This is my first 'Dollhouse' story, and I hope that you enjoy reading it enough to leave me a review. It begins around the time of "True Believer" in series one and will continue through to the end of the 'Dollhouse' timeline – brace yourself for some angst in later chapters.

OoOoO

"...Love is not love,

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken.

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken."

-William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

OoOoO

At first, it had been easy enough to ignore; Adelle DeWitt, after all, was no stranger to self-restraint. It mattered very little that her interest in one of her Actives had developed beyond being purely professional – Echo was a fascinating case study, as the others in her house agreed, and so it was easy enough to conceal, in the beginning. However, it had quickly developed from curiosity into something more, and this undercurrent of emotion was starting to undermine her cool stoicism. What bothered Adelle wasn't that she was experiencing such feelings, but rather that she had so little control over them; it was impossible for her to put aside her attraction to Echo like she did the other thoughts and feelings that were unnecessary for the carrying out of her job.

Adelle liked to imagine that, had things been different, she could have overcome the hardship of her temptation, although she was a realist – not the type to dwell on what might have been. As it was, she saw Echo daily. With increasing regularity, Adelle caught herself watching – observing more closely than, strictly speaking, protocol demanded. Indeed, the glass panelling of the Dollhouse seemed to invite her attention, a window with the perfect view into temptation.

She saw Echo relaxing with the other Actives, stretching during her yoga sessions and honing the muscles of a body that had been used both to kill and to caress.

She saw Echo swimming in the pool, moving sleekly through the water, going back and forth in a repetitive pattern that could not be described as being human.

She saw Echo taking on different, contrasting personalities and making every last one of them her own. (In a certain respect, it was particularly disconcerting seeing Echo stripped of something that she had developed so uniquely.)

She saw Echo as an Active, and she also saw, perhaps better than anyone else, what Echo had the potential to become.

Never the type to lose her inhibitions completely, Adelle was also aware of herself and what it was that she was in danger of becoming: seduced by the mystery of an Active. And so it was that Adelle had begun to think of getting rid of the smoke and mirrors, and also propriety, in order to overcome her desire before any situation could arise.

It had been during this line of thought that Adelle had booked the appointment, carried along by its illogical wave as she keyed in the time, date, location and nature of the appointment into her diary. It was only when she had clicked 'save' and sat back in her chair, facing the newly altered data, that Adelle was struck by how ridiculous her own actions were – the actions of a desperate, ludicrously lonely woman. Even in the security of her own office she had felt as though a thousand unknown eyes were upon her, every last one judging her for her weakness.

Ever able to brush over the thoughts that left her feeling uncomfortable, Adelle had poured herself a drink and tried not to think about what she had done. And that approach had worked, for the most part.

The only problem was that no matter how much influence she had in the Dollhouse, not even Adelle DeWitt could stop time.

The day of her appointment had arrived and Adelle was unable to put the thought of it from her head. She had seen Echo imprinted for numerous romantic engagements; bright and bubbly, a little naive; coy and flirtatious, ready for action; exotic and sensual, alluring in a way that few women ever were; even, once or twice, a dominatrix.

Adelle was curious to see what it was that Topher would have wrangled up for her after she had included the specifications of the aptly named Miss Lonelyhearts. She was the kind of woman who would use an alias born of a cultural reference, and so Adelle doubted that Topher would know that it was her, yet she found that she was terrified of being seen by any of her staff, him in particular, as she made her way out of her office – the idea that they could read her desperation was highly improbable, but so was the very idea of the Dollhouse. She hadn't planned on doing so as it was a luxury that she rarely afforded herself, however Adelle decided to take the rest of the day off and prepare for her meeting with Echo. She was too anxious to work.

She descended the stairs and walked out into the car park, trying to remain composed as she saw Tango and her handler returning from an appointment. Thankfully, the Active was too busy trying to convince her handler that he should serve as witness for some form of impromptu wedding ceremony for either one of them to pay her any attention.

Opening the door to her Lexus, Adelle slid into the car, the leather cool beneath her legs as she sat down. She turned the key in the ignition and the car was instantly filled with life – it was rather like the Actives, in that respect, although she suspected that Caroline was never too far beneath Echo's surface. Giving her thoughts over to the Dollhouse's most profitable asset, Adelle navigated her way through the streets of Los Angeles with practiced ease. When she reached the suburbs the traffic had thinned out substantially, and so the pleasure of driving on an open road, being in total control of the car, did away with the worst of her nerves. Driving was one of the few things that she found to me more enjoyable in the United States.

