Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
-0-0-
"Do you want to talk about it?" The Doctor asked.
We were both alone in the console room. Amy had disappeared with nothing more than a soft goodnight the moment we returned, and the TARDIS lights had dimmed once the doors had been closed. I had a feeling the sentient ship could pick up on the sad mood.
"I don't even know what I'd have to say," I told him, watching the buttons on the console slowly blink. "The creature died, Vincent's gone. You were there, you know that."
"I meant about River."
I bit my lip to keep from immediately blowing him off. It would be easy to say I was tired, that we could talk about it later, and he would let me go without a fuss. I knew he didn't want to push me right now. But it felt like running away.
I was tired of running.
"I wasn't going to let River die," I admitted.
The Doctor moved around the console so that he could see me clearly, but I dropped my head. I refused to meet his gaze, staring hard at my hands as they squeezed the edge of the console. My body felt cold.
"I was planning on saving her, maybe taking her place, but she stopped me. That's all there is to it."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "River used that device knowing what it could do. That's not an option she would just choose to stop you. Why did she feel that was her only option?" I closed my eyes. "Chloe?"
"I did something really stupid," I admitted softly. "I stole her gun, and I-"
My throat suddenly felt thick, and I realized there was no way I could finish that sentence without a sob escaping. I swallowed, shaking my head, and the Doctor immediately knew what I was implying. He pulled me into a hug.
"Shhh, its okay. You didn't hurt anyone," He reassured me.
"But I could have!" I said, trying to pull away. "I was so focused on River, on trying to help her, that I was willing to kill 2,000 people just to do it. I could have killed Donna."
The moment I said it out loud, it's like the reality of the situation hit me. I stopped struggling against the Doctor's hold and took in a shaky breath. The Doctor held me out at arm's length to look at me, but I could only stare at the TARDIS wall behind me.
"I … I could have killed Donna."
I reached up to grab the Doctor's arm, meeting his eyes. He was giving me a heartbreaking look, and I couldn't imagine what I must have looked like to him. "Every time I save someone's life, I think I'm doing the right thing. But what if I'm wrong?"
"Chloe-"
"How am I supposed to know when it's okay to save people? What If I hurt someone in the process? How am I supposed to choose when someone deserves to be saved, and when I have to let them die? What kind of person does that make me, Doctor, if I decide who lives and who dies?"
Without hesitation, the Doctor pulled me back into his arms and rubbed my back. I wasn't crying, mostly because I was too tired for it, but it also helped the tightness in my chest ease a little to be held.
"Chloe, listen to me. You are a good person. That will never change. What those people decide to do after you save them, how they choose to live their lives, is not your responsibility. You give them a second chance, and what kind of person they decide to be is their choice and theirs only. Do you understand?"
I couldn't answer with my face pressed up against his shoulder, but I nodded slowly. He didn't immediately pull away, letting me relax into his hold until my energy began to fade and I was left feeling like I needed the world's longest nap. In the end I was the one who pulled away.
"Chloe … it's not your fault," The Doctor told me. "Remember that, okay? It's not your fault."
I gave him a sad smile. "Good night, Doctor."
-0-0-
For the next two weeks, the only adventures we went on were those in incredibly simple and relaxing locations. It was a nice break for the first few days, but eventually it started to get boring. The Doctor was getting increasingly annoying in his lack of patience.
It got to the point that he dropped us off at a botanical garden and told us to have fun, disappearing for his own little adventure without us. It was then that Amy finally had enough.
"Doctor, we have been to every spa and hotel and relaxing beach view in the entire universe," She began, "And I know that you mean well, I really do. But please, can we just go somewhere normal for once? I think my skin has enough moisture to last me the rest of my life."
I couldn't see them well from where I was lingering next to the stairs, but I didn't miss the look the Doctor gave me. Amy let out a sigh.
"Chloe's fine, right Chloe?"
The red head leaned around the console to give me a wide eyed look and I quickly nodded my head in agreement, both of us sharing a smile. Even though what happened with River still hurt, I wasn't very fond of being treated like a child.
