"Carli?" Ten asked bewildered. I didn't respond. Reinette came up next to me and took my arm.
"Carli? Are you alright?" I shook myself out of my daze and looked at her.
"Yeah... I'm fine," I turned back to the group of time travelers. "Hi, Doctor. Rose. Mickey." I waved. Rose and Mickey waved back. I shifted uncomfortably under Ten's gaze, reaching my hand up to rub my arm awkwardly. Reinette, seeing this, stiffened next to me.
"Doctor?" She asked angrily. I turned to her confused but she had already started advancing on Ten. He looked at her confused. She got right up in his face, fuming over something.
"When she arrived here, she had bruises in the shape of handprints littering her upper arms and her neck. She claimed a man who she called the Doctor did that to her. Now you arrive and she is the most uncomfortable I have ever seen her. Are you that Doctor? How dare you lay a hand on her?!" She spat angrily. Ten gaped in shock and looked at me, looking me over in concern. Rose and Mickey stood off to the side unsure what to do but also looking at me in shock and concern.
"Bruises?" Ten asked worriedly. He went to move towards me but Reinette halted him in his tracks.
"Do not even think about going near her you bas-"
"Reinette!" I cut her off. "It... it wasn't him." I stuttered. She looked at me in confusion.
"What?" She asked.
"It was a different man called the Doctor. Not him. And the bruises on my neck were from someone I couldn't see," I explained. She sighed and turned to Ten.
"I apologize then, Fireplace Man. Since she's arrived here we've become good friends and I don't want harm coming to her." She stated. Ten nodded.
'It's fine. I would do the same," He said looking back at me. "When did you get here?"
"Around six months ago. I just appeared one day on the grounds and I've been here since." I said.
"What? Six months?" He asked confused. I nodded. He was about to say something else when a whirring sound came from over by the door. We spun around to see a droid in French attire covered in ice. I grabbed Reinette and pulled her behind me as it began to move. Rose and Mickey raised their fire extinguishers.
"What's it doing?" Mickey asked. Ten walked up and started to examine it.
"Switching back on. Melting the ice." He said.
"And then what?" Mickey asked, eyes trained on the droid.
"Then it kills everyone in the room," As if on cue, the droid lunged out its arm towards Ten. "Focuses the mind, doesn't it? Who are you? Identify yourself." It just tilted its head at him. Ten looked back to Reinette. "Order it to answer me." She looked at him in confusion.
"Why should it listen to me?" She asked, incredulous. He turned and walked towards us, going around me to get to her.
"I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it." He said. Reinette stepped out from her spot behind me.
"Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you." She ordered. Her eyes were wide with fear. I took her hand offering some form of comfort.
"I am repair droid seven." It stated. It put down its arm.
"What happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage." Ten asked.
"Ion storm. Eighty-two percent systems failure." It replied.
"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?" Ten asked incredulously.
"We did not have the parts." It stated. Mickey chuckled at that.
"Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts." I turned my head and glared at him. His smile dropped and he went quiet.
"What's happened to the crew? Where are they?" Ten asked.
"We did not have the parts." It repeated.
"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" He asked again.
"We did not have the parts."
"Fifty people don't just disappear. Where." He advanced toward the droid only to stop in realization. "Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."
"The crew?" Mickey asked in horror. Rose closed her eyed for a moment.
"We found a camera with an eye in it, and there was a heart wired into machinery." She said weakly.
"It was just doing what it was programmed to. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No one told it the crew weren't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" Ten asked them.
"Someone cooking." She replied. Mickey looked at the ground in shock and horror.
"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque." I flinched. The idea of smelling people burning made me feel nauseous. "But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows. That takes colossal energy. Why come here? You could have gone to your repair yard. Instead, you come to eighteenth-century France? Why?" He wondered.
"One more part is required." It stated. Ten looked back at Reinette.
"Then why haven't you taken it?" He asked.
"She is incomplete." I gripped Reinettes hand tighter in mine. She squeezed back.
