chapter four ; the girl in the fireplace
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LUNA FOUGHT TO HIDE THE SMILE WORKING ITS WAY UP HER LIPS as the TARDIS materialized somewhere else.
"Brilliant. It's a spaceship, I got a spaceship on my first go," Mickey looked around in awe as they all stepped outside.
Luna leaned against the TARDIS doors after they closed, swallowing. "We're in the future. On a proper spaceship. Like, what you in films and flicks and -- I mean, the past would've been cool too, god, I'd love to meet Shakespeare," the Doctor grinned down at her. "But this is sick too."
"Glad you're liking it."
Luna looked around again, spotting a lot of broken equipment and parts strewn about -- Rose noticed too. "Looks kind of abandoned," she remarked. "Anyone on board?"
"Nah, nothing here," the Doctor shook his head, turning around. "Well, nothing dangerous. Well, not that dangerous. You know what, I'll just have a quick scan, in case there's anything dangerous."
Luna laughed at his words as he fiddled with something on the monitor.
"So, what's the date? How far we gone?" Rose asked.
"About three thousand years into your future, give or take."
Luna let out a breath. "God, this is unbelievable. Mickey, pinch me, I think I'm dreaming."
He pinched her and she slapped his arm. "Ow! I didn't mean actually do it, god, it's rhetorical, come on, mate."
Mickey shrugged. "How was I supposed to know? You're really weird, Luna, you might have genuinely thought you were dreaming."
She nodded. "Yeah, okay, that's fair."
"Fifty first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey. Two and a half galaxies," The Doctor informed them and turned to Luna. "How you feeling, Luna?"
Luna's smile softened when their eyes connected -- as though he could only see her, like she was the most important thing he'd ever seen. "This is the best day of my life, hands down. Totally beats that time we had a NASA party for my thirteenth birthday."
Rose furrowed her brows. "How do you have a NASA party?"
Luna shrugged. "Everyone had helmets and there were stars on the ceiling and we did it at night and watched Armageddon."
"Really? Armageddon?" The Doctor asked with a face.
Luna pursed her lips. "Oi, if you're gonna hate that movie, you're hating on my very soul, Doc, that was my favorite movie growing up."
"Is it still now?" Mickey asked.
She shook her head. "No, are you insane, it's obviously Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it's the one that relates to the book the most."
The Doctor nodded. "That's true, yeah," he agreed turning back to the spaceship. "But enough about that, we're on a spaceship! Luna Peterson, look outside!"
Luna looked up and the Doctor looked down at her as her face slipped into an awed expression. Clouds of galaxy dust swirled around the sky as stars peeked out beneath the shades of blue, pink, and purple. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.
"It's so realistic!" Mickey exclaimed, looking out the window.
The Doctor frowned, moving his attention from Luna to the parts on the ground. Luna turned away from the sight, following him. Rose and Mickey followed suit, moving closer to the pair.
"Dear me, had some cowboys in here. Got a ton of repair work going on. Now that's odd," he turned to the monitor that appeared to be scanning. "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?"
"Where'd all the crew go?" Rose asked.
Luna nodded. "Yeah, shouldn't we be talking to someone? I mean, I don't know a lot about spaceships but I'd imagine that they'd need someone to help steer them."
"No life readings on board," the Doctor flicked some switches.
"Well, we're in deep space," Rose said. "They didn't just nip out for a quick fag."
The Doctor shook his head. "Nope. Checked all the smoking pods. Can you smell that?"
Luna nodded. "Yeah, smells like pot roast."
"Sunday roast, definitely," Mickey agreed.
"But who's cooking?" Luna asked quietly as the Doctor flipped a switch to open the doors behind them.
Inside the room sat a large fireplace, which didn't seem to go along with the rest of the design at all. Almost victorian, elegant and wood, it stood out against the harsh metals of the ship.
"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship," The Doctor commented, slipping his hand into Luna's as he tugged her along towards the fireplace. "Eighteenth century. French. Nice mantle," he scanned it with his sonic. "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."
"There can't be," Rose disagreed. "That's the outer hull of the ship. Look."
Luna bent down with the Doctor, eyes widening when she spotted a young girl on the other side.
"Hello," The Doctor greeted.
"Hello."
"What's your name?" He asked her.
"Reinette."
Luna's eyes widened as she put pieces together -- but it seemed too far fetched.
"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?"
"In my bedroom," Reinette answered carefully.
"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"
"France," Luna whispered just as Reinette answered the same thing.
"Paris, of course!"
The Doctor glanced at Luna, eyebrows furrowed, before turning back to Reinette. "Paris, right!"
"Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?"
"Oh, it's just a routine fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?"
Luna snorted softly. Routine fire check. Oh, this man.
"Of course I can. Seventeen hundred and twenty seven."
