Hey guys! It's been an age. Sorry about that but hey, I bring the chapter that Reinette comes in. Yay! She's finally here! I hope I've done justice because I feel like this is shit. Also, it looks like I rushed a bit at the end and I did but I have a plan. Don't worry, there will be chapters of fluff and I will take suggestions under consideration.
The sight of a clear and star filled dusk sky above the Palace of Versailles is in stark contrast with the screams echoing from inside. In the palace is a crowd of French aristocrats from the 18th century screaming in panic, all dressed for a masquerade ball.
Inside a lavish bedroom, a clock-face on an ornate clock on a fireplace mantel is smashed and the sound of a mans voice comes closer to the room as a regal blonde woman stands by the fireplace. Madame de Pompadour, otherwise known as Reinette.
"We are under attack! There are creatures... I don't even think they're human. We can't stop them," King Louis the fifteenth exclaimed in panic, entering his mistresses room.
"The clock is broken. He's coming," Reinette said calmly. The King moved towards her, concerned with the fact that she is still looking at the fireplace and not even attempting to run away.
"Did you hear what I said?" Louis asked. He took her hand and attempted to pull her away from the fireplace. Instead, she stopped and looked insistently at him.
"Listen to me. There is a man coming to Versailles. He has watched over me my whole life and he will not desert me tonight, nor will his daughter," Reinette said, having complete faith in the man and woman of whom she spoke of.
"What are you talking about? What man? What daughter?" Louis asked incredulously.
"The only man, save you, I have ever loved," Reinette admitted. She saw Louis' face and continued talking before he could interrupt. "No, don't look like that, there's no time. You have your duties. I am your mistress. Go to your queen." Reinette the turned back to the fireplace, crouching down in front of it and speaking into the flames with a sense of urgency and desperation. "Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now, you promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time. Doctor! Doctor!"
Ella knocked on the doorframe of Rose's room where the blonde woman was sat on her bed with her laptop in front of her. Rose looked up and beckoned Ella in.
"So, not a fan of Mickey on board, then?" Ella asked with a lighthearted smile, stepping into the room.
Rose sighed. "Not really. It's dangerous out here and I guess I've really enjoyed my time with you guys alone. Bit selfish, really," Rose admitted.
Ella smirked. "Well, you are the selfish sort."
Rose chucked a pillow at Ella's head and the pink haired woman laughed. "You're one to talk."
Ella then shrugged. "Well, you're not wrong."
Ella took a seat next to Rose and they both sat in silence for a few minutes. "I think the reason we sometimes don't get along is that we're so similar. Also, I'm sorry that I kept kicking you on that last trip but I'm a really big fan of Sarah Jane," Ella said, genuinely apologetic to Rose.
"We have had a bit of a love-hate relationship, haven't we?" Rose mused. Ella let out a short chuckle.
"We have, and there was no reason for it except for the fact that we were both after my dads attention."
"I don't like your dad romantically, you know," Rose said.
"I know."
"Friends?" Rose offered.
Ella smiled and nodded. "Friends."
Rose then went on to talk about the new Harry Potter movie and she and Ella both talked enthusiastically for hours, covering a range of topics and finally casting the hate part of their relationship aside. Ella even talked about the loss of Jack and as she spoke, the weight on her chest lightened dramatically and she felt so much better as she cried into Rose's shoulder.
Ella and Rose fell asleep on Rose's bed, the door wide open so when the Doctor came by to get them for their next trip, he saw Rose lying on her side facing Ella while his daughter was on her stomach, her right hand holding Rose's left hand and her hair in tangles and lying a few centimetres short of Rose's face. Ella's face was angled towards the wall and tear tracks shone on her cheeks from the hallway light.
The Doctor looked fondly at the two girls before knocking loudly on the door, startling to two from sleep. "We've got a trip to go on, let's go!" The Doctor said loudly and excitedly, making Ella and Rose groan tiredly.
The Doctor left and both girls lied back down. "How long before he comes back do you think?" Rose asked.
"If we lock the door, maybe an hour or two. Sexy will help us, won't you?"
The TARDIS hummed her agreement and the door shut and locked, leaving Ella and Rose to sleep for two hours more while the TARDIS moved the bedroom door around and away from the Doctor.
When they finally woke up of their own accord, the closet was bigger and it had both Rose's and Ella's clothes.
Rose slipped on a purple graphic shirt with light wash jeans and white sneakers, just brushing her hair through and applying a small amount of makeup.
Ella had a similar approach and put on some high waisted black straight pants with a flow-y black top with purple, pink and blue floral patterning, the sleeves long and wispy. She got Rose to braid her hair back and slipped on some black flats.
They reached the console room and off they went, putting the destination to random.
When they landed, the Doctor left the TARDIS first, closely followed by Rose, Ella and Mickey. All four then went on to have a look around a dark, disused room of the spaceship.
"It's a spaceship! Brilliant, I got a spaceship on my first go!" Mickey said excitedly.
"Looks kind of abandoned... Anyone on board?" Rose asked, surprised at how empty the place seemed.
"Nah, nothing here. Well! Nothing dangerous. Well! Not that dangerous," the Doctor started but he paused before continuing, "You know what, I'll just have a quick scan... in case there's anything dangerous."
Rose and Ella shared an amused smirk as the Doctor made his way over to a control panel in the centre of the room and started tapping at some buttons, making Ella smile.
"So, what's the date? How far we gone?" Rose asked, coming up beside the Doctor.
"About three thousand years into your future, give or take," the Doctor said as he pulled on a switch and the lights turned on, the roof slowly opening into a window which showed an amazing view of the space outside.
