Disclaimer: I don't own Dollhouse, Echo, Laurence, or any of the characters. They are the property of Fox, Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, etc. I also don't own Harry Potter, etc. He and company belong to JK Rowling.
Story: The war was over and Harry was cast out. They hadn't even given her a chance to make sure Voldemort was dead. No, they banish her and send her back to her muggle relatives, to which Vernon finally gets rid of her by giving her to the Dollhouse.
Set after episode S1.9 ("A Spy in the House of Love"), making it AU from then on.
Spoilers: Definitely, all vague now but there's specific mentions of things that happened in episodes. Major spoilers coming up. EDIT: watch for spoilers up to season finale "Omega" (S1.12).
Warnings: Violence, language, sexual situations, etc.
Pairings: Laurence/Harry (Romeo), Topher/Ivy, slight Paul/Mellie, slight Paul/Echo, Adelle/Victor/Sierra, Alpha/Echo, Claire/Boyd/Ramirez. Crack pairings of the century, hahaha!
A/n: For this one, while it'll get into HP, it won't be for awhile. Sort of. What I mean to say is that we already have HP characters prominently appearing, but the problems HP world will cause won't come in for awhile. The other one will have the HP world's problems smacked right into the beginning of the story. So, HP characters stuck in Dollhouse world for awhile here, and the other is Dollhouse stuck in the middle of HP. Yeah? Yeah.
The Lost Girl
Chapter One: Welcome to the Dollhouse
Vernon had apparently gotten very upset when she had been dumped back onto his front steps. But he strangely kept quiet and stayed to himself for the week she'd been there, although she had some sense that he was plotting.
Well, that was a given.
On the seventh day she was there, Vernon told her he was taking her somewhere. Apprehensively, she followed, keeping whatever's of importance to her in the miniature trunk invisibly lying against her neck. Her uncle seemed aggravated as he drove her to London proper, heading to a corporate building that read Rossum Corporation on the outside. She was forcefully dragged inside, and they rode the elevator high up after Vernon had swiped some kind of card.
When they stopped, it was to enter an expensive-looking office, with a handsome man sitting at the sofa beside a beautiful woman. Glancing at the plaque at his desk, Harry saw the name Wesley Charles emblazoned on it, and she assumed that was the man's name.
"Ah, Mr. Dursley. You're early," the man commented, standing up with a smile.
Vernon forced a polite smile onto his face, "Sorry about that, Mr. Charles."
"This is the girl, then? She looks a little young," Wesley looked at her calculatingly, and she stayed quiet, confused and wary about the situation.
"She's sixteen and prettier than the lot around here," a rare compliment from her uncle, but it didn't seem to bode well for her in this situation.
"Sixteen?" the woman's eyebrows shot up. "That's under the legal age of most countries."
"Does it really matter? Your organization is illegal anyways," Vernon finally couldn't help the snide comment. Harry's sinking feeling in her stomach just sunk a bit more when she realized something illegal was going on.
Wesley's smile turned frosty, "Be that as it may, we do have some standards. And we work to make sure everything's consensual."
Vernon frowned and then turned to her, "Look, girl. I don't want you in my home any longer. Your freak friends don't want you either. You don't have an education and you haven't anywhere else to go. You'll be taken cared of here, get a large sum of money at the end of your contract, then disappear to a comfy life. I don't care. I just don't want to see your abnormal face around my home any longer."
Ignoring the rest, Vernon strode out and left them behind.
Both the woman and Wesley eyed his exit with distaste, eyebrows rising.
"I'm Adelle DeWitt," the woman introduced herself once they turned their attention back to her.
"And I'm Wesley Charles," he followed after.
Licking her suddenly dry lips, she held out her hand. "My name's Henrietta Potter. Most people call me Harry."
"Henrietta…lovely name," Adelle smiled kindly at her.
"We will take care of you here, Harry," Wesley assured her, coming next to her and gently leading her to an armchair.
"What…what exactly is here? Why am I here?" Harry's eyes darted to the exit, but her view was blocked by Adelle who came to sit back on the sofa.
"We're both the heads of individual Dollhouses. I lead the one here, in London, as Adelle heads the LA Dollhouse in the United States," Wesley began his explanation.
"We can give you a new life. A better life," Adelle added.
"For five years of your life, we would keep you in one of the Dollhouses, in what we call the tabula rasa state. It's essentially a blank slate, in which you would be free of worries, thoughts, choices –and simply relax away. To do that, we would wipe yourself clean of memories and personality, storing it in a wedge until the time of your contract expiring. However, in that time, you will be sent on engagements, where others may hire you to be their perfect girl in whatever way. You wouldn't be aware of any of it, and you won't remember when your time with us is up," Wesley continued.
