Orphans Beloved… "Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes…"
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.
(Note…Remember I do not guarantee these "Orphan Beloved" bits hold as a story, though admittedly the first OBeloved tales are following a consistent line. For the Beloveds, there will be others that do not follow in logical order. However I will consider keeping the numbered OBeloveds as connected tales and others just using titles. Naturally I will indicate separate complete stories like Nessun Dorma which add chapters.)
Felix's, for want of better word, loft…
"No one wants to hear? Fine…" Allison, brittley.
Cosima, Sarah rolling eyes…
"Sure, yeah…" Sarah sighed, finally.
"Sure…" Cosima, kindly…
"Ok…" beam… "So as you know, I came back, not sure what to do but knowing I was ready to tell Donnie everything and beg his forgiveness…"
"Beg?" Sarah stared…
"I distrusted him, I hurt him, I ran out on the couples' weekend he'd set up with our vacation fund…Which, by the way I have to remember, I need $5000 of the $75000 back before I leave here…Sarah." Hard stare. "And announced I was going to divorce him…Then I went and slept with our neighbor…Beg seems about right, wouldn't you say?"
"Actually, me…" Sarah shrugged… "I'd toss your skanky form out the door and tell ya to never darken my familial door again."
Cosima frowning…Not helping, sis…
"Yes…Me too." Allison nodded thoughtfully… "But Donnie's a saint."
"He'd have to be…" Sarah, pondering…
"Well…I got there and he had an intervention set up for me…As I told you…"
"Yeah, that sounded intense…" Sarah nodded. "Even Ainsely…And the two-timin' gym boy?"
"Naturally she'd be there…On orders…" Allison frowned. "Rebuilding the bridges to reworm her way…But…" off-hand wave… "I was cool, calm…If she was sent back with orders to swallow her pride…"
Sarah, slight smile…
"If you say 'unlike what you swallowed, girl'…I could forget I have to be kind to you till Kyra recovers." Allison glared.
"Didn't say a thing, love…" Sarah, innocently. Cosima frowning at her…
"It's best I know who my monitor is and can watch her…I understand that, I was just so upset before…"
"Probably good policy, if Ainsely is your monitor…" Sarah cautioned.
"Donnie is cleared." Grim tone. "Unlike your new boyfriend…"
"This is no time to jump to definites on the little we have…I'm not denying Paul was with the protocol and if you give me anything suggesting he still is, I'll gladly offer his head on a plate, assuming we can take him." Sarah, matter-of-factly.
"We'll take you up on that…" Allison nodded.
"So long as Donniekins is held to…"
"Don't compare Donnie to that man…" Allison, grimly. "You of all people should know I will never stand for my husband being compared to a war criminal and betrayer."
"He didn't know what the project was…" Sarah, a bit lamely…
"Neither did most of the SS guards at Auschwitz, I imagine. But they had a fine time helping Mengele regardless."
"You were saying about Donnie and the intervention, Ally…" Cosima cut in desperately, bright smile.
"Just happened to have that all standing by, eh?" Sarah, pointedly. "And got Ainsely right on board…Quite an organizer, our Donnie. He should be working for a large organization with a major project involving coordinated field people with such stirlin' skills. He's wasted where he is…Perhaps."
"Sarah…" Cosima, closing eyes a moment.
"No…Let her go on…" Allison, coolly. "It so happens the thought crossed my mind when I saw everyone there that it was a bit too pat…Especially with Ainsely there. But the fact is he was just following the protocol from my rehab and Ainsely was the one who contacted him, about my little…Indiscretion."
"Big-hearted, forgiving guy, our Donnie…" Sarah, slight sarcasm.
"To a point." Allison, nodding stiffly… "But you're right, no one's that saintly…Without an agenda…And he wasn't. But my mental health and safety come first with him."
"Ok…He thought, based on Ainsely and probably rightly, you'd gone over the deep one…"
"He thought…Based on my behavior and what I'd started to tell him before I realized I was putting him in danger…That I might need support he couldn't provide. But I'd told him enough to make him wonder as well…And when Harkness Rehab was so quick to press him to do an immediate admission, no waiting…And Ainsely was, oh, so selfless about my doin' her hubby… 'Poor troubled Allison'…"
"She could just be a good friend…" Cosima pointed out. "You have relied on her for years…"
"And I know her well enough to know that if she cared about that moron she'd never forgive me. God knows I wouldn't…Well, not for a very long time."
Cosima eyeing Sarah…Well?
Shrug… "Ok, it is a little too noble…Though you were actin' pretty crazy."
"Donnie didn't buy." Allison, proudly. "He went along and let Ainsely gather a group from our friends but he didn't think it all added up, even if I have 'overboiled' before."
Stares…
"Six months at Harkness after I lost my last baby…Mom had me in therapy there when I had some anxiety issues back in high school. It's quite a place, really…Top notch…Well-funded, well equipped. Donnie was always startled how…Relatively…Reasonable they were rateswise."
She looked at the two, cluelessly staring… "Hello? Do you two not see the pattern? I get troubled, Harkness is always ready and waitin' to take me in...Ainsely ready to kindly suggest, urge I go…She was the one who pressed Donnie to bring me in last time."
"Harkness? You mean…?" Cosima blinked.
"Very well equipped. Now, maybe they're just the best but…Convenient should an illegal genomic study wish a quiet place to monitor and conduct tests." Allison, smugly. "No direct connection to Dyad and yet, who should Donnie find on the board of trustees when he checked after we talked…?"
"Dr. Aldous Leekie?" Cosima asked.