"Fifty-first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey! Two and a half galaxies!" Mickey has moved to a porthole, Ella watching as Rose walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders. The Doctor rummaged around the control panel, picking up bits and pieces of broken technology and looking thoroughly unimpressed, Ella coming up beside him.
"Mickey Smith meet the universe. See anything you like?" Rose asked happily.
"It's so realistic!" Mickey said, his voice full of awe.
"Dear me, had some cowboys in here! Got a tonne of repair work going on," the Doctor stated as he chucked the broken pieces down casually, noticing a screen with a diagram of the spaceship on it. Rose and Mickey joined the pair to look at the screen, the Doctor was curious and Ella frowned.
"Now that's odd, look at that. All the warp engines are going... full capacity! There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe... and we're not moving. So where's all that power going?"
"Where'd all the crew go?" Rose asked. The Doctor leant forward and played with some of the knobs on the control panel.
"Good question, no life readings on board," Ella murmured.
"Well, we're in deep space; they didn't just nip out for a quick fag," Rose quipped, making Ella's lips quirk up at the sides.
"Nope, checked all the smoking pods," the Doctor said. They all paused as they look around the room and the Doctor sniffs. "Can you smell that?"
"Yeah, someone's cooking," Rose said.
"Sunday roast, definitely!" Mickey said, sounding a little excited. Ella pressed a button and a door opened behind them. The four walked through and see part of the wall and floor with 18th century French decor with a lit fireplace.
"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century! French! Nice mantel!" The Doctor said excitedly, basically skipping up to it. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the fireplace. "Not a hologram." He examined it closely while Mickey and Rose explored the rest of the room, Ella studying the top of the mantel.
"Not even a reproduction, this actually is an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double-sided, there's another room through there," the Doctor continued.
Rose looked through another porthole on the same wall as the fireplace and frowned in confusion. "There can't be, that's the outer hull of the ship, look," Rose said.
The Doctor suddenly crouched down, looking through the fire into the other room. A young girl with long blonde hair, dressed in a nightgown, is looking back at him. Ella crouched down next to her father, smiling kindly at the girl.
"Hello!" The Doctor said, curious but happy. The girl on the other side looked completely baffled.
"Hello..."
"What's your name?" Ella asked.
"Reinette."
"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?" The Doctor asked, sounding encouraging.
"In my bedroom," Reinette replied, suspicion lacing her tone and Ella understood. If there were a man in her fireplace, she would be confused too. Ella stood, leaving her dad to it and went to lean against the wall.
"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"
"Paris, of course!"
"Paris, right!"
"Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?
"Oh, it's just a routine... fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?"
"Of course I can! 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. Nice night!"
"Goodnight Monsieur."
The Doctor stood up again, looking thoughtful.
"You said this was the fifty-first century," Mickey said accusingly.
"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink," the Doctor said, making Ella snort and laugh at the made up term.
"What's that?" Mickey asked.
"He doesn't have any idea. Just made it up. He didn't wanna say 'magic door'," Ella said, still laughing.
"And on the other side of the 'magic door' is France in 1727?" Rose asked, deepening her voice briefly to say 'magic door'. The Doctor nodded and looked back at the fireplace before walking across the room, taking his coat off and throwing it to Ella, who grinned and shrugged it on.
"Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too," the Doctor said.
"She was speaking English, I heard her!" Mickey exclaimed. Rose draped her arms around Mickey's neck as the Doctor made his way back to the fireplace.
"That's the TARDIS, translates for ya," Rose informed him.
"Even French?!"
"Bingo," Ella said.
The Doctor kneed the side of the fireplace and the section of the wall started to rotate, just like in Scooby-Doo and it took the Doctor with it. "Gotcha!"
"Doctor!" Rose yelled, Ella waving goodbye to her dad.
Once the fireplace finished turning, the Doctor found himself standing in a dark bedroom, with the young Reinette asleep, the only light coming from the window. The ticking of a clock can be heard as the Doctor wandered towards the window. The Paris skyline was visible and the snow made the sight even more beautiful. The neigh of a horse is heard and the young Reinette's eyes snap open to see the shadowy shape of the Doctor at the window. She sat up, and the Doctor turned around.
"It's okay! Don't scream! It's me, it's the fireplace man. Look." The Doctor walked over and lit a candle next to her bed with the sonic screwdriver. She still looked startled. "We were talking, just a moment ago. I was in your fireplace."
"Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months!" Reinette exclaimed.
"Really? Oh." The Doctor scratched behind his ear before he walked back to the fireplace and knocked on it, listening to the knock. "Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in."
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Reinette asked.
The Doctor didn't answer, occupied by the clock on the mantel with his mouth slightly open, looking slightly fearful. The ticking sound sounds out prominently once more. "Okay, that's scary..."
"You're scared of a broken clock?" Reinette asked, skeptical of the whole situation.
"Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit. 'Cause you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room..." the Doctor then paused frantically as he turned to look back to the blonde girl sitting in the middle of her bed. "Then what's that?"
The ticking grew louder and Reinette looked around, clearly scared again. The Doctor started speaking slowly and quietly. "'Cause you see that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. Size of a man."
"What is it?" Reinette asked, not letting her fear paralyse her. The Doctor checked behind the curtains, finding nothing. He started speaking quicker, spilling out his thought processes.
"Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticks 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?" He paused in both his speech and movements before moving and talking again. "You might start to wonder if you're really alone." The Doctor moved towards the bed and crouched down, giving Reinette instructions as he pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. "Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge."