Harry slumped forward, "You mean I'll be used." She tried not to think of all the horrible situations she would be put in, and not even be aware of it.
"Yes. But you'll also have the opportunity to help others, be the perfect midwife, sister, and yes –lover."
She had no place to go to. The Wizarding World had banished her, her friends had abandoned her, and she was definitely not welcomed back at Privet Drive. Without Gringotts, she couldn't find any of the places she was sure she owned, or touch the money that was in her name.
"I…Yes," she answered simply.
"Excellent!" Wesley's smile broadened. "Now, I don't have any more room here for another Doll, so I called you, Adelle."
"I see. Well, I'm missing my Romeo, and I'm thinking of giving my Head of Security a break and have him work as a handler for awhile. That man works too much, he's slipping," she acknowledged.
"I see. So Laurence will be her handler then?" he questioned her.
"Yes. I think it'll be a good experience for him. It might help towards his…distaste towards the Actives."
Harry stayed quiet and watched anxiously.
"I'm leaving tomorrow, so I assume you'll be keeping her for the night?" Adelle got up, ready to go.
"Yes, I'll be informing her more on the Dollhouse while I'm at it."
Adelle and he shook hands, and then she turned to Harry and offered her hand. Hesitantly shaking it, she watched as Adelle left and she was alone with Wesley.
"Well then…a tour of the London Dollhouse?"
It was nice. She had to admit the place was really serene and relaxing, but the Dolls, or "Actives" as everyone preferred, kind of creeped her out.
She'd told Wesley so.
He laughed and told her he hadn't expected her to be so blunt. She shrugged and offered a cheeky grin, surprised at herself for acting so casual with a man who was obviously part of such an illegal and unethical organization.
"You'll be wearing this for tonight. I'm afraid I don't have anything else," Wesley offered her a long white dress shirt. It looked like the one he was wearing, so she assumed it belonged to him.
"Thank you," she muttered, retreating to his bathroom.
His office was more like a penthouse really.
"Adelle will be here promptly tomorrow morning, so you'll be sleeping here with me," he announced abruptly.
She gaped at him, before remembering her hard-earned manners and nodded. But then she remembered the shirt she was wearing to sleep in and became even more uncomfortable.
"Are you uneasy?" he murmured, tilting his head and looking at her.
"Yes," she said truthfully.
"Blunt as always. Come, let's go to bed."
She hesitated, "We're…sharing a bed?"
"Of course. There isn't any other place to sleep in here," he looked amused.
"W-well, I can sleep on the couch."
"Nonsense! Now come," he went over to her and gently gripped her elbow, steering her to his bedroom.
"Do all heads of the Dollhouses sleep in their offices?" she muttered, not intending for him to hear.
"No. Some do, but others have their own homes. I find it easier to practically live in the workplace," he answered her.
"Oh…" was all she could say, finding herself nervous again when she saw his bed. "Um…"
They were on his bed in no time, under the covers without so much as a good night. But she sighed in relief, thinking she'd just avoided trouble for herself.
But the lights were still on and Wesley was looking at her with an inscrutable look.
"Yes?" she shrunk in on herself.
"You really are beautiful," he said in an uneven tone, arm slowly outstretching to turn off the light.
"Thank you," she muttered, unsure of how to respond. She really couldn't formulate a response when she felt one of his hands touch her shoulder briefly before treading down her side. She stiffened up and didn't say anything, even when his hand had reached the hem of her shirt and slipped underneath, touching her bare skin.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he breathed into her ear, suddenly very close to her.
"Yes," she choked out, starting to panic.
His hand that slipped under her shirt moved upwards, teasingly touching the underside of her breast lightly.
"I am still a man with needs, and you are as your uncle said –very beautiful," he started quietly.
"W-why don't you just use one of the Dolls?" Harry started chewing on her lower lip.
His other hand that wasn't busy under her shirt moved to caress her lips, stopping her from chewing on it further.
"Call me a hypocrite, but I don't believe in the stuff I sell," he answered honestly. "I'm much more comfortable being intimate with someone who's aware and willing…and, well, real."
"I don't know what to say, sir," she murmured.
"Say nothing. And no 'sir', Harry. Wesley, or even Wes is fine. You're aware of yourself, love. You know what I'm doing and what I want. You know what you want. More than anything right now, you're real to me. Would you be willing to be with me tonight?" he shocked her by asking.
Her eyes widened in the dark, "I-I…"
"Harry, think of it this way. You'll be doing this sort of thing in any case, in engagements. Wouldn't you rather lose your virginity when you chose to and be able to remember it, or become a Doll and lose your virginity in an engagement and in a situation you won't recall and hadn't agreed to in the slightest? I may be cornering you into this, but I'm still giving you an opportunity to say no," he pointed out logically.
