"Orphans Beloved: "Razor's Edge…I"
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.
Disclaimer: No copy write infringement intended…
(fiddling with serious and humorous versions of this one…)
"Cosima…"
"Hey, Ally…" wave on screen, nervous tone. "How's everything?"
"Uh…Well, Gemma's been talking back to me. Result of my indifferent parenting these last few months, I know. But that's going to change… In fact, we're doing a mother-daughter weekend, starting today. But how are you? Sarah says the tests with Helena's serum are really going well."
"Oh, good…Very good…Uh, is Sarah there now?"
"Actually…She did a really nice thing…" beam. "She took Donnie with her to see Helena at New Path. I was so touched. She wanted to do something with him, sister-in-law/brother-in-law. Her way of showing she believes he was innocent in all this, which he was, you know." Anxious look.
"I know, I know…I read Leekie's files, he really did believe Dr. Leekie was your therapist. But Ally…Was Sarah…" trenchant pause… "Herself?…I mean…"
"What?" Ally blinked. "You think Rachel…? I'll call Donnie, now!" she pulled phone.
"Uh…Well…Calling Donnie would be fine, though there's no reason to worry, I think. But see, this is about Sarah. You know how she had Beth's medical exam a year ago?"
"Yes…Why?"
"Well, you know how Dr. Leekie begged us to take the test for those biochemical and neural markers, even after he was arrested?…And how we all passed, even Helena…"
"…And me…" beam. "We aren't going crazy, I'm just a little bipolar and Helena's actually basically ok, but for horrible psychological abuse, so?"
"Well, Ally…I explained and Dr. Leekie explained…It's not just a question of 'going crazy' in terms of real neural deterioration. We're also potentially subject to biochemical imbalances. Which is why…Ummn…If any of us had ever…"
"Used drugs? Cosima…" Ally cocked head at screen.
"Well, yeah…I guess we both could be in that club…But I mean certain specific drugs…"
"You mean the sort of drugs very urban people like that friend of Sarah's sold?"
"Yes…See…I think…The tests sort of indicated…." Hesitant, awkward look.
"Sarah used cocaine…I know that. I stayed at Felix's apartment, remember? He had…Drug paraphernalia." She gave awkward, nervous glance away. "But they've abandoned that lifestyle. Haven't they?"
"Well, see…There's the one thing…She stopped using…Though she was never a big user, just… Anyway…The other thing is Sarah's tests kinda…Got overlooked…Some confusion of her results with Beth's, because of Beth's meds abuse? And then Dyad started to come apart and all…"
"Sarah's results? But…Sarah?" Ally stared. "She's the strongest one of us…Drugs wouldn't…"
"Absolutely…I know…Iknow…" Cosima waved hands on screen in pacifying motion. "And Dr. Leekie dismissed the results as a mix up of Beth and Sarah…Initially. But the last results…"
Ally blinking…
"…kinda confirmed the earlier results…"
"What?!"
"And Dr. Leekie…Who was very helpful, I gotta give him that. He really is concerned for us, Ally…Even though he's in prison for the next twenty years, now, at least."
"Paroled in five…He still has friends." Frown.
"Ok…Maybe…But these are scientific facts, Ally. Sarah has the biochemical susceptibility markers that could potentially make her…Under certain conditions…A little…"
"Crazy?" Ally blinked.
"Well…A little…" Cosima sighed. "And see, the cocaine may actually have helped minimize the condition by blocking the receptors. So now she's been off all coke and such for a year or more…"
"Oh, that's ridiculous. Sarah? Sarah is our rock, Cosima. She kept me from killing Donnie before I found out he was only convinced I was losing my mind and he had to follow Leekie's instructions. She's even helped Helena…Sarah couldn't…"
"We didn't think Beth could…" Cosima eyed her…
"You mean this could make Sarah commit suicide? But she has everything to live for…A daughter, a book in progress with us…"
"But Calvin…And Paul…" Cosima noted. "And she's been under tremendous stress. Dr. Leekie says stress…"
"Dr. Leekie…" Ally snorted. "He's trying to win our sympathy, Cosima. Rachel's the only one of us he ever cared for…The rest of us are just lab rats to him. It was awful that Calvin turned out to be Dr. Leekie's son and deliberately…" she winced…
"Yeah…" Cosima nodded. "And she ended up having to kill him when he was going to kill Helena...The father of her child?"
"I could see that causing stress but…"
"Even Helena was upset…"
"She's made real progress under Dr. Corbert. New Path is actually quite a good facility."
"And Paul wanting to help Rachel…Going to prison refusing to reveal her whereabouts? That had to hurt too."
"Well, she was over that. And respected his willingness to face up to what he's done."
Ummn…
Cosima politely avoiding continuing that subject…
"I'm not saying you should freak…Don't freak."
"I am not freaking. God, I should think by now you would have a little faith in me. But why are you so concerned now?"
"I'm just concerned because the last blood test showed a marked increase in signal. And Sarah has been edgy lately."
"Well, she seemed fine today… As I said, she invited Donnie to go with her to see Helena…She looked very nice. They should be back in a few hours. Cosima, are you sure Dr. Leekie isn't just pulling your leg…Maybe Rachel has taken Sarah's place and he's covering her tracks? 'There's a reason why Sarah seems a bit like Rachel, girls'."
