Claire burst into Adelle's office, having held it together fairly well until that point, but when the door slammed shut behind her, she sank down onto the sofa, letting everything out, shaking and crying as she screamed at her boss. "You said he'd never get in here!" Not only had her illusion of love been ripped from her the moment Adelle left her office two weeks ago, but now her illusion of safety had been shattered into a million pieces. At least she'd known that the love was an illusion. She had really thought she was safe. But now... he had gotten in once, he could do it again. Whenever he wanted. And they had no idea how he did it. He knew things about the Dollhouse that they didn't.
Adelle was doing her best to stay detached. "I didn't think it was possible." She and Claire had only spoken regarding business matters since their... indiscretion. She hoped she could put a business spin on this conversation as well. "My apologies for the inconvenience." That sounded horrible, even to her own ears. But she had herself to protect, too.
"Inconvenience?" Claire asked, her heart breaking as she stood up and stared at Adelle incredulously. "An inconvenience is when a chart goes missing or Topher's behind schedule. An inconvenience is when the telephone won't work or your radio runs out of batteries. When a sociopath breaks into your home, especially one who cut your face up like a jigsaw puzzle the last time he was here, one you thought you were safe from, that is NOT an inconvenience!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face as fast as she tried to wipe them away. "I thought he was going to cut me again, or hurt me another way, or kill me," she then said more quietly, turning away and hugging herself, willing the fear to leave her alone. But she knew that was futile. She was going to be sick.
Adelle watched Claire go from incredulous to angry to subdued to sick in the span of ten seconds, and the doctor was already kneeling in front of the wastebasket before she realized what was happening. She gripped the desk until her knuckles ached, trying not to go to Claire, but really all that did was make her feel weak in the end for trying to resist and failing.
She knelt by the doctor's side, pulling her hair back from her face while she emptied the contents of her stomach into the trash.
Claire allowed the touch, even reveling in it for the thirty seconds it lasted, and when she'd finished, she stood up, wiping her mouth with her sleeve, tears still glistening in her eyes as she looked at Adelle. "My apologies for the inconvenience," she said in a low, bitter tone, and turned to walk out the door. "One more thing," she added, throwing a glance over her shoulder, determined to be strong and not let her indecision creep into her voice. "I'm leaving the Dollhouse."
Adelle wasn't prepared for that, or for the sheer intensity of emotion that overwhelmed her at hearing it. She wanted to plead with Claire to stay, but her lips betrayed her mind, and instead she said coldly, "you can't. You have a contract."
Claire's eyes flashed, but she kept her voice calm. "Then kill me."
And she was out the door, leaving Adelle staring at the empty space where she'd been standing.
Adelle stood there for all of two seconds, fuming, before she stalked out the door after Claire. "I did not dismiss you!" she barked, her irritation at the situation bleeding through into her sharp tone.
Claire could not believe what she was hearing, but she stopped in the middle of the hallway, slowly turning on her heel to regard Adelle with an expression somewhere between sadness and longing. "You dismissed me quite awhile ago, Ms. DeWitt. Two weeks to be exact."
Whether the shock on her boss's face was from the statement itself or the fact that she had reverted to formal titles, she wasn't sure. Either way it didn't matter anymore. She was leaving this twisted fantasy, leaving the multitudinous bad memories and taking the few good ones with her.
Adelle didn't have a witty retort for that one, and if she had she wouldn't have used it, anyway. Claire looked like she expected some kind of response, but Adelle just stood there, grasping at straws, trying not to feel like the walls were closing in on her. She hadn't realized how important Dr. Claire Saunders was to her until that moment. The ironic moment when it was too little too late.
Claire didn't know what she expected, really. Adelle was the queen of silence when she wanted to be. Sometimes it drove her crazy and sometimes it made her admire her boss... ex-boss... that much more. But when Adelle just stood there, had no response, no change in her facial expression or body language to signal that Claire was wrong... the doctor's own psyche started laughing at her, taunting her, telling her how stupid she was to think that a woman like Adelle DeWitt would ever crack over her. And she fled to her office to lick her wounds while she packed her things.
The only outward indication of her inner turmoil was two clenched fists as Adelle turned to head back to her office. She was surprised to almost collide with Topher. "Watch where you're going," she hissed, attempting to side-step him but he got in her way.
