Obsession - Chapter 11: The Value of an Older Brother

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Alice titters nervously, thinking about how poor Alois must be waiting anxiously beneath them. "Brother, I would love to talk for... for two hours, but, you know..."

"It's all right, you can tell me," Ciel reassures. "This is exactly the point of having this talk; it's so that you will not hesitate in telling me anything. So, go on, and we shall commence this two-hour session."

"Er..." Alice knows that she cannot tell him that she wants him to leave so that she can be left alone with Alois—there is no way that that will end well. However, to callously turn her dear brother away after he has inputted the effort to recuperate their relationship would be abhorrent and heartless to do. "What about... Oh!" she shouts a little too excitedly when she has thought of something rather brilliant. "What about Lizzy? I think our talk will be fine and dandy, but personally, you havin' this conversation with your future wife is much more important."

When Ciel sighs wearily, Alice inspects his enervated expression. "What's wrong, Brother? Are you mad at her?"

"No, not quite," he admits. "It wasn't her fault about what happened—it was more of that scum Trancy's fault."

Alice secretly winces when he has insulted Alois, and the victim of the harsh rebuke balls up his fists, attempting to withhold from smacking the condescending earl. "If you're not mad at her, why don't you go talk to her?" Alice suggests.

"To be honest," Ciel begins, "I do not know much of what to say. She has given me the impression that even if I do try to comfort her, she would still believe that resentment lingers within me. She has not fully accepted the fact that I am not angry, and I doubt that she will anytime soon."

Alice softens and clasps her brother's arm. "I'm sorry, Brother."

Ciel, go whine about your stupid girlfriend problems to someone else! Alois groans inwardly. How long would this take? Can Alice successfully convince him to leave? He is dubious at that, since it appears like his cutie is earnest in 'communicating' and 'getting along' with her damned annoying brother, who is notorious for consistently killing moods.

"It's all right, Alice," Ciel states positively, patting her hand. "But, enough about me. I must ask, and I'm sorry if it seems as though I am prying, but do you actually like Soma?"

Without waiting due to indecision, his little sister shakes her head. "I only like Soma as a friend, and nothing more."

"Good." The Earl of Phantomhive lets out a breath of relief. He pauses in a diffident manner as if he is restraining himself, but Alice compresses his arm with her palm encouragingly.

"I apologize," Ciel, at last, says. "I do realize that I have been quite stringent and compelling in keeping you away from Trancy, and from Soma as well, but this does not apply to the latter as severely. The reason for that rigorous conduct is that I cannot bear you getting in harm's way."

"Alois wouldn't hurt me, though!" she protests, but then the memory flashes back to her of how he has shoved her to the ground and mocked her, and the confidence behind her hasty proclamation depreciates.

Ciel must have detected the uncertainty within her, and he tightens his grip on her hand. "I know he must have done something to you; I can conclude that much by your odd behavior as of late. But yet, you haven't come to confide to me. What's the matter?"

Alice shakes her head once again. "...Nothing. Everything is fine."

"Alice." The gravity in his voice causes Alice to lift her gaze from the bed and return eye contact with him. Her brother's sapphire eye, the one that she perceives whenever she sees her reflection, radiates with sublimity. There is a keen glint to it that makes him appear wise and sagacious, as if he can read her like an open book.

"I have lost... so many people in the past. I do not know if I'm capable to hold up with losing you as well. That is why I have been so stern. It is clear and vivid to me that you wish for your own freedom, and I am trying my best to grant you as much of it as you deserve. However, I cannot let Trancy lead you astray no matter what."

"Don't worry, Brother, I'll be fine," Alice promises, and she includes a warm smile to make the credence that reigns within her prominent.

His eye glimmers meaningfully as if he is placing his trust in her. "Well, you have grown. You are a big girl now, and you can choose your own decisions. So whatever you do, retain in your mind that your brother will always protect you."

He has stated it with as if it is an indisputable fact. It is as if her brother's profound words have tugged at her heartstrings, and Alice rushes to embrace him. "Thank you for being here for me. You don't know how happy I am to have you. Back in the village, it was fun with Patty, but I have always wondered what it was like to have a sibling to look out for me. I know I'm not very smart at a lot of things, and I choose stupid decisions sometimes, but you're always there to guide me. With you, I know that..." She grins and presses her fingertip at her temple, "I will learn a lot of things, and I'll keep that knowledge inside here."

