And here's another last minute change! Decided to throw this episode in literally just as I finished the last chapter. Because of that, I ended up delaying the post again. I'm sorry.
The next three are planned, but... I might throw in another extra chapter or two after that before I finish the saga.
Anyways, let's get to it!
Disclaimer (since I haven't put it in in a while): I don't own Doctor Who or its original characters. I can only take credit for Ember, her actions and how it effects the story.
Chapter Twenty Two: The Girl in The Fireplace
The next place Ember ended up was what looked like a spaceship, judging from the vibrations beneath her feet and the fact that the elements felt less in effect; something she'd noticed from previous adventures that involved being in space or not on a natural planet. The brunette looked around, noticing pieces of equipment or tools were scattered around, like someone was in the middle of repair work.
Then she realised she could smell something odd. It was like something... burning, but it wasn't fire...
She was broken from the thought when there was a low hum and the lights came on, followed not long after by a clang, like someone had dropped something, coming from the end of the corridor she was in, and then voices. Following the sounds, Ember soon reached what might have been the engine room, but it was a mess. She quickly noticed that she was no longer alone, and they weren't strangers.
"Where'd all the crew go?" That was Rose. Ember peeked around the corner to spot the Tardis and Mickey just to the side.
"Good question." The voice of the Tenth Doctor was a welcome one. "No life readings on-wait, there's one. And it's close."
"I'm assuming that would be me." Ember said, making the Doctor, Rose and Mickey jump slightly as they turned to face her.
"You scared us half to death!" Rose laughed as the brunette approached. "How long have you been here?"
Ember shrugged. "Not for long. I just came from our first adventure together. Attack of the Killer Dummies, and a plastic Mickey."
The Doctor grinned. "I thought I recognised those shorts."
That made the brunette pause, a light blush crossing her face as she self-consciously tugged the edge of her shorts down, though it didn't make a difference. The shorts reached mid-thigh and she was wearing leggings, so she had no reason to be embarrassed, but that comment and the way he was glancing at her legs...
The Doctor, suddenly realising that he was in fact staring, turned away while clearing his throat, looking at the screens on the console in front of him. "Anyway, other than us, there's no one else in this ship."
"Well, we're in deep space." Rose said, a slight smirk on her face from what she'd seen, but she was thankfully letting it go. "They didn't just nip out for a quick fag."
"No, I've checked all the smoking pods." The Doctor suddenly sniffed. "Can you smell that?"
"Yeah, someone's cooking."
"Sunday roast, definitely." Mickey added.
"You're bang on," Ember suddenly felt sick. Now she knew where they were, and what exactly was causing that smell. Well, Sunday roast was now officially on that list of meals she won't eat now. With the way this was going, she was gonna end up a vegan for sure.
The Doctor messed with the console a bit more before he did something that opened a door on the far side of the room. The four of them curiously approached the new room and stepped in, finding an empty room with one odd feature: one wall was panelled like one would expect in a normal room, and had an ornate fireplace. There was a ormolu clock on the mantelpiece above the fixture and a fire burning in the hearth.
"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship." The Doctor said, moving to examine the fixture. "Eighteenth century. French. Nice mantle. Not a hologram. It's not even a reproduction. This actually is an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double sided. There's another room through there."
Rose looked out of the window that was next to the panel in the same wall, only to see no room. "There can't be. That's the outer hull of the ship. Look."
The Doctor was about to comment when Ember suddenly said "Hello", making him look to find her sat cross-legged in front of the fire and looking into the hearth. He crouched beside her to look for himself, and found a little girl sitting in the room beyond the fireplace. She was kneeling by the fire, puzzled but surprisingly not afraid of the sudden appearance of two people in her fireplace. "Oh. Hello."
"Hello." The girl replied.
"What's your name?" The Doctor asked, ignoring Mickey and Rose as they peek in from the sides.
"Reinette."
"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?"
"In my bedroom."
The Doctor smirked at the simple reply. "And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"
"Paris, of course." The little girl said like they should have known.
"Paris, right!"
"Monsieur, Mademoiselle, what are you doing in my fireplace?"
Ember blinked. "Fires are my specialty, Reinette. I make sure they stay in the fireplace and keep you warm and safe."
"Yeah, it's just a routine fire check." The Doctor added. "Can you tell me what year it is?"
"Of course I can." Reinette said proudly. "Seventeen hundred and twenty seven."
"Right, lovely. One of my favourites. August is rubbish though. Stay indoors. Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night, night."
"Goodnight Monsieur, Mademoiselle."
The Doctor stood, gently guiding Ember up with him, as Mickey spoke. "You said this was the fifty first century."
"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole." The Doctor looked thoughtful. "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
"What's that?"
"No idea. Just made it up."
Ember laughed. "Is it that bad to say 'magic door'? You've got a magic box as far as some people are concerned."
Rose giggled as well. "And on the other side of the 'magic door' is France in 1727?"
"Well, she was speaking French." The Doctor shrugged as he took off his trench coat and tossed it aside before he moved to the side of the fireplace, Ember staying close to him. "Right period French, too."
Now Mickey looked puzzled. "She was speaking English, I heard her."
"That's the Tardis. Translates for you." Rose explained. "Ember told me its kinda like have a pocket translator in your head."
"Even French?"
"Yeah."
"Gotcha!" The Doctor suddenly cheered, finding a switch. The whole fireplace lurched and began to spin on the spot, Ember only having a moment to get on the same side as the Time Lord as it turned exactly 180 degrees. When it stilled, they found themselves in what looked like a lavish bedroom on Earth, obviously belonging to a child as evidenced by the doll house, rocking horse and child-sized furniture. The Doctor glanced out of the window to see snow falling, and the room was dark.
On the bed at the far end of the room, there was a small form under the blankets that suddenly sat up to reveal the little girl they'd just spoken to. She gasped as she saw the silhouettes of two people in her bedroom.
"It's okay. Don't scream. It's me. It's the Fireplace Man. Look." The Doctor quickly used his Sonic to light a nearby candelabra to illuminate the room. "And Firegirl. We were talking just a moment ago. We were in your fireplace."
Reinette had relaxed once she recognised them, but then she frowned in puzzlement. "Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months."
"Really? Oh." The Doctor turned back to the fireplace to examine it. "Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in."
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
The Doctor turned to answer - his mind already coming up with some half-truth - when he saw Ember. What set him on edge was the way she was staring at something, and when he followed her gaze, he was almost face to face with the clock that was on the mantle over the fireplace; a broken clock that was not ticking. "Okay, that's scary..."
Reinette tilted her head. "You're scared of a broken clock?"
"Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit. Because, you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room..."
"What's ticking?" Ember finished, turning to look around the rest of the room. Though she already knew what it was and where.
The Doctor nodded as he listened. "Because, you see, that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. The size of a man."
Now Reinette was beginning to look scared. "What is it?"
"Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticked and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do, break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two? You might start to wonder if you're really alone." The Doctor traced the ticking sound to the bed, or rather under it. "Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge. Ember?"
The brunette either didn't need him to tell her or she didn't care if it was the opposite: she climbed onto the bed and pulled the young girl close. "Not getting past me."
