Myrtle watched the girls play in the garden from her spot on the porch of the Goode mansion, while sipping an Irish coffee. The doctor might have mentioned that alcohol would not improve her condition, quite the contrary, but maybe she was as drawn as her sister or maybe she just didn't want to care today. It was a warm summer day, the clouds had all evaporated and the sun bathed the scene before her. It hung low on the sky now and everything the beams touched turned to gold. Today was not the day to care.

"It's such a beautiful day! I could just sing out loud!"

"Don't you dare." Fiona tipped her sunglasses and gave Myrtle a warning look over the rim. Myrtle tsk'ed at her and settled back to watch the girls. It astounded her that time passed so quickly. Cordelia was already eleven. They assumed Misty was about eight, but they didn't know her birthday. Misty didn't seem much attached to the concept anyway. Even so, Cordelia and Misty had decided it was now the day were Misty had found Cordelia in the swamp. Myrtle thought to herself that it was a miracle, what had happened that day. Cordelia could not have asked for a better friend. They thrived in each other's company. Fiona said they spent every possible moment together – those being when Cordelia was not in school.

They sat on the blanket out there in the middle of the sea of grass and Cordelia taught Misty how to make a garland of flowers. The younger girl learned with eagerness and she watched Cordelia as if she was performing a minor wonder. Myrtle could watch them forever, see them interact and know that her beautiful young niece finally had that, which she had been craving for years, before Misty hopped into her life.

As if sensing her gaze, Cordelia looked up at Myrtle, waved and smiled. She shone when she smiled like that. Shone brighter than the rays of sun turning her golden hair alight.

"Well I'm getting another. Myrtle?"

Myrtle turned to her sister, who had finished her glass of wine. She had cut back since the incident with the stairs, Myrtle knew, but she couldn't quite kick the habit.

"No thanks, dear, I'm good. Too much and I can't sleep."

"Suit yourself. Delphine!" Nothing happened. "Delphine!" She shouted again. "Christ, that maid is impossible to get a hold of. I pay her too much. When did the servants get so sloppy around here?"

"Around the time you made cut in their paycheck, I imagine."

Fiona glanced at her with acid in her gaze, before heading in to do her own refill. Myrtle continued to gaze at the children. Misty got up to gather more flowers. The insecurity in her walk was gone by now and her manners were better than most children, Myrtle had encountered, thanks to Cordelia's efforts. She would always be a special girl. She talked different from them and she still held a deep mistrust to anything that wasn't nature, but she had adapted as well as a children of her creation possibly could. And she had read to Myrtle the other night, page after page of a small children's book. Cordelia sat just behind her then, smiling as if she could barely contain her pride.

Fiona slid into the chair beside Myrtle again, and Myrtle could feel her eyes on her face. She nodded at the children.

"They're a well-balanced pair, those two. Don't you find?"

Fiona let out a dry chuckle. "I don't know what they are. They're nothing like we were, Myrtle. They never fight, they never compete, they never even bicker." She took a sip of wine. "They don't act like sisters at all."

Just then, Misty returned with a handful of flowers. She sat down, cross-legged and dropped the flowers in a puddle between them. She drew one out from the puddle and tugged it behind Cordelia's ear. She said something Myrtle couldn't hear from this distance, but she could guess the nature of the words, when Cordelia smiled and tried to hide her face in her hair, the way she often did, when she blushed.

"No, you're quite right", Myrtle said. "It's a special kind of friendship. They are like… the youngest of lovers!"

Fiona scoffed and looked at her. "Lovers? That's vulgar, Myrtle, even for you."

Myrtle only shook her head. "No it isn't, dear. It's just children's love. Don't you see it?"

Fiona looked back at the two. Her gaze lingered for quite some time, before she shook her had a little and took another sip.

"Well, that little swamp witch is not getting my daughter, you hear me?"

O0O

Delphine was enjoying herself for the first time in years. Gone was the eternal bitterness, gone was even the angst of getting caught, which had plagued her the entire first year of her new hobby. She felt balanced, because she had found a way to channel all of the rotten emotions. She played them out now, on vile things, and her hands danced to the sound of their cries.

Mason had been tough, but he hadn't lasted more than a few months. Not many did. But luckily Laveau's territory were full of new ones. Delphine even fantasized about dragging Laveau herself in here someday. The queen of voodoo would be the jewel in her collection, her masterpiece.

She had not caught her yet. The black demon would rest on her throne at the other end of town, until the day Papa Legba knocked her off.

But Delphine did not despair at this. She had raised to a layer of emotions above petty regret. Their screams were her Zen.

She made sure to wake them before getting started. She wanted to see their faces, taste their fear in the air, read the terror from their eyes, while she worked. This one was quite new. She had caught him only two days prior. Spalding was great help with this and he never complained. Of course he didn't. The poor soul was too terrified that Delphine would strap the Madame to her board next time. He kept his lips sealed, lurked in the background and snuck out, when they started making noise. She never heard the door close.

