Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Why?

Why am I here? W-Why was I placed with this responsibility?

Why did it have to be m-me? Why… why couldn't it be somebody else?

I'm… I'm a nobody.

Why?

Why did it have to end this way? Why does everyone… and everything hate me? Why was I put into this journey in the first place when I can't even…

AUGH!

It hurts.

It hurts so much… I can't even move my legs anymore. I can't even run away anymore as I grab the grass, the leaves, the twigs, and even with what little strength I had left I tried to push on…

WHY?

Why did I do this to myself? W-why did I still have the urge to carry on? Despite all of the burdens? All of the hardships? All of the sufferings? Why did I continue to push on and hope? W-Why did I continue to wade through all of the madness and pain despite knowing I could never reach that far?

That I could never be what many people call me as.

That I could never be what they wanted and hoped for.

AGH!!!

I look at my hands. Blood was now spilling from my mouth. I-I could taste the iron in it. The bitter, metallic taste continues to surge forward out of my gut. My eyes continued to dim as my tears persisted to stream down from them. I could no longer handle the pain for so long. It's just been excruciating.

Aaaaauuuuuuuughhhhhh…

I sob. N-No longer caring if anyone found me. No longer caring if they were to smite me on the spot, b-because… b-because… I just couldn't take it anymore. All my strength has left me as my blood continues to pool around my clothes. The wound in my stomach continued to radiate the pain b-but even that was starting to lessen…

A-And it was cold. So cold. I was shivering as the world seen through my eyes was becoming darker.

I don't even remember where my staff was. I couldn't even hear much of anything anymore…

My eyes moved towards the sky as I continued to cry in anguish.

I… I couldn't hear them anymore.

Grandpa…

Merlin…

Anyone… I-I can't hear them anymore.

I then look at the far star. The one that illuminated my path. T-The one that I always looked up to whenever I felt lonely or sad. T-The one that I always shouldered to make me go on.

B-But… but I couldn't anymore.

AECHCKKK!

My breathing was becoming shallow as I stared at the star with only one thought on my mind…

Why did you lie to me?

All of you?

Where were you in my time of need?

Why did I need to be the savior of this barren, terrible land?

Why… why did I have to stare at the far, lonely star kindling myself with hope when…

…there was none to be found?

P-Perhaps I was just a mistake. Perhaps Mother and the rest of the town were correct about me.

I-I was never the Child of Prophecy.

I was just a lie and a liar will always die for their own misdeeds.

Despite the pain becoming dull I continued to tear up as I stared at the star. A small, sarcastic smile graced my lips. Perhaps dying was a good thing.

At the very least I no longer need to feel pain anymore…

 My eyes close as the sound of rain against the peaceful forest where my body lay started to occur around me. I welcome peace.

I welcome the darkness even as a shadow loomed over me…

Perhaps it was Merlin frowning at my failure.

Or perhaps it was someone else just staring at a nobody.

A nobody like me.

Thank you Lonely Star… I… I hate you.

And then there was nothing.

There was a beeping sound.

It was like a rhythm. It continued to manifest every few seconds as I felt my senses come back.

Wait. Wasn't I… wasn't I dying? Wasn't I dead?

What happened?

My body still felt stiff. Weak, but I could move inch by inch as consciousness slowly returned to me. I feel my fingers move as the soft murmurs of a voice start to occur near me.

Eventually my eyes opened. Blurry at first as I saw white.

The entire room was white. The bed I was on was white and the walls were white.

Was this where people go when they die? I don't think so.

Nevertheless, I groaned as the feeling of pain returned to my senses but before I could even say anything, I eventually noticed that a crying form of a woman beside me started to stand up and come close to me.

"O-Oh Dear God… I thought you would never wake up." She said softly with relief as her fingers quickly interlaced themselves with mine. I looked at her in a confused manner as she continued to tear up and laugh in relief and happiness at my well-being.

"D-Do you feel okay? D-Does anything hurt?" she asked as she took out an object from her pocket and started… touching it? Typing on it? I… I didn't know.

It was there as I continued to stare at her that I realized…

I could not see her. I could not see who she was.

Yet as I stared into her eyes, there was a genuine spark in them. A truth of emotion that eclipsed everything and everyone I had met so far in life. It was bizarre. Untold.

I could not help but tear up due to how truthful the concern and joy there was on her face.

"Is there something wrong?" the woman asked as I felt a tear go down my cheek.

"Oh, honey… It's okay. It's not your fault. It was an accident."

I opened my lips trying to say something before the door to the room opened quite loudly and suddenly both of us were startled. But it certainly did not prepare me for who it was that barged in.

"AAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!"

She flew towards me at such speeds that she placed me into a surprisingly soft embrace.

"YOU'RE AWAKE! I… I was so worried." The blonde girl happily said with tears in her eyes as she faced me with such relief that I was shocked.

"Vicky! She just woke up. We don't want to get her into a coma again right?" the woman beside me said as I looked at her and the younger girl.

"Sorry Aunt Sarah… I'm just happy! It's just… It's been days. We were all starting to get scared."

"I know." The older woman said as she kissed the head of the girl as I looked at them.

"She's awake! Thank goodness!" another voice came out as I looked at the doorway and saw the man who similarly looked happy come in as two younger children walked towards my bed. Another pair of a man and a woman came behind them as they all smiled.

"Mom! Dad! Look! Amy's awake." The girl, Vicky I heard them call her said as a slew of cheers came into the room.

"Glad you're awake Amy." Another girl I heard them call Sarah said as she nodded at me as her brother, Eric whom Sarah mentioned laughed in relief.

They started talking excitedly and happily around me as I continued to stare.

Confused but at the same time happy(?) that they were genuinely happy for me.

Why though?

Why-

"I'm glad you're finally up… Amy." A voice, much more prim and proper, a lot stiffer emotion said out of the haze of joy and happiness. I singled the voice out with my eyes as I looked at a blonde woman whose face while smiling looked to be neutral at best with my condition.

It was bizarre and out of place.

"Carol, come on. Weren't you worried about her too?" a calmer much more caring voice said on the man beside her as he smiled at me.

"Don't be a killjoy mom. Look! Amy's awake!"

There was a slew of laughter as the blonde woman rolled her eyes while smiling as they continued to cheer for my expense.

Yet I continued to watch them both in interest and confusion.

One that the woman named Sarah seemed to notice.

"Amy? Are you alright?"

I looked at her as the room slowly went silent.

"Amy?"

I looked at each of them one by one again as I returned my eyes to Sarah.

"W-Who are you people?" I asked politely and truthfully as they all looked at me in shock.

Chapter Text

Mark exits the door of their car as he hears Victoria fuss and quickly gets the still-injured Amy out of her seat. It's quiet despite that as he sees his wife silently get her things in order to assist her two daughters. He feels inadequate like always as what little things he does simply did not seem to placate the growing feeling of uselessness in his mind.

Still, it was… good to see how much Victoria had fawned over Amy.

So much so than probably the last few years, he knew they were close. Closer to each other than probably his relationship with them, but… this was just on a new level. Especially since Amy seemed to have lost everything.

Her memories. Her personality.

Damn near everything.

What was left was a confused little girl who kept on asking as to who they were ever since she woke up. Even the way she talked was different and she had completely lost any idea as to how the world worked in all its important, basic ways.

The fact that she was looking at everything like a child so mesmerized and confused about technology, people, and even her own family was a sore sticking point that disturbed even himself. More so with his extended family, because even Sarah had turned unconditionally sad in her current state.

Victoria was the worst hit, as she kept crying nearly every night, more so after Amy had woken up.

She never left her side after the accident, but the moment Amy woke up and started asking questions it was hard for her to even stay given how hurt she was. She persisted still, especially when Amy was asleep, but it took a hard toll on Victoria specifically as she was never the same after that.

It took Carol to make her stop some of the problematic issues such as her absence in class to make her feel normal again, but it was obvious that she was yet to recover still.

Victoria, who was having trouble opening the wheelchair due to frustration made him walk to her and help. Her daughter smiled in thanks as they both helped Amy into the chair. He felt Carol's eyes watch over them as Amy looked at them all.

"Thank you very much for the kindness… V-Victoria, M-Mark… and madame Carol." She said with a shy tone as a subtle blush of red spread across her face. Both her legs, with those thick casts, made it so that she wouldn't be walking for months or more.

Worse, Mark recalled that much to the family's shock Amy no longer had her powers.

"You're welcome Ames… b-but this is home." Victoria waved with her arm in an attempt to gain some levity but only found Amy's face confused. "Don't you remember? At least even a bit?"

Mark watched as Amy's expression went on a series of changes. Only for it to remain as it was before. "N-no… I apologize, I don't really."

It was like a needle drop to him as well as Victoria. But unlike her, he was able to keep it in but to Vicky that must have been devastating. He could see her barely holding it in as he felt Carol's frown go deeper beside him.

"That's… that's fine. I'm sure it'll come back." Victoria said the last sentence almost a whisper to herself. Amy looked troubled due to how her sister looked and immediately placed her hand on hers.

"I h-hope it does. Really… it's just… well…"

"It's fine Ames… we don't want to pressure you too much. It's just been a week after all. Your head's bound to be fuzzy." Amy was still left with a frown but Victoria continued to talk, trying to change the topic into something lighter as she rolled her sister away into the house.

Mark and his wife watched in silence as he stared at the two before they disappeared through their front door. It was then that he felt his wife's hands hold his own.

"Come on… we still need to settle her in."

"Y-Yeah. We do." He answered but before they could step further he tugged Carol's hand to make them face each other.

"What's going to happen?" he asked, genuinely concerned, which Carol was surprised at. It had been a while since Mark had shown any interest in parenthood and she looked at him as if this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

"I don't know… honey. I've never seen Amy this way before." Carol honestly said a turmoil of emotions deep inside of her brewing that Mark had difficulty pinpointing. He merely nodded in response as they both squeezed each other's hands while they walked together to their home.

Mark was still left with a genuine sense of concern and curiosity after such a long while of total absence from anything resembling his life Deep down, he legitimately hoped that things would get better.

Amy was still lost in her own world.

Even as Vicky did her best to explain, and show the various memories and stories about their lives, it always ended with heartbreak for her daughter due to how nothing out of the original Amy was seemingly coming back. Despite that, she did her best, nearly every day before and after going to school (which Carol forced to come back to) she cooked for Amy, assisted Amy, and even spent the rest of her time with her sister for as long as feasibly possible.

Often times she would even sleep at Amy's side in her room during the night, to which either Carol or he would pick her up and put her in her own room afterwards.

Despite that, with the innocence displayed by Amy, it seemed that the girl was really trying. Despite the changes in her personality and character, she was doing her best to be helpful around the house. Or at least what she knew to do around the house.

From trying to wipe the table with how much ground she could cover from her wheelchair to watering the plants in their house, and sometimes when a mess was made, she would usually arrange and clean their belongings.

She was also far quieter these days. More so than even the old Amy. She would often read books she could not understand fully, and you would usually find her sitting on their porch in the backyard just staring into the sky.

On the days when Victoria was at class, Carol's work needed to be shifted back to their home.

But despite her presence, it felt as if it was mostly just him and Amy in the house.

Two strangers who shared a glance or two from time to time.

But a nagging feeling always invaded Mark because as kind as Carol was, she also felt absent from their lives. Both of their lives entirely…

And right now, as he stared at Amy sitting in her wheelchair looking at the rain, Mark could not help but open the door and let himself outside. A dose of self-responsibility blossomed in his heart at that rare moment and despite the depression, he found himself taking a seat close to her.

Much to Amy's surprise of course.

The rain left the ambiance quite strange but relaxing as the world around them was showered by nature's grace. Mark wasn't typically a person back then who admired or liked the rain, but it felt comforting in the best ways.

However, it was awkward as Amy and Mark were forced to look at each other, unsure of who would first open up between them.

"H-Hello… M-Mark." She spoke.

"Hello, Amy," he said as the awkward silence continued. However, he noticed that calling her Amy seemed to make her frown a bit. "I'm sorry… but I was wondering why you were here."

The sounds of their shed, which was covered by a tarp being pelted by the rain seemed to fill the gaps of the silence between them as Amy smiled. "I like watching the sky. It fills me with a sense of belonging, like I'm never alone even when it's dark outside."

Amy then raises her arm weakly into the air as if imagining herself reaching the clouds.

"It's a shame it's raining today, I would have liked to see the sun, the clouds, the stars. But… I don't mind the rain entirely. It makes me feel cozy and comfortable."

Mark hummed to that as he looked to where she was pointing.

"What about you? I can't help but notice that this is the first time you joined me." Amy asked. The words to some might feel as if they were a subtle jab at him, but he found that she was actually asking it with all due curiosity and innocence. She was legitimately surprised at his actions in general.

"Well… I feel like trying to do something different today, and I thought… You were lonely."

Amy's smile turned big as she looked at him. He found himself smiling back as she looked appreciative at him. "T-Thank you. Really. I can't say that the last few days were difficult, but please believe me in saying that they are the most wonderful days of my life that I could remember."

Mark's smile dropped considerably as guilt started to seep into his veins. Was she lying? The last few days were nothing but silence, grief, and sorrow despite Victoria's attempts at cheering them all up, and Amy… Amy at that current moment felt just as honest as she possibly could thanking him.

"I never had a family before. One that cared for me as much as you and Victoria have and despite my… condition. Simply having a home where everyone tries to make me smile and cheer me up is already enough." Amy added as a slew of thankful tears started to appear on her face.

He was left unsure as to what to say as the rain around them continued.

Guilt now filled him up completely as he felt Amy's hands clasp his own.

"Mark?"

"Yes, dear?" he tried as they met eyes once more.

"C-Can you tell me about Amy? W-Who I once was?"

Mark blinked before a bit of a spark returned to him. He then managed a small smile as he recalled the old Amy. "It's weird hearing you ask such a question, but if it'll help, well… Amy was a kind girl. She was loving to Victoria, quite the hero to so many people and…"

Yet as fast as the spark came and went by, it was only there that Mark made a huge realization.

"…and… she was…"

He never knew Amy that well enough.

"And?" her daughter asked curiously with a slight tip to her head. Mark could only watch as guilt finally took him entirely.

"I'm sorry Amy." He found himself saying.

"Sorry for what?"

"Everything." He said as they let the sounds of the rain around them relay the emotions that no longer needed to be said. Yet to Amy, the current Amy, she felt as if she had made a mistake asking that question.

Despite the earlier blunder between them, Mark found the need to do more.

Starting from that conversation, he did his best to help Amy around the house. From simple to complex chores, he would help her much to the girl's delight. He even tried to cook for her in some instances, to which they would both laugh, genuinely and hysterically at how he burnt some of the eggs. They would even be caught by his wife in certain instances as they did their best to clean up their messes, at least more on his part given that Amy was still wheelchair-bound.

It got to a point where Mark felt good.

He felt… happy. The days were no longer as dull they were as before.

And being with Amy, despite the remaining feeling of apprehension was an experience that he had not felt ever since he first laid eyes on Victoria as she was born.

As days continued, they would find themselves inseparable and with the things that Amy was no longer knowledgeable by, he would teach her, to the best of his ability. It was not perfect.

Nor was it enough to justify all the guilt that he garnered for not being there for his daughter, but Mark pushed on. He endeavored to make it work. To make it happen in the best way possible between them. No longer were his days just left with him sitting in his bed or in his room while watching TV but now with the motivation in his head…

Despite all the sorrow, he wished to be there.

He wished to be there for Amy.

It was going well for the most part, even Carol was starting to be surprised at the rate of his newly acquired actions and motivations until one singular night made it all transform into something else.

Victoria much to her anger needed to go on a trip with her classmates. As much as her girl protested to remain at home to help him keep Amy company, Carol insisted that it was important, especially with her grades going down.

It took a surprising pep talk with him and a conversation with Amy that made her go.

They were… inseparable much to Mark's delight and happiness as the two grew closer, far closer than they have ever been in the course of their lives. Even Carol was forced to admit it much to her shock when the entire family went out to dinners with Amy alongside them.

For the first time in years, the entirety of New Wave had done their best to commemorate Amy's discharge from the hospital since her accident, and Sarah as well as her entire family did their best to make her daughter happy and content.

Yet, there was still a degree of apprehension still with Amy and her family.

Apprehension that was only broken by either him or Victoria.

That was until Amy was curious as to what "movies" were.

She came to him as they were re-organizing their living room and she found their collection of DVDs. Some of them that Mark used to vehemently like and watch over and over again through their TV. As he explained to her what films were, much to her delight she attributed them as 'plays'.

He laughed at her distinction over the medium as she pouted with such a funny face.

She even nagged at him as she rolled herself to his side just to make him stop making fun of her. It was a great experience as he told her the basics…

And she was so thrilled and excited about it that she asked if such a thing needed any sort of payment. When Mark said that they owned the film, she was so aghast that she excitedly called Victoria on the phone with his help (because she still had no inkling or understanding over cell phones, much to his and Carol's relief).

Despite that however, Mark felt guilty at the fact that it seemed anything that was gifted to Amy whether it was new clothes or things she could possibly like, she would always ask how much they cost, and that she would wish to pay them back for it…

It nagged him as to why exactly she felt that way, but he hoped it wasn't anything serious.

It was another note that needed to be addressed in the future because as night came, they prepared their little romp. They even comically made their living room into a pseudo-theater with Amy and Victoria's stuffed toys (which Amy started to become attached to) as Mark found himself trying to look as close as a theater staff member with what clothes he had in his wardrobe.

It was a cheeky little ploy to get her excited but seeing the warmth on her face on how far he went with this was… honestly very worth it. He wanted to actually tear up but he kept appearances as he presented her with one of his favorite movies of all time.

A classic animation that he loved even as an adult.

One that had Amy riveted from the very first scene to the last.

It was… lovely spending time with Amy this way as she reacted with the film on all its most precious and loving moments. She even cried genuinely in a lot of circumstances as she sniffed while wiping her tears on Victoria's favorite teddy bear much to his chagrin…

But what solidified the moment for him was when near the end, Amy looked at him as he felt her hand squeeze his own.

"T-Thank you… y-you don't know how much this means for me." She started as it made Mark slowly part his lips in surprise at how much she was… tearing up in joy. "You've been kind… so, so kind to me that I'm scared. Scared that I will wake up and realize this was all a dream."

Mark quickly put Amy into an embrace as he tried to comfort her.

"It's real. It's real Amy. I'm here and… unlike before, I'm never leaving again…" he said with all the heart he could muster as he felt Amy smile in his arms before leaning into him and pressing her face into his chest.

"That's what they all say." She whispered.

"But unlike them, I'm keeping this as a promise. Not just for you, but for Vicky as well." She then looked up at him as he said those words. He wiped a tear straining down her face as he smiled. "A promise that I will never, ever, lose sight of myself again so that I can love my daughters entirely without fail."

She smiled back as she leaned into him as the movie's credits rolled.

"That was wonderful, M-Mark. The movie, everything." She whispered even as their surroundings turned dark due to the credits. He still yearned for the day she would call him dad, but instead for now, he was content with it. He then moved to kiss the top of her head one last time as the tired Amy drifted to sleep.

Minutes later, he would lift her in his arms towards his room as he tucked her in bed.

Mark found himself smiling.

Feeling accomplished at seeing how far their relationship had gone.

And how far there needed to be trekked to assuage the guilt he felt within his heart.

He sighed as he kissed Amy's head one more time before leaving her room. After he finished cleaning up, he walked towards his and Carol's room, only to find her reading on the bed. Still awake.

"Enjoyed yourself?" Carol asked.

"I did… it was pretty fun honey." He said with a genuine smile as he moved to kiss his wife's cheek as he settled in beside her.

"Mark." She suddenly asked as she took off her glasses and placed her book on the table next to their bed. "How long has it been since you've taken your meds?"

Mark blinked at her question. "I don't remember… but why are you asking that?"

Carol sighed as she leaned into her husband's form. Eventually, they held hands as she switched their lamp off. "Because you've been different, these past few weeks."

He smiled at her. "Better I hope?"

Carol did not answer as she kissed him. As they broke it, she said, "You feel vibrant, alive. I… I missed that."

"I did too honey." He admitted but there was still a degree of conflict on her face, something that left him confused. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Just… thinking of things with Vicky, Amy…"

He giggled as he set her closer to him. "Everything will be fine. Amy's doing better, that's what matters."

"Yes. That's what matters." She echoed as they both fell asleep.

The strange tone that Carol had in her words never left Mark as he let the darkness take him.

On the next day, Mark chaperoned Amy to take a walk with him as he rolled her around the neighborhood. It was a peaceful day, nearly perfect in his eyes as they both enjoyed the calm winds and the calm serenity of it all.

Yet what bothered Mark was the sudden silence that Amy had as he strolled her around.

Whenever he asked her something she would respond with short, to-the-point sentences and he was starting to get so bothered by it that she mused him that it was alright. He was suspicious of course, but he knew that she was okay…

At least for the most part.

Still, seeing her happy face as she saw the neighborhood and the many shops and people they met along the way made her so fascinated and curious that it made him smile. Of course, there were hiccups along the way. A few included a few fans that wished her well but after seeing how discomforted Amy was, she politely asked them to leave…

Thankfully he did as he felt his fatherly senses kick in.

Yet despite those elations as soon as they arrived home to which he found Carol absent, he found Amy once more being quiet as she sat in her wheelchair looking nearly at nothing just as she used to be days after she first arrived.

It disturbed him even as he tried to talk to her with little to no response.

It was only then when he was allowed to marinate in his thoughts that he thought about how… lonely and isolated Amy felt these last few weeks. Even with all the kindness and love that he gave her, he realized that barely anybody not associated with her hero life even came to greet or genuinely visit her.

It was only Victoria, him, and Carol as well as their family…

Nobody else.

It was then he realized how deep the problem was as he watched her sitting on their porch again looking at the stars as the night sky finally loomed overhead. Despite hoping to preserve her privacy, he made an oath to himself to do better…

So, he opened the door once again in a very familiar sight and sat next to Amy once more.

"Hey… are you okay?" he asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him and nodded as if it were difficult. "I just… wanted to see the stars again."

He looked up and smiled. "They're beautiful this time of the year. Clear. Almost as if there wasn't pollution in the air." He said to lighten the mood as he heard Amy hum.

"Mark… I apologize but I'm simply lost."

"Lost?"

She looked at him with all the seriousness she could muster as she cupped her hands together.

"I don't know why I'm here. Why I'm… Amy. Why I woke up in this form, simply lost as to what my purpose is and I know I will never get my answers because I've been duped before."

"Amy… what are you saying?"

"I used to look at a lonely star in the sky, even as the cold days came, I would seek it out, smile at it. Hope to it… but then the fires came and I was left running without a forethought. I lost myself again, thinking that I knew my purpose, my dignity, and my strength, but it was all a lie. A lie that kept me hoping like an idiot as I stared into a lonely star that was so very far."

Suddenly Mark saw that within Amy's hands, there manifested a bright orb of light.

He froze on the spot as Amy looked at it, almost nostalgically with a pained smile.

"I'm not Amy. I never was… and seeing you and your family do your best to try and make me remember just makes me guilty. Guilty because I know I just stole the life of your daughter. Your beloved daughter that you cherished so much. I feel like a stranger trying to act as someone I'm not… and it's just… I… I just find it terrible." She explained as she broke up into tears.

"That's not true… honey." He said.

"It's all the more painful when everything I wished… everything I ever dreamed about was having a normal life. A family that loved me. That stayed by me… and I… I can't help but feel as if I cheated myself on a dream that used to belong to another. I-

Amy stopped entirely when Mark placed both of his hands on her face.

"Baby girl… I don't care about any of that." He then stroked her hair as he smiled bitterly at some of the memories coming up within him. "I was lost too. For so long I haven't been the best father to both my daughters. To you and to Vicky. But… despite what you're saying I don't think it was a lie. I don't think it was a fluke. You were meant to be here… because you saved me more so than anything in the world. You showed me the way back into the light. You showed me that despite all of the sorrow and sadness I felt, I can find a way out of it with the light of my family."

Amy looked in shock at his words as he smiled as he took one of her hands.

"I don't know if fate exists, or if destiny is a thing, but I know for a fact that the lonely star did not lie to you, because it brought you back to us."

Amy started sobbing in joy and happiness as she leaped into Mark's arms and cried to the hardest of her capability. Mark similarly cried as well as they watched the bright orb of light slowly float into the air and towards the sky…

Hope burned bright into the hearts.

But even as a degree of questions and doubts lingered in their head, Mark and Amy knew that they earned this moment. That in that very instance, they belonged to each other's comfort.

Once more after finishing another movie, Mark brought Amy upstairs to her bed.

Slowly he tucked her in and gave her a kiss to her head.

The girl still had a lot of problems still, especially with the depression that bloomed in her heart, but knowing where that depression headed with his own experience, Mark made it a vow to keep her afloat. He would dedicate more time with them as much as he could muster…

Because both his daughters needed him at that moment in time, and he would never lose himself again because of it.

He sighed heavily as he walked down the stairs.

He then noticed that the lights in the kitchen were turned on as well as their front door being opened. Nearing them, he finally saw Carol holding a bottle as she took another drink into her gullet.

"O-Oh… h-hello Mark. H-had to celebrate I guess." She said with a wobbly voice.

He shook his head as he pulled his wife away from the drink much to her weak protest.

He carried her up the stairs almost similarly as Amy was before depositing her on the bed.

She groaned in her drunken state until she pulled the edges of his shirt.

"I love you."

"I love you too honey." He said with a grin.

"I love our daughter… too. Victoria… where is she?"

"She's still a few days away… and don't forget about Amy as well. We love them both." He proclaimed with sincerity. That is until Carol sarcastically laughed.

"I-Is she o-our daughter though?" she suddenly asked.

"She is," Mark replied, perplexed.

"I… I doubt that." She said as she drifted off to sleep.

Leaving Mark looking at Carol never the same way as before.

Chapter Text

"Vicky… you can't mean that," Dean said as he looked at her, nearly spent and shocked by her proclamation. One that seemed to be the most shocking decision she had made thus far.

"I'm sorry Dean." She said with sadness in her voice. It was painful, even for her…

But she had something far, far more important to worry and think about.

"B-But… we can make this work. I'm always there for you, I've always been by your side, right? Surely, we can pull through, we've always pulled through, together." He replied as he stepped forward and wished to hold her hand, only for Vicky to step back and look away. She placed a hand on her other arm and tried to catch her breath, wishing to not make a scene.

"Not this time Dean. I'm sorry. I really am, but Amy needs me and I can't choose you over her." She said with a resolute but painful tone in her voice. Yet she remained steadfast and enduring in that proclamation as it was what her heart spoke in that given moment.

Even if Dean cast a tear right in her face, or even if he grew mad, and said words at her, Vicky would calmly let the currents hit her rather than let it sweep her feet up. She would kid herself if she found this okay or acceptable in the first place, but she would be lying to herself as well in thinking that she could maintain and keep up what semblance of a relationship she had left with him.

Dean was kind. He was the model boy that many would like in a relationship…

But as Amy got hurt and as her grieving and suffering continued, she would find herself having difficulty juggling aspects of her life that an older, earlier version of herself would find essential. Worse, when it came down to the wire, Vicky still carried within her the deep-seated guilt of being the sole reason why Amy nearly lost her life in the first place.

"So… this is it?" he asked, not in defiance nor even in anger, but in defeat and disbelief. He looked at her as if his entire world had just simply ceased and Vicky would have felt the same as well, but she knew he understood why she felt this way… she knew he understood why this also needed to happen.

Instead of saying anything else, she wished to step away and leave him but before she could even step any further, she turned around and embraced him. One final, genuine moment of thanks to him as they exchanged how much they cared for each other.

They separated after what felt like a minute as they stared into each other's eyes, Vicky nodding with a thankful smile as she quickly got out of his grasp and walked away. Dean looked at her silhouette as she left him, not even bothering to use her flight in that situation as she went home.

As Vicky walked away, she finally exhaled a good deal of emotions from her chest. The pain remained; all of the bottled-up emotions were only half-emptied but… it felt a bit freeing even for just a small minute moment to just be honest with herself.

Many things had changed…

Far too many since Amy was hospitalized.

Her entire life down to even the most personal of things as the devastating guilt in her system ate her entirely. It ate her so much that it took her mom and family to force her to pick herself back up again. It went to the extent that she found herself horribly different compared to who she once was and her aura started to become an issue to many of her classmates and the people around her.

She couldn't remember anymore how many times she was called to either the school's counselor or the principal's office for complaints about her aura, her current attitude, and her failing grades. She could still remember her mom nearly screaming in her defense as one of the few very vocal parents who filed a complaint had issued nearly something serious down the line.

Even the Wards that were in her school were trying their best to help her in a way that would seem beneficial to the people around her, instead of herself. Sadly, that included Dean.

In the end, Vicky found herself isolated and nearly far removed from everyone. She ate alone and by herself in many places around the campus, or when class was not in session, she would place herself out in the school fields, sitting by herself as she watched the horizon change every so often.

She barely even used her phone anymore, unless something important came up…

And sadly through her isolation, it was there that she realized how many true friends actually existed in her… social circle. Outside of the Wards and some people she knew, the only ones who even dared to come close to her in her depression were her family and Dean…

A few select others she once thought of as close friends came by, but they only did so once and never came back again.

She did not mind it, however, even as things grew worse for her. Since the only important thing right now was making sure her sister was alright.

"…" she hummed to herself in a yearning, almost hopeful tune as she thought about Amy.

Her dear, sweet sister. She was so happy after the news of her waking up was told to her by Aunt Sarah. She was so glad that she did not care at all and just wished to see her with all the love and compassion she could offer…

But even that became a complicated, complex affair because… Amy forgot everything.

She even forgot her and the rest of her family.

Amy was just, never the same.

What was there of her old sister was gone. Even as happy as Vicky was seeing and talking to her sister, it was painful seeing her so confused, so out of her depth like she regressed back to being a small innocent child who was so amazed and shy about everything.

Amy was even scared of her at times. In moments when they were alone, Amy would simply feel guilty as if she was trying to uncover a memory that would never come back and Vicky would nearly always wish to change the subject so that she could make sure her sister was comfortable.

She did her best, so much so that with each attempt of reminding and even talking about how she and Amy once were in their many memories, she would realize that the current sister she had just kept looking at her, lost as if she had never found her way back…

And that tore her to pieces, Vicky would never state it out aloud or even towards her in any fashion but instead, she shouldered on, to the point that the only thing that mattered was keeping Amy happy.

