What Happened When Sally Blinked (If She Had Blinked) - Doctor Who, Reinette/Sally Sparrow
Title: What Happened When Sally Blinked (If She Had Blinked)
Author: redshoeson
Recipient: thecolourclear
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: Reinette (Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour)/Sally Sparrow
Rating: G
Word count: 1,093
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Whoville, not even the Whos.
Warnings: Spoilers for The Girl in the Fireplace (2x4) and Blink (3x10).
Summary: The only reason Sally Sparrow doesn't find herself face down in the mud outside Versailles upon discovery is because she has the presence of mind to run when she sees the guards.
The only reason Sally Sparrow doesn't find herself face down in the mud outside Versailles upon discovery is because she has the presence of mind to run when she sees the guards. Of course, because she's running, she's not looking where she's going, and so, naturally, she runs right into someone. It turns out to be a woman, but the man escorting her catches her before she falls. Sally isn't that lucky. At that moment, the guards chasing Sally reach her.
"Please," Sally says in English, "please let me go. I don't want anything; I don't even know what I'm doing here."
The woman Sally nearly knocked over says something to her in French, but Sally is too worked up to remember a language she took for a handful of years in school. Instead, she looks up at the woman speaking to her and says, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
***
The girl's a frail little thing, but something about her captures Reinette's attention.
"Leave her be," Reinette tells the guards, and they release the girl, who falls in a heap at Reinette's feet.
The girl continues to mumble, but Reinette can't understand her.
"Go, my love," Reinette tells the king. "I'll take care of this."
"But-"
Reinette hushes him with a finger pressed to his lips. "Hush. You've more important things to deal with today. Go. Your court awaits you."
He nods before continuing down the hall. The guards look at Reinette.
"Go with him," she says. "I can handle the girl."
Pausing for only a moment, the guards nod as well, turn on their heels and follow after their king. Reinette looks down at the girl. She's a mess: dirty blond locks drenched, her face paler than even the ladies at court. Her manner of dress is completely inappropriate for Versailles; Reinette can't imagine where she found such dreadful garments.
"My dear," says Reinette. "Do you speak French?"
***
For a long time, Sally doesn't say anything. She's trying her damndest to conjugate a verb and failing miserably. Finally, she says in French, "I speak a little French, just a little."
"Ah," says the woman. "That will do. I am Reinette. Who are you?"
"Sally. Sally Sparrow."
"Ah," Reinette says again. She nods at Sally and says something Sally doesn't understand. Sally tells her as much. Reinette makes a face, irritation clear on her porcelain features. Finally, she motions to Sally to stand up, saying, "Can you?"
"Yes," says Sally, grateful this woman is taking the time to communicate with her instead of simply allowing frustration to take over. Sally scrambles to her feet, slipping once on the slick floor before managing standing up straight.
Reinette looks Sally up and down. "I have some clothes you can wear. The clothes you are wearing will not do for the court."
"Thank you," says Sally.
"You will practice your French," says Reinette. "I want to know all about you."
Sally is surprised by the woman's forthright attitude in the face of a stranger. "I will. I'll practice with you, if you'll let me."
"Of course," says Reinette, a smile crossing her face. "Who else?"
Reinette extends her arm and Sally takes it. They walk down the hall together, steps already in sync.
***
Every day adds both new vocabulary to Sally's speech and a new piece to the puzzle. Reinette enjoys sitting with her little Sparrow and talking to her for hours. It's a pleasant way to pass the time; in fact, it's the most pleasurable thing she's done since she last saw... but she mustn't think about him. He will come for her; of that she's sure.
"You're from England," says Reinette. "Yes?"
"Yes."
"And how did you come to France?"
Sally fidgets. "It's a long story. I don't know enough words to tell it yet and, anyway, you probably wouldn't believe me."
Reinette smiles at her. "Tell me anyway."
"It starts with... I'm afraid I don't know what they're called. They, um, they're from the sky and they come down to help people."
"Birds?"
