Journey Amongst the Stars
By Lumendea
Chapter Sixteen: Girl in the Fireplace: Reinette
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
…
Rose hummed as she moved through the TARDIS kitchen. It was so good to be home! The lights were set to just the right brightness, everything she needed was in the cupboards, and the familiar hum added the perfect soft background noise. The kettle whistled, and Rose pulled down the pair of mugs that she and Doctor used most often for tea.
As if summoned, the Doctor strode into the kitchen, and his eyes went straight to the small loaf of banana bread in the middle of the small table they usually ate at. His hands were smudged with oil, and Rose nodded to the sink. He rolled his eyes, but the Doctor obediently washed and dried his hands before taking his mug of tea made just how he liked it.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. How is the TARDIS?"
"She's fine. I just wanted to check her over. It's not often that the Old Girl just sits on emergency power."
Rose nodded. That was the closest they'd come to talking about what had happened beyond Rose giving him a quick summary of UNIT's involvement.
"Fancy a trip?" the Doctor asked. "Or a day in?"
"Trip." Rose smiled at the idea. "I've had enough of waiting around lately. I'd forgotten how dull everything could be." The Doctor started to smile before he seemed to think better of it. Rose held back a sigh and shifted closer to him. "I really missed you."
"Sorry."
"You're forgiven, but don't go anywhere anytime soon," Rose said. She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I'm just glad that the TARDIS took us so close to our friends."
The Doctor shivered and wrapped a hand around Rose's waist, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry I was so useless."
"I made the decision not to bring you back right away." Rose snuggled into the hug. The Doctor was himself again, and she welcomed the smell of leather and time. "And Alistair and Kate were glad to have a chance to protect you for a change."
The Doctor kissed the top of her head. Rose wondered if they'd ever talk about John's memory of them being intimate. John had taken her seriously when Rose told him to hold off on asking her out, and while their relationship had taken on an awkward edge, his continued affection had been clear. A little flicker of guilt tried to take over, but Rose pushed it down. The Doctor had admitted that he remembered John Smith's time on Earth, but hadn't gone further than that.
Suddenly, the Doctor coughed and released her. "Trip, okay. I'll go to the console room and see what the Old Girl finds."
Rose reached over and touched the wall. "Don't mind him, Gorgeous. For some reason he thinks referring to you by your age is a good idea."
"Stop trying to woo my ship!"
"Stop making it easy."
Giving the Doctor a tongue touched smile, Rose ignored his scoff as he turned and headed for the console room. She realized with amusement that he hadn't touched the muffins or his tea. Rose shook her head affectionately and gathered up the plate and tea mugs. As much as he complained, the Doctor didn't have any real rules against eating in the console room.
After a quick breakfast of muffins and tea, the Doctor hit the randomizer with a wide grin. A moment later, the TARDIS beeped as she locked onto something. Downing the last of her tea, Rose set the mug on the floor and held it with her feet before the ship started shaking. The Doctor darted around the controls, but Rose noted that the flight was a bit smoother than usual. She wondered if he was behaving himself better or if the TARDIS was just that happy to have him back. Either one was possible. Rose imagined that even a short separation of three months had to have been hard on them.
They landed with a soft thump, and Rose noted that the Doctor's mug had managed to stay intact. With a flourish, the Doctor gestured her to the main door. She glanced down at herself. Rose hadn't dressed up for a special trip, but she could always duck back inside if her jeans and blouse weren't going to be enough. The Doctor rolled his eyes at her but didn't say anything. Rose peeked out the front door only to find a rather industrial room and a small window that looked out at the stars.
"A spaceship." Rose stepped out of the TARDIS and looked around curiously. "But a bit... worn down."
"Looks like it's been half ripped apart." The Doctor scoffed as he followed her out. "Middle of repairs by the looks of things."
"Except that I don't see any crew. If they were in the middle of repairs, shouldn't there be people doing repairs."
The Doctor had gone to one of the controls. "Good point. There are no life signs onboard."
