Journey Amongst the Stars
By Lumendea
Chapter Sixteen: Girl in the Fireplace: Time Slips By
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.
AN: I'm so happy that everyone is excited about this rewrite. My plan is to highlight some of Reinette's accomplishments as I feel the original episode robbed her of her strength, intelligence, and power. Plus, obviously, the Doctor isn't going to be looking romantically at Reinette.
…
To the Doctor's credit, he recovered from his surprise very quickly and gripped the shoulder of the clockwork droid. His blue eyes took in the missing arm and Rose's sword at the ready. He didn't ask; he didn't need to.
"Clockwork," the Doctor said thoughtfully. "Interesting choice." He was pulling out the sonic screwdriver when the droid flickered and vanished.
"That's cheating!" Rose snapped.
"Short range teleport," the Doctor said. "Still onboard somewhere, but what is it trying to do? Rose, did it say anything to you? What happened?"
"It was hiding in the bedroom, under the bed," Rose answered quickly. "It said that Reinette was necessary, but also that she was incomplete." Rose touched the fireplace again. "I'm going to check on her."
"I'll check the computers, what's left of them at least. See if I can figure out what's going on." The Doctor paused and stared at Rose for a long moment. "Maybe, I should go with you."
"I don't want to scare her with two of us jumping out of her fireplace," Rose said. "And she knows me at this point."
The Doctor backed away from the fireplace, and Rose found the switch quickly. As the fireplace turned, the temperature shifted from the cool of the ship to the warmth of a room in the summertime. Rather than a little girl's room, Rose found herself in a room that now contained a vanity, a desk, and stacks of books on nearly every flat surface. Some time had undoubtedly passed.
A young woman sat at the desk and writing frantically in a blank book with two books open beside her. She hadn't even noticed the sound of the fireplace turning. She was in a simple soft blue dress, and her blonde hair was in a braid. Suspicion that she knew the young woman tugged at Rose. She remembered Reinette's words about months passing in what had been mere moments to Rose and the Doctor.
"Hello," Rose called. "Are you Reinette?"
The young woman gasped and jumped out of her chair. The chair hit the ground with a thump despite the woman trying to grab it. Rose grimaced but smiled as the young woman's eyes widened at the sight of her.
"Reinette?" Rose tried again. The young woman nodded, and Rose relaxed a little. "Do you remember me? Rose? We met uh in your fireplace."
"Madame, that was years ago." Reinette shook her head slowly. "But you look the same." She took in Rose's t-shirt with a frown. "I do not understand."
"It's a fairy tale, Reinette, remember?" Rose glanced at the door. It was daytime now, and there was a higher chance of discovery. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Of course not. That would be a foolish thing to expect from my lady knight." Reinette glanced at the door herself and set the chair back up correctly.
Rose smiled. "I wanted to make sure that you were alright, but I seem to have gotten the time wrong."
"Yes, by many years."
"How old are you now?" Rose asked. "Actually, how old were you when we met?"
"It seems the lady knight is bad with years." Reinette seemed a touch uneasy but answered with a smile. "I was seven when we met. I am fourteen now."
"Seven years. Wow, the Doctor and I were only talking for a moment." Rose turned to look at the fireplace. She didn't see any sign of the Doctor beyond it." Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Reinette. "But you're okay? No more of those clockwork men have shown up."
"No." Reinette shivered at the memory. "No. I told myself that it was just a nightmare, but…." She looked over at the fireplace with a frown. "I dream of it sometimes."
"I'm sorry. I never wanted it to harm you or give you nightmares."
"I know."
Walking closer, Rose was pleased that the young woman didn't draw back from her in fear. In fact, Reinette was watching her with open fascination. Rose smiled and leaned over to look at what Reinette was reading. The TARDIS translated French, and Rose was a bit surprised to find a book on maths and another on philosophy. Reinette's book was filled with completed maths equations.
"Studying hard?"
"It's interesting to me. I confess that I do prefer philosophy to mathematics, however."
"Everyone has their preferences." Rose looked around the room. It was silent, but she could hear people a few rooms over. "I'm glad that you're alright, Reinette."
"How does a lady become a knight?"
"A series of strange events." Rose wasn't sure how to answer it. "I found myself in a difficult situation but kept trying to fix things. I got lucky and able to help a lot of people, so I was knighted."
"I'm not sure I'd ever be able to manage such a feat." Reinette sounded sad at those words. "But I'm going to be important." Her voice took on a hard edge. "I'm smart, and I'll hold a place in court."
"I don't doubt it." Rose was surprised by the girl's tone. This clearly was important to her.
