When I woke, I was laying on my bed with the Doctor's arms around me. A smile crept across my lips before I turned to him. His eyes were open and he also donned a smile. It was nice, waking up next to him and I really wouldn't mind if it became a daily thing… not that I figured it would be. It was weird, a good weird, but weird all the same. I used to be so uncomfortable being in the same room with a man alone, none the less share the same bed but with the Doctor, minus a few instances, I felt completely at ease. Thoughts of that brought those pertaining to our relationship… or lack thereof. It was a rollercoaster, and while the highs were the best I'd ever experienced, the lows were just as intense. With his old self, Rose was always there to force us together but with this version of himself, there was nothing Rose could say that would lead to us making up. We were both too stubborn and in the end, needed to do things our own way instead of hers. Besides, while the Doctor eventually pursued to repair our fragmented relationship, I often kept to myself, deciding not to seek him out in fear that I'd ruin things further. I shook my head, attempting to clear my head before I glanced up at the Doctor. A smile littered his face as we made eye contact. I quickly reverted my gaze as my cheeks flared hot. I held in a breath as I felt his chest vibrate a bit, stunned for a moment until I realised he was chuckling. "Hello."

I peeked up at him, trying to hide my flushed cheeks. "Hi. Did you carry me here again?"

"Yes."

"And not leave."

"Ah, well…"

"It's fine," I laughed, waving it away. "So, where are we going today?"

"Where would you like to go?"

"It doesn't matter." He gave me a questioning look but I just rolled out of his embrace and stood, keeping my eyes locked on his. I never asked to go anywhere since the Kyoto incident. While it felt eons had passed since that trip, a minute part of me was still peeved that we were unable to stay a bit longer and I hadn't the chance to explore as I had wanted. But, I digress. "It's Mickey's first time. Why not set the Tardis on random?" He smiled and got out of my bed. I watched as he put on his trainers, a small tinge of sadness running through me. I really didn't want him to leave my bed. In fact, I wanted to drag him back into it and pull the covers over us and remain that way for the rest of the time. Yet even I knew that would never happen. I sighed as he placed a gentle kiss on my lips and quickly left the room for his precious console, not that I minded. A little bit of alone time would do me some good.

As I finished getting dressed, I felt the jolt that came along with the Tardis being landed. Tying up my hair, I exited my room and went to join the others. When I reached, the Doctor shot me a wink and Mickey gave me a smile. Excited, Mickey scrambled out of the Tardis, followed by Rose. As the Doctor and I went to meet them, I pulled him back and gave him a quick kiss. With that, I walked out, leaving him to follow after me, which he did, a few moments later.

Joining my friends, I watched as Mickey looked around in shock and maybe a bit of terror. Rose, the Doctor, and I exchanged a glance, amused by his awestruck expression. "It's a spaceship. Brilliant! I got a spaceship on my first go."

I looked around, noticing just how damaged the place was, with bits of equipment strewn around and wires hanging from the ceiling. "It looks abandoned. Anyone on board?" Rose commented.

"Nah, nothing here. Well, nothing dangerous. Well, not that dangerous. You know what, I'll just have a quick scan, in case there's anything dangerous."

"Doctor, everything is dangerous when you're around," I teased, lightly tapping his arm. He gave me a quick frown before kissing the top of my head and moving to a control panel, flipping switches.

Rose smiled at us and came over, placing her arm around my shoulder. "So, what's the date? How far we gone?"

The Doctor looked up at her and thought for a second before he answered. "About three thousand years into your future, give or take." He pulled up a cylinder lever on the console and turned it, bringing on the lights and opening up the skylight. Looking up, I saw that the ceiling showed the stars. A smile played across my face at the view. It was beautiful, there was no denying that. I couldn't wait to explore each one, learn their names and everything about them. That was one of the things I loved about travelling with the Doctor, there was never a dull moment and there was so much to learn and like the perfect student, I absorbed it all. "Fifty first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey. Two and a half galaxies."

