"Orphans Beloved: "The Trouble With Ansley…"
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 copywrite infringement intended…
Part IX…
Rachel Duncan's office, Dyad Institute…
Donnie, pleading tone… "Ally…"
"I loved you so, Donnie…Most of everything that drove me crazy about all this these past months since Beth Childs confronted me and told me why there was a reason for all the little, strange, dark things at the edge of my life was that it might cost me you and the kids, mostly…You. That I might be a threat to you…That you might be hurt. I'd've rather died, rather run from you and hid, even given myself up to them, then let you be hurt." Allison, tears running, but gun steady. "When I started to put two and two together…I was horrified. When I decided you were my monitor and then thought I was wrong, I was so ashamed but I was joyful…I was joyful." She trembled. "And now…Now…If it weren't for the kids. And my sisters…I'd let these bastards have me, and gladly. Cut me up, do whatever they want."
"Ally, no…" Donnie, desperately. "You can think what you want about me, hate me, but you can't let…"
"You're a good monitor, Hendrix." She eyed him, wiping face. "Protect the subject at all costs, right?…Right? You know? The saddest thing of all is I hope you'll lie to me, again…Convince me it's not true…"
"I didn't know this was what it was all about, Ally…"
"Get in the closet…" she commanded, waving pistol. "I don't care, as I've said, for me…But my sisters, the kids, poor Sarah's daughter. They have to be protected. Get in." curtly.
"If Leekie or that lawyer comes, they'll want to know where I am…" he noted.
"I'm Rachel…I'll just say the two of you fled…They'll start a search of the grounds."
"They have cameras in the halls, Ally…They'll see we didn't go. At least let me…"
"In." she pointed the gun. He sighed but stepped inside the closet, a squeak from Rachel followed by his hasty apology as he accidentally stepped on her squirming leg.
"Turn round! Kneel!" she ordered. He turned, then knelt, avoiding Rachel on the closet floor.
"Hands behind your back!" Allison pulling duct tape out and binding his hands quickly.
"I only knew Leekie as your therapist…Your mom…" he began, hastily…She taking a scarf from a hanger and holding it to his mouth from behind… "Open!"
"Ally!" he tried, but at the touch of the gun barrel to the back of his head opened his mouth. She stuffed the scarf in and duct taped it tightly, pulling the tape roll around his head several times. Then more tape around the wrists. Finally she lifted his legs slightly to tape those as well…Meanwhile Rachel still struggling a bit, though clearly listening as well…
"Mmmphf!" he cried out as Allison shut the door.
Ok. She noted to herself, taking Rachel's chair…Adjusting wig with aid of mirrored glass on the walls, smoothing clothes. Clicking on laptop.
Ok…Good. All things in their right place. She eyed the closet.
Hmmn…Monitor Hendrix doesn't seem to be making much rumpus…Maybe…She got up again and went to the closet door, opening.
Donnie kneeling quietly…Rachel squirming desparately. He hearing the door, feeling the light on face, craning his neck.
"Ok…Good. I hope you two will be very happy." She closed the door and hurried back to Rachel's desk.
Mom? Therapist?
Oh…No…
No. She eyed the laptop, opening several files.
Not again…I won't be fooled again. Lives at stake here. She eyed the list of folders.
Must be a "Hendrix" folder here somewhere…With Paul Dierden, maybe?
Well, leave that for now…Kira. We must find out what they've done with…
"Rachel?" Aldous Leekie's voice at the office door.
"Hey, Duncan…" Chad's cheery voice as well…
She sat at desk, eyes bulging…
…
"What can I tell you, Aldous?" Allison shrugged, struggling to keep calm and keep her pistol hand near the drawer where she'd placed the gun. "Allison asked to use the ladies room, Hendrix went with her. I didn't want to upset her by insisting he stay. Where could they go, after all?"
Chad, amused grin… "If I know Hendrix, she's got Donnie trying to crawl out some window…"
"It's only been five minutes…" she desperately repressed the "Chad" on her lips.
God knows what his real name is…
Ok, so I had at least two monitors…Maybe three? Does Ansley pop her head in in another minute?
"Well, I don't want them getting hurt. If they're not back in five, we'd best call Security." Leekie shook his head.
"Give them a few minutes to try and scheme, Aldous…" Allison, giving him a cool smile, regaining a little composure. "We want her to feel in some control here."
"You sure you want me here, Aldous?…" 'Chad' noted. "I'd probably set off the little control freak's panic button…" grin to Allison. Allison giving brittle smile back.
"I want her to trust us." Leekie shrugged. "A little disclosure to gain that is worthwhile."
"Better to sacrifice Hendrix than me…" 'Chad', mock protest. "Though it will be a relief to get outta the field and back to the lab."
Jesus…Allison blinked.
Him?
Chad? Or, rather 'Chad'?
Is a scientist?
"Not like dear ole 'Donnie's' any great loss…" chuckle. "And I still think I could've gotten things really going with Allison given a little more time. Whatdya think, Duncan?" smile to her brittle one…
"Of course…" Allison, struggling to keep smile on face.
