Time Lord's Hearts

by Raine44354

I've made it through the Doctor's regeneration. But what if I can't make it until the next. Canary Wharf is looming down on me. I don't want to leave my Doctor, not after we've begun to get closer. But I might just have to. Should be read in order.

6. 2x04

2x04 "The Girl in the Fireplace"

I followed the Doctor as we emerged from the TARDIS. We were followed closely by Rose and Mickey. All four of us made our way around a dark, and apparently disused room of a spaceship. I looked around. It was pretty fucking awesome but then it wasn't as awesome as the TARDIS. Then of course, she was the TARDIS. I smiled when I heard Mickey say excitedly, "It's a spaceship! Brilliant, we got a spaceship on our first go!" We all stopped and faced each other.

Rose smiled and looked around saying, "Looks kind of abandoned... Anyone on board?"

The Doctor shook his head, "Nah, nothing here. Well! Nothing dangerous. Well! Not that dangerous." He paused. "You know what, I'll just have a quick scan... in case there's anything dangerous."

I smirked and said, "Good boy." The Doctor rolled his eyes at me put pulled me with him to the control panel in the center of the room. I looked over his shoulder as he started tapping at some buttons. "So," I said, "in what time are we?"

"About three thousand years into your future, give or take," he told me. He pulled on a switch and the lights turned on. The roof gradually began opening into a window which showed a spectacular view of the stars outside. I looked up with a smile. "Fifty-first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey, Rose! Two and a half galaxies!" Mickey moved to a porthole, gazing out in awe. Rose walked over to him and placed her arms around her neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

The two began to whisper to one another but I paid no mind to that, rather looking over the Doctor's shoulder as he rummaged around the control panel. He was picking up bits and pieces of presumably broken technology. He looked fairly unimpressed. "Dear me, had some cowboys in here! Got a ton of repair work going on." He chucked the pieces he was hold down, noticing a screen with a diagram of the spaceship on it. Rose and Mickey came over to join us in looking at it. I could hear the surprise and curiosity in the Doctor's voice as he said, "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?"

"And where is everyone?" I asked.

The Doctor leaned forward and tweaked some knobs on the control panel. "Good question, no life readings on board."

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

The Doctor took her seriously as he said, "Nope, checked all the smoking pods." Damn it, now I really wanna smoke! There was a pause as we all looked around before the Doctor ruined it by sniffing quiet loudly. "Can you smell that?"

"Yeah," Rose said, "someone's cooking."

Mickey smiled, "Sunday roast, definitely!"

The Doctor pressed something else and a door opened behind us. We made our way through and saw part of the wall and floor with 18th centurary Earth décor, as well as a very familiar looking lit fireplace. OH! The Girl in the Fireplace! Wow, I forgot that was the first bit. "Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century! French! Nice mantel." He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the fireplace. "Not a hologram." We both bent down and looked at it closely while Mickey and Rose explored the rest of the room. "Not even a reproduction, this actually is an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double-sided, there's another room through there."

I crouched down looking through the fire into the other room as Rose said, "There can't be, that's the outer hull of the ship, look."

I smiled at the young girl with long blonde hair and dressed in a nightgown that stared back at me. The Doctor crouched next to me to see what I was smiling about. He noticed the little girl, whose name escapes me, and said, "Hello!" with a smile.

"Hello…" she said slightly nervous.

"What's your name, sweetie?" I asked her with a smile.

"Reinette," she said. OH! Right… I only really remember her as Madame de Pompadour.

The Doctor's smile brightened, "Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?"

Reinette gave us a suspicious look and said, "In my bedroom."

"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?" he asked.

"Paris, of course!" Reinette said. Her face lit up when she mentioned Paris.

"Paris, right!" the Doctor said.

"Madame, Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?" she asked.

The Doctor quickly came up with an awnswer, "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," Reinette told us.

The Doctor smiled at the thought of 1727 in Paris. "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, Madame," Reinette said.

The Doctor stood but I stayed looking at Reinette. "We'll see you again, sweetie." I smiled at the girl and she returned the smile.

Giving her a slight wave, I stood and turned as the Doctor 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."

Mickey frowned, "What's that?"

The Doctor smirked, "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't wanna say 'magic door'."

Rose smiled. "And on the other side of the," she deepened her voice, "'magic door'," she returned to her normal voice, "is France in 1727?"

The Doctor nodded and looked back at the fireplace before walking across the room, taking his coat off and throwing it in the corner. "Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too."

Mickey frowned, "She was speaking English, I heard her!"

I clapped Mickey on the shoulder saying, "The TARDIS translates just about everything for you." I tapped my head, "Inside your head." I walked over to the Doctor, standing on the opposite side of the fireplace from where he knelt. I was not going to let the Doctor go see Reinette by himself, even if she was a little girl. I suppose I was getting jealous, but this time I kind of had a reason to be.

"Even French?" Mickey asked.

"Yes, ya doof, even French," I said jokingly. Mickey didn't get irritated that I joked with him because he knew that I was just joking.

The Doctor fiddled with the side of the fireplace and the section of the wall began to rotate, just like in a creepy horror movie. I squeaked when it moved, holy fucking crap! I did not expect that! Well… I did, just it scared the crap outta me. "Gotcha!" the Doctor said with a smile. I kept my eyes closed as the fireplace moved, but I could hear Rose and Mickey call out to the both of us.