"What, so, that's the plan, then. Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's done yet." He mocked.
"Why her? You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her?" Rose piped up.
"We are the same." Reinette straightened next to me, her face morphing into one of disgust.
"We are not the same. We are in no sense the same." She claimed.
"We are the same." It repeated.
"Get out of here. Get out of here this instant!" She shouted. The droid pressed a device on its wrist and teleported back to the ship.
"Reinette, no." Ten said, but it was too late. "It's back on the ship. Rose, take Mickey and Arthur. Get after it. Follow it. Don't approach it, just watch what it does." He told them, moving towards the mirror door.
"Arthur?" Rose asked, confused.
"Good name for a horse."
"No, you're not keeping the horse." She said as a mother would to a child.
"I let you keep Mickey. Now go! Go! Go!" He ordered. They ran through and Ten closed the window behind them. He then advanced towards Reinette.
"Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for. There's only one way I can do that. It won't hurt a bit." He said placing his hands on her head. She flinched closing her eyes.
"Fireplace man, you are inside my mind." She said in awe.
"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here." He said concerned.
"You are in my memories. You walk among them." She wondered.
"If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look. Oh, actually there's a door just there. You might want to cl. Oh, actually, several." She opened her eyes for a moment and winked at me. I snickered quietly.
"To walk among the memories of another living soul. Do you ever get used to this?" She asked.
"I don't make a habit of it." He replied.
"How can you resist?" He ignored her.
"What age are you?" He asked. Reinette's eyebrows raised.
"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising." She smirked. I rolled my eyes fondly.
"No, not my question, theirs. You're twenty-three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough." Reinette flinched as if in pain, her face screwing up. "Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect." He apologized.
"Oh, such a lonely childhood." She said sadly.
"It'll pass. Stay with me."
"Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone." She whispered.
"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life. When did you start calling me Doctor?" He asked in confusion. He looked down at her with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Such a lonely little boy. Lonely then and lonelier now. How can you bear it?" She looked up at him in sadness. He dropped his hands from her head and backed away.
"How did you do that?" He asked, appearing startled.
"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction." She stepped towards him. "Oh, Doctor. My lonely Doctor. Dance with me." A smirk grew across her face.
"I can't." He insisted.
"Dance with me." She repeated.
"This is the night you dance with the King." He tried.
"Then first, I shall make him jealous." She stated mischievously.
"I can't." He stated firmly.
"Doctor. Doctor who? It's more than just a secret, isn't it?" She approached him, face solemn.
"What did you see?" He asked, worried.
"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance. If you are so insistent on not dancing with me, dance with Carli." My eyebrows flew up in surprise.
"What?" We asked in unison. She smirked.
"I'm not letting up on this. Come dance." She ordered us. After a moment of standing there in confusion, she huffed in annoyance and grabbed our arms. With a smile, she dragged us to the mirror room, shoved us together on the dance floor and left us as she went towards the king. We stood there for a moment before I started laughing. He looked down at me for a moment before joining in.
"Sorry about her," I said with a grin. "She's very persistent when it comes to getting what she wants." He shook his head.
"It's fine. I'm used to it," He said giving me a look. I looked at him confused, but before I was able to ask him about it, the song ended and the next one started. Reinette swung by in the arms of the king and gave the two of us a look. I sighed and turned to Ten.
"She's not going to let us leave until we dance," I explained. He laughed a bit and nodded. He took my hand and placed his other on my waist. Before we could even start, Catherine spun by with some lord and waggled her eyebrows at me. I did the mature thing and stuck my tongue out at her. I looked back at Ten when he started laughing. Soon, we were laughing and dancing in the palace of Versailles.
"So, six months! How was that?" Ten asked. We were currently walking back to the room with the portal. I shrugged.
"Fun, I guess. I turned eighteen, I made friends with major people in history, and I learned French! That was interesting. I also had to completely adjust my diet while I've been here. The rich and savory foods that they serve the aristocracy don't react very well with my stomach. Also, since I've been without my meds for six months, my Crohn's has gone to shit." I rambled. He chuckled, nodding.
