WARNING: This chapter has M themes (no actual scenes, don't worry!), and has a few things that might make you angry. That being said, enjoy!
Chapter 20: The Girl in the Fireplace
The Doctor was true to his word. Despite both Mickey and Rose's anxiety to get going and visit another planet, galaxy, anything, the Doctor made them all wait eight hours. And Freya spent that eight hours sleeping in his arms.
When she finally made it to the console room, both Mickey and Rose were visibly bouncing. Surprisingly, the Doctor wasn't. Freya figured he'd be the most bouncy one of them all. He usually was, anyways. He was always desperate to be going.
When his eyes landed on her, they widened in joy and he was over to her instantly.
"Am I allowed to go on this adventure, or are you locking me in?" Freya joked with him, but she was curious. After what had happened, if he said she had to stay on the TARDIS, she would. She really didn't want to miss the excitement, but she also didn't want to take any chances.
"We'll see if it's dangerous when we land," the Doctor said before letting out a laugh.
"It's always dangerous with you," Freya said back with a grin. He disentangled himself from her and flung a few levers around on the console, gripping it tightly as the TARDIS jerked slightly.
"Do you even know how to fly? Or do you make it up as you go along?" Freya asked him as she gripped the TARDIS alongside him. He gave her a manic grin and nodded.
"Yup," he agreed as the TARDIS leveled out.
"I asked two questions," Freya pointed out, amused.
"Yep," the Doctor retorted. Freya could only shake her head at him as he rushed for the doors. She remained next to the console as the three of them disappeared out of the TARDIS.
A minute or so later, he popped his head back in.
"Seems safe enough. Spaceship from the 51st century. Come along, Smith," he said with a wink. Freya shook her head but made her way towards him anyways.
"Technically I'm only a Smith if you're a Smith," Freya pointed out with a smile.
"Fine. Come along, wife," he amended, grin still in place.
"Now you make me sound like property," Freya retorted but her grin never left her face.
"You are. My property. I like that," the Doctor stated.
"If that's the case, it goes both ways. Quit getting distracted, husband," Freya told him, not being able to resist. The Doctor shook his head, staring at her.
"If you two would stop flirting, I'd like to see more of the spaceship," Mickey's voice called out. Freya exited the TARDIS, glancing around the place.
She was instantly assaulted with the scent of something burning. It smelled horrid. Her stomach turned and she was instantly hunched over, ridding herself of the breakfast she'd only just consumed.
"I hope the crew really is missing. They may not appreciate that," Rose stated as Freya straightened up. The Doctor pulled out a small toothbrush and mini thing of mouthwash from his pockets and handed them to Freya. Freya couldn't help but laugh at that.
"You too?" she asked in disbelief.
"What do you mean, me too?" the Doctor asked. Freya opened the toothbrush and was glad to realize it had toothpaste in it already. She wasted no time in brushing her teeth and using the mouthwash to rinse her mouth with. She spit it back in the container and, after a moment of hesitation, dropped both near the pile of vomit.
"Masen had mouthwash in his car. Said he had it for when Marie was pregnant," Freya said with a grin.
"Marie's not pregnant," Rose said, glancing between the two of them.
"In the future she's pregnant. A few times," the Doctor informed them. He gestured towards a door.
"Wanna explore?" he asked. Mickey and Rose needed no further urging. Freya was amused to see the joy on Mickey's face and the excitement on Rose's face.
"Is this why you travel with people?" Freya asked as they followed the two through the door.
"Of course! That, and I love showing off how clever I am," the Doctor preened. Freya shook her head, staring at him.
"You've got a big enough ego," she told him.
When they entered the room, Freya was surprised to see a beautiful fireplace against the one wall. It was elaborate yet very old-fashioned.
"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century. 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," the Doctor said as he examined the fireplace. Rose moved to the wall and looked out a porthole as Freya knelt in front of the fire.
"There can't be. That's the outer hull of the ship. Look," Rose said.
Freya was staring at a blonde girl.
"Hello," Freya said, smiling at the girl. The girl gasped, staring back at her. The Doctor dropped down as well, joining Freya in front of the fireplace.
"Hello," the girl said hesitantly.
"What's your name?" Freya asked the girl.
"Reinette," the girl said with a tentatively smile.
"What a beautiful name," Freya said. The girl's smile became larger.
"Reinette, can you tell me where you are at the moment?" the Doctor asked her. Reinette tilted her head, staring at him.
"In my bedroom," she said simply. Freya elbowed the Doctor. Where else would she say she was?
"Where else would she be?" Freya asked the Doctor, but he shook his head.
"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?" the Doctor asked her.
"Paris, of course," Reinette said.
"He's a bit slow," Freya said with a grin. Reinette giggled along with Freya as the Doctor just looked indignant.
"Monsieur, Madame, what are you doing in my fireplace?" Reinette asked, staring at the two of them.
