I'm posting this so soon because I feel so bad about making you wait two weeks. Also, your reviews made me so excited I had to write more. So here it is everyone- the Confrontation scene.
Disclaimer: if you recognize it from somewhere other than the first three Chapters of this story, it's not mine.
Amy and Rory gasped and the Doctor pulled the woman he identified as River around so that she couldn't see me. He motioned Amy and Rory over and, once they had started up a conversation, discretely shuffled over to me, murmuring some excuse to River about "leveling the engines."
He shooed me into another room, whispered something about "Spoilers" in my ear and closed the door.
I stood in stunned silence for a few moments before pushing the door open just a crack and peering through.
"So, River Song," the Doctor was saying in his childishly flamboyant style, "What can I do for you?"
I jolted back. So that's why he seemed so nervous around me. He knows me! I thought. No, I corrected myself, he knows River Song.
It suddenly all made sense. Why he wanted me to go home. Why he thrust me into this sad, cold room, when River Song suddenly showed up. He was trying to prevent a paradox!
Fortunately for everyone involved, that was never going to happen. Because while it might be bad mojojojo in time and space for one to meet a younger version of one's self, there is no taboo surrounding the colliding of someone assuming one's identity. Well, no taboo for the person whose identity is being assumed. The other person, one can presume, is in a pretty bad place when her cover has been compromised.
I returned to my crack and continued to observe.
River was talking: "And that is how I escaped from the fleet of Judoon. You appearing with the TARDIS was just fabulous luck on my part." She winked and smiled boldly. I imagined that Mum would hate this woman.
"Yes, fabulous luck," Rory coughed and the Doctor shot him a dirty look.
"River," Amy glanced back at the door where I stood and I shrunk back so she would not see me pressed up against it, "you didn't tell us you were from the Chilterns. I always assumed you were from somewhere far more exotic."
I cringed at the mentioning of the Chilterns. Please, please, please, please, let there be some weird coincidence where the real River Song is actually from the Chilterns, I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed.
"Where?" River raised her eyebrows. She pulled out a strange blue book and flipped through it. "I've never been to the Chilterns in my life. Yet?" She glanced at the Doctor as if there was some big secret surrounding her and the Chilterns. Which I guess there was.
"Wait, you're not from England? 2025?" Amy looked at her two male companions.
"No. Am I supposed to be," River laughed.
"Sort of," Rory mumbled.
Amy, Rory and the Doctor all whirled their heads around to stare at the door. At me.
I slipped through the door as they watched me, timidly shutting it behind me. I started nervously giggling. "Busted."
The trio hesitated for a moment as I watched the real River Song look from me and back to them in confusion. The Doctor was the first to reorient himself. He strode over to me and pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Then who," he asked, "are you?"
"My-my- name is Reinette. But everyone just calls me Rinny," I stuttered, shying away from his harsh tone.
"And why were you pretending to be my good friend River Song?" He stuck his face close to mine and I closed my eyes, pretending in my own adolescent way that the simple act would transport me out of the mess I was in.
"She what?" River asked from a few meters away, but the Doctor ignored her, his piercing eyes glaring into me every time I ventured to open my eyes.
Finally, I found my voice. "I wasn't pretending to be anyone," I answered, not sure if this was the truth or if I was still lying. Of course, my explanation was total cow poo. "I just, sort of, picked a name. Song because I, uh, like to sing. And River because… um… because I love the old American show Firefly. It was cancelled way before it's time."
"Amen!" Rory called from River's side. "That show deserved much more than one season and a feature film!"
"Rory!" the Doctor snapped, turning to look at him, "Can we focus please?"
I didn't hear Rory's answer because I took this as an opportunity to utilize what every member of my family could agree was the number one strategic move: I ran. I ran down the hall of the TARDIS, automatically racing to the one place I had truly felt at home on in this colossal ship.
Unfortunately for me, no matter how good of shape I was in, I was no match for an equally well-toned alien. The Doctor quickly caught up to me and grasped my wrist.
"You're not getting away that easily. Now tell me, if you weren't trying to be anyone in particular, there must be a reason why you didn't want to be yourself. So I'll ask you again, who are you?" The Doctor resumed his position of not enough personal space.
"I already told you, my name's Rinny," I pleaded, hot tears filling the corners of my eyes. I cursed my tear ducts for betraying my emotion.
The Doctor looked angry but, before he could ask his next question, a thought passed before his eyes.
"You were running. You were running away. But you weren't running out. You were already in the control room, which you already knew was a way out. For all you know the only way out. But you weren't running toward the door. You were running deeper into the TARDIS. Tell me Rinny, where were you going?"
"I wasn't going anywhere, I was just… running," I lied, terrified to upset this mad man in his box.
"No but you see, you weren't just running. You were running somewhere," the Doctor grabbed both my shoulders and crouched down so that his face was level with mine. "Where were you going?"
"To Mum's room," I whispered.
"What did you say?" the Doctor asked, confusion crossing his face.
"To Mum's room," I raised my voice and kept it level. "Mum. You might remember her. Rose Tyler. Defender of the Universe. You asked me who I was. That's who I am: Reinette Tyler. One half of a genetic code gone horribly wrong."
The Doctor jerked his hands off of me as if I had electrocuted him and pure disbelief flashed upon his face.
I turned and ran, this time desperate to actually reach my destination.
As I ran I could hear Rory ask first Amy, then River, then the Doctor before shouting to my fleeing form: "What does that mean?"
The Doctor just stood there, unwilling (or unable) to move.
Why had I ever thought this would be a good idea?
Sorry that there isn't actually that much confrontation. But I figured that something like this had to be broken in waves. So first comes anger, then a long, meaningful talk, then acceptance. Or maybe not. I guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out ;)
Also, anyone get the Firefly reference?