Sally laughs, and Reinette is intrigued by the first genuine smile she's seen on Sally's face since her arrival. "No, they're more like people."
Now it's Reinette who smiles. "Angels."
"Yes," says Sally. "It starts with angels."
"I had an angel once," says Reinette, glancing out the window. "He lives in the stars."
Frowning, Sally looks out the window. "In the what?"
Reinette is used to having to explain things to Sally by now, so she uses as many relevant words as she can come up with. "The stars. The sky. The heavens. Above us."
"Oh."
Turning, Reinette sees Sally still staring out the window. She seems to be searching for something, but Reinette isn't quite sure what it is. Pressing a hand to Sally's arm, Reinette says, "Tell me more about your angels."
***
Sally tells Reinette everything she can think of, everything except the bits about the Doctor. In her own mind, Sally finds those bits to be completely nonsensical, so she leaves them out of her narrative. It takes days and days to get through everything, but Reinette listens with an attentiveness Sally has never before witnessed in another human being. Reinette seems to genuinely care about the stone angels and the strange voyage that ended with Sally's appearance in 17th century France.
When Sally finishes, she expects Reinette to laugh or throw her out or something equally dreadful. Instead, Reinette kisses her on both cheeks and says, "I'm glad you've come to me."
That's when Sally learns about how Reinette knows the Doctor.
***
Reinette can see the love in Sally's eyes before Sally is even aware of it. Reinette notices how Sally stands just that much closer to Reinette than to anyone else, how Sally finds excuses to clasp Reinette's hand. Once, Sally gathers Reinette up into an embrace that's so overly fond Reinette expects Sally to kiss her. Sally doesn't, though; she blushes and steps away before things head in that direction.
In her own way, Reinette loves Sally. She loves the sprightliness and enthusiasm that seems to course through Sally's veins. She loves that Sally brings her something that she can't find in her court: a remnant of the Doctor. He promised her the stars, but instead of taking her there, he's given her one of her own.
Sally sparkles in her own right, and Reinette loves that about her. She might not have the Doctor - not yet, anyway - but for now she has Sally, and that's enough.
FIN
Author: redshoeson
Recipient: thecolourclear
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: Reinette (Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour)/Sally Sparrow
Rating: G
Word count: 1,093
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Whoville, not even the Whos.
Warnings: Spoilers for The Girl in the Fireplace (2x4) and Blink (3x10).
Summary: The only reason Sally Sparrow doesn't find herself face down in the mud outside Versailles upon discovery is because she has the presence of mind to run when she sees the guards.
The only reason Sally Sparrow doesn't find herself face down in the mud outside Versailles upon discovery is because she has the presence of mind to run when she sees the guards. Of course, because she's running, she's not looking where she's going, and so, naturally, she runs right into someone. It turns out to be a woman, but the man escorting her catches her before she falls. Sally isn't that lucky. At that moment, the guards chasing Sally reach her.
"Please," Sally says in English, "please let me go. I don't want anything; I don't even know what I'm doing here."
The woman Sally nearly knocked over says something to her in French, but Sally is too worked up to remember a language she took for a handful of years in school. Instead, she looks up at the woman speaking to her and says, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
***
The girl's a frail little thing, but something about her captures Reinette's attention.
"Leave her be," Reinette tells the guards, and they release the girl, who falls in a heap at Reinette's feet.
The girl continues to mumble, but Reinette can't understand her.
"Go, my love," Reinette tells the king. "I'll take care of this."
"But-"
Reinette hushes him with a finger pressed to his lips. "Hush. You've more important things to deal with today. Go. Your court awaits you."
He nods before continuing down the hall. The guards look at Reinette.
"Go with him," she says. "I can handle the girl."
Pausing for only a moment, the guards nod as well, turn on their heels and follow after their king. Reinette looks down at the girl. She's a mess: dirty blond locks drenched, her face paler than even the ladies at court. Her manner of dress is completely inappropriate for Versailles; Reinette can't imagine where she found such dreadful garments.