The fireplace stopped moving and I opened my eyes, taking a deep breath. Holy fuck. I really don't want to do that again… well do it again without warning. I looked around the room to see we where in Reinette's bedroom and that she lay asleep on her bed. I bit my lip as I focused on the sound of the ticking clock; I glanced at the clock on the fireplace. It was the only clock in the room and it was broken. I turned my attention to the Doctor as he walked towards the window. I could just barely see the Paris skyline being showered by snow. It truly was beautiful. There was a loud neigh of a horse outside and then the shuffling of blankets. I turned to see Reinette sitting up, staring at the Doctor. The Doctor turned and said, "It's okay! Don't scream! It's me, it's the fireplace man. Look." He made his way over and lit a candle by her bed with the sonic screwdriver. Reinette looked startled. "We were talking, just a moment ago. I was in your fireplace with Faline." He nodded to me as I stood by the fireplace. Reinette looked to me and I smiled at her, which she returned for a moment.

Reinette turned back to the Doctor and said, "Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months!"

The Doctor was clearly surprised as he said, "Really? Oh." He walked back to the fireplace and knocked on it, listening to the sound it produced. I walked over to Reinette and sat on the edge of her bed as we both watched the Doctor. "Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in."

Reinette frowned, "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

The Doctor didn't reply, instead he focused on the clock that didn't work. "Okay, that's scary..." he said.

Reinette was skeptic as she said, "You're scared of a broken clock?"

"Just a bit scared, yeah," he said. "Just a little tiny bit. 'Cause you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room..." The Doctor paused, turning to look back at Reinette and I. There was a moment of silence and we could hear the ticking, "Then what's that?" The ticking began to grow louder. Reinette looked around, clearly scared. I moved onto the bed fully and scooted up to the headboard. I wrapped my arms around Reinette, trying to keep her calmer then I felt. The Doctor barely moved, 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, wrapping her arms around me as I stroked her hair.

The Doctor checked behind the curtains, finding nothing. His voice lowered even more as he began spilling out his thought process. "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. "You might start to wonder if you're really alone." He moved towards the bed and crouched down giving Reinette and I instructions as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Faline, Reinette, stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge." He peered underneath the bed before turning on the sonic screwdriver to scan. The Doctor was suddenly pushed back and he dropped the sonic screwdriver. Reinette gasped but thankfully kept her eyes on the Doctor. The Doctor looked under the bed before moving into a crouch beside the bed. "Reinette…" he whispered. "Don't look round."

While young Reinette wasn't aloud to look, I did. A figure stood on the other side of the bed. My heart beat faster in my chest. The figure wore a clown like mask. My fucking god! I hate clowns! The figure was leering down at Reinette. I tightened my grip on her. The Doctor continued to speak to Reinette, "You stay exactly where you are." He met my eyes before leaning forward and kissing my forehead quickly. It was a silent message telling me to also listen and stay put. The Doctor stood and stared straight at the figure. He glanced back at Reinette, then the figure, and then back at Reinette; clearly bothered by something. "Hold still, let me look..." He bent down and grasped Reinette's head between his hands, staring intently into her eyes with a disturbed expression before looking back at the figure. His eyes widened as he said, "You've been scanning her brain!" He paused looking once more into Reinette's eyes before standing up straight again. "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 turned and looked at the figure, not even flinching. "You want me?"

The figure's head twitched to one side and it spoke in a distinctly mechanical voice. "Not yet. You are incomplete."

The Doctor frowned, "'Incomplete'? What's that mean, 'incomplete'?" the droid didn't answer, continuing to stare at Reinette. The Doctor stood and spoke to the droid in a slightly irritated voice. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and pointed it threateningly at the droid. "You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, 'incomplete'?"

The droid, again, did not answer. Instead it walked in jerky movement around the bed to face the Doctor. I slowly stood from the bed moving away from the two of them towards the fireplace. When I made it to the fireplace the droid extended an arm and a menacing looking blade slid out near the Doctor's face. The Doctor quickly tilted his head away as I gasped saying, "Doctor!"

"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette cried.

"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares." The Doctor backed away, the droid pursuing. It swiped at the Doctor who jumped back, reaching the fireplace. "Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" The droid slashed at the Doctor again. He jumped aside, pulling me with him, and the droid's blade hit the mantel, getting stuck.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette asked.

The droid struggled and the Doctor pulled me into his embrace before taking the opportunity to turn the fireplace around. "Me, ha!" Reinette smiled at us as we left.

"Doctor! Faline!" Rose cried as the fireplace finished turning. The Doctor pulled me with him away from the droid to the far wall. He grabbed the gun-like object hanging there and used it to spray ice at the droid. It convulsed in one last, vain attempt to free itself before freezing completely.

"Excellent, ice gun!" Mickey said.

The Doctor calmly threw the 'gun' to Rose, who caught it. "Fire extinguisher," he said. He then turned to me, looking me over quickly. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I smiled at him, quickly kissing his cheek. "I'm fine, promise."

"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked breaking the two of us out of our 'moment'.

"Here," the Doctor said.

Mickey frowned asking, "So why is it dressed like that?"

