The Tenth Doctor found Alyssa frozen kneeling in the Library. "Alyssa?" he said softly as he walked over to her, she blinked and looked up at him she opened her mouth to say something but a golden mist escaped her mouth, she let out a groan "now really now?" she said as she put her head in her hand. The Doctor kneeled in front of her "Did you just regenerate?" he asked; Alyssa just nodded as her eyes rolled into the back of her head for the second time in two weeks. The Doctor picked her up and brought her to the med bay before sitting by the bed he placed her in.
Hours had passed until she finally expelled the last of the regeneration energy from her mouth and woke up. She let out a gasp as she sat up and looked at the Doctor "how did you regenerate?" he instantly asked,
"A stupid scientist who didn't know I wasn't human." she said before she stood up. "I can't tell you more than that. It's in your future. I haven't seen my new body yet," the Doctor nodded as he reached out his hand for her to take, which she did. The Doctor instantly pulled Alyssa with him to a wardrobe and put her in front of a mirror. She smiled as she looked at herself, "Ginger. I know you've always wanted to be ginger." she said to the Doctor
"Ill get over it; you're beautiful." The Doctor said; she blushed as she went back in inspecting her body before she frowned, "What is it?" the Doctor said,
"The jacket, it doesn't suit this body. Do you have any leather jackets that have bigger on the inside pockets?" The Doctor frowned as he disappeared, going deeper into the wardrobe. There was silence until he let out an "Ah ha!" and came back to her with a leather jacket in hand. "Here you go" he said as he held it out to her. She smiled as she took it and looked back at her body, and among the various clothes around them, "I'm gonna change. Can you leave?" Alyssa said, and the Doctor nodded and left.
It took Alyssa 30 minutes before she was ready to leave the wardrobe. She chose something simple, but it was much better than what she was wearing before. She smiled as she put the leather jacket on, which was now full of all the things the Doctor had put in it when she first got it. "Alyssa?" The Doctor's voice sounded from outside the wardrobe, "Yeah?" Alyssa called back.
"Mickey wants a trip, and I was thinking of putting the Tardis on random. Are you ready?" he said; Alyssa let out a sigh as she walked out of the wardrobe to the Doctor.
"How do I look?" she said,
"Beautiful, you were right. The leather suits you." the Doctor said as he offered his hand to her, "Shall we?" Alyssa just smiled and took his hand. The two made their way to the Console room. Rose and Mickey were waiting. It took them less than 2 minutes to send the Tardis off. They exited the Tardis on a spaceship. Alyssa stepped out and looked around.
"It's a spaceship. Brilliant! I got a spaceship on my first go." Mickey said as he exited the Tardis as well.
"It looks kind of abandoned. Anyone onboard?" Rose asked,
"Nah, nothing here. Well, nothing dangerous. Well, not that dangerous." The Doctor said as Alyssa walked over to some controls.
"I can scan for anything Dangerous if you want me to, Doc." She said, and the Doctor nodded at her
"So, what's the date? How far we gone?" Rose asked,
"Alyssa, you want to try?" The Doctor said; Alyssa looked up and focused on the area around her,
"About 3000 years in Rose's and Mickey's future?" Alyssa guessed, and the Doctor smiled, indicating that she was right.
"Yep" The Doctor said as Alyssa pulled up a switch, and a window above them opened up and showed a Cluster of stars.
"Let me guess, the Diagmar cluster?" Alyssa said as she looked up at it,
"Fifty first century." the Doctor said, "And yes, it is the Diagmar Cluster; you're a long way from home, Mickey. Two and a half galaxies."
"Mickey Smith, meet the universe. See anything you like?" Rose said as the two walked over to a window and stared out into space.
"It's so realistic!" Mickey said
"Should be realistic, Mickey, since it is actually space." Alyssa said as she continued to work on the controls. As the Doctor looked around, picking up machine parts.
"Dear me, had some cowboys in here. Got a ton of repair work going on." The Doctor said and noticed that Alyssa had stopped working and was staring at a screen. As Rose and Mickey walked around investigating the area, "Now that's odd. Look at that. All the warp engines are going. Full capacity. There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe, but we're not moving. So, where's all that power going?" Alyssa started working on the controls again to answer that exact question.
"Where'd all the crew go?"