The Doctor took out his Sonic again, slowly moving to kneel so he could look under the bed. He began to scan the area with the Sonic, but then something lunged out and knocked his hand away, making him jump back.
Reinette jumped and buried her face into Ember's stomach in fright. The brunette didn't stop her.
The Doctor, having looked back under the bed and saw feet on the other side, looked over at the other side of the bed, where there was a person stood. It wore clothes that suited a French aristocrat and a porcelain mask that might have looked good in drama, though it strangely suited the clothing it wore to match the era. "Reinette... Don't look round."
Ember shifted enough to look over her shoulder, glaring at the new arrival. She knew that the creature wouldn't hurt the child, but that didn't mean it had a right to scare her.
"You, stay exactly where you are." The Doctor told the newcomer as he stood. Then he looked thoughtful. "Hold still, let me look..." he knelt on the bed and gently held Reinette's head, staring deep into her eyes, and frowned at what he felt. "You've been scanning her brain! What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?"
"I don't understand. It wants me?" Reinette asked before turning to look at the quiet creature. She strangely didn't seem surprised, which gave the Time Lords the idea that she'd seen them before. "You want me?"
The newcomer tilted its head with a loud click before speaking in a robotic, male voice that was definitely not human. "Not yet. You are incomplete."
"Incomplete? What's that mean, incomplete?" The Doctor asked, but the robot didn't reply, so he stood and pointed his Sonic at it. "You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, incomplete?"
At the demand, the robot stiffly walked around the bed and held out its arm, where a blade suddenly appeared.
"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette gasped as Ember let her go and stood. "Mademoiselle!"
"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it." The Doctor said, evading the jabs and swings that the robot was doing and leading it back towards the fireplace. "Everyone has nightmares. Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?"
Ember got behind the robot, waiting for the right moment when it raised its blade before she pushed the robot firmly in the back, making it stumble forward. The Doctor quickly moved aside as the blade aimed for his head instead hit the mantelpiece, getting stuck in the solid wood.
"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette couldn't help but ask.
The Doctor got onto the side of the fireplace, Ember going to the other side, and hit the switch. "Us!"
The whole fireplace rotated again, bringing the Time Lords and the robot back into the spaceship, where Rose and Mickey were waiting.
"Doctor!" Rose cried.
Ember, being closer, grabbed what looked like a large tank with a tube attached and pointed it at the robot. Cold, white smoke shot out with a whoosh, engulfing the struggling robot, which slowed to a stop with bits of ice forming over it.
"Excellent!" Mickey cheered. "Ice gun!"
"Fire extinguisher." The Doctor corrected as Ember passed the tool to Rose. "Nice shot, Ember."
"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked.
"Here."
"So why is it dressed like that?" Mickey pointed at the robot.
"Got to look the part of you want to infiltrate." Ember replied.
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Field trip to France. Some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework, shame about the face." He reached out to remove the mask, only for the wig to come off as well, revealing a head-shaped glass dome with clockwork components inside. He was quick to gush over it as he put his glasses on. "Oh, you are beautiful! No, really, you are. You're gorgeous! Look at that. Space age clockwork, I love it! I've got chills!" He grinned at Ember before looking at the robot again, taking out his Sonic. "Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart, and, by the way, count those, it would be a crime, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you. But that won't stop me."
The droid moved then, stiffly pressing something on its arm and vanishing in a beam of light.
"Guess it didn't want to be taken apart," Ember muttered.
"Short range teleport." The Doctor said, pocketing the Sonic. "Can't have got far. Could still be on board."
"What is it?" Rose asked.
"Don't go looking for it!"
The blonde saw him go back to the fireplace. "Where're you going?"
"Back in a sec." The Doctor looked at Ember. "You coming?"
Ember made a face. "Don't wanna watch this bit, thanks."
The Doctor looked puzzled, but had already hit the switch so he couldn't ask. Once it had settled, Rose lifted the fire extinguisher, holding it like a gun.
"He said not to look for it." Mickey said, having noticed the move.
"Yeah, he did." Rose agreed, then waited. It took a few seconds for Mickey to catch on and grab the second extinguisher. "Now you're getting it."
Ember shook her head at the pair. "I'm only letting you go because I know you'll be safe. But keep your eyes and ears open, you got it? I'll wait here for the Doctor and we'll catch up."
"You're not coming with us?" Mickey asked.
"... I need a minute alone."
The humans seemed to sense that they were intruding, and quietly left to explore. Ember waited until they were gone and turned to go out of the room and into one of the adjacent corridors. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for; a white horse with bridle and saddle attached.
"Hey there," the brunette called gently. To her relief, the horse showed no fear or hostility, its hooves loud on the metal floor as it walked up to her and let her pet its nose. "Bet you're wondering what this place is."
Her thoughts drifted to the Doctor, knowing that right about now he was being snogged by Madame De Pompadour. To her surprise, the thought made an uncomfortable feeling ball up in her stomach; one she recognised as the beginnings of jealousy.
The question was: why? She'd seen this episode, so she knew it was coming. Hell, she was one of those fans who'd watched the scene and gone 'aww' or 'ooooh' at it. She'd had no problem with it then, so why was she bothered by it now?
Unless... it was because it wasn't a tv show anymore. These weren't actors playing a part or following a script. This was the real Madame De Pompadour, and... it was the real Doctor.
A very real Doctor that Ember was having increasing feelings for, even though she knew it couldn't lead to anything but heartbreak. He loved Rose, even if he wasn't ready or willing to admit it, and in his future he'd love and even marry River. All Ember was doing was setting herself up for pain by loving a man who wouldn't return her feelings.
"No," She thought to herself. "I won't deny that I feel this way, but that's it. He'll never know, and that's fine."
Even if it was going to hurt to see him around other women, she would bear it. He was worth it.
"Ember! Rose! Mickey!" The sudden shout made her jump, having been distracted by her thoughts that she'd missed the return of the very man that she was thinking about. The voice got louder as the owner approached. "Every time. Every time, it's rule one. Don't wander off. I tell them, I do! Rule one! There could be anything on this ship!"
The Doctor turned the corner into the corridor, only to stop as soon as he saw the horse. Ember smirked. "Like a horse. By the way, Doctor, that's not quite right. Rule One; the Doctor lies."
"Well, there are exceptions to the rule." The Doctor waved it off as he moved closer, only to blink at the brunette. "Why are you crying?"
Ember blinked, raising a hand to her face. He was right; her cheeks were damp with tears. "Oh, I didn't realise... sorry..."
The Doctor dug into his pocket and handed her a handkerchief to help clean herself up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ember said a little too quickly. She tried not to meet his gaze, but he simply waited, so she sighed. "Spoilers. But it's really nothing to worry about."
The Doctor moved closer, gently lifting her chin and making her look at him. "Really?"
Ember nodded. "Yeah." She expected him to push for more information or drop it altogether, but was surprised when he just kept looking at her, almost like he was trying to commit every detail into his brain. She found herself blushing despite her attempts to stop it when she noticed that his hand was still under her chin, though she had to be imagining the way his thumb was gently tracing her jaw...
The moment was suddenly broken by the horse, who neighed and nudged between them with its head. Ember was torn between feeling glad for the interruption and mentally cursing the timing.
