Parents

Summary: Adelle DeWitt learns something about one of her Actives that could bring the entire Dollhouse crumbling down around her, but she has an unlikely ally in Topher Brink. Alpha/Whiskey.

I originally wrote this idea as a short drabble for I Prefer Magneto's birthday last year but the idea has been bugging me again lately, so I thought I'd make it a proper ficlet instead for her birthday this year! Hope you're having a great time! More will be posted soon!

Reviews are loved!

Part 1: Prologue.

The original Doctor Saunders stood to one side of his office, his hands nervously twitching at his sides as he tried to explain this to Adelle DeWitt as calmly as possible. No matter how he broke the news to her, he knew there was no way in heaven or hell that she would take it well, no one in her position would. If he made it through the day without losing his job it would be something of a miracle. As he had expected, Adelle looked as though smoke might erupt from her ears at any moment and her hands were bunched into fists in her chestnut coloured mane of hair.

"You're sure?" She asked, though if anyone had the nerve to be joking about something this serious at the Dollhouse, they would be consigned to the Attic so quickly that their heads would spin. Saunders nodded, just the slightest movement of his balding head. "You're telling me that one of my Actives is pregnant? My best Active is pregnant?"

It was clearly rhetorical but Saunders nodded again anyway. "It explains why Whiskey went AWOL on her last assignment."

"Well yes, it does rather tie up those loose ends." Adelle replied tartly. "But it is your responsibility to make sure that all female Actives are on the birth control pill." Laying the blame on Dr Saunders wouldn't help anyone in the long run, but it made feel just the tiniest bit better to have someone to lay into. It stopped her from blaming herself and wondering if she could have prevented Whiskey's condition if she had kept a better eye on the Dolls.

Saunders looked a little sheepish, discussing contraceptives with a beautiful woman like Adelle DeWitt brought colour to his cheeks, but perhaps he was just old-fashioned. "Yes, yes, of course. But these things are never one hundred percent accurate."

"Evidently not."

Adelle turned on her high heels and was about to stalk over to where Whiskey lay on an examination table, blissfully unaware of fractious argument taking place around her and to the condition she was in. Saunders caught Adelle by the arm, quickly dropping it when she turned back and glared down at him.

"Ms Dewitt," He began awkwardly, coming to what was perhaps the most awkward part of a very uncomfortable conversation. "We know who fathered the child."

"Probably more than we can say of Whiskey, don't you think?" Adelle shot back, her voice and glare as sharp as daggers.

Saunders sighed. "It was Alpha. Whiskey is pregnant with Alpha's baby."

The blow came just as Adelle felt she had taken more than she could bear. How the sun dappled hell was she going to explain this to the Rossum Corporation. She was sure they had been looking for any opportunity to get rid of her and now here one was. Her head was beginning to pound and she longed for a large glass of vodka.

"You're sure?" She asked, yet again.

"His DNA is already in the system, it's a match."

"Oh dear God." Adelle rubbed at her temples, trying to think of a practical solution to this mess. Many things had gone wrong since the Dollhouse had been operational but nothing of this magnitude had happened before. She took a breath, held it and finally exhaled. "Here's what we'll do," She said, feeling a little calmer. "For now we'll carry on as normal, finish off here with Whiskey and send her back downstairs. Give me some time to think about this." She was on her way out of the doctor's office when she turned back once more. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will make sure the consequences cause you extreme pain. What I'll do to you will make the Attic look like a picnic."

Saunders gulped, he didn't doubt that her threats were real, not even for a second.