"I have your meds on the TARDIS. I'll give you some when we get back to it." I nodded and smiled at him in thanks. We were silent for a little longer before he started talking again.
"So, how far along are you?"
"Huh? I asked. He started making hand gestures.
"You know... How long have you been...going about the universe?" He asked, trying to find the right words for it. I nodded in understanding.
"Oh. Well... I've been here for about six months...so about that long," I said. He gaped at me in shock. "What? I mean I've been two other places since this started up, but I wasn't there too long..." I trailed off.
"You're so new..." He said in shock. By then, we had reached the room. Snapping out of his shock, he walked over to the mirror and opened the portal. He motioned for me to follow him and walked through. I made to go after him only to get stuck in the opening.
"Uh...Doctor?" I called out. He turned around and immediately started laughing at the predicament I was in. I blushed.
"Oh shut up! Help me out!" Nodding through his laughter, he grabbed my outstretched hands and tugged. In seconds, I was free. However, I lost my balance and fell face first on the metal grating. This only served to fuel his fire. I struggled to stand up and, once upright, looked at him with my hands on my hips.
"Are you done?" I asked, annoyed. He held up a finger motioning for me to wait a bit longer. I rolled my eyes. "You try wearing this thing. We'll so who's laughing then..." I grumbled. He finally calmed down.
"Oh, I needed that!" He exclaimed. I glared at him. "Right then. Let's go! Where are Rose and Mickey?" He started walking down the corridor. I ran to catch up. We walked in silence for a minute or so before he broke it.
"So.. that dress..." He started. I cut him off.
"Yeah yeah... I know. I look like a clothed wall. Heck, I could be a barricade for revolutionaries in this thing!" He smirked.
"No no, you...you look great." He giggled. I frowned and punched his arm. He pouted at me as he rubbed his arm. Giving him the middle finger, I continued on. We walked for a minute more before he suddenly stopped. I could hear Rose talking a little further up.
Ten immediately sprung into action. He took off his tie and put it on his head, put on a pair of sunglasses, unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, and poured a red liquid into a goblet that he procured from his pocket. He then turned to me.
"Run your hands through my hair." He ordered. I raised my eyebrow at him but complied. Soon his hair became sticky-uppy as it began to defy gravity. Once I finished, he stepped back and struck a pose. "How do I look?"
"Drunk," I deadpanned. He grinned.
"Good." He spun on his heal and began heading down to where Rose's voice was sounding. He began to stumble into things as he walked, creating a loud commotion. "I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night!" He sang in a drunk tone. I followed after him. I could hear Rose more clearly now.
"They called him the...They called him the the..." She said as Ten swayed into the room. I stopped by the doorway and poked my head in to watch.
"And still have begged for more. I could've spread my wings and done a thou." He cut himself off. "Have you met the French? My god, they know how to party." He said exuberantly.
"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm." Rose said sarcastically.
"Oh, you sound just like your mother." He replied, annoyed.
"What've you been doing? Where've you been?" She loudly asked.
"Well, among other things, I think just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early. Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before. Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good." Rose rolled her eyes as he caught sight of the droid holding a blade at Rose. "Oh ho, ho, ho, ho, brilliant. It's you. You're my favorite, you are. You are the best! Do you know why? Because you're so thick. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania. And so's your dad." I laughed quietly from my spot behind the door.
"Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for? Her milometer. They want to know how old she is. Know why? Because this ship is thirty-seven years old, and they think that when Reinette is thirty-seven when she's complete, then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it, hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do." He explained as he sat down by Mickey.
"The brain is compatible." The droid stated.
"Compatible? If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine." He said as he crawled over Mickey to stand next to the droid. He ripped the mask off of it and then poured the contents of the liquid on it. Like most technology, it seized up and shut down.
"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't." He said. Rose sighed in relief. But then the other droids started advancing on them. Leaping into action, Ten lunged across the console unit and flipped a lever that shut them down.