The Doctor shot the horse a look as he saw Ember step back. He'd been so close, had almost gotten the brunette to lower those barriers she was known for putting up when she was anxious or upset, especially in the early days. He had a feeling he knew what she'd been thinking about, but the horse had to go and blow it for him. He was gonna have a word with it later.
Ember shook her head to get it back on track. She'd just told herself that she wasn't going to let her feelings get the better of her, and there she was, acting like a lovesick teenager! She needed to focus. "Um, right... we'd better, uh... go look for the others..."
Nodding, the Doctor decided to let it go for now. He'd noticed a small detail that told him exactly what point she was at right now, and he didn't want to risk setting things in motion too early. "Why'd you let them go off alone?"
"Because they'll be fine. The droids are busy, and they don't cross paths yet. Besides, someone needed to wait here for you."
The Doctor shrugged, knowing that Ember wouldn't have let the humans go alone if she knew there was danger. "And the horse?"
"He looks like an Arthur, don't you think?" Ember said, smiling when the horse nudged her with its nose. "Okay, come on. Let's go find our humans, shall we?"
The two of them and their equine friend walked around for a short while, though the Doctor didn't seem as fond of their third wheel as he'd been in the show. He walked slightly ahead as a result, letting Ember stay near the horse as it followed. Along the way, they found several mirrors and tapestries that were actually doorways to France, and all of them seemed to be in the same area with one thing in common: Reinette.
"Rose!" The Doctor called, only to turn when the horse neighed. "Will you stop following me? I'm not your mother." The horse neighed again, making him frown as it tried to nip his sleeve. "Oi, don't start."
Ember tilted her head. "What did he say?"
The Doctor looked at her, contemplating, before he replied. "He likes you. Says you smell nice."
"Oh?" Ember smiled, patting the horse on the snout again. "Can you tell us your name, boy?"
The horse made another sound, and the Doctor rolled his eyes with a smirk. "He says it doesn't matter. He likes the name you gave him better."
"Sometimes I think you're just making it up."
"Oi!"
Ember smiled again, glad that things hadn't gotten awkward after what had happened earlier. She could handle this. "Then again, some of the things you translate are too bizarre for you to make up."
The Doctor couldn't help a light laugh at that, but it was at that moment that he saw something out of the ordinary: wooden doors that were painted white. "So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?"
He pushed open the doors, allowing Ember to step out after him into what looked like a grand garden. The few people dotted around were dressed in French styles; the men in frilled coats and the ladies in wide dresses with parasols.
Ember spotted someone amoung the people and pat the Doctor on the arm to get his attention, making him turn to see Reinette, now an adult, talking a laughing with a dark skinned woman. They were too far away to hear exactly what was being said, but they could tell that the French woman was quite content. She did turn to look in their direction twice, prompting them the duck behind a large stone urn to avoid being seen. Soon enough, the women walked away.
Ember jumped as a man in black riding gear suddenly spoke from behind them. "Have you seen a horse?"
The Doctor turned to look at the man. "Well, uh..."
"Damn that animal," The man grumbled, pointing a whipping stick. "I'll whip it within an inch of its life as soon as I find it!"
"Oh, I wish you hadn't said that."
Ember smiled. "I think I saw a white horse being led off the grounds, sir."
The man grinned, nodding his thanks as he went on his way. The Doctor was making a face that could have been a pout as he turned to face the brunette. "Did he really have to say that?"
"Well, you could always... bring him back later?" Ember suggested.
The Doctor shrugged as he led them back through the doors they'd come through and back into the ship, where the horse had apparently decided to wait. He walked right up to the equine and spoke. "Right. Rule One: don't wander off." The horse neighed at him. "Rule Two; don't stare at Ember. Yes, I know, she's pretty, but it's rude to stare."
That made the brunette blink, taken aback. "Don't stare at me?"
"I've caught him staring."
Ember shook her head, deciding that it was better not to ask, and followed the Doctor through the corridors of the ship. Then the rest of what he'd said registered. "Pretty?"
The Doctor winced slightly, raising a hand to rub his ear in the way he did when he was caught out. "His words."
Somehow, she didn't quite believe that, but she decided not to get into it, though her face had a tinge of a blush across her cheeks that made the Doctor grin behind her back as they walked.
It wasn't long before they found Rose and Mickey, who were stood in front of a pair of floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out into a room. It turned out to be see-through on their side with a mirror on the other, as the man sprucing himself up on the other side seemed oblivious to the fact that people were watching him.
"Blimey, look at this guy." Mickey was saying, gesturing at the man. "Who does he think he is?"
"The King of France." The Doctor said as he and Ember reached the pair.
Rose glanced back. "Oh, here's trouble. What you been up to?"
"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man." The horse, who had stopped by the door, neighed. "Oh, and we met a horse."
"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked, taken aback by the animal.
"Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective." The Doctor looked at the mirror/window. "See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history." At that moment, Reinette entered the room on the other side of the window and curtsied to the king. "Hers. Time windows deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth. Why?"
Rose looked at the woman. "Who is she?"
"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette."
"Even the imaginary ones," Ember added.
The Doctor grinned at her before he resumed the explanation. "One of the most accomplished women who ever lived."
"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose asked.
"No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress."
"Oh, I get it." Rose grinned at Mickey, knowing he'd get the joke. "Camilla."
"I think this is the night they met." The Doctor mused as the king and his servants left the room and Reinette went to the mirror/window to check her appearance. "The night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time at flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace. Even her own title. Madame de Pompadour."
"The Queen must have loved her."
"Oh, she did. They get on very well."
Mickey blinked. "The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?"
"France. It's a different planet."
"Doctor, the clock," Ember said, drawing their attention to the only clock in the room, which was broken. She narrowed her eyes at the figure that was standing in the corner of the room with their back turned, just as Reinette turned and saw the same thing. She spoke, though it wasn't heard through the glass, and the figure turned to reveal another droid, though this one looked more feminine than the one before.
The Doctor acted quickly, grabbing the fire extinguisher that Mickey was holding before he pushed on the window, making it rotate and allow them to step through. "Hello, Reinette. Hasn't time flown?"
"Fireplace man!" Reinette gasped. She then saw Ember and her eyes widened. "Firegirl!"
Ember held her hand out, intending to use her newly harnessed power over wind to push the droid back a bit as it was too close, but she only got a throb to her head and no other result, making her cringe and step back.
The Doctor quickly sprayed the droid with the fire extinguisher before tossing it back to Mickey.
"What's it doing?" The young man asked as the droid began to twitch with a whirring sound.
"Switching back on. Melting the ice." The Doctor replied.
"And then what?"
"Then it kills everyone in the room."
Ember grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back as the droid lifted an arm and unsheathed a blade. "And that's why we step back!"
"But focuses the mind, doesn't it?" The Doctor shot her a cheeky wink before he faced the droid. "Who are you? Identify yourself." When he got no answer, he looked at Reinette. "Order it to answer me."
Reinette looked puzzled. "Why should it listen to me?"
"I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it."
"... Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you."
The droid lowered its weapon and spoke. "I am repair droid seven."
"What happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage."
"Ion storm. Eighty two percent systems failure."
"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?"
"We did not have the parts."