With narrowed eyes at our interaction, the Doctor finally conceded. "Fine. How about the Fifth Moon of Cindie Colesta? Lovely place, the mountains are made out of crystals and they cast rainbows across the entire planet."
"That, sounds amazing," Amy agreed. The Doctor began to move around the console, but I stopped him as he passed me by.
"Actually, I was hoping maybe we could do that tomorrow? As much as I would love Crystal Mountains right now, I'm tired."
The two of them shared a look, and Amy let out a groan of frustration. The Doctor tried to look annoyed, but I caught the way his mouth twitched up as he turned away, flying the TARDIS back into the vortex.
"Oh, don't give me that. You two can go around jumping from adventure to adventure, but some of us like to sleep," I told them.
"Fine, we can go tomorrow. While you go get your beauty sleep, I'm going to go check out the pool," Amy countered, skipping off into the hallways.
I leaned to the side and watched as she took a turn in the wrong direction. "Do you think we should tell her the pool's not in the library anymore?"
"Ah, I think she'll figure it out," The Doctor mumbled.
His tone of voice gave me pause. He was fiddling with something I couldn't see, and when I tried to step closer he pulled the object behind his back. I raised my eyebrow.
"Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"What's that," I asked.
I tried to lean around to see what he was hiding, but the Doctor was having none of it. He turned and pocketed whatever it is he had been holding, grabbing my hand before I tried to reach for it. I pouted.
"You said you were tired," The Doctor grabbed my shoulders to push me in the same direction Amy had taken off. "Time for bed."
"C'mon, Doc. What are you hiding?" I said, turning around to give him a look.
He spun me back around. "It's a secret."
I rolled my eyes, finally giving in and walking towards the TARDIS corridor. "You know, I'm good at keeping secrets."
"It's about your future."
"Oh?" I paused at the top of the stairs.
"Spoilers."
He looked far too smug at having said that. I gave him a mock glare, but he didn't look like he was going to break anytime soon. With a sigh, I finally left, arriving back at my room and changing into something comfortable as I got ready for bed.
-0-0-
I jerked awake at the feeling of the world shifting, my elbow hitting something metal as I sat up. I hissed, pressing my hand against the tender flesh, and looked around at what looked like a spaceship, a green glow lighting up the hallway.
Footsteps echoed from behind me, and I turned my head just as the Doctor spotted me. He paused, hands in his pockets, dark pinstripe suit on, and tilted his head. The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement.
"Hello."
"Hey," I said back.
From the same direction the Doctor had come from, a beautiful white horse approached, letting out a huff and nosing at the Doctor's arm. He turned and shooed it away. "Stop that," he said to it, but the horse only let out another huff.
I couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "Got a pet now?"
"It must think I'm its mother," He said, motioning for me to join him as he continued walking. "You haven't seen Rose, have you?"
"Just arrived."
The Doctor spotted a pair of double doors, and immediately went to open them. I followed behind, walking out into the outdoors. There was a mansion in the distance, pools of water and Victorian women walking along the grass, with two in particular being close enough that we could hear them.
"Oh, Katherine, you are too wicked," The blonde said, before turning around. She would have spotted us if the Doctor didn't pull me down to hide behind a stone wall.
"Oh, speaking of wicked," Katherine said, "I hear Madame de Chateauroux is ill and close to death."
"Yes. I am devastated."
"Oh, indeed." Both women began to laugh. "I myself am frequently inconsolable."
The Doctor leaned against the stone wall and observed the two women with a fond look, and I couldn't help but stare. Compared to future versions of this regeneration, the Doctor looked much younger, and it was odd to be able to see the difference so clearly. The Doctor noticed me looking.
"What?"
"Nothing," I said, giving him a knowing look. "Have fun snogging her."
The Doctor straightened up, nervously running his hand through his hair. "It wasn't like that."
"Hey, I'm not judging." We ducked down again as Reinette turned around, and I shot him a grin. "If I had the chance to snog her, I would take it."
We headed back to the ship, where Arthur was still waiting for us. The horse let out a huff at the sight of us, and even though the Doctor tried to urge him back through the doors to his time period, Arthur refused to budge. With a nudge to my arm, I gave in and began to pet him.
