Alex gets exposed

You, Alex, and Marinette promptly grab a cart and at your urging, a tablet each including Clover. “You can’t expect me to push a cart around in my condition,” Clover said teasingly. You only rolled your eyes and met Alex’s eyes, silently commiserating with her. You walked through the arches with Clover on your arm and Marinette and Alex trailing behind. A couple of the greeters seated nearby looked up at your group and the Sam Manson among them looked like she was about to walk over to you before a chime sounded from a scanner she was holding. Whatever it was, caused her to give your group a glare.

“So this is a Sams’ Club?” Clover looked around the expansive store with a raised eyebrow. Past the welcome area, there were rows of products on shelves or platforms as thick as moderately sized cafes that seemed to stretch off into the sky with multiple elevators or ramps taking customers up and down to various levels. It was tall enough that you could spot a couple of indoor clouds in the distance. In the center of the building, there was an open area where there were literal monster truck sized piles of clothing, books, outdoor items, rows of the most popular snacks/treats, and Halloween decorations.

You could see on a few of the close-by stacks of platforms/shelves, large gorillas in vests grabbing barrels or stuffing products into either barrels or plastic balls and rolling them down the ramps as Characters either jumped over them or would try to catch them. If successful, they would stuff them into their cart.

“The mall wasn’t this tall!” Marinette exclaimed as she looked up and up and up. You were about to give her a run down but then the Sam Manson greeter spoke up, having walked over while you were looking around.

“It has bigger on the inside technology,” she explained with a curled lip as she held out a scanner towards you. “Secondary Proof of Membership,” she gritted her teeth. “Please.” While she scanned your palm, you took the time to look at what she was wearing. She was wearing a midriff baring and goth version of a Sams’ Club uniform with a dark purple vest. The handheld scanner confirmed what the arches did when you walked through them. “Welcome to Sams’ Club, I hate you all.”

“Watch the tone Manson,” a Sam Malone from Cheers said as he walked behind Sam Manson with a stack of boxes. He had on a standard Sams’s uniform with no alterations. “Sorry, she’s new.”

“Screw you Malone,” she snapped before she turned towards Clover and Alex in particular. “Anyways, congrats you two for getting knocked up by your oppressor. If you’re looking for pregnancy stuff, it's on aisle 8, stack 15, floor 6.”

“WH-What!” Alex gasps as she puts a hand towards her exposed midriff. “What do you mean I’m pregnant?!”

“The arches don’t just scan for membership, it scans any Characters members bring in so we can make better recommendations,” Sam Malone explained, a bit apologetically.

“And to make sure no one brings in anything ‘concerning’,” Sam Manson airquoted. “I’m guessing you didn’t know?”

“No! I didn’t! I’m gonna be a mom?” Alex stuttered before Clover and Marinette closed in on her and started giving her comforting words. You stared at Alex, knowing that while you have had some bonding time with her since you won her in your dad’s poker night from her owner Mr. Hoofer, you wouldn’t call the two of you particularly close. But with how you had your own suspicions and from your experience with Aelita when she was told by ReinCorp doctors, you had an idea on what to tell Alex.