Mickey chuckled. "Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts."
"What's happened to the crew?" The Doctor asked. "Where are they?"
"We did not have the parts."
"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?"
"We did not have the parts."
"Fifty people don't just disappear!"
Ember put her hand on his arm. "Doctor. They didn't have the parts. They had to find new ones."
Now the Doctor got it, realisation dawning on his face. "Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."
"The crew?" Mickey repeated.
Rose had paled. "We found a camera with an eye in it, and there was a heart... wired in to machinery."
The Doctor frowned. "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?"
"Someone cooking... and Ember said that was bang on..."
"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque." The Doctor mused, sending an apologetic look toward Ember, who now had a nauseated expression on her face, before he looked at the droid. "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?"
"One more part is required." The droid turned its head with a loud click to look at Reinette.
The Doctor quickly caught on. "Then why haven't you taken it?"
"She is incomplete."
"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?"
Rose couldn't hold back the question any more. "Why her? You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her?"
"We are the same."
Reinette frowned, now insulted. "We are not the same. We are in no sense the same."
"We are the same."
"Get out of here. Get out of here this instant!"
"Reinette, no!" The Doctor tried to stop her, but was too late. The droid vanished in a beam of light. "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."
Rose blinked. "Arthur?"
"Good name for a horse."
"No, you're not keeping the horse!"
"I let you keep Mickey. Now go! Go! Go!" The Doctor urged them through the mirror back onto the ship and closed it behind them. "Ember, I need you to be look out, let us know if we get company."
"On it!" Ember nodded, running to the door.
The Doctor then moved to stand in front of 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."
Reinette was puzzled as the Doctor put his fingers on her temples and closed his eyes, but then she flinched as she felt it. "Fireplace man... you are inside my mind."
"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here..."
Ember glanced back at them before she moved a little further out of the room to give them some privacy while still being nearby in case she was called.
"You are in my memories." Reinette breathed, her eyes closed. "You walk among them."
"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..." The Doctor didn't see her impish grin. "You might want to cl-Oh, actually, several..."
"To walk among the memories of another living soul. Do you ever get used to this?"
"I don't make a habit of it."
"How can you resist?"
"What age are you?" The Doctor asked.
"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising."
"No, not my question, theirs. You're twenty three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough." Reinette flinched, and he got the wrong idea. "Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect."
"Oh, such a lonely childhood..."
"It'll pass. Stay with me."
"Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone..."
"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life-" The Doctor suddenly looked at her as what she'd said registered. "When did you start calling me Doctor?"
"Such a lonely little boy. Lonely then and lonelier now. How can you bear it?" Reinette murmured, then her brows raised in realisation. "Oh... because of her... she soothes the pain..."
The Doctor stepped back, breaking the connection. "How did you do that?"
Reinette looked at him calmly. "A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction." She stepped closer. "Oh, Doctor. My dear Doctor... Dance with me."
"I can't."
"Dance with me."
"This is the night you dance with the King."
"Then first, I shall make him jealous." Reinette said with a smirk, but then looked thoughtful. "On the other hand... I wouldn't want to make her jealous. Perhaps you should dance with her instead."
"I can't." The Doctor insisted, though there was a tiny bit of hesitation that could have easily been missed had it not been Madam De Pompadour watching.
"Doctor... Doctor who? It's more than just a secret, isn't it? But then again, so is Ember..."
That made the Doctor tense. "What did you see?"
"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance." Reinette took him by the hand and led him out of the room, easily spotting Ember keeping a lookout and taking her hand as well, much to her surprise. "Ah, Ember, we need to get you ready."
The brunette blinked. "Huh?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Apparently we've been invited to the ball."
"I cannot believe I'm doing this," Ember muttered to herself.
She'd known that Reinette was going to invite the Doctor to the ball, but hadn't even thought that she'd be included in the deal. And yet here she was, sat in front of a vanity, wearing a dress that was fitted with a corset that made breathing deeply impossible. Reinette was stood behind her, manipulating her short hair into a braid.
Reinette smiled at her through the mirror. "You probably would feel more comfortable if you were not still wearing those 'shorts'."
Ember shook her head minutely so that she wouldn't disrupt the work being done to her hair. "Actually, I'd feel better if this dress didn't have a corset. How the heck do you breathe in this thing? It feels like a form of punishment."
"It does admittedly take some getting used to," Reinette relented. "But it does wonders for the posture, I'm told."
"If that means 'you can never move', then yeah, it's perfect. Never been a fan of dresses." Ember raised a brow. "So... why am I in a dress?"
"I invited you and the Doctor to the ball. I felt that a change of wardrobe was in order for you." Reinette seemed satisfied with her work. "There. Now, we just add some makeup, and then you are ready for your dance."
That made Ember turn to look at her, though she had to physically turn her whole body to achieve it. "My dance?"
"Your dance with the Doctor."
"My...? But I thought you wanted to dance with him?"
Reinette moved to sit on the stool, which was thankfully wide enough to allow them both to sit, and begin to look through the various types of makeup on the vanity. "And I shall, but first... I'm afraid I have a confession, Ember. When I last encountered him, without your presence, I may have behaved... rather unjustly."
"You mean when you kissed him." Ember said. It wasn't a question, but the blonde woman could feel the tension in her voice.
"Yes. Had I known then what I do now, I would not have been so bold. If it is of any consolation, he was quick to end it."
Ember tilted her head as Reinette guided a small powder puff with foundation on it to her face. "You say that like I should be angry with you. He's not my boyfriend. Uh, partner, consort, lover, whatever you call it here. He can kiss who he wishes."
Reinette looked at her carefully as she lowered the puff. "But it is not me he wishes to kiss. What I saw in his mind... your circumstances are complicated."
"Well, if you think it's weird in his head, you should try mine." Ember said, then looked puzzled. "When you said if you knew then what you know now, what did you mean?"
"I did not realise at the time that there was another who desired him." Reinette said. "I hadn't realised it when I saw you for the first time, as I was only a child, but I see it now. You have deep feelings for him."
Ember looked away, a light blush crossing her cheeks. "Well... okay, yes. I'm feeling... things towards him, but believe me, it's better for him and me if I keep that to myself."
Reinette tilted her head. "Is that truly the case, or is it simply your fears speaking for you?"
The brunette didn't have an answer to that.
The Doctor looked around warily. He was standing in the entrance to the grand ballroom, where he'd been placed by Reinette and asked to wait while she quickly left, pulling a confused Ember with her.
"You may be acceptable in that," Reinette had said, casting a look at the Doctor's suit before looking at Ember. "But I'm afraid you must be seen to."
Now he could only wait until the ladies returned from whatever they were doing. He just had to hope that it wouldn't take too long.
"Our apologies. I thank you for your patience."
The Doctor turned at the sound of Reinette's voice, but whatever he was about to say suddenly vanished from his mouth as soon as he laid eyes on the person standing just behind the French aristocrat.
Ember was standing there, wearing a dress with wide skirts that was in various shades of blue. Her hands had matching gloves on them, and her hair was styled in a French twist similar to Reinette's own. She had a light dusting of makeup on that hid the scar on her face without making it obvious.
"Um... hi..." the brunette murmured. The red on her face was a blush as well as the makeup that brought out her silver eyes.
