Finally. It's done. Yay! Uff. It's long. Very. But now I can finally exhale a breath. Lol. Thank you for your amazing support!
When Rose finally found her way back to the room, what she witnessed made her stop in place. No matter what she would have expected to see, this was not it. Just ahead of her, two figures were standing, facing each other. One smiling at the other, another looking completely terrified. All would be understandable, if the roles had been reversed.
There stood the Oncoming Storm, looking with wide eyes at the aristocrat woman of eighteenth century like she had his whole existence in her hands. And then his gaze slowly wandered to Rose near the doorway.
Rose gasped at what she saw.
Her Doctor not only did he not ease up at all, but his expression became even more terrified, if that was even possible. He looked like a deer in the woods, waiting for the time to run. And Rose was the wolf. Well, in a way that was very true, her part, that is.
"I'll leave to my dance now," Reinette told them softly, making a graceful bow and disappearing through the doors. The room was left with a confused pair, looking at each other. One with concerned eyes, another horrified. Rose was so lost by this situation that she didn't even know what to think. Just what did that woman do to him?
She took a step forward, her hand reaching out for him, when he did what could be called as The Doctor shutting off. In a second, he took a step backwards, his mouth closed, eyes unfocused, looking somewhere in the distance, hands thrown in his pockets.
"Doctor," Rose began softly. "You all right?" she asked cautiously.
"Mm?" He turned his head towards her. "Oh. Me? 'Course." He laughed a bit, the smile not reaching his eyes, though. "I'm alway alright."
Rose felt a stab in her heart. That phrase. And he was using it now. Why? Just what in the world happened?
"Do-" Rose tried again, but was cut short.
"Come on. Let's see what mess those two got themselves into," he said in a nonchalant voice and made his way towards the glass window, swinging it open and going back inside the spaceship.
Rose watched him leave, her gaze on his back. She just couldn't understand any of this. What went wrong? What happened so bad to make him fall into such state?
Once back inside the spaceship, the Doctor almost literally flew through corridors. His pace caught light speed in seconds time. Mind you, he was still walking, but no normal walking was that. That was running in a mask of walking. Rose had a hard time catching up to him.
"Doctor? Wait up! Where're you going?!" Her calling him.
But he didn't stop. He just couldn't. His both hearts were hurting, beating at a high speed, more than ever was normal. He had to get away. What Reinette said...He knew that he cared for this pink and yellow human, but to this extent? No, it was not even possible. It was fair enough to think that he wanted her safe and happy, and that she may have been a flicker of light in his life, but to embrace his very soul? It was impossible. Highly utterly impossibly impossible. He couldn't be feeling that. Not so strongly yet, anyway. Yet? Where did that come from? He could never give in to his feelings, so there was no yets there.
"Blimey, you can run," someone muttered.
He did not stop. He just kept going and going, corridor after corridor, until finally they reached their destination. Jack and Mickey.
"What have you got here?" Was the Doctor's first words.
"What have you got here. Rose's completely out of her breath," Jack joked. "Were you so worried about us? Aw, didn't have to. There's always me, you know." He winked to them. Rose just gave him a nervous look, making him puzzled.
"Long legs there, doesn't even bother to wait for others," Mickey muttered, accusingly.
"Used the fire extinguisher, I see." The Doctor eyed the frozen droids.
"That was actually m-me!" Mickey butted in, trying to act tough. "Those tried to kill us! But I saw the fire extinguisher laying there, so I grabbed it and aimed at them-" he exclaimed.
"-And then you were nearly killed by them, as you forgot to press the switch," Jack continued. "So in the end I had to freeze them myself."
"Hmm." The Doctor managed only that, as he was looking at the readings of the monitor. "Time we got the rest of the ship turned off," he announced.
"I could always smash them, you know. I just figured you might need them for something." Jack still tried to get the Doctor's attention.
"Yeh. Right. I might need...them..." the Doctor muttered under his breath, not really paying much attention to anybody in the room.
Jack glanced at Rose, who just shook her head helplessly, then back again at the Doctor. "So." Jack came to stand next to where the Doctor was making himself busy. "Did you learn why they needed them?"
"Yeh," the Doctor breathed, looking at the monitor. "This ship is of age thirty seven. And they think that once Reinette's thirty seven, she will be complete." He uttered the word sarcastically. "So they could take the last part they need," he exhaled.
"Okay..." Jack trailed off. "What about Rose, then?" he asked cautiously.
At that moment, the Doctor froze for a second. Nobody took notice of that, except for Jack, who was watching the Time Lord's every move from the moment both of his friends joined them back in the room. Jack could sense the building stiffness in the Doctor's shoulders, but he didn't have time to comment on that, because soon enough, the man in question spoke.
"She's a spare part," the Doctor exclaimed nonchalantly, making the trio jump a bit. "Something to use until Reinette's ready. She's complete now, they won't need her anymore."
"You sure about that?" Jack asked, feeling a bit suspicious.
"Yep," the Doctor answered blithely. When in fact, he was not sure at all. It was all just guesses. And for once he decided to rely on them as facts. Well, usually he was right anyway. Often was he right. Rarely not right. From time to time right or wrong...either way, it was his only way out of this.
