Parallel: From Another World [1] (The Parallel Series) ✓

The Girl in the Fireplace

"Erm." She scratched the side of her head. "I'll stay here with Rose and Mickey."

"Is someone scared" he mocked her grinning.

"What?! No!" She shouted and narrowed her eyes in protest.

"Well come on then" He stood next to the fireplace waiting.

"No Doctor I'm going to stay- here!" she shouted the last word in a high-pitched shriek due to the Doctor pulling her onto the fireplace then flicking the switch to spin the fireplace.

"I hate you sometimes" Rita muttered stepping away from the fireplace once it stopped. "Why did you make me come with you?" She groaned.

"You can help me figure out why they want Reinette, foreknowledge and all."

"Fine" she groaned. The Doctor called out the girls name and played a string on the harp. After the sound of the harp stopped there was a slight cough in the room like someone was clearing their throat.

"Oh. Hello." The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Er, I was just looking for Reinette. This is still her room, isn't it?" he gestured to the room they were currently in "We've been away, not sure how long." Rita rolled her eyes finding it unbelievable how the Doctor could not piece two and two together.

There was a faint voice down the corridor calling for the now older Reinette not looking away from the Doctor called back and the Doctor now had a shocked look on his face. "Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there." She turned back to the Doctor and Rita who slowly was backing up close to the fireplace finding the way Reinette was looking at the Doctor a little uncomfortable. She never really was one to be around people when this sort of thing was going around, she never knew what to do. However, the Doctor being well the Doctor didn't notice her gaze at all.

"It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You both are to be congratulated on your persistence."

"Reinette!" He grinned. "Well. Goodness, how you've grown."

"And you do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you." She stepped a little closer to the Doctor.

"Right, yes, sorry. Listen, lovely to catch up, but better be off, eh?" He noticed her slowly moving forward closer to him. "Don't want your mother finding you up here with strange people, do we?"

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

"Yeah, I suppose you have. We came the quick route."

She reached a hand up and touched his face, her eyes burning into his. Rita just stayed by the fireplace rocking on the heels of her shoes back and forth feeling very ignored. "You seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real."

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

"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient." A male voice called from the hall Rita looked at the ground feeling uncomfortable with what was about to happen.

She turned her head towards the door then shouted. " A moment! So many questions. So little time." Reinette then pulled the Doctor in for a kiss that was quite long, the pair stumbled back, almost hitting Rita who only just managed to get out the way, however, something was wrong the Doctor wasn't doing anything he was just frozen. He looked like he had frozen and Rita could swear that for a moment she saw him try to push her off.

Reinette pulled away seeing that the Doctor was not enjoying it and then ran off out of the room.

"Mademoiselle Poisson!" The same voice from earlier called out just as Reinette ran out, the voice then was joined with its body the man's eyes growing wide seeing Rita just standing there and the Doctor mouth open and wide-eyed.

"Poisson? Reinette Poisson?" He scoffed. "No! No, no, no, no, no way. Reinette Poisson? Later Madame Etoiles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France? Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan, fantastic gardener!" He spoke way too fast for the man to keep up.

"Who the hell are you?!" He demanded looking at the Doctor

"I'm the Doctor, this is Rita by the way" he pointed at her who then waved. "And I almost snogged Madame de Pompadour. Ha, ha!" he flicked the switch and the two spun back around to the spaceship.

"Almost" Rita raised a brow.

The Doctor shrugged not replying. "I wasn't expecting it," he spoke cold and distant while he walked on not looking at the brunette who was slightly confused.

'Somethings don't play out how they look.' She repeatedly told herself over and over in her mind thinking back to how she thought she saw the Doctor try and push Reinette away from him. The Doctor continued to walk not talking and Rita followed a little bothered by the silence since she knew this Doctors regeneration was most definitely not the quiet type.