10 August 1892 — Dory's Residence

This wasn’t happening. This simply wasn’t happening. She was supposed to have been going back to her place for dinner, and yet she was doing the exact opposite. Her heart thudded in her throat as she made her way through the pouring rain because of course it was. Mabel wrapped her cloak tightly around her. It was strange. This pathway she knew by heart, and yet of all the times that she made her way to Dory’s place she had never felt so anxious, so nervous. But she had to tell him what she’d discovered. He deserved to know.

Even once she reached his doorstep, she wasn’t able to lift her hand to knock. Staring at the handle Mabel knew what she was about to tell Dory would change both of their lives forever. With her cloak thoroughly soaked through, there weren’t a lot of other options other than to knock.

With a deep breath, Mabel raised her hand to knock and jumped when the door opened of its own accord.

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   Daffodil Grimstone

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It was strange not having either Maple, Winnie or one of his countless siblings visiting at the end of a dreary work day. His siblings he always easily brushed off, seeing as nearly all but he and Nemo were attached in some regard. Winnie could be excused too, especially when he considered how distant they'd grown again. But Maple … a night without at least a letter shared was odd these days. They'd grown attached — too attached probably. More attached than he would have imagined at the start of their affair.

The loneliness crept in as easily as the day's light had faded — almost like it was always there, waiting to pounce at a moment's notice. Only, he needn't be alone, right? He had an endless number of acquaintances who could be invited out, parties to attend, brothels to frequent. A man like him — overly charismatic and friendly — needn't be alone for more than five minutes if so desired.

So why did dressing for an evening of unidentified gatherings leave him with such an intense sense of dread? When did parties become more overwhelming than fun? Determined to push through his growing sense of doom, Dory shrugged his light jacket over his shoulders and threw open the door — nearly colliding with Maple in the process.

Were he not so stunned by her presence, he might have noticed her distress. "Merlin's beard Maple," Dory greeted with a short chuckle, his attention more focused on straightening his jacket and identifying whether or not he'd actually stepped on her. "I didn't know you were coming over tonight. I was heading over to the pub, would you like to join me for a drink?"

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She would savor this moment where his eyes were on her and filled with nothing but surprise and pleasure at seeing her. Because from this night on, she was certain he would only look at her with the exact expression she would never want to see on his face — disdain and pity. Mabel watched his movements fondly as if looking in on an old memory long since passed. The way his hands moved when he adjusted his coat before double checking if she was alright.

She hadn’t known she was coming over for the night, really. She could tell the truth, because she hadn’t wanted to step a foot near him before she knew. Because then he would ask if she was alright and she would have to lie to him through her teeth and he would know because he was Dory and of course he could spot her poker face before she did.

A drink. Well, at least they would already be where he would be able to process this news. Perhaps it’d be better that way - where she would be protected from the majority of his reaction by wrapping the noises of the pub around her like a blanket to drown out whatever infuriated response he would have. But that would be the coward’s way out. She needed to face this head on, like she did everything else. “Actually, might we be able to step inside?”

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It wasn't until she spoke that Dory recognized this visit as one full of apprehension as opposed to their typical meetings. Her expression could only be described as nervous — or perhaps even fearful. Had something happened? Dory quickly scanned her smaller frame from head to toe as if such an inspection would betray a gaping wound. Upon realizing there was nothing visible to explain her unexpected visit, his friendly smile dipped into a concerned frown.

"Yeah, sure." Dory agreed, his head nodding one too many times as he stepped back to allow her inside. Once the door closed behind her he stepped towards her with his arms opening for an embrace. "Are you alright?"

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Perhaps a less selfish person would keep their distance. Perhaps they would step back to reveal the news for the sake of fairness. Why should she lure him into a false sense of security, curling up to him like a cat before sinking the claws of horrible news into him? But his concern was too tempting, his arms too inviting and Mabel gladly accepted, folding herself into him and burying her face in his chest.

Are you alright? he had asked, but her answer was far too complex for a mere ‘yes’. She just wanted to savor this moment a bit longer, remember the blissfulness on the beach that would lead to this cursed moment.

She took a deep breath as her heart continued to thud in her chest. This was the moment she would keep close to her in the future for when he looked at her with an expression of resentment for the life she’d trapped him in. Pulling away, she turned towards the couch, running the tips of her fingers across the edge. Best just get the news over with. “I’m unharmed,” That was as true an answer as she could give him. “I’m not sure if I’m alright….” Merlin, the words were like molasses seeping off her tongue. They wouldn’t come any faster. “but I’m not sure how long that will last. For me or for you…” The words wouldn’t come at all. The witch tried to get them out, to make them form into something coherent, but to no avail. So instead, she turned back to him and her hand rose from clutching her robes at her side to rest on her stomach.