"Oh, now he's never going to leave," The Doctor said. I rolled my eyes.
"So, portals on a spaceship that lead to Victorian France, specifically the life of Madame de Pompadour. Any theories?" I asked, curious to see what he was thinking.
The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "Well, I have a couple. I'm assuming you already know what's going on?" I nodded. "Any hints?"
"Where's the fun in that?" I replied, giving him an exaggerated wink.
He chuckled.
As we wandered down the halls searching for Rose and Mickey, Arthur followed at a distance. The Doctor had given up trying to shoo him away. We stumbled upon another time window that led into a kitchen of some sort, that we only gave a quick glance into, before we finally heard something other than the spaceship's hum.
"It's France again. We can see France," echoed down from one of the corridors.
"I think we're looking through a mirror."
Rose and Mickey stood in front of a small window that showed another room. We walked out from the hall next to them and around the two. Mickey let out a scoff towards the man in the room.
"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?"
"The King of France," The Doctor said.
Rose looked back, and gave me a blinding smile. "Chloe! When did you get here?"
"Dunno, I woke up here. And my bed was so warm," I complained, looking down at my pajamas.
As if only just realizing what I was wearing, the Doctor frowned and gave me a once over. Rose let out a sympathetic sound, but the sound of a horse huffing grabbed everyone's attention. Mickey stared in disbelief.
"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" He wondered.
"Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective," The Doctor sassed.
He pointed to the mirror.
"They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history." Reinette walked into the room, dressed in a beautiful gown. "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?"
That last question was directed to me, and I lifted my finger to my lip. There wasn't as much risk involved in this particular adventure, and I felt like it was something that I could always explain later. It was kind of amusing to see the Doctor try and figure out a mystery I already had the answers to.
"Who is she?" Rose asked.
The Doctor peeled his eyes away from me. "Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived."
"Madame de Pompadour," I added, because it was all I knew.
The Doctor shook his head. "No, not quite yet."
"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose continued.
"No, he already has a queen. She has plans on being his mistress."
Rose giggled. "Oh, I get it. Camilla."
"I think this is the night they met. 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," The Doctor said, watching as the King left the room.
"And then she gets the title Madame de Pompadour?" I asked.
The Doctor nodded his head, staring intently at the mirror as Reinette approached. She smiled at her reflection, her hair perfectly done, and Rose raised an eyebrow.
"The Queen must have loved her," She said somewhat sarcastically.
"Oh, she did," The Doctor corrected. "They get on very well."
"What, the King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey said in disbelief.
"France. It's a different planet."
Reinette suddenly turned around, drawing the attention of a figure near the door. "How long have you been standing there? Show yourself!"
The figure turned around, revealing a dressed up clockwork android with a painted mask, and Reinette stepped back in fear. The Doctor reacted before anyone else, grabbing the gun from Mickey and stepping through the mirror, which rotated around.
"Hello, Reinette. Hasn't time flown?"
"Fireplace man!"
The Doctor sprayed the android with what I now realized was a fire extinguisher, coating the android in a fine layer or white dust that seemed to freeze it. It let out a loud whirring noise, but remained immobile.
Mickey caught the extinguisher the Doctor threw back to him. "What's it doing?"
"Switching back on, melting the ice," The Doctor explained, taking a closer look.
"And then what?"
"It kills everyone in the room," He said. The android suddenly snapped its arm forward, the Doctor managing to step back out of its reach. "Focuses the mind, doesn't it? Who are you? Identify yourself."
The android simply tilted its head, but didn't answer. The Doctor let out a frustrated sigh, turning back towards Reinette. "Order it to answer me."
Reinette blinked in surprise. "Why would it listen to me?"
"I don't know. It did when you were a child." The Doctor moved behind her to whisper in her ear. "Let's see if you've still got it."
"Answer his question. Answer any, and all questions put to you," Reinette said, her eyes filled with determination.
The android lowered its arm. "I am repair droid seven."
"What happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage," The Doctor pointed out.
"Ion storm. Eighty two percent system failure."
"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?"
"We did not have the parts."
"Always comes down to that, doesn't it?" Mickey pointed out with a laugh. "The parts."