"Why don't you check her...I don't know...mind or something?" Jack shrugged, but as soon as he spotted Rose's horrified face, his expression showed something like an opps.
And then there was the Time Lord. If before he was barely frozen, now his back certainly reached the highest tension level. His heartbeat quickening. He had to take a few deep breaths to answer as normally as he could.
"There's no need," he began. "Already checked Reinette."
Stab.
Those words hurt Rose more than she thought they would. Of course, if they were needed for the same reason, then rechecking may not be necessary, but this was not anyone, this was the Doctor. He surely wouldn't reject an additional amount of information. He would recheck. Even if he knew everything was ready, he could look at it again for amusement. But now - he refused. It was more than that, though. It felt like he flat out refused her mind. Rose could feel hurt and anger makings its way to the surface. She was already starting to take calming breaths.
What was so good about Madame? Why could he look into her mind, but when it came to her, he simply refuses. She though they were becoming closer to each other, but was it all just her imagination?
And before she could think about the consequences she spat. "So you can look inside Madame's de Pompadour mind but not into mine?"
The Doctor gulped. "I told you, they won't come after you anymore," he whispered, still looking at the monitor.
"Or is there a different reason for you to refuse me?" she continued, barely holding her temper.
That done it.
"What do you want me to say!?" he shot back harshly, as he turned to look at her.
They stood there, holding each other's gazes, them full of anger and desperation. Rose wrinkled her forehead, swallowing the upcoming tears, but not breaking the eye contact. There was so much tension going on between them, that Jack and Mickey literally froze to their spots and were forcefully slowing down their breaths, to not make any sound. They were sure, they wouldn't want to get in the middle of what was going on there.
"I thought me and you were..." she half-whispered, her voice wavering. She could hear herself saying those same words after encountering Sarah Jane. Him telling her that he would not abandon her...how happy she felt to not having to say those words this time round. Who knew that history always seemed to repeat itself.
"Well I obviously got it wrong..." She smiled sadly, biting her lip. The Doctor turned his gaze sideways, as he gulped.
"So so wrong..." she whispered, then laughed a bit sadly, making the Doctor turn back. Why did she even bother? She purposely made excuses for him, that he ran after the Madame because he was shaken by the meeting with Sarah Jane, by human's fleeting life, but maybe it was not it at all. Maybe it was because it was Madame de Pompadour all along. Rose just refused to believe the cruel truth. And she came such a long way.
"Rose..." the Doctor began in a low voice. "It's not..." He tried, but cut himself short. He wrinkled his brows, as he was battling with himself.
"What, Doctor?" Rose asked softly, looking him in the eyes. "What did Reinette tell you?"
"Don't bring her in this," he said in a low voice.
"But it's about her, isn't it?" She raised her voice. "Ever since you came back from that room with her, you have been acting all..." She gestured at him, shaking her head. "I don't even know how to name this. What happened with her?"
"Nothing happened." He tried to brush her off, already looking sideways.
"Something did! What was it!?" she persisted, more than was necessary at the moment. And then he snapped.
"She told me that you-" he shot, his intense, watery gaze turned to hers. But he couldn't finish the sentence. How could he even begin to tell her what she saw? It was already scaring him to the bone, to drop such...heavy feelings on her... He could never look into her mind. It would be too much of a temptation. It was scaring him... He was scaring himself... He was afraid of his own feelings.
"Me?" Rose shook her head slightly, looking at him questioningly. "What about me?" she asked softly.
The Doctor just closed his eyes, swallowing the intense emotions away.
"I get it." Her voice made his eyes snap open. "You won't say." Rose smiled sadly, nodding her head and biting her lip.
"Rose..." He tried to approach her, but failed.
"No. I get it." She lowered her gaze and made a step backwards.
"Rose.." He tried again, lifting his hand to her without thinking. What was he even trying to tell her now? What was this sentence supposed to be? He didn't have to dwell for long on this, though.
Another step backwards.
"I need some time alone." Her voice cracked at the end. And then she turned, walking away in the faraway corridor.
.
.
There was a dead silence of sorts. Nobody dared to move.
"Rose? Rose!" Jack tried to call her, finally coming back to life.
"Leave her," the Doctor whispered, pleading.
Jack still looked frantically between the Time Lord and the space, where Rose just disappeared to. Mickey was coming back to life around the same time too, but nobody gave him the chance to say anything.
"What the hell was that?" Jack was quick to ask.
The Doctor didn't answer, he just walked his way to the monitor, looking at it blankly, pressing some unnecessary buttons until Jack interrupted his trance.
"I think it's about time you get going after her," he said in a low and firm voice. "Or should I go?"
The Time Lord could feel frustration going on its way to the surface. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled harshly. Moments later, he was out, dashing in the search of his pink and yellow human.
She walked and walked, corridor after corridor. Now was her turn to run. She was surprised how quickly her emotions changed. She was running not from being hurt, but from anger, and directed at her herself. Why did she not listen? The Doctor was clearly looking at her like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Why did she have to snap at him? Her temper going off in the worst timings.
She sighed and slowed down her pace, soon stopping completely.