In seemingly no time at all, she had made it to the spare home that she kept on the coast of California. It was an acquisition she had made upon her arrival in Los Angeles when she had discovered how overpopulated and dirty the city really was, although Adelle had spent far less time there than she had initially planned. It was a pleasant house and even if the architecture wasn't as refined as she would have liked it to be – too American by half and, unfortunately, without even the vaguest pretentions to any particular era – the view of the shore more than compensated, as did the fact that Rossam were unaware of it.

The furnishings were minimalist and understated, just as she liked them to be, and everything had been left in perfect order from her last stay. Adelle hadn't planned on changing, however she poured herself a glass of wine and made her way into the bedroom in order to begin the search for an alternative outfit; it felt wrong to be wearing the clothes that she donned for the office when she would be seeing Echo.

She unzipped her skirt and stepped out of it, undoing the buttons of her blouse as she went. Her clothes fell to the carpet without a sound, a solitary prelude to what was still to come. Eying herself in the mirror, Adelle took in her own form with analytical detachment. Her figure was slender and trim – the years had been kind to her, as her culinary vices were few, drink excluded, and she had never been put under the strain of pregnancy. That wasn't to say that it was perfect, but then an Active was imprinted to appreciate, not to judge.

Selecting a loose-fitting blue dress, Adelle pulled it over her head and tied the sash. It was more casual than any of her work clothes, creating an altogether softer impression. She was tired of being the Ice Queen all of the time, even if it did come to her naturally.

She toyed with her cosmetics, uncertain how much or how little would be best. It had been a long time since she had met with anyone for such reasons, much less those with a more savoury, romantic foundation. Before Adelle could reach a decision, the doorbell rang. Lifting her glass from the vanity, Adelle went to answer. It could only be one person; she didn't make a habit of giving out her address and the house was too out of the way for any door-to-door salesmen to consider it a worthwhile trek. Sure enough, Echo was waiting for her when she opened the door. Only, she wasn't Echo – not strictly speaking.

"Hi. My name's Anna Dale. I'm a photographer, and I was told that the resident of this house was interested in seeing some of my prints. You're Catherine Graham, right?" She extended a hand, her smile broad. It seemed that Echo was a bohemian-chic, young professional, clad in artistically shredded jeans, a shirt and a fitted waistcoat. It was an attractive look, if not what Adelle had predicted.

"That is correct, yes." Shaking Anna's hand, Adelle took the time to perform a quick sweep of the outside area of the house in order to ascertain that there was no black van and no sign of Boyd Langton in the vicinity. "Do come in."

Anna complied, and her expression did not change as she took in the expensive decor of the living room, although her eyes were darting around as though she was imagining how best to arrange the room for a photo shoot. She set her briefcase on the coffee table and began to set a selection of photographs out.

"Nice place you've got here."

"Thank you. Would you care for a glass of wine, Miss Dale?" Adelle lifted a second glass from the cupboard and moved towards the bottle expectantly.

"Sure. Why not?" Anna took the proffered glass and clinked it against Adelle's, her eyes widening slightly as the taste of the wine rolled over her tongue – it was doubtlessly more expensive than the freelance photographer would have been used to, if her wardrobe was anything to go by. "You were at my showing last month, right?"

Sensing that an affirmative answer was expected of her, Adelle nodded.

"Yes. Your work was rather striking." She sat down on the sofa and began to go through the photographs. Several depicted dilapidated areas in a light that could only be described as beautiful, and there were a few of the kind of 'art' Adelle knew to be referred to as installations in amongst them.

"So are you; striking, you know? I didn't forget your face. Just wish I'd brought my camera, because even if you don't buy anything, you'd take one hell of a portrait." Anna smiled, seemingly unaware of how forward she was being. Raising her eyebrows, Adelle ceased rifling through the pictures.

She hadn't expected Echo to be quite so bold. It was curious that from the specifics of the request she had placed, Topher had constructed such a personality.

"Perhaps some other time..."

"I've made you uncomfortable, haven't I? Sorry about that." Echo looked perfectly at ease – far from apologetic, although her self-assurance made it impossible for Adelle to hold it against her. "I'm always shooting my mouth off and saying the wrong thing. My dad reckons that's why I still need to take so many assignments for papers."

"Ah..." Adelle was still thrown by what the creation of this imprint said about her. "Why not tell me more about each of these. I can't imagine that the subject of your own work would allow for you to go too far wrong."