"So, the crew evacuated." Rose turned and examined the control panels intently. "It's not like they could just pop out for a fag. This ship seems too large for the crew to be small."
"No, I don't think so." The Doctor sniffed at the air. "But do you smell that?"
"Someone is cooking," Rose said. She studied the smell. "That's cooking meat. But no life signs." Rose peered down of the dimly lit corridors that led off the room they'd landed in. "But who would be cooking if there's no life aboard."
Then the Doctor studied the controls. He shook his head. "The warp engines are going full blast, but we aren't moving."
"How's that possible? All that power has to be going somewhere, and it sure isn't the lights."
"Not sure, let's see if we can figure that out." The Doctor's manic grin was firmly in place as he hit a button a doorway on the side of the room opened. "Shall we?" He held out his hand, and Rose took it with a grateful smile.
Her good mood was somewhat disrupted when they walked into the room and found an elegant fireplace with a cheerfully burning fire — a proper, fancy fireplace with a mantel that looked out of a history book. The Doctor made a small sound of surprise and pulled Rose closer to the fireplace as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver.
"That's not what I was expecting to find." The Doctor released Rose's hand and knelt. "This is real, not a hologram, but it's not a reproduction. This is a real eighteenth-century French fireplace. Double sided too. There's another room through there."
"That's not possible," Rose said. She peered out the window. "We're at the edge of the ship, Doctor. This is the hull. The other side is open space."
Then they heard movement on the other end of the fireplace. Rose knelt next to the Doctor and looked through the opening. A young girl with bright blonde hair and wearing a nightgown knelt in front of them on the other side of the fireplace. Somehow, Rose kept her jaw from hitting the ground.
"Hello," the girl said. She sounded remarkably calm.
"Hello there," the Doctor said. "What's your name?"
"Reinette."
"That's a lovely name," Rose said. "I'm Rose, and this is the Doctor."
Rose gave the girl an encouraging smile while marveling at her lack of alarm. Then again, she did seem very young. Maybe she just thought she was dreaming. The fire made it a bit difficult to see past the girl, but Rose could make out a few details of the room beyond her. There was a good sized bed and what she could see of the wooden floor seemed to be very good quality.
"Can you tell me where you are right now, Reinette?" the Doctor asked.
"In my bedroom."
"But where is your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?" the Doctor pressed.
The little girl laughed a little. "Paris, of course."
"Of course," Rose said with a nod. Her mind was whirling, and she could hear the Doctor's mind racing at this strange mystery. "Lovely city."
"Yes, but Monsieur, madame, what are you doing in my fireplace?
"We're checking the fireplaces to make sure they're safe," the Doctor answered quickly. "Can you tell me what year is it, Reinette?"
"Of course, I can. Seventeen hundred and twenty-seven."
"Very good. You're a clever girl," the Doctor complimented. "Thank you for assisting us. You've been very helpful."
"Have a good night, Reinette," Rose added. "Pleasant dreams." They stood up together and shared a dazed and worried look. "Think this is where the power is going?"
"This ship is generating enough power to punch a hole through the universe," the Doctor said. He sounded put out. "This is our hole." He gestured to the fireplace. "One side if the 51st century and on the other is a bedroom in 1727 France."
"Have you seen this before?" Rose asked.
"Not like this." The Doctor shook his head and frowned. "I've seen time tunnels and the like, but this is…"
Rose moved closer to the fireplace and began to study it intently. "It can't be an accident," she said. "Maybe there is some equipment here."
"It likely turns," the Doctor said. "Given how it is set into the wall. Rose-"
Rose's hand found the switch, and she pressed it before the Doctor's words fully sank in. A small yelp escaped her which turned into a cheerful giggle when the whole wall turned. There was no wave of energy or any strange sensation to mark the passage. One moment she was on the ship and the next she was in a dim bedroom.
The little girl, Reinette, was asleep in the bed and through a large window at the side of the room, Rose could see falling snow. Everything seemed peaceful, except for the problem of she was in France through a turning fireplace on a spaceship. Then the girl in the bed woke up and Rose flinched.