The Doctor had to swallow what felt like a brick in his throat so he could get words out, though they didn't come out as confidently as he'd hoped. "Wow... you look... wow..."
Ember couldn't help but fiddle with her gloves as she glanced at Reinette, to find the woman smiling. She could still feel the Doctor's eyes watching her. "Um..."
Reinette nodded to herself as she moved to the Doctor's side. "She does look exquisite, doesn't she, Doctor?"
"Uh, yes!" The Doctor said, nodding enthusiastically before he took a breath to calm himself and caught Ember's eye so she could see how sincere he was. "You look great."
"Good. Now, I believe we have a ball to attend." Reinette took the Doctor by the arm and led him to Ember's side, getting her to take his other arm before they proceeded into the ballroom.
Ember sighed as she sat on the sidelines of the grand hall, watching everyone dancing and having a good time. She was enjoying it as well, to be fair, but she felt somewhat out of place since she had no intention of dancing.
"My lady?"
The brunette glanced up, to see a young man dressed in the traditional aristocrat clothing and wearing a fancy wig. He was offering his arm to her, evidently asking if she wanted to dance. "Um, sorry, but no, thank you."
To his credit, the man took the rejection with grace, nodding politely and moving on. Ember was glad that he - and the two others who'd asked - had the manners not to push their luck.
Meanwhile, the Doctor found himself dancing with Reinette as she'd wanted, but he kept looking over at Ember at every opportunity he could. Reinette found herself smiling at him.
"Had I not known the reason for your wandering eye, I would feel a bit insulted." She said.
The Doctor looked at her in surprise. "Oh! Sorry, I, uh..."
"I jest, Doctor," Reinette spared him the embarrassment. "I know perfectly well why you keep looking."
"How much did you see?" The Doctor couldn't help but ask. "In my mind. What have you seen?"
"Your past, for the most part. But I also understand that some of that is her future."
The Doctor looked away, for once not trying to find Ember. "Yeah. It's complicated."
Reinette eyed him thoughtfully. "Then tell me this; how does that future come about?"
"What do you mean?"
"If the future is what you have already encountered, then surely something must begin in the past to lead to it." Reinette tilted her head at the puzzled frown she received. "Perhaps it only takes a few words to begin, or perhaps a dance."
The Doctor stilled, which was fairly good timing as the music came to an end. He allowed Reinette to leave his arms and cross the dance floor to greet the king, who was standing with a patient expression, though it did not fool the Doctor, who saw the slight fires of jealousy in his eyes.
The music began again, and the Doctor turned to where Ember was still sitting to the side. He thought about it for only a moment before he shook his head, muttered "to hell with it", and strode over with purpose.
Ember blinked up at him as the Doctor reached her. "I thought she'd have danced for longer."
"This is the night she dances with the king," the Doctor replied, shrugging to himself before he bowed slightly and held out a hand. "May I have this dance, my lady?"
That made the brunette pause, another blush covering her face. "Um... I... can't dance..."
"Have you tried?"
"Well, um... no... not that I know of..."
The Doctor wiggled the fingers of his offered hand. "Then maybe you just need to give it a go?"
Ember hesitated again, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn't going to give up, so she sighed and accepted his hand, letting him pull her to her feet and onto the dance floor. "Sorry in advance if I step on your toes."
"I'm sure you'll be fine." The Doctor guided her to a free space among the other dancers and pulled her close, putting a hand on the left side of her waist while taking her right hand. "Just let me take care of you."
The brunette found herself fighting off the feeling blush she could feel covering her face at the close proximity, hoping that he wouldn't feel just how fast her hearts were beating as she put her free hand on his shoulder.
'It's just a dance,' she thought to herself, trying to psych herself up. 'Nothing wrong with dancing with a guy, who I happen to like. I can do this.'
To Ember's surprise and relief, she wasn't as bad a dancer as she'd imagined. Yes, she fumbled a fair bit and did in fact step on the Doctor's toes more than once, but no one around them seemed to have noticed or even cared about her lack of finesse. The Doctor patiently guided her through most of it anyway, encouraging her to just flow with the music as he moved. She found herself able to just go with the flow and try not to step on his feet again, though her hearts kept doing that little flutter when their gazes met and he smiled at her.
The Doctor caught Reinette's eye at one point and saw her send him an almost smug smile. He returned it with a grin as he continued to dance with the brunette, who had missed the exchange entirely.
"When we met the second droid, you tried to do something." The Doctor suddenly spoke up, bringing her out of her wandering thoughts to look up at him. "I doubt it was to use fire; you're pretty good at that, so I don't think you'd have a problem with that."
Ember nodded. "When Rose knocked those dummies into the Nestene Consciousness, she got stuck. I managed to get her back to you by using wind for the first time."
The Doctor nodded as he led them into a twirl. "I felt the breeze. Is that what you tried to do earlier?"
"I wanted to push it back, but instead my head hurt."
"I don't know exactly what gives you these powers over elements, but at a guess, I'd say you were trying too hard."
That made Ember look up at him in puzzlement. "Has that happened before?"
The Doctor shrugged. "For the most part, I'd say spoilers, but I have seen you push yourself a bit too far by trying to control an element that you've only recently started being able to control or haven't gotten used to get. Sometimes just because you've been able to use it once doesn't mean you can instantly use it right away. Maybe we can have a session later in the dojo?"
"I guess so."
When the dance ended not long later, Ember was surprised to find that she felt disappointment that it was over so soon. She allowed herself a moment longer before she stepped away from the Doctor and curtsied like she'd seen the other ladies do, thankful that she'd been able to keep her red all stars; the dress hid the fact that she had those shoes and her shorts and leggings underneath.
"Not bad at all," the Doctor said, giving a bow himself. "And you said you couldn't dance."
"Well, I guess it should be 'can't dance well' now," Ember replied. "Um, we really should be going back soon. I only know that it'll be a few hours for Rose and Mickey, not how long we're here for."
The Doctor led her off the dance floor. "Are they in trouble?"
"When we get there, they will be. The droids will have them restrained and ready to chop up, but you get there just in time. And you stop them."
"With what?"
"Some kind of oil that does the opposite of making the gears work. But you also have a plan to make them lower their guard." Ember picked up an empty goblet that was on a nearby table. "Drunk and disorderly?"
The Doctor took a moment to think about the hint, and then he grinned.
After a slight detour to entertain the guests at the ball (Ember was still laughing at the sight of the aristocrats looking surprised and then awed by the sudden appearance of a banana and something that the Doctor called 'castanets'), the two Time Lords made their way back to the spaceship, grabbing Ember's denim jacket on the way. It didn't take them long to find where Mickey and Rose were being held - coincidently in the same room as the Tardis - and the Doctor hastily pulled his tie up to go around his forehead, put on a pair of sunglasses and then knocked over a pile of metal objects to make a loud noise.
"I could've daaanced all night, I could've danced all niiiight!" He sang loudly, sounding drunk as he and Ember made their way to the entrance of the room where the humans were held, knocking over more things.
Ember could just hear Rose speaking now. "They called him the... They called him the, the..."