Lose her virginity now when she herself would choose to, or lose it because her imprint (someone not even really her) chose to.
She turned red and averted her eyes. "How'd you even know I was a virgin?" she delayed her answer with another question.
"It's quite obvious, Harry," Wesley's tone was amused. "The way you're panicking and became nervous. The way you're talking and that you've stuttered. The bright red shade on your face and the wide eyes. Am I missing anything?"
"…I refused to give you any more ammo."
Wesley barked out a laugh, "Of course. Now your answer, love?"
She went over it in her brain, and carefully thought about her decision.
"…Okay," she answered timidly.
Damn it all, he had an argument she somehow agreed with. And damned if she didn't want to remember her first time either.
He leaned over her and kissed her full on the mouth. That was her first kiss, not including the near miss Cedric had planted on her at the Yule Ball. And it was oddly satisfying knowing she was going to do this and enjoy it, and know she was going to be taken cared of.
Well, it was a nice change from the usual abandonment she was used to. And every bitter feeling she kept inside her was forgotten for at least that moment in time.
The next morning, she was surprised to find Wesley still curled around her. She had figured he was a morning person and that he would've gotten up, dressed and ready for the start of the new day and working before she'd even woken up. But he was still there, comfortably snug around her.
"Wes…don't you have to get started on work? I thought you were the kind of guy to get up early and start working," she gently prodded his shoulder.
"But I'm happier here. I wanna go back to sleep," he muttered childishly, already awake but eyes still closed.
"I thought you were sleeping. Didn't expect you to answer," Harry thought aloud to herself.
He grumbled something unintelligibly before tightening his hold around her. "You're right. Usually I'm already up and about, working from the moment I finished quickly tending to myself. But I want to stay here a little longer with you, before Adelle picks you up. And you're too special for me to just sleep with you and then toss you aside in the morning so I can start working. You're more important than that. I thought it would be better if I'd sleep in with you."
"Do you normally sleep with girls, and then push them aside in the morning?" she hesitantly asked.
"When I do find time to actually have sex, yes. I didn't seek them out for their company, but for their bodies. They served their use, and therefore no longer useful to me. I don't see why I should focus my attention on them in the morning when I have more important things to do, like starting the day's work," he admitted coldly, though the coldness wasn't directed at her.
While it was nice to finally be showered with affection and dotted on, Wesley's coldness and his treatment of others tempered down that happy reaction quite a bit.
"Shouldn't I get ready before Miss DeWitt comes though?" she looked at him.
"Alright. Go take a shower. Take as long as you want. I'll get us someone to bring us breakfast in the meantime," he kissed her bare shoulder, before letting her go and getting off the bed himself.
After her shower, she was contented to find pancakes ready for her, syrup and butter at the side. Ignoring the syrup, she splattered ungodly amounts of butter on the pancakes and started to eat.
"Don't like syrup?" Wesley asked her in amusement.
"No, don't like the taste," she told him, pausing in eating to answer him.
"Hm," he replied, heading over and kissing her on the lips before heading to the seat across from her and beginning to eat himself.
"You like them plain," she stated, watching him eat the pancakes without syrup or butter.
He shrugged, "I've grown used to not eating with them."
She grew nervous and started biting her lip again.
"What's wrong?" He had noticed the change in her quickly.
"I don't know if I really want to be here or be a part of this," she mumbled, but he caught it perfectly.
He sighed, reaching out and grabbing one of her hands. "Harry, I don't mean to be cruel, but once you're in the Dollhouse, the truth is you can never leave. And now you've caught our notice. We can't possibly let you go."
Harry blinked back tears, and Wesley came over and brought her into a hug.
"Why are you so kind to me?" she asked, crying into his jacket.
"You seem to be under the illusion that you don't deserve any form of kindness or care. Let me assure you, there's something about you that demands tenderness," he smirked.
"If you say so," she sulked, still fretting over her situation.
"I do say so," he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver. "Now I'm going to get ready. Don't leave my office, but be free to look around here."
He left her behind, and so she wandered around, looking at the various things that he had kept in his office. There were no pictures, but he had several bookcases lining his walls, a couple plants and bonsai trees, and several knick knacks and odd things lying around.
"Ah, Henrietta. You look fresh and ready," Adelle DeWitt interrupted her musing, and she whirled around in surprise to see her near the door with a tall, blond man.
Harry smiled shyly at them, "Hello, Miss DeWitt. Um, sir."
"Henrietta, this is Laurence Dominic. He is my Head of Security," she introduced the man beside her, who strode closer and held out his hand. She shook it hesitantly.
"And my new handler, right?" she asked quietly.
"You caught that then, from our conversation?"Adelle smiled in satisfaction.