"Field trip to France, some kind of basic camouflage protocol - nice needlework! Shame about the face." The Doctor walked back over to the droid, squinting at it. He pulled off the wig to reveal its actual head - an ornate clockwork mechanism, covered with a clear plastic egg shape. The Doctor couldn't help but admire it with near giddy excitement. "Oh, you are beautiful!" I walked confidently, well my walk was confident, over to the Doctor while Mickey and Rose slowly edged closer. The Doctor put on his sexy 'thinking' glasses to examine it more closely. "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." He took one last wistful look at the droid before holding up the sonic screwdriver. "But that won't stop me." The droid creaked back to life and teleported away. Rose and Mickey blinked, looking around. While 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 –"

"What is it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor pointed to Rose and Mickey, "Don't go looking for it!" He turned to me. "Faline," he left the question hanging. I smiled at him and walked over taking the hand he extended to me. The Doctor looked to Rose and Mickey saying, "Be back in a sec," before moving the fireplace.

The room changed since the last time, filled with reds and golds and a beautiful harp. I can tell immediately that Reinette would be much older this time. The Doctor walked from the fireplace and called out, "Reinette... Just checking you're okay..." He moved over to the harp, brushing his hand against its strings. I, however, kept my eyes on the door seeing Reinette, now a beautiful young woman, walk into the room. She paused, obviously recognizing the Doctor. He didn't seam to notice her until she cleared her throat. "Oh! Hello!" he said. The Doctor quickly put away his glasses, clearly surprised and at least marginally distracted by her appearance. There was a slight stutter in his voice, a stutter that I will admit bothered me, as he said, "Um, I was just looking for Reinette. Uh, this is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long."

A woman then called from down the hall saying, "Reinette! We're ready to go!"

Reinette turned slightly as she called back down the hall, "Go to the carriage, mother, I will join you there." I glanced at the Doctor to see him smiling in realization. Reinette turned back to us fully and said, "It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence."

The Doctor smiled, "Reinette…!" The blonde smiled. "Well…" he continued. He paused, looking her up and down. "Goodness, how you've grown." I stared between the two of them. It was fairly irritating. I knew that Reinette loved him; everyone fell in love with the Doctor.

Reinette approached him, seaming to ignore me for the time being. "And you do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you."

The Doctor, clearly unsure of how to react being as clueless as he is to female affections unless pointed out to him, said, "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?"

Reinette tilted her head, "Strange? How could you be a stranger to me? I have known you since I was seven years old."

"Yeah... I suppose you have." He gave a small laugh. "I came the quick route."

Reinette moved forward even more and touched the Doctor's cheek, examining him. His eyes widen as do mine. She does realize I'm right here, right? Even if I wasn't with the Doctor its still kind of rude… and weird to watch two others interact like that and be the third wheel. "Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real."

The Doctor shook his head, gazing at her. "Oh, pfft... You never want to listen to reason..."

In the distance we heard a servant call, "Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient."

Reinette called back, her voice showing her annoyance at the interruption. "A moment!" She looked back to the Doctor. "So many questions. So little time." She pulled the Doctor forward in one move, pressing her lips against his in one move. The two stumbled back into the mantel place. My eyes widen… okay. I knew this was coming and that… well she's an important historical figure she cant actually have a relationship with him. However, that didn't stop the leap my heart took at the sight and the slight betrayal… before I noticed. He wasn't kissing her back. Good. If he did… well I can be violent when I want to be. I was very violent as a child.

The same servant called, "Mademoiselle Poisson!" clearly closer then before.

Reinette broke the one way kiss and ran to the open door, grabbing a purse from her dressing table as she went, not giving us so much as a backward glance. The Doctor stared after her with wide eyes. That was when the servant reached the door and stopped dead when he noticed the Doctor and I. Well that's our cue. I moved over to the fireplace, trying to be as unnoticed as possible.

"Poisson?" the Doctor asked as he began to realize just who… just who kissed him. "Reinette Poisson? No... no, no, no, no, no way, Reinette Poisson?" The Doctor ran right up to the manservant, as though interrogating him but not letting the man get a word in. "Later Madame Etoiles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France?" He ran back to the fireplace not seaming to notice me. "Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan? Fantastic gardener!" He laughed.

The servant, having enough of the Doctor's talking and finally having the moment to speak asked, "Who the hell are you?"

The Doctor reached for the fireplace and found the trigger back to the ship. "I'm the Doctor. And I was just snogged by Madame de Pompadour!" Well at least he recognized she kissed him before even noticing I was there. The fireplace revolved again, taking the Doctor and I with it. He stepped back onto the ship, but I waited by the fireplace for a moment. I saw his jaw move as he was about to say something before he turned to face me. I could see his eyes glint with something as he looked at me. "Faline," he said softly. The Doctor walked toward me slowly, "Oh Faline." He came to me, I noticed his body twitch more when he stopped like he wanted to touch me but was to scared to. "Faline, I am so sorry."

I shook my head, "It's fine."

I guess my answer didn't satisfy him because he said, "No its not."

"Ten," I said, hoping the nickname might get him to understand. "Seriously, I'm fine. You're the Doctor. It's actually a challenge for people to not love for you in some way."

"That still doesn't excuse the fact…" he started.

"That nothing happened… well nothing happened on your end." I told him. "And its not like I didn't know she would kiss you. That's kind of the reason I'm still pretty calm about the whole thing."

"Faline," the Doctor said softly. He moved closer to me, cradled my face between his hands, and kissed me softly. "That doesn't change the fact that it happened. I am so sorry. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you."