"Right, you two, that's enough lying about. Time we got the rest of the ship turned off." He said as he began to undo Rose's restraints. I came into the room to help Mickey get out. He smiled in thanks when he was free.
"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah. Safe. Safe and thick, way I like them. Okay. All the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down. Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago. I was using them as castanets." Ten asked as he searched his pockets. He went around the back of the console to try and shut down the portals.
"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?" Rose asked.
"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they did well to hit the right century. Trial and error after that. The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" Ten wondered as he and Mickey fiddles around with the controls. They stopped as a bell sounded.
"What's that?" Rose asked.
"I don't know. Incoming message?" He wondered, looking up at the ceiling.
"From who?" Mickey asked.
"Report from the field. One of them must still be out there with Reinette. That's why I can't close the windows. There's an override." He said quickly, trying again to work the controls. Behind him, the droid reactivated and poured out the anti-oil onto his sand shoes.
"Well, that was a bit clever." Ten said, unable to come up with anything else to say. The lever flipped itself back up and the droids reactivated. I jumped away from one of them and moved closer to Ten as they shot up.
"Right. Many things about this are not good. Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" He asked.
"She is complete. It begins." A droid said. They simultaneously pressed a device on their wrists and teleported away.
"What's happening?" Rose asked.
"One of them must have found the right time window. Now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head." He gravely replied. I shuddered at that. I did not want to ever see any of my friends dead.
"Come on, we need to find the right portal," Ten said. We nodded and followed him out into the corridor. We stopped in front of a large tapestry. "Alright. Rose, I need you to go through here and warn Reinette about the droids."
"Me? Why can't Carli do it? She's friends with her." Rose asked. I nodded in agreement.
"She might have some idea where the portal is. Otherwise, I would ask her to do it," Ten explained. I guess that makes sense. Rose nodded and went through the tapestry to find Reinette. Mickey, Ten, and I continued down the corridor to find the last time window. After a few minutes, we finally found it.
"Is this it then?" Mickey asked. Ten nodded.
"Yes, and we need to hurry. Go find Rose. I'm going to try and set up an audio link," He said as he began working. Mickey and I rushed out of the room back to the tapestry.
"Rose? Rose?" Mickey called out. He went through the tapestry. "Rose! The time window where she's thirty-seven. We found it. Right under our noses." He explained. Suddenly Reinette walked through the portal and onto the ship. Rose ran after her.
"No, you can't go in there, the Doctor will go mad-" Reinette cut her off.
"So, this is his world." She said in fearful awe. She then caught sight of me as she turned around. She gasped out in shock.
"Carli!" Her eyes became glassy with tears. She ran up and pulled me into her arms. "You're here!" I patted her back.
"Of course I am. I left with the Doctor after the ball." I said. She shook her head and pulled back.
"But I couldn't remember!" I looked at her oddly.
"What?" She was about to respond when screams sounded throughout the corridors.
"What was that?" She asked, eyes wide with fear.
"The time window. The Doctor fixed an audio link." Mickey explained looking at Rose.
"Those screams. Is that my future?" She asked, gripping my hand. I squeezed it back, offering some form of comfort.
"Yeah. I'm sorry." Rose said weakly.
"Then I must take the slower path." She said in resignation.
"Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now. You promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time." Future Reinette's voice flooded the corridor, Reinette looked around.
"That's my voice." She stated, slightly hysterical.
"Rose, come on. We've got to go. There's, there's a problem." Mickey said. Rose turned to him.
"Give me a moment." She insisted. Mickey nodded and left. Rose slowly walked over to us.
"You okay?" She asked Reinette.
"No, I'm very afraid. But you and I both know, don't we, Rose, the Doctor is worth the monsters." She said, calming down. I squeezed her hand again. She turned to me and gave me one last hug before disappearing behind the tapestry.
"Doctor! Doctor!" Future Reinette's voice sounded again. Rose turned to run after Mickey.