This one started whimpering as soon as he saw her face. She smiled at him and placed the knife at his skin, ready to cut. She was almost done with this arm. His skin shone where the flesh was bared. Dried blood had clotted over it and on his nails, which she had left in place. They were little boats in a red ocean.

Peeling the skin of the vile things was her new outlet. She thought this a curious creation. With their outsides gone, one could even think they were not so different from her master race, but Delphine was not fooled. She was not blinded, as the rest of the world around her seemed to be, as especially her daughter was. Her daughter, who she no longer visited. It pained her, but the girl had to learn.

Her peace didn't last long. Madame was impatient and dear Spalding had taken it upon himself to help Delphine cover her doings up. This time without being asked. He took Delphine's threats very seriously.

He knocked a special way, so she always knew when it was him. Not that she thought Madame or Miss Cordelia would ever come up here. Only the other child's curiosity held a certain risk, but she could not reach the lock on this door. She might be growing fast, but she was not that tall yet. Delphine would deal with that issue, when she grew more. That was, if Madame didn't kick her out, like Delphine knew she wanted to. She hoped it.

Spalding's head peeked through the door. His face twisted with disgust, when he looked past Delphine, but for other reasons than Delphine, when she wrinkled her nose at the sight of these.

"Does she need me again?"

He nodded.

"Heavens, what is it now? Can't this woman ever do anything by herself?"

Spalding didn't answer of course, but the disapproving look in his lifeless eyes were unmistakable.

Delphine sighed deeply and turned to the vile thing.

"I'll be back. Be a good boy and keep quiet." She knew he would. She had cut out his tongue.

She waved Spalding away, went to the little extra room in the attic to change into a clean outfit and went down after him then.

She made dinner and watched the Goodes as they ate. Even the wild child was allowed to eat with them now. Her manners had gotten better at least. Not that it eased Delphine's wrinkled nose. Now this one truly looked like a decent human, if you disregarded the madness of her hair and only looked at her, when she was pleased – Delphine couldn't count the number of times the little savage had bared her teeth and growled at her. Her skin was pale. She didn't have the appearance of the vile things, but she was just that even so. Delphine had caught the talk around the house. Witch child. Bastard child, from what Delphine had learned of the little Misty knew of her childhood. She was not worthy of Delphine's services. Delphine had always hoped Madame would put her jokes to action and tie that little freak of nature to a tree in the back yard. Or chain her to her room.

Sadly, it never happened. Madame's jokes stayed jokes and Delphine had the suspicion it was thanks to Miss Cordelia. The girl looked at the witch child with endless adoration. Misty must have her bewitched, enchanted in some way. There was an unnatural bond between them, one that could have only been conjured by Misty's devilish powers. Healer, they called her. Heavens forbid. Her sweet nature towards Cordelia was nothing but a façade and Delphine refused to let the child touch her. She would rather bleed to death.

O0O

"It's very sweet of you to take a detour for me, sister." Myrtle sat a cup of tea in front of her and took a seat on the opposing chair. Her living room was half the size of Fiona's and Fiona felt claustrophobic after five minutes in Myrtle's tiny New York apartment. "Although I do hope you're not leaving the girls alone for too long."

"Can't I ever satisfy you, Myrtle?"

"How are the girls?"

"They're fine." They always seemed fine, when they were together. But Cordelia had come down with the flu not two hours Fiona after boarded the plane to New York, but what was she supposed to do? This was important. Her company was falling into economic troubles. Misty would do a better job taking care of her anyway. Fiona called home every morning and evening to demand report from Delphine and from Misty. The maid gave her the numbers on the thermometer and Misty gave her the actual insight to Cordelia's well being. Delphine could have done that too, but Fiona knew Misty would spent her every minute in the room with Cordelia, now that she was allowed, and Fiona was certain Cordelia would not try to be brave for her.

Fiona didn't tell Myrtle this. She hated that look of condemnation of her face. Honestly, Fiona was happy to get away for a few days. That little swamp rat was driving her crazy. Lately she had taken to snarl at the maid every time she saw her, as if the sour lump had done something to offend her. She didn't even talk to the child. And she had cheered up lately, but maybe that was the problem. Fiona tried to let the matter slide. She had given up on trying to understand Misty, even as she had grown older. She still felt like a stranger in the house.

Myrtle's voice broke the silence: "You seem heavy with thought?"

"It's that goddamn kid. She keeps harassing my maid and she's challenging me, I can feel it. She thinks I'm horrible. Now, she can think whatever she wants, but I won't have that display of disrespect under my roof."