"Oh, it's just a routine fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?" the Doctor asked her. Freya shook her head at him. He would scare Reinette if he kept asking questions like that. She was surprised he didn't get slapped more than what he did.
"Of course I can. Seventeen hundred and twenty-seven," Reinette recited.
"Right! Lovely! One of my favorites. August is rubbish though. Stay indoors," the Doctor said.
"Have a wonderful night, Reinette. Sleep well," Freya told her as they stood up.
"Goodnight," Reinette's voice called to them.
"You said this was the fifty-first century," Mickey complained.
"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. He sniffed as he said it, as if he was being so incredibly smart.
"Spatio…space….temporal….time. A link through space and time?" Freya asked him curiously, hoping she wasn't completely off in her guess.
"What's that?" Mickey asked at the same time. The Doctor glanced between them.
"No idea. I just made it up. I like Freya's answer though. It's more of a magic door," the Doctor admitted.
"And on the other side of the magic door is France in 1727?" Rose asked.
"Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too," the Doctor stated.
"She was speaking English. I heard her," Mickey protested. Rose shook her head, a smile on her face.
"That's the TARDIS. Translates for you," Rose said proudly.
"Even French?" Mickey looked aghast at that.
"Yeah. Even French," Freya responded solemnly before her lips morphed back into a smile.
"Doctor, why Reinette? Who's Reinette? Of all the fireplaces in all of time, why Reinette's fireplace?" Freya asked worriedly. The Doctor moved away from her to glance out the window before heading back towards her.
Freya leaned on the side of the fireplace, only for it to move.
Her eyes went wide in horror as the fireplace rotated around, taking her away from the others.
She turned around to examine the room. Little Reinette was in bed. Asleep.
She'd just been awake. Time must move differently here. Freya glanced outside the window, noticing that there was snow falling from the sky. It was so peaceful, so beautiful looking.
Reinette inhaled sharply and sat up in her bed. Freya turned around quickly, hands up.
"It's okay. It's just me. I was in your fireplace, remember?" Freya asked the girl. Reinette nodded slowly.
"But Madame, that was weeks ago. That was months," Reinette protested. Freya's heart caught in her chest. She'd bettered get back before months or she'd kill the Doctor.
More than once.
"Who are you?" Reinette asked Freya.
"My name's Freya. That man was my husband. What's wrong with your clock?" Freya asked, noticing out of the corner of her eye that the clock was broke. She moved closer. It couldn't be broke. It was making the ticking noise. Freya pressed her ear against the still clock and froze.
The sound wasn't coming from it.
"It's broke," Reinette said. Freya glanced around the room, wishing she had a light.
"Can you light your candle without getting out of bed?" Freya asked the girl. Reinette nodded and a few seconds later, the room was full of light. Freya's eyes skimmed the room.
"You look scared," Reinette observed, her own voice shaking a bit. Freya nodded.
"I am. A little bit. Stay on the bed. The clock's broke. But there's still the noise. Listen," Freya said. Reinette was silent and her own eyes widened.
Freya examined the room carefully. It sounded rather loud. So it'd have to be big. The only place that was big enough to hide something very big in the room was under Reinette's bed. Freya's heart sank.
If she wasn't scared of monsters under her bed, she would be now.
"Reinette, I want you to stay in the middle of your bed, okay? Don't move," Freya ordered the girl. Reinette gripped her blankets tighter at Freya's words.
"Why?" she asked, her voice a whisper. Freya shook her head.
"I'm going to check under your bed. Just don't move," Freya warned her. Reinette nodded, eyes wide as she did. Freya bent over and reached to pull the blanket away from the edge, only to find something holding it down. She held her breath and tried once more, only to be able to lift it.
She saw two feet.
Her hearts nearly stopped. She lept to her feet, eyes narrowing on the figure that wore a smiley mask.
Freya climbed onto the bed and pulled Reinette into a hug, staring at the person – no, creature. Because the clock ticking was coming from it.
"What do you want? Why are you here in her room? Why do you want her?" Freya asked, her voice as strong as she could make it. Reinette stiffened in her arms and pulled back, gasping as she caught sight of the man clock creature.
"It wants me? You want me?" Reinette gasped.
"Not yet. You are incomplete," the clock man said in a robotic voice.
"What do you mean, incomplete?" Freya asked immediately, staring at the robot. A blade came out of its hand and it started moving towards Freya. Freya leapt from the bed, moving away from Reinette and towards the fireplace.
Freya was relieved to see it following her rather than going after Reinette.
"Madame Freya, please be careful!" Reinette called fearfully from her bed.
"This is just a bad dream, Reinette. Everything's fine," Freya said soothingly as the android lunged at Freya. She was able to duck and evade it, moving right in front of the fireplace. She started feeling around on it for a lever, only to have to duck once more. The android's blade got stuck in the mantle as Freya found what felt like a lever.
"Pleasant dreams," Freya told Reinette as she pulled the lever. The fireplace turned, having her appear in the spaceship in what looked like seconds since she'd left.