"The very same…But not only our likely Creator…"
"Maggie Chen…" Sarah stared…
"Dr. Margaret Chen, likewise a Dyad researcher…"
"So…They bring you to Harkness and while giving you therapy…"
Frown…
Donnie put this together immediately… "Or, after triggering the event and probably including worse…"
"What, so you're not utterly nuts?" Sarah, pasting surprised look to Allison's glare.
"You may have been there yourself, idiot." Allison noted. "They used Harkness, a perfect place to bring drugged people and monitor them overnight or longer."
Sarah blinked…
"Yeah…" Allison nodded. "First me and Beth, and God knows how many others of us, then ersatz Beth, namely you."
Cosima considering… "It could be…"
"And if it is…You can confirm it, Sarah…" Allison eyed her. "If you remember the place, then that's where they've been bringing us for testing."
"And how will I remember it? Go to their web…" she looked at Allison's arch look, then Cosima's… Sympathetic but…Hey, sometimes gotta take one for the team, kiddo…
"Oh, no…No…That's where Olli was going to send me…Where they want to examine me and probably not the Beth way. There's no way I'm goin'…They might find out about Kyra."
"You're not…" Allison, smugly. "Donnie and I…Ersatz me, that is…Namely you …Are."
Lord…No…Sarah backed away…
Somehow I knew I be winding up with the Donniekin if we didn't get to kill him…
"We need confirmation, Sarah." Allison, calmly. "And I've been there…Perfectly reasonable for me to drop by and schedule a consult to discuss my thankfully modest recent anxiety attack."
"Modest?"
"I'm certainly not going to tell them about my little 'roll in the hay'…Meaning you won't…And last time I locked myself in our bedroom for five days. I wouldn't even come out to go to the bathroom."
"Excuse me? Five days?"
"Empty milk bottles…" Allison noted, blandly.
"Right."
I take back what I said about her not being utterly nuts…
"Donnie had to have the door taken off. By comparison this last thing was nothing…"
"What if they decide to keep me and take a closer look?"
"Donnie will be there…"
"Like I said…" frown.
"Funny sister…" returned frown.
"Does sound like a plan, Sarah." Cosima sighed. "We'd know for sure where the medical procedures were being done."
"Which helps us how?" Sarah, careful look.
"We could have the place raided by your friends the police. You then return to duty and steal anything we need."
Sigh…"Believe me, Allison…The police are not my friends…Not even very friendly toward Beth right now…I doubt I could get returned and even if I could, I wouldn't take the risk for Kyra's sake…And for God's sake don't tell me Donnie would be there, again."
"Well, we'd at least have a location in addition to Dyad. People to accuse who might not care to get their names in the papers."
"Who can give injections and electro-shock people…" Sarah noted. "Even that thing with the ice-pick…"
"No one does lobotomies anymore…With ice-picks."
"That's a comfort…No."
"You'd just be going for a therapy session…Donnie won't leave your side…We'll tell everyone, I'll even let my mom know…They won't be able to keep you."
"What's the point of goin' for a session…I wouldn't see…" sigh at Allison's smile.
Harkness Clinic…
"I hope you know I won't leave you for a moment, Sarah." Donnie, reassuring attempt.
"That's a great comfort, sweetie. And don't call me Sarah." Sarah frowned. "Lets at least try to make this work…" she eyed the gates opening…
Yep, just about the sort of "Shutter Island" I expected.
"Donnie?"
"Yes…Allison?"
"If you're lyin' tell me now and I'll only knock you unconscious and ram back through the gate."
"I haven't lied…I wouldn't lie to…You…" he sighed. Both quiet as he pulled to a guard booth.
"Hendrix, for an appointment." He told the guard who checked a sheet and nodding, waved them on.
"Ok…Sorry. There's a lot riding on this." She noted as they pulled away.
"I know…And I want these people exposed as much as you do. They hurt my wife, nearly ruined my marriage."
"Yeah…About that…" she eyed him as they drove. "You're taking this thing with…Me…Pretty calmly."
"No, I'm not." He shook his head. "I'm furious at…You…For not trusting me and for…You know. But your life may be at stake and the kids' as well. And I love you too much to leave you in this, whatever it is. I can be furious later."
She considered his set face…
"Right, good enough…"
"Lose the accent, Ally." He replied. "And when were you here last?"
"Three years ago after…" slight pause…He stared at her…A tear running…
"…It's hard for me to talk about it…You know that." Blinking…Wiping cheek.
"I hope that's not meant to be funny…" he said quietly.
"Sorry. She said it was the way to go…"
"Ok. Just don't overdo it. And your doctor, then?"
"Dr. MacPherson…He was nice. For an assistant to Mengele…" she frowned.
"If he's a part of this we'll make him pay for it." Donnie noted. "But he was nice…"
Main clinic building…Both staring up at the large entrance door atop a flight of concrete stairs.
" 'Abandon all hope…'" Sarah quoted.
"Did she tell you that?" he looked at her. "That's what she said the first time we came here…"
"No." Stare around…Heavy wooden door…Brick walls…Grassy, pleasant but empty grounds…
"Don't leave me, Donnie." She looked at him, taking hand, tight clasp.
"Not for a second…Anything familiar yet?"
"Of course, I've been here before." She eyed him blandly as an attendant in orderly uniform passed them.
"Always reminds me of that movie…" Donnie began, smiling…
"'Harvey'…" she nodded… "Just call me Dowd, Ellwood P."
He patted her hand, leaning…
"Quick study…" he whispered. Grinning at her smiling return…
Holy shit…She thought…Staring at his beaming face…
He really does have nice eyes…I can see…Christ…
No…No…I do not feel happy being here with my sister's devoted husband holding me and watching out for me as if I were some little…
Oh, God, no…I do not feel jealous of Allison Hendrix…