"There are no life readings onboard," Alyssa said,
"Well, we're in deep space. They didn't just nip out for a quick fag." Rose said as the Doctor kneeled down and messed with the controls as well. Alyssa's and the Doctor's confusion growing.
"No, I've checked all the smoking pods. Can you smell that?" The Doctor said; as four sniffed the air, they smelled the scent of something cooking.
"Yeah, someone's cooking," Rose said,
"But there are no life forms on board," Alyssa said as she fiddled with the controls.
"Sunday roast, definitely." Mickey said as Alyssa pulled something, and a door behind the four opened. Behind the door was an ornate fireplace, which was not supposed to be there.
"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth-century." The Doctor said before he rushed over to it, pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver. And scanned it "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 before he kneeled down, Alyssa kneeling down with him. A young girl with blonde hair stared back at the two.
"There can't be. That's the outer hull of the ship. Look." Rose said, but the Doctor and Alyssa just stared at the young girl
"Hello." The Doctor said, Alyssa, muttering a greeting as well.
"Hello." the young girl said, as Mickey, Rose kneeled down and looked through the fireplace as well.
"What's your name?" Alyssa asked,
"Reinette." Reinette said,
"What a lovely name." Alyssa said, smiling at the young girl.
"Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?" The Doctor said,
"In my bedroom." Reinette said,
"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?" Alyssa asked,
"Paris, of course." Reinette said; the Doctor and Alyssa glanced at each other
"Paris, right!" The Doctor said, looking back at Reinette.
"Monsieur, Madame, what are you doing in my fireplace?" Reinette said,
"Oh, it's just a routine fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?" The Doctor said,
"Of course, I can. Seventeen hundred and twenty-seven." Reinette said,
"Right, lovely. One of my favorites. August is rubbish, though. Stay indoors. Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night, night."
"Good night Reinette." Alyssa said,
"Goodnight, Monsieur. Madame." Reinette said as the two stood up and faced Rose and Mickey.
"You said this was the fifty-first century," Mickey said,
"Well he also said that this ship is 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, making Alyssa blink
"Im sorry, but what?" Alyssa said the same time; Mickey said, "What's that?"
"No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say magic door." The Doctor said
"Of course you did." Alyssa said as she rolled her eyes,
"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 said he took off his jacket and threw it to the side before turning around to investigate the fireplace. Alyssa joined "She was speaking English. I heard her." Mickey said
"Tardis translates every language for you, makes traveling through Space and time so much easier." Alyssa said as she looked at something on the mantle to the left side. She looked at the Doctor as he noticed it too.
"Gotcha!" The Doctor said as he pulled the switch, and the fireplace swung around. Alyssa was about to say something when the Doctor put a finger to his lips and pointed to Reinette, who was asleep on the bed. She nodded as they walked over to a window and drew back the curtain to see France. A horse neighed, and Reinette gasped as she woke. She sat up and stared at Alyssa and the Doctor.
"It's okay. Don't scream. It's us. It's the fireplace man and woman. Look. We were talking just a moment ago. We were in your fireplace." The Doctor said as he walked forward and lit a candle with his Sonic.
"Monsieur, Madame, that was weeks ago. That was months." Reinette said, and Alyssa walked back over to the Fireplace expecting it before her eyes fell upon a clock, a clock that was ticking. But the clock couldn't have been ticking because it was broken. She frowned at it as she inspected it.
"Really? Oh. Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in." The Doctor said before he went over and joined Alyssa. His eyes soon fell upon the clock as well.
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Reinette said, but she didn't get an answer as both the Doctor and Alyssa realized something else was in the room.
"Okay, that's scary." The Doctor said,
"You're scared of a broken clock?" Reinette said
"Might be just a bit, but the fact that it's broken and it's the only clock in the room. Then what's that?" Alyssa said as she glanced about the room.
"Because, you see, that's not a clock." The Doctor said, turning around and inspecting the room. Alyssa doing the same thing. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. The size of a man." the Doctor said,
"What is it?" Reinette said, and she was obviously scared,
"It's okay, Reinette," Alyssa said as she walked forward a bit with the Doctor.
"Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticked and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do, break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two? You might start to wonder if you're really alone. Stay on the bed, right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge." the Doctor said as he kneeled down and looked under the bed. The buzz of the Screwdriver sound for a second before the Doctor flew back. "Doctor!" Alyssa yelled mentally as the Doctor quickly got up. Alyssa was staring at a humanoid figure with a mask on
"Reinette, Don't look round." the Doctor whispered as he stood up and stared at the figure. They stared at it for a while before the Doctor glanced down at Reinette, "You, stay exactly where you are. Hold still, let me look." The Doctor said before he kneeled down, took Reinette's face in his hands, and looked into her eyes.
"You've been scanning her brain. What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?" The Doctor said,
"I don't understand. It wants me? You want me?" Reinette said, turning to face it,
"Not yet. You are incomplete." The machine said, looking at Reinette,
"Incomplete, what do you mean incomplete?" Alyssa said as she reached down for her gun,
"You can answer her, you can answer us. What do you mean, incomplete?" The Doctor said, who straightened and pointed his Screwdriver at the machine, who started walking around the bed. A blade came out of its hand and was pointed at the Doctor's throat. Alyssa took a step forward, ready to pull the Doctor away at a moment's notice. "Monsieur, be careful." Reinette said,
"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares." The Doctor said and took a step back; the machine slashed at the Doctor, and Alyssa instantly pulled him back, and the two stumbled back to the fireplace. As the machine tried to cut at them before his blade got stuck in the mantle of the fireplace.
"Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" The Doctor said,
"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette said as Alyssa got ready to flip the switch as the Doctor and Alyssa said together, "Us!" before Alyssa flipped the switch, taking them and the machine back to the spaceship. The Doctor instantly grabbed a gun looking thing and sprayed a white mist all over the Machine.
"Doctor!" Rose called out as the Doctor stopped spraying the machine, and it froze. Alyssa let out a sigh of relief as she stared at it.
"Excellent. Ice gun." Micky said as the Doctor tossed the machine to Rose,
"Fire extinguisher." The Doctor said,
"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked,
"It came from here," Alyssa said,
"So why is it dressed like that?"
"Mickey why does the Tardis look like the phone box? Camouflage, The machine has a basic camouflage protocol. It took a field trip to France." Alyssa said,
"Nice needlework, shame about the face." The Doctor said he walked forward and took the hair and mask off, revealing a see-through container with clockwork.
"Oh, you are beautiful!"
"Is it really the time for this Doctor" Alyssa said, but he ignored her as he continued talking to the machine.
"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." He said, taking out his screwdriver. Before the machine moved a bit and then teleported away.
"You have got to be kidding" Alyssa said,
"Short range teleport. Can't have got far. Could still be on board." The Doctor said as he walked over to the switch on the fireplace, looking at Alyssa and moving his head in a 'Come on' gesture, which she instantly did.
"What is it?" Rose asked,
"Don't go looking for it!" The Doctor said,
"Where're you two going?" Rose asked,
"We will be back in a second." Alyssa said, winking at Rose as the Doctor flipped the switch, and the two of them were taken back to France. Where the time had changed as it was now daytime. "Reinette? Just checking you're okay." The Doctor called out before the two walked farther into it. The room looked slightly different than when they left it. The Doctor walked over to a harp as Alyssa looked about the room. The Doctor played a couple strings on the harp before an 'ahem' grabbed both their attention. A blonde woman was wearing a french styled dress.
"Oh. Hello. Er, I was just looking for Reinette. This is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long." The Doctor said as Alyssa inspected the woman,
"Reinette! We're ready to go." A voice called out from outside the room.
"Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there. It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You two are to be congratulated on your persistence." Reinette said, and they both smiled at her,
"Reinette! Well. Goodness, how you've grown." The Doctor said,
"And you two do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you." Reinette said as she walked over to the two, as Alyssa rejoined the Doctor.
"Sorry about that, but you better go; it's impolite to leave one's mother waiting." Alyssa said, looking at the Doctor who agreed with her
"Right, yes, sorry. Listen, lovely to catch up, but better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with two strange people, do we?" the Doctor said,
"Strange? How could you two be strangers to me? I've known you since I was seven years old."
"Yeah, I suppose you have. We came the quick route." the Doctor said, as Reinette put her hand to his cheek, and the Doctor instantly took her hand away from it.
"You seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real." Reinette said, hardly phased at what the Doctor did, as she poked Alyssa,
"Oh, you never want to listen to reason." The Doctor said,
"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient." A male voice yelled,
"A moment!" Reinette called out before turning back to the Doctor, "So many questions. So little time." Reinette said before she kissed the Doctor, and he froze as Reinette pushed him to the wall.