So… she did. At the cost of her school life, her social life, everything…

Vicky did her best to take care of Amy and be there for her so she started neglecting everything. When she was separated from her sister it was so jarring and empty that she begged her mom to just allow her to stay when the field trip for her school came.

But she didn't allow it, so the entire week where she was gone she was relegated to being alone, figuratively speaking as she waited for the day to see Amy again.

Vicky smiles faintly to herself, thinking that in some way it wasn't all bad.

It was strange that with all of the sadness it was her dad that came out of his depression and started being himself again. He was happy, even determined and resolute in making sure their family would be back up on their feet again.

The best part was seeing how much her dad had affected Amy.

She started to come out of her shell, out of her own loneliness and Amy looked better, happier.

It was like a spark of hope that was just ignited and to Vicky, that was the start for something good.

But… looking at Amy still left a few mixed feelings inside her head, chief among them was that one conversation they had before Vicky left for her school trip.

"I'm sorry Victoria," Amy said as she sat there on her bed looking at her with a face full of contemplation and guilt.

 "Sorry? What are you sorry about?" she asked, nearly baffled.

 "I'm sorry you lost your sister… and instead got… me," Amy said as she started to wipe her teary eyes off. Vicky quickly found herself getting to her and trying to calm her down as she held her sister's hand. 

 "Amy… you were never lost. Y-You came back to us a-and there's nothing to be sorry about that, okay? I'm here… Mom and Dad are here, we're happy. We're all happy you're here and well." She said as Amy's eyes never abated, the guilt still stuck in them as if she had made a grievous sin.

 "B-But I'm not Amy…" she proclaimed with all the pain in her voice as Vicky found herself tearing up. It was there that she realized how much her sister was lost…

 And that… how much impact this had on her as well as her family.

 Because of just one… fatal mistake on her part.

 Vicky recalled hugging her sister at that point in time. Amy remained cautious and friendly with her but even with the way she was opening herself up again, Vicky could still feel the inner depth of her feelings towards her and it just…

It just made Vicky completely torn inside.

Sighing, she hastened herself on walking her way faster back home. She may have chosen to just fly back, which was more efficient, but Victoria found the sanctity and peace of mind in walking quite comforting in some sense. It cleared her head in days where it was too much and with all the feelings bubbling up within her, she decided to simply forego flying for now.

Surely things would be peaceful on the way home.

Surely.

THUD!

 "ACK!"

Victoria found her emotions flaring up to the extreme as she shoved the criminal into the nearest wall. The man was now bleeding from his mouth and his face, angry and scared as it could have been stared down at her as Vicky saw the pretty obvious Empire tattoo on the base of his neck.

She snarled after seeing the unlucky bastard accost a poor woman off the street.

He had a gun in his hand earlier but with the way she nearly screamed at this man as she held onto his throat, her grip tightening by the second, he had no way of fighting back, diminished as he was.

THUD!

 She shoved him again as the man gagged with her hold. Victoria saw red as memories of screams and the day of Amy's hospitalization came to the forefront. This man had nothing to do with it, nor was he of the gang or of the villain responsible for the current state her sister was in, but the fact that Victoria just jumped in with her emotions as high as they were created a haze of horror and weariness that made even the civilians around her wary and scared.

She snarled at him as she reared back her fist, just enough to hurt this man so that he could no longer hurt others… but before the anger in her head spiked up to further levels, she suddenly heard the ringtone of her phone unexpectedly turn on.

Her grip loosened and she slowly tried to calm herself down as realization finally dawned on her.

The stare and look of the people around her made Victoria understand as her ringtone continued.

She let go of the man somewhat gently into the ground as he looked at her, scared as some of the onlookers blinked at her actions. She then exchanged looks with the owner of the nearby shop for a second as he quickly understood what needed to be done.

He quickly called the authorities as Victoria looked at her shaking hands. There was a trickle of blood within them as she shakingly took her cell phone out and saw…

… that it was Amy that was calling her.

"H-Hello?" Victoria said as she answered the call, trying to calm her own voice down as people around her scrambled while sirens blared a few blocks away to get to her position.

"Victoria? Oh, is there something important going on?" Amy asked through the phone, a funny memory came up when Victoria recalled teaching her sister how to simply make a call. It was tedious, it was fun, but at the end of the day despite Amy's clumsiness towards technology, she was able to make simple calls that each day made Vicky brighten up before she slept in the trip.

"N-Nothing… I… I was just doing hero work." She lied as she tried to smile even as a tear trailed down her cheek. The sirens blared around her as police and medical personnel tried to get the man up.

"Oh! I hope everything is okay. It's amazing that you're such a dedicated hero, I think whoever gets saved by you is thankful for your service."

Victoria remembered how scared and wary some of the people around her were earlier, even the woman she saved as her grip on her phone tightened and her hands shook a lot more in the process. "Y-yeah… she's okay. I f-fought the bad guy off." She said as her lips quivered.

"That's amazing! I wish… I wish I was as brave as you." Amy happily said as Victoria's chest felt heavy while the sounds of a motorbike coming near her were heard. Eventually, Victoria saw the silhouette of Miss Militia sporting a concerned expression looking at her while the call was still taking place.

"Will you come home late? Mark and Carol are starting to get worried. I'm getting worried too, you haven't gone this late before." Amy asked.

"I-I'll be there soon, I j-just need to finish a few things up, okay Amy?" Victoria once again lied as she saw Miss Militia walk towards her.

"That's great! I have a surprise for you, or what amounts to a surprise, Mark helped me a bit but I assure you I did my best to make it as good as it could be and… maybe we can share it together?"

Victoria's hands continued to shake as she tried to smile. "S-Sure that sounds wonderful, I-I need to go now Amy."

"Oh I'm sorry… b-but please take care and come home soon!" her sister said as Miss Militia was now looking at her, barely a foot away with a sigh.

"Goodbye sis." Victoria mustered as she heard Amy ask how to turn the call off as it ended.

Miss Militia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as they both walked away.

Victoria no longer remembered how much her mom scolded her that night in the Rig.

Sitting there in that white room as her mother and aunt tried to talk to their Protectorate and PRT colleagues had been tiring, very tiring. She even slept midway through until she felt a hand touch her shoulder. As she woke up, she saw her dad looking at her with a concerned face.

They quickly left the building without any word exchanged as she figured that her mom and aunt still had a few talks to go through. Her dad drove them home as she leaned on the window of the car and looked at the passing buildings passively.

It was then that her dad finally spoke.

"Are you okay honey?"

She hummed back, being enough of an answer on her part. A few seconds of silence roamed between the two of them as she heard him sigh. "Look honey, I'm not going to pretend that things are okay in your situation, but… I want you to know that I understand why you did it."

She hummed back as she turned her head to her dad.

"I'm mad too. More so now than before actually, but if we're going to get through with this with your sister, we need to do better. Do you understand me on that?" her dad said with a smile as they drove to their driveway and stopped.

She was finally home on God knows what hour in the night.

She looked at her dad and still saw her hands shaking. "I… I don't know how to dad. It's so hard." She said with all the honesty she could muster as she felt her dad's hand comfortably squeeze her shoulder before putting her into an embrace.

"I know sweetie… but we're doing this for her and we should be there for her as it counts." He said as she nodded while Mark kissed the top of her head. They both got out of the car afterward and walked in silence as her dad thanked her uncle for staying behind to guard their house.

As the two talked, Victoria walked to their kitchen, wishing to drink a glass of water before going upstairs and sleeping. As she did, she stopped when she saw a heart-shaped object placed on a simple plate. As she stepped closer to see it, she saw that it was made of chocolate and there was a note placed right beside it…

"I hope it's not as sweet that it will ruin your teeth? But I do hope you enjoy it…"

 Victoria nearly wanted to happily tear up again at this small gesture of love and kindness as she heard her dad's footsteps trail behind her. She took a small piece out of the treat and placed it into her mouth as she smiled, deeply this time.

Happy enough that despite her day, this small act of kindness redeemed it all in her heart.

She chewed lovingly as she thought about Amy at that moment before she turned to her dad.

"Is it good?" Mark asked.

She laughed even with her tears as she nodded. "It's too darn sweet." She said as they both laughed. Victoria embraced her dad as they both continued to giggle softly to each other.

Moments later as she prepared herself for bed she walked to Amy's room and laid down beside her sleeping sister who was holding her lion-stuffed toy far too tight in her arms. Vicky smiled as she stroked her sister's head while that small sliver of hair stuck out like a sore thumb.

She smiled deeply as she looked at Amy, who seemed to feel her hands as she whispered sleepily to her. "D-Did you like my chocolate?"

"It was sweet," Victoria whispered.

Amy's sleepy expression to which she did not even bother to open her eyes simply morphed into a cute frown as she held the stuffed toy tighter under the sheets. "Aw…" she moaned as she drifted back to sleep while Victoria giggled before getting into the blankets as well.

She slowly started to drift off as well until she felt her dad thinking of separating them again.

She then moaned in displeasure as she then whispered, "Please, just for tonight."

Victoria then felt her dad kiss both of their heads as the two Dallon sisters let sleep take them…

Whether they shared sweet dreams together was anybody's guess.

"Does this look good on me?" Amy asked as Victoria perked up, seeing her sister holding a dress in her hands as they both went shopping together in the mall. A feat that was only possible days later after Victoria was allowed to get out of the house again…

With supervision of course, and this time their mother came along as they needed to buy and do a few things. In this case, while their mother was busy with affairs in another shop, they were allowed to go around the mall in a limited sense.

One of these was getting into a nearby boutique that both Victoria and Amy were pretty much interested in. Of course, Victoria had to roll Amy around in her wheelchair as they checked the merchandise, but it was fine on her part, not even a hindrance as some of their shopping bags were dangling on the handles of Amy's chair.

The last few days while troublesome on Victoria's part were okay when it came to home.

A few missteps allowed her a week off from school and everyone even as her own image was tarnished somewhat to the public eye. Still, the relationship between her and Amy despite a few hiccups here and there was much, much better than they were before.

Even more so after talking to her father about what happened at the time she was away.

It was amazing actually, spending the time with her sister as much as possible and even small moments like this made it all the more worth it seeing that her bleeding heart was healing, even if slowly.

"You seem to like a lot of blues lately in your clothes… thinking of Legend perhaps?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as Amy blushed with a frown.

"No, I'm not… and why would I idolize him anyway? I got Mark and you. I don't need another hero in my life. Certainly not one that I haven't met before." Amy explained shyly as Victoria smiled even if a bit guilty with that amount of praise for her.

"Well, I can agree on Dad's part. He's been doing a lot more lately compared to me, but are you sure you really want another blue blouse? You've either been getting blue, white, or even soft yellow lately with your wardrobe… kinda boring don't you think?"

"But I like those colors! They're elegant… a-at least to me."

"Says the little troll who accidentally bought an entire box of lion-themed pajamas from the internet." Victoria joked as Amy started to grow nearly crimson as she argued about it in embarrassment.

"I didn't know what shipping order meant! I… I thought c-clicking the number up meant how many days it would take to get to our destination." She said as she covered her face in shame while Victoria giggled.

"Stop making fun of me!" she shouted as she started to try and hammer my hands holding her chair while I continued giggling.

"I still remember how Mom looked at you, it was so priceless."

"HEY! STOP ALREADY!" Amy shouted until they accidentally bumped into a customer who lost her hold of her shopping bag. Victoria quickly picked up the said bag and apologized to the woman carrying it…

Who looked at her with the most forced and wary smile she could muster. "U-Uh… thank you?"

"Y-You're welcome, ma'am, sorry for the inconvenience," Amy said in my place as I froze.

The woman walked away as Victoria stood there, silent and nearly lost the mood as Amy looked up at her. "What was that about?" her sweet sister asked.

"Nothing… let's just move on." She said, trying to change the subject.

"Is there something wrong, Victoria?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just need some air."

Amy did not say another thing as they left the shop and sat at the nearby fountain in the middle of the mall. They both could see Carol finishing up on her negotiation with probably a possible client as Amy and Victoria remained near the fountain watching the sights around them.

"Victoria?" she heard Amy say.

"Hm?"

"Why do you not fly as often again? Or go out as a hero?"

Victoria looked at her almost unsure and shocked at the sudden question. A question she was unprepared entirely.

"I… I don't know sis."

"Is there a problem? I-I can help? Maybe it's a powers thing? Are you tired? Did something happen?" Amy asked in a series of questions that all had a tinge of worry in them.

Victoria just looked lost to her. "No, there's nothing wrong at all. Not in the sense that you're thinking of."

"Then what is it?"

Victoria then looked at the fountain while looking at her hands. They were not shaking anymore, nor were they covered in blood, but they still looked different to her. "I just don't know if I'm cut out for this." She admitted as she looked at two young kids who were playing near the edge of the fountain.

"I don't understand," Amy said.

Victoria then shook her head and looked at her sister. "It's nothing, sis, I don't think we need to talk about it that much."

She was about to say something else when she found Amy holding her hand.

"No, I don't understand what you mean by that. Y-You're a hero. A real hero."

"Amy I'm-

Amy squeezed her hand a bit. "The fact that you sacrifice so much of your time, effort, and compassion for me is enough for me to see you as one. You're kind Victoria. So, utterly kind that I feel… very unworthy of your love and effort."

Victoria nearly gasped as she was at a loss for words. Her lips parted ever so briefly trying to muster anything as Amy smiled, deeply and lovingly at her.

"It's not even that… you're brave, virtuous, and despite caring for me and your family… You still go to great lengths being a hero for others beyond that." Amy said as she patted my hand with her other.

"I… I could never do those things because I'm scared and I don't think I'm that brave, nor do I believe too much in myself… but you, you give me hope that I can despite it all…"

"Amy…" Victoria felt a sharp elation within the deep parts of her heart as she heard Amy's words.

"You make me believe I can be brave… You make me believe that I can be much better than what I currently am and… I could never see anyone be more worthy of being a hero than that."

"T-Thank you." Victoria reflexively said as tears managed to build up in her eyes.

The overwhelming gratitude and thankfulness in her eyes showed it all.

They both embraced each other as Amy held on to her.

"I know for a fact that Amy would have felt the same, dear sister." Amy finally said as Victoria nearly wanted to cry her eyes out.

As they separated, they both giggled at each other as the two kids near them started to argue on the ball they were playing together with. Their ball then accidentally flew out of their arms and crashed into the middle of the fountain.

They both complained and accused each other as Victoria and Amy watched.

The two eventually cried until Victoria, now feeling much more confident floated towards the ball and took it so that she could return it back.

Amy watched with a smile on her face as that one random act of simple kindness solidified her feelings of idolization for Victoria. At the same time, as Victoria calmed the two thankful kids she smiled back with fondness, thinking about what she did. A great big smile expression of relief on her face emanated as she floated back to Amy who was similarly smiling. Their auras glowing with all the bright colors to people who would similarly feel it as they passed by…

"I wish I could fly like you… soaring towards the clouds, the stars, the sky as the wind blows around you." Amy said dreamily as they both saw their mother wave at them so that they could all go home.

"We used to fly together as I held you in my arms back in the day," Victoria said.

"Was it amazing?" Amy asked.

"Yes… in a way," Victoria said, nearly lying knowing how much of a mundane thing flying was to her and Amy back in the day.

"I wish I could experience that as well, what I would do to also fly with you as we both reach for the stars." Amy dreamily said as Victoria rolled them away.

"Amy… hey…" Victoria whispered as she tried to wake her sister up.

The poor girl groaned as she opened her sleepy eyes. Both sisters wearing the lion pajamas that Amy accidentally ordered from the internet.

"Hm? What is it… Victoria?" she said with a yawn.

"Come on… grab onto my shoulders and neck, I'll do the rest," Victoria said as Amy looked confused. She did what she was told, slowly this way, as her arms snaked around her sister's back. She held onto her tightly as Victoria held onto her backside as support with her own arms.

"What are we doing?" Amy whispered.

"You'll see."

Victoria slowly opened Amy's window and they flew.

They flew towards the full moon, the wondrous starry sky at speeds that were just enough to be safe for both of them.

Victoria smiled as she heard her dear Amy gasp in amazement and excitement as her eyes, now as wide as saucers glimpsed the beautiful skyline, the bountiful clouds…

And the sheer wonder of the world being shined on by the far, lonely stars in the beyond.

Amy laughed…

Giggled…

And cheered as Victoria flew freely into the air, tasting the breeze as it passed them, feeling the joyful sight and wonder of their world in full picture.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" Amy shouted at the top of her lungs as Victoria smiled.

This was amazing. This was…

Wonderful in the best of ways.

"Wow." She mouthed to herself as the bountiful joy between the two was so immense that at that moment nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Nothing seemed sad or problematic.

It was just two girls flying freely into the starry landscape with nary a thought of the world around them. Hope burned bright in their hearts…

A powerful gust of hope within their free souls that would never waver even as the world was against them.

Amy at one point even removed her arms from Victoria's shoulders and freely cheered at them both as they flew by several feet up in the air above the buildings and rooftops. She cried out like a girl who escaped into freedom both literally and figuratively despite all the things that happened around them.

Victoria felt the same as she could finally breathe with relaxation and comfort after so long…

It was amazing.

"High-ho Silver, away!!!" Amy screamed as she laughed afterward.

Victoria then grinned at her and said, "What was that?"

"It came from this scary book I read… it just felt appropriate," Amy said as they flew.

"Sounds corny…"

"No, it isn't"

"Nah, it is Ames, just like the rest of you." She joked as Amy started to turn red again.

"I am not Vicky! How dare you say that?!"

They laughed together and argued as the two free spirits continued to fly into the night.

They thought of nothing else but the joy in their hearts…

And to Victoria, things might not have been perfect still, but the fact that she enjoyed this moment with her sister was enough…

It was enough to be herself again.

It was enough to somewhat be Vicky again.

Chapter Text

"Thank you, doctor," Carol said towards the smiling man who in the whole exchange between them was wholly concerned and saddened by Amy's current state. The check-up was more routine than anything but given how much the hospital kept talking about Amy in general and asking if she was alright, she wondered how far these people truly cared about her.

Despite it all, Amy… amnesiac as she was continued to be polite, cheerful and even welcoming to each and every person she saw in the hospital. Even some of the people that she once knew first-hand. Some had given her gifts; some were wholly supportive of her due to the very publicized incident and some looked at her as if something had been lost.

For most of the time, however, as Carol wheeled Amy down to leave the hospital's premises, it was a positive sight. In this case, due to the suddenness of it all Carol started to deeply realize one central thing that had bugged her ever since this first started.

The issue being that Amy was much more of a central, key figure in New Wave's continued success. Of course, she knew about the ramifications of it all. How important Amy was in general not just to Brockton, but for the whole world given how rare healers were, but while she chalked it up as something that was important she never knew the entirety of the depth that the importance weighed.

Not just for her family, but for her team in general.

It was staggering how much the incident had affected nearly everything in the Bay afterward. Carol could still remember how heavily publicized it was, to the point that their personal lives started to have issues. The local government, specifically the Protectorate and the PRT were nearly deeply involved in the whole mess. So much so that it took Alexandria herself to visit them one day.

She expected Legend at first, but given how it was Alexandria, it meant that this was not just trying to promote PR on their part. Otherwise, this would have just been a small little excursion with smiles and sympathies from Legend on the public news. Alexandria being there was to Carol's eyes a very ominous indication that those organizations were very much interested in the topic of Amy's condition if anything.

They even subtly donated funds for her full recovery, with some prominent doctors in the field coming to the hospital they just visited where Amy was admitted for weeks. They even wished for some Protectorate heroes who had some helpful capabilities to come to visit, but Carol rejected them, mostly because Amy was already stable at that time.

The entire event in general felt serious and much to her surprise, far more important than she expected.

Public opinion was on their side, so much so that the gang which was in part responsible for it was taken off the map nearly in the period of a single week, even less so if looked at on paper. Thousands were in support of her, mostly within Brockton as they wished Amy the best.

The large boom in donations for their team spiked, to the point that it even trumped that of the days when their movement was still fresh in the public's eyes. Carol knew it was temporary given how interests and political climates shifted, but it was… eye-opening to her how much more people cared about Amy's condition compared to when Jess was murdered.

Between her and Sarah, only Carol seemed to realize that to this day, and with the way she looked at Amy given the many problems that were plaguing her busiest set of months in recent years, she realized that the girl… was shockingly the only member that kept them all afloat.

At least in terms of relevance.

Sure, New Wave had drifted off of the public consciousness and there were still people who cared enough to give donations, but when it came to relevancy the only important member to the public's conscious eye was neither the older existing members of their team nor even her own daughter.

It was mostly Amy, especially in Brockton.

Would Amy, not having the power she held, have been a different story? Carol did not know how to speculate that, nor did she wish to given the possibilities, but those questions made her look at Amy and realize that… she was important.

And Carol, instead of accepting it shallowly, had come to realize the depths of where that importance lingered. Now, knowing full well that even without power testing, Amy had lost her ability to heal, she was normal in a sense.

Even with the many issues plaguing her in her work life or even her relationship with the Protectorate and PRT due to Victoria's situation as well as Amy's, her home life was different this time.

In a sudden twist, after Amy came home, the house became different. The family became different and her husband, depressed and wholly another soul that she cared for like her children, had returned to the way he once was. He started caring again, he started being himself again.

He was the Mark that she had fallen in love with, many untold years ago.

Victoria, as much as it pained her how much she personally destroyed her own life, was regaining her footing again, and despite how much of an issue her most recent act was, she proved to be far more mature now and quiet. A far cry from her daughter as she was before, but she was recovering in the best way possible.

Her whole family did, even Sarah and her husband alongside Mark and Victoria were starting to do much more patrols again, as well as hero work. The family at least in the wake of Amy's incident were being relevant again to the point that they became much more busy as of late.

All because of Amy.

It all started… and ended with Amy.

An Amy that much to her family currently saw, was depowered and no longer had her memories.

An Amy that lost the personality she once had and was now closer to being a child starting to relearn everything from scratch. An Amy that was now a ray of sunlight that allowed her whole family to regain their footing.

Carol, in this case, was unsure of how to feel about it all. A frown appeared on her face as the doors were opened around them for her to roll Amy back to their car. The girl hummed with a soft smile on her face as she held the stuffed lion that she was now attached to everywhere that she went.

She was not sure if she was thankful, or even happy about all of this. Mixed feelings were abundant as they neared the car in the silence following their wake. The Bay thankfully had been quiet for a while now given the debacle following Amy's injury and coma. Many of the local gangs had gone into silence or in hiding for now knowing what happened to some of their rivals that were technically vanquished from ever operating again. All because of the girl that Carol begrudgingly took on the day New Wave had made its first success.

"Come on, easy does it." She said as Amy raised her arms while Carol lifted her off of the wheelchair and gently placed her on the car seat. The girl dutifully did as she was told as she looked at her while doing it.

"Thank you," Amy said cheerfully as she cuddled the stuffed toy in her arms. Carol nodded with a small smile as she gently closed the door where she sat and left to take care of Amy's wheelchair. Minutes later they were now in the car together as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Carol… ma'am? Can I ask you a question?" Amy suddenly said as Carol nearly froze with the sudden question out of nowhere. Or maybe it was because she was not used to being alone with her after the incident. Amy was mostly in the care of Mark and Victoria nowadays and while she was there for most of it, she was more so in the background if one saw it that way.

Even then, it was strange how respectful and polite Amy was despite it all. The change in her demeanor and personality was far too jarring, if anything she thought that someone had replaced Amy on the spot and what was left was nothing but a child-like replacement. Of course, she was not that paranoid, but it was jarring, nonetheless.

"What is it?" she asked. Their faces were near each other as Amy squeezed the stuffed toy in her arms.

"I… I wish to thank you for letting me stay after all this time. W-We never got to talk face to face since I arrived at your lovely home, so I thought about doing something to show my gratitude for you and your family." she said, almost embarrassingly, as Carol's expression turned confused. Amy's face was nearly crimson red, but the girl pulled out a little box that was in the bag that she brought along and gingerly offered it to her.

The girl smiled with all the heart on her face as Carol took the musty but neatly made gift box into her hands. She then quickly deemed that Mark colluded with Amy given how it looked like, but she looked at the girl again with a mixed expression while Amy continued to smile in embarrassment.

"What is this?"

"I… I don't have money to repay everything that you and your family have given me, b-but I wished to at least repay it in the most thoughtful way possible."

Carol's expression turned into a small, unsure frown as she opened the box slowly, only to freeze in surprise and shock at what was inside. A memory came back into her senses as Carol's nostalgia flooded back into her of the days when she was still young… and wholly happy.

She could still remember how Mark used to place these things in her hair, lovely, crude-looking things that were decorated with the most amount of heart and dedication as Carol heard her own laughs as the man who would become her husband laughed with her.

"I know it's… not as good as Mark's, but he said it would be a great gift," Amy said, taking her out of her thoughts as she looked at Amy and looked at a simple, paper mâché flower painted in yellow and pink. Despite what Amy said, they were made even better than what Mark made back in the day…

And as she stared at it, she quickly closed the box and looked at Amy.

"T-Thank you. It's really thoughtful." She managed as the girl's face lit up with that smile.

That… loving, strange smile.

"I'm glad. I-I'm sure A-Amy would have been happy as well."

Carol stared at the girl as she started to giggle playfully, holding her stuffed toy in her hands. Carol turned away and returned her focus to start driving them back home as that entire interaction stayed with her. Even through the whole ride as Amy made small talk, she found herself responding, even if briefly as the girl kept smiling all the way…

Happy within her company.

Happy that she was with her.

Carol was unsure how to feel about it all as the jarring change continued to make her think deeply as the weeks went on. This interaction in general gave her pause as she thought about their prior interactions back when the Old Amy was still with them.

How different their entire experience and relationship was.

Carol for sure had tried her best to love Amy as a daughter. She did in fact give her a home, a family, and even a place that she would care about, yet as the roads went on and as they neared their house, Carol started remembering something differently.

Something that while she cared for Amy back then, was… almost superficial.

Like now with how she felt in the household. A background character that was just there.

Amy before was just there despite how many things happened.

She never blamed the girl nor anything for what happened to her real father, despite having issues with it, but she ultimately cared at the end of the day, enough to allow her to just be there in the family.

Amy was just an afterthought. Not something she deemed too important since she wanted to distance away from the memories of the past that reminded her of that man.

Yet with all of that said, Carol started to realize that while she never neglected the child in the first place, there was an absence felt between them. A divide that looked like a transparent mirror when in fact it was actually a wall.

She ultimately built a wall to make her forget the past… not knowing that this wall probably had an effect on the old Amy.

And now, seeing this new Amy change the rest of her family into something better, she found herself on the other side of that wall and Carol was not too sure what to feel about it.

Arriving at their driveway, Carol simply stared at the humming girl and felt unease.

Unease not because of her presence.

But unease that was starting to sprout within her.

Carol was tired. The Protectorate and PRT were too much to deal with.

Her own firm and its current issues were too much to deal with…

And it all culminated with her walking with heavy stress on her mind as she steadily made her way to the front door of her house. Before she could unlock the door and head inside, it was automatically opened by her husband who had a furious look on his face.

"Where in the hell were you?!" he said, his tone low but heavy.

Carol blinked as she looked at Mark, only to notice that there were party decorations in their living room, and there were loud murmurs within the house. She then finally remembered what was happening.

"I… there was an issue at work, I had to finish it alongside all the other messes." She said as she moved inside while Mark looked shocked and angry at her.

"It's been nearly two goddamn hours. For Christ's sake…" he said as they both stared at each other.

"What the hell do you want me to do? I can't just bow out of those important meetings." She stated as she heard laughter at their dining table.

"Do you not understand… what this day means for her, Carol?" Mark intoned as he stood over her.

Carol's guilt kicked in as Mark's face and expression had never been this intense for such a long while. She wanted to say something else until she heard Sarah's voice call out to them.

He then turned to her and shook his head.

"I'm not dealing with you today… j-just be there, alright? I don't want to ruin the only damn birthday I've cared enough to set in how many years arguing with you." He said with frustration as he walked away nearly forcefully. Carol was left to her own muses as she looked around their decorated living room.

It was Amy's birthday.

There were presents, party decorations and many of their family pictures taken out of their albums decorating the house in full stride along with lion-themed banners and other paraphernalia. She had forgotten that it was Amy's birthday. Pulling out her phone, which was placed in silent mode, she saw that it had nearly 23 missed calls in it, most from Mark and some from Victoria.

Standing in place, she started hearing the combined voices within the dining room of all of them singing happy birthday in full cheers. Slowly, she walked towards the voices and saw a modestly decorated dining room filled with the entirety of New Wave having such vibrant and happy smiles as they continued singing with all the love they could muster.

Sarah was there singing alongside Neil with their children as they huddled around a blushing Amy who was watching in amazement at the fairly large cake in the center of the table. There were gifts around them, smaller in number than what Victoria usually had on her last birthday…

But even then, the last time the entire family had gone to great lengths to even make such a party like this happen again was so long ago that Carol barely remembered it.

Sarah had never been this happy in a long while…

Neil huddled and caressed her sister tightly in his left arm as they laughed and singed…

Crystal and Eric even wore those ridiculous pajamas that Amy and Victoria wore almost daily…

Mark much to Carol's surprise was also wearing something close to a Monarch King's outfit even if goofily rendered with less flair than usual given how ridiculous the blue and gold clashed in his costume. Though, it was the thought that mattered because little Amy to Carol's eyes were shocked, surprised, and genuinely so warm that Carol merely stared like she was not there.

The entire family seemed not to notice her presence as Amy clapped along with the tune of their voices all the while as she was dressed in a princess gown made with a simple blue and white. Victoria was wearing a matching dress as well, though what made Amy stand out was a much more prominent tiara that adorned her head.

Carol then recalled that Victoria and Crystal once went to Parian's last week, she did not put any thought into it but realized its importance now.

Then, as the jolly tune softened and ended Amy looked confused with how everyone was looking at her.

"W-What happens next?" Amy squeaked out as she held her stuffed toy in her arms.

"You make a wish silly!" Victoria said with a giggle as she then pointed towards the candles on the simple cake. "Once you make a wish you can blow the candle."

"I-Is it like a spell? I… I don't know how birthdays work." She said embarrassingly as Sarah and the rest giggled at her innocence.

"I guess? But it's… you know for good luck because I'm sure any wish great or small can happen one day, especially if you're heart is in it." Victoria said with a big smile as Carol recalled nearly saying the same to her back in the day when they also made a larger party with even more guests…

Though strangely the aura and atmosphere of this one far trumped than any birthday party she had experienced before. Even ones where she genuinely had a good memory looking back on them.