They didn't have time for such nonsense. Reaching Canary Wharf didn't exactly mean everything fixing itself. She may as well be trapped inside the parallel universe once more, making it feel like the hope was never there. She closed her eyes, as she cupped her face in her hands. Why was she so stupid to suggest the bet? Really? She had no right to be mad at him, considering that she played the matchmaker for them herself.
She let her hands fall to her sides helplessly.
How much time they had left together? Clearly not enough. It would never be enough, no matter how long they would have. She chuckled sadly, when she realised that she could already count the remaining adventures on her hands.
Time and Relative Dimension in Space.
Time Ship.
Time Lord.
Reset Timeline.
Time.
Everything was about time. Time was everywhere. But they always ran short of it. She could already hear the minutes ticking away, passing by so so quickly.
Tick tock. It going like that. Disappearing in a flash.
Wait.
She felt a cold shiver go down her spine, when her mind realised what was happening.
It was not the ticking sound in her brain. Oh, no. It was not the inside thought. It was going in the surface.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
She gulped at the sound. It was near, so very near, almost as near as... She turned to her right to see her nightmare coming true.
The Doctor was running through the massive space in the spaceship, searching blindly. He was starting to get nervous, when he couldn't find her anywhere.
"Rose!" No answer.
He quickened his pace. It was bad idea to let her go alone. Especially when they were not done with shutting off the ship. He started to blame himself.
"Rose!" He tried again in desperation, but nothing.
He ran further and further, sometimes going back to places he had already been before, in case Rose was on the move. But there was just no trace of her. He started to curse himself once again. There was the monitor, for detecting humans, back at where Jack with Mickey were. Or Jack's manipulator. There were devices all around him for that sort of thing! Sigh. He ran off in such a hurry that he completely forgot about that. Always distracted when it comes to Rose Tyler. He chuckled at the thought. Oh boll, he was really doomed. One way or another.
Just as he was about to go back, he saw it.
It, because it was the view, the view which will haunt him for days, even if he would never tell anyone.
There stood his pink and yellow human, leaning against the wall, with her eyes wide, full of shock and fear. Because just to her right side, stood their enemy. The clockwork droid, pointing his arm threateningly at her.
The Doctor felt his blood drain cold, when he saw the two together. And just when he was reaching out for his sonic, preparing to damage the droid to no way of resurrection, something happened, which nobody predicted would.
The droid tilted its head to the running Time Lord's side, spotting him, making Rose notice him too.
"Doctor!" Rose called out, her horrified expression slowly turning into a relieved smile, the Doctor himself starting to smile nervously.
But it didn't last long.
At the same moment, the Doctor already so so near the pair, an imaginary door, or so The Doctor called it at that moment, because he didn't spot it to be there before, opened. Rose feeling the rush of air coming from just behind her, half-turned to see what was happening, when she felt a harsh push on her, making her unbalance and stumble inside whatever was behind those doors.
"Rose!" the Doctor yelled out for her, as soon as he saw what was happening. He reached his destination in a second, getting ready to press the button, but was too late.
Too late...
The doors shut close in a flash with the droid pressing his teleportation button.
The Doctor literally crashed in the wall. There was nothing else to grab onto. The droid vanished in the air, and Rose... she was nowhere to be seen.
No...
.
No.
.
No. No.
"No no no, this can't be happening." Rose started muttering, but her voice rising from desperation.
Can't.
"You can't do this to me again." She was caressing the wall blindly, searching for something to be there.
"No no. There was a knob...A door." Her voice cracking.
Where is it?
"Let me out...Let me out." She started to slightly bang on the wall.
Nothingness.
"This's not fair. It can't be over yet." Tears were spilling from her eyes now freely. She felt her heart being ripen in two.
"Let me out!" she screamed, while banging harshly on the wall.
Bang.
"TAKE ME BACK!"
On the spaceship side of the wall, the Doctor stood there emotionless, his hands placed on the cold wall. He couldn't fully describe what he was feeling at the moment. But he felt like an old scar was just reopened, and now was eating him alive. He was pretty sure that none of this had ever happened before, but he was feeling an absolute repetitiveness of the events.
There was something wrong here.
No, in fact, there were a lot of wrong things there. For one thing, there was a door there, just seconds ago - now it was just an empty wall. For another, Rose was not definitely on the other side of the wall, trapped in a different world.
He released a frustrated sigh, forehead leaning on the wall.
"No no...this's not it. This's not it." He was muttering like a mantra.
"Not the end. Not like this again," he continued his mantra, fully giving in to his inner soul's feelings, failing to notice what he was muttering himself.
"Doctor? Rose?"
Jack's voice could be heard somewhere in the distance.
"Rose?" Mickey's too.
"Doctor? Doctor!" Now just somewhere on his right side.
What they saw, was an empty shell of a man, leaning on the wall with his back and head, eyes unfocused.
"Doctor!" Jack rushed to his side, looking at him with worried and confused expression.
"Doctor, did you find her? The droids came back to life, we managed to destroy one, but another teleported out."
The Doctor just snorted sarcastically, as he pushed himself from the wall and started walking his way back to where they came from, not saying anything to the two confused men.
