The following weeks had been stranger than usual, Alcina's mood seemed to change drastically. She was actually acting nice for once, even when one time a maid spilled a bit of soup she'd dragged her off in an instant, this time she was surprisingly nice.

"I-I'm so sorry, my lady." The woman quickly apologised as a splash of blood soup landed on her dress as the maid had ended up tripping on something.

"Never mind, my dear. I have more," Alcina simply shrugged her off.

The other maids were all dumbfounded as was her daughters, who'd sat there with their mouths open.

"Mother!" Cassandra now stood in a rage. "You have to punish her!"

The poor woman grew fearful of what was to come now.

"Why ever for?" her mother questioned.

"She's spilt soup on you," she scowled.

"As was your intentions for her to do so, Cassandra. Now sit down."

Cassandra glared at her mother before sitting down. At this rate their mother would turn far too soft to continue killing the damn fools. The four ate in silence. Once finished Alcina dabbed at her lips before standing to head out.

She lit up a cigarette by the window, watching as the snow began to fall heavily. It was this time of year that had her daughters stuck inside.

"Let go, it's mine!"

She exhaled the smoke she'd just swallowed as another voice was now heard.

"I don't care!"

Her hand now rose to her face in order to rub her eyes. The whiteness of the snow was becoming blinding, and the sounds of her daughters fighting was making her oncoming headache far worse to bear. Striding over to the door, she pulled it open to duck underneath to shout at the three.

"Will you three act your ages, not your damn shoe size!" she scolded them.

The three fell silent before going off on one again.

"You made mother angry!"

"That wasn't me!"

"Yes it was!"

"Enough!" she grimaced at her own voice, having made herself feel ten times worse. "Be quiet or I'll put you all outside!"

The three looked to each other before taking off in different directions.

"I'm going for a hot bath," Bela huffed.

"I'm going to play with one of the maids," Cassandra scowled.

Daniela stopped at seeing her mother, who was now using the wall for support.

"Mother?" she called out to her.

Alcina took a breath now, clearly something was wrong. Golden orbs now looked down upon her daughter as she straightened up. Daniela cocked her head at her, clearly trying to understand what was wrong.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Alcina nodded, but had to quickly cover her mouth with the back of her gloved hand giving a hiccup which seemed to make things worse.

"Mother?"

Alcina was quick down the hall and ducking into the large bathroom, made only for her. Daniela swarmed right in even though Alcina had slammed the door closed behind herself. She'd just barely made it to the toilet to heave up what she'd eaten not long ago.

"Are the maids trying to poison you again, mother?" Daniela raged as she summoned her sickle.

Alcina shook her head before bringing up more of what she'd eaten. She had no idea, but this time her stomach wasn't burning. So maybe it was something she'd ate?

"Maybe an upset stomach," she sighed as she forced herself to her feet while flushing the toilet.

She washed her hands before splashing water on her face.

"If it is the maids, mother. I will..."

"It doesn't feel like poison this time, sweetling." She reassured her with a hand upon her daughters head.

The phone rang again and Alcina was in no real mood to answer it, but she did. Slipping from the bathroom, she headed upstairs to take the call. Sitting herself down, she picked it up to hold it to her ear.

"Mother Miranda."

"I'm going to be hiding in plain sight at the Winters home for a while. I believe Rose Winters could be of use to me."

"I'm happy to..." she cut off at feeling nausea rise it's ugly head again. She closed her eyes for a moment or so, willing her stomach to settle. "I'm happy to hear."

"Is there something wrong with you?" Miranda questioned over her strange behaviour.

"Nothing, Mother Mira-" before she could stop the inevitable her body was already forcing up what was left of her meal onto the floor.

"Alcina!"

"Sorry about that," she now apologied with a slight groan as she propped her elbow on the dressing table to rest her head against her hand. "I have an upset stomach all of a sudden."

Miranda responded with a huff of sorts. "I will keep you updated on my progress."

"Yes, Mother Miranda." She ended the call to groan into her hands.

Once she was sure she was not going to throw up again she stood to head out. Ducking under the doorway wasn't doing much good for her stomach at the moment, but she had little choice in the matter.

oOo

Soon her body was terrorising her in another way. Frequent trips to the toilet were now in order, much to her or her lounging daughters dismay.

"Mother," Daniela had whined as Alcina had to stand for the second time.

"Sorry, my sweet, but I have to go again." She'd apologised before heading out.

She'd eventually thought to stay in her own room, that way she wasn't far from her own bathroom.

"Mothers definitely not well," Bela frowned.

"Well she does have the whole blood disease," Cassandra reminded her.

"No this is different," Bela sighed as she sat down. "Sickness, headaches, having to go to the toilet frequently."