"Mickey Smith, meet the universe," Rose said as she moved to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "See anything you like?"

"It's so realistic!"

I chuckled at the man but turned my attention to the Doctor as he made his way along the ship's console, pulling things from around it and tossing the bits back. "Dear me, had some cowboys in here. Got a ton of repair work going on. Now that's odd. Look at that." Rose and Mickey returned as we looked at a small screen that showed the ship and a red beam making its way down the projection. "All the warp engines are going." He dropped the bit in his hand and bent down to examine the monitor. "Full capacity. There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe, but we're not moving." He looked up. "So where's all that power going?"

"Where'd all the crew go?"

"Good question. No life readings on board."

"Well, we're in deep space," Rose stated. "They didn't just nip out for a quick fag."

"No, I've checked all the smoking pods."

"Can you all smell that?" I asked.

"Yeah, someone's cooking."

"Sunday roast," Mickey nodded, "definitely."

The Doctor pressed another button and the door behind us opened. We turned, staring at the ominous gap before he grabbed my hand and the four of us walked into the room. On the far wall of the bleak and practically destroyed room, was an ornate fireplace with beautiful cherry wood and gold panelling. A clock stood on its mantel and a fire was set. "Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century." The Doctor ran in and pulled out the sonic screwdriver and began to scan the fireplace. "French. Nice mantle. Not a hologram. It's not even a reproduction. This actually is an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double sided. There's another room through there. "

Rose looked through a porthole, Mickey following her. "There can't be. That's the outer hull of the ship. Look."

"51st century ship, Rose… and we're with the Doctor," I said to her before bending down along with the Doctor and bringing my attention to the fireplace. On the other side of us, there was a young blonde girl in a white nightgown kneeling by the fire. "Hello." Rose and Mickey came to look as well.

"Hello."

"What's your name?"

"Reinette."

"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell us where you are at the moment, Reinette?" the Doctor asked.

"In my bedroom."

I chuckled at her response. "And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"

"Paris, of course."

"Paris, right!"

"Monsieur, Madam, what are you doing in my fireplace?"

"Oh, it's just a routine… fire check. Can you tell us what year it is?"

"Of course I can. Seventeen hundred and twenty seven," the child responded.

"Right, lovely. One of my favourites. August is rubbish though. Stay indoors. Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night, night."

"Goodnight Monsieur. Goodnight Madam." I waved at the girl before standing, pulling the Doctor along with me.

"You said this was the fifty first century," Mickey stated.

"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."

"What's that?"

"No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say magic door."

"So you decided to just confuse Mickey?" I derisively asked only to receive a kiss on the forehead.

"And on the other side of the magic door is France in 1727?" Rose questioned.

"Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too." He smiled at me before taking off his jacket. He started to examine the fireplace, linking his hand with mine. I didn't know how he could work with just one hand but every time I attempted to pull away, he held on tighter.

"She was speaking English, I heard her."

Rose wrapped her arm around Mickey. "That's the Tardis. Translates for you."

"Even French?"

"Yeah."

"Gotcha!" the Doctor exclaimed as he pulled me closer to him. Flipping the switch, the fireplace rotated, hearing Rose as she cried his name and we found ourselves in the young girl's bedroom. Walking around a bit, we looked out the window and saw it was snowing. She awoke with a start as a horse neighed. "It's okay. Don't scream. It's us. It's the fireplace man and his lovely assistant." I nudged him for calling me his assistant and he feigned pain before dropping a kiss on my head before he used the sonic to light a fire. "Look. We were talking just a moment ago. We were in your fireplace."

"Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months."

"Really? Oh." He walked back to the fireplace and tapped it. "Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in."

"Who are you?" Reinette asked. What are you doing here?"

I looked around, hearing the ticking of a clock. I looked at the one on the mantelpiece to find it broken. I squeezed his hand and motioned to it. "Okay, that's scary."

"You're scared of a broken clock?" Reinette asked.

"Just a bit. The clock on your mantelpiece is broken and if it's the only clock in the room, then what's making that noise?" I started off.