"Say that's good…" Cosima grinned.
"Thank you. Well, when Sarah gets back, I'll have her call you, ok?"
"Good enough…Sarah?"
"Very funny…" Allison frowned. "Wait, were you seriously thinking…?"
"The biochemical thing can induce personality disorder…For which we are prime candidates, you gotta admit. And Dr. Leekie thinks Sarah's being the best of us at shifting characters could be a sign…"
Allison shaking head at screen…
Nonsense…
Sarah?
….
"You think you're so clever…Helena, right?" Sarah, in Beth costume…Beth voice.
"Seestra? Are you ok?" Helena, looking rather well in blouse and trousers, but rather concerned as she eyes Sarah from her seat.
"Going to kill us all, aren't you? And then what…Take Art from me? My partner, the best guy I know, damned right."
"He is very nice…But…Sarah…"
"Who's that? Another one of us you killed?! Damn…" she felt her pocket. "Left my gun, behind again…Art hates that!"
"Sarah, is something…Wrong?" Helena stared. "Why would you want to bring gun here? We don't allow weapons here."
"You and that monitor of my sister Allison's thought you could fool me, didn't you? But you can't…Damned right. Cause Beth Childs is …"
"Sarah?"
"Who the hell is Sarah? Is she here? Another one of your Proleithian crazies?!"
"Seestra, you are making me nervous…I call for nurse, ok?"
"A Proleithian friend, like that Margaret Chen? Oh, no…Not if you want your monitor friend to live?!" waves knife taken from tray on cart outside.
"Sarah? You didn't hurt brother Donnie? Sarah?! Seestra Ally will be so sad…You couldn't."
"You should know, Helena…" Sarah, now in Rachel voice. "That we are prepared to come to an arrangement if you cooperate."
"Sarah, you must tell me if brother is hok…I am going to call nurse." Helena reached for the call button…
"You killed Calvin…He was like a brother to me, Sarah!" Sarah fumed in Rachel voice. Waving knife…Grabbing cord of call button.
"Sarah, I am Helena…Your seestra who loves you. Please calm down…I don't want to hurt you."
"We shan't be interrupted…" severing cord.
"Oh, seestra…" Helena, anxious tone. "Please…" she put up a hand. "I love you. Don't go all me…We will find cure. Now, where is brother, Sarah? Where is Donnie? Is he with you?"
"You want Donnie, now, do you?" Sarah, in pert fuming Allison, waving knife… "You want to take my happy life, don't you Sarah? My kids and my Donnie…Don't you, you seedy grafter?! Well, you won't! Donnie belongs to me!"
"I just want to know he is hok…" Helena, hands up in placating gesture. "Can't we say hello, Donnie?"
"He's fine, of course…Even if he was a monitor, betraying me, I love him…And he only wanted to help me."
"Yes…That's true…" Helena nodded, soothing tone. "Could we just go see him? Say hi? I won't take him…I could not. He loves you and the little angels."
"Where did you get this?" Sarah, back to Beth now…Holding a framed picture of Art Bell taken from Helena's drawer. "You want to kill him, to steal him away from me…Like Paul…Well, Rachel, you won't get away with this!"
"You make good choice, Beth." Cautious note… "I am very fond of Arthur."
"You'll never replace me in his heart…Even after I died, he still loved me." Sarah noted. "You tried to take him, Sarah…But he only loves me."
"I am sure, seestra. We call him, ok?" Helena reached for her room phone…
"Don't touch that! You want to call in your minions, Rachel…But you won't fool me!"
"Oh, seestra…Please…" Helena, weeping now. "You are frighting me. Is brother Donnie truly all right? Please tell me."
"Donnie? Why wouldn't he be all right? Did you hurt him? Oh, you freak!" Sarah, Allison tone again. "Donnie?! Donnie! Are you all right?! Where is he?!" she turned wildly on Helena who put up hands…
"Seestra…Ally? I don't know…Where did you last see him?"
Suspicious look… "Wouldn't you like to know?" arch lift of head.
"Allison…I think Rachel is here and is trying to hurt brother…Eye for eye, you know?"
"Oh, no! I'll stop her! Hurry, we have to save Donnie!" she ran to the room door.
"Ho…k" Helena nodded carefully. "But I must tell nurse when I leave room, is rule in this ward."
"I'll do it…You shan't deceive me, Sarah. Indeed you shan't."
"No...That's fine. You call..." Helena nodded.
"Hello…This is Helena Bell…I need to leave my room with my seestra for a moment. Just to walk up the stairs. Thanks you." Sarah hung up.
"Arthur only married you so he could help you…He loves to help people…He doesn't love you, he loves me, still." Beth tone again.
"I know that, seestra. He is very kind. I know he will always love you, seestra Beth. Now we go find brother, yes? I think Rachel wants to do him harm to hurt Allison."
"Quick! I hid him so she wouldn't find him…" Sarah insisted… "This way, Sarah…"
"Hok…Yes."
"Sarah? You're talking in a very odd way…" Allison tone.
"Sorry. Oi, lets go find Donnie, sis. Oi…"
Uh-boy…She sighed, following Sarah.
Are we one messed so much up family or what?
….