The Doctor stared at the android. "What happened to the crew? Where are they?"
"We did not have the parts."
"Doctor-, I began.
"There should have been over fifty people on your ship," The Doctor argued. "Where did they go?"
"They didn't have the parts, so they used the crew," I explained, before the android could.
The Doctor turned to look at me with a knowing grimace. The other three looked confused, but I could see the understanding starting to grow in horror.
"The crew?" Mickey asked.
"We found a camera with an eye in it," Rose said with a frown. "And there was … a heart, wired into machinery."
"It was just doing what it was programmed to. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find," The Doctor explained. "No one told it the crew wasn't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?"
Mickey looked down as the reality hit him. Reinette looked almost sick as she realized what was being implied, and I was tempted to reach out to hold her hand, but I figured it wouldn't be appropriate at the moment.
Rose could only stare forward in shock. "It smelled like someone cooking."
"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque," The Doctor said. He shook his head. "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 android stated.
Its head suddenly turned to the side, a large whirring noise filling the room as it stared at Reinette. The rest of us also turned and looked back at the girl, who was staring at the android in horror. The Doctor turned back around.
"Why not just take it?" He questioned.
"She is incomplete."
At this, the Doctor made a face. "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?"
"Why her?" Rose asked. When everyone turned to look at her, she clarified. "You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her?"
"We are the same," The droid said.
Reinette scowled. "We are not the same. We are in no sense the same."
"We are the same," The droid repeated.
"Get out of here," She said firmly, "Get out of here this instant!"
The Doctor reached out to stop her, but the android teleported away. "It's back on the ship. Rose, take Mickey and Arthur. Go after it. Follow it. Don't approach it, just watch what it does."
"Arthur?" Rose questioned.
"Good name for a horse."
"No, you're not keeping the horse," She protested.
"I let you keep Mickey. Now go! Go! Go!" As the other two left through the revolving mirror, the Doctor moved towards Reinette with his hands outstretched. "Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for. I promise it won't hurt a bit."
He placed his fingers against her temple, and the blonde let out a gasp. "Fireplace man, you're inside my mind."
"Oh dear Reinette, you've had some cowboys in here," he muttered.
"You're in my memories," Reinette continued. "You walk among them."
The two conversed in low tones, and I tuned them out. It was an intimate moment between them that I didn't feel like interfering in. I was tempted to go after Rose and Mickey, but I knew that they would be captured soon, and I wasn't sure I could help them if I was captured as well. Staying here was my best bet.
I wandered over to the door and glanced down a corridor, the sound of people talking and soft music coming from another room that I couldn't quite see. I glanced back to where the Doctor and Reinette stood together.
He suddenly pulled away in shock. "How did you do that?"
"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction," Reinette explained, stepping closer. "Oh, Doctor. My lonely Doctor. Dance with me."
"I can't."
"Dance with me," She demanded.
"This is the night you dance with the King," He insisted.
"Then first, I shall make him jealous."
"Doctor," I called out, watching the two of them carefully. "A bit of advice? You have time."
The Doctor gave me a betrayed look, but Reinette beamed. She reached out to grab his hand and began pulling him in my direction. I stepped to the side, expecting the pair to pass, but Reinette stopped in front of me and held out her other hand.
"Come."
I immediately raised my hands in defense. "What? No! You two go have fun, I'll go look for Rose and Mickey-"
"Like you said, you have time," Reinette interrupted.
The expectant look she gave me didn't leave much room to argue. I turned to the Doctor for help, but he was busy enjoying my misery. Reinette waited patiently with knowing eyes.
I grabbed her hand with a sigh.
-0-0-
"I can't believe you convinced me to do this," I said in disdain, watching as the Doctor wrapped his tie around his forehead. "It's a terrible plan."
"Hush," he told me, pushing the glass of oil into my hands.
I tugged on the neckline of the dress Reinette had gifted me, since I couldn't very well go to a party in my pajamas. It was a beautiful green that made my eyes pop, but tight and scratchy in a way I wasn't used to, the hoops under the skirt making it hard to move.
