Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who. Why not? . Thanks for the reads and reviews. I have to make some disclaimers for this chapter and possibly from here on out. The biggest one is wibbly wobbly timey wimey. If you have a question, that's probably the answer along with "I'll explain later." We've all seen The Curse of the Fatal Death, right? If not, you should. It's awesome. Go to YouTube right now! Second, I make no claims at historical accuracy. Everything I know about Madame de Pompadour and Casanova comes from TV and Wikipedia. Then I might have seen some things on Wikipedia and disregarded them because I would have had problems if people didn't speak English. So, don't try to pass any exams with what's in here. Third, I don't speak or write French, so the French in here is taken straight from the Internet, so if it sounds stupid to actual French speakers, that's why. I know those things come out weird sometimes. Happy reading!

Rose Tyler had landed somewhere. She wasn't sure where. It didn't matter because the Doctor wasn't with her. Where had it gone wrong?

She found herself sitting on the marble steps of some ancient building and crying. This new mode of travel was so hard to understand, she felt as if her head was being stepped on by a herd of elephants every time she tried to think about it. She couldn't even remember exactly how it had happened. One moment she was on the other Doctor's TARDIS...

What had she been doing on the other Doctor's TARDIS?

"What's wrong, Rose?"

Rose looked up surprised to see Madame Kovarian standing over her.

"How did you get here?," she asked. She thought she saw something behind Kovarian but then shook her head. "Sorry. What was I saying?"

Kovarian sat down next to her. "What's happened?"

Rose shook her head. "He doesn't want me anymore."

"Pretty little thing like you. How can that be true?"

"He yelled at me. He was really cross. I think he loves Donna. He must. I don't know why I haven't seen it before." Rose took a breath, briefly assessing her own behavior. She felt a sudden panic. "Oh, my God. What did I do to those children? Where are they?"

Rose thought she saw something moving and for a moment she thought she could see a terrifying face. She looked away, back at Kovarian and found herself drawing a blank. The panic had disappeared.

"Sorry, what did you say?," she asked Kovarian.

"I was just saying you should go back further, to a point that might change things. Back to Shan Shen."

"Shan Shen?," asked Rose. "What? The Time Beetle universe? I can't go back, it's a collapsed universe. The Doctor said so."

"There are ways," said Kovarian. She smiled severely. "Time can be rewritten."

The Doctor ran through the streets of Barcelona and River followed. He searched everywhere for Lydia, as the people of Barcelona awoke from their afternoon siesta it became increasingly difficult to locate anyone.

"I've completely lost her," said the Doctor.

River took out her diary. "Diary time."

"I'm sort of busy," said the Doctor.

"Sorry, your rules. Spoilers. Have we done the Santorium?"

"No!"

"The Valtrexian Cascade?"

"No!"

"What have we done then?," River asked with some frustration.

"You were at a U2 concert and we looked for the Forever Fountain!"

"Really?," asked River. She put up the diary. "Something to look forward to. What's going on? Where's Donna?"

"You know Donna?"

River rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know Donna. Where is she?"

"I don't know. Rose came and did something, some kind of remote vortex manipulator. After we find Lydia, we have to get back to the TARDIS and look for her."

"You lost the TARDIS as well?"

The Doctor turned to look at her. "It's not as if I did it on purpose!"

"Well, I would hope it wasn't on purpose!," she said following him up yet another cobblestone path. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh, he admits it!"

"Look, just help me find her."

"Who is she? Is she one of your children?"

"No, well, no, oh, not exactly. She belongs to another Doctor in another universe."

"So, you've lost someone else's child?"

"Yes, you could say that." He turned around. "You mentioned Silence last time."

River shook her head. "I don't know what you mean."

"Do you really not know what I mean or are you just saying you don't know what you mean? I mean what I mean."

"I don't know what you mean."

The Doctor groaned. "This is getting complicated. Look, if you do, the Silence are after the girls. They need one of them for something. I think Chloe must be safe, she's still in the TARDIS. Zara and Georgiana are with Donna but I don't know where Rose sent them, but she is working with the Silence."

"Oh, former companion's come back to haunt you then?"

The Doctor tilted his head. "You know about Rose?"

River sighed. "Oh, sweetie, everyone knows about Rose."

"That figures," said the Doctor, turning to continue up the path. "Anyway, I made a mistake. I lost my temper with her."

"Surprised you didn't lose your temper earlier."

"I shouldn't have. I let loose every thing I ever thought about her and she left me here and wouldn't tell me what's happened to Donna. I said..."

"What?," asked River.

"I said I had never loved her."

River snorted. "I suppose she wouldn't take that well." She was quiet a moment as she followed the Doctor up another path. "Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Did you ever love her?"

