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

The Girl in the Fireplace - Two

"Still can't dance" She wiggled her finger in front of his face mocking him and making her way back to the door they had exited with the horse still following them.

"Come on Doctor, you too Arthur," she said over her shoulder.

"Arthur?" He questioned catching up and walking beside her.

"Good name for a horse." She shrugged.

"Fair enough" he shrugged back at her. "What do you think about France then?" He asked interested in her opinion.

"It's nice" she tilted her head. "Always wanted to go to Disney Land Paris as a kid. Never did go, no one to take me."

"So you have no family?" He asked for confirmation He knew about Rita never knowing her parents but the rest of her family was as much of a mystery as much of a mystery as how she even got on that Dalek ship.

"Not that are alive or that I know of." she shrugged again as if the subject didn't faze her in the slightest. "My foster mother died when I turned eight-teen, after that the government didn't care if I lived with another adult seeing as I was then one myself."

"Where did you live?" He asked "when you were younger"

"Heard of Bath?" She looked at him. "The place in England not an actual bath." Rita chucked

"Been there before, quite nice."

"I lived there when I moved to London and worked in Tescos the shop after I couldn't find any schools willing to take me as a science teacher." She explained.

"Sounds interesting." He nodded, his eyes lighting up slightly at the mention of science, not that she noticed this. "Why did you move?"

"Bath was boring me, you know like you feel you have to just go out there and explore. I felt like I had to and London was new and far from home, not too far but didn't feel like far enough" He smiled knowing that exact feeling when he left Gallifrey the first time.

"What is far enough?" He asked as they continued to walk Arthur slowly following behind them.

"I don't know. Never found out. I may never know." She shrugged. "How far is far enough for Rita Stone? The unsolved mystery"

"That could be a book" the Doctor smirked.

"Best get writing then" Rita patted his arm.

"Cheeky"

They walked a little further until they both spotted Mickey and Rose watching Reinette and the King though what seemed like a mirror.

"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" Mickey watched the King.

"The King of France." The Doctor informed them startling both of them a little.

"Oh, here's trouble." Rose groaned. "What you two been up to?" She asked crossing her arms.

"Oh, this and that." He tilted his head from left to right. "Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man." Arthur then appeared behind them neighing. "Oh, and we met a horse."

"He also 'almost'" Rita used her hands to make speech marks in the air "snogged Madame de Pompadour"

"Really?" Rose looked at Rita quite shocked. "Why almost?"

"I wasn't expecting it" He cut in.

"I saw it coming the way she was looking at you, oh yes she definitely likes you" Rita shoved the Doctor playfully chuckling to herself. "And I'm not talking about witnessing it right in front of me."