Ciel smiles softly. "You have taught me quite a few things as well. Things that I will cherish for the rest of my life."

Alice giggles, and she playfully slaps his shoulder. "You mean like how to smile properly? Because the first time that I've seen you, you barely had any expression at all!"

"I still hardly possess any particular emotion."

"That's not true," she proclaims optimistically. "Have you not noticed? You seem happier lately, Brother!" She hugs him again, and he accepts the affectionate hug. Was he happier? Perhaps that would explain the subtle warmth within him that has been destitute before her arrival.

Ciel then withdraws slightly, his nose picking up a queer scent. "What's that smell on you, Alice?"

"What do you mean?" Alice inquires cautiously and sniffs her own arm. "What smell?"

"It's musky and pungent. And it has a floral flagrance to it. It's strange; you have never smelled like that before."

Alice is soon to grasp the understanding that the scent belongs to Alois, and it must have been transmitted to her during their close interactions. She giggles at the wonderful thought that she emanates Alois' scent, but when her brother stares at her quizzically, she hastily blanks her expression. "I dunno."

"Mm." There is a vague hint in his tone that demonstrates his skepticism, but he does not persist on this matter.

"Brother," Alice begins carefully, "have you... have you ever thought that we might not have the same mother?"

A curt nod issues from her brother. Ciel's throat becomes uncharacteristically parched, and he swallows hard. "I have," he admits in a quiet voice as if he is afraid that by declaring it out loud, it would establish that he has lost faith in his father, "and there are nights where I have contemplated about this long and hard."

Alice nods, urging him to continue. "But then," he speaks, grasping her hand, "I've concluded that it is absurd of me to be exerting my time and effort into this trivial matter. Even we do not share the same mother, you will always be my little sister, and nothing in the world can change that."

"Brother..." His little sister tears up at this, and she hugs him again, smothering her face against his shoulder. "I don't even know what to say besides thank you."

They embrace each other for a while, with Ciel securely holding onto his little sister. She is one of the last few lights that supply bliss and felicity to him. She is something that he has once thought was a miracle to obtain, and now to protect her, he is willing to put his own life at risk. For countless of days he has woken up, believing it was all simply a rapturous dream that confers delight, only to realize later at breakfast with her greeting him sprightly that this is real. She has given him a purpose for living besides to seek revenge for the deaths of his parents.

One does not truly realize the greatness of a family, the inveterate warmth and support they bestow you until they suddenly, abruptly cease to exist. One does not know of, and is not entitled to speak of, the sadness, the loneliness that afflict you grievously, until you lose someone very dear to you. It is difficult—in fact, it is utterly impracticable to even feign a smile, to even lift your head to gaze at the world derelict by the gods in the heavens above once more.

Ciel has experienced that sorrow and melancholy which shattered the peace and beauty of his childhood. He has lost faith in everything; in hope, in happiness. The deaths of his parents have changed him to the degree that he is unrecognizable, to the extent that a sincere smile which is to touch his lips is chimerical. That coldness that he shivers to every time he is alone has dwelt within him for years, and the wall that he has enclosed around his heart is obscure and impenetrable.

And yet one day this girl, with the name of Alice, comes. Upon their first meeting, she has already shown him the tenderness that he has turned away from. She has gradually, but surely, peeled away at the apathy in him. It is as if she has created her own world to share with him, and this world is bright and abounding in color.

It has dawned to him that maybe, even if it is for a short while, he can sit down with her, and they can talk sibling to sibling. He can, for a peaceful moment, disregard his revenge, erase the horrible memories in his life, and indulge on what has long deserted him.

And just that much would be enough for him.

"Brother?" Alice calls, waving her hand in front of his face to snap him out of his daze. "Are you ok?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine," Ciel assures. "I'm extremely blessed to have you as my little sister."

Alice gleefully giggles and scratches her head. "Aw, shucks, Bro! You're gonna make me blush like this."

The expression of her brother appears more animated as if he has recalled something, and he reaches into his overcoat to retrieve a leatherback book. "I've nearly forgotten. I've found a book that I thought would be interesting for you. It's very informative and educational, and so I'm going to read it to you."

"O-oh, ok," Alice murmurs nervously, and her eyes bulge when she notices how thick the book is, but she quickly conceals her horror. "What's the book called, Bro?"