The Doctor looked underneath the bed before turning on the sonic screwdriver to scan underneath, startling back when something whacked the Doctor's hand, knocking the screwdriver out of his hand. Reinette gasped and the Doctor scrambled back to look underneath again and he saw the feet of something standing on the other side of the bed, wearing aristocratic French clothes. The Doctor moved into a crouch, looking at Reinette with wide eyes.
"Reinette..." the Doctor started in a whisper. "Don't look round." A figure is standing on the other side of the bed, wearing a creepy porcelain mask and leering down at Reinette, who looked terrified. "You stay exactly where you are." The Doctor stood up to look straight at the figure. He glanced back at Reinette, then at the figure, and then back to Reinette, discomforted by what he guessed was happening.
"Hold still, let me look..." The Doctor bent down and held Reinette's head between his hands, staring seriously into her eyes with a disturbed expression before looking back at the figure in shock. "You've been scanning her brain!" He looked once more into Reinette's eyes before standing up straight again, horrified at his findings. "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, turning to look round at the figure with no fear of the creature but of its intent. "You want me?"
The creatures head twitches to one side and speaks in a distinctly mechanical voice. "Not yet. You are incomplete."
"'Incomplete'? What's that mean, incomplete?" The Doctor asked.
The creature did not answer and didn't take its gaze off of Reinette. The Doctor stood up and spoke firmly with slight irritation lacing his voice, grabbing his sonic screwdriver and pointing it threateningly at the droid.
"You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, 'incomplete'?"
The droid didn't answer, once again, and instead started walking in jerky movements around the bed and faced the Doctor. The droid extended an arm and a blade slid out near the Doctor's face, making the Time Lord move his head to the side and away from the blade.
"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette insisted.
"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares," the Doctor said as he backed away, the droid following. It took a swing at the Doctor who jumped back onto the roasting fireplace. "Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?"
The droid swung at the Doctor again and he jumped aside, the droid's blade embedding itself into the mantel and getting stuck.
"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette asked with a frown. The droid struggled to release itself and the Doctor pulled on the side to get the fireplace to turn around.
"Me, ha!"
Reinette smiled as the droid and the Doctor disappeared from her view, completely fascinated by the strange fireplace man.
"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed as the fireplace finished turning, the Doctor quickly grabbing a fire extinguisher from the wall, using it to spray ice at the droid. It moved in an attempt to free itself before freezing completely.
"Excellent, ice gun!" Mickey said, Ella shaking her head at him as her father threw the 'gun' to Rose, who caught it, only slightly fumbling.
"Fire extinguisher," the Doctor corrected.
"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked, eyeing the droid apprehensively.
"I assume from here," Ella mused.
"So why is it dressed like that?" Mickey asked.
"Field trip to France, some kind of basic camouflage protocol; nice needlework! Shame about the face," the Doctor said, walking back to the droid and he eyed it before he pulled off the mask and wig to reveal its actual head - an ornate clockwork mechanical structure, covered with a clear egg shape, whether plastic or glass, Ella couldn't tell. The Doctor admired it with excitement, looking like a kid at Christmas. "Oh, you are beautiful!"
Mickey and Rose shuffled closer, their eyes alight with curiosity, and the Doctor put on his glasses to examine it more closely, Ella rolling her eyes at the fact that he wore them when he didn't need to. Only to look smart.
Maybe I should get some glasses, Ella thought.
"No really, you are, you're gorgeous! Look at that! Space age clockwork, I love it! I've got chills! 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." The Doctor took one last look at the droid before holding up the sonic. "But that won't stop me."
The droid clicked back to life and teleported away. Rose and Mickey blinked and looked around in shock as the Doctor stuffed the screwdriver back into his pocket, walking swiftly back to the fireplace and preparing to go back to the other side.
"Short range teleport, can't have got far. Could still be on board," Ella remarked.
"What is it?" Rose asked.
"Don't go looking for it!" The Doctor instructed, pointing at Mickey and Rose.
"Where're you going?" Rose asked.
"Back in a sec." The Doctor then disappeared, returning to Reinette's side. Rose looked down at the fire extinguisher, a contemplative look on her face.
"He said not to look for it..." Mickey said unsurely.
Rose gave him a faux serious look, a sneaky look in her eyes. "Yeah, he did." They look at each other for a moment before Mickey smiled and grabbed the other fire extinguisher on the wall. "Now you're getting it!" Rose said with a laugh. They both jog out of the room, leaving Ella to sit by the fireplace.
The Doctor now stood by the fireplace in a lavish bedroom of red and gold. He stepped off the rotating fireplace.
"Reinette... Just checking you're okay..." the Doctor called out. He brushed a hand across the strings of a harp as Reinette, having grown quite a lot since their last meeting, walked into the room. She paused, obviously recognising the Doctor, and he didn't to notice her until she cleared her throat. The Doctor looked to the beautiful blonde woman and fumbled a little. "Oh! Hello!"
The Doctor quickly put away his glasses in his pocket, surprised and pleasantly distracted by her appearance. He then started stuttering slightly as he talked. "Um, I was just looking for Reinette. Uh, this is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long." He gave a quick look back at the fireplace where Ella gave him a thumbs up.
"Reinette! We're ready to go!" A woman's voice called from somewhere in the house.
"Go to the carriage, mother, I will join you there," Reinette called back. An amazed grin of realisation spread across the Doctor's face. "It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence."
"Reinette...!" Reinette smiled and the Doctor looked quite dazzled and he looked her up and down. "Well. Goodness, how you've grown."