"But don't waste your wish on more stuffed toys, okay? God knows our room is nearly full of them." Victoria joked as the room turned into giggles while Carol watched.

This… this entire affair was different and as Amy looked at Victoria with an expression filled with awe and surprise over her words earlier, she then turned to Mark who similarly smiled in support and squeezed her shoulder lovingly.

"You can do it." He whispered as everybody watched on in genuine excitement.

"A-Alright…" She then placed the stuffed toy on her lap and looked at the bright blazing ember of her birthday candles. Her eyes danced in their light as she looked at Mark once more and asked,

"D-Do I need to say it out aloud?"

"You can do whatever you want sweetie." He replied as Victoria did the same. They both then lifted the cape closer so that Amy could blow her candles.

Carol watched as Amy clasped both her hands as if doing a prayer and closed her eyes.

Then…

She opened her palms and much to everyone's surprise, minus that of Mark's, a glowing bright light emerged from it as she spoke, softly and intently while everybody felt goosebumps.

"I-I wish… I wish for this dear family to live on happy and prosperous for the rest of its days."

Carol found herself parting her lips slightly at how much emotion was in her words as Amy gently blew her candles and the orb of light in her palms then drifted slowly at first to the dying embers and seemingly carried their spark as the air blown from her lips made it fly.

Then the orb slowly separated into smaller, similarly bright pieces and it filled the room around them like the stars in the night sky. It was beautiful, surreal, and wonderful with all the imagination and thought in it…

And as Carol started to think about the revelations of this reveal, Amy's 'stars' then twinkled brightly as each 'star' hummed into a single note in a tune as they slowly turned into a musical piece.

One that Carol was familiar with…

Clair de Lune by Debussy.

The beautiful symphony mimicking that of a piano left everyone in awe and in tears as each musical note released brightened the 'stars' floating around them. It felt like a dream, a beautiful, unreachable dream as when it ended…

As the last of the stars faded out and the silence emerged, Carol found herself nearly tearing up in the process. Mark, and even Sarah were wiping their eyes as their children started clapping and eventually, they all cheered for Amy.

"That was amazing AMES!" Victoria happily shouted as Amy looked embarrassed while she smiled. Tears in her eyes trickled down as Mark kissed the top of her head. The rest of the room burst into cheers as they celebrated happily.

Carol on the other hand was frozen stiff where she stood as she looked at Amy.

It continued on for the rest of the party even as she and Mark ate next to each other on the table.

That was until when in the middle of the celebration as Mark talked with Neil and Sarah, Carol who was eating her dessert alone in the kitchen was approached by Amy rolling in her wheelchair towards her. She was finished opening her presents that time and while she only received a handful she was happy nonetheless. Her lovely dress even had chocolate smears all over it as her bright smile persisted…

Yet as she came close to Carol, she noticed that she had something on her lap.

A dress… fit for a queen.

"T-This is for you, Carol, ma'am. It's more lovely than mine, at least to me." she offered with a smile as Carol took it slowly into her hands. She then turned back to Amy and a difficult smile appeared on her face, yet the girl responded back with a smile of appreciation while Carol sighed.

"Thank you. Amy. This is lovely."

"W-Will you try it on?" she shyly asked.

Carol looked at the dress and thought about it. The conflicted feelings in her head clashed within her before she returned her gaze back to Amy's. "Sure. Why not?"

She happily nodded in her direction as she started wheeling away, only for Carol to say something before she left.

"Amy, I…" she paused as the girl perked up to her words. "…Happy Birthday."

Her words felt hollow, but Amy happily smiled at her.

"Thank you. May you enjoy the party as well, Carol, m-ma'am."

She wheeled away leaving Carol speechless as she looked at the dress.

Leaving her simmering in her own thoughts.

Strangely as she looked at herself in the mirror, wearing the dress, it did look good on her.

Carol sighed, however, as she finished washing her hands.

Leaving the bathroom, she started to gather the dishes to organize and wash them all. The party had finished more than an hour ago as her sister and her family left. The house was now quite quiet with only Victoria and Amy's muffled voices being heard in their closed room.

As she started to wash the dishes, she stopped and turned off the faucet as she stared at their cupboards. A minute later after wiping her hands she grabbed a glass on her own and took the bottle of alcohol in their cupboards before pouring herself a glass on the kitchen sink for herself.

The clinking sound made by her placing the bottle made her stare at the stillness as she looked at the glass. She lifted the glass a minute later and tasted some of its contents. The extra burn hit the back of her throat as she walked to the table and sat by it in her chair.

Taking a deep breath, she thought about the mixed feelings she had as of late. She could not describe them, nor could she try to given the complex nature that was bubbling within the surface of her feelings as of late. Feelings that originated from traumatic experiences in the past as she recalled being bound while she cried and screamed through the bondages.

A tiny light, from the underside of the door was the only hope, that made her dream of freedom as she and her sister were left to their fates.

It was never the same after that… and any conviction that grew from that memory remained within her ever since. That fear. That uncertainty…

Reminiscent of her own feelings of never being able to escape from such a dark fate proliferated in her thoughts and personality even to this day. Which is why looking at Amy gave her so many unsure thoughts. Wary thoughts brought about by her disillusionment of vile people having their way with the innocent. It was why Carol admitted never wanting Amy in the first place…

For as much as any love sprouted within her towards the girl at first, it was quickly replaced by fear and memory of the man the child was associated with. It was startling and nearly crippling looking back at it now and comparing it with the Amy of today as she started having doubts about her own actions.

Doubts that began by seeing the vile man's memory plastered on an innocent child's face.

Doubts that left Carol to question her own morals to begin with.

Now, seeing what Amy had been these last few weeks…

The loving, polite, and happy Amy made her think about what she was scared of. Or better yet, she was asking deep down within herself if she was scared of what she had become to an innocent girl who was oblivious to her deep traumas and feelings in the first place.

Even more so considering how much Amy was 'there' to her senses back then before the incident.

Did she feel the same?

Like a stranger, like how she felt earlier as her entire family celebrated without her?

An alien or a shadow in their mist?

Carol did not know… because she was afraid of the truth in general.

Scared of the real answers those questions held.

With a deep breath, she emptied the glass entirely into her gullet as she forcefully set it down on the table in a loud thump. Only to realize that Mark was watching her from the doorway.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as Mark crossed his arms. A look of disappointment graces his face.

"Level with me… Carol." He said, the tone of his voice making her crack as she looked at him.

"I'm really sorry… I didn't want to-

"We've talked about this whole party two weeks ago. I asked you what you wanted to do. I reminded you nearly day by day last week, and I just chalked it up as you being so busy with all the things that's happened around us. Around Vicky, around Amy, our daughters. So I went on my own and had Victoria help me to finish all of this… and you still forget on the most important day of her life." Mark's emphasis on each word almost made her shrink on herself as this was the first time in decades that he was this disappointed and angry.

"I know. I… I tried. Or I thought I tried." She replied as Mark groaned in frustration.

"Aren't you happy? That I'm no longer a drifting useless idiot in the house? Aren't you happy that Victoria is finally opening up again after what happened to her? Aren't you happy even for just one time that Amy… our daughter I remind you, is celebrating her birthday normally after she nearly died weeks ago?!" his tone became heightened, as if weeks of frustration now was built up to a boiling point as Carol stared back.

"Do you even care?"

 "I do but-

"You know what, that's not even the right question to ask… did you even care from the start? At all… about me, about our daughters in the first place?!"

"Mark I…-

"Were you happy that I was a dumb idiot just following you along as I rot in the house? Because you never cared at all to even-

"I DID CARE!!!"

Her scream stopped him completely as Carol stood up from her seat. Tears on her face as she looked at him with all the intensity she could muster.

"…I cared about you! I cared about our family! Every single one of us in all the time you were left the way you once were." She shouted out in full tilt as she pointed at him.

"…EVERYTHING I DID WAS FOR OUR FAMILY… I worked my ass off on every inch of the way because I cared for all of you. Because I was alone… yearning… asking for someone out there to save us so that everything would be back the way it once was."

"But there was nobody… It was just me, and I had to carry the burden of being the sole member of this family that had to strength to carry us along."

She then sat back on her seat, leaning on it as she looked at the empty glass.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know why I keep making the same mistakes because I was so scared of something that I'm not sure would even pass."

She then turned her head back to him once more, seeing his serious expression as she spoke one last time. "But you don't get to say that I don't care when everything I've done so far is out of love for each and every one of you."

Mark then hesitates but his expression stays the same.

"But that love doesn't include Amy, doesn't it?"

She opened her lips, wishing to say something but nothing came out. She had…

She had no words at all to say in a reply.

"The mere fact that you can't even say anything just tells me enough." He said as he sighed.

"Mark, please… I'm not-

"I know I have no right to question you Carol… about everything that you've done for me, for Victoria, hell, even for Amy… but at the same time, she's the reason I'm right here now, talking to you, being a husband and a father because she taught me what it means to live for something again."

Carol stared at him as he sighed and looked away from her gaze.

"If you can't see her as your daughter, then I'm sure as hell won't allow you to ruin what happiness she has left." He stated with finality as he began walking away as Carol stared. A moment later she heard the rather forcible and loud close of their front door as Carol was left to her lonesome.

Tears were in her eyes as she wiped them.

Moments later, she couldn't finish doing the dishes so she started walking back to their room in silence until she stopped completely when she saw Amy, in her wheelchair staring back at her on the top of the stairs with an expression filled with guilt and concern.

She heard everything…

And Carol was left looking at her until she tried to say something before Amy beat her to it.

"G-Good… n-night Carol, m-ma'am…" she said with fear and guilt in her voice as she wheeled herself away quickly into her room before closing it.

The only sound Carol heard afterwards were the soft muffled sobs while Victoria audibly tried to console her sister.

"…"

Carol was not even sure she had enough strength to ascend the flight of stairs any further as she sat on them and covered her face in silence.

The smell of alcohol reeked in the air around her.

It was an awkward few days.

The entire house was just filled with a great divide as even her own daughter, Vicky was avoiding her. Any time they interacted it was with a disinterested face that Carol knew was a state of full ignorance to anything she said, even ones where she genuinely wished for her to be safe when she went to school or when she went outside to do patrols.

Her husband, Mark in this instance, while was not as bad merely wished to talk in smaller doses with her as he went on with his day, mostly to care for Amy.

She just became much more of a stranger in the house, far worse than even before as the divide widened in gap. So much so that any positive conversation died when she arrived home, or even when she wished for her husband, Vicky, or even Amy a good night to sleep.

Mark even slept on the couch a few nights ago from his patrol, not wishing to sleep next to her.

It was painful.

So, so painful that it was much lonelier compared to when Mark still had depression.

She continued drinking night after night, even as her workdays became busier…

Worse, ever since that night when she discovered Amy had listened in on her and Mark's conversation, the poor girl had been experiencing nightmares. So much so that in their panic, Amy had to be sent to the hospital because she was not breathing from her sleep paralysis.

Even as pure worry and terror also made their way into her heart as she saw the once-happy girl experience such harrowing issues, both Mark and Victoria wished for her to distance herself from Amy.

Not blatantly of course, but with the way they acted around her, it seemed like she was being turned into an outcast.

A few days later, after multiple work-related issues were resolved, she was allowed to come home earlier than her usual time. Amy was back in her bed, safely sleeping with her toy in her arms as Vicky and Mark watched a movie in the living room after sharing the whole day taking care of her.

Carol, as she arrived, was in fact greeted at the front door but the awkward tension was still palpable. An hour later, as they were about to sleep in for the night, a call was received from Sarah about an attack down across the Docks. It involved mobilizing most of them to respond so much so that they needed both Victoria and Mark on the scene…

Neither of them wished to go so that they could guard Amy just in case, but given that the alert was quite serious, Mark eventually trusted her enough to be left in the house alone guarding Amy. She was surprised by this, even volunteering to take his place, but given the emotional state she was in, she was not fit to be in combat.

Vicky was adamant, nearly wishing to argue over it, but she was reluctantly calmed down by her father who convinced her to trust her enough just to watch over Amy. They promised to be back as fast as they could as they left after changing.

They rushed out of the house moments later as Carol watched them leave the front door. Silent and ultimately exhausted she started walking to her room and quickly got into the bed.

Putting the blanket across her chest she stared at the ceiling.

The thoughts in her head overwhelmed her as she sighed heavily.

The growing pains in her chest were so much these past few days that she wished not to have to escalate the way they did on the night of Amy's birthday.

But words were already said… and as much as it hurt being placed on this spot, she knew she deserved it, deep down.

Closing her eyes she wished for sleep to take her quickly into the darkness…

Until she opened them again when the loud screams of Amy were heard.

She quickly sat up and regained her bearings. Amy was having nightmares again. She ran to the room in haste and as soon as she opened the door, the loud painful cries of Amy came to her senses in full volume. Her blanket was spread everywhere on the ground, her sheets were stained with the smell of her urine, and her pillows were thrown everywhere…

Even her favorite stuffed toy was at Carol's feet.

Poor Amy thrashed and cried with her voice nearly becoming spasmed as Carol quickly tried to hold her down.

"Amy..." She said as she continued to thrash in her arms while Carol tried to stop her.

"Shhhh… c-calm down Amy… I'm here… I'm here… nothing's wrong." Carol awkwardly said as she tried her best to calm her down until Amy screamed out more prominently than before.

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGHHHH… M-MAMA!!!"

Carol froze as she held Amy down. How her voice cracked, how painful and traumatic her wails were… reminded her of the past.

Her own past.

"M-mama… I d-don't want to sleep in the stables anymore… p-please! D-don't put me back there!"

"A-Amy… it's Carol… I'm here okay? I'm-

"DON'T PUT ME BACK! I… I-I don't want it…. P-please… PLEASEE!!!" she then sobbed loudly as Carol started to tear up. Holding Amy tight into her arms as the girl started violently crying into her bosom.

"D-Don't put me back… p-please… d-don't p-put me back…"

"I won't… I-I won't… it's gonna be okay…" Carol repeated not just for Amy, but for herself. She remembered that day when the trauma all began. How Sarah held her this tightly and said those words to falsely soothe them of it turning out okay in the end.

Yet she and at that moment, Amy continued to cry…

"I'm scared… p-please… d-don't put me back."

"It's going to be okay… it's going to be okay…" Carol whispered as she tried to kiss the top of Amy's head despite all the tears.

"I'm s-scared…" Amy said as her breathing started to calm down…

"I'm scared…" Carol echoed as she held Amy deep into her arms.

Chapter Text

I watched in giddy joy as another bubble popped upon my nose. Giggling, I lightly reached my hands towards it as the soap and bubbles continued to pop around me. It was a mesmerizing sight, like when one first experiences the first snowflakes drop from the sky. I remember those days. Those nights when the cold was still manageable, and when they would still allow me to frolic and make indents in the snow.

Those were better days of the many I shared. Of the many I experienced.

It's when I would just smile at the little things, the joy enrapturing my heart like a loving embrace. It was there I would simply stare into the heavens, imagining myself a home that I would be welcomed with, a fire where I could keep myself warm and cozy, and people who truly cared for my wellbeing.

I would often talk to myself on those days. Oftentimes the village folk would scold me, and be angry with me when I made noises just simply playing by myself as I make voices of characters that I dreamed to be with me. Where I would be engrossed by those dreams as if I were living them.

Now, as I happily giggle as more bubbles pop around me, I feel blessed…

"You were never this quiet when we used to take a bath together," Victoria said with a smile as I turned my head to her.

…and at the same time, I feel guilty. Torn, that I am living this lovely, beautiful dream of a girl that I have essentially robbed of ever experiencing.

Dear Victoria, the sister of this Amy, a caring, beautiful person that I found myself calling my sister was the real Amy's sibling. Yet here I am taking her place, her situation like a fairy evicting one who has forgotten their name into banishment.

My heart beats slightly faster at those thoughts as the guilt grabs onto my soul.

Victoria continues to massage my head as she applies this "soap" and "shampoo" to my hair. It was very fragrant, the smell akin to flowers that I would rarely see in the open. Flowers that I only get to see within the homes of famous people. The fact that she goes the extra mile to even apply it to my unworthy head, I could just watch in pure, unbridled guilt.

I hope she does not notice it.

It was bad enough with Mark, whom I still could not tell if he believed my story. Dear Mark, whom I was ashamed and proud to call… father. I just don't feel worthy of being placed with all of this affection. All this love and care.

When I knew deep down, I was not worthy of it. I was a pretender. An unworthy soul that has robbed a second chance from an innocent girl, that I'm afraid…

Is long gone.

I feel so terrible being so happy when they shower me with this love. Because it's not… for me. It's for Amy and even when I want to be truthful, they would just shower me with more love, even if I cry about it, speak my words in honest truth, they would always, always love me as if I were their own.

Why?

And yet, even as I feel this guilt I fully embrace it.

Like a selfish, petulant child like those Faeries with big names all because I found my dream was turned into reality. A selfish girl who is unworthy of such affection in the first place.

"Ames?" Victoria's voice calls out to me. It takes me away from my thoughts I stare at her. Her face wrought with concern and worry as she looks at me intently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" I suddenly spurt out as more bubbles pop around me. She blinks for a few moments until she sighs, her shoulders drop slightly while she frowns.

"Just… don't think about Mom, I mean, Carol for a moment. I'm sure… I'm sure she didn't mean it." Victoria says to me, completely misunderstanding my silence. It… it makes my dear little heart beat a bit faster.

"I don't. Why would I?" I ask, genuinely curious. Admittedly, it… it hurt hearing that conversation Mark had with Carol. The main reason for it being painful was the fact that it reminded me of those villagers. My mother that used to argue with the many Fae about what to do with me. Many of them thought I was oblivious, and many of them thought that I could never hear what they were talking about.

It tore me apart as well knowing I was the cause of the argument in the first place.

Yet…

I do not blame Carol for her outburst or her confused state. I was simply reminded of a time when the worst of days were cast upon me, and my nightmares simply returned because of it.

I know this, because well… she was there when I woke up from those terrible dreams.

Crying, touching me as if I were Amy herself, and sleeping right beside me in order to keep me safe. I also cried at that moment, knowing that they were forcing themselves too much for my own sake, and that I felt so useless in return. Still, I am thankful… very thankful to embrace Carol within her arms.

Like Mark and Victoria, I just felt safe. Happy.

I just did not want it to end. E-Even at the cost of the life I have completely replaced.

Curse it. Why were things so complicated?

"Ames you don't have to pretend. I was there you know, I haven't heard you cry like that since…

Victoria paused before pressing her lips together, displaying a degree of difficulty. "…since you were alone when you woke up, being confused and lost from your memory being gone."

Victoria sighs again. "It was just painful. I couldn't do anything when you stopped breathing. It was the scariest moment in my life… because I didn't know what I would do if I lost you again."

Immediately, that guilt skyrockets within me as I quickly reach out and touch Victoria's hand with my own. "N-no… p-please don't be sad. None of it was your fault, I was just-

Suddenly, despite me being this wet, vulnerable, and unprepared, Victoria placed me in her arms. Embracing me with all the care and love she could muster a small tear escaped her closed eye.

"You scared me… please… please don't leave me like that again."

My heart began to burst as I leaned my soap-filled head into her embrace. Smiling with a tear as well as we both relished in each other's arms.

Eventually, we managed to release ourselves from each other's holds…

And Victoria suddenly splashed the bubble-filled water back into my face.

I started sputtering in surprise and shock as I pouted at her.

"W-What was that for?!"

"You dummy! Look at me! I already took a bath today and you just ruined my favorite shirt." She exclaimed as she wiped her tears off, a smile gracing her face again as I could not help but follow suit.

"Y-You started it! I just played along." I said as she playfully laughed at me before quickly rubbing my soap-filled head. The bubbles, the beautiful bubbles flying everywhere as we started laughing.

"It's your fault for making me so worried!" she said while laughing.

I could not help but laugh back as well and joy started manifesting within my heart again.

I don't deserve this joy… but, I wish to still experience it. I want all of this to be real. 

 Not just as a dream, but as something I can wake up knowing that I belong.

Victoria laughs in excitement and glee as I splash a rather large volume of water on her. It bathes her completely, making the entire portion of her head all the way to her abdomen wet as we both giggle.

"I just had my hair done for today Ames! Don't you know how long that takes?"

I manage to stick my tongue out in defiance as she smirks. "Your fault for volunteering my bath duties for today. I already told Mark I want to do it myself!"

"Pfft… last time you did that, Dad had to redo you again because you literally just took a dip in the water and dried yourself after." Victoria snarked as I quickly blushed.

"No! Don't you dare pull that up! I was… I was-

I did not expect her to jump like a cannonball into the tub a second later. The water splashed around us, removing much of the soap off my head and many of the bubbles as the entire room started to smell fragrant from the water spreading everywhere.

We both laughed together as Victoria and I once more exchanged a much-needed embrace.

We loved it. I loved it.

I will not exchange this moment with anything in my life within the village.

I sincerely hope this is not a dream.

"I like that you're growing your hair out now. It… it suits you." I hear Victoria say behind me as I lean my back to her. She continues to wash my head as I close my eyes to relax.

"Also, is it just me… but is your hair turning lighter in color?"

"Has it?" I ask innocently as I open my eyes.

"Hm. Must be the water." Victoria said as we both let the comfortable silence reign. The bubbles, still making me mesmerized as I watch some pop against the wall.

Then as she reached forward to clean my arms, I quickly noticed one of the fresh burns near the end of her elbow. I quickly worry as I look at her.

"Hm?" Victoria then noticed that burn patch on her skin as she smiled and kissed the top of my head. "Oh, don't you worry about that, I just got nicked. Scary as that whole thing was, we managed to beat the big, scary dragon away."

My eyes widen. "You beat a mighty dragon?" I asked. Pleasantly excited and disturbed.

"Well… I was part of it, not one who vanquished the Dragon, you should thank Alexandria and Armsmaster for that. Could have escalated a lot if it weren't for them."

"B-But you still took part! That's good enough for me. I would be proud to have a sister that's a Dragonslayer."

She quickly laughed at my words as I slightly tilted my head in confusion.

"That does sound quite badass. Glory Girl, the Dragonslayer. Has a nice ring to it."

"I would knight you if I were royalty. Like… like how Queen Morgan chose her knights!"

She then rubbed my head as we both giggled.

"Milady Ames of Brockton Bay… Princess of the Dallon Household, Beloved shrew of New Wave-

I then started to blush madly as I turned around and started pounding her with my fists as she continued unphased.

"Why a shrew?!"

"Because calling you a lion is stupid and dumb."

"Not it isn't!"

"Yes, it is."

Our bickering continued to go on for a few minutes and eventually, we finished bathing together. While Victoria finished drying me up with a towel, so that she would lift me back to my chair, I started forming a definite plan in my head.

I could not repay this family enough for their love.

The best I could do…

The best I could do is to do something that will in essence honor them for all their love and hard work.

"Victoria?"

"Hm?"

"Can you teach me how to be a hero?"

I placed the candle right down into the center of the table.

Sticking an angry face drawing on it with paper and some of this "tape", I quickly rolled myself in position.

With a determined face, I took a deep breath before looking at my target.

I… I will need to train. To be a hero.

To be something my family will be proud of.

I know I can do it. I can make it.

It's a responsibility, right? One that's smaller than that being the Child of Prophecy, but at least I can make sure that it would be a reality.

People believed in me.

I… I should believe in myself.

I remember one of the spells Merlin taught me. One that conjured those beautiful discs of light. I had mastery of them… a bit. Good enough that I could hit a target from yards away with some accuracy.

If you can call a thick tree bark good accuracy…

But oh well, you can't know if you haven't tried.

A leap of faith, as one of those good books I read from this house said.

I squinted my other eye and felt the mana build up in my arms. My hands glowed. This was easier if my staff was still around, but… but I was sure that I could control it enough with just my hands. I managed before with what I showed my family, and I can do it again.

The disc forms in my hand, brightening the room even against the morning light seeping from the windows. I smile in glee as I see it then I look at my target.

With confidence I never knew existed within myself, I threw the disc towards the candle. It's angry face like a bad man in one of those movies and shows I watch so fondly. The bad guy will be vanquished under my-

BRWOOSH!

 The disc launched itself from my hand and flew forward, without fail. Decapitating the candle and everything behind it. This time, both the window and the faucet of the sink.

I screamed as a fountain of water started rushing out to flood the place.

"AMY! What's wrong?! Did something happen?! Did-

I froze in shame and embarrassment as I turned my head towards a disheveled and worried Carol wearing her nightrobe staring at me. She looked immensely scared and worried as she quickly went to me and started looking for any injuries.

Then, a degree of shame and an aura of awkwardness started to dawn on her as I felt her trying to not meet my eyes. "A-Are you o-okay?" she asked.

"I… uh… I'm sorry." I said before I took charge and hugged her in shame.

We remained like that until she inevitably needed to turn the water main off.

I think I goofed myself with that.

Sarah Pelham started noticing Mark frowning before making a smirk as he just finished talking to someone on the phone. He started walking back to her as Sarah remembered that the man had a large argument with her sister recently and since it was an internal affair, she dared not to go into it, unless the two needed someone to talk to.

This was not one of those times. Seeing that she was the leader of New Wave, especially with their recent re-introduction to hero work, she was needed for an important meeting with the PRT and Protectorate given recent events. Specifically with the one regarding Lung.

Normally, it would be Carol and her being correspondents for this job, but since Carol was indisposed, it was her and Mark. Both being representatives of the two families involved in the team. Of course, she would do most of the talking, but given the sudden appearance yet again of the Triumvirate heroine, Alexandria, Sarah started to doubt that this was just about Lung.

She was not as smart nor efficient at reading people compared to her sister, but Sarah knew enough in her decade of experience as Lady Photon that this had an underlying, subtle reason.

And given how uneasy Mark was, they both started to suspect what it was.

"Everything alright?" she asked her sister's husband.

"Nothing terrible. Amy had sort of an accident."

Sarah's eyes widen.

"Is she alright?" her dear niece was someone that she loved dearly. She was one of the ones that worried a ton when the accident first happened.

"Like I said nothing too bad. She just broke our faucet that's all."

"She broke… the faucet?"

Mark started smiling. A rarity back in the old days that was no longer applicable now. "She tested her powers."

"Oh." Sarah said. Speaking of that, they were still not sure what to do with those revelations. Mark had an understanding and eye witness to Amy's new, abilities but seeing first-hand was different. It was something that the entire family still had no discussions on.

Given its repercussions, Sarah knew that they needed to table it soon for all of them to talk about.

As they both waited for the Director and probably Armsmaster, Mark looked at Sarah again.

"Did they tell you about what happened to that Tattletale girl?"

Sarah frowned. Recalling how badly injured the girl was from that night. Had they not responded, she would have been another casualty amongst others done in by the ABB's leader. Even the girl's own team was forced to abandon her as she nearly burned to death.

"She's still in intensive care. Militia told me she'll pull through, but they're not sure when she'll wake up." She said with a sad tone to her voice as Mark frowned.

With a sigh, the man started to look away, deep in thought.

"I can't imagine if it was Vicky, Eric, Crystal… or even Amy again." He lamented as Sarah felt the same. Their family was already broken quite well after Amy's accident and having to experience it again would be terrible.

"We'll make sure it doesn't go that far, Mark."

"Yeah, I hope the same." He then nods at her as they both smile at each other. "Thanks, Sarah."

She nods back with the same gratitude until the door opens…

The person coming through it to greet them, was none other than Alexandria herself.

"Greetings."

Chapter Text

Daughter of the Lost Pilgrimage

"You look…" Sarah started as she watched her sister cover herself up with a sweater while she wore that nightgown merely an hour after lunch was finished. The woman had intensive bags underneath her eyes which were also dabbed in a sheen hint of red. Her hair was all over the place and the typically well-groomed look that she always sported when she went to her job was no longer present.

What was left was a very sad woman that Sarah could not help but feel pity and concern.

Considering she was, after all, her sister.

"…like shit?" Carol offered as she sat down in front of her at the Dallon household's dining table as she brewed another round of tea for herself. The blend's aroma was so potent that Sarah's nose twitched in reaction to it.

"… like you've not been sleeping, Carol."

Her sister took a sip as Sarah watched in deep, full concern with the way she acted and all.

"I'm trying to sleep. It's just some nights aren't as kind as others." Carol admitted, which was a surprise for Sarah, knowing how typically defensive her sister was in most things. Another sign that this was more of an issue that Mark did not really elaborate much on.

"And last night? Was it one of those good nights?" she dared to ask.

Carol looked at her for that question and shrugged. "I think so. In some capacity."

Sarah found herself sighing, deeply this time. She leaned back on her seat and looked at her sister who seemed to notice the upcoming change and shift in their conversation. Before she could say anything, however, Carol raised her hand to stop her as she began talking herself.

"D-Do… do you still have nightmares of that night?" Carol stressed as Sarah watched her sister's arms moving closer to her chest and her fingers cringing on themselves in reflex. "D-Do you… remember what got us these… powers in the first place?"

Sarah blinked at the question as memories of that specific event came to her head. Part of her was still there, lost, and never to remove any of the trauma left by that circumstance of fate, but at the same time, she never let it cling to her with her life moving forward. The wounds were still there, and a developed scar was what remained to cover it.

She was surprised to hear this sort of question from Carol of all people, given she was the one between them that had the most vehement disposition in ever recalling that night at all.

"Where is this going, Carol?" she asked, scared of where her sister was taking their conversation.

The poor woman had a ton of emotions pass by on her face as her lips started twitching. Her eyes began to glaze over as she licked her lips before responding. "It never left me. I… I always found myself looking back at that night, deep down. The wounds are still fresh… S-Sarah. I can't help but always see that small little space between the door where I always looked and prayed for us to be free from."

"Carol… aren't we supposed to be done with this? To move on… to be happy and content knowing that we did actually get out. That we did make it, together."

Sarah watched as her sister began tearing up as she tried to wipe her own tears with her sweater.

"But I didn't… m-maybe you did… but I didn't. I'm… I'm still there." Carol said as Sarah found herself reaching for her sister's hands. Squeezing them as the poor woman looked at her and they both leaned their foreheads with each other. "I never left, Sarah. I-I'm still there." she painfully said as Sarah squeezed her sister's hands further.

"W-Why? Why are you saying these things? Why now?" Sarah asked.

"It's because of Amy."

Immediately, Sarah found herself moving back, by a bit as she stared in shock at her sister. Who remained in tears still. Sarah's own face was mired in pure shock and confusion as the mood in their little interaction changed. Sarah almost felt as if she wanted to let go of holding Carol's hands, but she let the rational part of her mind calm herself down as she looked at her sister.

