The clock was broken on the mantel.

I carefully made my way to the window. Out past the satin and lace curtain I could see the snowy skyline of 18th century Paris.

A horse sleigh's bells chimed through the night.

A small gasp came from behind me.

I stepped back making sure the moonlight fell upon my features so the little girl could recognize me.

She sat up in her bed, "It's you, mademoiselle!"

"Indeed. I'm sorry I've arrived here quite late at night but I'm afraid there's something else here that shouldn't be. I'd like to look under your bed, can I?"

Reinette began to shake but she nodded bravely.

I stepped forward and knelt at the far end of the bed.

I looked beneath and held back a squeak as I saw a Venetian mask peering from below.

"Reveal yourself," I commanded.

A hand shot out to grab me but I slid back.

"What is it?" Reinette looked at me as I looked over her shoulder.

"It's a clockwork machine. That's why it broke your clock for camouflage."

Reinette peeked, shrinking back in her bed with a gasp as she looked at the clockwork drone in Venetian mask, a rococo wig and 18th century suit.

"Why are you here?" She asked the masked clockwork.

"They have been scanning you."

"Why do they want me?"

The mask tilted down toward Reinette,

"You are like us…you are incomplete."

I stared at the robot, "Leave as you have no objective here."

It turned away from Reinette and stalked closer to me.

"Mademoiselle!"

I ducked as the drone's arm unsheathed a blade and swung toward me.

"I'll distract them." I kept backing up until my back was to the fireplace. I waited for the clockwork to raise its hand and slam down before I moved out of the way, its blade getting stuck in the mantle of the fireplace.

"When will you be back, mademoiselle?"

"When you are older I'll check in on you. My friend might be with me, is that alright?"

She nodded.

"Till next time, Reinette."

I flipped the fireplace switch and it moved around.

"Rose!" The Doctor surged forward but I pointed at the wall behind him.

"The fire retardant gun!"

The Doctor ran to the gun-like extinguisher and stopped the drone by spraying the retardant on it.

"Where did that come from?" Mickey asked.

"Here. It and others like it are what has been repairing the ship. When they ran out of normal parts, they used the crew."

"Used the crew?" Mickey wrinkled his nose.

"And Reinette?" The Doctor looked back at me brow furrowed.

I felt wistful for a moment, for an older face with big ears and a goofy grin.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, "When she's older she'll gain the title Madame De Pompadour. They are scanning her brain, they are trying to find her right age and then…"

I let out a sigh thinking of the darling child.

"Then?" Mickey inquired.

"They'll take her head for her brain."

Mickey's eyes widened, "That really happened?"

The Doctor shook his head, "We must stop them."

The Doctor turned his attention to the drone as he took off its wig and mask to expose the clockwork beneath.

"Oh aren't you beautiful. Space age clockwork at its finest."

The clockwork started moving and was quick to teleport itself away. I stepped toward Sexy, "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere without me."

I raced through the TARDIS to the dressing room. Sexy already had set aside the roccoco garments for me. Surprisingly no red instead a light pink robe, light blue ribbons on the bodice with pink and blue blossoms on the skirt.

"Oh I love you."

When I came out, I saw Mickey holding the Doctor.

"He wanted to go without you."

"Naughty Doctor, whatever will I do with you."

I let out a small giggle behind my fan as I saw the Doctor's cheeks grow pink.

"So now what?" Mickey looked from the Doctor to me.

"We go and save her."

I looked at Mickey, "Please don't go wandering off."

Mickey grabbed the other fire extinguisher, "Got it."

I sighed, he was going to go wandering off.

I kneeled before the fireplace, "Reinette?"

I waited a moment. It wasn't long before later teen Reinette knelt before the fireplace.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Rose!"

I smiled. "Bonjour Reinette."

"Are you coming for a visit? We are going to view the king's hunt today."

"I see. Perhaps it would be best for us to come another day then."

"I have told my family about you." She laughed as she saw me wrinkle my eyebrows, "Not that you come from my fireplace but that you are a dear friend. They've been expecting you to visit for some time."