Both Mickey and Jack just glanced at each other and rushed to follow the Time Lord.
Back near the monitor, the Doctor was rushing about, pressing various buttons, searching for the way through. But everything gave the same results.
"Okay. This's not funny anymore. Why's Rose not with you?" Jack continued to interrogate the Doctor. "Didn't you find her?"
Is finding and losing in the same moment even considered finding?
"I saw her." The Doctor finally spoke, in his hollow voice.
"Okay. That's good-" Jack said in a half-casual voice.
"And I lost her," the Doctor finished.
"What do you mean you lost her!?" Mickey butted in, his temper going off.
The Doctor just sighed, stopping to fiddle with the buttons. "The droid opened the portal and took her to another side. They didn't have enough power, so it was only one way portal," he explained in a low, tired voice.
He just wanted it to finally stop. The loss to finally leave him. Couldn't the monitor for once, show the results he wanted?
"So she's back in Reinette's world..." Jack breathed, his worry for their friend rising.
Mickey tried to digest everything, when he finally spoke.
"Can't we just take her back? With the TARDIS?" Mickey suggested.
"We can't. We're already part of the events," the Doctor half-snapped at him.
Jack fell silent, the Doctor too, but Mickey suddenly felt like a rush of information went to his head - and it clicked him.
"Wait. You always said that those portals were all around that Madame's life, in different periods of time. Doesn't that mean even if we reach Rose, it would be years later?" he asked, finally showing some of his brain abilities, just choosing a very wrong timing.
The Doctor gulped at the words. "Yes," he whispered.
"Are you kidding me!?" Mickey shot at him. "We can't just leave Rose there like that, for God knows how many years."
"Five," Jack answered him.
"What?" Mickey asked.
"I checked the readings on the monitor," Jack began. "It had the whole spaceship divided in time portals of Reinette's life. If Rose disappeared in that spot, it would be when Reinette's thirty two. And the only portal left to open is when she finally reaches completion." He spoke the last words in a whisper.
The Doctor just closed his eyes at that, and started to search for the way to open the portal. He couldn't let himself dwell on the thoughts. They were already eating him enough as it was. He had to find the way to get through. Mickey looked completely horrified at the revelation.
"What, so you just leave her there for whole five years? Live your life like you want?" Mickey spat sarcastically.
"It's better than forever!" the Doctor shot back, his eyes full of pain and rage. He was angry. So angry at the world, at the clockwork droids, at this spaceship, at Mickey for his stupid remarks, Jack - not sure why yet, but he could surely find something, if he wanted. But mostly of all - at himself. It was his fault.
If only he didn't let her wander off alone that time.
Everything went silent in the room. There was no comrade, gangmate, teammate, friend or even the Doctor there. Only the Oncoming Storm, filled with rage and determination, most of it directed right at him himself, making him more fearsome than ever.
Rose was sitting on the floor, near the wall, which just trapped her from the Doctor once again.
Those bloody walls.
How far away was she from Reinette's thirty seventh? A year, two, five? Where was she? It felt dark in there.
"Heh." She laughed sarcastically at that. They just keep trying to split them up, and no matter how hard she fights against it, they succeed, once in a while.
No.
But that's wrong.
They haven't succeeded. Not even once. Rose suddenly turned to face the wall, watching it sceptically.
"You haven't succeeded..." she whispered, caressing it, her mouth twitching into a smile.
"Because I came back!" She was smiling widely now. "I came back to him!"
However impossibly that was, she did come back. And she would do it again, any day. And it required another heartbreaking separation for her to remember that. Just why was she here in the first place. How could she had ever doubted him? Them?
They will find the way back to each other. If not her first, he will find her.
He will come back for her.
And with that, she briskly stood up, taking in her surroundings. Well, first of all, she could identify that she was in some sort of cellar. It was briefly lit up, enough to see the objects and your steps, but not the details. Soon enough, she made her way to the door, and fortunately it was left unlocked.
Once outside the cellar, she found herself in the brightly lit hallway. The one who looked fairly familiar to her. She was still in Versailles!
That was good.
She smiled at that discovery. Now was time to find her companions on this hard journey. Always go for the best - the King and aristocrat woman.
She was grinning the whole time, while running through corridors.
"Your words mean nothing. You are nothing." She heard an angry woman's voice, somewhere in the distance, followed by screams of a crowd.
"Reinette!" Rose exclaimed, as she ran towards the source of the voice.
Soon enough, she was nearly swept away by the running people in their carnival wears, screaming and running for their dear lives.
She managed to hide in between the crowd unnoticed, as everyone were too much scared and all attention was drawn to the clockwork droids.
Everyone were screaming, backing away in the corners, when those creepy monsters threatened them with their blades. There seemed to be no end of the cries, when one person decided to take control of the situation.
"Can everyone just calm down?" the woman commanded, breaking the screams.
"Please. Such a commotion. Such distressing noise." She spoke, glancing at everyone. "Kindly remember that this is Versailles. This is the Royal Court. And we are French," she announced, as seemingly everyone had forgotten that for the moment.