"Freya!" the Doctor shouted. Freya ducked away from him as the android broke free from the mantle.
"Stop it somehow!" Freya shouted at him as it lunged for her once more. The Doctor grabbed something from the wall and shot it at the android. The android froze.
"Excellent! Ice gun!" Mickey cheered.
"Fire extinguisher. Where the hell did that come from?" the Doctor demanded.
"It was under Reinette's bed. It wants her, but she was incomplete. I don't know what that means," Freya admitted.
The Doctor moved towards it and carefully examined it.
"Why is it dressed like that?" Rose asked curiously.
"Field trip to France. Some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework, shame about the face," the Doctor said sorrowfully before ripping the cover off.
It was like a giant, cool looking clock. It was beautiful. Or, it would have been beautiful had it not been trying to kill her before.
The Doctor seemed to share her thoughts.
"Oh, you are beautiful! 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, but that won't stop me. Especially after you tried to disassemble the wife," the Doctor stated just as the android was beamed away.
"Short range teleport. Can't have got far. Could still be on board," the Doctor mused as he made his way to the fireplace.
"What is it?" Rose asked.
"Don't go looking for it! Stay together, and don't go looking for it. I'll be back!" the Doctor informed them.
"Where are you going?" Freya asked curiously. The Doctor grinned at her before pushing the lever down and disappearing into France. Rose grabbed the fire extinguisher the Doctor had been using.
"He said not to look for it," Mickey said uneasily. Rose grinned.
"Yeah, he did," she said. Mickey's own expression grew as he grabbed another extinguisher. Freya stared at them.
"Aren't you coming?" Rose asked. Freya shook her head.
"He did tell us to stay here," Freya pointed out, remembering what'd happened at the school.
"He also told us to stay together," Rose said with a shrug before her and Mickey disappeared.
By the time her words had registered with Freya, Rose and Mickey were gone.
Weighing her options, Freya realized the Doctor would probably rather her be with them rather than alone and staying where he left her, so she scrambled to her feet and down the hallway.
Only Mickey and Roes were nowhere in sight.
She considered returning to the room but knew she needed to find Rose and Mickey. She tried following what (she hoped) was the path they followed, only to find herself in the middle of a field.
"Madame Freya!" a voice shouted. Freya spun around to see a blonde woman rushing for her. The woman pulled her into a hug before pulling her along.
"Do I know you?" Freya asked, biting her lip. The woman's eyes lit up.
"Of course you do. It's Reinette!" the woman said. Freya's eyes widened.
"Reinette! You were just a little girl!" Freya protested. Reinette laughed and shook her head, looping her arm in Freya's.
"That's what your husband, Fireplace Man, said as well," Reinette said with a laugh.
"You saw him then? How long ago?" Freya asked curiously.
"About two years ago, I'd say. I'm sure you heard all about that," Reinette said with a nervous laugh.
"No. That's currently happening right now. I haven't seen him yet," Freya said slowly, trying not to confuse the woman if she could keep from it. Reinette blushed.
"What happened?" Freya prodded.
"I kissed him. He was rather surprised, I'd say. Cheered about snogging Madame de Pompadour, whatever that means, before getting upset over it. He didn't know I was listening," Reinette admitted.
"You kissed him?" Freya asked, feeling her blood run cold.
"I forgot in the spur of the moment that you said he was your husband. I remembered after I heard him start to worry," Reinette apologized quickly. Freya painted a smile on her face.
"Well it is France. As soon as you find a husband, I'll just have to have him kiss me to make it even," Freya said with a giggle.
"I don't plan on finding a husband. I'm interested in becoming the king's mistress," Reinette said bluntly, her voice low. Freya laughed.
"That would be one way to even it out. After you do, make sure to tell him to give me a good snog," Freya said with a laugh. Reinette joined in with her laughter.
"Don't be alarmed, but I do believe your husband is spying on us from the stone wall," Reinette said, her tone betraying nothing of her words. Freya glanced behind them from the corner of her eyes to see that the Doctor was, indeed, watching them.
"It was nice seeing you again, Reinette. I'm sure I'll see you again," Freya said earnestly. Reinette leaned to her and kissed both of her cheeks before giving her a smile.
"I'll work on arranging that kiss," Reinette promised as she took off. Freya slowly made her way towards the Doctor.
"What are you doing here?" Freya asked.
"Me? What are you doing here? I told you to wait there with the others," the Doctor pointed out.
"The others wandered off. I was trying to find them. Figured you'd rather me be with them than stay alone in place," Freya pointed out. The Doctor opened his mouth and then closed it promptly.
"Yeah. Right. Good thinking. Let's get back before they get into trouble," the Doctor finally said, arm lacing around her waist as he tugged her along.
"Anything noteworthy happen to you?" Freya asked innocently. The Doctor blinked and his eyes widened.