"You coming?" She asked. I nodded.
"Yeah, just a moment." She nodded and headed off down the corridor. I turned and went through the tapestry.
It was daylight. I figured that a couple of hours had passed since when Rose had talked to her in the show, it was night. Not sure where to start looking for Reinette, I started down the hall towards her chambers. I was almost to the end of the hall when the clacking of heals sounded. Around the corned came Catherine. She froze at the sight of me. A moment later, tears filled her eyes and she rushed towards me, pulling me into a hug.
"Carli! Oh, thank the Lord you are alright! No one has seen you since the ball and you had left with that man. We were so worried!" She exclaimed. I hugged her back.
"I'm alright. I'm sorry that I've worried you. I didn't mean to do that," I explained rubbing her back. After a moment or so, I pulled back. "I'm looking for Reinette. Do you know where she is?" I asked. She nodded.
"She's out on the grounds reading. I'll take you there," She replied. She linked our arms together and led me out onto the palace grounds. We walked mostly in silence, only talking occasionally about what happened while I was gone. We finally arrived and I could see Reinette sitting on a bench in the shade. I hugged Catherine in thanks and headed over. Reinette looked up when she heard me approaching.
"Carli!" She exclaimed. He put down her book and embraced me. "It has been a long time."
"How long has it been?" I asked confused. I thought maybe only a few hours had passed.
"It has been five years since I last saw you," she explained. I gaped at her in shock. "My birthday is in 5 months."
"But I stepped through seconds after you," I said in shock. Her eyebrows furrowed, but she shook her head.
"It matters not. I have something much more important to tell you." She gestured to the bench and we both sat down. I looked at her confused.
"What is it?" I asked.
"When you disappeared after the ball, the strangest and I believe the most horrific thing happened." My eyes widened in concern.
"What happened? Is everyone okay?" She nodded.
"Yes everyone was fine. We... every memory e had of you disappeared. It was as if you had never existed." She said sadly. "I only remembered again when I saw you on the ship and again when you walked up." I gaped in shock and horror.
"What?" I asked weakly. She pulled me into her arms. "How could I have just been...erased from all of your minds?!" She shushed me.
"I do not know, but it happened." She said. I leaned back and looked at her. "I worry that it will happen again but I fear there is nothing that can be done."
"We don't know that," I said. She smiled sadly at me.
"I do hope that this will not continue. For now, I believe you should return to the Doctor's world and help him," she said. I made to protest but she stopped me. "I will see you in five months, right?" I nodded. She smiled. "You being there will be enough of a present. Now hurry before it's too late." She pulled me up and hugged me.
"I'll see you soon," I mumbled into her shoulder.
"See you soon," She agreed. I stepped back and waved goodbye before heading back into the palace and in through the tapestry.
I walked down the corridor trying to remember where they were. I was about to call out when I heard Rose.
"You found it, then?" She asked. Sighing in relief, I followed the voice until I arrived in the room with the last time window.
"They knew I was coming. They blocked it off." Ten said running about. On the wall was a screen that showed the chaos occurring in Versailles.
"I don't get it. How come they got in there?" Rose asked, looking confused at the screen.
"They teleported. You saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short range teleports will do the trick." Ten replied as he used his sonic screwdriver on the console.
"Well, we'll go in the Tardis!" She reasoned.
"We can't use the Tardis. We're part of events now." Ten explained. I furrowed my eyebrows. What does being part of events have to do with using the TARDIS? Would it be like when the Master came back to life and as the Doctor traveled there, it was happening simultaneously?
"Well, can't we just smash through?" Mickey asked.
"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck." Ten replied running about. I stepped out of the way when he almost ran into me. He paused for a second, looking at me in confusion before he continued on.
"We don't have a truck," Mickey stated the obvious.
"I know we don't have a truck!" Ten shouted, frantic.
"Well, we've got to try something." I smiled at Rose. She always cared about others. Even if they made her jealous.