"She needs you," Topher said in that way of his, the way that made you want to either slap him or hug him, depending which side of the fence you fell on.
"I beg your pardon," Adelle said, slightly aghast, "but I believe you just tried to give me unwanted advice. Need I inform you how unwise such a transgression would be?"
"Unwise, schmunwise," Topher said, shaking his head in that stuttering way and waving his hands in the air. "She really needs you."
"You do realize you are risking your employment status with this company," Adelle told him. "I suggest you shut your mouth and get back to work."
"She's traumatized and you're the one she reached out to!" Topher said desperately. "If it was me, I'd be in there comforting her, but it's not, it's you, and despite her poor choice in my opinion, I'm not gonna let her suffer if there's the slightest possibility of getting through your thick head!" Yes, he was probably inducing homicidal rage in his boss, but did he care right now? Not so much. Claire was more important. "You don't deserve her, but it's her choice, not mine."
"Topher, you are this close to no longer being in my employ," Adelle said angrily, illustrating with her fingers just how close he was.
"Good. Great! Then Claire and I can run off together and have a million babies!"
Adelle's eyes widened into the look. He couldn't possibly be serious, could he? Claire was... well not exactly hers, but... oh yes, damnit, she thought of Claire as hers, and she wasn't about to give her up to Topher. This provided the perfect motivation to convince her stubborn self to go after Claire. She stepped closer to Topher, lowering her voice. "If you even so much as attempt it, you won't be having babies with anyone, ever."
Topher gave his nervous little laugh, and when she walked away, he rolled his eyes in relief, slumping against the wall.
--
Adelle entered Claire's office without knocking and shut the door behind her. "You're not leaving."
"Actually, I am," Claire said quietly, continuing to pack her things.
"No, you're not," Adelle said, trying to maintain control of the situation in the only way she knew how - taking control.
"You don't have any say over what I do," Claire reminded her, neatly folding a pair of pants and setting them in her suitcase.
"Yes I do, I'm your employer and you have a contract," Adelle said, straightening to her full height and taking a step toward Claire.
Claire continued packing, not looking at Adelle. "Nothing you could do to me would be worse than the fear I've already gone through, and the pain of having no one to turn to," she said. "Please get out."
Panic swirled and rose in her chest, and she was tapping her foot incessantly against the floor for several seconds before she realized it and stopped. "Please stay," she finally asked, just as Claire closed her suitcase.
"There are plenty of doctors in Los Angeles. I'm sure you won't have a hard time replacing me."
"Is that why you think I'm here? Because I don't want to have to find a new doctor for the house?"
"Why else would you be here? You're all business, Ms. DeWitt. I learned that and I don't think I'll ever forget it."
"You dismissed me just as easily, you know."
Claire looked up. "What? You got up, said it was better if we never spoke of what happened, and then you left."
"I paused at the door, waiting for you to argue."
"What?" Claire said again, her face twisting into confused hurt. "You had just basically told me it was a mistake that you'd never repeat. In what universe would I open myself up to further humiliation by arguing that point and providing another opportunity for you to reject me?"
"Are you aware that Topher wishes to have babies with you?"
The abrupt subject change almost didn't make sense. But Claire realized suddenly and her mouth dropped open. "Is that why you're here? Staking a claim on your property because someone else is interested?"
"No, of course not," Adelle said flippantly, and they both stared at each other for an interminable interval. Then she looked down. "Yes."
Now Claire stepped closer. Why did it make her swoon to think of herself as Adelle's property? "You think I'm your property?" she asked, her voice somewhere between hopeful and shy, when she meant it to come out offended and accusatory.
Adelle was confused by the doctor's tone. The question led her to believe she should answer 'no', but the way Claire asked, and the way she was looking at her led her to believe she should answer 'yes'. So she settled for something in between. She closed the distance between them and rested her hands on Claire's hips. "Aren't you?"
Claire's eyes drifted closed despite herself, her breathing quickening and going shallow. Even through her clothes she could feel the power of Adelle's touch. She very much wanted to be her property, as twisted and unhealthy as that was. But she couldn't handle another rejection. She had to be careful. "Do you want me to be?"