I smiled at him and said, "Doctor…" I was going to tell him that he didn't need to be sorry and that I forgave him but I remembered that something was missing… or rather two some ones. "Mickey and Rose aren't here."

The Doctor released me looking around and, just like I said, no one was there. He walked forward down the hall. I quickly moved forward and grabbed his hand. He tightened it in his grip as he complained about them. "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!" We turned the corner and we were met by a white horse in the middle of the corridor. The horse whinnied and I moved forward, letting go of the Doctor to pet it. I love animals.

I began to slowly stroke the horse's mane. "Hello sweetie," I said softly. Wow… I just had a River moment there. The horse nudged my shoulder slightly and I noticed a paused in my movements.

"Faline," the Doctor said catching my attention. I turned to him to see the softened look he was giving me. "Come on." We went down the corridor, "Rose?" the Doctor called out like a child looking for his mother. The horse continued to follow us; I turned and walked backward watching it follow the two of us. The Doctor stopped to look down a corridor before turning to the horse. There was irritation dripping from his voice as he said, "Will you stop following me? I'm not your mother!" The horse nudged him.

I laughed, "Awe. He likes you."

The Doctor smiled at me before moving away, towards a set of white, French double doors. He opened them. "So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?" He grabbed my hand and pulled me with him through the doors. We were now on a grassy courtyard. Further into the courtyard Reinette was walking with a woman… ohh! Angel Coulby played her! The same girl that played Gwen in Merlin! Awesome! Well, even though I hated Gwen in the legends because she brought on the end of Camalot and King Arthur because she was a two-timing slut… but the tv show was good. The Doctor pulled me towards the low wall with a pillar and an urn on top.

The two women laughed, walking arm in arm. We could hear them speaking, "Oh, Catherine," Reinette said, "you are too wicked!" Reinette slowly turned in out direction. The Doctor quickly pulled me into his arms and pulled the both of us behind the pillar just in time to keep from being seen.

"Oh, speaking of wicked," Catherine said, "I hear Madame de Chateneux is ill and close to death."

The Doctor moved us from behind the pillar and the two of us look at Reinette from behind the small wall as she answers. "Yes," her voice turned serious, "I am devastated." She laughed.

Catherine laughed with her saying, "Oh, indeed. I myself am frequently inconsolable." The Doctor and I smiled. "The King will therefore be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?"

"He is the King. And I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him." As Catherine laughed Reinette turned back to us. The Doctor grabbed me again and we both crouched down behind the wall.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Catherine asked.

Reinette shook her head, "Not wrong, no." The Doctor and I peaked over the wall to see the two women link arms and walk again. The Doctor and I straightened fully.

"Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions," Catherine said.

I could almost hear the smile on Reinette's face as she said, "Every woman in Paris shares them."

"You know of course that the King is to attend the Yew Tree ball?" Catherine said as the sound of their voices faded.

The Doctor took my hand and pulled me back towards the double doors. "We need to find Rose and Mickey," he said. We walked through the doors to see the white horse still standing there. The two of us made our way down the hall, followed by the white horse. The Doctor and I walked in silence for a moment before he slowed and said, "We should name it."

I frowned, stopping completely, and looked at him confused, "Name what?"

He nodded behind us at the horse that moved closer to me and nudged the back of my head so my attention would be on him rather then the Doctor. "The horse," he said. "Seeing as its following us it should have a name other then 'the horse'."

"Oh," I said petting the horse's mane. We began walking again in silence. I suppose the Doctor wanted me to choose because he kept looking at me as I kept my hand on the horse. After a few moments of thinking, I mean, what should you name a horse that wasn't yours and that didn't sound like some sort of name someone would give a small yappy dog? I smiled at the Doctor when he looked back at the horse and I again. "Cesar," I told him.

The Doctor looked at me confused for a moment. "Cesar?"

I nodded. "Cesar is the name of the horse that Erik, er… the Phantom… borrowed in Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera."

"Why that?" he asked.

I smiled even brighter, "It's my favorite book. And movie. I haven't seen the Broadway play yet but I'm pretty sure it would be my favorite play too."

The Doctor smiled and me. He was about to say something when we heard two familiar voices in the distance. ROSE! MICKEY! We made our way down the hall and turned the corner to see Rose and Mickey looking through what I could guess to be as a two-way mirror. The two of us went up behind them, watching through the mirror as a man entered the elegant room followed by two others, clearly of a lesser status.

"Blimey," Mickey said, "look at this guy. Who does he think he is?"

"King of France," the Doctor said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Rose turned and smirked at the both of us. "Oh, here's trouble. What you two been up to?"

The Doctor kept his eyes on the king as he stood before the mirror having no idea we were watching him. "Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friends of a future French aristocrat... picked a fight with a clockwork man..." Cesar whinnied from around the corner. "Oh, and we met a horse." Cesar then came into view.

Mickey frowned and asked, "What's a horse doing on a spaceship?"

"Mickey," the Doctor turned to him giving him a 'look', "what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective." The Doctor looked through the window and pointed. "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?"

Rose looked at the woman closely. "Who is she?"

"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived."

"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose asked.

I shook my head, "He has a Queen. She wants to be his mistress." The Doctor glanced at me, surprised I knew seeing as I've told him multiple times I'm horrible at history.