Myrtle took a sip of her cup. They were a hideous lime green. Much of Myrtle's apartment was bursting with colors, just like herself. Fiona always thought she looked terrible with that hair, red and frizzy. It stood out to every side as if she had come into too close contact with an outburst of electricity. But it suited her odd nature, Fiona wouldn't deny that. There was at least consistency to the madness.

"I think you only need to give her some space. They are both on their way to becoming teenagers! They will start pushing boundaries and trying to hand me the adoption papers is not going to change that."

"No, you've made it quite clear you do not wish to be of service. So much for your big heart, huh Myrtle?"

Myrtle sat down her cup and stared at her in disbelief. As the shock wore off, the familiar look of disapproval drew on her face.

"You know I would take her if I could. She's a lovely child!"

Fiona scoffed. "She's noisy and messy."

"You have a butler and a maid, Fiona. I'm sure you'll manage." Myrtle got up and cleaned the table again. She went for the kitchen, but unlike in Fiona's mansion this didn't bring her more than five steps away. Fiona chuckled at her aggressive steps and when Myrtle came back, Fiona greeted her with a provoking smirk.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, sister. It's not my fault you live here in a box like this, with nothing but a curling iron and a theramin to your name. You know, I'm sure Misty would love that awful thing." She nodded at the device in the corner. She remembered how Myrtle used to practice on it as a child and she remembered the countless fights they had had, when Myrtle blamed her for its continuous disappearance. Fiona couldn't quite claim innocence in the matter.

Even her husband had liked it. He had tried to play it one of the few times they had visited Myrtle before his early death a few years after Cordelia was born. He was just as awful at it as Myrtle, but he thought it was funny. Odd man.

Myrtle shook her head.

"Insult me all you want, but you decided to take Misty in. Now you must own up to it."

Fiona didn't answer and they didn't touch the subject any more. When she left for Boston the following day, it was with same bittersweet mood as always. Myrtle promised to come visit as soon as she could and Fiona could never decide, if she was relieved that they lived so far apart or if she loathed it.

Conferences were something she had a handle on. She thrived under the destruction of the smaller agencies and she loved terrifying new competition. An uprising rival, Harrison Foxx greeted her in the hallway on her second day.

"Fiona Goode, I take it?" He said with a voice so cold she thought people around them shivered, as they walked by. As did the young boy shuffling after him. It didn't touch Fiona. She was used to it.

She let him shake her hand.

"You got that right. Now, you seem to have lost your name tag, Mr…"

"Foxx."

"Ah, a fox. The thief of the woods. Is that your strategy too, Mr. Foxx?" She flashed him a dashing smile, which he did not return. Fiona's eyes fell on the boy. A young kid, perhaps a year or two older than her Cordelia and with a touch of premature acne creeping out from the corners of his face. He was dressed just like his father, a black suit and polished shoes. He looked up at his older version with awe. Only a few times did he look at Fiona, and quickly shut his gaze down.

"Who's your little squire there?"

"This is my son, Hank", Harrison Foxx said and pushed the terrified kid out in front of him. "Brilliant mind. I plan to let him take over the company once I have placed myself on top. Sadly, his mother did not have room for him at home today, so I thought I would introduce him to the work. It's never too early to start."

Fiona nodded, studied the boy as Foxx spoke. The boy didn't dare hold her gaze for long, not even as his father bragged about him.

"Well, I look forward to see you fail", she said to him before meeting Harrison Foxx' eyes again to make sure he received the words too.

A tight smile curled his lip. "You have a child too, I believe? A daughter, if I'm not wrong?"

"Surprisingly, you're not. I do. Bright head too, but why wouldn't she be? I bet she could knock this one off his chair in a day. We'll see if she'll have to."

"You seem awfully sure of yourself, Mrs. Goode. Especially if we keep your failing economy in mind", he said with a smile that grew a little wider as Fiona's eyes narrowed. "Come, Hank." He patted his boy on the shoulder and little Hank flinched. "We must be on our way. Good luck with the company Fiona, I'm afraid you're going to need it."

They pushed past her and Fiona resisted the urge to hiss a comment after him. Wars were not won with comebacks like that. How did he know of her economic situation? Fiona tried to shake it off and headed for the conference room. Someone was getting fired when she returned home.

O0O

The house seemed so much quieter these few days, the halls so empty, now that Fiona was gone on her business trip and Cordelia bound to her bed. Misty only saw Spalding on rare occasions and when she did, he crept alongside the walls, hunched up and with a rapidly searching gaze, as if he was up to something. No one ever bothered to try and get an answer out of him. Misty had tried to ask him what was wrong once, but he ran away. As if he was afraid of her.