"What do you mean by that, Carol?"

Carol almost tried to look away as Sarah watched her sister sigh heavily.

"I never wanted her. I never wished for her in the first place." She fully admitted without pausing as Sarah became appalled. "I didn't want to take her in… I didn't want anything associated with that man, being so close to me and Mark. B-but… I-I had to. It was rational…"

Carol's words started to become painful as Sarah watched her in silence, absorbing every word without fail. "It was… what made sense. Mark even insisted on it… we all knew that it was the right thing to do… Jess and Mike weren't ready yet, you and Neil… h-had too much on your plate. Y-you were correct t-that we were the ones that fit. T-that we could be Amy's parents."

"Carol…"

"B-But deep down I just… I just couldn't accept it. You want to know why?!" Carol said as her voice became higher in volume, each word stressed over the other as Sarah watched in concern.

"I-It's because I was paranoid… I'm always brought back to that room, Sarah. Everything always goes back to that damned, fucking room. I always saw that man's face, Sarah, and I couldn't trust people the same again… because I'm afraid. I'm scared of being betrayed again, of being hurt again."

"But Carol, what does this have to do with Amy?"

"Because I saw that man in her, Sarah. I saw… that man. I also saw Marquis. I'm always reminded of them. Of the evil they've done… of the shit they've pulled on men, women, and children, like us when we were trapped in that room."

"Carol, for the love of God, don't you dare compare Amy to them… you know better-

"I KNOW! And that's the point! I did compare her to them. I was always afraid of her, deep down whenever I stared or so much as get her attention… I saw them, Sarah. I always saw them. I… I was afraid that one day… we'll… that one day Amy will be like her father."

Carol was pointing at her as Sarah stared in shock. Carol's emotional high then began to deflate as Carol found herself softly sobbing. She folded back into herself as she continued.

"I tried… I tried to be her mother. B-but even as I did, I was never there. She was just like a passerby to me. A shadow. One that just… existed. I kept it at that, hoping that it was enough, hoping that it wouldn't force me to think back to that night. To think back of the place where my mind always forced me to return to." Carol then looks at Sarah with a withering look of pain.

"… all of that, just for the expense of my mental health. For my peace of mind, I just… left her be."

Sarah then once again placed her hand over Carol's own. "C-Carol, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't want you to be reminded of that night again. I never wanted anyone in our family to experience that again… but ever since Amy's accident…" Carol then bowed her head. "…I can't help but feel like I was the man that night."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Mark and Victoria are happy… and ever since Amy was hospitalized, every single one of us was so scared, sad, and in pain due to Amy being so close to death's door. When she woke up, she inevitably turned our family into something better, something brighter, as if none of my mistakes ever existed at all."

"Carol…" Sarah said, slowly understanding as her sister continued.

"… and I found myself becoming the passerby. The shadow as I watched all of you become so happy, to the point that Mark finally started to realize what… what I've been doing these past few years."

"Carol, I…"

"…but that's not the worst part Sarah…" Carol said as she looked at her sister intently. "… Amy heard it all… on the night of her birthday. When Mark and I argued about it… s-she heard it all."

The silence washed over them as Sarah's eyes widened to their very extent.

"… I heard her crying in her room as Victoria consoled her."

"So, that's why she had those issues a week ago?" Sarah asked.

"S-she was having nightmares Sarah… and when you, Mark, and the rest handled Lung, d-do you know what she screamed when she had those nightmares?" Carol asked painfully as Sarah stared. "S-she was s-screaming about her mother putting her in the stables."

Sarah looked at her sister in shock and pure utter surprise as she mulled on those words.

"H-How did she know… Carol?" Sarah asked, scared to know.

"I-I don't know… Sarah. B-but it's been haunting me ever since she said it. I… I just feel terrible, b-because I've essentially transformed into the one thing that I've always been scared about at the beginning." Carol said as her sobs started to proliferate.

"No… no, Carol… I..." Sarah found herself clicking her tongue as she was unsure how to approach this as her sister became more erratic by the second.

But before she could say anything more, they both stopped when a voice came out behind them.

"W-Why are you crying?"

Carol and Sarah stared back, unsure of what to say as Amy was there, rolling towards them slowly. Pure concern riddled her face as she specifically looked at Carol.

A FEW MINUTES AGO…

Aunt Sarah was going to come and t-train me! I feel so excited as I crawl upon my bed to squeeze one of my most trusted aides, next to Victoria, Sir Ywain. One of the twelve lion plushies (as my sister calls them) that I have christened as my knights. For this particular situation, I found Sir Ywain to be my aide for today since Sir Bedivere, my lovely silver lion had just finished his station yesterday.

I hugged the lovable plushie into my arm as I moved my body to get myself slowly into my chair. My throne, as deeply wonderful as it is convenient. I had already changed my garments for today in ready for the session with my wonderful Aunt Sarah, but of course, it was only for my top. My dear sister had already changed my state of dress for the rest of my body down earlier today and I think my blue blazer and blouse fit well with my white skirt in all earnest praise that I could humbly give.

As I finally rest my body upon my throne, I configure the convenient controls that came with it. The joystick as father, I mean, Mark has explained to me was already mastered as I move myself towards the door and open it. Sir Ywain remained in my arms, as well as the wand that my dear sister bought for me yesterday.

I still remember the conversation that came with it.

"You know Ames, for as much as I like us reliving the days when we were still little kids, I couldn't really take you serious when you asked for a wand, of all things."

"B-But it's for my magic! And dear Aunt Sarah was going to train me according to father."

"Right… magic, you're really going to go with his huh? I'm sure when you're up and running already you'll be running around the streets looking like one of those magical girls in TV. You know… the baby kind."

I started pounding her back again, almost as if instinct at this point as Victoria laughed. I can't help but blush with her teasing as I remember… h-how… h-how crude the transformation of those magical girls were on the TV. How you could see everything if it were somehow true. I didn't want to be  that .

"I will not! I will be like you, perhaps. A dress? A beautiful blouse and scarf? Maybe even a set of pants! J-just so I can help you in being a hero."

Victoria smiles at me as she ruffles my head.

"You can be anything that you want to be Ames. If you wanna be a princess like me, why don't you say so? Though I still don't think a magic wand is needed. You're already magical enough in my eyes, being that you're my sister and all."

I smile at her compliment as I embrace her while we laugh.

We then look at the pink wand with a heart-shaped yellow head at its top.

"Why did you have to pick something so… simple?"

"This was the cheapest I could find."

I frown at her as she laughs.

"What? I'm sure you can  magic  your way to make it useful."

"Perhaps I will!" I said in a challenge as we both giggled.

I laugh a bit to myself. The wand was not anything special. I could not even flow my mana into it or make any sort of energy flow at all to focus on some of the spells that were still ingrained in my head.

Yet, I will use it still. It was from my dear sister and while she learns in her academy, I will make sure that once she comes back the day is fruitful with the training I will be getting. It's a small step, in the many that I need to embark on within this new life…

But I will gladly embrace it for my family.

The wand will do, for now. I can perhaps use it as a minor conduit. A pointer of sorts to better focus my power into one spot where I can aim its head at. It may not be much, but hopefully, it will act as a stopgap until I can find an actual staff or wand to use.

I did not need any of those two per se, but most of the magic taught to me by Merlin was based upon those principles, and perhaps if I did train I could remove the need for them, but for now I will manage.

Once I rolled myself to the halls of our second floor, I stopped at the newly installed lift in our house next to the staircase. It was fit for the most part for me as I pressed the button to go down. I always admired these parts of the world I was now in. How technology has progressed to such a degree and how humans are so creative in making it. Which is why I was excited if I were to ever meet Dragon.

The heroine who also makes such marvels…

And is also a steel dragon! What more could you ask, right?

I chuckle to myself as I arrive at the ground floor. I rolled around the house and noticed that Aunt Sarah's bag was in the living room, I quickly became excited as my little nap from earlier must have stopped me from hearing her arrive. I then heard what seemed like voices talking to each other as I headed to its source, the dining room.

As I moved closer, I stopped myself when I heard the voices of Aunt Sarah and Mother, er, Carol talking to each other.

Though based on their voices, Carol was crying.

"H-How did she know… Carol?" I hear Aunt Sarah ask as my heart starts beating.

"I-I don't know… Sarah. B-but it's been haunting me ever since she said it. I… I just feel terrible, b-because I've essentially transformed into the one thing that I've always been scared about at the beginning." Carol's voice was heard in full clarity as I found my heart tearing itself in two…

No… it was never about her, I never blamed her for it. It was…

"No… no, Carol… I..."

I made myself brave as I rolled myself, hoping to intrude in their conversation as I… I never wished for Carol to destroy herself with what happened in my nightmares. I then looked at them and said,

"W-Why are you crying?"

I found myself squeezing Sir Ywain as Aunt Sarah and Carol looked at me. I moved closer as Carol tried to look away, only for me to get to her and immediately press my body into hers for an embrace.

"P-Please… I… I do not blame you for it. For any of it… it was just… it was just a nightmare." I said as tears started to come out of my eyes as Carol sobbed into my shoulder.

"Amy… you're mom didn't mean to-" Aunt Sarah intended to explain but I moved my head deeper into Carol's embrace.

"I'm sorry Amy… I'm sorry…" Carol said into my shoulder as I squeezed her tight.

"I… I heard. T-Though, please. Please don't blame yourself. I love you as my mother… and those words were not meant for you. I-It was just a nightmare." I explain as Carol's sobs become more intense.

"B-But… I… didn't you hear everything? I'm-

I wiped Carol's, no, my mother's tears with a genuine smile as I leaned my forehead against hers. I then whispered to her, so much so that I knew Aunt Sarah was hearing it. "I have enough to be thankful for with you, Mark, and Victoria… you are my family, and that is enough for me."

"A-Amy… n-no, please… I can't-

I simply embrace her again as she sobs. Silently, I knew Aunt Sarah watched us, and later I would realize that she too was tearing up with a smile…

Though, even as I defused the matter of which I was totally guilty for, I realized that even without my fae eyes, I could still feel the aura of sadness looming over them.

Even so, I am determined to hold my mother's embrace further with my heart. I hope that in some way or form, that sadness can be mended.

THUD!

My disc had made its target with full intent as the durable, "training dummy" that Aunt Sarah had brought along with my father last night had been hit in the chest. The light of that simple spell bounced off of it before my disc dissipated. A dent still remained upon it like a scar as I mulled over the aftermath.

"D-Did I do well?" I asked Aunt Sarah, as she and Carol watched me with interest.

The wand did do something to help with my aim, though it was still not as functional as I thought at first. My true aim was for the neck, but the disc only hit the dummy's abdomen. Enough to disembowel like those violent movies that I'm always scared of…

B-But a hero does not go for the kill at the very first attempt, right?

"I think you did well, Amy." Aunt Sarah cheerfully said with a clap as she handed the tablet to Carol while she walked to me. "Though, was that really the best energy or yield that you can muster?"

I looked at her and towards the dummy as I felt Sir Ywain's fluffy hair tingle my skin.

"N-No… though I could if it is needed?"

"No, that was just a preliminary test given the output that you can safely make. Though I am happy that you managed to control that burst into something that's non-lethal." Aunt Sarah explained before looking at the scar on the dummy with a slight frown. "At least non-lethal enough to count."

I immediately blush. "S-Sorry… I can work for it to be less powerful?"

"Are you confident in mitigating it enough so that it won't leave a mark?"

"Y-Yes? Though I do have some… spells that don't do much damage at all. Perhaps to stun?"

Sarah looked at me before turning to Carol who nodded.

"Show me…" Aunt Sarah said as I looked at Carol, my mother, who made a small smile at my expense.

"Alright," I said as I thought of one of the spells that Merlin taught me whenever I needed to buy time in order to run away from bad people, or Mors. It did not do any sort of damage of any kind against living targets, it would burn the skin off of Mors, so I suppose this can count…

I remember the very first time I showed Mark one of the pseudo-stars I can conjure. I can put enough mana in it to make it much more powerful but given that they wished for me to have it be controlled and exact, I willed all my effort to make both of them proud.

A small sphere of light appears on my palm. I then noticed Aunt Sarah and Carol look at me with surprise and shock as I threw that orb like what the humans called a 'bomb' towards the dummy.

BWOUM!

It exploded into a blinding flash and managed to tilt the dummy a bit with some concussive force as the two watched me in surprise.

"Wow. That was… magnificent Amy." Aunt Sarah said.

"D-Did… Mark teach you of it?" Carol then asked to which both of them looked at me for my answer.

I tilted my head as I held the wand with both my hands and I wondered why they asked me of it.

"N-No? I have always known how to cast such a spell."

Aunt Sarah and Carol looked at me with piqued interest as I blushed.

"Is there… something wrong?"

"No… we were just surprised, that's all," Carol said with a small smile as Aunt Sarah agreed.

"Good job Amy. I'm already surprised that you're this good at making sure how much to control your power, and given how creative you are with how you use it so far, I reckon the best case that we can train for today is to see the limits of those things along with the creativity you possess."

"I… I see?" I said, straightening my back as she smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You don't need to be nervous… just know that whatever happens today, we'll both be proud of you." She reassures me as I look at Carol who nods in my direction.

"A-Alright. What must I do then? Instructor?"

I heard Aunt Sarah giggle as we continued my training.

The day went on even as the afternoon passed after that.

I could proudly say that I have something to brag for Victoria soon once she comes home, but it was tiring and taxing to my very small reserves still. Aunt Sarah was not relentless with my training but both she and Carol had put me on a wringer.

Mostly to test my various spells.

Some that I had to remember all over due to how long it was since Merlin had last whispered to me for my tutelage under him.

It ranged from simple spells regarding light-based projected weapons, shields, blasts of lights, various light-based explosives, a slight electric-based field that came from the aura of one of my spells, and lastly even the ability to fly…

To which I ashamedly said that I had no ability nor knowledge of what to do to even begin doing such things. They still supported me to the end, but they were all surprised and impressed with what I could do, so much so that Aunt Sarah and Carol discussed with each other things that I did not understand regarding the classifications of power that this world possessed.

They were very happy with me, even Carol was happy at the results of my first day as I wiped my brow which was wet with my sweat as I grinned at the both of them.

Minutes later, Carol went inside to make us some refreshments as I was left with Aunt Sarah in our backyard. She looked at me as I played with Sir Ywain.

"Amy…"

"Yes?"

Aunt Sarah then places a very warm hand on my shoulder with her other hand holding my own as she looks at me with all genuine intent and conviction.

"Whatever happens, I want you to know… that you are part of this family. Do you understand?"

I smile at her and squeeze her hand.

"T-Thank you… I, I will never forget it Aunt Sarah, nor will I even walk away from such a gift. It… it means a lot to me, for you and everyone else are the family that I have always wished for…" I said with genuine honesty as she widened her eyes at me before giving back a genuine smile in return.

"That you are sweetheart, and I know for sure, your mom, dad, and your sister will always remember that. I will always remember it and I know for sure your uncle and your cousins feel the same."

"I'm glad," I say as we both smile.

We then manage to share a giggle but before Aunt Sarah can join Carol inside the house I squeeze her hand to make her come closer.

"What is it?" she asks.

"W-Will you help me with something?"

"Anything." She quickly says to me.

I then look at the window where I can see the kitchen through it with Carol preparing our refreshments. "I wish to plan something for my m-mother and father. Will you assist me, Aunt Sarah?"

"Sweetheart, I would do anything for you… b-but are you sure?"

"Y-yes… I want them to make up. Not for me… but for themselves. My part would just be to push it along."

She smiles as she squeezes my hand. "You're a good daughter Amy… but sure, why not?"

I lovingly smile at her expense as I explain my plan to her and what needs to be done in order to complete it. She looked at me with genuine glee at my plan as Aunt Sarah even suggested a few things to refine it.

With that part of the planning finished, I would need Victoria to assist me as well…

For I hope that at the end of the day, I will be able to make everything right.

For my family…

Sarah readied her bag so that she could go home as Amy went back upstairs to her room.

The space was once more left to her and her sister as she watched Carol, now much calmer sit on their sofa. Sarah mulled over the offer and plan that Amy had told her as she looked at her sister.

The girl was truly innocent and genuinely loving as she thought about the lengths that she went to for Carol and Mark. She smiled at it knowing that with Amy's determination and Victoria's support they could manage it.

Still, she was worried for her sister. While it was true that a heavy amount of blame can be attributed to her, and she was still appalled by it… she knew that it was misjudgment in their early days that caused this entire rift in the first place. Had they been more rational and understanding, perhaps she and Mark would not have agreed so fast on Amy's adoption. Perhaps they could have helped Carol by talking to her about her issues earlier in life so it would not have resolved this way…

Perhaps they could do all of these things, but those were already gone past them.

What they all had to do was learn… adapt, and maybe atone for their mistakes into something better. Amy championed that change for her sister and her husband. She championed that change into all of New Wave…

And they all had to make sure that the ray of hope that Amy inspired was not wasted.

"Everything will be okay, Carol. I know it." She said as she leaned into her sister's shoulder.

Carol did the same as she sighed once again. "I… I hope. T-Thank you though, for hearing me, Sarah." She said as Sarah smiled.

"We still need to have a meeting about what the PRT and Protectorate said about Amy though, Carol. All of us, New Wave I mean. Given it is important."

Carol then turned to her. "Specifically… for Amy? Why?" she said, suspicion in her voice.

"Let's just say, Alexandria told us about something important… something top secret, and it involves Amy…"

A great big gasp of air was initiated…

Like a cry into the living world as her eyes opened completely like a corpse that came off its grave.

The beeping tone of the machine hastened as her heart continued to thump while panic and a sense of dread entered her system.

It was painful. Everything was burning in pain like she was being bathed in flames so bright that it would burn the corona of the sun. She wished to scream, but her lips, parched and completely devoid of moisture, were painful to even manifest any sort of sound.

She thrashed however, angry and very frustrated over the sensations as the sound of a door being opened and multiple people coming in it to calm her down had forced her heart rate to subside.

Eventually, a man came over to her and looked at her with a straight face.

"Everything is fine… Miss Livsey. Everything is fine."

No… nothing was fine.

AN: Happy Halloween! And I do hope you enjoyed this little foray into Lonely Star… hehe. While I don't want to kick any sort of gear yet to get this ball rolling, I do want to say that any setup you see here is just setup for now… it will all be revealed once this arc for Castamy is done for.

For now, be happy with the snuggles hehe.

Chapter Text

Storybook Endings

Mark looks with a solemn expression as he watches his daughter, Vicky, cheerfully talking with another girl in the same school she went to. Mostly because he was both happy and sad with her daughter after all the restrictions placed on her due to the incident regarding the person, she crippled for life weeks ago. This inevitably destroyed most of her reputation with some people and it garnered a sense of fear from her classmates and schoolmates alike. Even the aura of some of the Wards had this similar sheen and nothing was ever the same since.

Of course, she did bounce back in some way or form. It was not as bad when that matter was still fresh, but the damage was already done and Vicky for the most part, if it was not her family, was alone. Her daughter was much more happy compared to the days when the issue with Amy was still painful to all of them but her life was never the same after that and while she was adapting and learning from those issues, Mark also acknowledged that trying to fit in again took its toll, and it also took time before some semblance of normalcy that was the same as before could blossom out of the darkness.

Part of him was proud of course when he saw her reconnect with some people in her age group again. That was why seeing her with this new girl made him happy at least, more so that they actually bonded fairly quickly based on how much he heard both his daughters talk about it at home.

Seeing her be normal again in some capacity outside of her renewed sense of importance for Amy was a brightening light in the unsure waters his own family was treading on. His presence of course was attributed to a presentation that had most parents come to the school and while he thought he was not fairly popular compared to the rest of the heroes in the bay, he was surprised that a good degree of both students and parents came to him earlier that day.

Probably because of his part in taking down Lung the other night. It was mostly Vicky's and Armsmaster's effort, but he was there after all, and his very long extended hiatus of not being in the public scene was noteworthy in some sense to the resurgence of interest regarding him. He did not mind it of course, but his goal for today was mostly to chaperone his daughter and thankfully nothing interesting happened for the rest of his stay.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a voice said, taking him out of his thoughts as he looked beside him.

It was a woman, dark curly hair, some strands bordering on brown looking at him with a kind, gentle face. Upon her eyes were a set of glasses and her smile was quite notable for how simple yet elegant it looked. The woman wore a simple brown coat over a beige-green dress and…

…Mark instantly noticed that she was sitting in a wheelchair.

A faint memory of Amy smiling at him came into his mind.

"Oh… I'm sorry if I intruded in some way." The woman said as Mark perked up.

"No… not at all, I was just-

"Yeah, that's the first thing everybody notices about me. Well, that and the fact that I wear glasses. My husband says I look like an Owl sometimes." She says the latter part mostly to herself as the woman chuckles lightly and looks at him.

He smiles too as he thinks about it. "I can see what he means…" he then looks at the girl Vicky was talking to and back to the woman beside him. "Pardon me, but are you-

"Call me Annette." She offered with her hand as Mark took it. "I'm quite surprised that you're here actually, I would reckon it would be your wife given we talked when she came here last time."

Mark then started to think if his wife mentioned anything about this woman, Annette, but he was quickly plagued with the issue regarding their relationship at that moment.

"Oh, did Carol not mention me? nor about Taylor? I thought she would since we kinda became friends the moment we met." Annette said as she tilted her head at him in question.

Mark started to scratch the back of his head in shame as he smiled in embarrassment. "We uh… we're having a little thing between us, I'd… I'd rather not talk about it for now."

"Oh… oh, I didn't mean to pry, I'm sorry I came off that way." The woman quickly said until Mark raised his hand.

"No, it's fine. I just didn't expect to meet Vicky's friend and her mom today." He said with a grin at the woman. "But… thank you, really for your daughter. Vicky's been through a lot lately and she really needed a friend."

The woman smiled at him. "You're welcome. I guess I have to thank you as well too."

"For what?" he asked, genuinely curious given the shift in her tone down the end.

Annette then turned to where Vicky and Taylor were laughing together on the school grounds.

"Taylor's had a rough going lately. Mostly because she blames herself for… well, this…" she gestured to her legs as Mark quickly understood the insinuation. "… but also because her original best friend, practically her birth sister, had a particularly violent falling out with her."

Based on her tone, Mark quickly felt the discomfort ebbing in her words.

"We had to make her change schools because of it, but even then, it wasn't the same."

"That's… I'm sorry to hear that." He said as the woman smiled at him.

"Your wife was very kind to us you know? She even helped us set the whole transfer up after Vicky showed my daughter the rest of the school. We owe her quite a bit after that, so… thank you. It wouldn't have been possible without you or your family."

Mark, completely taken aback by Annette's words mustered a smile.

"Vicky's such a lovely soul. She even came to our house the other day… I missed hearing Taylor's laugh, especially after everything that's happened." Annette then snickered, "She wouldn't stop talking about her sister too. How much she would have loved to have her meet Taylor."

"Amy would love that. She's been cooped up in the house all this time. Making her have friends again would be appreciated." He said as he thought about it. His poor Amy for the most part was still adjusting and being there for her was his priority.

"I do hope she recovers…" she said with a smile as they watched Vicky and Taylor laugh over something together. "… Lord knows everybody needs it."

"Yeah." He said, his voice fading a bit as he thought about his family.

Both his daughters…

…and Carol specifically.

"Can I ask you something?" he said as Annette looked at him.

"Yes?"

"How do you deal with all of the stress? All of the problems stacking themselves on top of each other?" he said politely as he watched Annette relax a bit in her chair.

"That's funny." She said as they both looked back at their daughters who were excitedly waving at them. Vicky in particular in this case, while the meeker Taylor could only wave behind her book.

"What is?" he asked.

"That's almost exactly the same thing Carol asked me about the last time we met." Annette then smiled at him. "… and I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her."

She leaned closer to him and smiled genuinely, her spectacles giving way to her rather beautiful face. "… Trust in your family. You don't need to shoulder the burden by yourself, because at the end of the day, you have people you love that you go back to. The more you tackle it together, the more it feels that you've accomplished something good, something meaningful. You don't need to be a singular pillar holding the weight of the world on your shoulders, because together you can endure."

Annette then chuckled to herself as she looked at him. "At least that's my perspective on things. It's worked so far, and I'm happy I'm actually still here with them. I don't know what could have happened if I had left my little girl alone in the world to fend for herself." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice as Mark started imagining the rift that existed between his family before Amy's accident…

And the current rift that was there with his and Carol's relationship.

He was still uncomfortable of course as he stewed on those thoughts, but he knew in some way that the issue would not be resolved if they continuously avoided each other up to now.

He once more looked at Vicky with how happy she was, and with Amy's happiness as well…

Mark loved his family. He loved his daughters, especially now renewed with the same light that made him believe again.

"…"

But Mark also loved Carol. Their many memories with each other.

Flaws and all…

But given everything that's happened, he was not sure why it was so hard to sit down with her and talk about their current problems, together.

Perhaps he was still not as clear-headed as he thought he was after Amy pulled him back.

Perhaps, like Carol, he too was still running away from the past.

It bothered him deep inside, that he was still a coward, through and through.

He actually loved talking with the Hebert family, alongside Annette's husband, Danny after he dropped Vicky at their house for an impromptu sleepover. Vicky was hesitant at first when she called Amy, but her sister insisted (at least Mark thought of it that way) for her to continue on. It was only one night after all, and both seemed enthused by the idea of this little change in the plan. He accepted of course as the two new friends celebrated for a bit. Annette invited him over for dinner after talking with them for a bit, but he told them that he needed to get home.

He appreciated the generosity and kindness of the Hebert couple, even if their home was just very simple in contrast to his. He was actually looking forward to talking to them again, but he needed some space after all the thinking he just had.

After saying goodbye to Vicky, he rode his car back home as he thought about his family. His marriage. The abundance of things that were circling his thoughts as he moved the car into the driveway.

The moment he turned off the engine with the twist of his key, he found the silence of the car almost daunting as so many feelings began churning in his chest. It grew heavy like he was back to the state of his former being before. Basically, a prisoner trapped in his own sorrow and… uselessness.

He tried pushing them away. He did not want this. Both his daughters still needed him.

He did not want to regress back to the man who had no hope lingering in his heart.

But… it was just so hard.

He was a broken man, pulled together by the light of his life, his family. Vicky, Amy… Carol.

He didn't want to sink back to the same dull prose that overtook the majority of his head. He wanted to be strong again. He wanted to be the man that was always there. To be the enduring rock that would shield his family.

How? How could that be done when in the face of another problem, one that he too had been running away from for a long, long time, he was now thinking of scurrying back to his hole?

It was grueling. Sitting there, his hands shaking as the pressure in both his head and chest was starting to reach its breaking point. Yet…

Even as those dark thoughts evaded him, memories of Vicky's laugh earlier made his heart slow down. A small, solemn smile formed on his face. Memories of Amy and himself enjoying their time together, talking, discussing the many shows and movies they watched on the sofa.

…and memories of the days when Carol used to laugh, when she used to freely smile when nothing was ever as painful as everything that happened after.

It dawned on him quickly that both their daughters had reached a point in their lives where they were starting to grow away from all the baggage of the past.

He and Carol, however?

They were still stuck in limbo. A never-ending state of denial, excuses, and… the unwillingness to try. To try and climb out of the hole they dug for themselves.

It dawned on him that his daughter, his Amy merely pulled him up… and it was his job to take the next step. A next step that he was still stupidly unkeen on taking.

Did that say a lot about himself?

"…damn it."

With a heavy sigh, he tried to wipe his eyes and face. He even tried to lightly smack both his cheeks as the unsaid voices in his chest manifested through these small actions and gestures. Even the mere squeeze of his hands over the steering wheel just made him want to scream and let it all out.

But even that was something he was holding back on…

Eventually, he reared his head back and closed his eyes. Praying, perhaps even begging mostly to himself to keep it all together.

The outcome was not what he desired, but he reckoned that calming himself was enough. He roughly got out of the car as fast as he could. Wishing to shed some of that negativity out of his system before he would face Amy or Carol. He didn't want to make a scene like what happened on Amy's birthday. He didn't want to see her like that anymore.

It was a fact that brought forth an inexplicable amount of guilt in his senses, because Amy probably saw everything that happened, and he was partly to blame for it.

Amy's happiness was something he did not want to lose. Both his daughter's happiness was something that he was not keen on ruining. He didn't care how much it would take…

He wouldn't dare cross that line anymore.

Hopefully, his frustrations were not as looming or obvious to the admittedly innocent soul that Amy possessed. Hopefully, none of his pain was shared with his beloved daughter.

Hopefully, he ca-

"You're here!" he heard Amy cheer as she opened the door before he could even touch the knob. She had a lovely smile on her face. The twinkling and bright nature of her presence already made his soul soothe and heal in some way just by staring at her. "You were quite early than expected b-but I managed to make it in time, you just have to follow what I say." She said innocently, Mark was not even paying attention because of how happy he was to see his daughter again until she took his hand.

"Come! I must get you prepared, I don't want to waste more time." She said excitedly as she led him around while she wheeled herself inside the house but before he could step further, he quickly noticed that the living room was, decorated in some fashion. No, it was not elaborate, nor as fancy as Amy's birthday party, but there was a distinct air with all the candles lit and the slight hum of music from their player that made him feel nostalgic.

Memories of an old life came back to him as he looked confusedly at his daughter.

"Amy? W-What is this?" he asked, curiously.

"It's for a surprise! A-And you will be late if you don't make haste." She said with a grin as Amy let go of his hand and wheeled herself towards the nearest door where a suit and tie were hung. His suit and tie, one piece yet again made him feel nostalgic. She took it off the hinge and gave it to him as Mark looked at her.

"Quickly! You will be underdressed if you don't change." She pushed as he smiled.

"All right… all right." He told her as he pushed him into the closest room to change. Before he could close the door, however, he looked back at his daughter.

"Well? Why are you standing there? We don't want for the surprise to wait, you know?"

"Can I ask what the occasion is?" he said as she grinned with a smug smile on her face. Even then, it came off as a cute attempt as even her most prideful expression was filled with such a degree of innocence and grace that it made his heartbeat in joy.

"NOPE!" she said as she closed the door, leaving the room to himself as he shook his head and began wearing the clothes Amy gave him. A minute later, he stood in front of a mirror, fixing the tie and the creases in his clothes as he looked at himself.

He even fixed a bit of his hair and tried to smile.

It lasted until he looked beside where a candle was placed and saw a smaller framed photo of his and Carol's wedding. The tux that he wore was the same one in the picture as he was quickly overwhelmed with emotions.