A sound in the hallway cut off Rose's thoughts. Reinette's shoulders slumped, and she scowled at the doorway. A soft laugh escaped Rose, and she shifted back towards the fireplace.
"It was wonderful to see you again, Reinette. I'm sure you'll do amazing things."
Reinette's face lit up at Rose's statement, making her look her age and older at once. Rose gave her a soft, real smile as her fingertips found the switch. "And don't be scared of the clockwork men. I won't let them hurt you."
She hit the switch as the door began to open. Reinette jumped in front of the doorway, blocking the view of whoever was at the doorway. A laugh almost escaped Rose, but she held it back until the fireplace had completely turned. Then the laugh that escaped her was practically hysterical. What was happening here? Reinette was a smart young woman and driven, but why would droids from the distant future care about her.
The Doctor looked up at Rose, and his eyes swept over her with a frown. Shaking her head, Rose moved away from the fireplace and smiled. She went to the Doctor's side and leaned against him for a moment while she caught her breath.
"I have no idea what is going on here," Rose groaned. "Tell me you found something?"
"You were only gone for a few minutes."
"Is that a no?"
"The whole computer system is fried," the Doctor said. Shaking his head, he sighed and took Rose's hand. "I'm not going to learn anything from it."
"So… exploring?"
"We need to watch out for the droid. It's still on the ship somewhere. At least, I hope it is still on the ship."
"Given the only other option, I do too."
"Have you learned anything about the girl?" the Doctor asked.
"Not really. She's intelligent, but nothing to the point that strikes me as drawing this kind of effort."
The Doctor shook his head. Frustration radiated off of him. Keeping a tight grip on left Rose's hand, he guided her over to a nearby doorway. He glanced at her at Rose, and she nodded. Staying here wasn't helping them learn anything significant yet. The door opened with a hiss and Rose summoned her sword with a flick of her wrist. The Doctor didn't argue with her decision, and they started walking forward slowly. At first, there was nothing unusual.
"The smell of cooking is stronger here," Rose said. "Do you think that there's another door to the past, maybe to a kitchen?"
"It's possible. With the energy they are spending, they could have multiple pathways. But again, why bother?"
Then as they turned a corner, Rose saw something that made her freeze in shock. At first, her brain tried to reject it, but she looked back at it and gasped. The Doctor's head turned sharply, and he tensed.
"Oh."
An eyeball was set into a mechanical device and was peering at them. It wasn't blinking, but a thin layer of moisture on the eye shined in the low light. Rose opened her mouth but snapped it closed as bile rushed into her mouth.
"That's an eye." Rose's stomach turned as she managed to speak. "An eye as a… as a…"
"Camera," the Doctor finished.
He pulled his hand away and pulled open a section of bulkhead. His gaze was sharp and cold as he nodded to himself. Rose shivered but leaned forward to look into the bulkhead only to jump back with a soft squeak and a shudder.
"A heart." Rose shuddered and looked away. "Doctor, there's a heart being used as a pump."
He gently pulled her away. "Human body parts in place of mechanical parts." The Doctor took her hand again and squeezed it reassuringly.
"I guess that answers what happened to the crew," Rose whispered. "Used as parts."
"Maybe not." The Doctor shook his head and closed the bulkhead with his free hand. "Could be from an organ cloning lab."
Rose gave him a doubtful look and cast her eyes around. "Really, an organ cloning lab on this spaceship?"
He grimaced and nodded a little. "Not likely, but why kill the crew?" The Doctor pulled her down the hallway, back the way they had come. "Come on, back to the fireplace room. There were fire extinguishers in there. I doubt those droids are good in the cold with their clockwork."
"Cold. That's good to know," Rose said. "But it only makes me more grateful for my sword."
"Yes, if I'd known how useful that would be, I'd have traveled with a Star Knight years ago." The Doctor grinned at her, some of his tension melting away. "Then again, if you're all as bad at finding trouble then maybe not."
"That's rich coming from you, Trouble Magnet."
"Jeopardy Friendly."
The familiar nicknames made Rose smiled widely. To her great relief, the Doctor returned the smile full force, his blue eyes finally lighting up like they did before his time as a human. Stupid happiness that did not fit in the situation rushed through Rose. It was all she could do not to skip all the way back to the fireplace room.
They were back in the fireplace room within a few minutes, and Rose's eyes instantly went to the double-sided fireplace.
"Okay, so we've got droids that used the crew as parts, but why go to all that effort and then not head for port," Rose said. "They're just staying in space because they're dumping all their power into maintaining a time tunnel."