"Oh! You'll never believe it! Reinette? She's Madame de Pompadour, the mistress to Louis the fifteenth!" the Doctor said happily. Freya's own eyes widened.
"That'll make my request easier then," Freya said with a small laugh.
"What request?" the Doctor asked curiously. Freya shook her head, smiling at the Doctor.
"Oh, nothing you wouldn't do," she told him with a wink.
That didn't seem to reassure him.
They entered back onto the ship, where Freya was startled to see a horse standing there.
"A horse?" Freya asked. The Doctor shrugged and started walking, pulling Freya alongside him.
They entered a room where Rose and Mickey were staring at a decorated man in what appeared to be a mirror.
"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"The King of France," the Doctor said, startling both of them.
"Oh, here's trouble. What have you been up to? And Freya, where were you?" Rose asked curiously. The Doctor sniffed and shrugged.
"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man, oh, and I met a horse," the Doctor said, gesturing to the horse.
"I talked with Reinette about planning scandalous behavior," Freya admitted truthfully. This intrigued the Doctor, but Mickey piped up before the Doctor could question her.
"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked.
"Mickey, what's pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get some perspective," the Doctor complained.
"He came from one of the portals, I believe," Freya supplied. The Doctor looked affronted but continued.
"See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history. Hers," the Doctor said, gesturing to Reinette who'd just entered the room, "Time windows from the fifty-first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth. Why?" the Doctor asked.
"Who is she?" Mickey asked curiously.
"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived," the Doctor said, staring at her.
"So she has plans of being the Queen then?" Rose asked curiously.
"Nah. The mistress to the king," Freya corrected.
"He's already got a queen," the Doctor added.
"Oh, I get it. Camilla," Rose said with a nod.
"I think this is the night they met. The night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace. Even her own title. Madame de Pompadour," the Doctor said in awe.
"Bet she would have made a fantastic wife," Freya muttered under her breath. She liked Reinette, but all the attention the Doctor was giving her was driving Freya crazy with jealousy. She didn't like it. She didn't like it at all. Reinette was still in the room, checking her appearance.
"She would have," the Doctor agreed before Rose smacked him. His eyes widened and he glanced at Freya.
"But she's not! Not a wife. No needs to worry," he said quickly, staring at her. Freya crossed her arms awkwardly, still watching Reinette.
"Well she already kissed you," Freya pointed out.
"You kissed her?" Rose asked in disbelief.
"She kissed me!" the Doctor defended himself immediately.
"She told me. It's okay. She said she'd get the king of France to snog me to make it up to me," Freya said lightly. Rose and Mickey were openly staring at her now.
"Wait – what?" the Doctor asked, staring at her with his mouth open. Freya shrugged.
"I like her," Freya said.
"I'm sure the queen loved her," Mickey said to Rose quietly.
"She did. They got along just fine," the Doctor said, still staring at Freya.
"The wife and the mistress. Huh," Mickey said.
"France is a whole different world," Rose agreed, still watching the Doctor staring at Freya.
"What?" Freya finally asked when it became obvious that the Doctor wasn't going to say anything.
"You agreed to let her get the king of France to kiss you?" the Doctor asked tightly. Freya shrugged.
"Figured we could keep a tally sheet of how many famous people we could kiss. You got Madame de Pompadour, I get Louis the Fifteenth. Sounds fair to me," Freya told him.
"No! That's not fair. I don't like that idea," the Doctor told her indignantly.
"You probably should have thought about that before you started bragging about kissing Madame de Pompadour," Freya pointed out sourly.
"How…" the Doctor drifted off, staring at her sheepishly.
"Reinette was listening to you. Overheard your whole rant, which confused her by the way. Maybe I just want bragging rights too," Freya defended herself.
"But the king of France? I'm better to kiss than the king of France," the Doctor complained. Freya shrugged.
"Fair's fair. You'll have to remember that next time you try kissing someone. I get to kiss someone for every person you get to kiss," Freya supplied.
"You can't make a rule like that," the Doctor protested.
"I just did," Freya shot back. The Doctor gaped at her for a moment before his jaw set and a certain look of determination flashed in his eyes.
He stalked towards her, grabbing her almost possessively and pulling her to him. His lips crashed into hers, dominating her entirely. Freya was shocked by the suddenness of his possessiveness that she gasped at his force. He took advantage of her gasp and plundered her mouth, still more rough than anything else.
"Get a room," Freya heard Mickey complain distantly. The Doctor was pushing her back forcefully, still kissing her violently. Her back collided with the mirror and she suddenly found herself on her back with the Doctor above her. He broke the kiss and glanced up to see Reinette staring at one of the clockwork androids in horror. Her eyes found the Doctor and Freya and they only widened even more.
The Doctor scrambled to his feet and ripped the fire extinguisher from Mickey and sprayed the clockwork android all in one fluid motion. Rose helped Freya to her feet and straightened her hair.
"Hello Reinette. Hasn't time flown?" the Doctor asked her with a grin.
