The greeter handed another card to the attendee. "Thank you for coming. Welcome to church."

The couple smiled, walking inside.

The greeter held out the next card. "Thank you for coming. Welcome to church." Her smile widened. "Nathan, Sarah, hello! It's so good to see you and the fam-" She paused.

Nathan and Sarah continued smiling, dressed nice and clean. Their three boys were even more dressed and cleaned. The youngest wore the most adorable sweater. The confusion came from Spencer's daughter. Daughters, maybe.

Twin teens stood there, and a smaller girl. Both teenagers with black straight hair, pulled back into ponytails, and mismatched long sleeve shirts and jackets. The one daughter was familiar, with amber eyes, though the second wore sunglasses. The small girl had an oversized blue hoodie, jeans, and all her hair stuffed up into a beanie.

"-ily." The greeter finished lamely. She gulped down the shock, handing over more cards. "Have a blessed time."

Nathan nodded politely. "Thanks! You too." He gestured to his children. "Kids, go."

The twins exchanged a look. One elbowed the other, but did take the smaller girl by the shoulders to guide her inside.

==DMLE==

Darcy adjusted her shirt collar. I kicked her ankle. She flipped me off, still getting to her feet. If I have to participate, so does she.

Lilac never left my side. Mom tried sending her to the kid's church, but I vetoed that. Lilac was too terrified of everything around here. She held my hand enough to make my knuckles white.

My parents stood nearby, proud. Dad sent occasional glares to make sure we behaved. It didn't stop Darcy from quietly tapping Morse code. Or me from replying.

'Hate here. Home?'

'Stay. Deal was- church, and you two can stay.'

'They caved. Still shocked.'

'Yeah.'

'But I wanna leave.'

"Girls." Dad warned.

Worship was wrapping up. So we sat ourselves down.

Darcy grumbled. In the noise, she whispered. "How long?"

"Every Sunday 'til we kill Dominic Chamberlin." I whispered fast. "Then we run away."

Darcy sharpened her eyes. "Can we kill him tomorrow?"

"Girls." Mr Spencer chided again.

She growled. "If he shushes me again-"

"I know." My head turned. "Sorry Dad." My head turned. "I only agreed because we are only doing this once."

Dad's terms were very reasonable considering what I was asking of him. To both accept a daughter he has never met, and a granddaughter that can breathe fire, welcoming them into his home forever. We're all bunking in my room somehow. I would've offered cleaning up the garage to turn into an apartment, but that's a long-term plan. I don't plan on being here Saturday.

Terms also included going to church. As a family. Every week. Darcy would go to school, and Lilac. My parents believe they had legal documentation. Why would I argue with my parents? They clearly understand how this whole alternate realities thing works better than me.

(it's only one week, it's only one week, it's only one week)

Lilac hadn't let go of me. I don't want her too. She's wearing an old sweater that Mom pulled from the attic, and an old pair of my leggings. She looks even smaller. Her trembling adds to it.

My parents already started doing their side of things. Lilac's presence is excused with fostering another child (as the Lord put on their hearts). Darcy is harder to explain, and it's genuinely cathartic to watch them try. She is my cousin, from Dad's side, visiting town while her parents work overseas on a trip (as the Lord called them to do as well). It took them an hour to come up with that.

It's hard. It's uncomfortable, having my parents make decisions about Darcy and Lilac. Not only making those decisions, but then expecting them to be followed like law. These two people who my parents have met by accident long before this weekend, their whole lives are now subject to whatever the Spencer's want.

They want to put my baby in human school. My kid is still learning how to write in Equestrian Common. They wanna make her learn English?! I know I am a cruel person, and there's a special kind of horror in seeing I came about it naturally.

Church goes very slow. Darcy and I make a game- one that's going to involve stealing from a liquor store every time the pastor mentions Jesus or gospel. And still, I plan a murder. It makes church go faster.

==DMLE==

My parents shove us into my room. Two boxes from the attic are dropped at our feet. Extra clothes for Lilac, I assume. Darcy is going to mooch off of me. Shocker.

Darcy grimaced. "Please tell me you have some of my clothes in your bag."