There was more ticking. "Because, you see, that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance." The Doctor walked towards the window and looked out. "Too big. Six feet, I'd say. The size of a man."

"You're scaring her," I muttered.

"What is it?"

"Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticked and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do, break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two? You might start to wonder if you're really alone. Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge." The Doctor inched to the side of her bed and dropped down and waved the sonic screwdriver under the bed, only to be knocked backwards a moment later. He slowly got to his feet and grabbed the sonic. "Reinette," he whispered, "don't look around." I looked up to see a figure in an ornate smiling mask standing behind her. "You, stay exactly where you are," he said to the man before turning his attention to the young girl. "Hold still, let me look." He knelt down and took hold of Reinette's head and looked into her eyes. "You've been scanning her brain. What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?"

"I don't understand. It wants me?" She turned to it. "You want me?"

It tilted its head. "Not yet. You are incomplete."

"Incomplete? What's that mean, incomplete? You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, incomplete?" He pointed the sonic at the clock man.

It walked around the bed, a blade coming out of its hand. "Doctor…"

"Monsieur, be careful."

"Just a nightmare, Reinette. Don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares." The android slashed at him but he dodged. "Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" He took my hand and pulled me to the fireplace. The droid swung again but its blade got stuck in the mantelpiece.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?"

The Doctor activated the button and the fireplace began to rotate. Before it had gone full circle, I gave the girl an answer. "Him."

"Doctor!" He nodded at Rose and released my hand. He then grabbed a gun like object from a rack and shot the contents at the android. After a while, it froze.

"Excellent. Ice gun."

He tossed the device to Rose. "It was a fire extinguisher, Mickey," I told him with a pat on the shoulder.

"Where is that thing come from?"

"Here."

"So why is it dressed like that?"

"Field trip to France. Some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework, shame about the face." He removed the mask to reveal the clock. "Oh, you are beautiful!" He put on his bifocals. "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."

"Doctor."

He gave me a sheepish smile before returning to the android. "But that won't stop me." As he said that, the clockwork man beamed away. "Short range teleport. Can't have got far. Could still be on board."

"What is it?"

"Don't go looking for it!"

"Where're you going?

"Back in a sec," he said as he took my hand and pulled me back to the fireplace. He pulled the lever and we were returned to Paris. The room we found ourselves in, however, was not what we remembered. It was a big and very ornate split level with dark wood panelling and gold painted walls. "Reinette? Just checking you're okay."

He strummed a few notes on the harp. "Ahem."

We turned, seeing a young woman there in a blue and gold dress. "Oh. Hello. Er, I was just looking for Reinette. This is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long." I let out an inaudible sigh as he stumbled over his words in front of the woman, a feeling on inadequacy rushing over me. She was obviously from wealth and of noble blood and while it probably meant little to the Doctor, I couldn't help but feel as though she'd be better for him.

I gently nudged him. "Hello, Reinette."

"Reinette! We're ready to go," a voice called out.

"Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there. It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence."

"Reinette. Well. Goodness, how you've grown."

"And you do not appear to have aged a single day." She walked over to us, or, more the Doctor. "That is tremendously impolite of you."

"Right, yes, sorry, uh. um. Listen, lovely to catch up, but better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man and woman, do we?"

"Strange? How could you be a stranger to me? I've known you since I was seven years old."

"Yeah, I suppose you have. We came the quick route." She caressed his face. As she did so, I felt myself grow angry. He was mine and I was the only one allowed to do that. It also hurt, not seeing him pull away from her. As the thought passed through me, I realised that it was wrong. He wasn't mine and I had no right to feel the way I did. Sighing, I looked away, barely missing the concerned glance the Doctor sent my way.

"You seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real."

"Oh, you never want to listen to reason."

"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient."