He even reached for the photo, his fingers lightly brushing against the photo as the immortalized smiles on both their faces were ever-present. How a memory from a former life made this the happiest moment of his life, next to Vicky's birth.

Their vibrant smiles made him pause, due to how different it was now.

Mark continued to contemplate those memories until he heard a knock on the door.

"Hello, are you finished yet?" Amy's sweet, muffled voice said.

It took him out of his thoughts as he placed the picture frame back and opened the door.

"How do I look?" he asked as Amy clapped her hands in excitement.

"It's perfect! I saw the photo before, but I didn't expect to see how good it would look up close."

He laughed, blushing a bit himself because of his daughter's praise. "You flatter your dad a little too much Amy. I'm older than I was you know?"

"Nonsense! You look perfect still now and I know for a fact that this night will be one you will not forget." She stated as he pulled his hand once again. He giggled again at her antics until they stopped at the base of their stairs. The moment they did, Mark noticed that flowers were wrapped up on the railings of their stairs and a sweet fragrant smell that he was very familiar with was in the air.

Amy then pulled out the remote for the player in the living room as she pushed a button.

The song changed, a song that brought back memories of his past as he nearly froze.

"Amy… w-what is this?" he asked.

She merely smiled at him as Amy turned to the stairs. "It's time!" she shouted innocently with glee as the crescendo of the song slowly crawled while Mark's eyes widened as he saw what was at the top of the stairs.

It was Carol.

Coupled with the song, the atmosphere, and his wife's meek smile…

He was simply stunned.

"Come greet the prince, Mother," Amy said with a giggle as Carol and Mark exchanged glances.

She stood there, beautiful as ever. Like an angel that stepped into his life as the brightness of the lights behind her almost glistened. Carol was lightly blushing at him, almost wishing to look away, as her cream-colored beige dress made her shine in his eyes. Her hair, which was short for most of the years leading to Amy's accident, was no longer seen. A beautiful, yet intricate braid made up her hair which was stylized into a royal-like bun behind her. Two locks of her hair made up the sides of her face as those locks, which reached further down below her bosom framed her beautiful face in a serene fashion.

Mark could not help but gawk, because she was wearing the dress of the night where he first proposed to her. She was beautiful then, but she was far more beautiful now and he was…

Left in a stasis.

As happy as he was to relive those memories, there was a plethora of unclear emotions both in his heart and in his head.

He could not help but feel that Carol felt the same…

Yet they could only stand there while Amy's joyful words of encouragement filled the void.

"I know it's not a lot, but Aunt Sarah and Mother have taught me to cook all of this and I-I'm quite proud of their result!" Amy said between them as the beautiful setup of a candlelit dinner was before him and Carol. They both smiled at Amy as she blushed rapidly by looking away as she embarrassingly sat there. "B-But mother had to touch up some of it. Some of them had no flavor…" she admitted as Carol giggled.

Another thing that made him stare at his wife. It was a while since she had ever giggled in a free, happy manner. The sheen, the mask that she wore day by day was no longer there. Mark was unsure of how to feel about it.

"B-But I do hope you like it. It's the best I can do to show you my love." Amy said with a smile as she wheeled to Carol, putting her in an embrace which made him pause before Amy went to him a moment later. "My mother and father… I wish… I wish that the kindness and love you have shown me makes this family last forever."

"That would be wonderful, Amy," Carol said. Mark once again stared at his wife.

"Do enjoy your night, because I must prepare for my final surprise," Amy said as she giggled pleasantly before wheeling away. She turned to them one last time and gave them a sweet, loving smile of hope.

Mark wished he could do the same.

Because as soon as they were left to their own selves, the table was quiet.

The atmosphere was awkward.

Even with the memories, the nostalgia, and the joy of affirmation from their daughter. Both adults could only stare at their food until Carol spoke up.

"Amy almost burned the chicken you know… she only needed to wait and watch it while it fried but it was funny when she panicked after thinking that making the stove go at full blast would cook it quicker." Carol giggled as Mark stared, a small smile coming into his face before fading away.

"I think it's delicious. She did the recipe herself… but-

CLANG!

Mark could not handle the silence. The sound of his fork clanking after he dropped it back down on the table made his already frustrated self, be one to be wary of in Carol's eyes. He wanted to stop.

He really wanted to because Amy was just a room away…

And… he didn't want to escalate this as much as he could…

But he just couldn't. He just couldn't take it.

Conflicting emotions invaded his mind as he loosened the tie around his neck.

"M-Mark?"

Mark looked at her. Her eyes already turning red and he could feel his own beginning to water.

"I…" he did not know what to say. His lips twitched, any word coming out of his mouth quivering as he felt his hands shake once more. His spoon came down onto the table with a resounding CLANK as he started to cover his face.

"I… I can't do this yet. I'm sorry… I didn't-

Mark stopped when he saw Carol's eyes shed a tear.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, the volume enough for him to hear as Mark looked at her.

"I…" he felt his instincts scream at him. For him to go to his wife's side, comfort her as she was now slowly turning to cry in front of him, but…

But he just froze.

His mind felt like it was locked away as he stood up while Carol sobbed quietly and he slowly started walking away as guilt wracked his mind.

He was… he was running away again…

But before he could even set foot to leave the house through the living room, he heard Amy's voice break his concentration.

"D-Did something happen?" Amy asked. Her eyes were wide open with confusion, bubbling sadness, and… shock as Mark quickly went to her. A gift-wrapped box was in her lap as Amy looked at him.

"I'm sorry Amy… I… just… I don't know if…"

Amy's gift box fell to the ground as she took his hands.

"Please… g-give her a second chance? I don't think Mother meant it. Just please… I just wanted you both to get along… to be happy again, I don't want to see you both this way." She started begging as her eyes started to tear up as Mark stared.

Guilt tore his heart open as Amy begged.

"Amy… it's not about you, your M-mom and I… we're…-

"Please… I don't want to see you all unhappy… I… I can't take it." Amy begged as she was now softly crying. Mark could do nothing but take her into his arms for a tight embrace as he opened his eyes and saw that the gift-wrapped box contained a set of hastily knitted stuffed toys that resembled their family. Smiles and hearts altogether all within the box as Mark closed his eyes.

He broke Amy's smile.

Because he was too cowardly to face his past.

Mark was quietly fixing everything downstairs.

Carol did not blame him. He felt horribly responsible for Amy crying that hard up until now. The poor girl had already slept in her room as the gloomy nature of the household was felt intensely.

She too was crying silently, knowing that all of this was predominantly her fault as she tugged on the empty space of their bed before her. Her tears stained the pillows as she felt horribly guilty for how this night turned out. For how it affected Mark.

For how it affected Amy.

She hated it.

She wished to be rid of this and wished for things to be happy again but… how? How could that work? How would that-

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A soft series of weak knocks took her out of her trance as she sat up from her bed. She was unsure of who it was given, well…

But she didn't want to come off as someone who would ruin the night further, so she stood up despite her disheveled, teary state and opened the door. Only to see Amy there.

Amy was not holding any stuffed toy. She was not even looking at her as the poor girl was crying. Tears trickled down her face as Carol knelt in front of her and touched her hand.

"Is… is it my fault?" she asked.

"N-No… Amy… this isn't your fault." Carol quickly said as she placed a hand on Amy's head and stroked her hair softly. "Your dad and I just… just have issues." She admitted as Amy met eyes with her.

"I… I-I don't want him to leave. I… I don't want to be the reason this family is-

"Shh… shhhhh…" she shushed him as Carol found the strength to pull her into his arms, carrying her that Amy was resting her head on her as her tears stained her shoulder. Carol delicately and lovingly held her in her arms as Amy sobbed.

"Nothing's going to happen… alright? N-Nothing's going to happen Amy…"

"B-But…"

"I promise you… I promise you… nothing will happen." Carol said adamantly, even if she was unsure as Carol carried them to the bed. She placed her onto the mattress as Amy closed her eyes and clung to her as they lay against each other, tightly in each other's arms.

Carol weakly kissed the top of Amy's head as her sobs softened.

She clung to her, finally taking her in as her daughter as she pulled the covers over them.

Hoping that everything will be alright come morning.

Hoping that Amy's dream was not broken.

Miss Militia watched the awakened, injured girl on the bed as she continued to tear up.

Even if she was a villain, she could not help but lament and feel sad for her as she reached out with her hand and squeezed the poor girl's trembling hands.

"You're going to be okay," she said softly.

The girl turned her eyes at her. The horror of the severe burns on her face made her heart beat in pain as the girl's tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I… I w-want to be free." She said ominously as Miss Militia's thoughts quickly made her assume that the girl wished to take her own life.

But she was horribly misinformed with that guess.

For that very small sentence contained so much meaning that it may as well have been a warning.

AN: Oh boy, I had to hold back A LOT with the Annette and Taylor reveal, because if I said anything else it would have spoiled a great deal of things down the line hahahhaahahah. I did hint in some way, but it's hidden in a manner that I don't think would be that noticeable. But who knows?

Anyhow, yes, the title of this chapter is an ironic statement. Because this was no storybook ending and I do apologize if I made a few tears, because while this story is mostly positive, I will not blatantly make it work for Castamy's way all the time. She will never learn from anything if its all positive. She will not garner a journey worth taking without any setbacks…

And this, well, it's one of many, and while the next chapter is a good return again to positivity, this will leave something down the line. For every moment to become triumphant, bright, and hopeful, I had to establish a degree that would make her journey emotionally satisfying…

Yes, she will have a happy ending with this fic, I can confirm that totally, but getting to that ending will be a journey that she will need to tread with all the corresponding challenges attached to it.

Chapter Text

Looking Glass, what doth thine eyes not see?

Annette begins adding the finishing touches to her latest work. Her daughter, Taylor would love it once it's done but she had to edit a few things about the entire manuscript before showing it to her family. It would prove terrible of course if the end result was less desirable than it could be, especially since she was a professional in her field.

Well, at least she could brag about it if it were not for her current condition.

Her husband, Danny, had been the backbone of their family recently, most of the responsibilities and income came from him, and him working late deep into the night almost daily made her feel guilty. More so because while her professional career was in stasis, her secondary projects, in the form of small novellas and two full-length novels in the local publishing house, were merely a trickle in the current state of their monetary situation.

Her injury had proven to be a large nuisance, even with the clarity given to her in the aftermath, the fees and everything else was just too much, and seeing the bills both for her medication and their daily necessities, Annette was starting to feel the pressure when in the other night, Danny asked the possibility of selling the house.

It said a lot about where they were currently and even with some new friends she made along the way, she knew that they needed something, anything to get their lives on track again. Which is why she had to make a few calls… a few deals. Nothing shady or anything of the note, since she already talked to Danny about it, but deals that would help elevate them, both in a safe position both literally and figuratively, but also to pay for some of the problems they were having lately.

Annette knew that she was never going to walk again, without any sort of intervention, she was stuck like this for the rest of her life unless something happened. It was the main reason why she hoped her gamble would pull off its intended result.

Hopefully.

"Mom?" A knock on her door was heard as well as the voice of her daughter as Annette turned towards the open entrance of her room. Taylor standing there with a tray in both hands along with a smile that made Annette feel better. "I made you lunch. You were busy so, I just had to improvise."

Annette blinked before she turned her eyes toward the clock on her desk and saw that it was well over past lunch. She had been way too focused on her work that she neglected her daughter again because of it. Guilt wracked her head as she also recalled that today was a Saturday, and she promised her daughter she would help with her current project…

"Honey… I… I'm sorry." She said before Taylor's neutral expression slowly morphed into a small smile. Her daughter was not the best at expressing clear-cut full emotions. She was an introvert like Danny and it was cute seeing it manifest especially with how grown she was now so far. "I didn't mean to."

"No, it's fine. I got a little carried over as well with my own things. I can show you some of it later." Her daughter offered as she walked towards her and prepared the small table installed in Annette and Danny's bedroom when she was still mostly bedridden.

"Oh? You finished on something I assume?" Annette asked, intrigued.

Her daughter shyly made a small chuckle as she started setting their lunch. "I think it works now, but there's issues with some of the kinks you know?"

"Hm. I'll check on it later, don't want your father to get another panic attack again."

The two shared a laugh as Taylor helped her mother to position herself closer to the table. She prepared her own meal as well and they shared the room together, face to face. The clinking of their utensils made up the sounds around them as the air was comfortable, peaceful, and wholesome…

Both radiated a sense of subtle happiness in each other's presence, but Annette began to notice that her daughter looked absorbed in something that was bothering her. The way the subtle frowns made up her entire face made Annette frown as well.

"Sweetie, is there anything you want to say?"

"Hm? Oh… it's nothing Mom. It's just, are you sure Arcadia was the right choice?"

"What brought this on?" Annette asked as Taylor set her fork down.

"I could've stayed in Winslow… I could've just kept ignoring them."

Annette quickly placed a hand on her daughter's own as the aura around Taylor started to turn into something negative and sorrowful. The contact of that small little interaction between them made Taylor's own mood dip back to comfort as she saw her mother's warm presence and smile.

"Honey, when it comes to you, your dad and I aren't going to hesitate."

"But-

"No buts, because as far as I'm concerned, the only thing that matters right now is if you're happy. If you're happy, your dad and I are happy, and that's the only thing that matters."

Taylor smiled and looked away for a bit as some of the light that was lost from her daughter's recent issue with her once-best friend returned a bit. "Darn it Mom, y-you make arguing with you hard."

Annette chuckled as she squeezed her daughter's hand. "That's the charm of being a mother. Your dad's pretty bad at these direct talks, but he cares all the same. I think he'll always round the conversation back to this, and we both already agreed that this was the better choice. Blackwell and Alan be damned."

"I miss Aunt Zoe though," Taylor remarked to which Annette could only sigh.

"Me too, but it'll be a while before any of those wounds would heal sweetie. I don't blame Zoe at all for this mess, but she and Alan have to figure this out together." Taylor bowed her head slightly before Annette stopped her. "… and Taylor, don't ever feel responsible for what happened with Emma. It was not your fault." She stressed.

"I know… I just miss the old Emma."

Annette didn't say anything else as their conversation pivoted towards something lighter. Taylor became a lot more excited when she talked about her new friend. Annette felt the same, recalling Carol Dallon in the process as they both talked and finished their meals with relative ease and comfort.

Taylor helped her mother get downstairs a moment later after they finished but as soon as Annette was easing herself in on her chair, there was a ring on their doorbell. Immediately, she sensed the change of the atmosphere in the air, at least from her perspective as she sat upright and prepared herself.

"I'll get the door honey, just continue doing the dishes." She remarked as she heard Taylor's dutiful reply while Annette moved herself to greet her guest.

This was step one.

Once she opened the door, she was exposed to the presence of a very important individual.

"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Hebert."

"What should I refer to you as?"

The woman, wearing a fedora tilted her head precisely in a way to create some form of ease by acting a bit human but to Annette's eyes it was just odd. "Your message has been received, for now, you may call me as Contessa. Miss Costa Brown will be joining us in a moment."

Annette nodded slightly as she looked at the woman again. "Has my information been helpful? I believe that was the reason Miss Costa Brown was even interested in me."

The woman froze. Annette was unsure if it was because she was legitimately concerned about the small drop of info she shared, or if it was of something else. She was used to the many types of people over the years with her experience, but reading this woman was quite different from what she was used to.

"We wish to discuss the implications of this discovery you made."

"It's not a discovery. It's as natural as the world around us." Annette said.

"Nevertheless, the matter is of great interest to us and with the loss of Hero years ago, we wish to have someone that would fit that missing spot."

Annette watched Rebecca Costa Brown, a renowned figure around the world sitting there with a professional mask laced across her face. It was a shock of course, when the very first person she had ever met after her accident when she opened her eyes was her.

"How do I know I'm speaking to Annette Hebert at this very moment knowing that before her accident, she was never an expert on esoteric, extranatural phenomenon?" the woman bluntly asked as Annette found herself setting her freshly brewed tea down on the dining table of her house. The steam of the beverage seemed to sway figuratively to tension in the room as Annette sighed.

"I'm willing to bet on an educated guess, that you wouldn't have approached me or come to my house had you not brought along someone that can validate my claims. Lying after all is easy, and even if I were the best liar around, I'm confident you would have dismissed me without an afterthought."

The woman simply settled back on the backrest of her seat as Contessa looked at the woman with a nod. Annette then watched Rebecca sigh as her fingers began to tap lightly on the table.

"Many things can be fooled. Powers, after all, are very wild and unpredictable. Even if we were to admit that we are the foremost experts on the topic, we don't consider ourselves as all-knowing…"

"Hm." Annette hummed.

"…but, as far as we are concerned you are genuine, at least with what tools we have to verify it. The problem, however, is that we have no means to actively verify it to the fullest extent because of this discovery you passed on to us."

"That's a good point."

"… it is. More so now, than ever given that we're clearly lacking in information about this topic. You could be fooling us right now like a pitch-perfect sleeper agent that can just activate a proverbial bomb when the time is right, or you're just a simulation, one that's so flawless that any trace of the Annette Hebert there was that existed is now overtaken completely and you're what's left. Having no choice but to live the life of a woman that's possibly dead."

"I assume the hypothesis you proposed to your comrades is still in effect, and I know for sure that you've already seen the results of my medical records post-accident. If I were what you say I was, then you would have quickly deduced that I possess no errant tumor in my head nor has my body gone through extensive changes that modern science cannot explain or make sense of." Annette said as the two became unnaturally quiet.

"Well, you're here now, if I was so untrustworthy in the first place, then I would have been dead before I even opened the door for Contessa." She added as the two looked at her intently.

"Then make us understand, Mrs. Hebert. What exactly is the nature of these sudden changes? What exactly is the nature of the discoveries you passed on to us?" Contessa asked.

"Adding to that, what is your relationship with the anomaly over Brockton Bay?" Rebecca said as she leaned closer.

Annette tapped her mug which was filled with her favorite blend of tea. For this very moment, she would have liked to have coffee, the specific mix that she used to drink in another life when things went bad. Yet even with the brave front she possessed, there was a tinge of worry knowing that she was dipping her toes into something that her family would be dragged into.

It scared her.

"Before we go deep into that… I will be honest with you that I am indeed Annette Hebert. Born and raised here, in the United States. There is no change or difference in the person who I once was and the person that I am now… yet, after the accident, I unlocked or in this case, retrieved certain memories, knowledge, and understandings of a life that I never thought I'd have."

The two perked up at her words as Annette rubbed her fingers along her mug. "There is no other person holding the wheel, I'm still basically me but the rush of all of these memories… these experiences have caught up to me, and I believe it's just the start of what's coming."

"What is coming?" Rebecca asked, her tone becoming firm and serious.

"Nothing overtly problematic right now, no… but the simple answer is, the world is awakening, and this merging of information being poured into my head is just the beginning. There's something out there that's sent a piece of itself into our world and it's for a purpose that I have yet to identify."

"So, you're aware… of the others?" Rebecca asked, a bit shocked with her tone.

"What 'others'?" Annette asked, genuinely baffled by this new tangent.

Contessa then placed two photos on the table as Annette pulled them over to her to see.

It was a photo of two girls. One that she was very familiar with, and the other that was in a pitiful, and painful state of being.

"The ambient energies that you passed on to us with that device attached allowed us to pinpoint these two individuals within the Anomalous Haze that's seemed to envelop this city. We've already kept watch on Amy Dallon weeks before due to the burst of errant electromagnetic frequencies that surged at the time of her own hospitalization, but your device seemed to corroborate the theory that what we're facing is something that's basically unknown to the pool of knowledge we have, currently." Rebecca explained.

"And the other?" Annette asked as she looked over the other photo.

"Subject, Sarah Livsey is one that we're keeping an eye on extensively. Mostly because the bubble and aura of the energy detected by your device is much more saturated with her. We assumed that she was the source of the anomalous haze, but we can't actually verify it because again, we're treading into a phenomenon that we have no experience nor understanding of… until you, apparently."

"I see…"

Before Annette could say anything further, Costa Brown audibly sighed and conjoined both her hands on the table as she leaned closer to Annette's position.

"Look, I'm going, to be frank, I'm not one that easily trusts sudden, almost spontaneous developments on the scale of something that I'm very much concerned about. We have experts, the kind that trumps most of the world's understanding of where powers come from but even they are scratching their heads. The only man that had the resources and brains to actually think outside of the box and manage to quickly discern and synthesize such questions was lost years ago."

"Hero." Annette guessed.

"Yes…" Rebecca said as she bit her lip. The tone of that affirmation had a degree of guilt within it before the woman continued. "…we have Contessa of course, and based on how quickly you can make sense of things, you understand that for her to be stumped, then it means something is at play within the shadows… and the only person that can give us a glimpse into that… is you."

"I understand."

"Do acknowledge, however, Mrs. Hebert, that if we drag you into this, you must be accepting of what's at stake," Contessa warned, almost stiffly as Rebecca nodded along.

Annette however, despite her worry merely kept a straight face. "I've objectively seen worse. I don't think you have anything that can surprise me."

The answer intrigued the two women.

"But… I will ask for a favor. If… If I accept this, I will need assurance on one titular thing."

Rebecca's eyes narrowed. "Go on…"

"I don't wish for any sort of grand thing… just the safety of my family. Both my daughter and husband are very dear to me… and I… with the new clarity to my senses and memories, I wish for them to live."

"That can be arranged, but you do know that you have to keep this all to yourself?" Rebecca asked.

"Oh yes, but if you are willing to bargain any sort of investment, then I am confident my daughter can be of use. She has talent, and a degree of finesse and understanding that one day she'll be very good at finishing whatever I started." Annette said, with a sheen of pride in her voice.

"You are not going to die, Mrs. Hebert. You are far too important than you realize." Contessa assured.

"Oh no, I'm very determined to live with this second life I garnered. I love my family too much to be gloomy and cynical. I'm just stating that you do have to invest some degree of trust in Taylor, for I'm quite sure she will break even your own expectations." Annette cheerfully said.

"Hm." Rebecca hummed as she looked at Contessa who nodded in affirmation. "Very well, if Contessa agrees, then we might look into it."

"Splendid! Now… before we go in-depth to the problem you said, I do have proposals to you both in accordance with the anomaly you have informed me about, as well as solutions to your little vial problem."

Rebecca froze. "H-How… how are you aware of that?"

"How soon can we see better results with the testing?" Contessa interrupted.

"Oh, I assume it was you who sent that to our mail two days ago then? Well, I already have theories based on the data I garnered from the sample you shared." Annette said as Contessa nodded at her words.

"Contessa, you didn't-

"I have full confidence in Mrs. Hebert's ability. The outcomes within the Path, at least those that are discernible, have a high degree of certainty in success in regard to her projects. This outcome was necessary." Contessa explained as Annette narrowed her eyes with a small frown.

"Hm, I've yet to pinpoint what it is that makes you special."

"And I have confidence that you will in time, Mrs. Hebert," Contessa said, making Annette smile as Rebecca was now lost as to how this conversation pivoted this way.

"Does this mean, that-

"Yes, Miss Costa Brown, I guessed that you were Alexandria," Annette said making Rebecca shocked and surprised.

"How?" the woman asked, completely clueless.

Before Annette could answer, however, she quickly smiled as she saw her daughter at the doorway holding a notebook. "Taylor honey, were you listening in?"

Rebecca almost panicked before Contessa placed her hand on top of hers.

"S-Sorry, I was just going to serve everybody's tea." Taylor shamefully said.

"Well, why are you holding a notebook? You want to get an autograph?" Annette asked, almost teasing Rebecca who was looking at Contessa who seemed undisturbed about all of this.

"Uh… if I can?" Taylor asked.

The entire meeting continued on without issue as Annette started discussing with her new 'allies' about things that were relevant for the future. She was satisfied for the most part that it all went smoothly on her end, and she had another assurance that her family would be safe.

This was step two…

And hopefully, she would never have to leave another group of people she considered as family again. More so now, when she actually had a daughter and husband to go back to.

"Eat, Miss Livsey," Colin said as he watched the young girl stare at her meal.

She was still bedridden, but given that she was now responsive and conscious, they had to make sure that she could get all the help she needed, to an extent.

"Why?"

"You need it to recover. While your current state has made it difficult for us to ascertain the proper steps needed for your situation, we are not so cruel to leave you out like this."

"Why?" the girl asked again, making Colin inwardly sigh. It's been a while now since they were extensively watching the girl, more so with the suicidal thoughts that seemed to plague her due to the trauma from the event of her maiming, but Colin was just not used to dealing with something like this.

Miss Militia was currently unavailable, as well as Battery. Assault had tried, but even he could not get to this girl, who was formerly Tattletale of the Undersiders. It was left to him as watch duty for at least five more hours.

"Miss Livsey, I am trying here, but please, just for the sake of your health, I need you to eat."

The girl frowned before she slowly and near-mechanically raised her burnt head and face to face Colin's own. Despite having seen the worst that humanity could achieve with the experience he had on the field, the look on Miss Livsey's face and the injuries she had still made him pause.

"Why… why are you keeping me here? Like I'm some damn lab rat?"

"It's for your-

"Don't give me that bullshit. The fact that they're allowing you all to freely talk to me means that you're perfectly confident that I'm not a threat to you all, or that I'm not going to spout some Thinker nonsense freely into the air."

"I don't understand what you're getting at," Colin said, a bit disturbed.

"My power's gone, isn't it? That's why you're so interested… that's why you're so intrigued… because there's something you don't understand that's going on around me. There's something there that's making you all feel nervous about."

"I am not inclined nor authorized to answer that question," Colin stressed. Mostly in defiance of the taunt, but also because he was disturbed at how cold and unfeeling the look on the burnt, horrifying face the girl had against him. How intense her entire stare was. It was unnerving.

"I know…" the girl ominously said.

Colin merely sighed as he stood up and gave his farewell. As he left the room, he did not notice that Miss Livsey reached for the wild strand of hair that he left on the table as she curled that tiny piece into her fingers.

A frown was still on her face, but if memory served, she knew that this entire venture would not last long.

AN: Vicky chapter next time! With hugs and therapy.

Chapter Text

Crossroads

Mother is caressing my head softly. After crying upon her doorstep, I find solace and comfort in her arms. Mother Carol's light strokes lull me closer to sleep as the dried remnants of my tears start to fade away while I inch closer to her chest. She even hums soothingly into my ear as I lean into her more.

I don't wish for this dream, no, this wish to end. I love my family. I love them dearly from the bottom of my heart. I don't wish for them to be this sad, to be this fractured. I want them to feel the same happiness and love that I feel for them, for they are the reason I am even happy and alive in the first place.

That's why I don't understand why there is a rift between my parents. I love Mark so much for I never had the experience of having a father in the first place, the closest was Ector but I never saw him again. Mark, however, pulled me out of the brink. Made me believe. Made me find comfort and solace in this borrowed life I now have.

I still feel guilty, for none seemed to believe as to who I really am.

Yet, Mark persevered. He showed me love. He showed me happiness and that happiness eventually allowed me to connect with my sister, Victoria. My beloved sister whom I treasured with all my heart and soul. The best friend any person can ask for and my companion that I will follow and watch with all the years of my reining life. Vicky, as I came to call her, was the sister any person could ask for, and the hero that I wish to look up to for the most part.

Mother Carol, on the other hand, I admire her. I admire her work ethic, her passion, and her absolute determination to finish what needs to be achieved both in her own work (which I have no understanding of) and that of being a hero. She is a role model I wish to aspire to, even though I am rather, lazy and wish to eat and sleep all of the time, heh. I never thought ill of her, no matter what the others may think. Mother Carol cared, she cared so much that even just the act of having me along to my weekly checkups gave me the fondest of smiles.

Best of all, aside from Vicky and Mark, she was the one to calm me during my nightmares. Mother was there at my most terrible point. She was the warmth that I treasured, the warmth that I lean into now.

I love my family, I… I just wish they would all just get along.

"G-Good night… mama." I say, finally accepting that saying such a name was no longer bound to the horrible memories of the 'mama' I used to have in Britain.

I felt my mother freeze for a moment before she caressed my head again a second later.

She kisses the top of my head as I smile.

I pray to the Lonely Star once more, for the hope and love within me to endure. Not for just myself anymore, but for each member of my family.

"Good night, Amy." I hear Mother say as I feel my consciousness drift off. My mind and soul embrace sleep as the comfortable feeling of the bed and my mother's arms now sway me off.

One more thought comes into my mind as I wish for peace within my family…

"Freedom…"

What? No, why… was that me? Why would I think-

I was conscious again, but I was not in my mother's arms. Where was I? Why was it perpetually dark? Why was it… why did it feel cold, scary, and sad? I could not feel my limbs nor my body as everything was suspended in this never-ending dark.

There were emotions within the pitch-black. The kind that seemed to scream, that seemed to cry out and sob. Intense feelings, intense emotions that had weight, madness, and sorrow. I was quickly overwhelmed as perhaps this was another nightmare.

But of what? What sort of nightmare and torture allowed me to be in this dream?

Why did I have to experience it?

"YOU KILLED AMY!"

Victoria? Why did I hear her voice? Why-, oh no. I could see it. Vicky cries in pain as I watch her strike a person I do not recognize. It was a memory, a very hazy and powerful memory. One that struck me quite well as I tried to reach out. To tell my sister that I was alright, that I was alive, that I was-

No, no… NO! Why did that memory disappear? Why was the sky black? Why was the world crying out? Why was Vicky mourning with blood and fury in her hands?

Memories then came flooding within me, I screamed out. I did not want them.

They were… they were painful. Excruciatingly so.

They were all desperate, in pain, horrid, and inexplicably terrible.

I wanted to close my eyes and cover my ears… because they were just too much.

"I loved Mark… Sarah." Mother Carol's voice said as I heard a slap. I tried tuning out as more screams entered my ear. More pain as tears riddle my figurative form within this dream.

I wanted to scream out but no voice registered while I cried as I watched a red-haired boy hold the hands of his father.

There was just death. Death on the scale that I could not accept… that I could not fathom…

Until… until…

It all just stopped, and I was left in the darkness again.

The silence made me breathe. What was that? Why did I experience it all?

Why did I suffer such pain, such malice?

Why was I living this drea-

"Did you… come here to gloat? To… make fun of me for my victory?"

The darkness had a voice… no, I… I could see a face out of the dark. That face was enveloped by the darkness like it was part of it. Like they were one and the same.

That face morphed into a much more humanoid shape. One that was lying on a non-existent ground or floor as the darkness drooped around them like a blanket or a curtain.