The party itself wasn't so bad. The Doctor danced with Reinette, and then attempted to show me the moves for the traditional waltz, but I kept stepping on his feet. Eventually, we both excused ourselves from the party where I explained the current situation to the Doctor, and he came up with a 'brilliant' plan to fool the androids.
I think he just wanted an excuse to act drunk.
"-where's Chloe, and the Doctor? Where's your precious Doctor now? They've been gone for flipping hours!" Mickey's voice yelled.
"You are compatible."
The Doctor took the cup from my hand and held out his arm for me to grab onto. "Ready?"
"Yeah, let's do this," I said, running my hand through my hair to mess it up. "Still think it's a stupid plan."
He winked at me, putting on a pair of sunglasses before banging the door we had snuck through. It echoed down the hall, cutting off Rose from where she had been talking. The Doctor started singing loudly, a song I had never heard before.
Rose picked up from where she had paused. "They called him the, the-"
"And still have begged for more. I could've spread my wings and done a thou," The Doctor sang, spinning around as he entered the room. "Have you met the French? My god, they know how to party."
Rose scowled. "Oh, look what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm."
"You sound just like your mother," He shot back, pulling me in by the waist.
I weaseled myself out of his hold and let out a high pitched giggle that made me want to cringe, tripping on thin air and letting myself fall in front of Rose. The blonde companion stared down at me in confusion.
"What have you two been doing? Are you drunk?"
"Well, among other things, I think I just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early. Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before? Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good."
While the Doctor rambled, I used his distraction to pull out the sonic screwdriver he had given me and proceeded to unlock Rose's restraints. I gave her a look, holding my hand out in a 'wait' sign.
"Oh ho, ho, ho, ho, brilliant. It's you. You're my favorite, you are," The Doctor stumbled towards one of the androids. "You are the best! Do you know why? Because you're so thick. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania. And so's your dad."
With nobody looking at me, I managed to roll over and give Mickey a wink, unlocking his restraints as well. I hid the sonic screwdriver into my sleeve and slowly stood up, still playing the part of a drunk, and swayed over to the TARDIS.
"Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for? Her milometer. They want to know how old she is. Know why? Because this ship is thirty seven years old, and they think that when Reinette is thirty seven, when she's complete, then her brain will be compatible."
I nodded at the Doctor when he turned to look at me. He continued. "So, that's what you're missing, isn't it, hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do."
"The brain is compatible," The android said.
The Doctor scoffed. "Compatible? If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine."
The Doctor removed the mask the android was wearing, pouring the oil onto its head. The android began to whirr in protest before suddenly freezing up, slumping over. Rose and Mickey slid off the chairs they had been restrained too in relief.
"Multigrain anti-oil," The Doctor explained. "If it moves, it doesn't."
The other androids began to move forward, and Rose let out a yelp in surprise. The Doctor leaned over the console to press a button and they stopped. Mickey looked around at the robots, waving his hand in front of one of them.
"Are these things safe?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah. Safe. Safe and thick, just the way I like them. Now, time we got the rest of the ship turned off," The Doctor began, pulling down his tie to its proper place and putting away his sunglasses. "Okay, all the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down. Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs?"
The Doctor muttered to himself as he moved around the console, patting his pockets as if the tool would suddenly appear. He made it to the other side where he started to flick switches with a frown.
Rose narrowed her eyes at the android next to her. "Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty seven?"
"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they did well to hit the right century. Trial and error after that." The Doctor leaned over to press a button, but still nothing happened. "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?"
The console let out a warped bell sound. The others looked around in confusion, but I tilted my head down.
"What's that?"
"One of the droids," I told them, "They're still out there. That's why you can't close the time windows."
The Doctor let out a noise of frustration. "Ah, there must be an override."
He jammed the button harder despite knowing it wouldn't do anything. From behind him, the android that had been slumped over suddenly straightened out, one of its mechanical fingers opening up and pouring the anti-oil out onto the floor. The Doctor stared down at the puddle in disdain.
"Well, that was a bit clever." The android off switch suddenly moved back up, and the others began to whir as they straightened out. "Right. Many things about this are not good."
Rose and Mickey both moved closer to me, the TARDIS to our backs. The bell from before started to ring again, more insistently this time.
"Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" The Doctor noted.
"She is complete. It begins."
One by one, the androids teleported away.
"What's happening?" Rose questioned.
"One of them must have found the right time window. Now it's time to send in the troops." The Doctor scowled. "And this time they're bringing back her head."
"But they can't kill her, can they? Wouldn't we have known if androids attacked France in the 18th century?" Mickey asked.
"Time can be rewritten," I explained. "Nothing is set in stone."
Rose looked over with wide eyes. "So what do we do?"
"We need to find the right place," The Doctor explained. "Rose, there's a time window down the hall that looks like a tapestry. Reinette should be thirty-two, warn her they'll be there sometime after her thirty-seventh birthday."
I pressed my hand against the wall in front of the console as Rose took off into the ship, noticing a part of the wall that looked like a screen. I used the sonic screwdriver the way I had been shown (point and think) to turn the screen on like a TV, showing a party scene just as the androids arrived. Despite the visual feed, no sounds were heard.
"Doctor? I found it."
The Doctor looked over in surprise. "Oh, brilliant."
"Is that where they went, then?" Mickey stepped closer.
"Yeah, just have to-" The Doctor moved forward, stopping just shy of the wall. He slapped it. "Oh, oh! That was clever, that's really clever."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Time window is blocked, I can't get through. Try and get the audio linked."
I used the sonic screwdriver but nothing happened. "It's not working."
"Right just a moment then." The Doctor moved between the console and to the wall next to the screen, pressing buttons and connecting wires. One lever caused the entire console to suddenly spark. "Okay. Should work now."
He ran up next to me and grabbed my arm, the one that was still holding the sonic screwdriver, to raise it up to the screen. I stopped breathing in surprise when his body pressed closer to mine, his other hand coming around to rest on my waist. The sonic began to buzz.
The audio suddenly turned on, screams echoing out from the time window. The Doctor pulled away, taking the sonic with him. "Now if I could just get through …"
"Mickey, go get Rose. Tell her we found the time window," I instructed, and Mickey nodded.
I watched as the Doctor continued to work, letting out a cry of frustration when it was obvious nothing was working. Somewhere close by, Reinette began to call out from another time window.
"Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now. You promised. The clock on the mantle is broken. It is time." Mickey came running back in. On screen, the group of party goers were cornered against the back wall by a group of androids with knives. "Doctor? Doctor!"
Rose finally returned. "You found it, then?"
"They knew I was coming," The Doctor explained. "They blocked it off."
"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," The Doctor urged, still trying to find a way through.
"Well, can't we just smash through? Mickey asked.
"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We'd need a truck."
"We don't have a truck."
"I know we don't have a truck!" The Doctor yelled in a panic.
"Well, we've got to try something," Rose urged.
"No. Smash the glass, smash the time window," The Doctor paused. "There'd be no way back."
On screen, Reinette began to calm the people, and I gently placed my hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Doctor, we don't have a truck, but the kick from a horse is more than enough to break through."
As if called, Arthur clomped out from down the corridor. The Doctor gave me a hard look, his eyes darting back to Rose and Mickey, who remained oblivious. When Reinette was forced to kneel on the ground, weapons pointed at her face, he made his decision.
"I'm sorry," He whispered.
All I could do was give him a reassuring nod and step away, giving him a clear shot. It took less than a minute for the Doctor to mount Arthur, and with a running start he broke through the time window. Both Mickey and Rose both stumbled back at the shattered glass as the screen suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a solid wall behind.
"What happened?" Mickey exclaimed. "Where did the time window go? How's he going to get back?"
Neither Rose nor I answered him, because we both knew the answer. Mickey looked between us in disbelief. It took a few minutes for it to sink in, Mickey pacing around the room and Rose stills staring at the broken time window with her eyes full of tears. Eventually, Mickey slumped against the console.
"We can't fly the TARDIS without him. How's he going to get back?"
"There's still a way," I assured them, patting the TARDIS softly.
Rose turned around, eyes filled with hope. "Really? You're serious?"
"Not sure if it works both ways," I mused, leading them a little further to where the fireplace I had spotted before stood. "But he can definitely get back from the other side. Might take a while."