"It's okay," Rose rushed to assure Reinette. "It's Rose, from the fireplace. I was just checking on the fireplace. Do you remember? We were talking just a moment ago."
The girl blinked at her, surprise on her face, but thankfully there was no fear. "Madame, that was weeks ago. That was months."
"Oh… uh." Rose struggled to find something to say. The Doctor would be tickled to find this out. At least the time… slippage was on this side. In theory, she should pop back only moments after she left. That's was Rose hoped at least. "Must be a loose connection or something."
She turned back to the fireplace, and her eyes landed on the small clock. Maybe it was some sort of control… the clock wasn't moving at all.
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Reinette asked. At some point, she came over to join Rose. "No one else has fireplace inspectors."
Rose tensed and strained her ears. The sound of the clock was far too loud in the room. But the one in front of her remained frozen. The small clock on the girl's mantelpiece wasn't moving. The hands were frozen.
"Reinette? Is there another clock in the room?" Rose asked.
"No. Why?"
Rose turned and scooped up the girl. She was a bit heavy and made a sound of protest, but Rose kept a tight grip on her. Searching the shadows of the room, Rose tried to identify where the sound was coming from. Her eyes fell on the bed, and Rose was absolutely certain that was where the intruder was.
"What is going on?" Reinette demanded. "Put me down."
"Reinette, your clock is broken," Rose said. "But listen. There's another ticking. A very loud ticking. From something big."
The girl did fall silent. Rose didn't watch her face, she was too busy watching the shadows, but she felt Reinette's body suddenly tense. The little girl wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulder. Slowly, Rose moved over to one of the stuffed chairs in the room so that she could put Reinette down up off the floor. The little girl released Rose enough to stand on the chair but kept a hand on Rose's shoulder.
"Show yourself," Rose ordered. "I can hear you."
The ticking continued, and the shadows shifted wildly as the fire cast flickering light through the room. Then something moved beyond Reinette's bed. A figure stood up. Reinette gasped behind her. It was six feet tall, dressed in fancy period clothing and wearing an elaborate mask. The ticking continued as it moved towards them.
"What is it?" Reinette asked.
Rose didn't have an answer for her and suddenly wished that it had been the Doctor who'd come through the fireplace. It moved at Rose, there was a flash of light off of a blade and swung at her. Rose flicked her wrist, summoning her sword, and sliced off the arm in one smooth movement. Reinette screamed behind her, and Rose heard more voices in the house.
"Madame!"
"What are you doing here?" Rose demanded of the figure. "Why leave your ship for a little girl's bedroom?"
"She is necessary."
"What does that mean? If she's so necessary then why not just take her?"
"She is incomplete."
The droid lunged at Rose, its good hand stretched out. Rose kicked the figure back and glanced down at the arm. Gears ground to a stop, and she gasped in surprise. "Clockwork." Her eyes darted to the fireplace, and she kicked the arm towards it. "Come on then, you. I know someone who is going to want a look."
The clockwork droid was retreating, its mask blank and expressionless. Rose pursued it and herded the droid towards the fireplace with a few thrusts of her sword that it dodged. With one last kick, the arm was almost in the fire, and Rose thrust her sword through the droid, pinning it to the wall.
"Sorry about this, Reinette," she said calmly. "Just think of this as a nightmare or better yet a fairy tale." With her left hand, Rose awkwardly searched for the switch under the mantlepiece as the droid struggled to free itself. "Monster came for the little girl, and a knight came to her rescue. Just a dream. I'm sure you'll have lots of them."
"But you're a woman. You can't be a knight!"
Rose smiled at the girl still standing on the chair. She could hear people in the hallway beyond Reinette's door, but she lingered for another moment. "And yet, I am." With a smile for Reinette, Rose hit the switch, and the whole fireplace turned.
The Doctor was only a couple of feet away when the fireplace stopped, now on the spaceship side of things. His eyes widened at the sight of her pinned hostage, and Rose shrugged. She reached over with her left hand and pulled off the mask. She wasn't at all surprised to find more clockwork, spinning away.
"Thought you might want a look, Doctor."