Now Adelle was fairly certain that the answer should be 'yes'. She squeezed Claire's waist, pulling her closer until their hips touched, and stared down at the doctor's closed eyes until they opened. "Yes," she answered, sounding a bit more confident than she felt. She was confident that her answer was true; the uncertainty was in the unknown of Claire's reaction.
Claire's lower lip trembled as she fought the urge to cry, suddenly so full of rekindled affection for the woman who held her. "I need you to show me that's true," she whispered.
"How am I meant to do that?" Adelle asked, feeling Claire's resistance melt away. "Take a marker and write on your neck, 'property of Adelle DeWitt'?" She let her lips graze said body part, scraping lightly with her teeth. It felt so good to be touching Claire again. Even if it made her vulnerable and stupid, it felt so good.
Claire gasped, tilting her head to offer more of her neck to Adelle. And then she did something she hadn't done in a very long time. She made a joke. "Only if it says 'personal property'," she whispered.
Adelle backed Claire into the wall, hands sliding down to grab her wrists, then up to pin them beside her head. She stared hard into those wide, expressive brown eyes, her body pressed flush against Claire's, and whispered back, right into her ear, "consider yourself my personal property, then." She pulled the doctor's flesh into her mouth and sucked hard, leaving a faint red mark on her neck. "You do realize this means I can do anything I want with you."
Claire swallowed hard and nodded, her entire body throbbing with anticipation, her chest constricted with the worry that Adelle would turn and walk away again.
"It means I can touch your face if I wish it," Adelle went on to say.
"But Alph--"
Claire started to protest but Adelle cut her off. "Alpha's not your daddy! I am," she hissed, dragging the flat of her tongue along each of Claire's scars in turn. "I touch where I want to touch. Understood?"
Claire closed her eyes and swallowed hard, again, barely able to make herself nod in agreement. The feel of Adelle's tongue on her scars was strangely liberating, and it made her skin tingle and feel alive again.
"A nod isn't going to cut it," Adelle said sharply. "You say 'yes, Daddy'." Her tongue had reached Claire's ear again, and she paused her affections, letting her warm breath flow into it, only to be sucked back out when she inhaled.
Claire's entire body trembled, a heat forming deep in her belly as she choked out "yes, Daddy."
"That's right. Yes, Daddy," Adelle echoed. She wasn't sure where that had come from, but hearing those words from Claire's mouth was intoxicating. She kissed the doctor's earlobe, suckling it gently, taking her time and just relishing the taste of her skin.
"Ple--" Claire started, but took a breath and tried again. "Please," she stammered on an exhale, her voice shaky and full of need.
"Yes darling, what do you need?" Adelle breathed, very much liking her newfound power over Claire.
"I need you," Claire moaned, arching her body into Adelle's.
Adelle bit Claire's ear, dragging her teeth along the lobe. "Do you think you deserve me?" she asked. "Have you been a good girl?"
"Yes," Claire whimpered, flexing her fingers against the wall, wriggling within Adelle's hold on her.
"Just 'yes'?" Adelle asked, taking a step backward and bringing Claire with her, forcing the doctor's hands behind her back.
"Yes Daddy I've been a good girl," Claire elaborated, arching into her boss.
"That's better. But I don't think you have been," Adelle said, raising an eyebrow. "You burst into my office yelling at me, and then you threatened to run away from home."
Tears welled in Claire's eyes and she leaned forward, burying her face in Adelle's neck. She had done those things... and she hoped it wasn't going to ruin what she thought they were just starting. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered.
Adelle released the doctor's hands and moved one of her own up to grab Claire's chin, squeezing firmly and forcing her head up. "The yelling I can handle. The leaving I cannot." She realized that on some level, she was admitting to having feelings for Dr. Saunders, admitting to having a need, but at this point they were both past pretending they didn't care. Far past it. And if she was going to demand Claire's loyalty, she wasn't going to play the chicken and not offer her own in return.
Claire struggled to keep her eyes open when she felt that grip on her chin. It was so good. So good to be Adelle's. She couldn't think of anything she'd rather be. Ever since the last time they were in this office together, she'd wanted what she couldn't have. And now she had it. She didn't mind calling her 'Daddy'. She didn't mind letting Adelle have the reins. In fact she was quickly learning how much she liked it. She didn't want to have it taken away from her. "I'll never do it again," she promised, her lower lip quivering without her permission.
"I'll have to see to it that you don't," Adelle said sternly. "You'll need to be punished."