Their face looked decidedly feminine in appearance. Long, wavy hair that seemed to be absorbed by the darkness and eyes full of intense emotion and sorrow. Those same eyes were riddled with red around them like a sheen of disappointment, exhaustion, and defeat.

Those same eyes now stared at me, like I was the reason for their pain.

I wanted to run. I wanted to make this dream end. I wish for Mother Carol to wake me, for Mark to wake me, for… Vicky to embrace me. I didn't want this. I didn't wish for this…

"If it's any of the two, well you would be happy to know that I succeeded." The voice said. Eyes filled with regret as the fear and chill I felt subsided. That malice was no longer there, only loneliness.

"Now I am forever changed, at least this version of me. Perverted, irredeemably unchangeable, and… wholly removed from the existence I once was." The voice paused before looking away. "All because I wanted… revenge and vindication. Now I'm just a hollow shell, a tool."

The face then stared right back at me as I felt the chill once more rise.

"Why are you here, Artoria? Do you wish to see a dear friend now at his lowest point?"

The face inclined their head slightly as that frown turned into a sneer.

"Do you wish to talk me to death? Even if such a notion were impossible at this point. A… fantasy that I will never reach nor achieve."

I wanted to back away, to wake up… but, why did I feel for this person? Why did I feel sad?

"I don't wish for your pity if that's what you feel. There is no turning back with me, no grand reversal in terms of my morality. I don't regret my actions, nor for the deaths of those people… thousands, millions, perhaps trillions lost from my actions, I neither feel any pain or anguish over it, for you know who I am. Yet, I feel wholly hollow from the whole experience, for I gained nothing for my rage after. Nothing that would settle the burning emptiness within my soul."

Who was this person?

"Or maybe, you just wish to talk to me, a friend to a friend to relieve some of that clout. Some of that darkness and loneliness even for a bit?" the voice asked, with a small nostalgic smile before it turned into a dismissive frown. "If it's that then I apologize for I need none of it right now."

I found myself flinching from that remark as the face looked at me with that intense gaze.

"Why aren't you saying anything? I understood quickly before that you were never one to convince a person to repent or steer away from the misdeeds of another person's actions but- oh… Oh."

The person looked at me as they raised their head slightly from their position before.

"You are Artoria. Yet not the Artoria I knew… You're… oh dear." The face of the person transforms into a small, nostalgic smile as if remembering a long, far away past. "I would say sorry for making you feel all of the nastiness you saw but… I don't think I care. Yet, I do appreciate seeing you, Artoria. I appreciate the memory of the child that I watched over for the longest time."

"W-Who are you?" I ask, surprised that my voice came back at this opportune moment.

"Someone I wholeheartedly wish you will never meet. Yet fate sometimes can be cruel… but maybe it'll be much kinder with you. Your wish is much simpler than mine, and if fate deems it so that we meet at this crossroad, then the joy and happiness I feel from you right now trump anything that I've had with my own wish." The person said as their smile turned melancholic, honest, and dare I say it, genuine.

"Why?" I ask.

"That's not for me to answer. Nor can anyone at all actually, but I do wish you some amount of good faith in your travels… and may you never be as lonely as me, treading that path."

I felt like those words echoed like a warning, like a sign of things to come, but in what manner?

"You need to go Artoria. As happy as I am to see you, you are still a reminder. A reminder of a life that I continue to ruin still." They said and before I could ask what they meant; the dream evaporated.

I open my eyes, my breathing returns as I stare at myself embracing my mother.

She stirred quickly when she noticed me awake, as I looked up at her, meeting her eyes.

"A-Amy? Are you okay?"

I nod slowly, still confused as I lean into her chest. I feel Mother holding me again tightly into her as she strokes my hair. "Was it another dream?" she asks.

"Y-Yes…"

"What was it about?"

Mother looks concerned for me as I try to remember the dream. Yet as vivid as it was, I couldn't remember it anymore. It's like, it was never there, but the emotions of the dream still remained. I simply snuggle up to her as I feel Mother softly chuckle.

"I'm here, okay? You don't have to be scared."

"I-I know. T-thank you, mama."

"You're welcome, baby."

We drift off to sleep together as I wish for a much more pleasant dream this time.

Oberon frowns as they lay into the darkness again.

At least they felt happy, even for a moment.

"Dear Child of Prophecy in thine youth was pleasant to see, Faerie King," Ciara says beside me.

"I still don't know why you're here, attached to me," Oberon remarks with a frown.

"Perhaps this was thy wish, granted by the Greater Will," Ciara replies.

"And I'm suffering for it despite it all..."

AN: I know new readers will probably not get this whole omake, but hey… this is a gift for my old readers. Thank you again for reading both stories!

And don't worry, this is wholly NON-CANON, so don't be stressed about doom and gloom in this fic.

Chapter Text

Take my hand…

Vicky arrives at the front door of her house slowly as she steadies herself back down on the ground. Her new overall mindset when it came to her powers was settling in, as she was now very careful with almost everything she touched and interacted with. With help from both her family and some friends within the Protectorate, she also found a good equilibrium when it came to her aura. It was not easy at first of course, given that she was essentially a free spirit that had little to no guidance…

But it was… nice, regulating things. Nice finding new applications and turnouts with her abilities just because she forced herself to pretty much, mature in some fashion. Or maybe the better word was that Victoria herself mellowed out for the most part. She was still overall positive and was still at heart the Vicky that everybody knew, but with the onset of responsibilities, realizations, and recent family issues, she found herself at a true impasse. Where her life needed an actual direction to go, to not flounder with a large smile on her face hoping that the best was going to happen either way. That no problems were around the corner to haunt or beguile her completely.

Alas, that was not the case and as days went by, various moments of self-reflection came to light for her, and Victoria found herself wanting to take the extra steps to change. While she was no true idiot as most people claimed her to be back then, she was in fact clueless about the things happening around her and what implications it had on people. Victoria knew now how the consequences of her own actions shaped some of the lives of the people around her and not for the better in some cases. It was, bad especially with her family and with the many issues that seemed to bloom when looked at in a deeper light. She dared not claim that she was in a stance that was morally better than what she was before, but she did try her best to do better.

Not just for her loved ones, but for Amy as well.

With a sigh, Victoria walked to the door of her home and was going to open it until she was beaten to it by the one person she would absolutely call, the most important person in her life. Her sister.

She graced Amy with a genuine smile knowing that without checking her watch, she arrived just in time for dinner, and her little sister was there to welcome her.

"Hi Ames…" she said with a wave as Amy looked her over.

Victoria waited for the typical hug and loving embrace that her little sister always gave her when she came home… but instead found Amy looking at her worryingly.

"Sister… Vicky, you're bleeding."

Victoria blinked the moment she said those words until she trailed where Amy was looking and saw that the jacket already had a rather large splotch of red by the end of her arm.

"Ah… didn't notice that I got hit with a snag," Vicky said as she took off her backpack and began fishing for something to stem the bleeding. The wound wasn't that problematic nor that large of an issue, but the worried look on Amy's face and her… strange disposition made Victoria feel weird.

"I watched you on TV. Y-You were awesome." Amy said, trying to be helpful as she took her backpack into her lap and led them into the living room.

"Yeah, I was close to the whole thing, so I just decided to help. Didn't mean to get clipped by Oni Lee there." Victoria said with a grin to lighten the mood as Amy continued to stare at her wound. "Um… don't worry about this, okay? I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

"Yes… just a scratch." Amy strangely echoed before she smiled with an unsubtle strain on her face.

Victoria kept being suspicious but she brushed it off as Amy being worried.

"So… what's the plan for tonight?" she asked, hoping to change the subject as her sister perked up. It made Victoria at least feel comfortable seeing the usual spark come back on her face.

"Right… you shall be my dummy for tonight."

"Like you're going to hurt me, pipsqueak." Victoria joked as Amy merely frowned in response.

"T-That's not the plan…" she said with a low tone, almost ashamed and none of the typical blushing madness that was the Amy she knew after the accident.

"Come on, I was just joking," Victoria said as she led Amy along back to their room so she could change. While doing so, she was starting to get concerned given how different Amy had been acting from her bubbly self.

Surely, it wouldn't be something bad… right?

Wearing her pajamas, Vicky started looking around their room while Amy was seemingly writing something on their desk. She quickly noticed that none of the stuffed animal collections Amy had were touched in any way or form. She would usually see those hanging around either as a scattered mess within the room or as a set-created scenario with how Amy plays with them with her flair on medieval court drama. To see the room being neat, mostly clean, and barely touched made her feel suspicious as she walked towards Amy on the desk while she hurried writing whatever it was that she was doing.

Before she could say a word, she quickly noticed that a lot of sticky notes were placed around their desk. Some of them were mundane enough such as chores, jobs, and simple 'spells' that Amy uses to call her powers but some of them were… weird in the sense of how they were written.

Most notable of all were the books on Amy's desk. Amy liked to read, but she favored stories the best. Fiction and the many classics in literature, both for young and old alike fascinated her and fueled her renewed interest in fantasy, sci-fi, and other genres. For the most part, Amy found herself being drawn to medieval fantasy, or anything of the like… while she read mundane non-fiction books of both history and other topics, it was never something that she would frequent or go over this intensely.

The books on her desk, however, ranged from guides 'on how to be better'. 'How to Manage Your Life', 'How to Find Meaning When Lost', and various other self-help books and reference titles in psychology and other branches of thought that their mom used for some of her clients. These were, very odd for Amy to read them and worst of all, Victoria knew that her sister never needed such things in the first place knowing her kind spirit, determination, and optimism.

Were these… why was she reading these? Why-

"Amy, Vicky, dinner's ready!" they heard their dad say as Amy stopped writing in her notebook. It was only there that she noticed that Victoria was watching, and she shied away, closing her notebook and putting it back on the desk.

"Come, they're waiting for us… we mustn't delay." She said, almost in a serious fashion before Victoria placed a hand on top of hers, stopping her for a moment as Victoria herself frowned in concern.

"Ames, is there something wrong?"

Amy looked at her, her eyes shifting between guilt, shame, and determination before she shook her head. "Nothing… nothing's wrong."

"Really? Because you're being a lot more polite than usual." Victoria said knowing that the new way Amy talked and interacted with people while strange was not something that she truly felt weird about. That was, until now… because she was being a lot more punctual and forced with the way she talked that Victoria knew something was amiss.

"Isn't that the right thing to do?" Amy asked, wanting to end the conversation.

"Not if you're hiding anything… you know you can tell me if something's wrong. Didn't we promise each other that we'd always have each other's back?"

Amy's eyes and the expressiveness therein continued to run in a plethora of differing, primarily negative emotions. Prevalent from them all, was guilt and shame. "Y-yes… but, please… not now. I will tell you once I feel it's right."

Victoria wanted to say something again, but this time, it was their mom who was calling out to them. She sighed heavily as she looked at her sister. "Fine… but we are going to have a conversation about this, alright? I don't want you being all moody like this."

Amy nodded in response as they both came down together hand in hand.

Victoria, however, wished that the issue was not something that was that big of a deal.

She hoped that it wasn't but given her track record lately of things not going her way, she hoped that the 50/50 split of luck was not that terrible. Especially since this was her sister after all.

Dinner was quite nice. While the atmosphere was still mostly awkward, given the problems their parents had, Victoria found herself being comfortable with the entire ordeal. Even Amy was enjoying it, for the most part as they ate in relative silence with some conversations coming out in between bites.

"Vicky, next time call your father or your aunt before getting into that again." Her mother said as Victoria responded with a shaky, shameful giggle. Her mom wasn't a figure that Victoria leaned against, especially with recent events regarding their family, but she knew that she had a point. Plus, she observed that her mom was trying her best now, with how she acted with her sister.

"I was the closest… I didn't mean to just barge in you know. They just… they needed my help." She explained as she poked her spaghetti. Victoria saw her mom smile a bit from that interaction until she helped Amy by wiping some of the sauce on her lips. Her sister pouted from that small thing as the two exchanged a small smile with each other.

At least they were getting along. Though Amy's silence at the entire table made her concerned still. She looked at her dad who was about to talk. "A good thing the presence of heroes is a lot more emphasized in the bay lately, most of the gangs are pretty much forced into going underground with their dealings. Though Oni Lee causing a scene was definitely expected, given they're about to get Lung off the city soon."

"Alexandria's still here, Mark?" Victoria saw her mom ask.

The man, still not used to the awkwardness between them could only nod. "Yeah, though I'm sure once the point of interest they have is gone, I'm sure we'll be back to usual again." Her dad said, almost disturbed by that sentence. Victoria could only look at her mom who seemingly looked the same.

"Damn… has Sarah talked to them yet?"

"By the end of this week, probably. They're focused on that girl Tattletale for now."

"I see."

Victoria could only speculate what the two were talking about, but mentioning Tattletale after the whole Lung incident only made her worry. Though at that very moment, she was more worried for Amy than anything else.

"Anyway, I'm glad you were smart in handling that little debacle Victoria. Though make sure to keep yourself safe next time. We don't want Amy to worry." Her dad said with a small smile as Victoria nodded.

"Wasn't planning to get hurt Dad, and even then, it was just a scratch. I disengaged the moment it was necessary." She explained as she took another mouthful of her food into her mouth.

"I know, and I'm proud that you're doing your best to improve, but we just worry."

"Listen to your dad, Vicky." Her mom added as she felt their dynamic return to some normalcy, even with the awkwardness in the air. She then turned to her sister who was finishing up on her plate.

"What about you Ames? Anything new today?"

The entire table turned to Amy, as she whispered out a weak response…

"None…"

"I… I see. You're not going to tell us about your knights of the round at least? Don't you always give updates about them every day?" Vicky asked, hoping to change her sister's mood as Amy looked at her. "Ames…"

"I… I was busy."

Victoria was about to say something until she heard her mom intrude on the conversation.

"Honey, are you scared for tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? What was happening tomorrow?

"I'm not. I'm… I'm going to do well!" Amy suddenly said with a determined look while clenching both hands in a cute manner as if accentuating that she was ready. That was when Victoria's mind clicked.

"Oh shit! It's tomorrow! How could I forget!" Victoria animatedly said as the realization dawned on her.

"Language." Her mom said as Victoria apologized but she quickly grabbed her sister's hand and grinned.

"We're finally closer to getting rid of your chair!" she said in celebration as Amy smiled a little.

"Y-yes… I'm ready. I will do my best." Her sister said with a serious expression as their parents smiled.

"Huh, she starts tomorrow then?" her dad asked as their mom nodded.

"Yes, Dr. Cillian has already booked it for tomorrow. Hopefully, things will go well."

"It will! I… I promise it will." Amy suddenly said much to the surprise of the entire table as Victoria found her sister's strange behavior starting to make her annoyed quite a bit.

"Amy, it won't be easy, but we're always here for you." Carol pointed out as Victoria watched her sister nod. "Will you be coming, Mark?"

"Of course, it's her big day after all." Their father said with a smile as Victoria saw Amy blush.

"T-Thank you… I won't let you down."

"Ames, are you okay?" Victoria slipped between the ongoing conversation as their parents began speaking over them as to who was going to do the dishes. Amy ignored Victoria surprisingly as she volunteered to do the chore despite her condition. Her parents began asking her little sister about it as Victoria watched, starting to get her annoyance to rise another notch.

"Ames, let me do it instead." She volunteered as Amy forced herself to gather all their dishes, only for Victoria to stop her. Unbeknownst to everyone there was a certain tension in the air steadily rising, mostly between the two sisters as the stress and worry from Victoria started to override some of her patience.

"I'm fine sister. I-I can do this." Amy stressed as she looked at her.

"No, you can't, there's something wrong and I'm just trying to-

"I said I can do it…" Amy stressed again, her voice higher this time.

"Vicky… Amy, hold on, we should all calm down." Mark said.

"Ames… just, let me do it. I insist okay, you've been acting strange since I came home, I just feel worried that-

"Amy, just listen to Victoria honey…" Carol soothed as the cacophony of voices continued.

"Vicky, please, I just want to do this… just please allow me," Amy begged, her eyes pleading.

"Ames, I'm just worried okay, I don't want you-

"Vicky, why don't we settle down and help your sister instead?" Carol suggested as the tension was making her worry alongside Mark.

"Amy, Vicky listen to your Mom, you don't need to argue about th-

"Victoria  please,  I just want to do thi-

The sound of a plate being broken into pieces was heard as the definite crescendo of this whole matter. The plate that the two sisters grabbed slipped from their grasp and it fell to the floor with a grand crash. Silence permeated between all of them…

Until rational thought won over the shock as the two parents scrambled to clean the shards that were before Amy. All three of them, including Victoria, got into action as they made sure Amy was okay as they cleaned everything up…

Victoria on the other hand quickly saw Amy's withered, shocked face full of guilt as her sister grabbed both her hands.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault okay? I… I'm sorry I didn't know what came to me, I was just… I was just…" Vicky trailed off when she saw Amy look at the rest of the Dallon family.

"I'm sorry."

Everyone became quiet as Amy looked dejected and ashamed afterward.

Victoria felt as if something had stabbed her in the heart as she looked at her little sister.

Amy was carried to bed by Mark an hour later as things settled down.

Both parents were at her sides as Victoria shamefully watched from the doorway of their room in guilt. She asked herself what happened. She blamed herself fully for how it escalated that way, knowing full well that sometimes her own power could release such an aura with her feelings attached to it. She wondered if that was the cause, if that was why the entire conversation became that bad at the end.

Regardless, she felt heavily conflicted and in pain seeing her sister this way again, knowing that it was her fault this time. She didn't want the day to end like this and despite her worry and concern, she didn't want Amy to have this weight and stress again. It was bad enough that their family issues were still a concern, but having Amy return to the state when she had nightmares was troubling.

She clenched her fists in frustration as she failed her sister again in some way.

The guilt began wracking up her head until she felt her dad's hand touch her shoulder.

"She's gonna be okay."

Victoria merely stared into her dad's eyes as she sighed, heavily. Looking down and painfully holding her tears back in a pathetic manner, Victoria felt drained and defeated. "I didn't want that to happen… I just wanted to know why she was so upset, and why… she felt so sad. B-But… damn it, I just couldn't help myself and now I ruined her day."

"Amy doesn't blame you honey," Mark said as he knelt in front of her. "In fact, she kept apologizing."

"T-that doesn't make sense… she shouldn't blame herself, I was at fault for that, okay? Not her, she shouldn't-

Vicky felt her father squeeze her shoulder sympathetically as he too sighed.

"No one's to blame… if anything, I think the issue between your mom and I is starting to get to her." Mark guiltily said as he looked at his daughter. Victoria became silent until she forced herself into a tight embrace with her father. Mark returned the embrace as he patted her back. "We'll get through with this, all of us… I promise that Vicky…" he whispered.

"I-I know Dad."

They broke the embrace a second later as Mark nodded at Victoria as he headed downstairs.

Despite the promise… Victoria felt as if her dad was in the same boat as her.

Guilty, ashamed, and worst of all, unsure of what step to follow up on next.

She also knew that her dad had it the worst because it felt as if he and her mom were still floundering on how to fix the divide that was cast between them.

Victoria sighed again as she regained some of her bravery in some capacity to face her mistake head-on. She wanted to be a better sister, one that Amy could be happy with, so despite all of her guilt and insecurities about going forward, she pushed herself up and went inside the room.

Her mom thankfully was tending to Amy in a manner that made her smile.

It was strange seeing it of course after all the things that happened with her mother these past few weeks, but she was happy that what relationship she had with Amy was steadily being fixed. Her mom already talked to her earlier downstairs so there was no need for further elaboration.

Carol nodded at the two of them with a genuine smile, telling them that she was just a room's walk from them should they need her as she left the room. Amy almost didn't want Carol to leave as she clung to her arm, only for Carol to kiss her earlier as Victoria smiled.

Once they were alone, however, the wordless expressions the two sisters shared allowed them a small degree of peace as they both smiled at each other. No words needed to be expressed at that moment as Victoria reached out and squeezed both of Amy's hands.

The two sisters felt their connection deepen once more as Victoria felt Amy's hands rubbing against hers as if wishing to validate that she was real and that this was not a dream again. A motion that Victoria kept observing, aside from the many differences this Amy had compared to the Amy that was there before.

Despite all of that, Amy was her sister and within her darkest moments, she was the one that pulled her out into the light… and, because Amy was experiencing a similar issue (as much to her understanding) it was her job to repay the favor of pulling her out of her own demons as well.

A moment later they were already cuddling with each other in bed as Amy finally whispered something in her ear.

"I'll do better tomorrow, I promise."

Victoria smiled, and while in some form she understood what Amy meant, her little sister's meaning grew deeper than that.

"I know you can Ames."

"T-Thank you, sister," Amy said, unknown to Victoria, those words of familial love she gave would only further push Amy to a line of thought that was bothering her that entire day.

"Which news do you prefer to hear first, Mr. and Mrs. Dallon?" Dr. Cillian asked as he removed his glasses and placed Amy's file on his desk. Victoria continued to watch in rapt attention as her parents looked at each other in worry.

"What does that mean Doc?" Mask started.

"Is… Amy okay?" Carol asked in concern.

The man quickly raised his hands up due to the sudden alarm. "I apologize if my words felt like that it implied something terrible, but…" the man looked at the family before him as Victoria recalled Amy's intense, painful efforts earlier that day. It made Victoria shiver even as the therapist, the doctor, and her parents tried their best to make Amy calm down in a more rational fashion. "…there are issues to speak of here, and while the best of minds is getting her the treatment that she deserves, and even more so if you think about it, I'm afraid her condition isn't as clear-cut as we optimistically expected."

"What does this mean for her legs, doctor?" Carol asked, her eyes filled with worry as it was also the same thought that rang in Victoria's head.

"It depends… realistically speaking, we are leaning towards the fact that she will recover quite well for the most part. Yet, due to the severity of the damage done to both the muscles and the nerves in both legs. The largest complication we're trying to mitigate and stop from happening is her sciatic nerve undergoing peripheral neuropathy and even if we are being optimistic, the odds of it occurring is still not something we can just ignore."

"Wait… are you suggesting, there's a chance… my sister, will never walk again?" Victoria said, her words becoming softer and more uncertain as it got to the end as both her parents and the doctor looked at her. The doctor managing a small frown only confirmed it.

"We are watching her, closely and the therapist on the job to make sure we don't achieve that result is doing her best to make it so that it doesn't happen. Though given how terrible her responses are to our preliminary tests, we are considering looking deeper into it as there may be some complications that contribute to how… well, objectively poor her first day was."

"Why weren't we told about this? The other doctors promised us that she would be okay, albeit the recovery would be longer." Mark interjected as it was a sentiment followed by the whole family.

"And that's not something I'm denying or arguing against, Mr. Dallon. I'm simply giving you facts, now that we're here at this step, it's better I tell you what can and will not work should things go either way." The man leaned back in his chair as he looked at the two. "The chances of her succeeding and getting control of her legs back normally is fairly high, but we shouldn't discount the possibility of it failing, at all."

There was a heavy silence that followed as Victoria's expression shifted from optimism to pain…

Especially with how some of Amy's painful groans and moans earlier as the therapist helped her now clung to her head like a leech. Carol and Mark were in the same boat, as heavy thoughts invaded their heads.

"Isn't there something we can do to make those odds better?" Carol said.

"I'm afraid, even with the support of the PRT that seems to be very interested in this case, that's as much as we can do… unless, of course, you allow them to ask for any Parahuman under their jurisdiction to help." The doctor offered.

"No… we can't." Mark quickly said much to Victoria and Carol's surprise.

"Mark, shouldn't we-

"Carol, I don't want to argue with you about this… but you know damn well why they're so invested in this." Victoria saw her mother sag a bit as her father sighed. "I don't want Amy to be in a position that they could just exploit for their own gain. Regardless of what her current status is… I don't want that for our daughter."

Victoria did not understand what he father meant, but given the implications of his tone and words, she could only seethe a bit of hate over what both the Protectorate and PRT wanted with her sister.

"A-Alright… I just wanted to know if we could do more." Carol replied as the doctor looked at them.

"It's a long road ahead for your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Dallon, and I'm not a praying man, but all we can do right now is just hope for the best. Whether what outcome happens with Amy, my suggestion is just to be there for her… that should be enough, especially with her current mental state."

There were a few more things that the doctor discussed with them and while he was kind, he did not hold back on the issues presented with Amy's case. Even after they left the office, the heavy feeling settled in with all of them as Victoria watched her mother and father go through a small argument regarding Amy's position.

She urged them to stop and the two did but this… aura of negativity just made their day worse.

When in hindsight, they were supposed to be cheering Amy on, supporting her.

It continued to proliferate even as they were all back in the car, in silence as Amy sat in her seat, dejected and completely numb. Her eyes filled with defeat as she leaned her head on the window.

The quiet just made Victoria uneasy and comfortable as Victoria placed her hand on Amy's own.

"It'll be okay Ames… it's just the first day."

Amy didn't even respond. Victoria caught her dad's glance by the mirror while Carol spoke up.

"You're going to walk again, Amy… we'll make sure of it… isn't that right, Victoria?"

Amy still did not respond as Victoria felt as if her world had once again crashed.

Still, she wrapped her fingers in Amy's hand. Amy subtly squeezed it as the car ride continued in silence.

"I want to try something." Amy determinedly said as it was late at night.

Amy sat up on her part of the bed as Victoria looked confused.

"Try… what?"

"Your arm sister… I think I'm ready to try."

Groaning, Victoria sat up from her position as she moved the sleeve up for both her arms. The wound from the other night was already closed up but still fresh. She then watched her sister, who took a deep breath at first as she took that arm that had the wound into her own.

"Amy? What is this about?"

"Mama… papa, and the rest told me that I used to heal… when… w-when I was still the Amy you know, I could heal without issue. I wish to test if I can do it, s-so that you and everyone else won't be hurt again." She explained as Victoria widened her eyes at her words.

"A-Alright… but you forgot something important first."

Amy's hardened, concentrated expression softened. "What is it?"

"You should always ask, whoever you heal for their permission. Regardless if it's us, a stranger, a hero, or even a villain." Victoria explained with a small smile as she recalled her sister before the accident.

"O-Oh, then… do I have your permission to heal you, s-sister?" Amy asked.

That sentence, that line brought a bit of memories back. Even if it was not the line, beat for beat. Its essence and new context almost made Victoria tear up.

"Y-yeah…" she let out with a chuckle, holding back her tears.

"Very well then…" Amy's hands then glowed as she began focusing on her wound.

Victoria supported her sister and was never scared about this at all, but as minutes passed… Amy continued to concentrate, get frustrated, and sweat in full effort… Victoria's smile waned.

"I… I can do this." Amy said even as no change appeared on Victoria's wound.

"Ames…"

"Just wait… I can make it work… I have to."

"Ames…" Victoria softly said again as Amy was now trembling.

"Please work… I'm doing everything correctly… I…" the glow on Amy's hands fizzled out and the room was left back into silence. The breeze from their window cooled the air as Victoria watched her sister deflate.

"Why won't it work?" Amy's soft voice resonated as Victoria quickly placed her hands on both her sister's sides.

"It's okay… maybe we need more time." She reassured.

"Why doesn't anything work?" Amy asked one last time…

It echoed Victoria's own feelings at that current moment.

Amy's mood just got worse.

Day after day since the visit from the doctor and subsequent therapy sessions only destroyed her mood. Both her parents were supporting her the best they could, but the aura of divide and uncertainty in their relationship only served to break Amy's own spirit.

Victoria did the best she could, but she knew that Amy was close to breaking…

… and it tore her apart knowing that she was helpless again in stopping it.

She sat in relative silence thinking about it as she called Taylor earlier, asking for advice.

It did make her mood better, especially since Taylor's mom was able to call her own mother as well, but the sheen of regret and sorrow still deepened.

She just didn't know what to do as she sighed to herself.

Everyone was preoccupied with the whole house. Her dad was absently washing their car, her mom was helping herself with the household chores in guilty silence…

And Victoria was… well, she was sitting.

Unsure why she wouldn't just go upstairs and be there for Amy.

She stewed on those thoughts until a heavy thud could be heard from upstairs…

With Amy's screams of pain occurred a second later.

"AMY!" Victoria flew as her parents also abandoned what they were doing to join her. Victoria quickly opened the door to their room and saw Amy, trying to get back in her wheelchair. She was groaning and moaning in pain as Victoria approached…

Only to hear Amy plead. "I c-can do this! It was just an accident and I s-slipped."

"Ames…"

"Please… please… I just want to prove to m-myself that I can do it…"

"Ames, just let me help."

Amy froze at her words as her expression caused Victoria and their parents to stand still.

Amy began sniffling softly. She started covering her eyes, trying to wipe her tears as she started sobbing in silence. Victoria wanted to help her up until Amy spoke.

"I'm sorry… I… I have been rude… I… I have been unreasonable." Amy could not muster saying each word as she started crying in front of them all.

"Ames… y-you're not," Victoria whispered as she sat on the floor with her. Tears barely held back.

"I just don't want to feel useless…"

A heavy, still silence wrapped everyone in the room as Amy continued.

"Day after day… I sit here, doing nothing while you're all doing your best for m-me. I play my toys, w-watch and read things I-I like and act like nothing's wrong." Amy wiped her eyes as she cast her face down, tears trickling on the floor. "I can't help my s-sister and I-I'm scared that she won't come home b-because I wasn't there to help her. I'm s-scared one day to see you die knowing that I could have done something to prevent it."

Guilt wracked Victoria as she watched her sister. A wet tear trickled down her own cheek.

"I don't even know if I deserve to be h-here still… I don't know if I am Amy or I'm just somebody who took over the life of another in exchange for a stupid… wish and even then, I'm still useless. People still get hurt around me while I couldn't do anything… b-because I'm so weak."

Victoria wanted to put Amy into an embrace until Amy continued to speak her next words…

"Mama and Papa still fight because of me… I can't even help them to get along, or f-forgive each other. The only thing I can do is cry while I watch as this family crumbles around me because I just wanted to prove that I can do something."

Mark and Carol shared a look with each other as guilt tore their heads.

"I c-can't even walk… I c-can't even heal… I… I can't even make my family less miserable because I'm trying to be selfish…" Amy's sobs became louder. "I-I'm just making things worse… and I… I'm so sorry…"

Victoria placed Amy into a tight embrace as she too teared up.

"I'm so sorry for being so useless…"

Victoria felt Carol press onto her and Amy. Mark did the same as the entire Dallon family was now placed into a silent, uncertain embrace.

Amy's cries would continue well into the next hour…

But despite the sorrowful atmosphere, Victoria, Mark, and Carol silently agreed that Amy was now the center of their family, the light that they clung to. The love that they always came back to…

And the best they could do is to maintain that center both for their family and for Amy.

