"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?" Alcina asked one last time as Karl opened the door to the carriage for her. It was a long ride back to the factory, and it was quite dark outside. Still, Karl refused the offer. "Nah, I need to get back to my factory. The Sturm won't sleep without a bedtime story, and I really don't want to hear engines roaring all night." I didn't even build that thing with ears or a heart, why the f*ck does it need a bedtime story?! Alcina stifled a laugh. "Maybe you'll learn how hard it is to be a mother." Karl flipped her off and left, and Alcina went to put her daughters to bed. Seline was already fast asleep in her room, but the other three were still awake… Or not. "Cass, I will stab you and drag you to your room if you don't get out of my bed!" Daniela shushed Bela, who was shouting at her sleeping sister. "Cassandra." It only took one word from her mother to get Cassandra up. "Goodnight, Belly-Bels." Daniela called as she left the room, and Bela huffed. "Whatever, Dani… Dani-Dans." Alcina shook her head. "Bela, darling, get in bed." Bela did as she was told, and Alcina gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, sleep well." Closing the door, Alcina walked to Daniela's room. "Goodnight, Mother!" Daniela gave her a hug and laid in bed, instantly snuggling up to her stuffed animal. Alcina gave her a bedtime kiss as well, then went to Cassandra's room. Her middle child was within moments of falling asleep, so Alcina quietly closed the door. "I love you, my daughter." However, Cassandra opened it again, albeit sleepily. "Mother?" Alcina looked back in surprise. "Yes?" It took her child a moment to prepare her words. "What're we gonna do when it's time to hunt again?" Alcina cursed internally, not having thought of that. But she didn't show any signs of alarm outwardly. "Then you three hunt. There's no need to worry." There was an obvious complication in that plan. While Seline was definitely more accepting than any other human they had ever met, both of them knew that she wouldn't understand them coming home covered in blood. And then, all it would take is one person from the village to come raise an alarm at the castle, and she would know. "There's no need to worry." Alcina said again, reassuring herself just as much as she was Cassandra. "Now go back to bed." Cassandra nodded and closed her door. Taking only a moment to appreciate the silence, Alcina went into her room to prepare for bed as well. However, before she could do anything, the phone rang. Heisenberg? I swear, if he's forgotten something again… Unfortunately, it was not her brother on the other end of the phone. It was someone far, far worse. "Hello, Alcina." Mother Miranda said, and Alcina clenched her fists. Why is she calling now? What does she want? Has she found out? Still, she fought to keep her voice normal. "Hello, Mother. How are you?" On the other side of the phone, Miranda smiled. Dimitrescu is predictable. Did she really think I wouldn't find out about her fourth child? I know everything. But for now, I shall let her think that she is winning. After all, killing the girl now would severely dishearten my experiments, which would make things difficult. I do hate when things are difficult.

Miranda stopped letting her mind wander and returned to the call. "I was just calling to check in on you. To make sure you haven't forgotten your mission." As a matter of fact, Alcina had, but she was not about to admit it. "Er… Of course I didn't forget! Progress is quite slow, but steady." Alcina hoped that Miranda bought the lie. "And I assume you still haven't found a candidate?" Miranda knew the answer to all of these questions. "N-no, I found a few who were promising, but not perfect." Miranda sighed from the other end of the line, just to keep up the act. "Well, continue trying. Do not forget from whence you came." Alcina was quite relieved that it had ended easily, but she was still suspicious. How much did Miranda truly know? "I won't, Mother. Goodnight." A click signaled that Miranda had put down the phone, and Alcina did as well. It's impossible to forget where I came from. What you did to me. What you did to all of us. Alcina tried to force the memories away, but they kept coming. The laboratory. The screams of her siblings. Her screams. Secrets whispered in the dead of night.

"Mother Miranda killed my parents."

Donna.

"Mother Miranda put acid inside of me."

Salvatore.

"Mother Miranda has… Taken everything from me."

Karl…

"She took everything from all of us, Karl."

They were just barely adults.

"Allie, you don't understand. She…"

They were alone.

"…She killed my family."

They were so scared.

"She took my home."

They thought they were going to die.

"She took mine too, Karl."

Fear is the worst emotion a person can experience.

"Allie? Can I tell you a secret?"

But it also sparks love.

"Of course, Karl."

And that is the most powerful emotion a person can have.

"I love you, Allie."

Until their heart is shattered.

"I love you, too."

Alcina felt tears dripping down her face. Mother Miranda had done so many terrible things to her, but the worst was letting her keep the memories. Memories of when Karl Heisenberg was her Karl Heisenberg. Memories of sweet words whispered in the shadows of the lab.

"I won't let her take you, my little firefly."

He called her his firefly. He said he'd protect her. Right up until the day he didn't.

"KARL! KARL, PLEASE! IT HURTS!"

What was worse? The pain of having a growth slowly reach your mind, or the pain of having you erased from your lover's memory? Alcina thought that she could live through anything, as long as she had Karl. Now, a gust of wind could kill her. Because to Karl, Alcina was just his b*tchy sister. Not his firefly. A great many things were uncertain in Alcina's mind, but there was one guarantee.

She would never be his firefly again.

A/N: Some clarification! Alcina and Karl were together BEFORE Miranda made them siblings. When Miranda used the final amounts of Cadou, it erased everyone's memories of the experimentation. However, Alcina's mind was able to resist the Cadou somewhat, and she kept her memories of the lab, but still lost the memories of her life before Miranda. Big sad. But yeah, now that they're siblings, they won't be getting together. Sorry to all those Dimitberg (or whatever the ship is called) shippers out there. Also, didemi, this chapter is a day early. MWAH HAH HAH! *Insert eviller laugh here*