Rose smiled, watching the woman. She really gave her less credit than she was worth. Such panic, such distress, her own head was at hand, but she chose to step in. And it seemed she managed to calm everyone down.
Well, Rose managed to speak for her planet on Sycorax invasion too, but she had practise before. This woman did not.
She was a charming woman. Everyone saw that. It shouldn't be such a surprise to fancy her. Rose was starting to feel close to this woman. She was even forgetting why was she annoyed with her in the first place? It was not her fault, really. If it's anyone's, then it's theirs - the Doctor's and hers, that they don't manage to communicate well. The Doctor being all closed off. Well, it was true that his sudden change in attitude frustrated her to the core, but there was always an explanation for that.
"She told me that you-"
"Imagine that happen to someone you-"
"And I suppose if it's one last chance to say it. Rose Tyler-"
Rose frowned at her memories. He seemed to make a habit of his unfinished sentences. Will she ever hear him say it?
Rose was once again too immersed in her own thoughts, that she missed half of the show. So she failed to notice that the droids spotted her and now were standing face to face with her.
Rose just laughed nervously at them. "Sorry, I don't feel like saying hello to you. Not after you forcefully dragged me here." She spoke in an accusing voice, but was left completely ignored. She found herself being dragged to the centre of the ballroom, knelt down on the floor, with Reinette right by her side.
The Doctor was working in full speed. Pressing every last button he saw - determined to open that bloody portal. And just when the last hope was starting to fade away, suddenly a wide glass window, just right under their noses, lit up, showing the wide ballroom with a terrified crowd.
"There it is!" the Doctor exclaimed, but not in a blissful voice.
"Hey, what's that?" Mickey asked.
"What's where?" the Doctor retorted.
"That. In the middle. Surrounded by the those things."
"They're called people, Mickey," the Doctor muttered under his breath, as he was once again plugging some cables in, not watching the screen.
"Wait a moment." Jack was now the one interested. "Is it what I see?"
"So am not the only one who sees it," Mickey complained.
"Sees what!?" the Doctor snapped.
"That!" Jack pointed at the screen.
And then the Doctor finally saw what they were on about. Right in the middle of the crowd, knelt two figures. One aristocrat woman, another his pink and yellow girl.
"Rose," he breathed at the screen, as he released a relief filled breath. "But..." His eyes were looking her up and down. "But that's..." A smile spreading on his face.
"Oh. Oh, that's-" He was pointing at the screen, while walking backwards. "That's brilliant!" he exclaimed with energy, making the other two jump.
"Rose is ready to get her head chopped up, and he says it's brilliant?" Mickey started.
"Oh yeh, it is, Mickey dipery boy." The Doctor watched the screen in awe. "Because you don't see what I see!" he exclaimed, grinning at them now. "Her clothes remind you of something?" he sang, a silly smile on his face.
"Well, it's her clothes, I suppose..." Mickey trailed off.
"OH!" Jack finally noticing. "Is it...?" He looked questioningly at the Doctor.
"Oh yeh," he breathed, beaming at Jack.
"But I thought you said she was five years behind?" Mickey asked, not understanding.
"Oh, Mickey Mickery Mick." The Doctor laughed a bit, a smile tugging on his lips. "It was not readings."
"What?"
"It was not readings on the monitor. It was notes. Notes! A future plan!" he exclaimed, walking backwards towards the monitor. "It was notes left by the crew, when it was still alive, before they were used for the ship. It's years old!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm, gesturing with his hands. Then he gazed at Jack, who was working everything out in his own head and Mickey to find him completely lost.
"Don't you see?" He looked at them expectedly. "Those notes are as old as this ship has been left abandoned. They were not updated. What was right back then, is not right, now."
"And since we've destroyed a substantial amount of droids, which were needed for the original plan-" Jack calculated.
"They used the last energy bit to bring Rose to their final stage-" the Doctor sang, beaming at both of his friends.
"So we can get Rosie back, not even letting her miss a day!" Jack finally announced, as both the Doctor and him hugged each other in utter joy. "Ha!"
Mickey just eyed the pair suspiciously. "Wait. So what happened again?"
Both Jack and the Doctor just laughed at hearing him say that, and shook their heads.
"So, Doc. Do they need Rosie so they can open the portal back to this side?" he guessed.
"Could be." The Doctor shrugged nonchalantly. "But they're not getting that." He pointed a finger at Jack, making his point clear. "We're getting her out of there." He grinned.
"Hey." Rose's voice from the screen.
They saw her beaming at Reinette.
"Is this really the time for greetings? Mickey complained, watching the scene.
"Never miss your chance to say hello." Jack patted him on the shoulders with a wink. Mickey just rolled his eyes.
"You're complete." The metallic voice reached their ears, as it was directed to Reinette.
"You will help us open the portal." Another directed at Rose.
"Dream on," Rose mocked him, laughing even. It pointed its blade right by her neck.
"Oh boll," Mickey breathed. "So what's the plan?" he asked urgently.
"How's your vortex manipulator?" the Doctor asked Jack, fiddling with the cables some more. "Come on." He was muttering in desperation.
"Not working." Jack cursed silently. "Can't pass through. Must have blocked the signal. Damn."
