Friendly Hijacking (Emilie/River/11)

May 19, 1962
Backstage at Madison Square Garden
The early forty-fifth birthday birthday celebration
of President John F. Kennedy


The night was in full-swing. There were over 1700 people in attendance at the old Madison Square Garden - the version that existed prior to the gigantic arena that exists Today. Marilyn Monroe had already gotten up on stage to sing a very sultry, breathy version of Happy Birthday to America's 35th President - and the First Lady was not there.

The President was lounging in the Green Room, sipping on a scotch and soda and smoking a cigar while a couple of gorgeous young women fawned over him. A lone Secret Serviceman stood sentry nearby, constantly monitoring the President's safety.

River slipped into the room, dressed like everyone else - like tonight was Oscar Night in Hollywood - and she quickly flashed a VIP card at the Secret Serviceman, who didn't trouble himself to look at it more closely. If he had, he would have seen that it was an obvious fake... But, he made the mistake that so many men tend to do (often without realizing it): he assumed she wasn't a threat because she was a woman.

No matter - it made things easier for River. She didn't really mind all that much.

She struck quickly and subtly, lightly kissing the President's cheek when she'd greeted him - with her hallucinogenic lipstick, of course - and planted the suggestion that he pursue Marilyn Monroe.

Though River was playing dirty and felt a little badly for poor Jackie O... She'd do this all over again in a heartbeat, if it meant keeping Ms. Monroe away from the Doctor.

With that done, River's task was complete. She could leave.

River slipped out of the Green Room and traipsed down the hallway that ran perpendicular to the actual stage and led outside to a loading dock. She had planned to use her Vortex Manipulator to jaunt out of there, but before she reached the alley out back behind the loading dock, a very familiar, very beloved blue box materialized in front of her, blocking River's escape route.

She didn't mind, though. River never really minded it when the Doctor's sudden arrival interrupted what she was working on, for he was far more important to her than anything else.

Smiling, River discarded the notion of using her Vortex Manipulator and instead walked straight to the door of the TARDIS and walked right on inside.

River was very surprised to see a woman with her husband's clothes on at the helm of the TARDIS. She blinked a few times and then looked again, and then a sinking feeling overcame River: her Doctor must have regenerated since River last saw him... and this time, he was a woman!

"Oh, no..." River uttered, slightly horrified (but trying not to be). "No, no, no..."

Smith was bound to be a little upset at her piloting the TARDIS when he wasn't even in the console room. But that was what he got for waltzing off like that. Peering at the screen, she subconsciously straightened her thinking cap at a slightly familiar image of a woman in the viewer marching up to the door. She had golden hair that wreathed her head in curls much like a halo.

Since she seemed perfectly capable of letting herself in, Emilie decided not to fuss about it.

"Hello there!" she greeted cheerfully. She knew Smith had talked about this woman back when he was the Doctor. She was a Pond, but had a different name... Brooke? No.

Ah yes!

"River! Smashing to see you. When are we?"

River seemed rather on edge over the switchover, but the Doctor could understand that. After all, it wasn't every day that a previous Doctor retired. She quite fancied travelling with Smith though, even if he was passing the title much like a favorite Dread Pirate she'd met once.

Or was that, she would meet?

Regenerate was a good word though. It clearly referred to the passing of the torch. Such an interesting term...

Even though the woman that the Doctor understood Smith was forever meeting out of order hadn't answered her question, she found herself smiling back.

"I never poke fun," she kept her tone as serious as possible despite the blazing smile. "Glad you approve."

Flicking loose strands of hair out of her eyes, she decided that if River wasn't going to oblige, she'd just check the TARDIS.

"But really. When are we...."

She had drawn out the words slowly, a syllable at a time as she found the correct readings.

"1962? Marvelous. What a lovely year. I've been meaning to see about paying Kennedy a visit..."

Of course, River had clearly needed to leave, so in the interest of keeping her companion and his friend, wife, whatever.. happy, she should probably not barge straight outside.

"Perhaps not...quite now though."

Oh, drat, what was she supposed to say now?

"Clearly your first time meeting me. So shhh," she raised a finger to her lips and winked. "No spoilers from me."

Nevermind that it was Emilie's first time meeting River as well. What was the point of being in charge of a time capsule if you couldn't have fun with it sometimes?

"1962? Marvelous. What a lovely year. I've been meaning to see about paying Kennedy a visit... Perhaps not... quite now, though."

River smiled approvingly. "Kennedy, eh? Good choice. Probably the most attractive President the Americans ever had," she commented while silently reminiscing about the last time she spent time with JFK.

There was hallucinogenic lipstick involved, and River'd had a lovely time... It had worked wonders on the President.

"Clearly your first time meeting me. So shhh," she raised a finger to her lips and winked. "No spoilers from me."

"Well, that's true - I've never seen that face before..." River agreed. "You'd be... what then? The twelfth Doctor? Or, is that too 'Spoiler-y' to share?" she asked.

This woman still didn't feel like the Doctor. Something was going on... But, River couldn't quite sort it out just yet.

And then, River heard His voice. Her Doctor... He was here, in the TARDIS!

"Alright now Emilie, where did you find those clothes? Did the TARDIS make them for you? She a horrible practical joker."

So... Just who was this 'Emilie'?

River sort of scowled and put her hands on her hips. "Emilie?" she asked him, pointing a finger accusingly at the girl in the fez.

"Hello River. It seems you've met Emilie. Emilie, River Song." No one seemed to move for a moment, so he sighed and made a sarcastic remark, "Oh boy, I can't wait to try and explain this one."

"Who is Emilie, and why is she using my word?" River asked, regarding 'spoilers'. "And more importantly, why is she wearing your clothes?" She folded her arms over her chest and prepared herself for some sort of 'epic tale'...

River rolled her eyes and shook her head and muttered, "Whatever..." She gave the Doctor a little shrug of her shoulders - this girl he was traveling with was a complete nutter.

"Anyway, we don't want to go back out there..." River said, gesturing at the TARDIS' doors. "It's Kennedy's birthday party, and Marilyn Monroe's going to sing to him... and if I have to endure her for any longer, I'm liable to punch her in the face," she explained hastily. "So, why don't we all go somewhere else, eh?" River suggested, not ready to take 'no' for an answer.

Besides, she didn't want to get caught for what she'd been doing at Kennedy's party - she'd been pretty thrilled to see the TARDIS on her way out of there and had been hoping to jet on out of there with the Doctor... Sticking around just wouldn't do.

River moved to approach Emilie at the control panel and hoped she would agree to hit the road, so to speak. The comment she'd made earlier about how River must not have met her yet hadn't escaped River's attention, so she was reluctantly going to try to stick around and get to know this nutty girl - knowing how psychotic she herself used to be, River knew she ought to give Emilie a chance to prove that she was as wonderful as the Doctor seemed to think (if he didn't, he wouldn't have invited her into his TARDIS, no?).

Emilie gave the former Doctor a very long look.

"You forget, Smith, that everyone here can fly the TARDIS."

Circling the console, she started to adjust the settings.

"And it just so happens, that both River and I fly her better than you."

Looking up with a teasing smile to her best friend, she glanced back to River.

"What do you say we visit the Weave? I've heard such things about their glamour, might be worth visiting."

Emilie felt strangely confident right now. It had been growing more the past few days, coming along with a strange urge to study. And for good reason.

Her hidden gift - or curse, however you want to portray it - had gotten enough foothold now to activate. It wasn't too noticeable, beyond her dotty behavior. That had been growing for weeks on weeks now though. The only thing visibly different was a ring of gold around her irises.