"It is a strange choice," the Doctor agreed. "Given that they could use that energy to open a tunnel to a port with the parts they need." He shook his head. "Something is very wrong with these droids."
"Are you familiar with the model?"
"Didn't see enough of it, but I doubt it. Clockwork isn't exactly standard, but it's probably part of the reason why they are still functioning. Smaller parts that they could replace even in 18th century France."
Rose looked back at the fireplace and quickly made a decision. "I'm going to check on Reinette again."
"Be careful. Time doesn't seem to move at an exact rate. I can't predict how much time has passed."
Nodding, Rose took note of the warning but went to the fireplace all the same. Leaving the girl there with the droid after her seemed wrong, but there wasn't much Rose, and the Doctor could do yet. They needed more information. She hit the switch and waved to the Doctor as the fireplace turned. He rolled his eyes but smiled a little. Just before she lost sight of him, Rose saw the Doctor grab what looked like a large gun off of one wall. Right, she remembered, fire extinguisher.
That thought unsettled her, and when the fireplace settled, Rose quickly checked the room. It had changed again, now looking more like a sitting room than a bedroom. Frowning, she checked the walls, but they still looked the same, and the window was in the same position. It was the same room, but Reinette was nowhere in sight. Stepping away from the fireplace, Rose strained her ears to listen. There were voices, but no ticking of clockwork. She hoped that was a good sign, but doubted that the droids had just given up.
Then the door on the far side of the room opened, and a woman in an elegant gown walked in. It took Rose a moment to recognize the young woman. Her blonde hair was styled expertly on the top of her head, and her dress was tightly formfitting on her torso, showing off very womanly curves. But the eyes were familiar, and they lit up upon seeing Rose. It was Reinette, even older this time. Reinette turned back to the door, her hand on the knob as she started to close it.
"Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there," Reinette called out into the hallway. Then she turned back to Rose and smiled. "It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence." Reinette's soft smile was warm and welcoming but didn't hide her curiosity. "Lady Knight."
"I'm starting to think I'm more of the fairy godmother type," Rose said. She glanced around the room. "Any problems with strangers in the dark?"
"I watch the clocks closely," Reinette confessed. "But no, I have not seen any such creatures since that night."
"Good." Rose nodded. "Good, that's good."
"Who are you?" Reinette asked. She stepped closer to Rose, her blue eyes searching Rose's face. "You are real. I can see that. I've always been sure of that, and yet you are something completely foreign to me."
"That's difficult to explain," Rose said. "And I'm not sure I'd be doing you any favors in trying. I'm just trying to keep you safe."
"Keep me safe?" Reinette smirked. "Who am I to warrant such protection?"
"That's still to be determined."
"Is it?" Reinette hesitated. "Do I truly have a choice?"
"You're clever and adaptable. I'd say that you do."
"There are limits to where ambition can take a woman."
"Limits can be extended under the right conditions."
"Yes." Reinette smiled and tilted her head to study Rose more closely. "I wish I could understand you, lady knight. I have spent much more time thinking of you then advisable."
"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows, impatient." A voice shouted.
"A moment!" Reinette shouted back. Then she turned back to Rose and shook her head. "So many questions. So little time."
"I'm sorry that I can't stay and answer them," Rose replied. She nodded to the door. "You should go unless you know how to explain me."
"Mademoiselle Poisson!"
Frustration filled Reinette's face, but she whirled around and rushed towards the door. Rose instantly moved back to the correct spot at the fireplace. Hitting the switch, she glanced back at the door as it swung shut behind Reinette. What kind of impact had she and the clockwork droids had on this little girl? She could hope that it was positive, but…
"Rose!"
"She was older this time," Rose said. She shook her head, a bit dazed at the whirlwind that was occurring around her. The Doctor reached for her as Rose stepped away from the fireplace. "The fireplace is definitely locked on her. Whatever the clockwork droids are after, it relates to her."
"Incomplete." The Doctor shook his head. "What could they want with a young woman? Anything else?"
"Uh, oh, her last name is Poisson. A servant called her by that as I was leaving."
"Poisson?" The Doctor's eyes widened. "Reinette Poisson! She's Madame de Pompadour!"
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Rose asked.
"Madame de Pompadour was the most influential mistress of King Louis XV of France. She's sometimes called the uncrowned Queen of France due to the power she wielded. She was a famous patron of the arts and businesses, ran a philosophical salon, artist, musician, you name it, and she probably gave it a try." The Doctor exhaled. "And… she's someone too important to risk being injured. Her impact on the French court and thus, French history is significant. Both good and bad."