Parents
Chapter 4: Whiskey's Choice

Thanks for the reviews/alerts for this story so far. It means a lot! This is the penultimate part of the story, I hope you enjoy it.

Blevins and Alvarez left DeWitt's office under somewhat of a cloud. Blevins, having recovered from the shock, was muttering darkly about how he had always known that Whiskey had meant trouble. Alvarez, for her part, was silent as she went off to retrieve her Active. Too many thoughts and feelings were fighting for dominance in her mind that Sophie had no idea what he reaction actually was. Or, for that matter, how Whiskey would respond to the news. She hoped that Adelle would break it to her, and Alpha, gently.

Alone in her office again, Adelle fixed her hair, brewed herself a pot of tea and settled back into her chair. Her hand hovered over the phone as her mind tried to settle a battle. In the end she bit the metaphorical bullet and dialled through to Topher. He answered on the first ring, as if he had been waiting to be summoned.

"Topher, I'm about to talk to Whiskey and Alpha about...you know what." Walls, and Mr Dominic, had ears after all. Keeping this between as few people as possible was paramount, at least for the time being. "It might be best if you were here too, we might need you." Adelle still had enough of her pride left not to tell him that it was mainly because 'she' wanted him to be there.

"I'll be right up." Topher replied, and arrived at DeWitt's office before Blevins and Alvarez had returned with their Actives. He stood awkwardly in the room, twisting his fingers together, then letting his hands drop by his sides. Normally Adelle would have been frustrated with his fidgeting but today she seemed to have too many other things on her mind. Topher was grateful that this time he was not the one to blame, Adelle's wrath was not something he enjoyed facing.

"Do take a seat." Adelle said, looking over at him and his awkward stance. Her voice was half impatience, half gratitude that he was there. Strange that, in this place, a nerdy boy was the closest thing she had to a friend.

Topher sat down, but still felt uncomfortable. He wanted this to be over with, though surely not as badly as Adelle did. He hated to think of the repercussions she could face from her superiors when the news of Whiskey's pregnancy spread. It wasn't exactly her fault of course, but the powers that be at the Rossum corporation were always fond of finding someone to use as their scapegoat.

Finally, after what seemed like hours to Adelle and Topher, the two handlers and their Actives arrived in the office. Blevins was still looking disgruntled whereas Alvarez, Whiskey and Alpha all had similar expressions of bafflement mixed with a hint of anxiety.

"Come and take a seat," Adelle said to Alpha and Whiskey in her more friendly tone. They obediently sat down in the two chairs in front of DeWitt's desk. Alvarez and Blevins were left standing and, if they didn't like it, Adelle thought it was just too damn bad. As she proceeded to talk to the two Actives, she all but excluded them from the conversation. In her opinion they had already failed to protect their charges and once this conversation was over, she would see that they were instrumental in picking up the pieces. Topher, for his part, was glad that the two handlers were the outlet for DeWitt's frustrations rather than him.

"Now, I've got something very important to talk to you about. I'm going to tell you what it is and then you can decide between what you want to do about it. Whatever your decision is, we can help you."

Whiskey exchanged a glance with Alpha, who in turn reached for her hand and squeezed it. Once again, Adelle was surprised at the tenderness between the two Actives and felt that same strange twist of envy at the simple, honest love they seemed to have for each other.

"Whiskey, Dr Saunders called me to his office today to talk about you."

"Dr Saunders is nice." Whiskey replied immediately. "Dr Saunders gives me lollipops after my examinations." Alpha nodded seriously in agreement.

"Yes, yes" Adelle said, with a hint of impatience. Topher tried to keep the smile from his face. "Dr Saunders told me something about you, something big. Whiskey, you're going to have a baby."

The Active opened her eyes and mouth wide, looking purely innocent in her shock. Topher noticed that Alpha increased the pressure on Whiskey's hand and that Blevins simply harrumphed in disapproval.

"A baby?" She repeated, then looked at Alpha. "We're having a baby?" She asked.

Adelle nodded. "Yes, that's right. We need the two of you to make a decision about what you want to do; whether you want to keep the baby, whether you want to have an abortion or whether you want to have the baby but give it up for adoption."

Whiskey was still looking at Alpha, their eyes locked on each other's. Adelle glared at Blevins, guessing that he was about to speak before he had even opened his mouth. Alvarez approached Whiskey, kneeling by her side but the Active was too engrossed in the silent communication she was having with Alpha.

"Whiskey, what do you think?" Sophie prompted after a few minutes had passed. Topher was finding it hard to sit still on his chair, he found himself becoming more and more invested in the Dollhouse having its first baby.

Adelle stood up now too, hands on her hips as she waited. Apart from the situation not occurring in the first place she wasn't sure what she wanted the outcome to be. A pregnant Active meant new possibilities. Some of the kinkier clients were often disappointed that getting an Active pregnant was out of the question as part of their often twisted fantasies. Also, if Topher managed to design an imprint that promoted motherly and care giving tendencies, motherhood could be completely revolutionised. Perhaps, if Whiskey did decide to keep the baby, she could present these ideas to Rossum in the hopes that it might save her job. Dr Saunders though, Adelle decided, he would have to go.

Whiskey looked up at Adelle with her big, innocent eyes and her hand still wrapped in Alpha's grip.

"We want to keep our baby."