"Shall we?" The Doctor held out his arm and I looked up at him and placed a hand on his arm.

I looked back at Reinette, "We'll be coming through but do not wait for us."

I stood and brushed my skirts.

The Doctor was gazing at me, a slightly dazed expression on his face.

"You are beautiful Mademoiselle Rose."

I felt my cheeks warm and I nearly turned away but he turned my chin back to him.

I smiled, "Thank you, monsieur."

We stepped up to the fireplace, and I gave Mickey one last glance.

Mickey sighed exasperatingly, "I'll be careful."

I nodded.

The Doctor pressed the tab on the fireplace and both of us were transported into an ornate empty room.

As the Doctor moved around, I stood still by the fireplace not wishing to disturb anything I shouldn't.

I looked out the window at the sparkling city.

"You are here." The voice was genteel and elegant.

I turned my head.

Light brown hair, nearly golden, piled upon her head in elegant curls. A lace choker upon her swan-like neck and embossed fabric robe de francais made the woman look regal.

I bowed my head apologetically, "I'm sorry I missed the hunt."

"Time flows differently for you." Reinett walked, nearly floating to my side. "I see you dressed for the occasion."

She glanced toward the Doctor, "He may come if he wishes."

"Where are we going?" The Doctor walked to my side.

"My wedding."

My eyes widened remembering how Madame de Pompadour had been married before she became the king's mistress. Madame Etoiles would become a popular lady in the salons in Versailles and Paris.

"I'm afraid we can't stay, we were just checking in." The Doctor spoke up.

"I see." Reinette's head tilted toward me, "Will you perhaps stay on one of these trips?"

"I will see what I can do."

Reinette took my hands and squeezed them, "Until then dear friend."

We came out of the fireplace to see that Mickey was gone along with the fire extinguisher.

"Why do they always wander off?"

"Human nature perhaps." I looked down the ship's corridor.

We walked down the corridors to find a horse looking strange in the hallway of metal.

The Doctor was distracted with the horse when I heard muffled sobs coming from one of the many off-shooting corridors.

I wandered toward it to find an ornate portal door.

I approached slowly.

I cracked it open to find a childs bedroom done in ivories and soft pink.

Upon the child's bed, head upon her arms sobbing was Reinette.

My gut dropped and I looked around the child's room.

I turned away unsure how to comfort the grieving mother.

"...this is my punishment."

At her words I knelt on the other side of the bed.

"I once thought that a long time ago." I whispered.

Eyes rimmed in red looked over at me widening.

"I thought I must have done something wrong and that's why I kept losing them. But it wasn't my punishment and this isn't yours Reinette."

"I have been so selfish."

I offered my hand, "That isn't why this happened. Unfortunate circumstances befall everyone, even if its not apparent at first. Everyone loses someone at least once in their lives and they are not to blame for it."

Reinette sat back and I saw a small porcelain doll in her lap. She ran her fingers through its tresses, a choked sob coming from her.

I carefully made my way around the bed, watching for any sign she didn't wish for my company before moving my skirts so I could sit on the ground by the bed.

"All we can do is try to live to the next day and if there are happy memories hold them dear in our hearts."

I felt a tear fall down my own cheek, and I brushed it away. Now wasn't the time.

The sorrow I'd kept hidden in a Mind Palace door deep in the recesses of my mind was open and flooding me with emotions I'd purposely forgotten.

I looked around at the child's toys untouched since last they were played with. They had me remembering a nursery a life ago that grew dusty.

A head fell upon my shoulder, "Will you stay with me?"

"I can for a little while."

A while became a couple of days.

I couldn't seem to leave Reinette. I helped her stay nourished with the meals her staff brought, while we curled up side by side on the small bed sharing past experiences. She came to know a side of me I had never told anyone else.

When I got back on the ship, I discovered time truly passed differently between the two places.

The Doctor found me asking where I'd been for the last couple hours, when I'd stayed by Reinette's side for at least two days.

The horse still followed.

"Arthur won't stop following me." The Doctor came up and looked me in the eyes, "Have you been crying?" His hand came up to wipe my wet cheeks. I had cried often alongside Reinette the last couple of days, it was hard to part when I did.