"No. Smash the glass, smash the time window. There'd be no way back." He explained, a grave look on his face.
"Could everyone just calm down? Please." We all turned and saw Reinette on the screen. We watched as she calmed the panicking members of the court and talk with the droids. When she was forced to her knees, I turned towards Ten and saw he had made his decision. He rushed out of the room and returned on Arthur. He was about to urge him towards the screen when I held out my hand. He looked at me confused.
"She is my friend. I need to be there for her," I stated. After a second of deliberation, he nodded and hauled me up behind him. I looked at Rose and Mickey. "Be back soon!" I smiled at them. Then, we were off, galloping towards the portal. Arthur neighed as we got closer and soon enough, we were jumping through the glass and landing in the middle of the fray at the palace. We slowed to a stop and Ten dismounted and then helped me down. He turned to Reinette and grinned.
"Madame de Pompadour. You look younger every day." He said. She smiled at him.
"What the hell is going on?" The king exclaimed.
"Oh. This is my lover, the King of France." Reinette explained pointing at him.
"Hi Louis," I said waving. He looked at me, eyes widening for a moment before he nodded in acknowledgment.
"Yeah? Well, I'm the Lord of Time, and I'm here to fix the clock." Ten said as he walked up to one of the droids. He ripped off its mask and everyone around us gasped. It reached up and pointed its blade at him.
"Forget it. It's over. For you and for me." He said looking up at the smashed mirror. Now, instead of the ship, there was a brick wall. "Talk about seven years bad luck. Try three thousand." It creaked and, I assumed, looked at the wall as well. It tried pressing the device on its wrist only for nothing to happen.
"The link with the ship is broken. No way back. You don't have the parts. How many ticks left in that clockwork heart, huh? A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up." As if realizing their defeat, they all wound down and stopped working. One of them fell over and shattered on the ground. some of the women in the crowd cried out in shock. I ran over to Reinette and helped her up. She smiled at me in thanks. Ten ran over and stood next to me.
"You all right?" He asked her.
"What's happened to them?" She asked, looking at the droids.
"They've stopped. They have no purpose now." He said, looking sadly at the broken mirror. I took his hand and squeezed it in comfort.
A while later, we found ourselves at a window in Reinette's chambers. We were all looking up at the stars that glowed across the night sky. I never got tired of seeing the stars like this, before light pollution made it next to impossible to see them.
"You know all their names, don't you?" Reinette suddenly asked. We turned to look at her. "I saw that in your mind. The name of every star."
"What's in a name? Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything." Hew said. I snorted thinking of all the times he confused people with his 'name'.
"Like the Doctor." She teased.
"Like Madame de Pompadour." He shot back, taking a sip of his wine.
"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think." She said wistfully, looking out at the sky.
"From time to time." He responded. She looked at him sadly.
"In saving me, you trapped yourself. Did you know that would happen?" She asked.
"Mmm. Pretty much." He said, looking back at her.
"Yet, still you came." She said with a smile.
"Yeah, I did, didn't I? Catch me doing that again." He said with a smirk.
"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" She asked, trying to make him feel better.
"When the mirror broke, the shock would have severed all the links with the ship. There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid, wherever there was a time window." His head snapped towards her. "I'll, I'll pay for any damage. Er, that's a thought, I'm going to need money. I was always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?" He stammered, completely out of his comfort zone.
"So, here you are, my lonely angel, stuck on the slow path with me." She said with a small smile.
"Yep, the slow path. Here's to the slow path." He said lifting his glass. We both raised ours in response and took a sip.
"It's a pity. I think I would've enjoyed the slow path." She said quietly, looking at the ground.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Ten replied. She raised her eyebrows and smirked.
"Oh, aren't you? Take my hand." She said putting down her goblet. We grabbed her hands and, with a resigned sort of sigh, led us from the room into her bedroom.
"It's not a copy, it's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail." She said, looking at the fireplace behind her bed.
"The fireplace. The fireplace from your bedroom. When did you do this?" He asked as he approached it. We followed behind him.
