What if Dorothy hadn't let Angel run away that night, and instead convinced her to stay close? One-shot inspired by a conversation I had with A.C.T.
"I know you don't like me Dorothy, but I like you."
At absolutely no point in time, in all the logistical calculations her gynoid brain could and did run, had Dorothy every expected to hear those words from the mouth of the soaking wet and bedraggled blonde. In fact, given recent events, she had anticipated quite the opposite when that woman had appeared before her.
But here was Angel, apologizing, and what was more, confessing to have some level of emotional concern for Dorothy's well being. No, certainly this was a jest right? A prank? The sad and crestfallen look in the taller woman's eyes said it was real, however, and that meant what she had said was true. She did feel guilt from not being able to save Dorothy before, and even letting that vile creatures words affect her thinking.
The more her mind tried to come to terms with it the stranger it seemed. Why should Angel care about her well being? Some memories came to mind, of the dreadful day, and the night preceding it, that Roscoe Fitzgerald had been destroyed.
That night, Angel had destroyed a prototype that had gone rouge. More or less ignored Dorothy while she was stuck to a magnet on the ceiling, and then did a complete change and seemed worried that Dorothy was willing stick a broken CD into her drive. That had been one instance of concern shown during that romp. When Roger had dropped them off to go board Big O, Angel had stuck with Dorothy, which at first she had found strange. Later, after the vile effeminate assassin committed androcide, Angel had kept an eye on Dorothy after that, until she later slinked away when she thought no one was watching.
And after last week… Why did she come to apologize? It seemed clear at the time she couldn't have saved Dorothy had she wanted too. And after failing to help the gynoid she ran away. It seemed like a perfectly logical course of action for someone incapable of acting in the moment. Now she was apologizing for that?
She turned to leave, but soaking wet as Angel was there would be no sneaking out. Dorothy heard Norman on the floor below, trying to furtively get something done while the power was out. The generator wasn't working either, so Norman was trying to fix it.
Not sure what propelled her hand forward, Dorothy grabbed Angels sopping wet coat and held fast. "Where will you go?"
"Didn't you hear me? I'm going into hiding." Angel half sobbed while speaking. While Dorothy had trouble understanding emotions, she could recognize many of them after living with Roger as long as she had. Angel was upset, tired, confused at Dorothy holding onto her coat edge, and maybe hungry. Dorothy wasn't completely sure about the last one.
"Yes, but where?"
"Well I won't be able to hide very well if someone knows where I am." Angel snapped. Scratch that, not tried, grumpy. Maybe Hangry? She had heard Norman use that term before.
"Roger will go looking for you anyway, even if you don't tell him where you are going, he will look for you." Though Dorothy hated to admit it, she knew she was right. Roger had an unhealthy obsession with the fallen heaven sent, so much so that it often landed him in hot water, or salt water on one occasion. Either way, Roger would become obsessed over finding Angel until he managed to do so, and Dorothy did not like that thought one bit.
"Well, I won't let him find me. But you have to let me go." Angel was trying to pull her coat out of Dorothy's vice like grip to no avail.
"Angel…" The blonde stopped resisting. Dorothy had never called her by her name before. Hell, the girl usually only ever referred to her as That woman. Angel couldn't begin to fathom what Dorothy was thinking, but being called by her name was enough to stop struggling.
Dorothy gave what she hopped was a pleading look. Facial expressions could be rather difficult for her. Small smiles and frowns were most of what she could do with little effort. As it was, she didn't particularly like having called the woman by name, but if she ran off it would be worse. In Dorothy's mind, calling the woman by name, in addition to getting her to stay in one place and out of trouble, was worth the payoff for Roger's peace of mind. Well, Norman would also have peace of mind if he could figure out how she'd snuck in. Probably through the underground, seeing as the fear that gripped humans down there didn't effect Angel near as much as others.
Angels shoulders sagged, and she started laughing. Quietly at first, then a sort of growl before becoming a howling laughter. Dorothy wondered if something was wrong with her, besides the obvious.
"You really want me to stay? I thought you would be more than happy to see me gone. Why the sudden change of heart?" And not so quietly under her breath, "God's you really are a temperamental android."
"My temperament aside, even if you left Roger would chase after you. It's more logical for you to stay here and wait for him to return." She paused for a second while Angel gave her a dumbfounded look. "I can deliver the message you left with me, yes. But knowing the louse Roger is, he would rather hear it from you. If you run away he will simply get himself into trouble chasing after your shadows."