"It's The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin."

She cringes when a groan sounds from below them, and proceeds with haste to overlap Alois' petulant voice by remarking loudly, "Wow, sounds cool! How long is it, by the way?"

Ciel shrugs. "Approximately six-hundred pages."

"Six-hundred pages?" Alice echoes, appalled, and a choked cry sounds from beneath the bed.

"I shall commence reading now. You should make mental notes, in case it comes in handy for future reference," Ciel advises and flips open the book to the introduction section. "It would be wise to read through the introduction thoroughly as it gives you a great picture on the general idea of this work of scientific literature."

Alice nods weakly while praying that Alois can tolerate this without causing any trouble. Ciel then begins, "'When I was on board H.M.S. Beagle, as naturalist, I was much struck with certain facts in the distribution of the inhabitants of South America, and in the geological relations of the present to the past inhabitants of that continent...'"

Alice is already clueless, but she is careful not to interrupt him—her brother seems to be into it. And thus, for the next hour or so, Ciel continues to read (and yet he remains in chapter one; that is how frighteningly lengthy it is).

"'Altogether at least a score of pigeons might be chosen, which if shown to an ornithologist, and he were told that they were wild birds, would certainly, I think, be ranked by him as well-defined species...'"

Ciel appears equipped with passion as he peruses the printed material. His eye glistens with a sparkle as though he is fascinated, in which he probably is, as he turns over pages with mere flicks of his wrist. At this point, Alice is staring at the tenuous cracks along the ceiling, but then her brother nudges her softly.

"Listen closely to this next part; it is compelling."

"Ok..."

Despite how perceptive her brother would normally be, it is as though the book has captured his entire attention, and he fails to detect her reluctance.

"'If the several breeds are not varieties, and have not proceeded from the rock-pigeon, they must have descended from at least seven or eight aboriginal stocks; for it is impossible to make the present domestic breeds by the crossing of any lesser number: how, for instance, could a pouter be produced by crossing two breeds unless one of the parent-stocks possessed the characteristic enormous crop?'"

To her surprise, Ciel chuckles lightly, "Darwin has quite the prodigious insight, doesn't he? His argument that the breeds of pigeons have descended from the very rock-pigeon is not only well-stated, but it is considerably amusing if I may say so myself."

Alice has no idea what is going on, but she laughs along anyway to masquerade her blatant ignorance—it is so tastelessly conspicuous that she is confused, but unfortunately, her brother does not acknowledge this.

Suddenly, the sound of someone snoring ignites in the air.

Alice flinches when Ciel sets down his book on his lap. "What was that?"

"I-I dunno! Um, continue readin'!"

"All right."

Ciel opens his mouth to resume, but then the snore is conveyed once again. Her brother frowns. "That's odd. Where is that coming from?"

"F-from me!" Alice claims briskly. "I'm a little sleepy, and I have a bit of a nasal problem so I snore."

"While awake?"

"...The nasal problem may be more serious than I had thought."

Her brother glances at her worriedly. "Perhaps you want me to escort me to a doctor—"

"No, no! There's no need for that. I can sleep it off, and it'll go away."

"Are you certain?"

"Yep!"

Ciel slowly nods as if doubtful, and he closes the book, standing up. "Well, I believe you should retire for the night and regain your energy, and hopefully your health as well. However, if this problem persists by tomorrow morning, I'll take you to a doctor—no arguments then."

She bobs her head obediently and grants him another hug. "'Night, Bro!"

"Goodnight." Subsequently, her brother departs from her room, closing the door behind him.

Alice allows for a few moments to pass for his footsteps to vanish from proximity, and then she releases a deep sigh of relief. "Whew!" Suing to the ground, she lifts up her bed covers to reveal Alois who is sound asleep.

Giggling, she pokes him in the ribs. "Hey, Alois!"

Alois flinches at this and groans drowsily before trying to sit up, and his head bangs against the bed. "Ow! Where the hell..." He looks around and sees Alice, in which triggers a bitter memory. "Is that talkative brother of yours finally gone? What is it, like morning?"

Alice grins. "In the end, he only stayed here for like an hour and a half!"