Luna fell back in surprise, taking Rose's hand to stand up. Seventeen hundred and twenty-seven. That meant...Madame de Pompadour, sometimes known as Reinette, was sitting in the fireplace in front of her. One of the people she idolized most as a child sit curiously on the other side of the spaceship.
"This is so weird," Luna commented quietly.
"Right, lovely. One of my favourites. 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," The Doctor finished, standing up.
"You alright, Luna?"
Luna nodded. "Yeah, it's just -- that's Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, or Madame de Pompadour, and I just -- I've loved her since I was kid, this is...mind-boggling, how is she inside a spaceship? Or is the spaceship inside her fireplace?
The Doctor stared down at her with a fond smile. "How'd you figure that out?"
Luna shrugged. "I don't need oil on chips to remember facts. I love history, I was in school to get my doctorate and become a professor."
"You're brilliant," he shook his head. "Just," He kissed her head lightly, turning back to the rest of the group.
"You said this was the fifty first century," Mickey told the Doctor.
"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
"What's that?" Mickey asked.
"No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say magic door."
Luna giggled, smacking his arm. "Oi, you're bad at space terms," she told him gently and he gave her a look.
"And on the other side of the magic door is France in 1727?"
"Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too."
Luna shook her head as Mickey spoke up. "She was speaking English, I heard her."
"Yeah, me too," Luna agreed.
"That's the Tardis," Rose informed them as the Doctor fiddled with the fireplace. "Translates for you."
"Even French?" Mickey asked as Luna moved closer to the Doctor, who pulled her closer to him as the fireplace moved a fraction.
"Gotcha!"
"Doctor!"
The Doctor flipped the switch, grabbing Luna as the fireplace flipped, emerging on the other side.
"Woah," Luna breathed. "Now, this is history."
It was snowing outside, and the candles were dimly lit. They were in her bedroom, Reinette's, and it felt surreal to Luna how she'd even ended up there. Reinette awoke with a start.
"It's okay," The Doctor hushed her and Luna moved closer, a kind smile on her face. Idol or not, Reinette was still young and Luna had a large soft spot for children. "Don't scream. It's me. It's the fireplace man. Look. We were talking just a moment ago. I was in your fireplace."
The Doctor pointed the sonic at a candle and it lit. Luna shook her head, she'd never get over how cool that was. Like a wand, only...science.
"Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months."
Luna glanced back at the Doctor as he nodded in thought. "Really? Oh. Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in."
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Reinette demanded.
The Doctor looked at a clock on the mantle, and Luna followed his eyeline, nodding in agreement. "Okay, that's scary," the Doctor commented.
"You're scared of a broken clock?" Reinette asked.
"Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit. Because, you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room, then what's that?"
Luna moved closer to Reinette, sitting on the bed. Reinette inched to Luna, pulling her into a hug.
"Because, you see, that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. The size of a man."
"What is it?" Luna and Reinette asked at the same time. They exchanged a fleeting smile.
"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."
Luna lifted her feet off the floor, pulling Reinette closer as she watched the Doctor wave the screwdriver under the floor. It was knocked from his hand and fell to the floor. Luna hugged Reinette tighter.
"Reinette," the Doctor whispered. "Don't look round. Luna, you either."
"You, stay exactly where you are," he grabbed Reinette's head. "Hold still, let me look. 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?"
"I don't understand," Reinette started fearfully, eyes wide as she looked at Luna. "It wants me? You want me?" She looked at the figure, a large droid of sorts with a scary, smiling mask over his face.
"Not yet. You are incomplete."
"Incomplete? What's that mean, incomplete? You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, incomplete?"
The android moved around the bed, a blade coming from it's hand. "Monsieur, be careful."
The Doctor glanced at Luna. "Stay on the bed," he told her and she nodded, keeping Reinette with her.
"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares," Luna's breath hitched when the android slashed the air -- but the Doctor dodged. "Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" He looked to Luna, gesturing her to get up and she followed him over, letting Reinette stay on the bed alone.
"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette asked as the Doctor grabbed hold of Luna, activating the fireplace as it spun around again.
"Me!"
They spun around the ship again and the Doctor let go of Luna, turning around and grabbing a tube, spraying the contents onto the android. "Doctor!" Rose shouted.
"Nice ice gun," Mickey added in appreciation as the Doctor finished.
"Fire extinguisher," the Doctor corrected and Mickey looked a bit put-out.
"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked them and the Doctor shrugged.
"Here."
"So why is it dressed like that?" Mickey asked.
"Field trip to France. Some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework, shame about the face."
The Doctor removed the face and found clockwork underneath. Luna moved closer, interested in how it would work. "Oh, you are beautiful!"
Luna smiled, winking at him. "I had no idea you felt that way, Doc."
He rolled his eyes, giving her a look. "Stop it, Luna," he told her, turning back to the android. "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."
The android beamed away and Luna tutted. "Shame, Doctor, if only you didn't ramble incessantly. Perhaps you'd have done it."