"My dear," says Reinette. "Do you speak French?"
***
For a long time, Sally doesn't say anything. She's trying her damndest to conjugate a verb and failing miserably. Finally, she says in French, "I speak a little French, just a little."
"Ah," says the woman. "That will do. I am Reinette. Who are you?"
"Sally. Sally Sparrow."
"Ah," Reinette says again. She nods at Sally and says something Sally doesn't understand. Sally tells her as much. Reinette makes a face, irritation clear on her porcelain features. Finally, she motions to Sally to stand up, saying, "Can you?"
"Yes," says Sally, grateful this woman is taking the time to communicate with her instead of simply allowing frustration to take over. Sally scrambles to her feet, slipping once on the slick floor before managing standing up straight.
Reinette looks Sally up and down. "I have some clothes you can wear. The clothes you are wearing will not do for the court."
"Thank you," says Sally.
"You will practice your French," says Reinette. "I want to know all about you."
Sally is surprised by the woman's forthright attitude in the face of a stranger. "I will. I'll practice with you, if you'll let me."
"Of course," says Reinette, a smile crossing her face. "Who else?"
Reinette extends her arm and Sally takes it. They walk down the hall together, steps already in sync.
***
Every day adds both new vocabulary to Sally's speech and a new piece to the puzzle. Reinette enjoys sitting with her little Sparrow and talking to her for hours. It's a pleasant way to pass the time; in fact, it's the most pleasurable thing she's done since she last saw... but she mustn't think about him. He will come for her; of that she's sure.
"You're from England," says Reinette. "Yes?"
"Yes."
"And how did you come to France?"
Sally fidgets. "It's a long story. I don't know enough words to tell it yet and, anyway, you probably wouldn't believe me."
Reinette smiles at her. "Tell me anyway."
"It starts with... I'm afraid I don't know what they're called. They, um, they're from the sky and they come down to help people."
"Birds?"
Sally laughs, and Reinette is intrigued by the first genuine smile she's seen on Sally's face since her arrival. "No, they're more like people."
Now it's Reinette who smiles. "Angels."
"Yes," says Sally. "It starts with angels."
"I had an angel once," says Reinette, glancing out the window. "He lives in the stars."
Frowning, Sally looks out the window. "In the what?"
Reinette is used to having to explain things to Sally by now, so she uses as many relevant words as she can come up with. "The stars. The sky. The heavens. Above us."
"Oh."
Turning, Reinette sees Sally still staring out the window. She seems to be searching for something, but Reinette isn't quite sure what it is. Pressing a hand to Sally's arm, Reinette says, "Tell me more about your angels."
***
Sally tells Reinette everything she can think of, everything except the bits about the Doctor. In her own mind, Sally finds those bits to be completely nonsensical, so she leaves them out of her narrative. It takes days and days to get through everything, but Reinette listens with an attentiveness Sally has never before witnessed in another human being. Reinette seems to genuinely care about the stone angels and the strange voyage that ended with Sally's appearance in 17th century France.
When Sally finishes, she expects Reinette to laugh or throw her out or something equally dreadful. Instead, Reinette kisses her on both cheeks and says, "I'm glad you've come to me."
That's when Sally learns about how Reinette knows the Doctor.
***
Reinette can see the love in Sally's eyes before Sally is even aware of it. Reinette notices how Sally stands just that much closer to Reinette than to anyone else, how Sally finds excuses to clasp Reinette's hand. Once, Sally gathers Reinette up into an embrace that's so overly fond Reinette expects Sally to kiss her. Sally doesn't, though; she blushes and steps away before things head in that direction.
In her own way, Reinette loves Sally. She loves the sprightliness and enthusiasm that seems to course through Sally's veins. She loves that Sally brings her something that she can't find in her court: a remnant of the Doctor. He promised her the stars, but instead of taking her there, he's given her one of her own.
Sally sparkles in her own right, and Reinette loves that about her. She might not have the Doctor - not yet, anyway - but for now she has Sally, and that's enough.
FIN