Rose nodded her head, "Oh, I get it. Camilla." She and Mickey laughed. I hid my confusion. That was one of the jokes that I never got, and I guess it made sense to them.

We watched as the king left. "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 in front of the mirror preening herself, not that she needed it. Even though I was jealous of her doesn't mean I'm going to deny that she is a beautiful woman. "Queen must have loved her..." Rose said.

The Doctor nodded, "Oh, she did. They get on very well."

Mickey rose an eyebrow. "The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?"

The Doctor shrugged. "France. It's a different planet."

I noticed the ticking before the Doctor and immediately said. "They're going after Reinette." I swung the mirror open and walked through just as the clockwork droid showed itself to Reinette and began to advance on her.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her away as the Doctor came rushing past us holding the fire extinguisher gun. "Hello, Reinette," he said. "Hasn't time flown?"

Reinette smiled when seeing him, "Fireplace man!"

The Doctor spayed the droid with the fire extinguisher until it is immobile. He threw the extinguisher back to Mickey as the droid began to click and whirr loudly. "What's it doing?" Mickey asked.

"Switching back on. Melting the ice," the Doctor explained.

"And then what?" Mickey asked.

"Then it kills everyone in the room." The clockwork droid's arm shot out towards the Doctor's throat – he jumped back and moved towards Reinette and I. "Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" He began to address the clockwork woman. "Who are you? Identify yourself." The droid cocked its head but didn't answer. The Doctor glanced at Reinette from the corner of his eye and said, "Order it to answer me."

"Why should it listen to me?" she asked.

"I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it."

Reinette stood tall and said, "Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you."

The droid lowered its arm. "I am repair droid seven."

"So what happened to the ship, then?" the Doctor asked. "There was a lot of damage."

"Ion storm, eighty two percent systems failure."

The Doctor frowned and said, "That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?"

"We did not have the parts," the droid said causing me to flinch.

Mickey laughed to himself and said, "Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts."

"What's happened to the crew, where are they?" the Doctor asked, ignoring Mickey.

"We did not have the parts," the droid repeated.

The Doctor was persistent as he continued, "There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?"

"Doctor," I said drawing his attention to me. "If they didn't have the parts… what would they use to fix the ship?" I didn't want to outright tell him that they used the crew to try and fix the ship. I couldn't believe that they actually did it and wished it wasn't true so there was no way I could say it out-loud even as a theory.

The Doctor continued to stare at me as the droid answered his question, "We did not have the parts."

"Oh!" the Doctor said softly turning back to the droid. "You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."

"The crew?" Mickey asked.

Rose then began to explain what they had seen earlier, "We found a camera with an eye in it... and there was a heart... wired in to machinery." Anyone could hear the disgust in her voice at the idea of them killing the crew.

"It was just what it was programmed to," the Doctor said trying to calm Rose down. "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?"

"Someone cooking," Rose whispered.

"Flesh plus heat," the Doctor said. "Barbeque." I gaged, clutching my stomach. Oh my god. I know I have an over active imagination, but the thought of human bodies being roasted and knowing that I had been only feet, maybe inches away from it made me sick to my stomach. The Doctor stared at me. "Faline," he said softly.

However before he could say anymore I ran through the one-way mirror. I was not going to let them see me puke, and I wasn't going to puke in from of Madame de Pompadour and especially not in front of the Doctor. I rushed down another corridor, passing Cesar on my way. I turned down another corridor and my attention was drawn to the camera that turned to me. I knew there was an eye inside said camera before my own eyes focused on it. Immediately whatever was in my stomach that I had been holding in came out. Then of course the sound of my own retching caused me to do it again. My god! What the hell is wrong with me? I never throw up. Last time I did was before I even turned thirteen, and even then it was rare. Except of course when I was a baby seeing as I had had a condition called pyloric stenosis; which caused me to projectile vomit until I was so weak and dehydrated that I had to have surgery to correct it. I still have the thin scar three inches above my belly button.

When I was sure everything from my stomach had been expelled and that I wasn't going to throw up again, I made my way back the way I came. I smiled when I came across Cesar. The white horse had followed me part of the way without my knowing. Cesar nudged me and I stood with him for a moment, letting my stomach calm down completely.

"Faline?" I turned my attention from the horse, looking over his neck to see my Doctor standing there. "Are you alright?"

I walked around Cesar and made my way to him confused, wasn't he supposed to be at the party with Reinette… "I'm fine," I told him.

The Doctor pulled me into his arms, stroking my hair. "You ran out so fast, and then the droid disappeared." I pulled away and looked at him. "I had to make sure you were ok."

I gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine Doctor, I just want to get off this ship a lot sooner." I paused. "Where are Rose and Mickey? And Reinette?"

"They're all back where we left them," he told me.

I nodded. "Okay." I grabbed his hand and walked with him down the hall. "Well, we have something we have to be doing now."

"And what's that?" he asked me.

I stopped him outside the two way mirror that had Rose, Mickey, and Reinette waiting on the other side. "Stay with her for a little while," the Doctor went to open his mouth and I interrupted. "Please. It's part of the, for lack of a better word, storyline and I don't want anything to mess it up. Even you." I gave his shoulder a push. "So get in there and don't fuck up."

The Doctor turned back to me and kissed me on the lips. "Alright," he went through the mirror as I waited by the wall.