"Mademoiselle Poisson!" the male's voice said, and Reniette pulled away from the Doctor, gave Alyssa a quick hug before grabbing her purse and rushing out of the room. Alyssa looked at the Doctor who was wiping his mouth before realizing something just when a servant entered.
"Poisson? Reinette Poisson? 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!" The Doctor said as he walked forward to the servant.
"Who the hell are you?!" the servant said, as the Doctor walked away from him and grabbed Alyssa's hand, pulling her with him to the fireplace,
"I'm the Doctor," he said before flicking the switch taking them back to the spaceship. "Rose! Mickey! Every time." he said, as he noticed the two were gone. "Every time it's rule one. Don't wander off. I tell them, I do. Rule one. There could be anything on this ship." He said, complaining to Alyssa as they walked through a hallway to see if they could find them. Only to be met with a saddled horse. Alyssa letting out a laugh
"Literally anything." Alyssa said as she laughed as she stared at the Doctor.
"Oh shut up." The Doctor said, grabbing her and pulling her away from the horse. They continued looking throughout the spaceship looking for Rose and Mickey, the horse following them.
"Rose?" The Doctor called out before looking back at the horse, "Will you stop following us? We are not your parents." before he noticed a white door, and sunlight streamed into the room. "So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?" Alyssa and the Doctor walked through the door and into a garden. Where Reinette and a friend were walking.
"Oh, Catherine, you are too wicked." Reinette said before she looked back, the Doctor and Alyssa instantly ducking, hoping she didn't see them.
"Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateauroux is ill and close to death." Catherine said as they continued walking.
"Yes. I am devastated." Reinette said,
"Oh, indeed. I myself am frequently inconsolable. The King will, therefore, be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?" Catherine asked,
"He is the King, and I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him." Reinette said as a peacock let out a call, and Reinette looked behind them where Alyssa and the Doctor were, who once again hid.
"Is something wrong, my dear?" Catherine asked,
"Not wrong, no," Reinette said before the two continued walking, Alyssa and the Doctor peeking from where they were hiding.
"Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions." Catherine said,
"Every woman in Paris shares them." Reinette said,
"You know, of course, that the King is to attend the Yew Tree ball?" Catherine asked as Alyssa took the Doctor's hand; he looked back at her as she jerked her head back to the door, and they walked back into the spaceship. They continued walking through the halls before they heard Rose and Mickey's voices. "It's France again. We can see France." Mickey said as the Doctor and Alyssa started walking towards them. As they stood in front of a window,
"I think we're looking through a mirror." Rose said as men walked into the room, not noticing the two standing behind the mirror/window.
"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" Mickey said, in remark to one of the men,
"The King of France." The Doctor said as the two joined them,
"Oh, here's trouble. What have you two been up to?"
"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friends of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man." The Doctor began as a neigh sounded as the horse had followed them "Oh, and I met a horse."
"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked,
"Whats pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship?" Alyssa said, looking at Mickey, "Get some perspective."
"See these?" The Doctor said in reference to the window they were looking through, "They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history." as Reinette came into the room curtseying before the King. "Hers. Time windows deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty-first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth. Why?"
"Who is she?" Rose asked,
"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived." The Doctor said,
"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose said,
"No, he already has a queen. She wants to be his mistress." Alyssa said,
"Oh, I get it. Camilla." Rose said, making herself and Mickey laugh, but Alyssa and the Doctor ignored the comment.
"I think this is the night they met—the night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time at 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 as the four watched the King and his servants leave. Reinette walked over to the mirror they were looking through.
"The Queen must have loved her." Rose said,
"Oh, she did. They get on very well." The Doctor said,
"The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey said in disbelief
"France during this time was different than what you are used to, Mickey," Alyssa said as she watched Reinette whip around.
"How long have you been standing there? Show yourself!" Reinette said as a figure was standing behind her. The figure turned around to reveal one of the clockwork Androids. Alyssa instantly grabbed the fire extinguisher from Mickey as the Doctor flipped the mirror around. She walked forward through the mirror. "Hello, Reinette. Hasn't time flown?" She said as she began spraying the Android. The Doctor, Rose, Mickey following her into the room.