"And you do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you," Reinette teased, approaching the Doctor to stand only but a eyes away from him.
The Doctor looked completely confused as to how to continue. "Right... yes... sorry. Um... umm... umm.. listen, lovely to catch up, but er, better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man, do we?"
Ella smirked and backed away from the fireplace, leaving this moment to her father.
"Strange? How could you be a stranger to me? I have known you since I was seven years old," Reinette said.
"Yeah... I suppose you have. I came the quick route," the Doctor said wth a small laugh mid sentence. Reinette reached up to touch the Doctor's cheek, examining him carefully, and making his eyes widen.
"Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real," Reinette said, her eyes locking on his.
"Oh, pfft... You never want to listen to reason..." the Doctor said, sharing an intense gaze with her.
"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient," a voice called, a male servants.
"A moment!" Reinette called back, upset with the interruption. She looked back at the Doctor. "So many questions. So little time."
She pulled the Doctor toward her and kissed him passionately on the lips. They stumble backwards into the mantelpiece, the Doctor starting to kiss her back, only to be interrupted by the servant calling again, his voice closer.
"Mademoiselle Poisson!"
Reinette broke the kiss and ran to the open door, grabbing a purse from her dressing table as she went, without so much as a backward glance. The Doctor watched her as she left in complete awe. The servant came to the door but stopped dead as he noticed the Doctor.
"Poisson? Reinette Poisson?" The Doctor asked. The servant looked bemused by the Doctor's presence and Ella could hear every word and was concealing her glee. "No... no, no, no, no, no way, Reinette Poisson?!" He ran right up to the manservant, as if to interrogate him but not letting him get a word in. "Later Madame Etioles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France?" The Doctor rah buck to the side of the fireplace, filled with glee. "Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan? Fantastic gardener!"
"Who the hell are you?!" The servant exclaimed. The Doctor reached for the fireplace and found the trigger back to the ship.
"I'm the Doctor. And I just snogged Madame de Pompadour!" He exclaimed giddily. The fireplace turned again, taking the Doctor with it as he laughs maniacally. He stepped back onto the ship, seeing Ella seated with a smirk.
"Have fun?" Ella asked with a smirk.
The Doctor refused to acknowledge the question and Ella stood to follow her father. "Rose! Mickey?"
"They went off to explore. I would've stopped them but you know how they get," Ella explained with a shrug.
"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!" They turned the corner and stopped immediately, the sight of a white horse in the middle of the corridor surprising them. The Doctor blinked while the horse whinnied, Ella still slightly shocked.
The Doctor and Ella walked through a junction of corridors, looking completely lost but just going straight.
"Rose?" The Doctor called, sounding like he was calling a child. The horse followed, Ella trying to not laugh. The Doctor stopped to look down a corridor before turning to the horse with an irritated look on his face. "Will you stop following me? I'm not your mother!" The horse nudged his arm with it's nose. The Doctor moved away, having spotted a set of white, French double doors and he opened them.
"So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?"
The Doctor walked out onto a grassy courtyard, once again in Versailles, and Ella was right beside him. They see a familiar figure and the Doctor smiled and walked to a low wall with a pillar and an urn on top, Ella hidden by the urn and bushes. Two ladies laughed, walking arm in arm as they wandered the grounds.
"Oh, Catherine, you are too wicked!" Reinette laughed. Reinette suddenly turned around as though she has spotted something out of the corner of her eye, seeing the Doctor attempt to hide by ducking down behind the pillar and she quickly fought a smile.
"Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateneux is ill and close to death," Catherine said. Reinette's attention was elsewhere now and once she looked away, the Doctor straightened up and leant on the wall, staring at Reinette with a dopey grin.
The conversation can't be heard anymore as they're too far away and it is a moment later that Reinette turned back, hoping to catch the Doctor. The Doctor ducked behind the pillar again and Reinette had to fight off another smile.
The ladies linked arms once again and continued their stroll. The Doctor straightened up fully and leant on the wall again.
Ella nudged the Doctor to indicate that they should leave and they turned, only to be confronted by a stable hand.
"Have you seen a horse?!" He asked angrily.
"Well, um, I-" The Doctor started before being cut off abruptly.
"Damn that animal. I'll whip it within an inch of it's life as soon as I find it," the stable hand growled.
The Doctor pulled a face. "Oh, I wish you hadn't said that," he complained.
The stable hand left and the father-daughter pair walked back through the double French doors, approaching the horse.
"Rule number one, don't wander off," the Doctor said, bringing a finger up to make sure the point got in.
The Doctor and Ella both continued walking around the ship and they heard Rose and Mickey's voices.
"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" They heard Mickey ask as they rounded the corner, looking in through the same window.
"King of France," Ella answered.
"Oh, here's trouble. What you two been up to?" Rose asked as Ella came up beside her.
"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat... picked a fight with a clockwork man..." The horse whinnied from around the corner, making Ella shuffle her feet. "Oh, and I met a horse." The horse came into view, drawing the two humans gazes to it.
"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey frowned.
"Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective," the Doctor scoffed as he looked through the window and pointed at it. "See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history..." He placed a finger on the glass as Reinette entered the room. "Hers. Time window... deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty-first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth. Why?"
"Who is she?" Rose asked, looking at the beautiful woman with curiosity.
"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived," Ella answered.
"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose said.
"No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress," the Doctor informed the humans as they watched Reinette flirt with the king.
"Oh, I get it. Camilla," Rose joked, making herself and Mickey laugh.