"Fireplace man, Freya!" Reinette exclaimed, staring at the two of them. The Doctor threw the fire extinguisher back at Mickey. The android began to creak.
"What's it doing?" Mickey asked in alarm.
"Switching back on. Melting the ice," the Doctor said calmly, but he looked anything but calm.
It didn't help that, a moment later, he shot Freya a look that nearly had her melting.
"And then what?" Rose asked in alarm.
"Then it kills everyone in the room. Focuses the mind, doesn't it? Who are you? Identify yourself," the Doctor ordered. When it said nothing, Freya glanced at Reinette.
"Order it to answer you. It did when you were a kid," Freya remembered.
"Answer their questions. Answer any and all questions put to you," Reinette ordered firmly.
"I am repair droid seven," the android responded.
"What happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage," the Doctor stated.
"Ion storm. Eighty-two percent systems failure," the droid droned.
"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?" the Doctor asked.
"We did not have the parts," the droid said.
"Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts," Mickey said, elbowing Rose.
"What's happened to the crew? Where are they?" Rose asked.
"We did not have the parts," the droid repeated.
"She's right. There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" the Doctor asked.
"We did not have the parts," the droid repeated once more.
Freya felt sick.
"The smell," she whispered. The Doctor glanced at her and then his eyes widened.
"Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew," the Doctor breathed. Freya felt sick. Reinette didn't look much better.
"The crew?" Mickey asked in horror. The Doctor nodded grimly. Rose looked thoroughly disgusted.
"We found a camera with an eye in it, and there was a heart wired into the machinery," Rose remembered.
"It was just doing 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 Mickey. Mickey, realizing what Freya had meant, looked sick as well.
"Someone cooking," Rose whispered. The Doctor turned to the droid.
"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 asked it.
"One more part is required," the droid said.
"Then why haven't you taken it?" the Doctor asked critically.
"She is incomplete," the droid said.
"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 spat.
"Why her? You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her?" Freya asked the question that had been bugging her since she'd first stepped foot into Reinette's bedroom.
"We are the same," the droid said.
"We are not the same. We are in no sense the same," Reinette said indignantly.
"We are the same," the droid repeated.
"Get out of here. Get out of here this instant!" Reinette ordered loudly.
"Reinette, no!" the Doctor shouted, but it was too late. The android had already teleported away.
"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 ordered.
"Arthur?" Rose questioned.
"Good name for a horse," the Doctor stated. Freya groaned.
"You're not keeping the horse," Freya argued.
"I let you keep Mickey and Rose. Now go!" the Doctor ordered Rose.
"What about Freya?" Rose asked.
"She's not leaving my side," the Doctor said immediately. The Doctor then turned 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. It won't hurt a bit," the Doctor promised. He glanced over at Freya as his fingers went to Reinette's temple.
Oh. He was going to go into her mind. Like he did with Freya.
"Fireplace man, you are inside my mind," Reinette breathed in awe.
"Oh dear, Reinette, you've had some cowboys in here," the Doctor murmured.
"Freya, I have another dress in the next room. Slip that on," Reinette ordered kindly. Freya was glad for the distraction. She slipped out of the room quickly and was grateful that the dress Reinette had suggested was loose and had no ties on the back. She slid it over her pants, taking her shirt off only when it became obvious that it would be visible from under the dress.
She made it back in the room just to see the Doctor stepping away from Reinette, eyes wide.
"Dance with me," she begged.
"I can't," the Doctor said firmly.
"Dance with me. Then dance with Freya," Reinette begged. The Doctor glanced between Freya and Reinette.
"This is the night you dance with the king," the Doctor said.
"Then first, I shall make him jealous," Reinette said, winking at Freya. She grabbed Freya's arm and pulled her towards the exit, the Doctor being forced to trail behind them.
"But…" the Doctor drifted off as they entered the room. Freya was instantly tugged with Reinette through the crowds, leaving the Doctor behind.
"Where are we going?" Freya asked. Reinette laughed and winked at her before stopping right in front of the king. Freya's eyes widened.
"Your Majesty, my dear friend was just saying what an honor it would be to dance with you," Reinette said smoothly, her eyes wide with innocence. The king looked bemused and held out his hand to Freya.
"What sort of king would I be if I refused the will of the people?" he asked with a smile. Freya tentatively took his hand, allowing him to drag her to the dance floor.
"I've never met you before, and I thought I knew everyone here," King Louis said.
"I'm a traveler. Reinette and I met years ago," Freya admitted as they began dancing. She caught sight of the Doctor dancing with Reinette, his eyes glaring at the king the entire time.
The king seemed to notice as well.
"And that man is…?" he drifted off.
"My husband. I think he is jealous," Freya admitted. The king smiled at that, glancing at Reinette.
"I think dear Reinette is trying to make me jealous. Should we give them reason to think it's working before I sweep Reinette off her feet?" the king asked Freya. Freya didn't have a chance to respond before the king's lips were on hers.