Anna did as she was instructed, flashing Adelle a grateful smile in return from the escape clause. There was a story behind every one of them and, as Echo's voice washed over her, Adelle found herself becoming more interested than she would have thought possible. In what felt like no time at all, photographs were covering the tabletop, the arms of the sofa, and even her lap.

"I'd like to take five enlarged prints, all of them framed, as well as a collage or two." Adelle picked out the photographs she had selected and handed them over, wondering idly who it was that had taken them. "If I am satisfied with them, then perhaps I shall order more for friends."

A look of sheer delight crossed Echo's face, and Adelle couldn't help but feel glad that she had, in an indirect way, proven to be the source of that joy. It was a charade too pleasing for her to question.

"Are you for real? That's amazing!" She shifted under Adelle's scrutiny, clearing her throat before continuing to speak. "I – I mean thank you for your patronage. That's just sorted out my rent for another -"

"Shall we draw up the papers?" Adelle looked towards the briefcase and watched as Anna scrambled to collect her photographs, made clumsy by enthusiasm. Discussing the nuts and bolts of a transaction was not how Adelle operated.

"Yeah, just... give me one second." Anna leaned across Adelle and scooped the final photographs from the sofa, her proximity quite delicious. She then scooped the last couple of photographs from her lap, her fingers gently grazing Adelle's thigh in a way that made her tense in surprise. She could feel the warmth of Echo's fingers through the thin material of her dress.

Noticing the other woman's discomfort, Anna moved backwards. Their eyes met and Adelle was the first to look away. This woman, Anna, was appealing in ways that Adelle wasn't prepared to examine too closely, but what made her most attractive was that the hand beneath the glove was Echo. It was almost too real for her to tolerate.

"Would you excuse me please?" Without waiting for an answer, Adelle stood and opened the door to the balcony. The night air was cool against her skin and fresh with the smell of the ocean, restoring a sharpness to the sensed that had been dulled by a combination of wine and the intoxicating presence of Echo.

Placing her hands against the balcony wall, Adelle breathed deeply, allowing the wash of the surf against the rocks below to calm her. There was nothing to keep her from giving in to her temptations and having Echo in this form, save for a floundering sense that it was wrong.

"Catherine? Are you alright?" Anna stepped out into the balcony and placed a hand on the small of Adelle's back. "I didn't mean to make you freak out like that."

Adelle turned, uncertain of how best to proceed. She watched as Echo's hair rippled in the breeze, its rich darkness catching the moonlight. It was difficult to stop herself from reaching out.

"It's quite alright." Adelle folded her arms in a protective gesture.

"Alright? So you wanted...?" Taking silence for assent, she moved closer. Close enough that her breath was tickling Adelle's neck. "So you'd be okay with me kissing you?"

"That depends: do you ordinarily indulge in such behaviour?"

"Not with clients." Anna tilted her head upwards and pressed her lips against Adelle's in a chaste kiss. She tasted of dry white wine, lip-gloss and something that was uniquely Echo. "Does that make a difference to you?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Flustered by the contact, Adelle didn't know what to do with her hands. They floated by her sides in a rather useless fashion until Anna grasped them, placing one on her waist and keeping the other clasped in her own hand. "I'll sign regardless of this, you know -"

Adelle's words were swallowed by Echo's – Anna's – mouth once again seeking out her own. This time she gave herself over to the embrace entirely, allowing Echo's tongue to slip into her mouth and explore.

"That's sweet and all," Growing even more daring, Anna bit at the hollow of Adelle's neck, "but I think that I can think of something I'd rather be doing than working."

"And what might that be?" Adelle shuddered under Anna's touch, her breathing deepening as a hand moved to caress her thigh.

"You." Anna nibbled gently on Adelle's lower lip, sucking away the tiny hurt she had inflicted. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks flushed – it seemed that she liked to be in control. "You've never even done this once, have you?"

"Never in a Sapphic manner, no." As she made the admission, Adelle understood why it was that Echo had been programmed in this way; she was confident and practiced in the art of loving another woman, and her lack of inhibitions had allowed for her to make an advance without fear of the consequences.

"Sapphic? God, you're British – so proper." Anna laughed as she leant in for another heated kiss. All of Adelle's reasoning began to slip away as she realised that she could indeed have Echo for her own.

"Shall we take this back indoors?" Breaking away from Anna, she returned inside and led the way to her bedroom.

Addele was allowing for the line between fantasy and reality to become irrevocably blurred. The moral question of what she was doing became all but irrelevant, forgotten in her desire for Echo.

OoOoO

Thanks for reading. Please review! There will be more soon.