It was a few short moments later that Rose and Mickey came out. Rose immediately hugged me, "Are you alright?" she asked.

I nodded. "Ya," I told her. "Just steer clear of a certain hallway."

"Gross," Mickey said.

"Oh shut up," I told him.

"Mickey!" Rose suddenly shouted. I turned to see what was wrong only to be grabbed from behind as I saw both Rose and Mickey struggled from the corner of my eye. I struggled against their hold until something sharp was forced into my neck. An unknown liquid was pushed into my bloodstream. My body began to feel lifeless, as my eyes grew heavy until there was nothing I could do as I fell unconscious.

-x-x-x-

"Faline," a voice called through the dark fog I was in. "Faline! Wake up!" I shot my eyes open. The first thing I noticed was that I was shackled to a metal table that was tilted at a sharp angle. The second and third things I noticed were that Rose and Mickey were in the same situation as me, and that we were all surrounded by clockwork droids. Damn it! Why does this shit always happen? Especially when the Doctor isn't here to get us out of this mess?

Mickey's panicked voice began to catch my attention. "Rose? Faline? They're gonna chop us up. Just like the crew - they're gonna chop us up and stick us all over their stupid spaceship. And where's the Doctor? Where's the precious Doctor now? He's been gone for flipping hours, that's where he is!"

I glared at Mickey, "Shut up."

A droid came up to my right and told me, "You are compatible."

I couldn't bring myself to look at it's clown like face. Why? Why must it look almost like a clown? "You should think before making me, us, into a part of the ship." I paused. Fuck! They plan on making us into part of the ship. I felt myself begin to shake. "We didn't come alone. And you – you really don't want to mess with him." The clown like droid thrust a sharp and lethal looking tool into my face. I flinched away from the weapon. "What about the Daleks? You should know about them. They have a name for our friend. They called him the…"

In the distance, there was a loud banging and the sound of someone, well the Doctor seeing as it couldn't be anyone else, singing drunkenly. "I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night…" I had nothing more to say after I heard that. Really, nothing can save my argument. The Doctor staggered into the room, dancing with an imaginary partner, wearing a pair of sunglasses and a tie around his head. "And still have begged for moooore… I could've spread my wings and done a thou -" the Doctor automatically began to speak normally. Well as normal as a drunk Time Lord can speak. "Have you met the French? My… GOD, they know how to party."

Rose rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm."

The Doctor scrunched up his nose in a way that I would find sexy, were it not for the weapon in my face. "Oh, you sound just like your mother."

"What've you been doing?" Rose asked angrily. "Where've you been?"

"Well... among other things, I think just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early," he told her. He looked at me amazed, "Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before!" The Doctor came to my other side and leaned over me slightly. "Always take a banana to a party, Faline. Bananas are GOOD."

I rolled my eyes, "Your so weird." The Doctor leaned forward and kissed me on the lips quickly. When he pulled away I gave him a smirk. He wasn't drunk, he hadn't even been drinking. I could tell because there was no taste of alcohol on his lips. He was faking it. Why? I don't know, but he doesn't really need a reason. He's the Doctor.

The Doctor turned his attention to the clown like droids. Ahh! They still creep me out! "Oh ho ho ho ho, brilliant. It's you! You're my favourite, you are, you are the best! Do you know why? 'Cause you're so THICK. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania." He then added as an afterthought, "And so's your dad." He moved away from me slightly. "Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?" He snickered. "Her milometer. They wanna know how old she is. Know why? 'Cause 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. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it?" The Doctor stared one of the droids mockingly in the face. "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 droid said.

"Compatible?" the Doctor asked approaching the droid. "If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine." He removed the droid's mask and poured 'wine' into the clockwork inside the head of the droid. He took off the clown mask, THANK GOD, and patted it on the head. The droid wound down. I sighed and leaned back on the metal slab as the knife moved away from me. And of course that the clown like mask was gone. The Doctor was suddenly sober as he said, "Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't." A droid from the corner of the room began to advance, but the Doctor quickly deactivated it using a nearby lever. "Right, you three, that's enough lying about..." He released Rose, Mickey, and I quickly with the sonic screwdriver, and we slid down the tables onto the floor. Well, the two of them did, I slid into the Doctor's arms. He gave me a smile that I returned. "Time we got the rest of the ship turned off."

"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor responded pulling his tie down and pushing the 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 began to feel around in his pockets. "Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs?" He looked around for them. "I had them a minute ago, I was using them as castanets."

I sighed heavily, "Ten." The Doctor just gave me a little smirk. God, this man… alien… whatever, drives me crazy.

Rose looked between the two of us for a moment before asking, "Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?"

"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they'll be lucky to hit the right century. Trial and error after that." He tried to operate the computer. "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?"

There was an ominous pinging sound. I frowned, "What the hell is that?"

The Doctor continued typing away as he answered, "I don't know... incoming message?"

Mickey frowned, "From who?"

"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!" I heard something move behind us and turned just as one of the clockwork droids sprang to life with a whirring sound. Rose gasped from beside me as the Doctor and Mickey turned to see the droid expel the 'wine' the Doctor poured into its mechanics over the Doctor's shoes. "Well, that was a bit clever." The rest of the droids sprang to life, filling the room with 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," the droid said before they all teleported out.

"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," the Doctor said. "And this time they're bringing back her head."