At this point, the Doctor pulled Ember close to pretend to be leaning on her as he swept into the room, stumbling about in a dance while singing drunkenly and holding a goblet of what appeared to be wine. "And still have begged for moore! I could've spread my wings and done a thou-Have you met the French? My god, they know how to party!"
Ember took a quick look around as she pretended to hold up the Time Lord. There were several of the droids standing in the room, including one holding a small saw blade near Rose, but none of them seemed about to attack just yet. She had no idea why someone being drunk would make them pause, but she guessed that maybe they just didn't know what to make of the odd behaviour.
Rose fell for the ploy as well, frowning at the Doctor, though she did also notice the change in Ember's wardrobe. "Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm."
"Oh, you sound just like your mother." The Doctor drawled.
"What've you been doing? Where've you been?"
"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." He stepped away from Ember to lean over the bound blonde. "Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good!"
Ember looked at the droid that was still holding the blade near Rose. "And look who it is. The monster under the bed himself."
The Doctor glanced back at her before turning to the droid she was looking at, acting like he'd only just noticed it. "Oh ho, ho, ho, ho, brilliant! It's you! You're my favourite, 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." He began to move away only to go back with an afterthought. "And so's your dad!" He then wondered away, going back to Ember's side and throwing an arm around her, which nearly sent her stumbling with the sudden weight. "Ember! My favourite fiery girl! Wanna tell us what they're doing stalking Reinette?"
"Um..." Ember didn't quite understand why he was including her suddenly, but she didn't want to ask in case she blew their cover. "They want her at a specific age."
The Doctor nodded with a chuckle. "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." He began to wonder around again, slightly less stumbly than a few moments ago, but that wasn't noticed as he address the droids again. "Cuz 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."
The droid that had the blade out spoke. "The brain is compatible."
"Compatible?" The Doctor repeated as he reached the droid. "If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine."
Then, with a swift move, the Doctor pulled off the mask and wig and poured the contents of the goblet he was holding onto the cogs in the head. While it looked like wine, the gears loudly ground to a halt, and the Doctor put the wig back on with a pat before the droid bowed over.
"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't." He said to the puzzled humans, suddenly completely sober. The other droids began to advance, but Ember was faster this time since she was on the right side of the console. She pushed a lever down and all the droids bowed over like the first one. The Doctor sent the brunette a nod of thanks as he got out the Sonic to free Rose and Mickey. "Right, you two, that's enough lying about. Time we got the rest of the ship turned off."
"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked as he got to his feet, eyeing the droids warily.
"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." The Doctor pulled his tie back around his neck and took off the sunglasses, surprising Ember by putting them on her head, and then began to pat himself down in search of something. "Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago. I was using them as castanets."
Ember shrugged. "You kinda lost them between dances. I tried to find them."
"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty seven?" Rose asked.
The Doctor shrugged as he abandoned his search and went back to the console. "With the amount of damage to these circuits, they did well to hit the right century. Trial and error after that." He frowned as he hit a problem. "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?"
"Failsafe." Was all Ember could get out before there was a dinging sound around them that was almost like a clock chime.
Rose looked around. "What's that?"
"I don't know. Incoming message?" The Doctor suggested.
"From who?"
"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."
At that moment, the droid the Doctor put the oil in twitched and moved its hand, one finger opening up to expel the oil out onto the Doctor's shoe.
The Doctor huffed mildly. "Well, that was a bit clever." The switch Ember had moved went back to its original setting, allowing the other droids to straighten up again. "Right. Many things about this are not good." There was another pinging sound. "Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?"
"She is complete. It begins." The droid answered before all of the droids vanished in a teleport.
"What's happening?" Rose asked, looking around in case any droids had remained.
The Doctor looked at Ember in time to see her bite her lip nervously. "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."
The Doctor sent Rose to a time window that would let her see Reinette five years early, and it wasn't long before he found the time window to when she would be 37: it turned out to be right there in the main console room, disguised as a giant mirror that hung in the ballroom in Versailles.
"Mickey, go get Rose." The Doctor said as he worked to set up a way for them to hear what was going on on the other side of the glass. "Ember, go with him, make sure he doesn't get lost."
Mickey frowned. "I'm not gonna get lost!"
Ember lightly hit the Doctor on the arm before she moved to Mickey's side. She had yet to change out of the dress she'd borrowed, though now she wore the denim jacket over it. "I'll go, but only because I want to see Reinette. Mickey, I know you'll be fine."
That seemed to make the young man feel better, if his grateful smile toward her was any indication. The two of them had only left the room before he spoke again. "Thanks for that. You've told me before that I'm not the tin dog, but I haven't done much to prove it."
"I haven't met Sarah Jane Smith yet, but I was there when you helped stopped the Slitheen." Ember replied. "I can't tell you much, and I know it probably won't feel like it's true, but you are more than the tin dog, and you're going to prove it soon."
Mickey smiled again, accepting what little she could tell him, and it was then that they reached a hanging tapestry that was the right time window to where Rose had gone.
"Rose? Rose?" Mickey called as he pulled back the tapestry. He spotted Rose come out from a nearby room, though she was followed by Reinette. "Rose! The time window where she's thirty seven. We found it. Right under our noses."
"No, you can't go in there," Rose said, seeing the French blonde make her way to the open time window. "The Doctor will go mad-"
Reinette ignored her, going past Mickey and into the spaceship. She spotted Ember standing there, sending her a gentle smile as Reinette looked around at what looked like a completely different world. Mickey and Rose followed a bit awkwardly.
"I'm sorry, Reinette." Ember said.
After a moment of staring, Reinette turned to the brunette. "So, this is his world. Your world."
Ember nodded. "But it's not always like this. Sometimes it's beautiful."
"I can only imagine." Reinette was about to smile when suddenly there were screams from somewhere in the ship. "What was that?"
"The time window." Mickey replied. "The Doctor fixed an audio link."
Reinette looked shaken. "Those screams. Is that my future?"
Rose nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I'm sorry."
"Then I must take the slower path." The French aristocrat said, but then a new voice could be heard that shook her even more.
"Are you there? Can you hear me?" It was her own voice. "I need you now, you promised! The clock on the mantel is broken! It is time!"
"That's my voice!"
Mickey didn't know what so say to that, so he turned to Rose. "Rose, come on. We've got to go. There's, there's a problem."
"Go," Ember said, making them look at her. "Go on. I got this." The humans left, and the brunette turned to look at Reinette. "I'm sorry. I wish I could do more..."
"No, please don't." Reinette said. "I'm very afraid. But you and I both know, don't we, Ember; the Doctor is worth the monsters. And so are you. If you wish to do more, then please... be there for me like he promises he will."
Ember bit her lip, and then nodded. "We'll both be there. Be strong."
Reinette nodded, turning to the tapestry and going back into her world, ignoring the calls of her future self. Ember took a breath to gather herself and turned to go back down the corridor and into the main control room, where the Doctor was looking more frustrated with the lack of progress.
"They knew we were coming," she said to Rose and Mickey when they looked at her in askance.
"They blocked it off." The Doctor added, glancing up at the large screen that was now on the far wall, showing the ballroom in France. They could see several of droids herding the scared aristocrats to the sides of the room.
"I don't get it. How come they got in there?" Rose asked.
"They teleported. You saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short range teleports will do the trick."
