Untold Knowledge (Doctor Who x Genius Fem! Oc) [Book 1]

Chapter 11: The Girl in the Fireplace

Once the fireplace had stopped moving, they found Rose and Mickey to have gone. "Rose! Mickey! Every time." the Doctor grumbled as he led the way. "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 ranted to the pink cheeked silent Echo. Just as he finished his sentence, they rounded a corner and came face to long face with a white horse with bridle and saddle in all. He then looked down at Echo with wonder. "First snog, eh?" he timidly asked.

She shrugged without care, "Indeed. Physical affirmations of love and what not terrified me when I was younger. Now a days, I've just never been given the reason. I'm just glad she was pretty, and obviously intelligent." she admitted easily. This got the Doctor's mind wandering again. About how she would react to being kissed by him. If she would be as receptive. She did say they had to be intelligent...

But, instead of pursuing such thoughts, he shook his head and continued on with their search of their companions. "Rose?" he called again, hoping she wasn't in any danger. But he couldn't help himself when he continuously let his thoughts slip back onto Echo. After a few minutes, he then turned back to the horse walking behind them. "Will you stop following me? I'm not your mother."

"Oi. Leave Arthur alone. I think he's sweet." she playfully scolded him as she pat the horse gentle on the neck.

"Arthur?" he questioned without hesitation.

"A fantastic name for a horse, if I must say. That, or Melinda." she replied and pointed to a pair of white wooden doors with a bright light behind them. "Tell you what, though. Let's try going in there."

They then found themselves in the Versailles gardens. Echo saw a few butterflies glide passed them silently. They then spotted Reinette walking and laughing with a friend of hers. They had to duck a few times in fear of being spotted. Eventually, Echo grabbed the Doctor's hand and led him back onto the ship with the horse following close behind.

Not long after did they hear the familiar voices of their companions talking just down the hall. "Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" Mickey questioned as they examined the snobbish looking man on the other side of the one way mirror.

"The King of France, if you must know." Echo replied as they rounded the corner and saw who they were talking about.

Rose smiled at the sight of her best mates. "Oh, here's trouble. What have you two been up to?" she inquired, not having noticed their four legged friend quite yet.

"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friends of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man." he was then interrupted by a neigh from beside them. "Oh, and we met a horse."

"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked with confusion clouding his thoughts.

"Mickey, what's a pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective. See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history." the Doctor explained, then pointed to Reinette as she entered the room and curtseyed to 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?" he questioned rhetorically.

"Who is she?" Rose asked as she examined the oblivious woman as much as she was capable.

"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, also known as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women to have ever lived. And excellent snogger, might I add." Echo explained, never taking her eyes off the intriguing woman on the other side of the glass.

"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose asked, doing her best to brush pass the unexpected comment.

"No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress." the Doctor said as he too watched the woman before them.