The king left and the Doctor started talking. "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... even her own title, Madame de Pompadour." Reinette stood before the mirror, making sure she looked appropriate and put together.
"Queen must have loved her..." Rose said sarcastically.
"Oh, she did. They get on very well," Ella said cheerily.
"The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"France. It's a different planet," the Doctor joked. The ticking sounds from the droid sound out and the Doctor saw that the face of the clock on the mantelpiece had been shattered.
Reinette had obviously heard the ticking as well and turned quickly, eyes wide with fear as she spotted the same droid from her childhood in the corner of the room, it's back to her in a way to conceal itself.
"How long have you been standing there? Show yourself!" The droid turned and started to walk towards her.
The Doctor grabbed the fire extinguisher from Mickey and swung the mirror around so they could step into Reinette's world.
"Hello, Reinette. Hasn't time flown?" The Doctor greeted.
"Fireplace man!"
The Doctor stepped past her and sprayed the droid with the fire extinguisher until it became still. He threw the extinguisher back to Mickey, who caught it easily. The droid started to click and whirr loudly, signalling it was turning back on.
"What's it doing?" Mickey asked.
"Switching back on. Melting the ice," Ella told him.
"And then what?"
"Then it kills everyone in the room," Ella answered. The clockwork droid's arm shot out toward the Doctor's throat and he stepped back toward Reinette.
"Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" The Doctor said before talking to the clockwork droid. "Who are you? Identify yourself." The droid cocked its head to the side but didn't dignify him wth a response, so the Doctor turned to Reinette. "Order it to answer me."
"Why should it listen to me?" Reinette questioned, confused.
"I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it," the Doctor said, wandering around and even leaning into her ear. He was clearly using his movements as a way to flirt and Ella and Rose shared a smirk.
Reinette looked to the droid and took a deep breath before speaking. "Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you."
The droid lowered it's arm, ready to answer questions. "I am repair droid seven."
"So what happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage," Ella asked.
"Ion storm, eighty two percent systems failure."
"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?" The Doctor asked.
"We did not have the parts."
Mickey laughed. "Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts."
"What's happened to the crew, where are they?" The Doctor continued his interrogation.
"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."
Ella understood what the droid was saying and she suddenly felt sick, Rose noticing and looking at her with a concerned frown.
"Fifty people don't just disappear! Where...?" The Doctor was his daughter's face and realisation dawned on him. "Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."
"The crew?" Mickey asked, looking a little green.
"We found a camera with an eye in it... and there was a heart... wired in to machinery," Rose murmured.
"It was just 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?" The Doctor asked.
"Someone cooking..." Rose realised.
"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque," The Doctor said. Reinette looked slightly sick and she held onto Ella's arm.
"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?" The Doctor questioned, the hole in his knowledge bothering him.
"One more part is required." The Droid's head jerked towards Reinette, indicating that she held the part. The Doctor, Rose, Ella and Mickey stare at her.
"Then why haven't you taken it?" The Doctor asked, looking back to the droid.
"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'?" The Doctor said in a tone that clearly demanded answers.
"Why her?" Rose asked. The Doctor turned to her, surprised at the question and the fact Rose asked at all. "You've got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?"
"We are the same."
"We are not the same, we are in no sense the same!" Reinette exclaimed in anger.
"We are the same."
"Get out of here! Get out of here this instance!" Reinette yelled angrily as she advanced toward the droid.
"Reinette, no," the Doctor warned but it was too late. The Droid activated a teleport and disappeared from view. "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." The Doctor went to hold the window/
"Arthur?" Rose and Ella asked.
"Good name for a horse," the Doctor said.
"No, you're not keeping the horse!" Rose said exasperatedly, shaking her head.
"I let you keep Mickey! Now go, go, go!" Mickey and Rose run back through the mirror door and the Doctor closed it behind them and turning back to 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. Won't hurt a bit," The Doctor said, assuring Reinette that there was no danger. Reinette nodded her consent and the Doctor gently placed his fingers on her temples and closed his eyes. Reinette also closed hers, Ella standing guard.
"Fireplace man... you are inside my mind," Reinette realised.
"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here," the Doctor murmured.
"You are in my memories. You walk among them," Reinette marvelled.
"If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look. Ooh.. actually... there's a door just there." Reinette opened her eyes and grinned slyly. "You might want to clo... Ooh. Actually, several."
Ella hid a smile behind her hand, knowing why Reinette was grinning.
"To walk among the memories of another living soul... do you ever get used to this?" Reinette asked.
"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," Reinette flirted, Ella grinning happily.
"No, not my question, theirs. You're twenty-three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough," The Doctor informed her. Reinette flinched and Ella frowned. "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."
Ella immediately knew that Reinette had entered her fathers mind and she allowed shock to cross her face before she let it res, showing no emotion, but on the inside, she knew her father was going to love this woman.
"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life..." the Doctor started before his eyes snapped open. "When did you start calling me 'Doctor'?"
"Such a lonely little boy. Lonely then and lonelier now," Reinette said, opening her eyes so her gaze met the Doctor's. "How can you bear it?" A seconds pause before Reinette's gaze flickered over to Ella. "Ah, your daughter. Ella."
"How did you do that?" The Doctor asked.
"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction..." Reinette answered. The Doctor stared at her with shock and you could tell he felt open. Vulnerable. "Oh, Doctor." She stepped forward. "My lonely Doctor. Dance with me."
"I can't," the Doctor said in a tone that made it clear he wanted to accept.
"Dance with me," Reinette insisted, obviously not taking no for an answer.