"Your useless piece of trash," the Doctor sighed.
"What now then!?" Mickey yelled.
"I don't know!" the Doctor shouted back at him harshly. "We need a tru-" he began, then stopped. Somewhere in the back on his mind he managed to see the fireplace as an option. He smiled in contentment at that thought.
"But of course!" he exclaimed in utter delight. "The fire-" he was cut short by a sudden voice coming from the screen.
"Lucky Guardian!" The King's surprised voice echoed from somewhere inside the crowd.
"The King of France!" Rose's voice.
The Doctor' turned his head towards the screen.
"Lucky Guardian?" Jack asked, interested. "Now that's a story I would like to hear," he joked.
"Who does he think he is. The King of France. Who cares about him?" Mickey argued with the screen.
"Maybe not the fireplace..." the Doctor muttered, as he began walking to the side of the room.
And before Jack or Mickey could react, a whinnying sound reached their ears. They sprang around just in time to see the Doctor mounting Arthur and jumping right at the window.
"You think I fear you." Reinette was talking bravely to the droids. "But I do not fear you, even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood," she spat. "The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured-" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "So will yours."
The sound of a horse whinnying could be heard somewhere in the distance. Reinette, the droids, and the guests, all started to look around for the source of the sound. Only Rose was watching the glass of a large mirror expectedly to see the familiar face. And she didn't have to wait long. Before long, the sound gone louder, followed by galloping hooves. After a few moments, the horse leapt through the glass of a large mirror on the wall, the Doctor on his back.
The guests started to shriek and Reinette's mouth literally dropped open. Rose was shaking her head in disbelief, smiling. The scene was nothing like in her dreams. The Doctor winked, as he trotted past her, making Rose grin at him. With a few circles around on the horse, it came to a halt and the Doctor dropped down.
"Hello." The Doctor grinned, momentary locking his gaze to Rose.
"Hi." She grinned back at him, making him giggle a bit. Then he turned his gaze sideways, to look at Reinette.
"Madame de Pompadour," he exhaled. "You look younger every day." He smiled at her.
"What the hell is going on?" The King was looking at Reinette and Rose questioningly, as he saw one grinning all happily, another smiling.
"Oh, this's the King of France." Rose gestured to the man. "As you have already known." In a lower voice, looking at the Doctor.
"Yeah?" The Doctor glanced him over distastefully. "Well, I'm the Lord of Time," he announced, as he approached the chief droid. "And I'm here to fix the clock."
He removed the mask of the droid, revealling the clockwork underneath, which elicited a gasp from the crowd. The droid pointed it's weapon at the Doctor at once.
"Forget it." The Doctor just tiled his head casually. "It's over." He glanced at the broken window, making the droid follow his gaze.
Back at the spaceship, Mickey and Jack were staring at the shards of glass and the interior of the spaceship, where the time window into the ballroom used to be.
"What happened?" Mickey asked, confused. "Where did the time window go? How are they gonna get back?" He was starting to get nervous.
"Hmm..." Jack hummed. "Good question, Mickey." He patted his shoulder. "Good one." Nodding blithely at the window.
"What're you playing at, patting me like some sort of dog. I'm not a tin dog!" Mickey complained.
"A tin dog?" Jack looked at him puzzled.
"Nevermind." Mickey lowered his glance, muttering. "But what did he do that for? Going all out on the horse like a prince charming in his shiny armor."
"I pretty much get the part why on the horse," Jack joked. "But why crash the window... Either way." In a more casual voice. "They will come back."
"How can you be so sure?" Mickey grimaced at him.
"He wouldn't have done that otherwise." Jack tried to convince him, even if he was not so sure himself. "They always come back. Come on, let's get something to drink back at the TARDIS." He nudged him to walk away from the window.
Mickey walked back inside first, Jack just behind him, and with one last look at the faraway window, he spoke in a whisper.
"If not, at least they have each other."
As he closed the TARDIS doors.
"The link with the ship is broken. No way back. You don't have the parts." The Doctor looked at the chief droid meaningfully. "How many ticks left in that clockwork heart?" He leaned back, looking at it in a mocking manner. "A day? An hour?" he suggested, whispering.
"It's over." Now in a strong voice. "Accept that. I'm not winding you up."
And finally, the clockwork wind down and the droid went dead. The other droids followed suit and slumpped forwards, seconds later. One of them fell backwards, causing the clockwork to smash over the floor. The guests whispering amongst one another.
Finally happy to have the work done, the Doctor held out his both hands for the two girls.
"You both all right?" he asked them casually, smiling even.
"Yeh," Rose breathed.
Reinette just nodded, taking his hand, still too much shocked.
As he pulled both of them to their feet, Reinette asked.
"What's happened to them?" Looking at the destruction-filled scene warily.
"Weeell," the Doctor began nonchalantly, tugging on his ear. "They've stopped. Lost their purpose. Gave up. Kaput." He shrugged.
Reinette stood there, glancing from one droid to another, not yet believing it was finally all over. The Doctor just smiled, watching her, when his gaze fell upon another human being. Someone he thought he lost just a while ago.