-x-x-x-

I went with Rose when she went to explain to Reinette what was going on. I didn't want her to go alone, and truthfully not being on the partially human made ship made me feel better. When we made it to the correct, or well the closest time we could get to, we found Reinette standing by a window, looking out at the sky. There was a moment of silence as we approached before she suddenly turned. Her eyes widened upon seeing us. "Reinette," I said. "We haven't got a lot of time." Reinette looked confused. "We've come to warn you. They'll be here in five years."

Reinette frowned, "Five years?"

Rose nodded. "Some time after your thirty-seventh birthday. We um... we can't give you an exact date. It's a bit random. But they're coming. It's gonna happen. In a way, for us, it's already happening. I'm sorry, it's hard to explain. The Doctor does this better."

"Then be exact, and I will be attentive," Reinette said.

I shook my head saying, "There isn't time."

Reinette was persistent. "There are five years."

"For you. We haven't got five minutes," Rose said.

"Then also be concise," Reinette said taking a seat.

Rose gave me a quick look before she also sat down. "Erm... there's say, um... a- a... a vessel. A ship. A sort of sky ship. And it's full of... well, you. Different bits of your life in different rooms, all jumbled up. I told you it was complicated, sorry."

"There is a vessel in your world... where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book so that he may step from one to the other without increase of age... while I, weary traveller... must always take the slower path?" Reinette summed up.

Rose's eyes widened. "He was right about you…"

"So, in five years these creatures will return. What can be done?"

"Keep them talking," I told her. "They're programed to respond to you. You cant stop them, but you can stall them for a while."

"Until?" Reinette pressed.

"Until the Doctor can get there," Rose said.

"He's coming, then?"

I gave a soft smile and said, "He's always there to scare away the monsters. Its his promise."

Reinette frowned. "But he cannot... make his promises in person?"

"He'll be there when you need him," Rose said. "That's the way it's gotta be."

"It's the way it's always been. The monsters and the Doctor. It seems you cannot have one without the other." Reinette said.

Rose gave a slight laugh saying, "Tell me about it." She paused. "The thing is... you weren't supposed to have either. Those creatures are messing with history. None of this was ever supposed to happen to you."

Reinette then grew angry, "Supposed to happen? What does that mean? It happened, child. And I would not have it any other way. One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel." She stood, turning her back on Rose and I.

"Rose? Faline?" a voice called. The three of us turned as Mickey appeared from behind a tapestry just outside the room. "Rose!" he said as the blonde rushed to meet him. "The time window when she's thirty-seven. We found it. Right under our noses." He stopped talking as Reinette paused. She looked at the window behind the tapestry and made for it.

Rose quickly spoke, "No, you can't go in there, the Doctor will go mad—"

However, Reinette was already through the 'door' and on the spaceship. We quickly followed her as she looked at her surrounding, lost and confused, and clearly scared. "So this is his world," she said looking around before her eyes paused at me. "Your world." We heard screaming and chaos in the distance. I immediately knew what it was, Reinette's future. "What was that?" she asked.

Mickey turned to Rose and I, "The time window, the Doctor fixed an audio link."

Reinette spoke softly, almost afraid of the answer. "Those screams… is that my future?"

I nodded, "Yes."

"Then I must take the slower path," Reinette said.

There was a slight paused that was filled with a few more screams and then Reinette's voice. Or rather her voice coming though the time window, "Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now, you promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time."

"That's my voice," Reinette said disturbed.

Mickey then said, "Rose, Faline, come on - we've gotta go. There's- there's a problem."

Rose moved to go with Mickey as I told them, "Give me a moment." I looked at Reinette as she stood there. I could tell she was terrified. "Reinette," I said softly as I took her hand. "I promise, just like I promised you when you were a little girl that the Doctor and I would return, that the Doctor will be there to save you." I gave her a smile. "It's what he does best."

Reinette nodded. "I believe you. I had seen into the Doctor's mind." I nodded as she paused slightly to gage my reaction. Yes, I remember. "I saw that you know things that even the Doctor doesn't know about, his own future. So I believe you if you say he will come." She gave me a smile. "And that makes me less scared. Thank you Faline."

I smiled and hugged her knowing that I would not see her again. The hug clearly surprised her seeing as it took her a moment to respond. "Your welcome Reinette." I released her and she turned, walking back through the tapestry into her world. I stand there for a moment, just staring at the tapestry before running down the hall to meet up with Rose, Mickey, and the Doctor.

I turned the corner and joining them as Rose asked, "You found it, then?"

The Doctor nodded, "They knew I was coming. They blocked it off."

Rose looked through the time window into the ballroom. "I don't get it. How come they got in there?"

I spoke up, looking over the Doctor's shoulder as he worked, "Remember, they can teleport."

The Doctor nodded, "Faline's right. 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!" Rose said.

I shook my head, "We can't. We're part of events now."

"Well, can't we just smash through it?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor quickly answered, "Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck."

My head snapped to him. Of course! I turned and ran from the group. I was going to find Cesar. I'm such an idiot for forgetting that the Doctor uses him to get there. I turned the corner, almost running into the white horse. "Come on boy," I said. Cesar immediately followed me. Awe, I was gonna miss this horse. I came back into the room saying, "When all else fails," they all turned to me, "turn to the one that knows what's gonna happen."

The Doctor rushed over to me, pulling me into a quick kiss. "You're a genius."