"This is the night you dance with the King."
"Then first, I shall make him jealous."
"I can't."
Ella scoffed in the corner, quickly looking at the roof innocently as her father sent her a scolding glare, Reinette smiling.
"Doctor... Doctor who?" Reinette questioned. She looked at the brunet Time Lord for a few seconds, studying him. "It's more than just a secret, isn't it?"
"What did you see?" The Doctor asked.
"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance," Reinette said. She smiled and took his hand, leading him away before pausing and looking Ella. "Are you coming?"
Ella grinned and followed. Reinette eyes Ella's outfit appreciatively. "Your outfit is lovely."
"Thank you," Ella beamed, "And so is yours. Maybe we can try each other's on one day."
"I would like that," Reinette said with a smile.
They reached the ball and Ella went off to mingle, many aristocratic women gushing over her outfit. Whenever Ella could, she would look over at her father and Reinette and they would be talking and laughing and the king looked mightily jealous.
When the Doctor left Reinette, the king made a beeline for her and several minutes later, Ella joined her father in heading back to the ship, but was stopped by Reinette.
"Ella, may I have a word?" Reinette asked.
Ella nodded. "Yes, of course."
Reinette guided Ella to the side. "The Doctor, he seems..."
"Completely in love with you, I agree," Ella interrupted, making Reinette laugh.
"No, that much is obvious and I love him dearly in return, but no. I ask for you to maybe talk to him? I should like to have lunch with him sometime, and I know the time windows are unpredictable so I'm okay wth waiting."
Ella smiled, her eyes alight with joy. "I would love to, but I cannot guarantee when."
Reinette beamed. "Oh, thank you!"
Ella held Reinette's hands. "I quite like you, Reinette, and if you were to join us on our ship, I would be honoured," Ella admitted.
Reinette let Ella go with a goodbye and a wave.
Ella made her way to the ship where she found her father had just poured red liquid over one of the clockwork droids and Rose and Mickey strapped down.
"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't," he announced. A droid from the corner of the room began to stalk towards him, but the Doctor quickly shut dons the nearby droids by flipping a nearby lever. "Right, you two, that's enough lying about..." The Doctor released Rose and Mickey quickly with the sonic, and they slid off the tables and down onto the floor. "Time we got the rest of the ship turned off."
"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked, gesturing to the droids.
The Doctor seemed to remember his accessories at that moment and pulled his tie down to his neck and pushed his sunglasses up. "Yep. Safe. Safe and thick. Way I like them. Okay, all the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down." He started feeling his pockets for something. "Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago, I was using them as castanets."
"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?" Rose asked.
"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they'll be lucky to hit the right century. Trial and error after that," the Doctor explained. He tried to shut down the windows but found something was blocking him from doing so. "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?"
The sound of pinging echoed around the room and the ticking of the droids started up again.
"What's that?" Ella asked.
"I don't know... incoming message?" The Doctor guessed.
"From who?" Mickey asked.
"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!" Behind the Doctor, one of the clockwork droids comes back to life with a whir, making Rose gasp. The droid deposits the anti-oil out its finger and over the Doctor's shoe. "Well, that was a bit clever." The rest of the droids came back to life, filling the room with an ominous ticking. "Right... many things about this are not good." The pinging sounded again. "Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?"
"She is complete. It begins." They teleported away, jabbing their wrists.
"What's happening?" Rose asked.
"One of them must've found the right time window, and now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head."
Ella and the Doctor got to work on finding the window while Rose went to go and warn Reinette. Mickey stayed to help the two Time Lords before he was sent off to get Rose.
Screams echoed through the ship through the audio link the Doctor had established.
"Doctor!" Reinette's voice called urgently.
"We must go. No one is coming to help us," King Louis said urgently. One of the droids appeared in the doorway and Reinette stood and turned to face it, her eyes widening in terror as memories from when she was seven flashed through her head. Two other droids come up behind the first and flank them.
"You are complete. You will come."
The Doctor and Ella both work with urgency as Rose joins him and Mickey at the time window. French aristocrats have been backed up against the walls and were screaming in terror as they tried to run.
"You found it, then?" Rose asked.
"They knew I was coming. They blocked it off," the Doctor said, running from place to place.
In the corridors of the palace of Versailles, one of the droids has Reinette by the arm as it lead her roughly away, King Louis held by the remaining two droids behind Reinette.
"Where are we going?" Reinette demanded.
"The teleport has limited range. We must have proximity to the time portal."
"Your words mean nothing. You are nothing."
"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," Ella explained, staying at the console as her father handed her things to connect.
"Well, we'll go in the TARDIS!" Rose suggested.
"We can't use the TARDIS, we're part of events now," the Doctor said.
"Well, can't we just smash through it?" Mickey asked.
"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck," Ella stated as she worked.
"We don't have a truck."
Ella gave Mickey a 'no shit' look and he shrugged.
"I know we don't have a truck!" The Doctor yelled.
"Well, we've gotta try something!" Rose exclaimed urgently.
"No, smash the glass, smash the time window, there'd be no way back."
Rose stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Can everyone just calm down? Please," Reinette's voice said, making them all look to the screen. "Such a commotion. Such distressing noise. Kindly remember that is is Versailles. This is the Royal Court. And we are French." Reinette turned to the droids defiantly. "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."
Two droids come up on either side of Reinette and pushed her to her knees. They pointed their blades instruments at her neck. The droid in charge approached her and also pointed its weapon at her. Reinette looked up at it bravely.