It only lasted a few seconds, long enough to ensure that there was no way the Doctor had missed it. Then the king led her over to the Doctor and Reinette, exchanging Freya for Reinette.
The Doctor didn't even spare her a second glance. He grabbed her hand and yanked her from the room, pulling her instantly into a side room.
"Doctor, I…" Freya started to say but was cut off by his lips on hers once more.
"No talking. Too jealous to speak," the Doctor murmured into her mouth as he pressed her against the wall.
Freya was once again glad the dress didn't require a lot of tying.
It was Freya who told the Doctor they had to get going. She was sure, had she not reminded him, he would have attempted to claim jealousy again and lead into another round of frantic shagging in the equivalent of a French castle's closet.
Freya's mind was a bit hazy from the action, but she didn't want to leave Rose and Mickey to fend for themselves. Not with the psychotic droids on the loose.
So she'd pulled the dress on and he'd mixed up some odd concoction before pulling a pair of sunglasses out and plopping them on his face. And then he was dancing her back to the ship.
Freya considered questioning him but decided against it. She knew him too well already to know he wouldn't give her an answer.
As soon as they'd made it back on the ship, the Doctor's movements became more erratic. For a moment, Freya was certain he was actually drunk, but she knew he wasn't. He hadn't been acting like it before, and he hadn't drank anything while mixing up his concoction that he now held in a wine glass.
She winced when he started singing loudly, off-tune. She barely managed to school her reaction as they entered a room with Mickey and Rose strapped to tables, the droids poised over them with chainsaw-like hands.
"Have you met the French? My god, they know how to party," the Doctor said lazily as he moved closer to them, keeping Freya tightly at his side.
"Oh, look what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm," Rose said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, you sound just like your mother," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes before planting a rather sloppy kiss on Freya's cheek, winking at her as he did. No one else was able to see it because of his sunglasses.
"What've you been doing? Where've you been?" Rose demanded angrily. Freya could understand that. She'd be furious if she'd been strapped to a table like that and the Doctor showed up seemingly drunk.
"I was going to invent the banana daiquiri a few centuries early, but then I saw the king dancing with my wife. My wife! And then kissing her! So we had to have a good shag in the closet," the Doctor said. Freya blushed deeply at his words and Rose just stared at him.
"We're strapped to a table, about to be hacked away at for spare parts, and you two are shagging?" Rose asked in disbelief.
"We'd have still been shagging too, if Freya hadn't tired out," the Doctor lied. The Doctor then turned his attention to the droids.
"Oh, ho ho ho. Brilliant! It's you! You're my favorite, you are. You are the best! Do you know why? Because you're so thick. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thickton, Thickania. And so's your dad. Do you guys know what they're scanning Reinette's brain for? Her milometer. They want to know how old she is. Know why? Because this ship is thirty-seven years old and they think when Reinette is thirty-seven, when she's complete, that her brain will be compatible. So that's what you're missing, isn't it, hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs and brain, and for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do," the Doctor said, losing much of his drunk persona.
"The brain is compatible," the droid said.
"Compatible? If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine," the Doctor said as he pulled the droid's mask off and poured the oily stuff into its head. The clockwork slowed and stopped almost immediately.
"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't," the Doctor said cheerfully as he turns to Mickey and Rose.
"Right, you two, that's enough lying about. Time we got the rest of the ship turned off," the Doctor said as he undid both of their bindings.
"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked, pointing at the clockwork androids.
"Yeah. Safe. Safe and thick, way I like my androids. Okay. All the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down," the Doctor murmured, feeling around in his pockets for something.
"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?" Freya asked curiously.
"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they did well to hit the right century. Trial and error after that. The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" the Doctor asked himself almost frantically.
"What's that?" Rose asked as a bell rang.
"I don't know. Incoming message?" the Doctor guessed.
"From who?" Mickey questioned.
"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," the Doctor said, sounding quite frustrated as he said so.
The android behind them spit out the oil from its fingers and started moving again.
"Well, that was a bit clever," the Doctor admired as an off switch flicked itself on. The Doctor immediately moved himself in front of Freya.
"Right. Many things about this are not good. Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" the Doctor asked, feigning interest.
"She is complete. It begins," the droid said before they all beamed out.
"What's going on?" Freya asked in alarm. They'd found the right window. What could they do? They had to find it before the droids could kill Reinette.
"One of them must have found the right time window. Now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head," the Doctor said grimly.
"Wrong era. They shouldn't be cutting off French Aristocrats' heads for awhile," Freya tried joking, hoping to get rid of her horrified feeling. The Doctor slid his hand in hers.
"Rose, find a window with a younger Reinette. Warn her what's happening. Mickey, start searching this floor for the portal," the Doctor ordered.
"What about Freya?" Rose asked.
"I'm putting her back on the TARDIS for the moment," the Doctor said.