"Well, we'll go in the Tardis!"
"We can't use the Tardis. We're part of events now."
Mickey piped up. "Well, can't we just smash through?"
"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck."
"We don't have a truck."
"I know we don't have a truck!"
"Well, we've got to try something!" Rose said before the two men could get into an unnecessary argument.
"No. Smash the glass, smash the time window." The Doctor said quickly. "There'd be no way back."
Ember glanced back and turned, going into the corridor. No one noticed.
"Could everyone just calm down? Please!" Reinette's voice made everyone else look at the window, to see the woman standing in the centre of the ballroom. "Such a commotion. Such distressing noise. Kindly remember that this is Versailles. This is the Royal Court, and we are French." She looked at the droids. "I have made a decision. And my decision is no, I shall not be going with you today. I have seen your world, and I have no desire to set foot there again."
"We do not require your feet." The lead droid replied as two others moved to flank Reinette and pushing on her shoulders to make go to her knees.
The Doctor made an irritated sound as he tried again to do something, but to no avail. "There has to be something-"
A loud neigh came from behind them, making them turn to find Arthur the horse trotting into the room. Upon the saddle, to their greater surprise, was Ember.
"Turns out I can ride a horse," The brunette said with a sheepish shrug. "Who knew? Guess I just needed to give it a go."
"Ember, what are you doing?" The Doctor asked, running up to her.
Ember tightened her hold on the reins. "I promised Reinette that we'd be there, both of us. And while we don't have a truck..." she pat the horse on the neck. "I did suggest we take him home."
The Doctor grinned as he got the hint, moving to get up on the horse himself so that he was sat behind the brunette. If he saw the blush on her face from the closeness, he didn't show it.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Rose asked.
"Fixing the clock," Ember replied. "Here's a hint. No, a spoiler. Wait for us. It'll be a little over five hours, but we'll be back."
The Doctor didn't give them the chance to say anything else, grabbing the reins and giving the horse a gentle kick to get it to move. With a run up and no fear, the horse ran right at the mirror, going right through it with a crash of glass. The Doctor was quick to cover Ember as much as he could as they went through the time window, landing in the ballroom in France. Reinette, as well as everyone else, were shocked at the sudden entrance, though she smiled when the Doctor winked at her and Ember waved.
The Doctor quickly stilled the horse and dismounted. "Madame de Pompadour. You look younger every day."
One of the male aristocrats spoke. "What the hell is going on?"
Reinette, who'd been staring at the new arrivals, blinked and cleared her throat. "Oh. This is my lover, the King of France."
"Yeah? Well, I'm the Lord of Time. And this is the Great Fire." Ember blushed at the Doctor's introduction. "And we're here to fix the clock."
He walked over to the lead droid and pulled off the wig and mask, making the other aristocrats gasp and murmur in shock at the cogwheels. The droid raised its arm and pointed its blade at the Doctor's throat.
"Forget it. It's over. For you and for us." The Doctor glanced looked up at the remains of the mirror they'd come through, seeing the brick wall beyond. "Talk about seven years bad luck. Try three thousand."
Ember dismounted the horse but didn't move away, gently petting his nose. "One way trip."
The Doctor saw the droid try to activate its teleport fruitlessly. "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."
There was a pause, and the droids all bent over, powering down. One of them even fell over backward, it's glass head smashing and sending cogs scattering across the floor.
The Doctor reached out a hand to Reinette. "You all right?"
"What's happened to them?" She asked as she accepted the hand and stood.
"They've stopped. They have no purpose now."
Ember pet the horse again. She wasn't sure what to say in the silence, so she kept quiet.
It was about a few hours later. The guests at the ball had left, the droids were taken away to be taken apart and their pieces scattered to avoid changes in time, and even Arthur the horse was returned to his stable.
Ember had a hand in that last one, making sure that the man who'd threatened to whip the horse was no longer in charge and making the other stablemasters promise a life of luxury for the horse who'd 'helped save the King's mistress'.
By the time she returned, still wearing the dress with the denim jacket, the Doctor was stood by one of the windows, looking up at the night sky with a goblet of wine in his hand. Ember was about to enter the room when a hand took hers, making her glance over to see Reinette. The French aristocrat smiled at her before leading her over to the window to join the Doctor.
"You know all their names, don't you?" Reinette said, getting his attention. "I saw that in your mind. The name of every star."
The Doctor shrugged. "What's in a name? Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything."
"Like the Doctor, and the Great Fire."
"Like Madame de Pompadour."
Reinette smiled at the tease. "I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think."
"From time to time." The Doctor looked at the window again, taking Ember's hand.
"In saving me, you trapped yourselves." Reinette pointed out, noticing the gesture but not saying anything. "Did you know that would happen?"
"Mmm. Pretty much."
"Yet, still you came."
Ember smiled. "We did promise."
"Yeah, we did, didn't we?" The Doctor did the same. "Catch is doing that again."
Reinette looked thoughtful. "There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?"
"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. I'll... I'll pay for any damage." The Doctor offered, only to realise something. "Uh, that's a thought, I'm going to need money. I was always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?"
"So, here you are, my angels, stuck on the slow path with me."
"Yep, the slow path. Here's to the slow path."
Reinette followed his toast before looking up at the night sky. "It's a pity. I think I would've enjoyed the slow path."
"Well, we're not going anywhere." The Doctor said, missing the way Ember smirked.
"Oh, aren't you?" Reinette said, making them look at her. "Take my hand."
Puzzled, the Doctor allowed her to lead him and Ember out of the room and down the corridor to a lavish bedroom, where a familiar fireplace stood.
Reinette allowed the Doctor to step closer and examine the piece. "It's not a copy, it's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail."
"The fireplace from your bedroom... When did you do this?"
"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." Reinette smiled as she watched him examine the mantle. "It appears undamaged. Do you think it will still work?"
"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. But the link is basically physical, and it's still physically here. Which might just mean, if we're lucky... If we're very, very, very, very, very, very lucky..."
Ember felt Reinette squeeze her hand and looked over, her hearts sinking as she took in the French woman's resigned expression. She knew.
"Ah ha!" The Doctor suddenly cried after tapping the mantle.
"What?" Reinette asked, schooling her features.
"Loose connection." The Doctor got out his Sonic and pointed it at the fireplace. "Need to get a man in."
Ember watched as he gave the fireplace a thump that was responded with a loud clunk.
The Doctor let out a cheer as he moved to the side of the fireplace. "Wish us luck!"
"No." Reinette almost whimpered, her mask falling. The Doctor didn't get the chance to ask as the fireplace turned on the spot, sending him back to the ship. Reinette then turned to Ember. "You should go, before it's too late."
Ember looked at her, recognising that expression. Reinette was smart; she knew that this was probably it. "I... will you be okay?"
Reinette nodded. "Yes. I have been blessed to have had you both in my life, even if I cannot walk the same path as you. Thank you, Ember, for everything."
The brunette bit her lip, but nodded, letting go of her hand to go to the fireplace, copying the Doctor's previous move so that it turned to let her back on the ship. The Doctor smiled as he saw her appear.