Laurence still had a blank face on, so Harry couldn't figure out what the man was thinking.
"Yes, ma'am," she peeked at him again, and this time she caught his gaze. His icy blue eyes bored into hers, and she repressed a shiver.
"You were having second thoughts, weren't you?" Adelle asked knowingly.
Harry grimaced, but nodded.
"They always do," the older woman replied. "Now I'm going to talk to Wesley's Head of Security before Wesley finishes his shower. I'll be back." She left and soon enough it was just herself and Laurence.
Both of them were quiet, but Laurence suddenly broke the silence.
"Why? How can you even consider becoming a Doll and signing your life and will away?"
Harry sighed, "My parents died when I was still a baby, and I was left with my aunt and uncle and their son, all three who have hated me my entire life. When I finally found people who I could count on as family, it turns out I couldn't be any more wrong. Sixteen years, Mr. Dominic. My whole life. I've tried everything, did whatever they asked. Just so I could gain any measure of acceptance or acknowledgement. Miss DeWitt and Wesley are using me, I understand that. But at least they were upfront about their intentions. I know there are other people in the world, sir, but the truth is – I'm just tired."
She was right he would've argued with her had he not looked into her eyes and saw the genuineness and the weariness that shouldn't belong in the eyes of one so young. The haunted look on her face made him rethink lecturing her on a choice he usually disapproved of, regardless of his job.
"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely. He didn't say what for and she didn't ask. "I don't like Dolls," he admitted.
"I know. I heard them talking," she smile ruefully. He gave a quick wry grin as well.
"To me, I've never understood how someone could willingly sign themselves away. It gets worse when I also see them in their Doll state. They have no thoughts, no will. It's unnerving. But I promise you, no matter my feelings, I will take care of you."
Surprised, Harry gave a huge smile before impulsively leaning over to kiss his cheek. A cough to their side cut her action short, and she turned red while Laurence became impassive once more.
Wesley stood there, staring at them with the same impassive look on his face, wet hair dripping onto his suit.
"Laurence, good to see you again," he said coolly, but he was staring at Harry while he greeted the other man.
"Mr. Charles," Laurence greeted back stoically.
Wesley held out his arm, and smiled stiffly at Harry. "Why don't we go look for Adelle?" he addressed her, ignoring Laurence completely after having greeted him.
She looked hesitantly at a blank faced Laurence before accepting Wesley's arm and led out, knowing Laurence followed behind them.
Harry had kept silent after that, letting the others talk while she tried to keep to herself. And soon she was heading to Los Angeles with Adelle and Laurence, leaving behind an unreadable Wesley in London.
Now she was in the imprint chair Wesley had told and shown her, nervously laying back.
She locked eyes with Laurence.
Her entire body began screaming in pain, and she couldn't tell if it was worse or less painful than the Cruciatus Curse. Then an odd feeling came over her, like an invisible heavy blanket settled on her.
"Romeo," the man she was recently introduced to as Topher Brink called out.
She knew she was still Harry, and that everything was intact. But she still answered.
"Did I fall asleep?" she murmured, as the words just came to her.
"Only for a little while. Now it's time for a second treatment, Romeo."
"Okay," Harry smiled blankly, though inside she was sure this was not supposed to happen. Wasn't she supposed to be not aware?
Lying back down, Harry looked at Topher. "Look to this man next to me, Romeo."
She turned her head. Laurence, she remembered.
He was still stoic, but she could see he was tense and there was hidden worry in his eyes.
"Romeo," he whispered, already beginning the process and acting like a pro. He touched her wrist briefly before firmly grasping her hand.
"Everything's going to be all right."
"Now that you're here," she breathed out. Okay, this was weird. She was suddenly spouting out words without even thinking about saying them.
"Do you trust me?"
"With my life."
And suddenly she felt like she trusted Laurence completely. Which was ridiculous, knowing she had to be programmed to trust him –which she figured out was what was happening.
'But I do already trust him. I trusted him before this.'
"I'll protect you." His words repeated in her mind like a broken record.
Started 5/22/09 –Completed 6/7/09
A/n: Okay. First chapters of both fics are out, so you can see a sample and go to the poll. If you want to recast your vote, just leave a review saying so and which ones you had originally voted for and then which one you want to vote for now.
Original characters will be in all fics with the same name, because it's too much of a hassle having the same character and having to give them different names when they're the same person.
Evangeline Charleston is my idea of what role Summer Glau should play second season, which I've created and kept in mind since Dollhouse first started and the idea of borrowing Summer from TSCC (before it was canceled) occasionally for Dollhouse entered my mind. She was originally going to appear first in Happiness in Misery, but you know…
And yes, I've made them AU, because I already dealt with the problem in Happiness, don't want to deal with again with my crossovers. I'm being lazy.