"Fireplace, woman!" She turned around to see the Doctor "And Man!" Alyssa threw the fire extinguisher back to Mickey. As she watched the creature start ticking, she let out an exasperated sigh.
"What's it doing?" Mickey said,
"Switching back on. Melting the ice." the Doctor said,
"And then what?" Mickey said as Alyssa walked towards it,
"Then it kills everyone in the room." the Doctor said as the android made to grab for her. The Doctor pulling her back "Focuses the mind, doesn't it? Who are you? Identify yourself.' the Doctor said before turning to Reinette. "Order it to answer me."
"Why should it listen to me?" Reinette said,
"Well, it did when you were younger. Let's see if it still does."
"Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you." Reinette said,
"I am repair droid seven." the android said, as it lowered its arm,
"What happened to the ship? There was a lot of damage." Alyssa said,
"Ion storm. Eighty-two percent systems failure." The Android said,
"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 Android said,
"Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts." Mickey said, and Alyssa held up a hand, telling him to be quiet.
"What's happened to the crew?" Alyssa asked,
"We did not have the parts." the android said, and Alyssa's face drained of color,
"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" The Doctor said,
"We did not have the parts."
"Fifty people don't just disappear." The Doctor started
"Doctor, they didn't have the parts." Alyssa said, looking at him, and he suddenly came to the same realization
"Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew." The Doctor said,
"The crew?" Mickey said,
"We found a camera with an eye in it, and there was a heart wired into machinery," Rose said,
"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 said,
"Someone cooking." Rose said,
"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque. 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,
"One more part is required." the Android said, before looking at Reinette,
"Then why haven't you taken it?" Alyssa asked,
"She is incomplete."
"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 said,
"Why her? You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her?" Rose asked,
"We are the same." The android said,
"We are not the same. We are in no sense the same." Reinette
"We are the same." The Android repeated, and Reinette started forward,
"Get out of here. Get out of here this instant!" Reinette said,
"Reinette, no." the Doctor said, turning around, but it was already too late. The android had disappeared, "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 continued,
"Arthur?" Rose asked,
"Good name for a horse." The Doctor said,
"No, you're not keeping the horse." Rose said as Alyssa giggled
"I let you keep Mickey. Now go! Go! Go!" The Doctor said, gesturing for them to go into the ship before the Doctor closed it behind them. "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 said, approaching her before putting his hands to the side of her head. He closed his eyes, Reinette doing the same, Alyssa watching from the side.
"Fireplace man, you are inside my mind." Reinette said,
"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here." The Doctor said,
"You are in my memories. You walk among them." Reinette said,
"If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look. Oh, actually, there's a door just there. You might want to cl....Oh, actually, several." The Doctor said,
"To walk among the memories of another living soul. Do you ever get used to this?" Reinette asked,
"I don't make a habit of it." The Doctor said,
"How can you resist?" Reinette asked,
"What age are you?" The Doctor asked,
"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising." Reinette said, opening her eyes and looking up at the Doctor
"Its not his question Reinette; it's theirs," Alyssa said, as she shifted uncomfortably,
"You're twenty-three, and for some reason, that means you're not old enough." The Doctor started before Reinette let out a gasp "Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect." the Doctor said
"Oh, such a lonely childhood." Reinette said, making Alyssa pause her shifting as she looked back at the two.
"It'll pass. Stay with me." The Doctor said,
"Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone. Until..." Reinette said, and the Doctor realized something,
"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life." The Doctor said before he opened his eyes, "When did you start calling me, Doctor?"
"Such a lonely little boy. You were so alone, but then you found her, your golden angel, but you two are still very alone. How can you bear it?" Reinette said, opening her eyes,
"How did you do that?" The Doctor said, removing his hands from her face and backing up.
"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction. Oh, Doctor. My lonely Doctor and His angel. Dance with me." Reinette said as she looked between the two.