AN: Goddamn it… I teared up writing that final scene.

Anyway, interlude chapter next!

Chapter Text

Interlude 2

Victoria lifts me into the chair gently as I smile at her. She looks back with the same feeling as Papa and Mama exit the vehicle. The atmosphere is a lot more, tame this time… and I feel as if hope has once again returned in some capacity.

Even the way Mama fixes Papa's clothes gently and without the sense of awkwardness made me feel better, especially with the series of days I just had. I still feel guilty about a few things. Things that my family seems to not give me fault for, but yet, I know I went too far. I know I just forced myself and my family suffered because of it.

"Hey… where's the smile?" Victoria asked as we helped each other fix my blazer.

I fidget with my fingers as I looked at her in apology. "I was thinking of something."

Victoria stops for a moment at my words before she inevitably smiles again.

"You already know what I'm going to say about it Ames…" she then chuckles. "…but didn't we already discuss this? I need you with full smiles, otherwise, I won't be able to uphold my promise to Taylor and her parents, alright?"

"Yes, but still… it hasn't been easy, sister," I said as she squeezed my hand.

"You've been apologizing for a lot lately, sis. You know you don't need to, and you know that we always have your back." My sister promises as she fixes the last touches for my appearance.

I nodded at her as I reciprocated the loving squeeze. "I'll do my best, f-for real this time."

She then poked my nose lightly as I blushed towards the gesture. "And no crying. Happy thoughts today… like you used to have. Depression is a no-no."

"But I didn't even-

"Ah, ah, ah… what did I say?" Victoria said as she placed a finger on my lips to silence me.

"No crying…" I said with a large, cute pout as she grinned smugly at me.

"That's better… I might actually call you officially a crybaby from now on… given your recent schtick." My eyes rapidly widened at her words as I grabbed her arm in reflex.

"Don't you dare!" I shout as Victoria laughs.

"Do you prefer shrew or kitty-cat?" she asks as I squeezed her arm tightly.

"No… don't you dare call me those names! I am neither of them, NEITHER!"

We continued to bicker in good faith and laugh as I noticed in between that Mama and Papa were looking at us, their smiles being much brighter than recent events as I grinned back at them.

Mama's smile becomes more prominent and Papa's grin becomes more pronounced. His shoulders no longer sagged and he once again returned to the Papa that made me feel what family truly meant. It was like none of the painful events in the last few days occurred…

We go into the Hebert's house together in a recovered sense of cheer.

I loved that.

Eventually, when we did get into the house, the quickest reaction I had was how, homely it felt. It was not like our own house, not by a lot, but the aura it exuded was the most lovely thing about it. The simplicity despite the age and the overall aesthetic that made me reminisce of the villages in my old world had the same quality as this. Though less in the guise of how the Fae acted but more so how a beautiful home and family felt in all earnest feelings. I embraced this feeling as it felt like I was not in a stranger's home. It had a familiarity that spoke to my senses.

One that I welcomed with open arms.

"You must be Amy…" Mrs. Hebert said with a genuine smile as my family introduced me. I find the camaraderie and established friendship between Mama and Papa with the Hebert's comforting as the adults traded smiles and greetings.

When it came to introducing me, I was so shy that I blushed wildly again, Victoria even smiled smugly at me for I knew she would make fun of me because of this. I was embarrassed because I felt so overwhelmed at how much positivity was thrown at me by the Hebert couple that I only managed a nod.

My family and giggled because of this as I felt Mama lightly stroke my back.

"You know I didn't expect you all to go wear like you're going on a meeting with someone important. I rather feel underdressed, Carol." Mrs. Hebert said, but despite that, I find her quite beautiful regardless. The woman felt like a basket of energy and love that I couldn't help but stare.

"Oh hush, you're pretty important to me, and that's what matters," Mama said.

"Plus, I'm sure she just did it as an excuse to dress up Amy," Papa said with a laugh as I watched Mama subtly elbow him at his sides. I snickered at the sight as the talks continued, only for Mrs. Hebert to ask our parents to get them situated in the dining room. Mama and Papa followed enthusiastically as me and Victoria were left with Mrs. Hebert.

"Where's Tay, Mrs. Hebert?" my sister asks.

"Oh, she's upstairs, got startled because she's still in those pajamas you gave her."

Victoria laughs as I look at her confusion. "O-Oh my God… she WORE those? I gave it to her because I had a ton of spares at home… didn't know she'd wear them. I thought she hated them?"

"MOM!" a muffled voice from upstairs says I continue to watch the scene.

Mrs. Hebert then snickers from her chair as she looks at my sister. "You know Taylor, Vicky… she's not the type to admit things out loud."

"Oh my God, Mom!" the voice from above shouts again as I giggle.

"Why don't you get her down here quickly Vicky, might do her some good to be less shy with friends." Mrs. Hebert offered as Victoria smiled wickedly, she nodded at me for a moment as I let her go. She flies up quickly up the stairs and towards a room above that I can no longer see.

The moment she did, I was now left with Mrs. Hebert.

The woman smiles at me as I fidget. "Y-You have a lovely home, ma'am," I say as we were left with an empty enough silence. Mrs. Hebert then has her smile fade quite a bit into a neutral one…

"Yes…"

Then I watch as she snaps her finger.

"…" I was stunned in complete silence the mere instant she did it.

I felt every fiber of my being grow stiff in fear and shock as I knew this sensation. I recognized what she had done. Mrs. Hebert's neutral expression gradually turned into an impassive one as she knew if I moved an inch within this… unknown bounded field would result in something that I would not like.

Every hair on my arms and back stands up as I suddenly tremble…

Not only because of fear, but because of the intense, controlled, and overwhelming sensation of mana surrounding her like… like the one that had burned my village to the ground just to kill me. Worse, I knew… I-I knew how powerful of a caster she was.

This entire action was far too casual.

Far too easy for her…

So much so that it took me a minute on my best day back then to even manage one out of the blue. Mrs. Hebert did it with a snap, and I knew that was just for show, she could have done it with a thought and I wouldn't have detected it at all until it was too late.

Who was Mrs. Hebert?

Why… why did she know how to cast magic, at the level she demonstrated?

I was too frightened to move or say anything as Mrs. Hebert's impassive face made me understand that she knew I was powerless to do anything at that moment. Even if… even if Mama, Papa, or Vicky were to come to my aid, the casual power difference I feel makes me uncertain of what outcome will play after…

I'm scared. Not just for myself, but for my family.

"You're not what I expected. Certainly not in the fashion that would cause you to manifest this way…" Mrs. Hebert said as she leaned closer to look at me. Her spectacles flared with a bit of mana as I felt unsure as to what she had done merely staring at me.

"Though, it is unprecedented for me to meet another such as myself."

I gulped, bracing on the arms of my chair as I felt raw fear invade me once more…

As if I was reliving the day of my death again.

"Follow me," Armsmaster said as a PRT trooper, by the name of Brandon walked in a steady pace behind the Protectorate hero. He wondered why the man asked for him personally but he chalked that up to availability or the simple fact that he was the closest one he could find at the moment.

Wordlessly he followed what was technically his superior as they walked along the hallways of the Rig. Recent events made it so that their work was less chaotic than usual due to the presence of Alexandria, but he always maintained his vigilance in case something bad occurred, unlike his comrades.

Even the presence of a triumvirate hero can still rouse some idiots to take the challenge and knowing this city, he was sure that it was not just Lung that was going to stir the hornet's nest.

"How long have you been working here, trooper?" Armsmaster asked.

"Three months sir… still new." He admitted.

"I see… can I ask if you feel good with this profession you've voluntarily taken?"

Brandon tilts his head in slight confusion to the question, but he answers it without hesitation.

"It's stressful sir, but nothing that I'm so far used to."

There was a small silence as they finally arrived at the door of the room where maximum security was placed until the hero looked at him. "Very well. That's a good enough answer."

"Pardon, sir?" Brandon asked but the man simply turned his back on him as he was allowed access into the room with him following behind. The moment they did, Brandon saw the injured and badly burned Tattletale on the bed.

Armsmaster moved to the side and through what little he could see of the man's face through his partially open helmet and mask… he suddenly realized that the hero was sweating. Intensely so.

He was also slightly trembling like he didn't want to be here in this roo-

"He will do." The abrupt, raspy voice of the young woman behind him said and Brandon froze on the spot, literally. He could not move… he could not say anything or even think as Armsmaster walked to his position and moved his frozen body right next to Tattletale's side.

The hero's visage was in pure agony as his teeth were gritted in a way of pure frustration and pain as more sweat trickled from his face. He was fighting it, severely and openly but he had no control over this situation at all. He did as the girl seemingly commanded wordlessly as the young woman looked at Brandon…

"I'm sorry about this, but I value my freedom more than I value your life at this moment." She rasped out as she reached for Brandon's arm and in mere seconds, Brandon's face and body graphically transformed from his rather young appearance to a hollowed-out corpse a moment later.

It was as if blood, muscle, and anything lively from his form was sucked out faster than a span of a minute as his skin became wrinkly, leathery, and stark white until nothing was left, except for a skeleton. The very disturbing nature of the rapid display of power forced Armsmaster to his legs and feet as he started vomiting sticky bile and blood on the floor due to the excess mana of the curse writhing through his veins.

The skeleton and its uniform fall harmlessly on the floor as the once wounded and raspy Tattletale was returned to her youthly appearance. An aura of shock appeared on her face but shock at her prowess rather than shock at what she just did to the man as she sat up from her bed and slowly stepped her feet on the floor to stand up. She looks at herself, examines herself, and feels the breath of her new memories and abilities acclimate faster than when she first woke up.

She sighs. Her mind which was once Sarah was now merging with the other.

It was not a pretty process but at that very moment, the prevailing persona was the one that was newly christened within this body. She was still Tattletale, she was still Lisa…

But the unbound emotions, feelings, and power coursing through her allowed her to evolve.

"Y-You're not escaping." Armsmaster managed from all the pain as he looked at her.

Lisa knelt in front of the man and touched both sides of his sweaty face.

"I always thought you were a dick… but you have uses. I appreciate that."

"You're not going to l-last once they see what you're doing in this room.. a-at this very moment. Y-you can't hide… y-you can't run… you w-won't escape."

Lisa's expression turns into a foxy smile.

"Who said anything about hiding?"

The hero looked disturbed at her words.

"Do you think… you're the only person that has that curse crawling under your skin?"

"W-What?"

"How many people have visited my room, Armsmaster… how many of them do you think will fight back once I step out of this room?"

TO BE CONTINUED…

AN: Yeah, this was the original ending of the previous chapter.

Chapter Text

Past Lives 1.1

"P-Please…" Annette hears Amy say as she watches the girl closely.

The flare of her mana was still at its most mitigated output. She was not at full strength, yet. Given the memories she received and the application of the library of spells and concepts that were now basically etched into her mind as if they were there forever, she found herself at a happenstance that should the optimal flow of her progress resume, she would far outstrip any person she knew in Brockton Bay just by potential alone. Perhaps even more…

She looked at the scared little girl and quickly realized that she was escalating this a lot more than she previously thought. Annette let the flow of energy minimize to a much safer and more comfortable degree as she watched the girl visibly decompress from the fear quite a bit.

"I apologize, dear Amy. It was not my intention to scare you this way." She admitted it as a half-truth, while she watched the girl's expression turn confused. "It was just a precaution, given that I am very much sure you're like me."

"L-Like you, ma'am?" the girl wheezed out.

Annette smiled. Her expression created a duality between friendly and subtly intimidating at the same time. It had the air of someone with authority. Someone that had an air that was larger than life, confined but not imprisoned in a shell that was much less impressive than what she had before… in another life. Her personality as Annette Hebert remained, but the little subtle details that made up the inevitable rise of the life that she once walked were taking root, and due to her cunning ability to keep them situated behind a veil, none were able to notice anything off or different. She was an evolution of the two halves, one that lived as Annette and the other of a very checkered, violent, but powerful past.

So far, only Danny and Taylor, her sweet Taylor, knew about this other side of herself.

That was until now when she finally met Amy Dallon.

True enough, she was recognizable just from the very weak aura around her alone.

Pity and a shred of guilt enveloped Annette, but she retained her previous expression.

"Yes… do you not recognize me? The aura around me at least… or the signature stare that would render people to freeze in place? Or perhaps you don't recognize the flow of energy around me?" Annette challenged, as she looked at the girl, helplessly trying to piece together a puzzle she had no clue to start with. "I guess not." Annette finished with a smile as Amy clenched her fists.

"P-Please… don't hurt them. D-Don't hurt my family." Amy said fear was still in her expression but there was a determination there, and a shred of the iron will that Annette remembered from a memory long past.

"I'm not, Amy… certainly not. Didn't I already tell you that this was all just a precaution? One created so that nothing and no one would know about this little reunion of ours. I half-expected that some violence would occur, given the last time we met, but I suppose that's not on the cards anymore. Greatly so when I also have my own family within the house to care for."

"W-Who are you? You keep saying you know me, but I don't even know you." Amy said as fear still clung to her bones. Annette could only frown at the girl's words as her current hypothesis on both the other girl and Amy Dallon may need some revision.

"You should… at least I expected you to, but you're not her… aren't you? At least, not yet." Annette said with some amount of disappointment as she sighed.

"I don't understand… what's with all the cryptic words, the use of magic, t-the fact that you recognize me, despite my memory telling me that we have not met at all." Amy expressed, as she looked at Annette.

"Patience, Child of Prophecy, all will be told. In time."

Annette wanted to smile at how shocked the younger girl was, but she only found pity.

A pity that this was Artoria at her weakest point in life.

Alarms were blaring at full volume as the hallways of the Rig were forced to its backup generators. The lights were flickering constantly as the putrid smell proliferating in the halls was starting to make Hannah come close to vomiting. Communications were broken, technology was either stalled or fizzled out and the elapsed time since this entire disaster occurred was just in the manner of six minutes. The chain of command was broken quickly without warning as the scattered heroes around the base and the personnel who were either compromised or lost made the entire building into a maze of death.

Dragon and Alexandria would respond in due time. With the Canadian heroine having noticed the blackout and with Alexandria dealing with 'important matters' just within Brockton's borders, there was some level of hope…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhH!"

Hope that was dwindling with each second as another smell filled the air.

Hannah swallowed deeply as she slowly peered through the corner and saw it. It was a trooper, she knew her as Vanessa struggling as she kept screaming and scratching her face and skin. The severe itch, pain, and just the sheer smell of it all drove her insane as blood started to emanate from the scratches. Her skin started turning purplish-black as she continued to howl.

Hannah tried turning away but she saw in horror as Vanessa ran to the nearest wall and started to ram her face wildly at it as blood smears started appearing. Her screams still continued even against the painful winces in-between ramming her face into the wall. Pure instinct forced her to irrationally commit suicide due to all of the pain seeping under her body, but before she can even reach death, the purplish-black influence managed to succumb her as the haunting screech of the damned followed.

"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrghhh!

Hannah once again saw another comrade turn into one of those things. She manifested a shotgun within her grasp as she got out of the corner and aimed at its head.

THWOOM!

The proximity of the blast managed to blow off the transformed Vanessa's head as the smell continued to spread as wisps of purplish-black smoke came out of the aftermath. The body fell to the floor as the mass of wisps started to slowly reform the head once more.

Half a minute, last she saw as she tried to permanently kill these things. She made a mistake before trying to save them from themselves as she recalled poor Chris' cries as he was subsumed by two transformed comrades barely four minutes earlier. Everything after that went downhill…

The screams were loud at first, but each minute, the speed and proficiency of this strain or effect effectively destroyed the local Protectorate and PRT team without much of an issue. The attack was far too fast, far too calculated, and worst of all, had crippled them in a means that nobody detected it in the first place. Not even Dragon, Alexandria, Colin, or the like were able to, and Hannah was scared that maybe she too was next…

She shook her head as she quickly sped away, as fast, and as quiet as she could to try and get out of the building. She wondered where her comrades were, where everybody was, and who was ultimately to blame for all of this. There was only one culprit that she could think of quickly and it was the disabled Tattletale, but how? And why? She was never this dangerous, to begin with, and despite the analyst's work on determining how good she was a Thinker before the Lung incident, she was never this violent nor deadly. Must this be an outside factor? A person who wished her to be freed?

The level of terror this caused almost made her think of Bonesaw and the Nine. W-Were they here? Were they the cause of this? Certainly, a clean decapitating and debilitating strike as this would have been part of their M.O., and it would serve well to enact their chokehold on the local populace…

So many questions rattled her mind as she quickly got herself through the hallways.

Hallways were littered with the purplish-black ooze and the horrifying smell that was like a combination of a bloated corpse being burned through all of the decaying gases within it and the smell of sulfur and nitrogen oxide. Thankfully, her suit had given her a mask, otherwise, she was sure she would be unconscious in mere minutes. She would have run to get herself one of the gas masks from one of their departments, but her position and the fact that each minute became more dangerous than the previous, forced her to abandon that idea completely. Still, the smell got through her bandanna, and as time passed, she eventually stopped completely as she forcibly tore off her bandanna and vomited.

It made the entire atmosphere worse as the yellowish-brown complexion of the fluids ejected from her mouth only served to make Hannah sickly. She wiped her mouth, only to see a bit of red in her fingers. Her hands started trembling as that red was close to being purplish black.

She audibly yelped as she stepped away. The blinking, unresponsive lights of the hall started to make her feel unsure as she stared at the puddle of vomit she had released seconds earlier. Fear started to wrack her mind as she was horrified by the possibility of her turning.

Hannah began contemplating those thoughts until her experience and honed senses had all her alarms blazing at full.

THWANG!

A familiar spear landed just behind her, forcibly and with enough punch to break the floor into a small miniature crater as Hannah was lucky enough to duck and dodge the attack in the first place. She then realized, in horror that had the spear throw been more accurate and focused…

She would have died right then and there.

"M-Militia… g-get away…" Shawn, better known as Dauntless stood there at the end of the hall, trembling with great effort as red lines emanated from his face and skin. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at her with pain and complete agony.

"Shawn…" Hannah started until she was completely interrupted when the sound of soft, unbothered footsteps came into her ears. Hannah then turned her head behind her as she saw her.

Tattletale looked unharmed, clean, and uninjured from her former disabled state as her troubled expression turned into intrigue as they met eyes with each other. Armsmaster, sharing the fate as Dauntless was beside her left as he was forcing himself to stand upright, halberd in hand, and an unconscious Vista in his other. Velocity was to her right as well, holding a struggling Carlos who was looking scared at Hannah.

She manifested a rifle into her hands, but they were trembling so much due to the sickly state she was in and with the fear wracking down her whole body.

The flickering lights that seemed to make a demented spotlight under Tattletale only served to rile up the fears within her as the young woman's face seemingly radiated a sense of chill that accompanied the troubled, but unphased expression she wore.

"Miss Militia, you're in my way." The young woman stated as Hannah raised her gun.

"A-Are… are you from Britain?" Amy asked, scared to acknowledge the possibility, even if it was sitting in front of her now. Annette merely nodded in response as she looked at the girl who seemed to have a crisis of faith. As well as deep, unpronounced fear of what Annette could only assume was fear of her past coming back to get her.

It was amusing but at the same time sad. Her experience as Annette allowed a degree of care to come within her emotions as she reached for the mug on the table beside her and moved closer to the girl to offer it to her. "Drink."

Amy looked fearful at first, but Annette reached out and pressed a warm, motherly hand on the girl's own. Her face remained neutral, but the small gesture allowed Amy to relax and take it. The girl sipped and finished the drink in seconds as the nerves cooled for her in a more comfortable fashion.

"That was… tasteful. Thank you."

"There's no need. Like I said, there is no quarrel between us. Child of Prophecy. I'm simply here to make sure that whatever hate or animosity we had in our past lives, is by and large, behind us… pun intended." Annette explained as the girl's eyes widened.

"You're… you're her?" Amy stared with realization.

"Oh? Recognize me finally? I thought you never knew me, Artoria?" Annette said with a small smile as Amy visibly deflated and flinched from those words.

"Your majesty… I… I don't know what to say." Amy said, almost in a whisper with her conflicted words. "I… do you truly not wish harm against me? O-or for my family?"

"Yes. I very much do. I am no longer High Queen of Britain… Tyrant Ruler of the Faerie Isle, and once was the Child of Prophecy herself. I am merely Annette Hebert in this life. A simple English Professor of Brockton Bay's college... and wife to Danny Hebert. Loving Mother of her child, Taylor Hebert." Annette proclaimed with both a sense of pride as well as a form of melancholy as she approached the latter part. A wistful smile appeared on her face which was eventually replaced with genuine love and heart.

Amy, however, shamefully bowed her head as the uncertain emotions and fear despite the kindly aura and appearance Annette exuberated only served for her to grow meek in her presence. "T-Thank you for the a-assurance, Queen Morga- I-I mean Mrs. Hebert. Y-Your mercy is unequaled."

Annette giggled as she looked at the girl's attempt at respect. "Raise your head, Amy. I'm no longer Queen, nor was I ever in this life. You're free to see me as Annette, and nothing else. Understood?"

"Y-Yes your ma-, I mean… ma'am." Amy fumbled as Annette warmly smiled.

"You must have questions… more so now when we're here. Reunited."

Amy looked confused still as she looked at Annette. But some of the bravery that Annette recalled from a life long ago seeped through the lines. If not for herself, but for how much she cared for her own family this time. "How is this possible? And why do you imply that we know each other? When I was barely anything even to the day of my own death. I h-hardly think I was important at all."

"But you were. In the end, fate would always triumph for the part you needed to play. The part I abandoned completely." Annette said as she traced a finger on Amy's palm. "Your destiny was no fluke. The will of the world will always make sure of its desire to be a reality. In our case, it is for the destruction of Britain… and you dear child, succeeded at it. To the best of my memory."

"H-How? I was barely ten years old when I died… I never saw to its end. T-this fate you mention."

"Perhaps, but the you I remember succeeded despite all odds, and I'm afraid with your presence here, that could only mean one thing. A far younger Artoria than the one I knew, the one I exchanged words with, means that the dye is still yet to be cast."

"Y-you mean…"

"I have friends and ears around the city and the world, Amy. We are but three in this New World. Three individuals were sent for a reason greater than ourselves. We may live different lives now, but we are still bound to that fate as if we were married to it."

Annette watched as it started dawning on the girl what this all meant.

"B-But I am weak. Even if what you say is true, this world is not in danger compared to Britain. I don't see a reason for the Child of Prophecy to be relevant." Amy argued.

"Really? Is that what you see? Amy Dallon? Even if you were not to believe the reason for why we are here, you must understand that your awakening is no minor event. This is not a dream, it's simply reality and if I have to guess, it's no wish that was granted without consequence."

Amy looked affected by her words, especially when she mentioned the word, wish. Annette then proceeded to press a motherly hand on the nervous girl. It reminded her of Taylor at times. "Don't be afraid. I have seen you triumph before and with your will and determination, you can do it again."

Amy looked uncertain but she nodded in response. Annette simply stroked the scared girl's hair as she looked at her. "Your mother tells me, you don't remember your time as her daughter, Amy Dallon, yes?"

Amy shamefully nodded. "Fear not, I'm not accusing you of anything… but it is rather strange that I lived the life as Annette and was only reintroduced with memories of my last breath and you did not."

"L-Last breath?"

Annette nodded. "Yes. Pain. That's what I remember. A blunder. An obsession. My arms reaching towards a throne. A throne I would never again see."

Amy listened in rapt attention as Annette sighed. "Then I woke up. Just barely a year ago… right after a coma from my past accident while I was driving. I woke up and saw my little girl older by three years as my body, stuck in a stasis-like state, was miraculously able to sustain itself through the transition. Nobody could understand what happened, some even deemed me as triggered… but it all went away when they found nothing about me, except being a cripple."

Annette then smiled. "And everything started to be clear after." Annette then opened her palm and a gust of energy turned itself into a blue, beautiful flower as she placed it into Amy's hand. "Little bits and pieces of my past life were present in my life before the accident, but it was only after that every bit of detail was returned with full clarity. This is not Queen Morgan possessing a crippled mortal woman. This is Annette Hebert, a reincarnation of a Queen who's failed her own destiny."

Annette then patted the girl's head… "And I've never been happier ever since."

"Why are you so comfortable around me? If you admit I was once an enemy?" Amy curiously asked.

"Because I have nothing to gain from the hate… I have lived an entire simple life without thinking of being queen. Without obsessing over a throne or destiny that I never wanted. I don't wish to dwindle in a past that no longer exists… I'll just be exhausted if I chase for it still, I'll merely return to a cycle of hate and agony that was only ever justified by loving a throne and country that never loved me back."

The flower in Amy's hand disappears as Annette snaps her fingers again.

The bounded field vanishes instantly as Amy once more hears her family's voices around them.

She looked at the time and saw that barely a few seconds passed. The sheer mastery Annette had was baffling and she wondered if her words of her ever beating her in the past were true. Or perhaps it was just a lie to make her comfortable.

"You're pretty much in a reversed state compared to mine, Amy. Whatever that means is worth investigating, but at the same time we're all here to celebrate in good faith." Annette said, her accent and tone returning to a more natural state as Amy stared. The transition between expressions and mood was masterful, almost too quick, and spotless.

"We can talk further about this little situation after or in the future. At least with your mom's permission… for I do have a proposal that I believe we can both benefit from."

"A proposal of what kind, Mrs. Hebert?"

"A mutually benefiting one, of course! It includes Taylor in the mix… something that'll make sure that we both get what we desire at the end of everything." Annette said with a grin as Amy heard Victoria and what she assumed to be Taylor, talking as they headed down the stairs together.

The grin had a lot of layers to it and given what Amy experienced earlier, she was unsure of what it all meant. Especially since she could not gauge yet what Annette Hebert wanted.

"May I think about it?"

Annette giggled.

"Don't take too long… the last two girls who abused my patience got the short end of the stick."

Annette then saw Amy become frozen in fear. She continued giggling despite it while waving her hand.

"Oh, don't worry… they're not dead. They wish they were though…" Annette said, whispering the latter part of her statement as she smiled candidly as if nothing was wrong with that statement.

She was still vindictive after all, especially when it was for her family's happiness.

"M-Militia… just get out of here!" Armsmaster screamed as he tried to retake control of his body to no avail as Hannah stood in place with fear keeping her from taking any action completely. Especially with the apparent hostages on both sides of the hall, she was in the middle of. People she cared about, people that she always promised to save given that they were all her comrades, regardless of their position or rank. She had seen far too many people turn and die from the abominations that spawned out of their bodies in mere minutes and she was unsure of what move to do when faced with a position like this.

"Why are you doing this?!" Hannah shouted as she stared into Sarah Livsey's eyes.

Her expression was still unchanged as she aimed the barrel of her gun right at her head.

"I hate being chained down." The young woman replied as Hannah's eyes widened.

"At what cost?! You've already killed hundreds of people. Even if you get out of here, everything you've done is going to act against you. You've done too much damage to just simply be ignored."

The girl looked troubled at those words but remained unphased. Hannah then saw the young woman raise her hand and red translucent strings appeared on it before they transformed in mere seconds into a doll-like projection. That projection floated in front of her and Tattletale pointed a finger towards the doll's chest. Piercing it slightly…

Until pain surged through Hannah's own chest.

"AAARRRGHH!" She fell to her knees afterward as she felt as if her heart was being carved out all the while as the heroes Tattletale kept under her leash screamed in anger and pain at their comrade's torture. Hannah lurched and began screaming in pain on the ground as the doll continued to glow brightly in red as she suffered.

The pain continued to invade ferociously within Hannah's chest as even her own voice hurt from all the screaming as the pain reached a tipping point.

Blood started to tinge her lips, until…

BROOOOUMMM!

A heavy crash right in front of her was heard while the entire floor shook. The ground rumbled as Hannah blinked and found herself smiling as the visage of her mentor's cape flew in front of her.

Alexandria rose as Tattletale made the doll vanish.

"Cease. Otherwise, you know the consequences of further aggression." She stated as the young woman's frown deepened. "Remove your hold on these people and perhaps you won't be sent to the Birdcage."

Hannah watched as the young woman's face slowly curled into a sinister smile…

And all hell broke loose.

AN: Lisa chapter next… which means a lot of blood, personality disorders, and well… hey, Castamy might look into Annette's deal.

Chapter Text

The Witch of the Lake…

Pain. There was just, undeniably striking pain.

Memories were scrambled beyond recognition as the scorched skin now melted with a thinly veiled, skin-tight suit was now deeply ingrained in her flesh. It only forced the transition to be a lot more painful than before as the forced memories and identity had directly clashed with the currently existing one. The sensations, overly present and abundant, were now seared into her mind as she weakly tried to claw her way out of her current predicament.

She screamed for names that no longer existed.

Names that were no longer alive as memories of a brother, a sister, a child, and a despised father started boiling over into one big pot. Their existences melded against each other in a very unwieldy way as the ill-paired personalities and incompatible memories started to break onto the surface. Her own name was now starting to blur. What survived from the cavalcade of invasive mixtures was a hodgepodge of a person that barely functioned, at least until self-survival instincts kicked in.

Survival instincts forced the poorly meddled freak of a persona to relive its most profound failures and defeats within mere seconds.

In this case, what survived from the memories of one Sarah Livsey had been at the forefront.

"…"

Sarah opened her eyes suddenly in pure panic as memories of a failed heist started dawning back on her. She could not remember the names of her comrades, nor why she was part of it in the first place, but she remembered the pure and utter pain caused by the flames of a false dragon that took offense to their actions.

She remembered the name Tattletale.

She remembered the memories of a running girl trying to erase the memory of her brother's death. Said torment led her to a place where a terrible man held her hostage and used her as a tool.

"Agh!"

She felt like she was underwater. Deep, dark blue water that was being crept by the darkness on all sides. Unfathomably deep darkness seemed to force an abrasive and powerful level of fear into her head as she saw glimpses of the cruelty, malice, and… love? Love that was as complicated as the true measure of the being that had now latched onto her mindscape.

The alien connection had been torn apart the moment her injuries, were life-threatening as they were beginning to be laid bare. It was like going through another trigger event, one that was much more invasive as the alien connection was literally burned at the same time she was exposed to the flames of the False Dragon. Her brain was in an absolute mess, both literally and figuratively as the sluggish deep dark 'ocean' that was her mindscape continued to riddle her with a spur of memories that seemed to clash in direct correspondence with each other.