Claire's eyes went wide, the tears slowly starting to spill over and make wet trails down her cheeks. "No, please," she said quietly, losing the battle with composure. "Haven't I been punished enough? Alph--"
Adelle's eyes flashed and before she knew what she was doing, she slapped Claire across the face. "I don't want to hear his name again, do I make myself clear?"
Claire gasped, and then the tears fell harder, sliding over her stinging cheek. She kept her head to the side, unable to look at Adelle, for fear of the dismissal she might see in her eyes. It would be too much - to have what she wanted dangled in front of her, only to be ripped away because she'd made a mistake. "Ye-yes," she answered, the word catching on a sob.
Adelle knew she shouldn't have done that, but she couldn't bring herself to regret it. "On your knees," she ordered, feeling a surge of power slide up her spine as Claire compliantly lowered herself to her knees without question. Her girl wasn't looking at her, however, and she didn't like that. "Look at me."
Claire was still afraid to look, but now she was also afraid not to. She slowly turned her face up, trying to prepare for the probable rejection, but all she saw was desire. It confused her... How could Adelle still desire her after everything that had happened? She was weak, and scarred in more ways than one, and Adelle was so strong and vibrant... how could the older woman even want to look at her?
Adelle could read the self-loathing on Claire's face and realized she had helped put it there. She'd need to fix that without delay. "Good girl," she purred, threading her fingers through Claire's hair and pulling the doctor's face firmly against her inner thigh.
Claire made a strangled sound and pressed her face harder against Adelle's thigh, welcoming the safety the position brought. She wanted to stay like that forever, and let the rest of the world melt away. She didn't want to be punished.
"All right now," Adelle said, pulling a chair over. She took a seat and patted her thighs, beckoning Claire with one finger.
Claire shuffled over on her knees and looked up at Adelle pleadingly. "Please don't spank me," she whispered.
Adelle merely pointed at her lap, saying nothing.
"I'll never say I'm leaving again, I promise," she kept trying.
Adelle reached around and threaded her fingers into the doctor's hair, pulling until Claire rose high enough to be yanked across her lap. "I think you know me well enough to know that I do not tolerate disobedience, whether it be from my employees or those with whom I share my personal life. If I tell you to lay across my lap for a spanking then you'd damn well better do it," she said sharply, bringing her palm down with a satisfying smack to Claire's backside.
Claire cried harder, not because it hurt, but because she had displeased Adelle. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she kept repeating like a mantra.
Adelle pulled the doctor's skirt up and her panties down, and spanked her until she could feel the heat radiating from Claire's ass with every smack. "I don't ever want to hear you say you're leaving the Dollh--" she stopped and took a deep, slow breath, closing her eyes. "Leaving me, again," she finished. "Do you understand?"
Claire had calmed down as the spanking had progressed, and her tears had stopped instead of getting worse. Focusing on the stinging, instead of the possibility of losing Adelle, helped her settle. By the time it was finished, she almost didn't want it to stop. "Yes, Daddy," she said quietly, and when an arm wrapped around her waist and squeezed, she felt safe again. "I only said it because I thought you didn't want me."
"I want you always," Adelle said, her voice strong, the words coming out rushed, unplanned, but with no lack of sincerity or conviction.
Claire went completely limp across Adelle's lap at hearing that, warmth flooding her chest. "Will you protect me?"
Adelle pulled up Claire's panties and lowered her skirt, then urged the doctor to sit in her lap, to which Claire complied with only a slight grimace as she sat. "I promise. You won't leave my side."
Claire smiled despite the painful throbbing in her backside, and rested her forehead on Adelle's shoulder, even going so far as to put her arms around her neck and snuggle. "I like the sound of that," she admitted with a hidden blush.
"You do, do you?" Adelle asked, allowing the snuggle, returning it, holding Claire gently to her. "You like being mine?"
"Oh yes," Claire breathed.
"Yes what?" Adelle asked, turning her face to nuzzle Claire's temple with her lips.
Claire pressed a feathery kiss to the side of Adelle's neck, then settled again. "Yes, Daddy."
Adelle half chuckled, half purred, and tightened her hold. This time they stayed locked in their embrace not to hold onto an illusion, but because it was comfortable, and there was nowhere else either one of them would rather be.
Fin