He titled his head, as he looked inside her eyes, filled with wonder and insecurity. He just watched her, a warm smile on his face, provoking one from her too.
And then, not taking account of any destruction, the crowd or even the world, he just marched his way towards her, catching her in one tight hug, embracing her with everything he had got.
Rose gasped at the gesture at first, as it was a sudden movement of his, but it didn't take her long to bury her head in his shoulder and wrap her arms around his waist, holding him for her dear life.
They stood there it seemed ages, neither letting go. Rose was actually sure he would soon let her go, but he didn't make any reference to that. He just held her close to him, breathing her scent, her life being near him, and caressing her hair with his hand.
The double heartbeat, which was beating crazily at the start of the touch, was slowly steadying itself to its normal rhythm. His breathing was starting to even too.
He poured all his worrying, despair and lost in that single gesture, savouring it as peace greeted him.
A sudden graceful dance music shook the pair to come back of their own little world. They slowly broke from their tight embrace, although, still staying at arms length. They let their gazes travel around the room, just to make both of them blink, not believing what they were seeing.
What looked like a ruined room just moments ago, was now shining at its highest colours, crowds of people talking about there and there, some of them even dancing. The floor, as they noted, was free of any remains of the droids.
Except...
the area where both of them stood. They had a piece of droid just between their feet.
Both of them snorted at the sight, but still trying to stifle it.. As they looked at each other, all serious and all, they couldn't suppress it anymore.
They started sniggering and laughing about hysterically. Rose slapped his arm playfully, as she tried to mouth him "stop it", but failed miserably and the laughing just increased.
After a great while of laughs and happy yells, the Doctor just shook his head, smiling, and rubbing his eye, Rose clenching her stomach. It was already hurting from too much exercise.
"Huf," she exhaled, trying to settle her laughs. "It only can happen with you," she told him with a playful accusation in her voice.
"I'm honoured." He beamed at her, grinning all silly.
"Oh, shut it." She cupped her face in her hands, laughing. She brushed her palms from her face, moments later, biting her lip to calm down, while looking sideways.
"Lucky Guardian!" A voice from the crowd.
"Here comes uninvited trouble," the Doctor muttered, trying to look all nonchalant.
"Rude," Rose whispered to him, leaning to his side, but watching ahead of her, as the King approached them.
"Good to see you finally..." The man glanced at the Doctor for a moment, who just looked at him expectedly. "Accessible," he ended, beaming at Rose.
It made Rose flush at once. The alien himself cleared his throat and just pretended to look somewhere else, anywhere but at Rose.
The King didn't comment on that. He just continued with what he started. "I've waited twelve years for this dance. It would be my honour if you would please...?" He gestured to her, as he bowed to her, extending his hand.
Rose blinked and gulped at the sight, smiling at the man a bit nervously. "I would be honoured myself, but..."
"But?" The King looked sadly at her. The Doctor was already expecting her to refuse him.
"But I think my clothing would not be appropriate for that." She gestured to herself.
"Oh. I came to terms with that long time ago," the King assured her.
"Yeh...but..." Rose still felt uncomfortable around all those bouncing dresses.
"I think I could help with that." A woman's voice caught their ears.
"Reinette!" the Doctor exclaimed, as she came into view. She just bowed to them gracefully and grinned.
"Come with me, I'll show you." She gestured to Rose to follow.
Rose glanced at the Doctor for a moment and after he pointed with his head towards Reinette, she gave him a smile and disappeared with her in the long corridors.
While waiting for Rose, the Doctor and the King were having a little chat. The Doctor deliberately tried to brush the man off, how to say in the softer way, but he was one of a kind. He didn't want to budge. Of course, our Time Lord didn't even try to hide his upper knowledge and influence on the world as he talked with him, but nothing seemed to work on him. And frankly speaking it was starting to get on his nerves.
And just when he was at the break of snapping, he saw her. If in 1869 he thought she looked beautiful, then this time she was...there was not even a word to describe her.
Besides the shape of the dress which fit her so well, and made her not only blend in with the locals but even gain an air of difference, making her radiate light. It was also the colours. The TARDIS blue which shone so beautifully on her that at that moment he thought nobody else could go so well with his magnificent ship as her.
It was like she was made for him, to be part of The TARDIS, to be part of his life.
He was so stunned by the sight, that only after a few warnings did he hear what was being said to him.
"The wine!" someone told him.
"W-What?" He turned his head to look at the man.
"The wine." He gestured to his side.
"What wi-" the Doctor began. He stopped short, when he saw half of the liquid from his glass poured on the floor, as his hold on it was loosened. "Oh." He gulped and stilled the glass, making a step forwards, to leave the redness on the floor behind him, acting like it never was.
The King would have commented something, but he had to agree. If he was the one holding the glass, it would certainly had met the same fate or even worse - shards of the glass.
And that's where he made his mistake. Too much lost in the thoughts, he didn't notice when a glass of wine was given to him and a man, who just stood there, next to him seconds ago, was already halfway in the room, marching towards his goal.
Rose was still having a small talk with Reinette, so she didn't notice when or how the Doctor came to stand before her. The first thing she saw was an extended hand towards her. She was already expecting it to be the King's, but as she looked it over in those few seconds, she felt like it was way too familiar.