"Many years ago, in the hope that a door once opened, may someday open again. One never quite knows when one needs one's Doctor. It appears undamaged. Do you think it will still work?" She asked as we stopped next to him.
"You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it, which means it was offline when the mirror broke. That's what saved it." His thinking face appeared. "But the link is basically physical, and it's still physically here. Which might just mean, if I'm lucky. If I'm very, very, very, very, very, very lucky." He said, knocking on parts of the wood.
"Ah ha!" He suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Reinette asked.
"Loose connection." He replied, excited. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and used it on the fireplace. "Need to get a man in." He banged on the top of it and a loud clunk sounded from within.
"Wish me luck!" He said, activating it.
"No." She replied, squeezing my hand. The fireplace turned, taking a confused Doctor with it. Seconds later, his voice called from it.
"Madame de Pompadour! Still want to see those stars?" He called out. We knelt in front of the fireplace and saw him through the flames.
"More than anything." She replied, smiling.
"Give me two minutes. Pack a bag." He replied, grinning.
"Am I going somewhere?" She asked, bemused.
"Go to the window. Pick a star, any star." He said. Then he got up and disappeared. Reinette grabbed my hand and ran to the window. She looked around for a moment before pointing at a star.
"Which one is that?" She asked, pointing at one. I followed her finger and tried to decipher what one she was pointing at.
"I believe...that one is Sirius, the Dog Star," I replied. She grinned at me and nodded excitedly.
"That one, then." She stated. We then sat down on the couch and waited for the Doctor to return. Two minutes passed. Then twenty. Then two hours. Wondering where he could be, I stood.
"Where are you going?" Reinette asked. I smiled at her.
"I'm just going to see where that idiot has gone. I'll be back in a sec." She nodded and I went over to the fireplace, activated it, and entered the ship. I felt like I was forgetting something, but I shrugged off the feeling as Ten ran into the room.
"What are you doing here?" He asked me. I looked at him concerned.
"I came to get you. You've been gone for two hours," I replied. He looked at me in shock.
"I've only been gone a minute!" He exclaimed. Now concerned, we went back to the fireplace and reentered Versailles.
"Reinette? You there, Reinette?" Ten called out. I looked around the room. Something was off. The room seemed colder and darker. The rain was pouring outside. We looked at each other in confusion before leaving the room.
"Reinette?" He called again. We turned a corner only to run into the king. "Oh, hello."
"You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six." He said. I froze in horror. No. Please no.
"Ah." Ten said, not understanding. The king looked at us and stepped away from the window in shocked awe.
"Good Lord. She was right. She said you never looked a day older. So many years since I saw you last, but not a day of it on your face. And you, Carli! You look the same as you did before you disappeared from the Yew Tree ball all those years ago." He said. I didn't respond, tears beginning to fall down my face. I walked over the window and looked out at the carriage that sat on the road outside. My hand flew to my mouth as a strangled sob escaped. I could hear the king behind me opening and closing a drawer.
"She spoke of you many times. Often wished you'd visit again. You know how women are." He said. A moment or so later, the king stood next to me.
"There she goes." He whispered. We watched as the hearse began to drive away.
"Leaving Versailles for the last time." Ten walked up next to us. "Only forty-three when she died. Too young. Too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard. What does she say?" He asked Ten. He didn't respond, only put the letter in his coat.
"Of course. Quite right." He said. He turned to me. "She left this for you as well." He held out a rectangular package. I took it quietly. He nodded. "It was good to see you again, Carli. Even though it is during such a sad time." He turned to look back out the window.
Ten quietly took my arm and led me back through the fireplace, through the ship, and into the TARDIS. Rose and Mickey were waiting for us. I walked past them and sat on the captain's chair, in shock.
"Why her? Why did they think they could repair the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?" Rose asked.
"We'll probably never know. There was massive damage in the computer memory banks. It probably got confused. The Tardis can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble." he said, fiddling with the controls.