"You can't just lock her on there every time things get dangerous," Rose scoffed.
"He can. It's okay. We can't take many chances. And at least this time the TARDIS is available for me to go back to," Freya reassured her cousin.
The other two made their way away from them and the Doctor led her to the TARDIS. As soon as they entered, the Doctor pulled her into a tight hug. Freya hugged him back.
"Please stay here," the Doctor begged.
"I will. I won't leave the TARDIS," Freya promised, and she meant it. The Doctor nodded and kissed her before resting his head against her.
"We don't have the time to waste right now. I don't know what's going to happen. Be safe, please?" the Doctor begged.
"I already told you I would," Freya promised him. He gave her a smile before leaving her in the TARDIS.
Freya settled herself down on the seat, staring at the screen. The sound of the TARDIS was wonderful around her. She loved it. She didn't know how comfortable she'd have been in complete silence. She quickly pulled her feet up and tucked them into the seat next to her.
"Do you know why they want Reinette's head?" Freya asked the TARDIS, hoping she could at least do something useful without leaving the TARDIS. The TARDIS smiled at her. Well….she felt that the TARDIS would be smiling at her. It was odd to describe.
On the screen flashed some words in a circular like language, which then translated for her into English.
The spaceship was shown on the screen, the name SS Madame de Pompadour underneath it.
Oh. The ship was named after Madame de Pompadour. That would explain why they thought only her brain could work.
Unbidden, a video popped up on the screen.
A video of a little boy, grinning back at her.
"Where did this come from?" Freya asked, confused.
It was recorded. Will be recorded. The TARDIS corrected. Freya frowned. Will be recorded? Then why was it displayed now? Freya stared as it started playing.
"Hi Mommy! Daddy says I can make you a video to say hi! He wouldn't tell me when you'd see it – he said it was timey-wimey," the little boy rolled his eyes before giving her a wide grin. A wide grin that was missing a tooth.
"I lost a tooth yesterday! Daddy said I should tell you about it, so I didn't forget next time I see you! I love you!" he said happily. Freya stared at it.
"Is this for me?" Freya asked. The TARDIS hummed in agreement.
"That's my son?" Freya choked out, staring even more intently. When she really focused, she could see similarities. He had the Doctor's blue eyes and it looked like he was going to have his father's nose as well, a realization that made Freya giggle. But he was perfect.
"But why is he telling me that? Why did he have to make a video?" Freya asked the TARDIS as the video continued.
"I really miss you, and Daddy says I'll get to spend a lot of time with you later on. That because we're gonna live a long time, we have to p-pace ourselves so we can always see you," the boy stumbled over the wording.
And that was Freya's answer.
"But Daddy says we'll pick you up in a few months! A few months and I'll get to see you again!" he said happily.
"I love you!" he finally said before Freya turned the video off.
She couldn't watch any more.
So she'd get to see her son, but she wouldn't get to see him grow up. The words used really threw Freya through a loop. What did he mean, they would visit her again soon? Did he leave her behind and only bring her son to see her every so often? Why would he do that?
There was a slight knock on the door before it was pushed open. Rose and Mickey entered slowly, neither of them meeting Freya's eyes.
"Where's the Doctor?" Freya asked, glancing behind them for her husband.
"He's gone."
Rose's words hit Freya like a bucket of ice water. She froze, staring at the two of them in horror.
"What?" Freya managed to spit out.
"We found the window but were locked out. He took the horse and crashed through, but stranded himself there in the process," Rose apologized.
"No. He couldn't have," Freya choked out.
"He said he'd wait for you. That he'd find his way back here, even if that meant he had to wait 3000 years to do it," Mickey added quietly. Freya stood and glanced out the open door, at the ship.
He could. She had no doubt he'd be able to do that. But that wasn't fair to him. He shouldn't have to wait three thousand years. There had to be a way to solve this.
"This was when Reinette was 37, right? What was happening?" Freya asked, gripping the TARDIS.
"There was a party. I don't know how helpful that is," Rose admitted.
"Close the door," Freya ordered her, flipping a few levers she remembered the Doctor always flipping. She then moved around the console, watching carefully for any signs that the TARDIS would help her.
Sure enough, a few buttons lit up and she didn't even hesitate to push them down, throwing another few levers before gripping the console tightly.
"I'd hold on tight," Freya warned them as she flipped the last switch.
Sure enough, sparks flew from the console and she started jerking about crazily.
But she was moving. Freya heard her starting up and take off as she started spiraling. Freya gripped the TARDIS console as tightly as she could as the TARDIS flipped upside down, then backright, twice.
It slammed into the ground and Freya felt a thrum of disapproval in her mind. The TARDIS wasn't happy.
"That was really rough. I'll never complain about the Doctor's driving again," Rose said with a small grin as she pulled herself up. Mickey also got up and the two of them helped Freya up. She glanced at the console and frowned.