Alois shudders and glides from beneath the bed. "I was fine with eavesdropping on his secrets, but then he began to read bloody book. Who reads such a long book in the middle of the night?" He winces at the crick in his neck. Well, at the least his place to sleep has improved; it went from a shitty sofa, to a wooden outdoors bench, and then ended with the carpet ground.

He leaps onto the bed with glee and drapes the blanket over himself, mumbling a 'goodnight'. Alice, although slightly disheartened that he is planning to sleep straight away, bashfully lies down beside him and scoots to the edge, as furthest from him as possible in case she undergoes a panic.

She closes her eyes and hears the sound of the blanket ruffling. Soon after, his arm and leg fall on top of her, and he pulls her closer to his chest. When she has made contact with him, her heartbeat expedites to the point that she can hear it hammering in her ears, and her cheeks boil.

"Alice..." Alois murmurs into her ear. "Your brother... he seems to care for you a lot."

She is surprised at his unexpected declaration, and is about to turn to face him, but he keeps her firmly locked in position. "Yep! Big Bro cares for me very much! I'm so glad he's my brother. He's the best brother in the world, you know!"

"Mm..." His voice trails off, and following in succession is the level rise and fall of his chest. Alois is asleep.

Yet, Alice cannot fall asleep just as easily. In fact, her brain cannot function properly, and she can barely breathe. Alois is too close—he has never hugged her for this long before, and now she cannot cease the stimulation pumping throughout her.

She can feel his breath tickling against the nape of her neck, and it signals for goosebumps to flutter across her skin. Highly excitable, Alice quivers and remains awake for what seems like hours with each minute crawling by. All she can process is how sensitive she is to his touch. She does not even dare to move.

Then after a long while of her tensed and endowed with sensation, Alice feels Alois tightening his grip on her. His breathing grows quick and raspy, and he is twitching and jerking convulsively. His nails dig into her skin with desperation, and she winces.

"Lu... ka..."

Alice, perturbed by that unfamiliar name, breaks from his grasp and lights a candle, in which she sets on the bedside table.

"Alois!" A gasp escapes from her when it comes to her view of how sweaty and tremulous he is. He is tightly clenching onto his pillow to the extent that his knuckles flush white, and a tear cascades down his cheek. She urgently shakes his arm and increases the volume of her voice, "Alois! Wake up!"

Alarmed, Alois stirs into a wake, and he impulsively sits up. "Wh..."

"Are you ok?" Alice asks worriedly. "You were havin' a nightmare."

Alois blinks a few times to adjust and reaches up to wipe the tear from his face. "I-I'm fine." He cringes at the feebleness in his tone and swallows strenuously to dissolve the lump in his throat.

His cutie appears unconvinced, and she continues to examine him with distress. Hesitation flickers in her face before she slowly questions, "Alois... who's Luka?"

He is stunned, and all of the nerves in his body freeze as though he has forgotten how to move. His dry lips crack open a bit, and his wavering voice utters—and for a moment, Alice acknowledges that he sounds just like a scared and innocent child, "How do you know of Luka?"

"You were callin' for him."

"O-oh." Alois averts his gaze to the mattress and rolls up his fists, praying long and hard to regain his composure. What the hell am I doing? Why am I portraying so much weakness? It's just a dream!

And yet it has seemed so real.

There he was, alone and stranded, holding the deceased Luka in his arms. The Luka who had been the center of his world, who had provided the sole reason for his living, was dead. He was who Alois had protected for his whole life, and yet when Luka had needed him the most, he was not there for him.

And he will have to live with that burden for the rest of his life. Sometimes he would wonder for what reason is God playing such a cruel game. Why is that he has to be the one to continue living with the pain and the loneliness while Luka had to die, in spite of the fact that his little brother had such a bright future ahead of him to become someone great and mighty. He was a pure and kind soul, and he possessed so much potential and vibrancy to transition into an important figure, much other than an abused child at a village.

But as for Alois, he is despicable. He is a selfish and useless older brother who has nothing favorable to offer. Why was Luka the one fated to die? It wasn't damn fair—Alois is the one who deserves to be buried under the suffocating dirt and soil of the village they lived in.

"...Alois," comes Alice's soft voice.

"What?" he snaps in a much more rougher voice than he has intended.

However she does not appear hurt by this, and her warm hand clasps around his. "You're cryin'."

