Orphans Beloved…IV "Vicious Cycle…"
Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved bits in my Buffyverse stories, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later. I do plan at least one longer tale, "Nessun Dorma" but that's just getting sketched now.
Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.
"And you're ok with this?" A blinking Sarah staring from her seat on chair at Cosima on couch. Cosima shrugging…
"I figured she'd tell him sooner or later. Unless of course he did turn out to be spying on us. Allison couldn't keep this from him forever. I was more afraid he'd either lock her up somewhere or they'd split…"
"Excuse me?" Allison, glare.
"As in…Leave…Take off…It would only be natural he'd want to protect you and the kids." Cosima explained.
"Oh." Tense nod…Slight relax. "I see…Yes. He would." Slight thawing to beam at end.
"It's so like him."
"Uh-huh." Sarah sighed. "But now, we've got him…"
"I resent the suggestion my husband is like the kid no one wants to pick for his dodge ball team…" Allison noted, frowning. "He's already had some success ferreting out some of that no-good Paul's records…"
"Really?" Cosima, pondering…
"He likes to surf the Internet, and he does research for his firm…See, what his job really entails is…"
"I'm sure it's fascinatin' to hear the nuts and bolts in detail but we've got other concerns…" Sarah noted. "And dear ole Donnie is one more target now he knows…And not exactly someone I'd expect will hold up under whatever the crowd doing this can dish out."
"I told you we discussed that…He's ready to take the risk for me and our kids…And again I say I resent this derision towards my husband. You act like he's nothing but a burden."
"Oh, no…Not at all…" Sarah waved hands expansively. "He and the kids'll make fine shields when the whoever come for us."
Allison closing eyes, clearly counting for patience…
"We didn't ask for all this…And Donnie and my kids are certainly less burden than what you've got in your duffel bag…Your daughter, under social service care?...A criminal record that could jump up to bite you any second?…Your 'foster brother'?...And that, whatever he is, with the bloody hands?...Vic?"
"Vic's out of the picture."
"You hope. I've encountered types like that…They always resurface." Allison noted.
"We might remember, if it weren't for me taking Beth's place…" Sarah began.
"Trying to steal from our poor dead sister…" Allison corrected, primly.
"I've put my life…And my daughter… on the line for us…I've nothing to apologize for."
"And I've done the same…Three people I love 'on the line', as you say… One willing to risk his life for us…"
"And we appreciate that, Ally…" Cosima, pacifying… "We just want to be sure we're making good choices here and using what we have wisely."
"I distrusted him…I hurt him…He needs to know he has my trust…And yours." Allison, anxious stare round.
"If he lives up to your promo, fine. He's trusted. If not…" Sarah eyed her.
"Speaking of people we can't trust…" Allison countered, fiercely… "You sure know how to pick worthy boyfriends…Paul, Vic…Anyone else we should know about?"
"Paul was unavoidable…And could be of use…He bein' our only link to the people who…" hesitant.
"I don't like the word either…" Cosima sighed.
"Created us…?" Allison, calmly…Surprising them.
"Yeah." Sarah, a bit perturbed at the notion.
"And I don't 'trust' him at all…But he knows things already and there was no way to stop him knowing more. We'll keep what we tell him under our hand."
"And Victor…Vic?"
"Out of the picture…And almost clueless…"
"Almost…He knows where I live…" Allison fumed. "And if you think it would be easy for us to sell and move on, you know nothing about current home values and the status of schools around here."
"And hope I never have bleedin' cause to … Look, I know Vic…Paul's got him scared, he'll keep off…Unless…"
"Unless…" Allison nodded. "I thought so…"
"Well, he's always in trouble over money…" Sarah sighed. "He likes to try and play with the big boys and they always take him for all he's got."
"Sounds like you care about him…" Allison eyeing her carefully. "You should tell me that now because I'm ready to shoot him if he comes back…"
"Ally…" Cosima cautioned.
"I won't have some hoodlum hanging around my house…Speaking…Did you know he spoke to them?...To my kids…" Allison tensely.
"He won't be back and if he does, send him to me. I'll take care of him."
"He had a gun in my house. I don't have hoodlums with guns in my house."
"That I can't help you with, kid…There have been and likely are gonna be people with guns involved here." Sarah noted… "Which is why I didn't want you to bring in Donnie-boy and make you both a bigger target than ever…"
"He'd be a…" gulp… "Target…Regardless. He just knows to look out now." Allison, firmly. "Don't you tell me I've endangered my husband…You came into our lives…You brought hoodlums into my house."
"Vic isn't a 'hoodlum'!…Well, maybe…But small-time and more the hustler…He's more in danger from himself screwing up than anything else. And probably more helpless than…"
"Don't…" Allison, grimly. "I meant what I said about derision."
Sigh… "Just believe he's 'mostly harmless' like the Douglas Adams guy says…"
"How did you ever 'hook-up' with the man?" Allison shook her head.
"I was a kid…Felix and I were havin' a rough time bouncin' from one foster place to another…He seemed like a guy who had his (pardon my French) shit together. To a sixteen-year old, anyway. It didn't last long before Felix made me see what a douchewad he was…"
"Sixteen?…And you've been with him all this time since? As long as Donnie and I?"
"That is a long time, Sarah…" Cosima, puzzled. "You must like him a bit…"
"We weren't steady or anything…" Sarah frowned. "Just after I grew up a little, I still needed to work with him…A bit…"
"'Work'?" Allison, sardonic look… "And that 'work' was what…Petty larceny, felony car theft?...Prostitution?...Drugs?"
"I'm not a hooker. I have a daughter." Sarah, grimly…Sad note behind the grim tone.
"No, of course not…I'm sorry." Allison, placatingly. "I'd no right to say that…I was upset. Donnie…"
"Found my record…Right." Sarah shrugged. "Mostly true…Only suspicion of prostitution…It was a drug deal not a pickup."
"That doesn't matter to us…" Cosima noted, soothingly. "You did what you had to do…But now…"
"Now what? I've got some maniac twin and some government or science or both goons ready to kill me and probably experiment on my daughter, then kill her too? And if I survive that…And don't go to jail for impersonating Beth…I maybe get to take Kira and run…God knows where…" she shook her head. "Probably back to Vic, you're thinking…And you're right, Allison…I always wind up right back there, with Vic…"
"That won't happen this time." Allison, calmly. "Your sisters won't let that happen."
"He's not all that bad, Vic…He did cry for me at my funeral…" Sarah, tearing up now… "And he got hurt, cause of me…"
Allison coming over, embracing her… "There, now…There…" Pat.
"Of course you realize I am not accepting any equation of him with my Donnie?" pulling back to eye her.