"A moment! So many questions." I looked up. "So little time." I watched in disbelief as she kissed the Doctor, pushing him against the wall. My heart ached as he began to return the kiss. I hated it. I wanted him to know how I felt but that one action was enough to tell me how he felt, even with him saying I was special. He didn't want me. Why would he when he could have anyone in the world? Reinette was obviously more than I could ever compete with. Holding in a sob, I stood by the fireplace, waiting for him to finish.

"Mademoiselle Poisson!" Reinette ran out of the room and a servant entered.

"Poisson? Reinette Poisson? No! No, no, no, no, no way." He ran up to the man. "Reinette Poisson? Later Madame Etoiles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France?" He walked back to the fireplace. "Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan, fantastic gardener!"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm the Doctor and I just snogged Madame de Pompadour. Ha, ha!" he said as he grabbed my arm and activated the lever. Once we were on the other side, I pulled away from him and went to stand by the Tardis.

"Rose! Mickey! Every time." He turned to me. "Every time, it's rule one. Don't wander off. I tell them, I do." He walked off. "Rule one. There could be anything on this ship. You coming?" I glared at him but followed, walking past him as he held his hand out for me.

We walked for a while before we heard footsteps behind us. "Rose?" He turned and saw a white horse with a bridle and saddle. "Will you stop following us? She's not your mother." He went and opened a pair of white wooden doors and light flooded into the ship. "So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?" We walked into a garden to see Reinette and a friend talking. As the Doctor ducked, I returned through the doors to wait. I grimaced and sat against the wall until he returned and held his hand out to help me up. Slapping it away, I stood on my own and followed him through the corridors, ignoring the glances he shot at me as we walked.

UGGHHHHH! I literally just had everything up and was about to finish my last review when I accidently clicked the exit tab button. I'm furious and don't even remember what I wrote before I reached the reviews. So, if they come out weird, I'm sorry. I'm a bit ticked but thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, and favourited Her Secrets.

idonothaveagentleheart1105: Thanks for the review and I'm so glad you like Cerys. I really wanted her to be cool with Sarah Jane because it's not really in Cerys' nature to feel ownership over anything she knows or feels isn't hers. And she wants to know how the Doctor was prior to them meeting. But why do you want to hug/ slap Cerys? As for her life prior to London, it'll be brought up pretty soon. And don't worry about your English. It was fine, much better than some native speakers. :)

I'm-a-Klaus-addict: I'm sooo sorry but it is a possibility, especially with Army of Ghosts and Doomsday coming up. I honestly felt the same when I saw him. It was weird having him to watch him as the villain. As for the show, I knew about it but I don't know if I'd watch it... as much as I love him. I honestly barely watch tv shows unless they hit netflix and have a season or too I can binge on. Yep, I love writing the Terys moments and then destroying the extremely thin foundation they have. It's cruel but it does have a purpose. Thanks for the feel better. It lasted two days and the only thing I could attribute it to was the McDonalds I had after practically a year of being off it. But I'm much better now, just peeved haha.

tooker86: So glad you're enjoying the story.

beula2013: Well, glad you followed your instincts. Honestly, Cerys might have already had a dream with him in it. He also won't be saying anything for a while, just as she won't. While Cerys does talk to him about certain things, she doesn't really talk. It's almost like the Doctor, talking but never really saying anything. I will say that things will be revealed before the Ponds and Clara although Clara adds an entirely different mystery to the pot. The suspense will be over soon. :]

MargaretMacDonald123: Happy to see you're enjoying the story. I also love when OCs are nice to Sarah Jane.

IfLifeWereSilly: That's cool. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you continue to. That was one of my main things about writing this story to be honest. While every writer is different, I personally feel that with those who automatically plunge into a relationship with the Doctor is unrealistic. And I know that this is fanfiction so it's not meat to be realistic and such but I do like to add that bit in when it comes to romantic relationships, whether in fanfiction or in my regular stories. Thanks and she's one of my favourite characters to date. The suicidal tendencies (or other traumatic experiences) are something I add to all or most of my characters, just my style since I like to add some personal aspects to my characters but I get what you mean. Thanks for the review. I honestly appreciate it. :}