"How long?"
I winced. "Five hours?"
"We have to wait five hours?" Mickey complained.
The three of us stared at the fireplace.
"Anyone have a deck of cards?"
-0-0-
I was sitting in front of the fireplace when it finally spun around. Mickey had headed into the TARDIS (which I finally got to open with my key) to wait, and Rose had spent the first two hours with me before she decided to wander around the ship for a bit. Her first walk around, she confirmed that all the other time windows were gone.
She was also the first one to react when the Doctor finally returned.
"Doctor!"
The Doctor crouched down next to me with nothing more than a quick glance and turned to look past the now lit flames of the fireplace. On the other side stood Reinette with a stricken look on her face.
"Madame de Pompadour!" The Doctor called out. "Still want to see those stars?"
"More than anything," she breathed.
"Give me two minutes. Pack a bag."
"Am I going somewhere?"
"Actually, I think it might be better if she comes through now," I told the Doctor. "Time window's run differently, remember?"
The Doctor furrowed his brows, looking back at the fireplace and then to me. "Yes, that makes more sense. Reinette, give me a sec."
Rose ran to give the Doctor a hug the moment he stood back up, but I kept my gaze firmly on Reinette from the other side. I felt as long as I could see her, time wouldn't pass by so quickly and we could still have a chance to take her to see the stars.
"Okay, I'll be right back," The Doctor assured us as he grabbed the fireplace again.
It took only a few seconds before both the Doctor and Reinette were back on our side, the blonde's face looking around in a composed mask of surprise.
"What's going on?" Rose wondered, giving Reinette a hesitant look.
"Decided to take her on a trip through the TARDIS. As a sort of apology, for the mess that she had gone through," The Doctor explained.
He gave me a blinding smile when he turned to me, and I was expecting the sudden hug he gave me. What I didn't expect was for him to pick me up off my feet and spin me around, so I let out a squeal of surprise.
"You brilliant girl," He whispered. The Doctor glanced at something behind me. "Mickey! There you are."
With the kind of nonchalant swagger that only the Doctor could pull off, he shook Mickey's hand before handing him the bag that Reinette had brought with her. I could only imagine that time had run faster on our side this time.
The two blonde girls turned away from the silent conversation they had been having behind us, both of them looking more relaxed. I felt excitement at the prospect of something new, of seeing the events of my actions unfold in front of me for the first time.
"So, anywhere in time and space," I told Reinette. "You ready?"
The three of us followed Mickey to the TARDIS, and I went in first so I could see Reinette's face directly after she walked in. Rose followed close behind with the same idea.
"Oh I can't wait to see this," She whispered to me.
We both waited by the console as Reinette took her first steps into the TARDIS , her mask shattering into a million tiny pieces. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and she slowly looked around. The Doctor followed her in, walking calmly with his hands in his pockets.
"Doctor, your ship-"
The Doctor grinned. "Oh, I know."
"- It's bigger on the inside!"
Rose gave me a knowing look. She welcomed Reinette to the ship, holding out her hand to show the other girl around the console. Mickey returned from wherever he had taken Reinette's things, leaning against the railing across from me.
"So now what? We take her with us, return her back before anyone notices she's missing?" He wondered.
"With the way the Doctor drives, who knows if we even get her back on time," I joked, giving Mickey a wink.
"Watch it," The Doctor warned us.
Reinette reached out to grab the Doctor's hand. He looked down at it and then back up at her with an easy smile.
"I believe you promised me the stars, Doctor."
Sharing a look, Mickey and I both grabbed onto the railings as the Doctor began to pilot the TARDIS. The room started shaking, and Rose let out a laugh at the look of shock and worry that suddenly filled Reinette's face.
"Is it supposed to do that?"
Rose, Mickey and I all shared an amused look. It was a few moments later that the ship settled and the Doctor offered up his arm to the blonde aristocrat .
He showed her exactly what she wanted.
"Oh, Doctor. It's beautiful."
The Doctor opened up the doors of the TARDIS to reveal the whole of space as we drifted through. He stepped back and allowed Reinette to stick her head out and see the millions of stars that shined around us. Stray piece of her hair began to float the further she stuck her head out, casting a golden halo around her head.