The Doctor looked around helplessly. "There's got to be some better way of doing this. Lydia!"

"Oh, shouting will be much more efficient."

He cast her a glare. "Have you got anything useful?"

"You mean besides the vortex manipulator?"

"Lydia!," the Doctor shouted, setting off to run again.

River rolled her eyes and followed him.

Donna spent the rest of the carriage ride trying to get Casanova to change his mind. Versailles was the absolute last place she needed to go and she was pretty sure they didn't want her as even the staff sneered at her as she dragged Zara and Georgiana along. Casanova talked and talked in French as Donna followed helplessly and they were eventually shown into a grand salon where a few well-dressed women sat and laughed.

"Monsieur Casanova, Marquise de Seingalt," announced the majordomo of the court of Versailles.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Donna said. She looked down at Zara and Georgiana as she held their hands. They were tired and confused and ready to go home, unaware of how far away home now was.

"Of course it is," said Casanova. "She will only be too happy to help."

"You don't understand it, there's time lines, they can't cross over-" Donna said urgently.

"Monsieur Casanova," a woman finally said.

Donna turned to see a lovely blonde woman in an ornate gown. Casanova greeted her and kissed her hand.

"Madame de Pompadour," said Casanova.

"Damn," said Donna. She had really been hoping she would be ugly. So much for that!

"Signor Casanova," she said with a smile. She looked at Donna. "Qui es votre bel ami?"

"Je crois qu'elle peut bientôt être une amie à vous. Vous avez le cercle de connaissances de son mari."

"Je suis mis au courant de beaucoup de messieurs. Qui est votre mari, Madame?," said Madame de Pompadour looking at Donna.

It was the first time in her life French might have actually been useful.

Casanova again turned to the Marquess. "Pardonnez-la, elle parle seulement anglais. Son mari est le compte de TARDIS."

Madame de Pompadour's eyes widened in recognition as she stared at Donna. "I have only heard that name once before," she said in English.

"Yeah," said Donna. Damn. Damn. Damn.

She walked closer, smiling. "By your enthusiasm, I can tell that the Doctor has spoken to you of me."

"Just a little," said Donna.

"Will the Doctor be joining us?," she asked, trying to mask her anticipation

"No, see, I'm sort of lost." She motioned at the muddy clothes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pop in on you like this. I definitely meant to dress up for the occasion."

She tilted her head in confusion and graciously ignored half of what Donna had said. "How does one become lost in such a way?"

Donna scoffed. "Do you know Rose Tyler?"

She nodded understandingly. "Briefly."

"What has happened?," asked Casanova.

Madame de Pompadour turned. "The Countess' husband is in fact a time traveler from a far away world. I have known him since I was seven years old. He saved my life." She looked back at Donna. "What is your name?"

"Donna."

"Donna. You must call me Reinette. We shall not stand on ceremony since we are already so well acquainted," she said with a smile. She looked down at the girls. "Who are these little treasures?"

"This is Zara and Georgiana."

"What lovely names for two such lovely girls."

"I want Daddy," said Zara.

Madame de Pompadour nodded soberly. "Of course you do. We will see what can be done, but first we shall have some tea and change you out of those clothes."

Zara looked up at Donna.

"It's alright, sweetheart."

Georgiana brushed her hand over the fabric of Reinette's skirt. "Pretty."

Reinette smiled. "Thank you. Shall we go?"

Reinette insisted they change clothes. Donna had to admit they did look pretty bad having fallen through time and into a mud pit. This meant getting back into not only the dreaded corset, but some sort of underskirt and petticoats. It was all a bit much considering she still had only given birth a week ago in five thousand years or so. She came out to a reception room where Casanova and Reinette were having tea with Zara and Georgiana.

"Countess," said Casanova, "you look lovely."

Donna very carefully tried to sit. She looked at Zara and Georgiana in their fine new French dresses. She looked at Reinette.

"How did you get them dressed? Zara never wants to put on dresses."

"She was a perfect angel for me," said Reinette. "These clothes belonged to my daughter. I shall have some new things made for them by my dressmaker."

Donna shook her head. "You don't have to do that."

"I am delighted to do it," said Reinette. "So, you will have to tell us how you found yourself here. You said Rose has done it, but how?"

"Who is Rose?," asked Casanova.

"The Doctor's friend," Reinette answered tartly.

"So, you've met her then?," asked Donna.

Reinette nodded. "Her jealous nature would be apparent to anyone except the Doctor."

Donna snorted. "You can say that again."

"The poor man is daft at times," said Reinette. "He should count himself as fortunate that he has you to look after him."

Donna stiffened at the compliment. "She's working with these people called the Silence and all we know about them is they want to take one of the girls for something."