"You think I fear you. But I do not fear you, even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured, so will yours," Reinette said confidently.
The sound of a horse whinnying is heard in the distance. Reinette, the droids, and the guests all looked around for the source of the sound and is joined by galloping hooves - after a few moments, a horse leaped through the glass of a large mirror on the wall, the Doctor and Ella on his back. The guests shrieked in shock and Reinette's mouth dropped open. The Doctor winked as he trotted past her. The horse comes to a halt and the Doctor dropped down, leaving Ella atop.
"Madame de Pompadour. You look younger every day," the Doctor flirted, making Reinette smile.
"What the hell is going on?" King Louis asked, baffled at the turn of events.
"Oh, this is my lover, the King of France," Reinette introduced, gesturing to the King.
"Yeah? Well, I'm the Lord of Time," the Doctor said, obviously not really impressed and a little bit jealous. He approached the leading droid as Ella slid off the horse. "And I'm here to fix the clock." The Doctor removed the mask of the droid, the crowd gasping at the clockwork droid underneath. The droid pointed its blade at the Doctor's neck and he leant slightly away from it.
"Forget it. It's over. For you and for me," the Doctor said, glancing up at the window he and Ella had come through and seeing the brick wall that had replaced it. "Talk about seven years bad luck. Try three thousand...
The droid looked to the broken window and tried to use it's teleport, repeating the effort, but it was useless. It turned to the Doctor and Ella imagined that if it felt emotions, it would've been disappointed.
"The link with the ship is broken. No way back. You don't have the parts. How many ticks left in that clockwork heart? A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up."
And finally, the ticking sound stopped and the droid died, the other droids following suit. One of them even fell backwards and the clockwork smashed all over the floor. The guests started to whisper amongst themselves as the Doctor held out a hand to Reinette.
"You all right?" Reinette nodded and took his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet.
"What's happened to them?" Reinette asked.
"They've stopped. They have no purpose now," Ella told her softly.
The servants quickly cleaned the mess and the ball resumed, much to the incredulity of Ella. Reinette quickly pulled Ella aside.
"My fireplace, I had it moved here in it's every and exact detail," Reinette admitted.
Ella beamed. "We can re-establish a connection," Ella said before she realised. "No, don't tell dad. Not yet. And when you do, walk through with him."
"What about you?" Reinette asked.
"I will stay. Reinette, five years from now, I need you to go through with him."
Reinette nodded and Ella smiled encouragingly. "Now go on, go on that date."
Reinette laughed and made her way over to the Doctor, who was staring up at the broken mirror. she took the Doctor's hand and led him out of the ball. Ella snuck away as well, but she went to explore the palace and gardens while Reinette took the Doctor to dinner.
"That ship that I saw, that isn't the universe, is it?" Reinette asked the Doctor as they ate.
The Doctor shook his head. "No. The universe is vast and beautiful. There are horrors, but for the most part, it's beautiful," the Doctor told her.
"Your planet was beautiful. I'm sorry for what you had to do, it took incredible strength to do it," Reinette said, and when she saw the Doctor's face turn sad, she did too. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"No, I'm just, I'm glad someone has seen what I had to do apart from Ella."
Reinette smiled but she saw the Doctor was reluctant to talk about Gallifrey so she changed the topic. "I think I should like to grow old with you, Doctor. You seem like a marvellous companion," Reinette said bluntly.
The Doctor chuckled. "I like to think so."
They both smiled at each other and continued to eat their dinner, talking about a great many things.
"You've had many friends throughout your lives and travels, most human, why did you choose those who have a much shorter lifespan than you?" Reinette asked.
The Doctor pondered on the question. "I don't know. Humans are fascinating to me. They have so much emotion and their minds work like no other and they survive. They're superpowers of the universe and they don't even know it yet!"
Reinette listened aptly as the Doctor talked for several minutes about why he loved humans and Earth, but also listened to the flaws of humanity, and she was lured into wondering about life beyond France - and she loved the idea of it.
An hour later, the Doctor was stood by the window, holding a glass of wine and looking up at the starry night sky, occasionally looking down to where Ella was sat in the garden. Reinette came up behind him, also holding a glass of wine, and she followed his gaze between the stars and Ella.
"You know all their names, don't you? I saw that in your mind. The name of every star," Reinette said, her eyes flittering as she tried to look at all the stars.
"What's in a name? Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything."
"Like, 'The Doctor'," Reinette teased.
"Like, 'Madame de Pompadour'," The Doctor teased back, making Reinette laugh and blush as she looked down.
"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think," Reinette admitted.
"From time to time," the Doctor said, looking back up to the stars.
"In saving me, you trapped yourself. Did you know that would happen?" Reinette asked.
"Mm. Pretty much."
"Yet, still you came."
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" The Doctor said, smiling at Reinette lovingly. "Catch me doing that again."
"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" Reinette asked.
"When the mirror broke, the shock will 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, er... pay for any damage," the Doctor said genuinely, making Reinette laugh. "Um... oh, that's a thought, I'm gonna need money. I was always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?"
"So, here you are. My lonely angel. Stuck on the slow path, with me."
"Yep. The slow path," the Doctor said. "Here's to the slow path." Reinette laughed again and they clink their glasses together and sip their wine.
Ella saw them in the window and she smiled softly. She may have lost the man she loved, but that didn't mean she didn't want her father to find it.
The Doctor ended up enjoying the slow path, quite a lot, and so did Ella.