"You make it sound like she's pregnant," Daniela lazily rolled her eyes.

This got Cassandra and Bela looking to each other now. "No way!"

"I wasn't exactly stating she was," Daniela now frowned at her sisters. "Plus she hates men as much as we do. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Mother Miranda!" Bela remembered.

"What about her?" Cassandra now asked as she slumped down on the settee.

"She had mother with her for hours and she wasn't exactly herself after that. She completely stripped that maid herself."

"Really? Mother did that?" Daniela asked in disbelief.

Bela nodded. "She told me she'd never felt better."

"But mother can't get pregnant from nothing. Let's be real here, she's not pregnant."

"We don't know what Mother Miranda is capable of," Bela scowled. "She herself wants to revive her own child."

"So you think she's using mother?"

"Wow, that's harsh." Cassandra frowned. "I mean this is mother we're talking about. I don't think she'd be willing to part with it after giving birth to it."

"You're right," Bela sighed.

"You're jumping ahead of things here," Daniela shook her head, hoping it wasn't true.

"Dani's right, Bela. We just have to hope it's just a stomach bug."

Daniela laughed at this. "Stomach bug," she giggled.

Cassandra gave her a slap on the arm. "This is serious."

"Alright, alright." She huffed.

"I'll go check on her," Bela offered.

"No, I want to!" Daniela frowned. "You were in bed with her last time. I will go see her."

"Fine," Bela glared back at her. "You always get your way."

"No I don't!" Daniela huffed.

"Yes you do!"

Cassandra shook her head before swarming out of there to go check up on her instead.

"Mother," she called out into the dark room.

A small groan was heard from the bed, followed by the sound of movement.

"I thought I'd..."

"Hey!" Daniela now swarmed over to grab her sister to pull her away from the door. "I wanted to check up on her!"

"Then you should have!" Cassandra snarled back at her.

Alcina groaned again, holting the pair. "Girls, please, I request just a little quiet."

"Sorry, mother." Cassandra apologised.

"Sorry, mother." Daniela also apologised.

"Thank you," Alcina now sighed heavily. "Now if you wish to sleep with me, make haste. I don't want to give my stomach the upper hand."

The pair swarmed over to softly and gently take form on each side of her.

oOo

Come morning Alcina was fairing no better. She hadn't even bothered styling her hair this time, having found she'd been bedridden for yet another day.

"Mother, I brought you breakfast." Bela announced as she carried a tray into her mother's room.

"Thank you, darling. I don't deserve any of you."

Bela raised a hand to her mother's head, feeling she wasn't over or under her normal temperature.

"Should we call, Mother Miranda?" she asked.

Alcina shook her head.

"No, she's the last person I'd like anywhere near me."

"What about aunt Beneviento?"

Alcina shrugged. "I don't know if Donna will be willing to come over."

Bela looked over at her sisters, they could always try. They called upon one of the maids to make the long journey over to House Beneviento to come back with Donna. Now it was just a waiting game.

oOo

Eventually the maid returned with Donna and Angie in tow.

"Auntie Donna," the three greeted.

"Hello friends," Angie greeted with a giggle.

"Angie," Cassandra smiled.

"Lets go play."

Donna let her doll go free to join the girls as Bela escorted Donna to her mother.

"Mother, auntie Donna is here."

Alcina groaned and rolled over onto her side as Bela now left them to it.

"You're not well, sister?" Donna asked in her usual slightly nervous sounding voice.

Alcina turned onto her back to rest her arm over her eyes.

"Sickness, headaches, tiredness, toilet trips." She reeled off.

"I see," Donna nodded in acknowledgment. "Does Mother Miranda know?"

"It started after I saw her," Alcina groaned while rubbing her stomach again.

"Have you fed?"

Alcina nodded.

"Good," Donna acknowledged before going on to ask. "Did Mother Miranda do something to you?"

Alcina lowered her arm. "She did. She said I would be the vessel in which to create her child."

Donna fell silent.

"I didn't agree to it," Alcina now growled. "She also believes me to be a failure, that the child didn't take."

"What will you do?" Donna now asked softly.

"If I am carrying, then I wish to depart from the family."

Donna gave a nod.

"You won't tell her, will you?"

"No, dear sister." She vowed to keep the secret. "But just remember this is Mother Miranda, I don't wish to see you get hurt."

She could hear the emotion in the very younger woman's voice and wished she could hold and cherish her like one of her own daughters. Out of the four Lords, Donna was very unstable, but given her tragic past there was no wonder. Alcina held her hand out to her, squeezing gently.

"I won't allow Miranda to hurt us anymore," she now vowed. "I swear to you, Donna, I'll see us through."

Donna nodded, holding back a sniffle before she eased her hand from Alcina's to now head off.