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Any relief Dory felt at her initial statement was immediately superseded by her following ominous statements, the reality of which didn't sink in until her hands landed there. Maple was pregnant and, unlike his previous scares, he was most definitely the father. (Regardless of the parentage, Dory maintained he would have married Winnie and raised the baby. That she had chosen an alternate path was out of his control.) Maple was pregnant and unmarried. "Okay," he answered, his head bobbing yes as though it were suddenly attached to a spring. Maple was pregnant with his baby, which meant there were only two feasible options: the route Winnie had chosen or marriage.

Immediately, Dory knew which of the two he'd prefer and thought to voice as much, but the argument he'd had with Winnie weighed too heavily on him to do so. What if Maple decided she didn't wish to raise the baby? What if she'd rather they part ways now and forget the entire affair? What if a marriage to him was, once again, not viewed as the immediate solution?

"Do you - " He began and broke off, taking a small step further into the parlor. Merlin, how was he to approach her about this when a month ago she hadn't known what an erection was? Surely, she knew abortions were possible for what healer wouldn't? His hand came up to cup his jaw as his head still bobbed softly. "Do you know what options you have?" Dory finally asked.

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He caught on quickly, thank God. That was about the extent of her relief. It was likely only a matter of time until he looked at her with renewed resentment, wasn’t it?

Options.

Yes, there were only a few options before her, each one less favorable than the last. Elope and possibly get fired from her job, procure a potion, or ship off to somewhere where she was unknown, have the baby and return from her “sabbatical” as if nothing had happened. She looked at the man in front of her. He looked about as shocked as she felt. She’d had time to absorb this information (only a few hours, really) and all she could do was stare blankly ahead.

“Yes,” she said quietly, finally after a long pause in which she’d sunk onto the couch, her shoulders slumping. “Yes I know the options.” The rest of her words caught in her throat, refusing to budge. She wanted to know what he wanted, and cared what he thought. However there was apart of her that didn’t want to know, wanted to stay in this moment forever for fear of what lay ahead of them. “I’m assuming you do as well.”

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Dory sat on the arm of the chair opposite her, his arms braced on his knees. Despite his desire to sit besides her, to comfort her in some way, he was hesitant to without knowing where her thinking was. Winnie hadn't even thought it worth mentioning, was simply going to take care of it before Dory was any wiser. Obviously, Maple was different, but was she leaning towards an abortion? Would she too refuse to marry him if he asked?

"Yeah," he admitted with a deep sigh. "Yeah, I know the options. Do you - how are you feeling about this?"

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“I really only just found out, Dory.” Was all the apology she could muster. The reality settled on her like a heavy weight, and she felt frozen; by dread, regret, fear. It would be a while until she could pinpoint any other emotion besides those three. She wanted to know how he felt about it, but if she knew him, he would likely want to know her thoughts first.

How could she do that when she hardly knew how to react in the first place? Was she in any position to take care of a child? And what if Dory didn’t want anything to do with it? Chewing her lip, she could scarcely take her eyes off of the non-existent spot between them. Raising her gaze to meet his seemed like a Herculean task.

Blinking rapidly, she sighed. “There’s not much I’m entitled to feel, I suppose. I have to keep it or give it away. If I go-” Here she couldn’t even say the word. “-the other route, it would still be illegal, and I could lose my job if anyone found out but I suppose once I’m found out, I’ll lose it either way.” Once she started to talk, it was as if flood gates had opened. “I’ll be ruined, I won’t be able to find a job anywhere, and even if I did, who would want a new mother who had to take care of her child first and foremost? The Astorwoods have money, but I can hardly imagine they would keep me in the house after this, much less look at me in the eye—” It was then that her voice broke and she slumped forwards, head in hands. This was all too quick. It was happening too quickly.

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   Algernon Astorwood

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Despite his reluctance to bridge the distance without confirmation that she was comfortable with it, Dory wasted no time before moving to crouch down before her. "Hey, hey," he murmured softly, taking her hands in his. "Breathe. It's going to be okay." It was the singlemost promise he could make her right now, for whatever she chose he would shelter her to the best of his ability.

"I'm here for whatever you want to do, okay? Whether it's keeping th- it or not, I'm here. We'll get married, you won't be destitute. I'd never let that happen to you." A second promise, this one more easily broken than the first. Eloping would be heavily frowned upon in his family — particularly by Ros — but Dory could hardly leave her in the lurch. Not when it was his fault that she was in this predicament in the first place.