Delphine she only saw at meals. She always went around the house and vanished. Misty hadn't found out to where yet. It was a big house with many doors. And she didn't mind Delphine staying away. As Misty aged, she had become increasingly aware of the old maid's opinion of her. She never said it out loud, but Misty recalled those looks like ghosts in her memory. Hate had many faces, but their eyes always looked the same. She didn't tell Cordelia though, because she had enough to worry about. Misty had realized that she was a kind of girl, who always worried about something.

With all its inhabitants busied with something else, only Misty roamed the halls. Sometimes she would walk back and forth and explore what she hadn't discovered yet, but not these days. In Fiona's absence, she stayed mostly in Cordelia's room and tended to her. She brought her soup, read to her, or laid on her bed and kept her company, when she was awake, despite Cordelia's protests.

Now, she pushed through the door and placed a glass of fresh, cool water on Cordelia's nightstand. At first she thought Cordelia was asleep, but as she neared the bed, the girl turned her head and gave her a tired smile.

"Hey", she said.

"Hey. How you feelin'?" Misty crawled onto the bed again, as carefully as she could.

"Not so good."

Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion. The moist heat still hung over her and her forehead glistened with sweat. Misty put a hand onto her skin and felt the heat against her palm.

"Mmm, your hand is cold", Cordelia said and closed her eyes. Misty brought the other hand to her face as well and held them to Cordelia's feverish skin, until they lost the coolness. When she removed her hands, Cordelia opened her eyes again, a little more this time.

"Thanks, Misty. I can't believe you though, you shouldn't be in here. What if I get you sick too?"

Misty shook her head and cooled her hand on the glass, so she could put it back on Cordelia's cheek.

"You can't get me sick, silly. I'm a self-healer."

"You don't know if it works on diseases like this. Last time I was sick you got locked out of the room, remember?"

She did. She hated Fiona for a whole week and she would have torn the door down, if she didn't think it would have disturbed Cordelia too much. But this time Fiona was unable to keep her away. She had even trusted Misty to take care of Cordelia. This was why she swallowed her resentment and gave Fiona full report with polite words every time she called.

"Yeah. But I haven't gotten sick yet, right?"

Cordelia nodded slowly, drifting towards sleep again. "Right." She was fighting against her eyelids. She forced them open, when Misty pulled away.

"Read to me?" Cordelia asked. She tried to reach for the book on her nightstand, but she was too weak to complete the task and her arm gave up midair. Misty reached out and snapped it from the table. She put it beside her and took the glass of water instead. She held it to Cordelia, who looked at her with reluctance.

"Have to drink, Delia."

Cordelia gave in with a sigh and fought her way to an upright position with great effort. Misty scooted closer and put a hand on her back to support her. Her back was wet from sweating the fever out, but Misty didn't mind. She wouldn't think to waver, when Cordelia needed her.

When she couldn't drink anymore, Cordelia handed Misty the glass and collapsed against her body. Her head rested heavily near Misty's shoulder and the heat eluded from her with the damp smell of illness. And Misty felt awestruck somehow, that Cordelia leaned on her like this. When she settled back against the headboard, and exchanged the glass for the book, Cordelia only shaped herself after Misty's petite figure and settled in with her. Misty hooked an arm around her and smiled as Cordelia placed a hand over hers.

She started reading. She was getting better, and she could read whole children's books now. Cordelia had made Fiona get some for them and even though this was many levels below the stuff Cordelia normally read, she gladly listened to Misty's efforts. She just didn't listen long, because exhaustion overtook her fast and she fell asleep within minutes. Misty sat there with the sleeping girl for hours, felt her chest rise and fall and tried to synchronize her own breathing to it. She sat in the same position until her entire lower body went numb from lack of circulation and it was with great difficulty that she inched free. She tugged Cordelia back on the pillow, so her neck wouldn't get stiff from the awkward position. She barely even woke as Misty moved her. It felt almost subconscious, when her hands gripped loosely at Misty's clothes and as soon as she lay down, her hand unfisted. Misty gently brushed her hair out of her face. She didn't leave yet, but sat by Cordelia's side, watching over her. She liked having time to study her. No one could be sick and still look pretty like Cordelia.

Cordelia had another coughing fit then. Neither this could bring her back to full consciousness; she coughed and wheezed in her sleep. Fiona had forbidden Misty to heal the flu away. Misty thought it was because Fiona didn't trust her ability. Fiona never mentioned them, merely pretended they weren't there. But Misty couldn't listen to this and it was barely a conscious decision, when she reached out a hand and placed it on Cordelia's heaving chest. A small surge of energy was all it took and Cordelia's body relaxed. Her breathing came out a little lighter.


A/N: Btw just wanted to apologize if anyone feels too offended by Delphine, I would hate to put anyone off with her raging insanity. If so let me know and I'll keep it down. I was really debating how much I should go into character with her, and honestly, she creeps me out, but she makes for a good villain. Anyway, I'm here for practice so any note on how to do better is always appreciated :)