I shook my head, "Technically you are, but I'll take the compliment." I pulled him into a hug. "Just remember you aren't called Fireplace Man for nothing." The Doctor pulled back and nodded. He turned and mounted the horse.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked as the Doctor directed Cesar into position. "I thought you said there was no way back if you went?" Rose turned to me and said, "Faline stop him. He listens to you." The Doctor looked at me and I gave him a smile. Cesar then bolted forward and jumped through the glass, shattering the door through time. Our connection to the Doctor was gone. Rose covered her mouth in shock before turning to me. "How could you let him do that? He cant come back now."

I gave her a smile before saying, "He's the Doctor. He'll be back.

-x-x-x-

Rose and Mickey ended up going around the ship to pass the time. I however, stayed by the TARDIS. I wasn't going to be anywhere else when the Doctor came back. I didn't take into account that it was going to take five hours before I couldn't take it anymore. I watched the episode on my computer. Rose had had to wait five and a half hours… but by the time I was done with the episode, I wanted to see all the things I had missed, it was almost six hours since we last saw the Doctor. My station then moved to fireplace for the next two hours. I suppose I fell asleep sitting against the wall beside the fireplace because when I woke up Mickey was carrying me to the TARDIS again with Rose walking along side us. I looked at him and asked softly, "Has he come back?"

Mickey placed me on the ground before saying, "No." He paused. "Faline it's been almost ten hours. Maybe he isn't coming back."

I glared at him. "Don't you dare say that Mickey Smith. He's the Doctor and he's going to bring his Gallifreyan ass back or so help me god I'm going to kill him."

"Now I don't think that's necessary." Mickey, Rose, and I turned to see the Doctor there with a smile. I rushed to him, slamming my lips against his in a kiss. My fingers fisted into his hair, my god I love his hair, and his hands rested on my hips before moving to the small of my back. I then pulled away from the Doctor before smacking him across the face. He held his cheek staring at me with wide eyes that were matched by Mickey and Rose. "You slapped me," he said in shock. "You slap- Why did you slap me?"

"Almost ten hours!" I shouted at him.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, and I'm sorry but you said you knew what was going on."

"I did! Until there was an extra four hours added on!" I said, tears going down my face. He was the Doctor, he wasn't going to leave. But my mind automatically went to him just staying to be with Reinette, to him being trapped in that time, to him being killed and not able to regenerate.

His eyes darkened. I knew he could tell what I had been thinking. "Oh Faline," he said softly.

I didn't want him to think it was all his fault so I smiled and said, "But your back now. And that's all that matters."

The Doctor understood because he gave me a quick kiss and said, "Wait here, I'll be back in a second." He rushed back to the fireplace. He called out something that none of us heard before he triggered the fireplace and it revolved again.

Rose walked up to me, "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Ya," and I truthfully was now that I knew the Doctor would come back to me. "Come on." I lead her and Mickey back to the TARDIS where we waited for the Doctor.

Not even ten minutes passed before the Doctor came through the TARDIS doors, letting them close behind him as he walked slowly up to the console were Rose and Mickey stood. "Why her?" Rose asked him. "Why did they think they could fix the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"

I looked to the Doctor from my spot on the pilot seat. "We'll probably never know. There was massive damage in the computer memory base. Probably got confused." He went to the controls. "The TARDIS can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble." He tapped on the computer, acting as though everything were alright.

I stood and came to his side, "You okay?" I asked him softly.

He looked up at me, glanced at Mickey and Rose as they left the room, and said, "She left you a letter."

My eyes widened as he handed it to me. I opened the envelope and read the carefully scripted words.

Dear Faline,

The Doctor said that the two of you would be coming back for me. But as the days come and go, and as I feel my end coming nearer, I can feel that I wont see you both again. Then, I could tell you already knew that from the last time we spoke. I will not lie to you, I fell for the Doctor. But when he said you name and when you said his I could hear the love in your words. I never stood a chance did I? Tell him soon Faline. From what I saw inside his head the two of you are always in danger and you not telling him of your love would break him. He loves you deeply, though is scared to say so aloud in fear of losing you like he has lost all the rest. I hope to see you again Faline, but if I don't, I thank you for everything you and the Doctor have done for me. Goodbye Faline. With my love, Reinette.

I finished reading, with tears in my eyes, to see the Doctor putting his own letter into his breast pocket. I rubbed my eyes as the Doctor and I looked at the monitor, watching the still burning fireplace. He pressed a few keys and the fireplace became shrouded in darkness. We stood watching for a few more moments before the Doctor started the TARDIS and we left the 'SS Madame de Pompadour'.

END

A/N: I would like to dedicate this chapter to grapejuice101 for being the one to kick me in the ass to get typing and to help me with this chapter. Specifically, the Doctor feeling guilty about kissing Reinette and go on an apologizing rampage with Faline. I hope this is a very nice surprise.

Also I'd like to apologize for taking so damn long! I swear I will never give up on this fic, but I'm a lazy bitch so it takes me a while. And it'll take me even longer because mid July I'm going to college. Yay me! Going to Culinary school! I feel so damn awesome. Though I'm only going four days a week for only four hours a day, still.

Anyways, hope you liked the LONG awaited chapter. (Though I think the ending is crap but I really couldn't think of a good one and believe me the last two pages took me a week to even think up).