"It was the name," I said quietly. They turned and looked at me.
"What?" Mickey asked. I looked up.
"The ship. It was called the S.S. Madame de...Madame de Pompadour. That's why." I said, my bottom lip trembling. I stared off at a random corner in the room, trying to fight off tears. After a moment of silence, they continued.
"Are you all right?" Rose asked Ten. I didn't take any offense that she only asked him. It was quite obvious that I wasn't okay.
"I'm always all right." He dismissed. Sensing that he wasn't going to say anymore, Mickey grabbed Rose's arm.
"Come on, Rose. It's time you showed me around the rest of this place." They were soon gone. We sat in silence for a moment, listening to the TARDIS' humming before Ten broke it.
"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked. I didn't answer. How could I say that I forgot that my close friend was going to die? Everything had been going so well that it slipped my mind. He sighed. A moment later, his hand was held out in front of my face. I looked down and saw the four blue capsules that were my meds and a cup of water. Nodding in thanks, I grabbed it and took my meds for the first time in half a year. He then held out a hand again. I looked at him confused.
"I'll take you to your room. I figured since you were so new, you've not been yet." Nodding in thanks, I took his hand and he led me further into the ship. We stopped in front of a purple door. "Here we are." I looked at him for a moment before hugging him. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. We stood like that for a minute before I pulled away, gave him a watery smile, and then entered the room.
When I entered, a dim light came on illuminating the room in a warm yellow light. I walked straight to the bed and lied down, breaking into sobs. This went on for what felt like hours before my eyes ran dry. I turned and looked over at the package that I had placed next to me. Grabbing it, I ripped it open and spilled the contents out onto the bed. Out came a letter and a rolled up canvas sheet. I opened the letter first.
My dearest Carli,
Even though I was older than you by quite a few years, I had come to consider you to be a very close and personal friend in the time we've known each other. Ever since I discovered you on the palace grounds, we've bonded in a way that words cannot describe. I do wish we had seen the stars together, but I fear it may be getting too late. I'm becoming quite weak now and feel as if I don't have much time left on this world. I am glad that I was able to see you one last time. You are currently with me as I write this letter. I have missed you dearly and am most grateful I was able to be with you before my time comes. With this letter, I have concealed a painting. It is a painting of you, Catherine, and I that day when we lounged on the grounds having a picnic. I had the painter paint two copies of it so that we may all have it to cherish. I will miss you terribly when you leave. I hope you do not grieve for me when I pass on. I do not wish for you to become a shell of yourself. Know that you will always hold a place in my heart as I hope you have done as well. Godspeed, Carli. Travel the stars and remember me.
With Love,
Reinette.
I placed the letter back onto the bed and unraveled the painting. I smiled sadly at the intricately pained image of the three of us under a tree laughing. I lied back down clutching the painting to my chest and fell into a restless sleep.
3rd POV:
The Doctor stood in front of the console for a minute before opening the letter.
"My dear Doctor,
The path has never seemed more slow, and yet I fear I am nearing its end. Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again, but I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, and know that all things are possible. Hurry though, my love. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak.
God speed, my lonely angel.
Post scriptum. I thought you should know. When Carli is gone, we all forget about her, as if she never existed. But then as soon as we see her again, we remember. I hope it is nothing to worry about, but I felt the need to inform you of this situation."
The Doctor narrowed his eyes at that. It had been plaguing him since they first met. For the same happened with him. He looked and saw the fireplace was on the scanner. He flipped a switch and turned off the fire. He then set the TARDIS to enter the time vortex and went off the bed, drained from the events of the day.
Fucking. Finally. Again, I am deeply sorry for what happened. However, now it is reposted after a week of rewriting and rewriting what I rewrote when it didn't save. Anyways, I'm working on the next chapter now so hopefully, that will be up soon. Until then, I hope you liked this one for those who haven't read it yet. Please comment! I love getting feedback of any form. It helps me to know what I did that was good and what you feel needs improvement. Until next time!
~Percabeth Jackson