Ella didn't marry in the two years they were there, instead becoming a lady at the French court. Dyeing her hair brown for two years so she wouldn't stand out as much as she already did. When Reinette officially changed her status to 'friend of the king', she and the Doctor were married in a grand ceremony. The Doctor and Reinette would've been happy with something small but the king insisted, all expenses paid.
Sixteenth of May, 1760 was the wedding and it was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky and the weather was not too hot but not too cold. Flowers were in bloom still, just before the summer, and the feast was to be held outside with the ceremony in the throne room. Reinette had been a vision in white with silver jewels, her hair pinned up in elaborate curls. Her dress had silver detailing with gems sewn in. Her shoes were simple white slippers embroidered with diamonds and sapphires.
Ella wore a gold dress with intricate detailing and her brown hair was pinned up in a braided style. The dress was heavier than her usual dresses and she pitied Reinette for her dress, but Reinette was probably more used to the style than she.
The Doctor was in French formal wear, the Time Lord looking quite dashing, if not also a bit ridiculous, but the sight of Reinette took his breath away. The world around didn't matter because Reinette was there and she was a vision.
He never believed he could've fallen in love with a human so quickly but now he understood how Ella had felt with Jack. Reinette had captured his interest and drawn him in and she was the most impressive woman he had ever known, and he knew how her life ended, but he was here! He could fix it!
Ella cried as they exchanged their vows, seated next to the King and he offered a hand, Ella taking it gratefully. She's struck up a friendship with the king and they were good friends. Not as good as Reinette and the king but still good friends.
The feast afterwards was grand and Reinette made Ella promise that when they left the slow path, they would have a smaller wedding.
It was just over a year later, July of 1761, Reinette finally tried on Ella's old clothes and she enjoyed them more than she thought she would. Ella was seated on the edge of the bed while Reinette wandered around the room.
"You look great!" Ella said with a wide smile. "It suits you very well."
"It's softer than I imagined it would be. Is all clothing in the future like this?" Reinette enquired, feeling the pants.
Ella smiled and shook her head. "Unfortunately not, but most of it is. Maybe you'll see it one day."
"I was thinking maybe soon," Reinette admitted.
"How soon?" Ella asked.
"Within the year," Reinette said.
Ella hummed. "I think we could get away with it," she said, thinking it through. "But I'm guessing there's a reason behind this."
"Ella, I'm with child," Reinette whispered.
Ella froze and she stared at Reinette, the information sinking in slowly. The lunch Reinette had ordered be delivered to her room arrived and Ella remained in shock for several minutes after its arrival, Reinette starting to eat without her.
"I'm going to be a big sister?" Ella asked.
Reinette smiled, despite being slightly startled by her sudden question. "You are, if all goes well."
"Does dad know?"
"Not yet, but he soon will."
"Mention the fireplace with the news," Ella instructed.
So later that night, Ella had packed all the stuff she'd collected over her time in France, as well as things she just wanted to keep in general, like some dresses and jewels to add to the wardrobe.
Reinette was stood by the fireplace when the Doctor came in. Back in her regal attire, her hands clasped protectively in front of her stomach.
"Reinette! You will never believe the day I've had," the Doctor started cheerfully before noticing his wife's silence. "Reinette?"
"Doctor, I am with child," Reinette admitted, straight to the point.
Like Ella had hours before, the Doctor froze, but he was standing so he was like a statue, but the news processed much quicker for him than Ella and the widest of smiles spread across his face as he rushed forward and picked a Reinette up in a hug, making her laugh loudly.
"Doctor, there's something else!" Reinette exclaimed, sounding pleased.
The Doctor set her down and Reinette took his hand. "Look at the fireplace. Really look at it," Reinette said softly.
The Doctor frowned but did as asked, studying the fireplace and it took only moments to recognise it. "Is this?"
"I had it moved years ago in its exact entirety. Maybe you can restore the connection and we can raise our child in the stars?" Reinette suggested.
The Doctor looked absolutely thrilled and he bent down to knock on the fireplace several times before he found the connection.
"Ha!" The Doctor let out.
Ella then strode in, wearing her old clothes and she had a case with her. She came up to the fireplace and leaned against it. "We ready?"
Reinette stepped forward, holding on tightly to the mantel. "Ready to see the stars," Reinette admitted.
"Allonsy!" The Doctor exclaimed before pulling the trigger and the three span, leaving 18th century France behind.
"Mickey? Rose?" The Doctor called.
The doors of the TARDIS opened and Rose beamed, running out and she hugged Ella first.
"A week! You were gone a week! Never do that again!" Rose scolded, still hugging Ella.
Ella laughed and Rose pulled away to hug the Doctor, Mickey coming in for a hug.
"Madame de Pompadour!" Rose exclaimed. "Wait, how long was it over there?"
"Two years," Ella answered.
"What happened in two years?" Rose asked and she answered her own question excitedly before the Doctor could even start to speak. "Did you two get married?"
"They did," Ella confirmed. "But Reinette made me promise to have a smaller wedding on this side."
Rose immediately started talking and she and Ella both talked about it as they wandered into the TARDIS, leaving Mickey, Reinette and the Doctor behind. They were all amused and Mickey turned to Reinette. "I'm Mickey, by the way. Mickey Smith."
Reinette smiled at Mickey. "Reinette Poisson. Ella and the Doctor told me a lot about you."
The three wandered onto the TARDIS, the Doctor immediately setting coordinates for another destination while Reinette marvelled the bigger-on-the-inside time machine she'd been told so much about.
Reinette came up beside the Doctor and his arm went around her waist so she was tucked into his side as he pulled the lever to throw them into the Time vortex. They were ready for the next great adventure.