"How horrifying," said Reinette.

"So, you travelled from the future to here?," asked Casanova. "How was this accomplished?"

Donna shook her head. "I don't know."

"Then you do not have the means to travel back?," he asked.

"No. I just have to wait, I suppose."

Reinette nodded sympathetically. "Waiting for the Doctor. That is something I am quite familiar with. No matter, we shall pass the time together. You shall wait here at Versailles."

"Oh, I couldn't," said Donna.

"You could come home with me," said Casanova.

"Yeah, not happening, sunshine," said Donna.

"Well, you must stay somewhere," said Reinette, "and I insist that it be here. There are rooms next to mine and they shall be at your disposal. Besides, the palace is guarded enough to keep the girls safe."

"Palace? Prince?," asked Zara.

Donna shook her head. "Yeah, she's got this Disney obsession right now. Actually, her father has."

"Disney?," asked Casanova.

"Right, forget I said that," said Donna. "Cinderella? Do you have Cinderella? That Drew Barrymore film was about this time, wasn't it? Oh, God, now I mentioned Drew Barrymore. Do not tell anyone about Drew Barrymore."

"Cinderella. Of course. I read that story when I was a girl," Reinette said smiling. "We have the dauphin, Zara. His name is Louis, but he already has a wife and so I think he is not for you."

"If you are here and this is your past, how will your husband find you?," asked Casanova.

Donna shrugged. "I don't know."

"You mustn't worry," said Reinette.

"No, don't worry at all," said Casanova. "I'll sort it. I'm a genius."

Reinette was off to have supper at a banquet with the king and Casanova was off, promising his genius would save the day. Donna was relieved to be given a wide berth. The most she knew about Madame de Pompadour was that sad letter she had found in the Doctor's wardrobe that day that seemed so long ago. She had never been able to get much more out of him, just that she was brilliant and they were never able to travel together because he arrived too late. She had read the biography, but that did nothing to prepare her for meeting the real person. She gave Zara and Georgiana a bath and had them in nightgowns, more from Reinette's daughter. She changed herself as they jumped on the bed.

"That's enough, girls," said Donna, steadying them. "I don't want you two hurting yourselves."

There was a knock at the door. "Donna?"

"Yes?"

"May I come in?"

"Yes."

Reinette came in. She was even prettier than before with an even more ornate gown and bedecked with jewels. She smiled at Zara and Georgiana. "Still awake, are we?"

"Daddy story," said Zara.

"Their dad always tells them a story," said Donna.

"Ah," said Reinette. She looked at Donna. "I wanted to make sure you had what you need."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Are you certain you do not want your own chamber?," asked Reinette. "I cannot imagine these two allowing you much rest. I can send for a nurse."

"No," said Donna. "We'll be fine."

Reinette sat down on one of the sofas. "I cannot imagine being up and about so soon after having given birth. I loved my laying in."

Donna snorted. "Laying in. That sounds fun." She looked back at Reinette. "The Doctor never mentioned you had children."

Her smile faded quickly. "No, he would not have. They died."

"They? More than one?"

"My son was only a year old when he died. My daughter, ma Fanfan, She fell ill when she was ten. She was away at the convent in Paris."

Donna finally realized what the Doctor and Reinette had in common: they were kindred spirits. They had both lost so much.

"I'm sorry," said Donna.

"You are puzzled by me, I think," said Reinette.

"Yeah, see, up until recently my experience with my husband's exes has been negative. Like really negative. Like I just ended up in the eighteenth century, no offense."

Reinette took a breath. "I have loved the Doctor since I was a girl. I held no illusions that we would be together forever, though I would have preferred more time, but I have my duties here and he has his. I have seen inside his mind and I know how lonely his life has been. I would not wish that upon him for the sake of my own vanity. Monsieur Casanova told me of your earlier meeting."

"We just met briefly."

"He spoke of a man who was so in love with his wife he refused the advances of three very lovely sisters and would not have noticed had Venice dropped into the sea so long as his wife's feet remained dry."

"It was just a minute."

"Oh, but Monsieur Casanova is an expert in women and love and knows when a man is in love. If he says the Doctor is in love, I believe him. I also have the proof of it before my eyes," she finished smiling at the girls. "Two such happy girls must come from a home where they are loved by those who love one another."

Donna froze. "You're making it really hard to dislike you."

Reinette laughed. "So are you."

"Story," said Zara.

"Story," pleaded Georgiana.

"Okay," said Donna smiling. "Maybe Reinette would like to hear the story of the bride who disappeared on her wedding day?"

"I think I would," said Reinette. "I trust there is a mysterious man with mad hair involved."

"As a matter of fact there is," said Donna.