"While I dislike thinking of the possibility, Miss Dorothy is correct." Norman had come in during Dorothy's attempts at negotiation, or better to call it reasoning with the unreasonable, with the wayward Angel. Angel yelped in surprise. You'd think she would be aware of the rather mystical like way the butler had of appearing right when he was needed.
"Perhaps you would be willing to stay tonight in one of the guest bedrooms?" Norman's face betrayed nothing, but Dorothy could tell he was less than amused at having more work, what with already having to fix leaks from the torrential downpour and the power issues.
"I'll set up a room for her, Norman." Dorothy set off for the spiral staircase only a few feet away. She popped out her CD tray and lit the area with her 'high beams' as Roger had called them. "This way, if you would."
"Wait a second. I haven't agreed to anything!" Angel seemed indigent, but she followed Dorothy out of the lounge and down a hallway. "Why are you being so nice to me anyway? Are you malfunctioning?"
"I assure you I am functioning properly." She opened a door to one of the spare bedrooms, the one furthest from Roger's penthouse room. Just because she advocated for the woman to stay, doesn't mean she was going to be allowed easy access for late night intimacies.
"Yeah, sure you are. Next you'll be offering to fluff my pillows or bring me tea." Angel followed her in. The room was sparse, having only a bed, dresser desk combo and a small trash can next to it, and a chair to go with the desk. The bed didn't even have sheets or pillows on it, as the room was unused, and Norman didn't want to have more to clean.
"I am capable of doing those for you if you would like. But the tea would be cold as the stove is electric, and sadly not working." She knew full well Angel was being sarcastic, but she did like getting under the woman's skin. "If you would wait here, I'll be back with some pillows and bed sheets for you."
"Hrmp." Angel snorted as Dorothy left. Dorothy contemplated bringing back something of Roger's brief paramore's he used to occasionally invite over, but thought better of it. She was trying to get that woman to stay after all, and upsetting her would not accomplish that.
She came back a few minutes later. In the strong gynoids arms were more than a girl her size should have been able to carry. Sheets for the bed, an extra soft blanket, a comforter, and two pillows with cases stacked neatly. Upon entering the room, Dorothy noticed that all of Angel's clothing was scattered on the floor, save for her undergarments. The woman was making herself rather comfortable for someone who had protested staying but minutes ago.
She left puddles everywhere. How can one adult human make so much mess in so little time? Sitting at the desk Angel was furiously trying to light a cigarette, but it was soaked through and no use.
"Damn it all, now I can't even have a vice to soothe me." Angel muttered to herself.
Dorothy set about putting the bed together and ignoring Angel's presence as best she could. Rather easy when you can turn your hearing off. After the bed was setup Dorothy grabbed Angel's grubby garments off the floor, and put them in a hamper in the attached bathroom. She makes too much mess for one person. Dorothy thought this again as she went to get some towels. That woman would need some in the bathroom, and Dorothy had to clean up the puddles.
Returning again after a few minutes, Angel seemed to have finally gotten her 'vice' to light. Dorothy had thought ahead and had brought an ashtray with her as well. She didn't want to clean up ashes off the floor, or find out Angel had put out the cigarette on the desk. She continued to ignore Angel, and set the ashtray down, hard, on the desk, making the other woman jump.
After doing what she could to clean the mess Dorothy was set to leave again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. I guess I couldn't ignore her forever. Dorothy sighed internally and turned to face the woman. "Is there something else?"
"Um, no. I just wanted to thank you. I've never been very kind to you, yet here you are going out of your way to help me. So… Thank you." Angel might have been blushing, but it was hard for Dorothy to tell if it was from embarrassment or the onset of a fever.
"You don't need to thank me. It's not as it this is troublesome for me." After a pause she added, "I am doing this for Roger's sake."
"Of course you are," Angel let out a deep sigh, "well, at any rate, thanks."
"If that is all, I should go and help Norman."
"Yeah. Goodnight Dorothy."
"Goodnight Angel," Dorothy spoke the woman's name again. This time it wasn't to get her to stop from running away. She just felt like doing it. Truly Dorothy's thinking processes were a mystery to her at times. This was one of them. Well, no point in ruining the mood, after all. And besides, Dorothy intended to watch the security cameras very closely tonight.