When she looked up, her mouth formed into a huge grin, as she saw the face of her Lord.
"Dame Rose," he asked her, smiling himself.
"Sir Doctor." She bowed slightly, placing her hand into his.
"Fancy a dance?" He grinned at her.
"You've got the moves?" she teased him, grinning herself.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to boast," he answered her nonchalantly, both of them chuckling seconds later, as he led the way towards the centre of the ballroom.
After a while of just dancing and laughing they started a small conversation of their own, thus making their moves a bit sloppy, missing a move there or there, or going in one place together, when it was supposed to be only the women or the men, but overall they put up with the speed.
Rose was enjoying herself to the core, when puzzled thoughts came rushing at her. He was taking this awfully well. Wasn't he supposed to worry about not being able to get back to the spaceship, to the TARDIS?
"What is it?" he asked her casually, looking at her.
"Mm? What?" She was a bit startled, too much thinking again.
"You seem like you want to ask me something."
"Well, actually, yeh." She wrinkled her forehead a bit, but still with a smile on her face. The Doctor just moved his eyebrows at her, encouraging.
"You seem not distressed at all." She finally spoke.
"Distressed? Why would I be? Party in Versailles, Paris, France!" He beamed at her.
"Okay, you." She laughed at him. "But I mean..." She looked a bit cautiously at him, making him stop, or both of them stop in the middle of somewhere of the dance. The others, already used to their sudden moves, just made a circle around them.
"What?" the Doctor asked her, looking at her.
"We're trapped here... without the TARDIS," she whispered. She expected to see a realisation come to his face, but found none of that.
"Oh, we're not trapped, Rose." He beamed at her. "Did I forget to tell you?"
"What?" She shook her head, narrowing her eyes.
"We got a way back." He nodded at her.
"But the droids..." Rose frowned. "You told them it's over."
"Well, for them, that surely was," he exclaimed half-laughing. When finding Rose's puzzled look pointed at him, he continued. "I might have had to..." He trailed off. "Wind them up a little tiny bit on that," he ended with still slightly parted mouth.
Rose just exhaled a breath at that.
"Tell me when you wanna go, we will." He leaned to whisper to her ear, grinning afterwards.
"You're impossible. You are." She hit his chest playfully.
"Same as you," he said in a low voice.
After a great while of a few rounds of dancing, they finally stood there, right besides the fireplace.
"You knew about it." Rose spoke in disbelief. "How?"
"Well, that is a question." He tugged on his ear. "I'm not sure myself. Just before coming here, I had like a vision, of some sort, that I could use the fireplace." He placed a hand on it casually. "Nice mantel. After so many years, still as good as new," he cried in adoration. "Who would ever have the heart to discard such a fine piece of work," he continued. Rose just smiled, watching him. "More than fine! Brilliant!" he exclaimed, grinning at the sight.
"Are you going?" A voice from the doorway shook them to turn around.
There stood Reinette accompanied by the King.
"It's time," the Doctor said in a low voice, hands in his pockets.
Reinette just smiled sadly at them. "My guess is I won't see the two of you anymore? It sounds like a goodbye."
The Doctor just gave her a small, apologizing smile. Rose went towards the King, as she bowed to him. "It was a pleasure to meet you." She smiled at him.
"Oh no, it was my pleasure. If not for you, who knows where would I be now." He just smiled at her warmly.
"And I have to thank you both. Doctor," Reinette began, as the alien came to stand beside Rose. "And...Rose, I suppose I should call you, instead of the right hand." The group chuckled at that.
"I'll miss you, Doctor." Reinette smiled at him warmly.
"So will I," the Doctor replied with a smile, but not a pained one.
"Alright then." He clasped his hands, back to his cheerful mood. "Off we go. Rose. And...wish us luck." He beamed at them, taking Rose's hand and walking towards the fireplace.
After a few moments, the Doctor found the required switch. "Aha!" he exclaimed, all happy. "Rose, we found the way home," he sang in utter joy, smiling all silly. Rose grinning at him with her tongue.
"Twelve years..." the King muttered.
"What?" Rose titled her head to his side.
But he just shook his head, smiling. "Farewell." Aand with that, the the pair rotated back to their world.
Back on the spaceship, they noticed two things.
"Where's Mickey and Jack?" Rose asked, confused.
Nobody was waiting for them.
"Tell you what," the Doctor said, all serious.
"Mm?" Rose looked at him.
"We've met King Louis IV and Madame de Pompadour!" he sang.
"I know," Rose sang too, tugging on his arm, and leaning her head to it. The Doctor leaning to her side himself, as they marched their way to the TARDIS.
After a few leaps, they finally reached their destination and swung the doors open, entering in all grand way.
"We're back!" both of them announced in the console room, laughter following.
Doors slammed shut.
"Why do I get the feeling we forgot something?" Rose's voice from inside could still be heard.
"Really? Hmm, I get that feeling too," the Doctor added.
Pause.
"THE FIRST DANCE!"
to be continued...
Okay, tell me what you think of it. Really would like to know, if you understand where I'm going with all of this and why I'm doing it like that.