He made a face. "Oi, can it, Luna." She grinned and he rolled his eyes, a playful smile on his face.
"Where'd it go?" Rose asked.
"Short range teleport. Can't have got far. Could still be on board," the Doctor said, pointing at Mickey and Rose. "Don't go looking for it!"
"Where're you two going?" Rose frowned when the Doctor grabbed Luna's hand, again, tugging her towards the fireplace.
"Back in a sec!"
The moment they arrived, Luna knew something was off. The Doctor had obviously never lived in a house -- this was no longer a child's bedroom. Something had drastically changed. Had she grown up?
"Reinette? Just checking you're okay."
There was a harp in the corner and the Doctor fiddled with it, his free hand still locked in Luna's grasp.
"Ahem."
Luna jumped, turning around with wide eyes. Just like the pictures. This was a very young Madame de Pompadour.
"Oh," the Doctor took off his glasses. Luna couldn't help but think he looked cute with or without the glasses. She cursed herself. She should not be thinking those things. He belonged to Rose. "Hello. Er, I was just looking for Reinette. This is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long."
Luna shook her head. "Honestly, Doctor," he looked at her as if to say 'what'd I do?' and a voice called from another room.
"Reinette! We're ready to go."
Luna looked at the Doctor triumphantly and he ignored her look, squeezing her hand.
"Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there," Reinette called back. "It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence."
"Reinette! Well. Goodness, how you've grown."
Luna nodded. "You're very pretty."
"And you do not appear to have aged a single day," Reinette moved towards them. "That is tremendously impolite of you both."
Luna shrugged. "I've got this cream, it's called TARDIS, practically wipes away age."
The Doctor looked down at her with raised eyebrows and she shrugged. "What? Am I not funny?"
The Doctor stuttered, trying to catch his train of thought and Luna let go of his hand, face-palming herself.
"Seriously, we talked about the women thing, my god." She shook her head, and watched the scene unfold before her from under her hand.
"Listen, lovely to catch up, we but better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man, do we?"
"Strange? How could you be a stranger to me? I've known you since I was seven years old."
Luna's eyes widened at the look on Reinette's face, shrinking into herself. She was going to kiss him. With those eyes -- how could he resist?
"Yeah, I suppose you have. I came the quick route," the Doctor managed to get out.
"You seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real."
Luna snorted. "Oh, this is painfully real. Brutally real, honestly. I can't believe this is happening in front of me."
"Oh, you never want to listen to reason," the Doctor smiled.
"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient."
"A moment! So many questions. So little time," Reinette's eyes flickered to Luna and seemed to hesitate, before slamming her lips against the Doctor's, pushing him back against the wall.
Luna's eyebrows raised when she realized the Doctor was kissing Reinette back. "Oh, this is so weird," Luna slipped out. She ignored the feeling that tugged at her chest -- jealousy, perhaps? -- he didn't belong to her. He was a free man, and they'd only just met. She didn't really know anything about him. Reinette had probably fantasized about him for years, no wonder she kissed him.
"Mademoiselle Poisson!"
Reinette raced from the room and Luna burst into laughter at the Doctor's face. "Oh, you rascal, get it on, mate. Maybe I'm wrong and the ladies do like the stutter and weird grin, you're doing something right."
"Who the hell are you?!"
"I'm the Doctor, and I just snogged Madame de Pompadour. Ha, ha!" He laughed, grabbing Luna's hand and turning to leave.
"And I'm Luna!" Luna called back at the servant, who looked positively shocked when they turned around in the fireplace.
"Blimey," Luna shook her head as they got back to the spaceship. "You just snagged her, Madame de Pompadour. My little bisexual heart would've loved that when I was a kid."
His eyes widened and he grinned. "You had a thing for Madame de Pompadour."
"I told you, I was a history buff. I thought she was gorgeous."
"Oh, I'm so holding this against you."
"Shut up, at least I didn't make myself a fool in front of her!"
He grinned. "You talked about TARDIS cream, that's not even a real thing."
She slapped his arm. "Can't help it! I talk when I'm nervous! Obviously, you just go around snogging people when you're nervous."
He laughed, her joining in soon after.
"Wait, where are Rose and Mickey?"
The Doctor turned around with a groan. "Oh, every time. I have one rule. Will you follow that rule? Don't wander off, I tell them. One rule."
"Why would I wonder off when most of the fun is with you."
"Exactly!"
"Is that a horse?"
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yowza I wrote that so fast wowowwww I love this storyyyyy I hope you guys are liking it! let me know what you think of it! I hope the interaction at the end was as cute as I thought it was, idk there's no romance between them yet. they're attracted to each other but like okay you'll see just wait. I love your comments and votes so don't be a silent reader!! tell me what you think!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! If you're an American reader. stay safe!!! -osw