"We can't." The Doctor said as he realized what she meant,
"Dance with me." Reinette said again,
"This is the night you dance with the King." The Doctor said,
"Then, you shall dance with your angel." Reinette said, glancing at Alyssa, who was staring at the two,
"I can't." The Doctor whispered,
"Doctor. Doctor who? It's more than just a secret, isn't it?" Reinette said,
"What did you see?" The Doctor said,
"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must teach a lady how to dance." Reinette said as she grabbed his arm and held her other out to Alyssa. Who took it, and they were whisked out of the room. Reinette took Alyssa to a room where a dress was waiting. Alyssa stared at it as she looked around "My servants brought it here in case I needed to change my dress. I think it will better suit you." Reinette said; Alyssa nodded as she walked into the room, and the two waited outside while she changed. She came out soon and looked at the Doctor,
"You look stunning." He whispered as Reinette smiled at the two,
"Well we should head to the ball, shall we?" Reinette said, and the Doctor held his hand out to Alyssa, who took it, and they went off to the ball.
"Go dance." Reinette said to the two as they both stood awkwardly off to the side, "I shall meet the King." before she walked off. They looked at each other for a second before glancing away. The Doctor cleared his throat finally and held his hand out to Alyssa.
"Come dance with me." He said,
"Are you sure we should be spending time here? We need to get back to ship." Alyssa said,
"We can spend some time here, come on, Alyssa," he said as he held out his hand once again. Alyssa did take his hand this time, he tried to lead her, but she stepped on his foot.
"Sorry," Alyssa muttered,
"It's alright, Alyssa, just let me lead." He said as he spun her, grabbing her right hand and lead her in the dance. It wasn't until the end of the first dance that they both realized how close they were, and their eyes never left each other. Alyssa broke away from him as the song ended and looked at the ground.
The Ball went by quickly. Alyssa stood off to the side as she watched the Doctor talk to some of the french people. A hand tapped her shoulder, "Might I have this dance?" a British voice said; Alyssa turned around and saw a familiar face with gray hair. She didn't know where she saw this man, but the feeling she knew him couldn't be shaken. She looked back at the Doctor, "I really shouldn't, my friend, and I might leave soon."
"I don't think he will mind if you keep him waiting." the man said, holding his hand out in a familiar fashion that was lost to her; she nodded as she took his hand, and they started dancing.
"Your friend hasn't stopped watching you." He said as he spun her. Alyssa's eyes catching the Doctor's eyes. Who was watching them. "he could be jealous,"
"Jealous of you, why?" Alyssa said,
"Well he might be like me." he said, watching the Doctor as he danced with her,
"Like you, how?" Alyssa said,
"Well, I met a girl once who appeared to me in flashes of gold; after I got to know her, I never wanted to let her go."
"You speak as if you had lost her." Alyssa said,
"Oh no, I haven't lost her, she couldn't come. I think you are more familiar to her than you think." he leaned down and whispered, "Alyssa." Which made Alyssa freeze; the man chuckled. It couldn't be, she instantly thought as she stared at the man realizing why he looked familiar. However, she knew it couldn't be him, because she never saw this face before. "Doctor?" She whispered; the man only smiled as the song ended, and he let go of her walking away. Leaving Alyssa frozen, the Doctor she came with walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, "Everything alright?" he asked,
"It can't be." Alyssa said as she watched the man leave the room.
"It can't be what Alyssa?" The Doctor said, suddenly breaking Alyssa out of whatever she was in; she looked up at the Doctor and blinked,
"Sorry, what is it?" she said,
"I think we should head back to the ship." The Doctor said, Alyssa only nodded as they left the ballroom, Alyssa changing back into their original clothes before heading back to the ship.
They soon found out that Rose and Mickey were kidnapped by the Androids of the ship; they walked into the room as the Doctor was singing with a glass in his hand and spinning Alyssa in the other, making her giggle. "Have you met the French? My god, they know how to party." the Doctor said as they saw Rose and Mickey strapped to some tables, androids surrounding them.
"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm and the Golden Angel." Rose said,
"Oh, you sound just like your mother." The Doctor said,
"What've you been doing? Where've you been?" Rose asked,
"Well, among other things, I think just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early. Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before. Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good." The Doctor said, walking over to Rose, before turning to the Android next to her, "Oh ho, 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 Thicktown, Thickania. And so's your dad." He said before walking away and over to mickey as he continued, "Do you know what they were 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 that when Reinette is thirty-seven when she's complete, then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it, hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do."
"The brain is compatible." the Android near Rose said, making the Doctor walk over to it.
"Compatible? If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine." The Doctor said, all silliness disappearing from him as he removed the mask from the android and poured the liquid over its head. Which made it seize up and fall over. "Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't." The Doctor said; the androids started advancing on the Doctor, as Alyssa walked over to a console and flipped a switch. Which made them all shut off and kneel over.