"What took you so long?" He asked, though he didn't wait for an answer, nor did he see Ember's downcast expression as he crouched down in front of fire. "Madame de Pompadour!" He waited only a second before the French aristocrat appeared on the other side. "Still want to see those stars?"
Reinette smiled, her face lighting up with the first hint of hope. "More than anything."
"Give me two minutes. Pack a bag."
"Am I going somewhere?"
"Go to the window. Pick a star. Any star." The Doctor jumped up and grabbed Ember's hand as he ran out of the room.
Ember bit her lip again. "Doctor..."
She didn't get the chance to finish, as they reached the control room where Rose and Mickey were waiting. The two humans jumped up in surprise and relief at the sight of them.
"How long did you wait?" The Doctor asked as he hugged Rose.
"Five and a half hours, just like Ember said."
"Great. Always wait five and a half hours."
"Where've you been?" Rose asked, watching as the Doctor went to hug Mickey only to pause and shake his hand instead.
"Explain later. Into the Tardis. Be with you in a sec."
He dashed out of the room before anyone could reply. Ember hesitated as the humans went into the Tardis, and then she followed the Doctor just as he stood from being crouched in front of the fire. He gestured with his head for her to follow, waiting until she was on the other side of the fireplace before he hit the switch and made it turn to let them back into France.
The room was dark, which made the Doctor worry just slightly as he saw Ember bite her lip this time. He took her hand and led her out of the room and down the corridor.
"Reinette?" He called as they reached another room, only to pause as they saw the familiar face of King Louis standing by the window. "Oh, hello."
"You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six." The king said before he turned to look at them, his eyes widening slightly. "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're even wearing that same dress..."
Ember bit her lip and looked away, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to hold back the tears.
"She spoke of you both many times. Often wished you'd visit again." The king moved to a desk near the window and opened a drawer, pulling out an envelope. The Doctor's hearts sank as he realised that the king was talking about Reinette in the past tense. "You know how women are."
The Doctor accepted the envelope when it was handed to him, noticing something that puzzled him, but before he could speak, there was horse neighing and a whip cracking that made the two men look out of the window. A hearse pulled by a black horse began to leave, the hooves barely heard over the pouring rain.
"There she goes." The king sighed. "Leaving Versailles for the last time. 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 had been referring to the envelope he'd given the Doctor, but his response was to silently put it in his jacket pocket.
The king nodded. "Of course. Quite right."
They watched for a few more seconds before the Doctor finally turned away, putting his arm around Ember to guide her with him back to the room with the fireplace.
"I'm sorry," the brunette murmured just as they reached the fireplace. She hadn't looked at him since the king had spoke, but her wet cheeks told more than words could. "I..."
The Doctor pulled her close, making a soft hushing noise before he spoke. "It's not your fault."
"But I could have warned you..."
"It's alright. We saved her from becoming the computer of a spaceship. That's good enough."
Together, they used the fireplace to go back to the ship, leaving France for the final time. They then returned to the Tardis, where Rose and Mickey were waiting in the console room.
"Why her?" Rose asked after a few moments of silence. She knew from their faces what had happened. "Why did they think they could repair the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"
"We'll probably never know." The Doctor replied. "There was massive damage in the computer memory banks. It probably got confused."
"They were the same." The other three turned at Ember's voice. She was standing beside the captains chair, fiddling with the edges of her sleeves. "In the only way that mattered to the droids: This ship is called the SS Madame De Pompadour."
The Doctor looked at the monitor, looking lost in thought. "The Tardis can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble."
Rose noticed his solemn expression. "Are you all right?"
"I'm always all right."
There was a tense moment of quiet before Mickey spoke. "Come on, Rose. It's time you showed me around the rest of this place."
Rose didn't argue, senseing that the Doctor needed a moment alone, and led Mickey out of the console room. Ember made to follow, though she was stopped when the Doctor gently took her arm as she passed him. "I thought you needed a minute alone to read that letter."
The Doctor nodded slightly, but didn't release her arm. Instead, he used his free hand to reach into his jacket and take out not one but two envelopes. "I think you should have this."
Ember blinked, seeing the Doctor's name written in elegant, feminine handwriting on the first envelope, but the second had her name on it. She took it from him and watched as he let go of her arm and moved to the other side of the console with his own envelope. "Um, did you want me to go?"
"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like the company," The Doctor said softly, glancing over to send her a strained smile.
Nodding, Ember moved to sit on the captain's chair - slightly difficult with the dress, but she managed it - and turned the envelope over, gently peeling the wax seal off so she could open it and take out the paper folded neatly inside. When she unfolded it, the handwritten letter was in the same style as on the envelope.
My dearest Ember,
Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have known you and the Doctor. I only wish that I could have been at your side to walk the path with you. Though I hope to see you one last time, I fear that it is not to be.
Allow me to impart something unto you, to ease what I expect to be a troubled heart. Between the time I showed you the last doorway between our worlds and the time I write this now, you have visited me but once more. Like the images I glimpsed in the Doctor's mind so long ago, I believe this to be in your future as well as his own. I know not the circumstances of your visit, but I could tell that you had grown so much since we last met. The Doctor was with you as well, and though he looked to be in great pain, the kindness in his eyes had not changed.
You asked me to be brave, and I have been to the best of my ability. I ask now that you do the same, and do not let your fears become your voice nor your prison.
God speed, my Great Fire.
Ember blinked hard when the words became blurry, tears trailing down her face. She sniffed, wiping her eyes with her free hand, and then she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The brunette looked up to see the Doctor now stood beside her, his eyes concerned. Ember quickly folded the letter and put it back in the envelope before she put it in her jacket pocket, once again thanking the bigger-on-the-inside feature, before she let the Doctor pull her into an embrace, allowing her to cry quietly into his chest.
The Doctor swallowed hard, glancing over at where he'd left his own letter on the console after turning off the time window in the fireplace.m, just before he noticed Ember's crying. The words on the letter came back to him as he rocked the brunette gently.
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 dearest. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak.
In the event that we do not meet, I shall impart one last piece of advice to you. What you have already experienced in your past is her future as well as yours. I urge you not to allow it to change. Hold on to her, as you always should.
God speed, my angel.
The Doctor took a deep breath, tightening his hold on Ember as she clung to him. The two remained like that for a long time after, seeking comfort in each other as they mourned.
Ok, and there we have it! Hope you enjoyed! Care to take a guess as to when or even why Ember goes to see Reinette again? I've love to hear what you're thinking and if your guess is right.
Um, got a slight conundrum. Well, two, actually.
Here's the more important one first: I had planned to have two big surprises at the end of this part of the saga. One of them is one that is probably already expected by now, while the other is finally revealing what Ember's 'other biology' is. I had put the reveal first and then the other surprise, but would you rather it be the other way around? We get the surprise first and then Ember's revealation? They kinda both need to happen, but let me know what you'd prefer.
Now for the other. I've been spending the last couple of weeks catching up on the last few seasons, and I have had a slight temptation on continuing the saga from where I'd originally planned to end it. I've even had a slight temptation to do a whole new fic that involves the newest seasons. I do have a draft of a fic that has a whole different character and storyline. I'd love to know what you all think.
Next Time: Ember has to hide from the Doctor for his own safety, but that doesn't mean she can't help. Stay tuned!