Chief amongst them, with Sarah's already riddled mind, was the malicious voice in the back of her head, whispering in pure and utter anger along with disappointment at a 'ritual' that had lost its true destination and purpose. This voice held the memories of a burning countryside. A burning massacre and an entire kingdom being led to ruin due to both a complicated love and jealousy towards a country that was every bit as important as how Sarah valued the lost life of her brother.

She continued to grasp for air as the abrasive personalities…

Which constituted more than just that specific voice clamoring onto her like leeches.

One was soft and kind, wholistically being concerned and horrified at her current predicament.

The other was a fair, neutral, but caring judge who was concerned by the overall implications that came with this result. A result that had all three personalities arguing against each other as Sarah continued to drown.

Her memories were slowly but surely being overwritten by these overwhelming 'people' in her head as she raised her head up trying to reach for the surface of the dark, deep ocean she was in while she slowly sank. She tried everything, hoping to keep everything intact and afloat as the voices bickered.

Sarah only found herself drowning further as the light of the surface started to dwindle.

Until a hand grabs her arm.

Sarah looks up and sees a mirror image of herself. Only this time, it was far more warped and was wearing a different dress than what she figuratively had within the mindscape. Screams of her torture and torment from the hands of a man…

Of a snake continued to invade her mind.

Those memories coiled against her, even more than the memories of her brother, the only thing she truly cared about as everything around her slowly vanished. Her arm slowly lost its grip as the currents wanted her to sink downward. There was no longer any voice that prevailed. It was only complete silence. Silence as she started to tear up.

"I see… perhaps you do have some use. If only because I understand your plight."

The one who spoke used her own voice as Sarah's eyes opened slightly with some difficulty.

The mirrored face that looked back at her stared with a very conflicted but understanding expression. Sarah felt this entity, this voice pulled her upward as some clarity came back.

Though the chaos within their mindscape was still there.

"Why you, specifically… child?" the voice said.

The being pulled her in and placed a palm on her face as Sarah's eyes widened.

"Why was I pushed into your soul? Of all people?"

The being then stroked her hair as two other voices, the weaker ones echoed within the dark waters around them while Sarah stared with uncertainty.

"Your will is strong, however… it reminds me of a certain… son."

Sarah started to see memories of her brother as she shed a tear. That tear became an anchor as the memories of the invading personalities within her mind shared their own happy moments.

Of children that were now long gone.

Of a sister that was dear to their hearts.

Of a family that was broken apart by greed and ambition.

"Hm." The voice hums as Sarah feels a surge of pain surge through her head, much more errant this time as the being holding her frowns.

"Endure. If you wish to be free… after, I suggest you stop fighting back."

Sarah screamed.

"Or we will both perish because of it."

Tattletale's eyes opened.

Her mood was foul and uneasy as she quickly studied her surroundings in full. She was neither Lisa nor the many other personalities that were fighting within her head. She was simply Tattletale, a temporary amalgamation of what constituted Sarah Livsey or Lisa Wilbourn at that current moment. All minds allied against one goal. One purpose.

One that they all agreed with certainty and confidence that even Lisa deep down was still overwhelmed with the new revelations her body was subject to. Chief amongst them was the simple fact that with the amalgamation, she harnessed power and potential that was beyond anything she had ever dreamed of. Far more now, with how quickly her bodily neighbors had deduced the reality of what her brain was once connected to.

And all the implications placed therein.

She was still weak of course. Her power barely scratched that of a simple spell, due to the incompatibility of her body's reactions to it. Yet she adapted. She observed everything, even down to the smallest detail. She was not as efficient nor fast as she was back when she was a Thinker, but she was surprised to learn that with the amalgamation of minds working as one, she found herself being much more specific with what information and data she needed to synthesize. This data allowed her the upper hand against each and every person who visited her room and what information she found through in-depth analysis in a subtle and unnoticeable manner allowed her to basically know these people far more than they knew themselves.

It helped her adapt and succinctly understand what needed to be done in a simple but efficient, master plan. One that would allow her to gain more than just freedom.

"Are you doing alright?" Miss Militia, or Hana said from her position beside her as Tattletale turned her head slightly towards her direction. Her frown marred by her burnt face only made the woman wince. One of the voices within Tattletale smirked at that.

Given she already knew Hana almost as if she was a relative.

The fae deep within the amalgamation felt relatively pitiful and sad for Hana, but the rest remained particularly vigilant, and the one voice was decidedly amused at her expressions. How her eyes twinkled with full concern while she stared, how her background funneled into how she viewed Lisa now that she knew her age.

"…" Tattletale merely hummed as she returned to the book that the heroine had shared with her.

It was a good book. It was amusing how modern-day people colluded and twisted many myths. Strangely, this was a 'young adult' novel, one that prescribed the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon and dabbled a bit with their spells. The kind that she had little knowledge of.

"Do you enjoy the book at least?" Hana asked. Unsure of how to open the conversation given that she had failed multiple times throughout the span of days, only now when she picked up the book and started reading she found some progress.

"It's adequate. I'm entertained, at least." Tattletale relented in speaking.

Just from that, Hana perked up. Her eyes clearly showed a degree of happiness and relief after hearing her admittedly raspy voice finally reply back in a conversation.

"It is… the author is very well-versed in his craft. I quite love the protagonists."

"Hm," Tattletale replied again with a hum as Hannah winced, hoping to not lose the conversation.

"D-Did you like anything else? I can hopefully give you any sort of book you might like? It doesn't need to be anything I like." she offered.

Tattletale closed her book. She then moved her head towards her and gave an ominous smile.

One that would stick in Hana's head for a while.

"Why do you care so much, Miss Militia?"

"B-because… it's…" she paused, licking her lips as the stare Tattletale gave was so unnerving that she lost her own words. "…it's the r-right thing to do."

"Is it really… is that truly it?" Tattletale emphasized as Hana stiffened.

"Why are you… asking me?" Hana asked, steeling herself as Tattletale grinned.

The charred and exposed pieces of her cheeks curled into an unnerving effect while the grin continued. It only forced Hana to back down from her initial brave front as Tattletale relished that result.

"You're the loyal soldier… the loyal dog that follows every command with hesitation, I can't help but feel as if you're doing this just because you were ordered to."

Hana froze, her initial concern turned into frustration and stiff anger as she looked at the girl. She was briefed that the girl had lost her Thinker abilities, given the loss of the structures within her brain that allowed powers to manifest…

Yet how this all sounded made it seem it was a false assumption.

"Oh… struck a nerve, did I?"

"…" Hana felt her power transform into a particular handgun. One she held onto both as a memory of her leaving her past and as a symbol of the life she once had. Her fingers move slowly onto the surface of the weapon's side in a reflexive action as she stares at the young woman.

"Did you really… leave the life you were once bound to?"

"I did," Hana replied back, her voice filled with no ounce of hesitation. Her heart was calm.

Her belief in that very fact was solid and impregnable. If this Thinker wished to hinge onto it as a weakness she would give her no-

"Truly? Then why do you still act as the model soldier? Why do you still latch onto the chains that you were freed to, only to be chained to another again?" Tattletale's head was now fully turned to Hana's direction as the burnt skin and visage only helped the tension grow and for her reflexive light strokes on the side of her weapon increased in number.

"Did you not realize that you traded one master over another? Even with the good intentions it held, they still chose absolute control, above all else. The veil of freedom posed is only window-dressing and there will come a day where a decision, that you will choose to follow will be the very exact same thing that you loathed… as a child."

Hana froze at that proclamation. Questions started to dart through her head.

Still, she remained steadfast, not wishing for the girl to gain any further ground, until…

"What will happen when that day arrives? When you are asked by a superior, to raise a gun against a child. What if said orders were absolute? Will you realize then that you haven't changed since you left your country?" The tone of the words, Hana expected it to be negatively accusing or ridiculing but the words came out as if pity and concern were laced to it.

Hana's training kicked in as she knew, she was tipping up to being emotionally vulnerable with this conversation, thankfully due to how monitored the room was, help would burst the moment something bad would occur, but within that moment, it felt as if they were alone.

They were suddenly isolated from the rest of the world, and she was now forced to think the words that the young woman had told her.

"I don't have any doubt that once posed, you would use that same gun to end my life right here and now." Tattletale, the amalgamation then turns away and sighs heavily to Hana's surprise as she relaxes her hand that was holding her weapon.

"But that's always been the thing, isn't it? People can't run away from their own nature. It's what they were born to. It's what they were exposed to… and nobody can run away from it."

Hana wanted to say something, a rebuttal, or denial, but her words fell as she licked her lips.

Unable to say anything back Hana let the words sink in.

"Not even me." Tattletale finished, the amalgamation's words filled with regret, anger, sadness, and strangely, nostalgia. The complex plethora of emotions simmering underneath the surface for the amalgamation was clear only to them, but to Hana, the only thing she posed herself to do…

Was standing up and leaving the room.

Before she could leave entirely, however, she turned her head partially back towards the young woman one last time and began thinking about her words. Her dignity and beliefs still held, but the girl's words truly clung to her as questions and self-reflections now threatened to start within her mind.

She took a deep breath and left the room.

Leaving the amalgamation, Tattletale finally finished with her collection of samples from nearly every person within the Rig.

A part of Lisa was scared, but everyone else was confident.

Confident that with the temporary amalgamation of all their efforts, their freedom was close at hand.

PRESENT…

"Alexandria… why of all possible names, did you choose such an oxymoron, for your cheery self?" Tattletale said in jest as her smile widened. The triumvirate heroine, one of the pillars of the world hovered in place, protectively keeping Miss Militia beside her as her gaze was solely focused on her.

Even with the presence of the otherworldly alien presence latching onto the woman that every single parahuman had, Tattletale could still 'see' the surface memories. She would dig deeper if possible, but with the amount of power already being shared throughout their current endeavor she decided that a simple peak was all she needed at the current moment.

"I'm not here to treat with a villain, which is why I suggest ending it all here now, or there's a distinctly high possibility that I won't be pulling back anything."

"I doubt that." Tattletale, the amalgamation replied. Having already been used to such stiff people with holier-than-thou attitudes. the martyrs who thought everything they did had a meaning and purpose when it was all a façade to keep their darker interests in.

Tattletale felt the pull of Dauntless beside her through the link.

His potential was vast and powerful, but he lacked creativity, and he would not last against the foe that was Alexandria. That was the case, however, without her intervention. The woman was already poised to strike within the second, but Tattletale the amalgamation managed to stop her just in time while she began hearing the sounds of the technological puppet master's minions hovering outside.

"I have a question, before you theoretically drag my corpse down the bay, never to be seen again, did you not stop and think that the curses I lent to the people around you are reversible?"

The woman did not seem to visibly react nor think much of the proclamation.

Yet, she was on a tense amount of footing as a person she valued just enough was still beside her.

"W-What?" Miss Militia asked, concern flooding her face as a proverbial pin drop seemed to have manifested the very moment, she was sure that everything would be successfully averted for the better. Memories of a decent number of shades she had killed came back to her regardless of whether they rapidly healed as Tattletale's smile deepened.

"You're not bluffing." Alexandria pointed out, with Miss Militia beside her quickly turning in her direction in shock.

"Why would I? I know you can parse exactly as to why I did it. You already have experience with the Nine… though their penchant for wanton violence and death is not something I readily enjoy, the thought… of keeping enemies on their toes, with little to no choices is a sound strategy. One that I am sure you are well experienced in."

"B-But they heal… they're not dead, they just come back." Miss Militia argued.

"The injuries are not superficial. Should they revert, any fatal damage is permanent." Tattletale finished as the poor heroine's eyes widened almost to complete saucers. Gunfire echoed in her head as the most prominent of the voices within the amalgamation seemed pleased at the memory of the heroine gunning down one of her comrades, a turned Kid Win in particular.

She was already shaking in denial and fear.

"N-No… you're lying!" Miss Militia screamed as she aimed her gun, what weakness remained within her body was gone as she stood up hastily while Alexandria remained stoic and frozen in place. The older heroine's fists curled tightly as Tattletale knew she was boxed in.

"You're lying!" Miss Militia screamed again as her gun transformed into a large anti-material rifle.

Armsmaster and Velocity squirmed within the hold of their jailer while Carlos was looking at the floor in pure horror, knowing full well what he was forced to do when he confronted a turned Piggot.

"She's not," Alexandria spoke.

Miss Militia sharply turned her head at her mentor as more horror dawned on her face.

"I… I second Alexandria's assessment, Miss Militia." Dragon's voice said through the comms. "Many of these shades as she calls them no longer have a heartbeat compared to those that have them. The infection is merely… superficial."

Miss Militia is rendered speechless as Alexandria's frown deepens.

Tattletale the Amalgamation moves both her arms to her sides in a welcoming gesture as the prominent voice within the collective, the Witch of the Lake, smiles cruelly deep within.

"Check." She plainly says as her hands glow in red, projection of threads in a crimson color appear and she tugs at all of them as the entire Rig rumbles and screams of the shades echo throughout the dark halls. Armsmaster, Dauntless, and Velocity sweat further in intensity as they feel their hearts, their minds addled with severe pain unlike anything before. Miss Militia wails in pain before being forced back to her knees as Dragon's drones close in.

Tattletale then tugs on the thread that belonged to Dauntless…

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHH!

And suddenly a gust of power is released, so much so that even Alexandria was forced to take a step back as the ground cracked underneath the hero. His body turned into an unhealthy color of the purplish black that the shades had but there was a screeching sound so ear-splitting coming out of it, that parahumans felt it the most.

Miss Militia and Alexandria covered their ears as Dauntless' form glitched before spikes of unnatural color came out of his body, ranging from small to significantly large while his entire form darkened. His eyes turned into a glowing mass of sickly yellow and the mist of the curses clinging onto even his connection to the alien presence had distorted him rapidly.

Tattletale watched in avid attention as her experiment, uncouth and improper as it was yielded results that she was fascinated with. If not, outright pleased with even with the chaos it garnered.

AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG!

The transformation finalized as a loud roar was heard across the building. Loud enough that lightbulbs around them shattered, even Miss Militia and the rest of the enslaved Parahumans were now deaf as their ears started to bleed. Alexandria's face widened in horror as they all saw the aftermath of what became of Dauntless.

A misshapen humanoid thing loomed over, even Alexandria as its glowing, sickly yellow eyes watched them like a predator ready to pounce. Its shield was already part of its arms as the purplish black 'roots' clung to it tightly.

It then roared again.

THROOUUUUUMMM!

It lunged into an attack, far faster than anything Alexandria had faced at such close range barring the Endbringers with the edge of its shield as the heroine caught it just in time with both her hands to protect Miss Militia. Only for the force of the clash to break and scatter everything around them due to the sheer amount of strength being met.

Alexandria buckled, the level of strength horrifyingly elevated to a level she did not expect. She could still match it, even overpower it somewhat, but the level of intensity was so large that she was forced to take this seriously…

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHH!

"Alexandria!" Dragon shouted through her drones and was about to engage until multiple places within the Rig burst as the shades leaped and attacked each of them with such ferocity that their numbers broke down the drones with startling efficiency.

Dragon's drones fired capture and stun weapons, ranging from nets to containment foam but as more came out of the rig, the more she was forced to pull her drones away further into the sky as the raging shades broke out of her attempts and forced themselves out like rabid animals.

Tattletale the amalgamation was partially aware of what was happening while she focused down on the tug she felt with Dauntless. The monstrous abomination broke the ground between Alexandria to the point that even Miss Militia was thrown away to Tattletale's feet.

She tugged it again as the monstrous abomination roared and threw a punch at the heroine's face.

THOOM!

A powerful shockwave rippled through them as the walls cracked around them and with it. Alexandria catapulted away towards the right of Tattletale's beast as she was forced like a battering ram from the impact of the punch while her body tore through the offices and rooms like paper.

Each impact of the walls behind her did little to stop her trajectory until she shook her head and stopped her momentum dead on with her flight, just shy of another room catapulting her out into the Bay. She steadied herself back to the ground as alarms blared into her head.

For the first time in her life, her body was shaking.

For the first time in her life, since she acquired the vial, she actually felt something.

There was a flare of pain rippling through her cheek as she removed her helmet, the broken and dented shards scattering on the floor as she touched her cheek.

Tattletale then tugged again from her position as her beast roared.

It tore off the spear that Dauntless threw on the ground near Miss Militia and moved with such speed and intensity that the heroine had little time to dodge as it desired to impale its target. She was barely able to push it to the side away as the thunderous newfound strength of the transformed Dauntless stabbed the ground next to Alexandria's head with enough force that parts of the Rig near the edge of the water where they were collapsed onto itself in a deafening charge.

Alexandria's eyes widened in shock as pieces of her hair were sheered from the action while the beast roared in her face. Quickly she angled her legs in a bursting motion and…

THOOM!

…and kicked off her assailant, and a loud and audible shockwave rang through her body as he was launched into the air. She then flew upwards with a burst of speed, ramming her body into the beast as another crack of the amount of force being thrown between them whistled into the air.

The beast roared at her and slammed her back with its shield arm as the air was forced out of Alexandria. She then initiated a counterattack by grabbing both sides of its head, losing any amount of hesitation she had left within the heat of battle to end it all quickly in order to crush its skull like a melon…

RAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHH!

…only for the beast to headbutt her.

THOUUM!

She saw stars for a moment as pain wracked her entire body from the impact. Her grip and mode of flight were scrambled and weakened as the beast bashed her body and head with several quick strikes with its shield arm that Alexandria barely defended against. It then raised its spear, ready to kill her as Alexandria blocked it with her hand passively as her focus was still dulled.

Then that same spear went through her palm with enough force that she FELT the pain tenfold.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGHH!" she screamed, the sensation forcing her focus back from its once dull state as she saw the beast roar at her face again. She then reared her free arm and punched the beast right into the head, breaking its teeth in the process and shutting its jaw with enough force it would dwarf being hit by a freight train at full speed. She then forced the spear off as she screamed in pain and threw it away before landing a blow into the beast's abdomen, sending it catapulting away into the clouds that just through the shockwave, she had cleared a decent chunk out of it.

She pursued, moving her flight at speeds that would be partially imperceptible to the naked eye as she went blow for blow into the beast in a flurry of attacks around it as air and the clouds parted with each contact. Yet despite the obvious damage, she was dealing to it…

The Dauntless shade caught her punch after seconds of being pelted.

KRAKA-THOOM!

It then slammed its shield into Alexandria…

Shattering into a dozen pieces from the power behind it as the woman was thrown downward back into the Earth from the distance, they were in the air prior. The beast then pushed itself downward and latched onto Alexandria punching her face over and over again as the woman tried to defend herself as they neared the Bay's waters near the Rig.

What remained of the shield on the Beast's arm, which was now fashioned with a sharp point, was then grabbed by it, tearing it off its own arm as Alexandria's eyes widened in danger.

THRSK!

It was too late however as it stabbed her into the side of her body, her arms stopping it enough that it would not go as deep as it could as she screamed out in pain.

Only for her to be silenced as they slammed into the water a second later.

BWOOOUUSHH!

Their impact made the water rise up at least four meters into the air as they rapidly sunk. Alexandria quickly lost oxygen with each action as the Beast continued to attack her while the surroundings of her vision darkened the deeper, they got.

Tattletale the amalgamation, controlling and seeing through her beast watched as the struggling woman tried to force herself out of its grip. She observed as she commanded the other shades to continue keeping Dragon away as her remaining thralls dragged Miss Militia with them as she neared her destination within the Rig.

Her feet took her to a closed door as she spoke.

"You have no power here to negotiate… do what I say, or you will share the same fate as these people." She said with a monotone voice as Miss Militia, completely deaf could only watch in confusion as the door opened. Her current state continued to be confused and alarmed as she saw who was on the other side of the door while Tattletale the amalgamation smiled in delight.

Meanwhile, as Alexandria and the Beast reached the bottom of Brockton's Bay, what willpower she had left was overcharged as she was finally able to tear off the shield fragment stabbed into her…

"RAAAAGHH!"

THRUM!

…and stabbed it through the Beast's chin and upwards.

With enough strength, she split the thing's head into two and grabbed its neck. She then proceeded to slam into the sea floor and raised both her fists.

BRWOOUUMMM!

Delivering a shattering blow that crushed its entire upper body into nothing with her strength.

Losing consciousness, Alexandria then flew upwards, bursting out of the water as she crashed into the Rig, trying to regain her breath as she heard the commotion of the other shades attacking Dragon's drones up above.

As her breath normalized and her adrenaline forced itself back into her veins, she shot up from her position and tore through the Rig, trying to find the mastermind of it all.

In mere minutes, she found Tattletale, still surrounded by her thralls as Miss Militia, heavily wounded and deaf widened her eyes in shock at the true identity of her mentor.

Regardless, they were now in the lobby of the Rig, near where the boats back to the Bay proper were and Tattletale looked poised to leave if only for her interruption. They were now yet again forced into a stalemate as Armsmaster and Velocity, along with two more hostages, Aegis and Miss Militia were at their sides.

Wet, miserable, and in pain, Alexandria's anger only doubled as she locked eyes with Tattletale.

Tattletale the amalgamation, merely looking impressed after the entire ordeal.

"Release them." She angrily said as Tattletale looked at her.

"As you wish," Tattletale said with a playful snap of her fingers.

The moment she did, screams started to howl through the air. Not screams of the rabid shades, but the screams of a dozen people falling to their deaths while Dragon's panicked voice rang onto the nearest comms system within the room, they were in.

She had released them all from her hold.

Tattletale watched with a neutral expression due to the discord occurring within her mind. Their goal was still fixed, but the methods that the most prominent voice had used to ensure their objective were now starting to become problematic. Lisa, in particular, was now coming to a stark realization as to who this prominent voice was in terms of personality and cruelty.

The sounds of heavy thuds littered around them as Dragon's panicked voice quickened.

Many were still unsaved and through the nearest window where a thud was heard, a stream of blood was already dripping down as a mangled arm was dangled atop of it.

The heroine, realizing what was occurring turned to Tattletale, or in this case, the Witch of the Lake. The dominant hold she had within the collective was steep and powerful as her dismissive face stared down at Alexandria, who was now tightening her fists.

"Do you understand now… that even if you leave here alive, a target will be permanently placed on your back for as long as you live," Alexandria stressed as her frown turned into a seething glare.

Lisa screamed at the collective, yet the Witch's hold was fierce…

"Yes. I understand that clearly."

…and unyielding.

"So be it then…"

Alexandria was about to attack until Tattletale conjoined her fingers, reciting a spell. The world instantly darkened around the heroine. Her vision was limited to absolute darkness and the singular instance of Tattletale right in front of her. Then a visible outline of what seemed like a shadow stretched outside of Tattletale's form and three more clones of similar faces appeared on all four quadrants of Alexandria's position. Rendering her surrounded as the one to her left recited another spell.

BRWOUSH!

Chains of golden color that appeared as projections due to their transparent visage burst out of the ground and it encircled the heroine's arms, legs, and neck as Alexandria tried freeing herself. Yet as she pushed enough effort and strength into them, the coils tightened exponentially, so much so that she was now reeling with pain as more and more weight dragged her down to the darkened ground.

Alexandria pulled with all available strength left in her arms but even as one chain snapped, multiple ones took its place and she was now forced into a kneeling position in front of the four Tattletales which were now staring in pity.

The one on the right then activated another spell. Blood red in color, an aura of a sheen started materializing around Alexandria as an ungodly amount of pain an intensifying quality that far outstripped anything she had ever felt in life soared through her entire body. She started screaming as the mental and physical torture it created burned through her like she was being scorched by the sun. Her body started to weaken bit by bit until the Tattletale behind her shot a beam of white light straight into her back.

Memories of various kinds started rapidly appearing in her head.

Pain, doubt, joy, and even indifference rapidly cycled through her mind as she was forced to relive every single moment of her life in the span of seconds all the while she was exposed to all the pain they were firing on her.

She screamed with all her might until a burst of strength, whether by adrenaline or any other means emanated from her form. Focus returned to her head as her eyes opened widely.

BRACKSH!

The chains snapped around her as she grabbed the Tattletale to her left by the leg and slammed her into the ground towards the one on the right. The impact smashed the two clones' heads into bloody pieces before she turned her head and with a burst of speed, her fist punched out the heart of the one behind her in one clean move.

Removing her fist from her recent kill she then flew forward in front of the original Tattletale and placed both her hands on the young woman's head. Despite her rage, however, the Witch of the Lake did not display any emotion even as Alexandria angrily crushed her head into mush.

Her breath became ragged, the heroine not even bothering with all the violence and blood she had spilled as she stepped back.

Then, the darkness instantly faded away. Revealing the real world again.

"Alexandria! Stand down!" Dragon's voice said as one of the drones appeared overhead through a destroyed section of the ceiling. The heroine was confused at first until she heard clapping. Tattletale was there, close to her, clapping with a dismissive glance as Alexandria looked around.

Two PRT agents were clubbed together with the top half of their bodies splattered into nothing.

Velocity had a hole in his chest.

And… Rennick, one of the deputy directors of the local PRT, was barely discernible as his head was crushed into red. Alexandria, shocked by the revelation then sprinted back into action without hesitation as she grabbed Tattletale's neck, wishing to strangle her to death…

All the while as said Tattletale was now begging, clawing, and screaming in fear in her grasp.

"ALEXANDRIA! STAND DOWN NOW!" Dragon shouted again as Tattletale's cries worsened.

The heroine would bring every bit of pain possible back to the young woman who caused all of this by giving her a slow, aggravating death. Yet as she kept blinking her eyes as a painful haze now invaded her head, the voice of Tattletale changed.

She blinked again…

And what she saw was Hana, or in this case, Miss Militia.

A torrent of containment foam was shot towards Alexandria's arm as the heroine quickly let go of the person she once mentored. The torrent trapped her arm towards the floor as she was now forced again into a kneeling position, her mind reeling in what just happened as the loud shouts of Dragon and eventually, Legend who just arrived started to turn chaotic.

Tattletale was nowhere to be seen.

Alexandria, with her face exposed, was now being stared at as a monster by even Miss Militia.

However, through all of the chaos as Alexandria was trapped on the floor, the heroine did not realize that she was bleeding. A puddle of her own blood now existed around her as a deep feeling of pain appeared on the side of her body, where the Dauntless shade stabbed her.

She looked at the only arm of hers that was free until she blacked out a second later.

Her body gave up as the pain had been too great, and her adrenaline was already spent.

Lisa felt her body drag itself across the shore.

A great amount of exhaustion, pain, and other problematic things were felt across her body. The Witch had left control… for now, as the other voices started to leave concerns with her position. The Witch had been oddly silent, but the aftermath of all the tricks Lisa and the rest had done garnered a large toll on her body.

She was still not acclimated to the changes these new passengers had done to her.

She may have done all of that easier if she had more days or weeks to spare, but her timetable was closing and despite the disastrous and chaotic means of how she achieved her freedom (to which the inescapable consequences brought by the cruelty of Witch would make for her situation) she found herself in awe that she was able to escape at all in the first place.

Being confident was one thing.

Being able to create such complexities of power despite being weaker than what the voices were capable of supposedly, scared her to every degree possible.

Even with all of that, the pain was just excruciating as she crawled onto the shoreline wet both through the sea and wet because of her blood. She had been coughing and barfing blood ever since the Witch had relinquished control back to her and all the pain brought by the aftermath just taxed her completely as bits of the 'curses' that lingered on her arms kept adding to the haze that she was feeling. Lisa recalled saying that those were Celtic in origin, based upon the kinds that a certain god would emit, and the Witch regularly incorporated them as a basis for some of her curses.

Impressive as that tidbit was, she was still reeling from its pain.

It was nearly sunset, and the Bay's sunlight would dim soon in order to give way to night.

As she arrived at concrete, her scheduled timetable for the next part of the plan was to happen in a few minutes while she recovered. She was unsure if she would be cognizant by that time as the pain was unbearable and she was losing focus.

Still, with the guidance of the other two voices, she touched the ground and made a chant.

The blood surrounding her transformed into a magical circle as Lisa no longer cared whoever she would call forth as pieces of the curses dripped down into the circle, creating an unintentional catalyst and with her blood being its basis, she projected what mana she had left in order to give life to someone who would protect her as she was slowly losing consciousness as she spoke the words.

Her surroundings glowed as the two other voices became silent.

Then Lisa fell to the ground as exhaustion overtook her.

All the while as the circle dimmed and a voice came forth…

"Hmph! What a pitiful master. You can't even provide me enough at my summoning to put me at full strength? You must be a novice, a simpleton that can- oh."

The boisterous, proud, and arrogant voice was instantly stopped as Lisa's vision darkened.

She saw red hair as the once arrogant voice turned into concern.

"M-Mother! N-No… what happened? Why-

Lisa no longer knew anything more as her consciousness faded away.

HEBERT HOUSE…

There was a knock on the door.

The party was going splendidly and while it was quite scary at first, due to who Mrs. Hebert was, I was enjoying it. Mama and Papa were smiling. Vicky and I were having fun as I began to slowly enjoy Taylor's presence. Despite my fear of her mother, I found the girl a lovely companion that Vicky was ultimately attached to as well.

There's also the fact that I was no longer focusing on the pain of my recent failures.

And while I was still recovering from it all, my family was there for me.

I watched them as I volunteered… *ahem, argued with Taylor to do it in her stead as they animatedly talked at the dining table cheerfully with Mr. and Mrs. Hebert. I smiled, hoping that this would continue back home even with all the issues surrounding us.

But if Vicky was optimistic and hopeful, then I should be too.

Even if my hopes and beliefs were tempered due to the many things I've experienced so far.

I moved my chair to the door and opened it as Taylor trailed behind me.

The moment I did, I was greeted by a sharply dressed woman in a fedora.

Her face was stern but frustrated and she looked at me for a moment as if assessing me.

"I wish to speak to Mrs. Hebert." She intoned as I heard Taylor call her mom in the other room.

The woman continued to stare at me, however, as if suspicious as I kept my bravery up.

At least to the best I can…

Because the aura this woman exuded was odd, and like Mrs. Heberts, dangerous.

AN: Yes, this is me basically referencing the Three Personalities within PHH Morgan in fic form. It's different here of course, with the three key  Fae  being Lb Aesc/Tonelico, Castoria, and PHH Morgan herself in all her complicated glory.

Also, I am sorry for not posting anything in a while here, I was about to post this after Lattice's second chapter, but due to vacation and the Holidays, plus me being sick through it all, I was never able to make this as my final written chapter of 2023.

Oh well, it's here regardless and just from this new chap alone, Castamy now has another problem looming over her head. Especially with how she's now starting to look like Artoria, visually.

Heh.