"How are they breathing?" Mickey wondered.
"Magic," I answered before the Doctor could, and the Time Lord in question just rolled his eyes at me.
"The TARDIS has an air bubble that provides you with oxygen. I expanded it out."
Rose pursed her lips from next to me. "Sometimes I forget this is a spaceship. Makes sense for it to have to give us oxygen."
"Her," I corrected softly.
"What?"
"The TARDIS, it's a she."
"Really?"
The TARDIS let out a small hum, and Rose stared around the room with wide eyes. Reinette, who had finally gotten her fill from the stars, stepped back from the TARDIS doors and pushed her hair out from where they had fallen in front of her eyes.
"This … That was amazing," She said softly, smiling up at the Doctor. "Thank you."
The Doctor smiled back with a nod, turning to us. "Right, where to next?"
"Home?" Rose said, following him around the console. "I called my mum earlier, she wants me to stop by."
"21st century it is."
Mickey closed the doors just as the TARDIS took off, and we all held tight to the railings as the room began to shake. Reinette joined me next to the railings, and soon enough we landed.
Reinette turned to look at me in excitement. "21st century? That's my future. Outside those doors, is my future?"
"Ooh, Doctor, we might need a contention plan in case of spoilers," I mentioned.
He waved my worries off. "As long as you don't go opening any History books, we should be fine."
"I think we might need a change of clothes," I told them, gesturing to her dress. "The 21st century isn't used to people dressed up like this. Plus, I definitely want to change into something more comfortable."
"You mean like those strange clothes you were wearing before?" Reinette teased.
I shook my head with a laugh. "Oh, no. Those were pajamas. It's pretty weird for people to wear those in public, even in my time."
"I thought they were cute," Rose added, "Your little rocket ships were adorable."
"Hey!"
As the others laughed, I brushed them off and gestured for Reinette to follow me. I still vaguely remembered the way to the wardrobe from the last time I had been, the TARDIS guiding me along the way so I wouldn't get lost. It still looked the same, but the clothes closest to the door now showed a more modern style.
Reinette brushed her hands along the hem of a red dress, much tighter and shorter than what she must have been used to. "Is this what people wear these days? It's very revealing."
"People are a lot more brave these days," I confirmed, "But not everyone. I think there are some longer dresses around here somewhere."
A light suddenly shined on a certain area two rows over. I led Reinette over to what was still acceptable, if very modest, in the 21st century, and wandered off to find myself some jeans I could change into.
By the time I finally finished changing, Reinette had settled on a long sleeved floral dress that reached a little below her knees. Her hair remained the same, but somehow she looked so different just from the change in clothes. I couldn't help but stare.
Reinette looked down at herself. "Is there something wrong? I assumed this would be appropriate for the time. Was I wrong?"
"Oh, no! You look fine," I assured her. "Beautiful, actually."
She gave me a wide smile, looking me up and down. " Yes, so do you. Much better than your sleepwear.
From behind us, Rose let out a fake cough to grab our attention. "Yeah, you both look lovely. Ready yet? The Doctor already took off, I thought I'd come and get you two before he forgets about ya."
"Oh, that's just like him," I joked, and we giggled. "Well, let's go then. Who knows what kind of trouble he'll get up to on his own."
-0-0-
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow
- Dreams by Langston Hughes
Sorry for the late update. My dad had to go to the hospital and the hotel had horrible internet connection. Might be a while for the next update.
Also I know I promised an original chapter but I thought I might as well make a whole chapter for it since this adventure was long enough to be it's own chapter and it was taking a while to finish it up. This way you get a faster update :)
Hope you enjoy!
Also thank you to mayabbyes, SerahSanguine, Saiyanprincess1511 and brmngirl for commenting :D
UPDATE: THIS STORY IS NOT ABANDONED. HOPING TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT BY NOVEMBER, BUT LIFE IS VERY STRESSFUL AND HONESTLY IM JUST A LITTLE OVERWHELMED BY EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW. I LOVE YOU ALL, BE SAFE! :)