Orphans Beloved…I "The Donny Factor…"

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. I do plan at least one longer tale, "Nessun Dorma" but that's just getting sketched now.

Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.

"What do you mean, you want to tell him?" Sarah Manning eyed her duplicate in carefully matched brown sweater and skirt…In appearance, not in style sense for certain…And now likely, given this new kick she's on, neither in brain power.

"He needs to know. He's my husband, the love of my life…And I've been treating him so badly. I actually thought…Oh…" Allison teared up, shaking head.

"So…"Sarah shrugged. "Give a good one in bed, tell 'im he's the best you've ever had, and let 'im wear a T-shirt to dinner and have pizza if he wants. This is our lives, Allison."

"Donny endured torture for me…At my hands…" Allison, weeping openly now. "He forgave me without even knowing what it was all about…He blamed himself…Oh…"

"Allison. Telling him puts him and your kids in danger, as well as us."

"He needs to know. He's brave…You saw how brave he was. He needs to understand why I've treated him so badly. You know he even accepted that we couldn't have kids. He was happy to go through all the paperwork and hassle adopting our kids. How could I have doubted him?!"

"Yeah…And how, girl, will telling him you're not only someone's experiment but that you thought he was part of a group of no-goods pretending to love you for years and betrayin' you every day make him feel better about you and this marriage?"

"You don't know him…I know him. He'll be fine, once we explain it. I don't want anything between us anymore…No." grim look, shake of head. "Sarah, you may be fine with lying to everyone you care about in your life…"

"Excuse me?" grim stare back.

"Sorry…But the 'hussle' is what you do, right? And I can understand that. Certainly if that Vic gentleman is a prime example of the sort of person you have to deal with all the time. But I won't have it anymore in my life. That's what's been driving me crazy…"

"And when Donny learns you not only suspected him of lyin' and betrayin'…On lots worse level than just a little on the side…But that you stole 75000 from your joint accounts?"

"It's my money…My adoptive parents' life insurance. He's never asked…Oh…" renewed weeping as Sarah rolled her eyes…

I can't really be this one's twin…

"…He…Never…Ever…"

"Fine…Fine…He's the greatest human bein' since Gandi and Christ…But you want to put him in danger? Your kids, too? What, will all this new-found honesty include tellin' them?"

Allison, pondering… "You know…It's always possible that's the way to go…Public, I mean."

"What?"

"Broadcast it. Tell the world we're clones and someone is trying to watch us and maybe kill us. Once they have a gander at the three of us…And the corpses are matched…No one could doubt. And the people, those people and that other one…They'd have to back off."

Problem solved, goal team Allison…She beamed.

"Lovely…" Sarah, plastic smile… "Except I go to jail for impersonating a police officer and maybe for murderin' Beth or the German? I lose my daughter at the very least. And us goin' public could just persuade the bad boys to terminate the experiment. With extreme, you know?"

Hmmn…Well…

"All right, point taken. But it's a fall-back if all else fails, right? And if we won't do that, I insist I be allowed to tell Donny. He'll help us. He's really very clever…And handy."

"Great…" sardonic look. "Well, if hanging a towel rack's ever critical to…"

"Don't be facetious, Sarah. He knows a lot about computers and he'll die for me, I'm sure of it. Paul knows." She finished, in sudden sharp tone. Narrow view.

"Yeah, 'cause he's part of the problem. And I'd no choice but to tell 'im."

"I believe you said 'I'm sure he doesn't know about us.'"

"That don't translate to… 'I think we can trust him with our bleedin' lives'! I had to tell him to save us."

"And now he knows…So…What? Now he's ok to trust our lives with but my poor Donny…?"

Sarah, shaking head, plopping on couch…

"Don't put your boots on those cushions!" Allison commanded.

"They need to be rescotch-guarded." She explained.

"Lovely." Sarah kicked off boots. Feet on couch.

Allison frowned but took chair, pulling close.

"Look, Donny may not seem like the action hero your Paul…"

"My bloody what?!"

"You're obviously attracted to him…Only natural." Allison noted. "Given Beth was crazy enough about him to kill herself when she found out about him."

"We…Don't…" Sarah, a bit shaken.

"Yes, we do…It might not be the whole reason, but it was what pushed her over the edge, Sarah. Sarah, you know I have to have Donny in on this. You know how we love, our whole hearts…I can't keep him away, shut out. And somewhere in there, even if you speak of him badly…You like him and you can see why and how I could've fallen for him."

"Him?" Sarah frowned.

"Vic?" Allison countered. "You weren't just trying to avoid an incident when you saved him…You cared for him, Sarah. He's a worthless type, clearly…But at some point, he meant a lot to you."

"I was a kid, he impressed me a little…Though I never…And as for Donny-boy."

Ok…In a teddy bear, cuddly sort of way…If he really isn't pond scum…

"Hah." Allison eyed her. "I knew it." Narrowing eyes. "You realize from now on you will never be alone with my husband?"

"Oh, please…"

"Methinks thou doth protest too much." Allison solemnly. "Now, I'll tell him and you'll back me up when he naturally assumes I'm crazy. Which I would if the roles were reversed. Later, we'll get the corpses' evidence…"

"You want Donny to see…?" Sarah, blinking.

"To prove to him why I've been behaving like this? Yes. He can take it, he was at my miscarriage when we tried despite the warnings. Sarah, he'll help. I know he will."

"And help himself right into a bullet at the hands of the crazy one or her handlers…That what you want?"

"If they'd kill him for helping us…They'd kill him for being in their way when they come for me. I'd rather he knew what he was dying for." Allison, coolly. "Sarah, with or without your support…"

"Great…We have our own Ron Stoppable." Sarah glared.

"Oh, you liked that too?" Allison beamed. "I watched Kim Possible as a girl…And yes…Donny will be my protector, my Ron factor, just as Ronald was."

"Allison…This is not a cartoon…These are real bullets, real corpses…"

"Hmmn-hmn…And if the people behind it all ever touch my family, my children…Or, my new sisters…" wan smile… "There'll be more of them. Donny and I will see to that."

"Wait…"Sarah sighed. "You've already told him, haven't you? You just needed me to back you up? In fact…" she glared at the table on which Allison's open jewelry box could be seen…Webcam barely visible.

"Hey, Don." She gave a sugary smile, waving at the camera. "Welcome aboard, dumbass."

"We'll get nowhere, Sarah, if you start out by insulting your brother-in-law." Allison frowned.