Startled, he finally realizes that teardrops are falling onto the back of his hands. He wipes them furiously, humiliated that he has exposed such vulnerability in front of a Phantomhive no less.

Alice looks at him solemnly with compassion enmeshed in the blue irises of her eyes. "Is Luka your little brother?"

He does not answer, but there is a faint nod of his head that she nearly misses. It is unneeded to be stated aloud: Luka has died. Alice observes Alois' lugubrious stature where he avoids eye contact, and sympathy envelops her.

She cannot help but wonder that whenever Alois is watching Ciel and her together, what is he thinking about?

"Alois..." Alice gently takes his face in her hands, and she smiles. "I'm sure you were a great older brother. Luka must have loved you deeply. I know that because I'm in the position of a little sibling, and I do love my older brother very much."

Alois hides his expression behind his bangs, and Alice softens her tone, "But most importantly, you have to keep livin' on with your head held high, just like my mum always says. Remember, you're not alone! There's me, there's Big Bro, there's Patty, and there are tons of other people in this house."

Alois brings himself to snort. "They all want me dead."

Alice shakes her head. "That's because they don't know you."

Surprised, Alois is rendered speechless, and he racks his brain for a witty retort, but then her arms enclose around him. Alice has gathered all of her courage and maneuvered closer to give him a hug.

However when she withdraws from it, she cannot bring herself to fix a distance between them. His compelling turquoise eyes interlock with hers for a brief moment before they begin to trail down her body, and warmth creeps up her neck.

It is sudden for Alois, but his throat contracts and he finds it difficult to breathe while studying her appearance. He takes in her long eyelashes, rosy cheeks, full lips, and round face, before he sways from those concupiscent thoughts. This girl is merely thirteen. She should just be something to play with.

But why am I feeling different now? It is a queer feeling that he cannot quite fathom, and yet it is pleasant and exhilarating.

Alice soon acknowledges that she is holding onto him, and awkwardly pulls away, but he catches her hand. Although nervous, she looks into his eyes to see intensity shining within them, and it is almost deemed as threatening.

For a moment, she thinks that perhaps she has gone too far and he is infuriated. But before she can contemplate it further, Alois draws her to him with a yank and covers her mouth with his in a passionate kiss. To her own astonishment, she responds immediately. The caress of his lips is soft and soothing, and it is as if she is sanctified with bliss.

A hot fire of desire settles in Alois' belly, and he brushes his tongue across her tender lips for a taste. He feels Alice opening her mouth to permit passage, and when his tongue enters, it extracts a low moan from her.

Then abruptly, Alice breaks away in embarrassment, and whimpers, "I-I made a weird noise."

She watches as Alois chuckles, but detects a slight discomfort intertwined in his tone. After a scrutiny, Alice realizes that even Alois is not as nonchalant as usual. Instead, his face is flushed with a light pink color.

"A-Alois? Are you... are you blushin'—"

"No!" he quickly denies and turns his back to her. "Hmph, Alois Trancy never blushes." After a while, he tentatively rubs his neck with the palm of his hand and adds under his breath, "...But Jim Macken might."

"Jim Macken?" Alice inquires, puzzled.

Alois looks back at her with an uncertain smile skewed on his lips. "Jim Macken is my real name. I know, it bloody sucks."

She giggles and extends a hand. "Hi, I'm Alice."

Alois makes a show to roll his eyes before he accepts her hand with his. "Jim." Alice smiles happily, but then he grasps her hand tightly to regain her attention. "Oi, you cannot breathe a word about this."

"Yes, Your Highness!" She offers her pinky finger, much to his confusion. Once she accessed this, she explains, "We interlace our pinkies! That's how we establish a promise!"

He ponders this for a while before smirking and weaving his pinky around hers.

"Alois," Alice begins with a grin, "although we have known each other for a while now... I feel like tonight is when I really got to meet you."

A smile manifests on his face before he can will it away. "You say the cheesiest things, cutie."

"Oh! Since you told me sumthin' 'bout you, I'll tell you sumthin' 'bout me." Alice lifts her bangs and points to an indistinct mark that is in the shape of a circle. "Look! Ain't this the berries! It's my birthmark."

Fondly, Alois pinches her cheeks with his thumbs and forefingers. "Your bloody accent keeps distracting me." After inspecting the birthmark that she speaks of, he muses, "Oh, I thought this was a bruise that never healed or something."