"I disagree." Leekie shook head. "We're far better off with a blinded monitor than a self-aware, Norris. Hendrix has been a major asset."
"If it means I can leave suburban hell, I've no objection to it." 'Chad' grinned. "Right, Duncan?" he leaned over her desk to kiss her cheek.
Hmmn? Allison, staring…
"Yeah. Right…Uh, right." She resumed Brit accent.
Rachel? And…Chad?
Eehew…
And I thought the idea of Leekie and Rachel was bad…
"Rachel? Anything wrong?" Leekie asked.
"Hmmn? What, Aldous? No…Uh, just wondering if I made a mistake letting the Hendrixes step out together."
"Well, if they run anywhere, Allison will feel more in control and secure." Leekie shrugged. "I wonder if it wouldn't be best to just let them 'escape'?"
"Yes…" Allison grabbed at the chance. "That might be the best thing, Aldous. Let the silly suburbanite think she's outwitted us and escaped. It's sure to restore her confidence in Don…in Hendrix."
"Well, I did hope to try and recover our lost ground with her. Things were promising before our dear Sarah got to her." Aldous sighed. "But the main thing was to get her and Hendrix out of a jail charge."
"And of course restore her faith in our plant…" Allison noted.
"Good ole Donnie…Well, if you think that's the way to go, Aldous. So…" 'Chad' eyed Rachel. "Did poor ole Ally say anything about our little game with Ansley? That must have had her climbing the walls."
"No. No, she didn't. She was too busy tell me how she'd destroy us all, she and Sarah and Cosima. Destroy us and see us in prison for the rest of our unnatural lives. In fact I think she'd caught on to all that with the body dumping and the face everywhere." Struggling to keep calm pose.
"Really?" Leekie frowned. "Did Hendrix say anything? Did he give you any indication he might've spilled the beans to Ally?"
"What a sight that would be…" 'Chad' chuckled. "I can just see him blubbering 'oh, God…Forgive me, Ally'…I hope I didn't miss it."
"No, you didn't miss a trick." Allison, curtly. "Sorry I had to miss you with her, mourning..."
"That was an Oscar winner…" nod.
"They seem to be taking a while…" Leekie noted…Looking up at Allison from his chair.
"Perhaps I'd better go see…Aldous." She rose.
Jumping a bit as 'Chad' put an arm round and pulled her close… "I hope we're still on for tonight, Duncan." Smile…
Uh…She blinked at his smirking face two inches away as Leekie, rising, frowning, peered out the window to the office hallway.
"Why, certainly…"
Oh, God…Do any of us have the remotest amount of self-respect necessary to either find someone trustworthy or go the virginal nun…
Hmmn, right…My crazy dead sister…Now that would be amusing if she's the one of us with the best (lack thereof) love life…
"Be right back…" she smiled. Leekie nodding…
"Laying it on a bit thick, Norris…" Leekie glared at 'Chad' once the door had closed. Leekie moving to the laptop and checking.
"Just wanted to be sure, sir. No offense to you or Ms. Duncan intended." He smiled. "What do you suppose she did with Rachel? Let alone Hendrix?"
"Lets just hope she didn't kill her. And you should hope she knew about Hendrix, Norris." Hard stare, return to studying the opened folders.
"Sir, like the others, she's good. I only guessed when I made fun of Hendrix and she flinched…" shrug.
"Fair enough…And how politick of you not to point out I didn't catch on first…I see great things, Norris." Leekie smiled coolly. Closing laptop…
"Did she get anything?"
"Enough hopefully to convince her we don't have Kira Manning…And to get her setting out on the search…" Leekie glanced around the room, eyeing the closet carefully. Rising…
Phone buzzing and Rachel's on desk ringing…Leekie pulled his out and at his glance, Norris grabbed Rachel's…Just as an alarm began sounding…
"Ms. Duncan told you she'd been knocked unconsciousness and left in the bathroom?" Leekie asked the phone. "Alright, fine…Start a search…But did she?...Oh, ok, good…Proceed. Is she there? Put her on…""
"Dr. Leekie's getting the word right now." Norris looked over to Leekie… "Search?"
Leekie nodded but put up a half folded hand. "Yeah, go ahead…" Norris told the phone… "But remember, stick with the original plan, we don't want her caught. Just track her and don't lose her."
"You're all right?" Leekie asked the phone. "Good. Yes. I think Allison is indulging her latent Helena a bit too much these days. All right, get back here as soon as you can…If you're sure you're alright. Rachel? What about Hendrix? Was he with her? Ok."
Yes. Allison closed the phone, nodding to the guard beside her…Adjusting the robe he'd fetched for her after she'd ditched Rachel's suit out the bathroom window to a back building lot below and emerged screaming for help… "You heard Dr. Leekie…Search but don't keep her or her husband from escaping…"
Given that phone call from him that just saved my ass one minute ago and the fact that he didn't let Leekie know he and Rachel are in the closet right there…I would say…She beamed a little…He is...With me.
Oh…Donnie…
God, what am I, the world's worst duct taper?