I turned away and looked at the horse, "Maybe Arthur believes we'll lead him home."

I got a neigh of agreement from the horse.

The Doctor looked at me, his gaze telling me he wouldn't let the subject go.

"I…Reinette had gone through some troubling events that reminded me of something that happened long ago."

"Can I help?" The Doctor stepped closer.

"It was long ago, its more of an echoing pain now."

My lips trembled and I looked away.

I pushed the memories behind their Mind Palace door again, this time not as tightly shut as before.

We walked down another hall to see a pair of double doors.

"Perhaps this is where you come from, Arthur."

We walked through to see a grand park with several couples passing on their walk.

A soft undertone of voices passed by and Reinette looked my way. The Doctor ducked out of sight but I stood still and gave a small wave.

She smiled and nodded my way.

I could see that it was a private conversation so I stayed at a distance behind a hedge not wishing to interrupt.

I tugged on the Doctor's sleeve, "Come let's go see another window."

We went back the way we came, Arthur following after us.

We turned a ship's corner and found Mickey looking through the window.

"What have you been up to?" He looked at the both of us.

"Became a dear friend to a future French aristocrat and a horse seems to have adopted us."

"I'm not sharing my room with a horse."

I let out a laugh, "Mickey there's thousands of rooms in the TARDIS there's no chance at all that would ever happen."

"Ok then you can keep her."

"Him"

"Whatever."

I giggled. I caught the Doctor's relieved look at seeing me smile.

"Anyway these gateways are all over the place, out of order too."

The Doctor nodded, "Always her."

I looked into the ornate room behind the window, my gaze straying further into the room.

"The clock's broken!"

I watched as a clockwork droid joined Reinette in the ornate room.

I swung open the window with the Doctor and Mickey charging after me.

Both sprayed the fire retardant on either side of the drone, its clockwork quickly repairing its systems and moving toward Reinette.

"Why are you here?" Reinette commanded the clockwork but it gave no response. She turned toward me, "You know don't you? You've always known."

"It wants your mind, but they haven't found the right date yet."

"You are here to stop them?"

"Yes." The Doctor spoke up.

But Reinette came up to me, "If I didn't need saving would you have never met me?"

"I'm not sure I would have been brought to you, if you hadn't."

"With your time vessel?"

The Doctor turned toward me, "You told her."

I sighed knowing how he was about saying less rather than more, "I couldn't lie to her. Reinette has always been far too clever for round-a-bout answers."

The clockwork spoke up, "She is incomplete."

Reinette strode to it, pointing the way we came.

"Leave this moment!"

The droid teleported away.

"Mickey, follow it." The Doctor gestured toward the window.

I looked at my brother, "Be careful."

As I watched the Doctor approach Reinette with a determined curious look, I stepped in front of her. My hands curling up tightly at my sides, I didn't like the intense gaze he had.

"You do not need to look into her mind, Doctor."

"I have to know why she is incomplete."

"It's the age of the ship, they are waiting until she's the same age."

"Oh the parallel." The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair.

Reinette barely even acknowledged the Doctor, her gaze searching out mine.

"I must get back to the masque. Will you join me, Rose? Your support would mean the world to me."

I looked back behind where Mickey went, "The one who left is like a brother to me. I'm worried he's going to get in trouble if I'm gone for long."

"Yes, little brothers can be quite mischievous." Reinette looked into my eyes with an almost pleading expression, "One dance with your Doctor and then you can go again."

The Doctor looked in the same direction I did, "Mickey will be fine for a bit. He's much stronger than you realise Rose."

I nodded and accepted the Doctor's offered arm.

As we came into the crowded halls of the masque, we joined the crowds in the centre of the ballroom. A minuet's string melody started up.

"What do you say my Doctor? Shall we dance?"

He bowed, "It would be my pleasure, my lady."

I caught Reinette's smile as the Doctor led me into the dance.

I giggled as the Doctor raised his hand at each side as he turned before swirling me around the room. As we weaved through the other dancers I caught Reinette's wink and returned it with one of my own.

Perhaps we could do one more dance.