Her grin widens. "I bet you want a birthmark as cool as mine!" Then, her expression grows somber and distant. "There was actually this one man named Benjamin, I think, who recognized my birthmark, but I dunno who he is. He was really scary."

Before he can question this, she shakes her head. "Ah, never mind! No bad thoughts before goin' to sleep, that's what Patty says."

"Apparently she says a lot of things," he grumbles and watches as Alice falls onto the bed to sleep. Who is Benjamin?

"Good morning, Alice," Ciel greets when his little sister clambers down the stairs to attend breakfast. He is surprised to see a grin plastered on her lips—she would usually smile, but not as joyfully. "Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"Yep!" she asserts and twirls around the room.

"Well, ain't ya a sight fer sore eyes this morn," Patty exclaims and stuffs a sausage in her mouth.

Ciel figures that gesturing toward her napkin would be a rude indication and reverts his attention to Alice. He is about to ask about her anomalous tendency to snore, but then she requests, "Sebastian, sir, can I have two plates for breakfast today?"

"Of course," Sebastian smoothly guarantees and sets another plate of food down for Alice. His little sister then stacks one on top of another and begins to head upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Ciel inquires, perturbed by her odd actions. First she is asking for significantly more than her usual portion, and now she is retreating back upstairs.

"Oh, um..." Alice murmurs. "I'm gonna eat in my bedroom today 'cuz I, ah, I feel insecure when people stare at me eat in the mornings."

Her brother raises an eyebrow in a questioning manner. "Since when?"

"Since, um, well, I'm a growin' girl so I'm developin' all sorts of weird perks." Her mum once told her that when she maneuvers into the adolescent stage, things will change drastically. She has never specified 'things', but hopefully, that concept can apply here, and that it sounds logical enough to convince him. Her brother is not a fool, and she is aware of this intimidating fact very well.

"I understand, Alice!" Soma pipes up. "But do not fear, no matter how weird you get, my heart will always belong to you!"

"Er, thank you."

"Young Master!" Finnian's voice rings out before Ciel can interrogate Alice further. The boy approaches Ciel and rests his palms on his knees as he catches his breath. "Alois Trancy... Can't find him in the backyard while I was gardening."

"What?"

Anxious, Alice glances over at Patty meaningfully in a plead. At first, Patricia is disconcerted by this equivocal entreaty—she is cognizant of the idea that Alice is imploring her to do something, but the question is to do what?

Then her pumpkin sighs and eyes her bedroom with purpose, and it dawns to Patricia what is going on. The old woman spares Alice a criticizing look before she turns to Ciel, "Ah, don't worry! I caught sight of 'im takin' a mornin' walk."

"Well, all right."

In the meantime that Ciel's attention is diverted from her, Alice creeps her way upstairs.

"Alice," Ciel calls, and she pauses in her tracks, "in case anything bad is to happen, such as your illness worsening, tell me."

"Ok!"

Alice disappears upstairs, and the moment that she does, someone knocks on the door.

"Breakfast for you!" Alice cheers and places a plate down for Alois.

"Thank God, I was starving." He climbs out of bed and attacks the waffles.

In the midst of them enjoying their breakfast, the door to Alice's bedroom suddenly bursts open and in comes Patricia.

"Shit!" Alois attempts to dive under Alice's bed, but Patty scoffs and sweeps her hand in a negligent mode of action.

"I already know yer in here, boy. An' ya better be grateful that it was me an' not Ciel 'cuz you were pretty darn slow. Anyway..." She gazes at Alice with such gravity and solemnity that it truthfully frightens the girl. "There is someone that is asking fer ya, and he's been squealin' odd things."

Perturbed, Alice gathers from her seat on the ground and follows Patty as they descend the stairs. At the bottom of the steps, she perceives her brother who glimpses at her briefly before looking at the man before him.

A wave of ice then surges throughout her, chilling her to the bones, when she recognizes the man. He is exceedingly shaggy with a bushy beard and mustache, and possesses curly red hair and chocolate brown eyes.

Her voice has betrayed her, and she is inarticulate as the man rushes over to embrace her.

"I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself well last time, Alice! I'm Benjamin, and I'm your father."

Note: I disclaim ownership to any excerpts taken from The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. A copy of it can be found online. (Personally, I have never read it before, and I do not plan to anytime soon.)