Goodnight, Claire
The first thing she got rid of was her lab coat. There was no more need to wear it since she wasn't acting as a doctor any longer. After that went her shoes. Her heels clicking over the tiled floor echoed loudly in the silent House. Claire found the noise too strange; going barefoot kept the place quiet.
One day she stood in front of the mirror and wondered why she should bother with changing out of her nightgown. There was no one in the House to see her; she had no reason to dress up. Although she knew that, it was hard for Claire to not get dressed. Once she got used to it she felt much more free.
She already knew every inch of the Dollhouse but now she walked the halls without hindrance. All the cameras were off so there were no recordings of where she chose to walk. There were no Actives coming into her office with their various minor injuries or looking for regular check-ups. No lights came from the imprinting room. All was quiet now.
At first Claire enjoyed being alone. The silence gave her time to sort through everything that happened. At that time it felt like floundering in rising water. The waters had subsided and Claire could wade at her leisure. But then the days continued without deviation and slowly Claire lost track of time altogether. It wasn't such a great thing being alone after that.
She went into the art room and found all the trees had died without anyone to attend them. There was nothing she could do so she just left them. The yoga and massage areas were pointless places. Sometimes Claire still swam in the pool to get in some exercise but other than that she kept away.
It was harder for Claire to remember how long she'd been in the House alone. She closed her eyes and listed the names of everyone who left, and wondered if they were still alive. She remembered them all but their faces were fuzzy in her mind's eye. It was important for her to remember everything.
Claire made her way back to the imprinting room. She accessed Topher's computer and pulled up the files of all the Actives who ever walked those halls. One by one she began printing out their pictures. Caroline Farrell, also know as Echo. Priya Tsetsang, also known as Sierra. Anthony Ceccoli, also known as Victor. Madeline Costley, also known as November. Carl William Craft, also known as Alpha. Claire brought them all back in her mind.
When Claire came to her own file, she hesitated. Here again was a chance to see her old name. It was just a click away. Claire's heart beat loudly inside her chest. Shakily her finger clicked the mouse, and the photo began to print. Once it was done she deleted the file.
She didn't need that file to tell her who she was; she already knew.
Cradling the pictures delicately in her hands as if they were fragile, Claire made her way up to Adelle's office. There she tacked every single one of them up on the wall. Above them she put two words: To Remember.
Every day she tried to go up there at least once to look at the faces and recite names out loud. It kept them all alive for her and helped her to feel less alone. Then she would wander down to Topher's pod and spend hours reading out loud from his books. She printed out his picture, too, and stuck it inside his pod so it would always be there when she came.
It might have been months or only just weeks after that when Claire mounted the stairs to the imprint room once again. Topher gave her the knowledge to work the chair. She keyed in the proper commands to start the machines working.
In truth she didn't know if her contract was up, or even if it was ever intended to be over. What she did know was that Claire Saunders gave everything she had for the Dollhouse. She dedicated herself to it and its people. Claire Saunders deserved to rest. Besides, if she was strong enough she would retain what she needed with or without the imprint.
Carefully Claire settled into the chair and felt it start to lower.
"Claire Saunders," she said aloud. It would be the last time that name would ever be spoken.
The last thing Claire saw was a bright light.