"Well that was dramatic sorry guys." Alyssa said as she brought out her Sonic pen and opened the bonds holding Rose and Mickey.
"Right, you two, that's enough lying about. Time we got the rest of the ship turned off." The Doctor said as he joined Alyssa at looking at the controls.
"Are those things safe?" Mickey said,
"Should be, are right now," Alyssa said
"Okay. All the time, windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down. Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago. I was using them as castanets." The Doctor said as he began digging through his jacket till he found them.
"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?" Rose asked,
"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 said as Mickey, Alyssa, and the Doctor messed with the controls. Before a bell rang,
"Oh you have got to be kidding." Alyssa said as she looked up at the Doctor.
"What's that?" Rose said,
"I don't know. Incoming message?" the Doctor said, as Alyssa returned to using the controls.
"From who?" Mickey asked,
"Report from the field. One of them must still be out there with Reinette. That's why we can't close the windows. There's an override." The Doctor said, as the Android behind him straightened and released the liquid out of his finger. "Well, that was a bit clever." before the switch, Alyssa flipped to turn off the androids released, and they all straightened again. Alyssa's hand inched towards her hand as the Doctor continued, "Right. Many things about this are not good." As more beeps came from around them, "message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?"
"She is complete. It begins." One of the Androids said before all of the androids teleported out of the room.
"What's happening?" Rose asked
"They might have found the right time window; they need to send in the troops this time they won't stop till they bring back her head." Alyssa said as she looked at the Doctor.
They soon came upon a plan as Alyssa, and the Doctor started searching for the correct time window. They finally found it, and they sent Mickey to get Rose, who they had sent to warn Reinette. After some time passed, Alyssa looked up at the Doctor as something was delaying Rose and Mickey. He nodded at her, and she rushed off to find Reinette, Rose, and Mickey in the ship. "Reinette." she said,
"Alyssa." Reinette said,
"Im sorry you really can't be here." She said, walking over to her and taking her hands,
"So, this is your world." Reinette said as screams filled the room, "What was that?"
"The Doctor established an Audio link for the time window." Alyssa said,
"Those screams. Is that my future?" Reinette said
"Yes," Alyssa said,
"Then I must take the slower path." Reinette said, as her voice shouted through the ship,
"Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now. You promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time." The Future Reinette said,
"That's my voice." Reinette said as she squeezed Alyssa's hand's harder, fear overtaking her.
"You two go ahead," Alyssa said, looking at Rose and Mickey, who nodded and rushed off. She turned back to Reinette, "I know you are scared, but I need you to trust the Doctor and me. We haven't abandoned you your whole life; we won't abandon you when the five years is up for you."
"Take the slow path, I know." Reinette said, her voice shaking,
"Reinette I'm going to tell you something I have never told anyone, I am on a slow path as well, but unlike you, I don't know if the future event for me is weeks away for years away. The secret that keeps me going isn't thinking about the event in question, but what might happen next for me after that event. Can you do that? Can you hope in me and the Doctor enough to only focus on what could happen after?" Alyssa said,
Yes, but I'm very afraid. But you and I both know, don't we, Alyssa, the Doctor is worth the monsters." Reinette said before she let go of Alyssa's hands and rushed back through the door back to France. Alyssa instantly ran back to where the others were waiting, as the shouts for the Doctor came through the ship.
"Any progress?" Alyssa asked as she watched the Doctor run around, the window where androids were attacking the french at a masquerade ball.
"No, it's still blocked off." the Doctor said, which made Alyssa rush forward to try and help him.
"I don't get it. How come they got in there?" Rose said,
"They teleported. You saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short-range teleports will do the trick." The Doctor said,
"Well, we'll go in the Tardis!" Rose said,
"We can't use the Tardis. We're part of events now."
"Well, can't we just smash through?" Mickey said,
"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck." The Doctor said, as Alyssa paled, as after everything she finally remembered this episode.