Sighing, he sat back on his heels. The second complication to that promise was Winnie. Ultimately, Dory knew she would understand his nneed to stand by Maple, but the loss of their relationship would ache. "I have a friend who's a midwife, she can discreetly help with the potion too if need be." Winnie wouldn't be thrilled to do it, he knew. He hadn't ever asked for this kind of help, though, so surely she wouldn't deny him if that's what Maple preferred. "She wouldn't even need to know it was for you."

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Her only solace was that she felt him take her hands and she held on fast for fear once he withdrew them, it would be like him taking back a promise. Shoulders shaking as she tried to swallow her sobs, she leaned her forehead on their entwined hands. He would stay with her, help her; she wouldn't be alone trough all this. Even as she absorbed his words, she shook her head in shame. They shouldn't have done anything in the first place, and yet that night - those few nights - seemed so surreal, so astronomically dream-like that Mabel would never be able to shake them, not entirely.

"I'm sorry," Her voice hitched again, and she tightened her grip on him. "I'm so sorry Dory, I never meant this to happen. I've been so stupid. So naïve -" What kind of healer was she if she had let this happen? That she didn't know the mechanics of it all? Surely Dory knew he was about to promise himself to an imbecile of a healer by now. "What a brainless fool you must think of me."

There was no other word for it, it's what she had been in the beginning.

She can discreetly help with the potion too if need be...

A potion to get rid of the baby. Mabel finally raised her eyes to his. The idea of someone else knowing about what had happened was not something she wanted to accept; she wanted to flat out refuse it but there was no denying that they would need help if that was the way they wanted to go about things. "Is...is that what you want? A potion?"

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Dory remained steady as she sobbed, his forehead coming to rest atop her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. She couldn't have known this would happen, nor could she have realized how to prevent it. Not when barely a month ago she'd been entirely unaware of how intimacy progressed. It was entirely his fault, his failure for not stopping them (or, if there was no stopping them, for not providing a condom). That Maple thought it all her fault was yet another failure.

He untangled one of their hands so that he might brush her hair back from her face. "None of this is your fault." Dory promised. "You've nothing to apologize to me for. I'm not angry or thinking anything negatively of you. I was there too."

He met her eyes with a steady, unwavering gaze. A potion, while certainly a solution, wasn't what he wanted for Maple, largely because of the risks he knew it carried. This could very well be the only child she ever conceived if she were to take the potion, or it could work in a completely opposite manner and kill her. But, just as he had ultimately had to allow Winnie to do as she pleased, he had to give Maple the same choice. "It isn't my decision, Maple. I'm following your lead, okay? We can elope tonight, I'm ready and willing. But if you're not ready, if it's not what you want, then there are options, okay?"

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He would follow her lead. Which meant if she wanted to be rid of it — of the child — she would be supported either route she took. It wasn't as if she wasn't able to procure a potion like that, but perhaps going through different channels would make it more difficult to trace it back to her. Even so, was she entirely prepared to move on without hearing both of her parents berate her for the damage she'd done? Highly unlikely.

She held his gaze for a beat. He was sure, steady; so had this happened to him before? Right as the question entered her mind, she banished it. She didn't want to know the answer; possibly even knew it already and wasn't ready to face it.

But the hard part was over — she'd told him and he had responded the only way he could, and she felt the pressure of the past few hours release from her shoulders. Now there was the matter of — Elope. It wasn't how she had pictured this; wasn't how she wanted this to go, either. "I think I need some time. This...." She took a breath, wanting to lean into him once more. "This is a lot to take in..."

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loveliness by mj <3

Dory nodded. Time wasn't exactly on their side here but she could take a day or two to right her head about this. They needn't elope tonight — nor was he particularly ready to, for he at least had to alert Ari to what was happening. Still, Maple could have today. "It's alright. You don't need to know right now."

He stood only enough to situate himself on the couch before taking her in his arms. "I have you, Maple, I promise. Whatever you decide." It wasn't as though he would disappear from her life should she decide to abort it. He'd grown too fond of her for that.

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She thanked the Lord that he didn’t press the matter, and felt her heart swell in affection for him. He was too kind by half, far too kind for anything that she deserved. But she allowed herself to lean into him. They had time to decide by the end of the week, at least. Perhaps it would give her some breathing room. “Thank you, Dory.” She murmured, eyes fluttering closed. She would be better tomorrow. It would be clearer tomorrow.

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