"I think I forgot to hit one of the buttons. Oops. Let's peek outside so we know we aren't lost," Freya suggested, tapping on the monitor. A camera sprung to life.
They looked like they were outside of Versaille. That was good enough for Freya. She flounced to the door, Rose and Mickey on her tail.
She opened the door and they tentatively made their way out.
"Are we sure we made it at the right time?" Rose asked nervously. Freya shook her head, glancing upward.
"I don't know. It's night, but we have no way of telling if it's the same night or what," Freya said slowly.
And her eyes widened.
Because running at her was the Doctor.
He collided with her, knocking her backward into the TARDIS. His one arm braced her head as they hit the ground and his lips were on hers instantly. It was her that had to break the kiss when she couldn't breathe and when she did break it, the Doctor satisfied himself by kissing her neck.
"Doctor, stop. How long as it been?" Freya asked him.
"Two weeks. Tried a fireplace but it didn't work," the Doctor murmured before continuing to kiss her neck. Rose and Mickey were watching them, Rose with a grin on her face and Mickey with wide eyes. Poor Mickey.
Freya finally managed to stand up, the Doctor still clutching her to him. Approaching them slowly was Reinette.
"How about it, Reinette? Wanna see those stars?" the Doctor asked her happily. Reinette's eyes widened in hope.
"Would I ever," she breathed. Freya smiled at her and gestured for her to enter the TARDIS.
When the Doctor entered, his eyes widened.
"What happened in here?" he asked in disbelief.
"I missed a lever when I attempted to fly her. We flipped a few times," Freya admitted sheepishly.
"Her driving's worse than yours," Rose complained with a grin before she launched herself at the Doctor, hugging him tightly. The Doctor awkwardly hugged her back while keeping his grip on Freya before flicking a few switches. He then bound for the door, throwing it open.
"Come here, Reinette!" the Doctor urged. Reinette cautiously approached the door, gasping as she did.
They were in space.
Reinette was overjoyed with the sight. It was obvious. Freya's heart warmed at seeing her so happy.
After all, Freya had seen her as a little girl. It was hard for her to think of Reinette as a woman when she'd only been a little girl that morning.
The Doctor pulled Freya away from the others, hugging her again tightly.
"I thought I'd have to wait 3000 years to see you again. I don't want to do that again," the Doctor said with a groan.
"Did you ever figure out the mystery? As to why they had to have Madame de Pompadour's head?" Freya asked him, recalling what she'd learnt earlier.
"No. Did you?" he asked her suspiciously.
"I did. And I never even left the TARDIS. The ship? It was called the SS Madame de Pompadour," Freya said with a grin. The Doctor's eyes widened at the realization.
"Oh! I'm so thick! That's perfect!" he exclaimed. Freya laughed at his childlike exuberance.
"Glad I was able to please you," she teased him.
She made the mistake of glancing over at the screen.
The video was up, paused at where she'd turned it off before.
"Doctor, something else happened. While you were gone," Freya told him cautiously. He stiffened.
"What?" he asked anxiously, immediately pressing his fingers to her temple, entering her mind to check the baby. Freya knew what he was doing and didn't try stopping him.
"A video from the future came up on the TARDIS screen and started playing. A video to me. From our son," Freya told him as he reached the baby. The Doctor didn't move, but he did slowly withdraw from her mind.
"The TARDIS should have kept that sort of thing from showing up," the Doctor murmured.
"She wanted me to see it. Doctor, our son…he was filming a video for me. He said he wasn't gonna get to see me for a few months. Are…are you going to leave me behind?" Freya asked him fearfully. The Doctor sighed, wrapping her tightly in his arms.
"Not now. Not right now anyway. Freya, I get so little time with you. So little. One day, I might leave you behind, but I'll never truly leave you behind. A version of me will be there with you for almost every second of your life. You just won't be there for every second of mine," the Doctor tried explaining.
"So you'd just drop me off and come visit when it was convenient?" Freya asked in disbelief, her eyes already stinging with tears.
"No. That's not what I meant. I…we'll talk about it later. I promise. It won't be for a long while before that would happen. Not before you have the baby, certainly. But in the future, one day, what if I really need to see you? I can't see you if I'm already seeing you. This way, I can be selfish and have each of your seconds count to me. I wasted too much of your time already," the Doctor said earnestly. Freya allowed him to pull her to him.
"Reinette needs to go home before she's missed. And I need to get some rest," Freya finally murmured. The Doctor nodded.
"Yes. I'll meet you in the room?" he asked her.
"Of course."
The whole thing with the kissing was something I thought was important. We all know how often the Doctor kisses people. I figured this would be a good incentive to keep him from kissing people. Also, sorry about the posting. I was gonna post yesterday, but I got a day behind in writing. We had a bomb threat on campus last week so I was unable to write (I literally was rolled out of bed and out the door - barely had time to dressed and I forgot my laptop cord). But here it is. Warning as well! Finals week is coming up, so I may be busy! :D
Leave me some reviews!
Andi