"We don't have a truck." Mickey said,
"We know we don't have a truck!" Alyssa yelled,
"Well, we've got to try something." Rose said, which made Alyssa pale once more,
"No. Smash the glass, smash the time window. There'd be no way back." The Doctor said. She walked over to the Doctor and took his hand. He looked down at her as she mouthed 'Arthur'
"Could everyone just calm down? Please." Reinette's voice said, as she was now in the ballroom, the Doctor nodded as he rushed to get Arthur and dragged him back to the room, he started to mount him before Alyssa stopped him.
"I'm coming with you."
"No, you can't," He instantly said, as he turned to face her,
"You can't stop me," Alyssa said as she moved to mount Arthur, only for the Doctor to pull her back,
"You can't come with me, you heard me yourself; there's be no way back, they have to have a way home." he said, gesturing to Rose and Mickey,
"No." She whispered, "no do not leave me behind." tears rolling down her cheeks as she realized he was right,
"I know this version of you can fly the Tardis; I need you to be here so you can take them home. Promise me, even if you wait days, you will take them home. You might even be able to come to get me in a couple years in France." the Doctor said, and Alyssa let out a reluctant nod. He smiled as he kissed her softly, thinking this might be the last time he saw her in years, before pulling away and mounting Arthur. Before running through the glass to the ballroom, the glass shattering and the link is broken.
"What happened? Where did the time window go? How's he going to get back?" Mickey said as Alyssa let out a sob,
"He might not, We are going to wait a couple days, and then I am going to take you home," Alyssa said, hoping that what she knew from the show would actually come to pass.
Hours had passed before the sound of rapid footsteps in the ship to reach their ears. Alyssa whipped around just as the Doctor entered the room. She threw herself at him and enveloped him in a hug. He laughed as he picked her up and spun her. "How long did you wait?" He said,
"Five and a half hours." She said,
"Great. Always wait five and a half hours." the Doctor said, as he broke the hug with her and hugged Rose,
"Where've you been?" she asked,
"Explain later. Into the Tardis. Be with you in a sec. Alyssa, come with me." The Doctor said, and the two went back to the Fireplace and back into France. "Reinette?" The Doctor called, as they saw an empty dark room. They left it and wandered the castle till they saw a room. "Reinette?" The Doctor called out as the two entered the room, seeing a man standing by the window "Oh, hello."
"You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six." the man said,
"Ah." The Doctor said,
"Good Lord. She was right. She said you never looked a day older. So many years since I saw you last, but not a day of it on your face." The man said, before walking over to a desk and taking out two sealed letters, "She spoke of you many times. Often wished you'd visit again. You know how women are." He said before handing one over to the Doctor, "You must be Alyssa?" the man asked, looking at Alyssa, who only nodded. He handed her the second letter, the sound of a whip cracking and a horse neighing sounded. The man walked over to the window again, "There she goes. Leaving Versailles for the last time. Only forty-three when she died. Too young, Too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard." he said as the Doctor and Alyssa walked over. The man facing them "What does she say?" mentioning the letters, but they just put the letters in their respective jacket, "Of course. Quite right." he said before the two finally left.
They entered the Tardis, and Rose asked, "Why her? Why did they think they could repair the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"
"Its the ship, you guys wouldn't have known this, but I do; the ship is named after her," Alyssa said, "they went after her because the ship was named after her, in honor of her. That's why they thought they were the same." leaving the four in silence before the Doctor walked to the console,
"The Tardis can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble."
"Are you all right?" Rose said,
"I'm always alright." The Doctor said,
"Come on, Rose. It's time you showed me around the rest of this place." Mickey said, and he pulled Rose out of the Console room. Alyssa let out a sigh as she pulled out the letter and opened it.
My Golden Angel
The Doctor once told me that it was your idea for him to break the glass to enter the ballroom that fateful night. Which made it, so he was stranded in France. You were so ready to let him go to save me. I thought it was now my time and place to let go of him. Yes, I loved him, but after seeing how he viewed you through his mind. I know that he would've never been happy to be apart from you. I will not disclose how he feels about you because I think it is his place to tell you. I can only hope that he will not leave your side when the event you are on the slow path towards. Just as he promised not to leave my side when I was in danger. I also hope that you will be happy with him after it.
Reinette
A teardrop fell onto the page; she wiped her eyes to find that she was crying. She folded up the letter and placed it back in her jacket as a headache ripped through her; she looked up at the Doctor and smiled softly as she disappeared in a flash of golden light.
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Author's note: For those wondering: Yes it was the 12th doctor who visited her during the ball