"I will choke you with them."

"Good. It'll make this shit stop." Darcy tossed off her current outfit, slumping on the bed as I threw some of her clothes at her face. Lilac giggled. "Why does my suffering amuse you?"

I ruffled her hair. Lilac curled into it. "Come on. We're checking these."

Lilac tilted her head. "What are-? Mom, are these more clothes?"

"Yeah." I pulled out some purple things, and pink. Orange doesn't suit her nor does green. "Here, try on this."

Lilac grimaced. "Humans like clothes a lot."

"They also like taking them off." Darcy joked.

I threw a fucking boot at her head.

"Forgot! Forgot." Darcy fixed her jeans. "Geez, sorry."

Lilac blinked, innocent as intended. She can learn about sex when I don't have to worry about some psychopath torturing and killing her. She sat down, fiddling with the edges of the sweater.

She's not usually pensive. "Lilac? You okay?"

Lilac bit her lip, considering her words. She gulped. Then, she curled up in a ball to hide. I immediately swept her up in a hug. Lilac pressed her face to my shoulder.

Darcy scrambled to join us. She rubbed Lilac's back. Her face went blank, but her eyes showed panic.

"Princess?" I started. "This was a lot. I'm sorry. I'll go slow. We don't have to try on anything. We can relax. I have your paints? Would you like-?"

Lilac sniffled. She curled tighter. "When do we go home?"

Darcy and I shared a look.

"A week." I promised her. "Just a week."

Lilac keened. A series of high pitched squeaks followed, and then the quietest sobbing in the world. She shivered like a phone on silent.

"We're sorry. Mom and Aunt Killjoy need time to fight the bad guys. We would've left already if we could have, Princess, I swear." I spoke this promise as I kissed the top of her head. "Then we're never coming back."

She continued to cry. Darcy and I did too, after a while, but we can move on from that. Killing Chamberlin makes the crying stop.

==DMLE==

Dinner is pasta. Mom made beef sauce. So as she served dinner, my plate was skipped. Lilac had a plate with red noodles and bits of brown beef, and the peas had cuts of barbecue inside. All I have is buttered noodles.

My daughter squinted at her plate. Darcy stirred it with her fork. As the family prayed, Lilac leaned in with a confused look.

I leaned back. She napped after the crying session, so there hadn't been time to warn her of the new meal. "I'll get you gems after. Okay? You don't have to eat it."

Lilac was grateful for that.

And because someone I loved was happy, dad noticed and got pissed. "Why aren't you eating?"

Lilac froze.

Darcy stabbed harder into her meal. The metal on glass made a loud *clink* sound.

Dad continued gestating down Lilac. It's not a glare. He's just three times her size, so it probably felt like a glare. "What's wrong with the food?"

"I-" Lilac looked at me.

I answered. "She doesn't like beef."

Dad laughed. A funny look in his eyes said the joke was mostly for my mom. "Another picky eater, I expected the other one."

Mom laughed with him. "I really should've known."

"Wait." My brother started up. "Why don't you eat beef?"

Lilac squeaked. She shrunk down in the seat.

"We just don't." I said. "It's a normal thing-"

My brother snorted. This time, his eyes lit up. The joke was for everyone. "Hey Mom? What do you call a vegetarian that doesn't eat veggies? Starving."

The Spencer's laughed.

I grip my fork. "Lilac. It's okay." My plate slides over. Lilac's eyes have started to water. "Have this. Okay?"

She sat up. "But-!"

"I ate when you napped."

"You what?" Dad is suddenly furious, not equal to the lie I just told. "We told you that family dinners are mandatory. You don't get to avoid it by eating sooner! Your mother worked hard on this food-"

"We can share, then." I put the plate between us. "See? I'm still eating, and so is she. Sorry, I had forgotten when dinner was for tonight. I'll do better tomorrow."

"Good. See to that."

Dinner becomes polite after. Darcy turned a butter knife in her hands until the meal ended. I ate my meal, splitting the plate and giving Lilac the bigger half.

==DMLE==

Bedtime is a cumbersome affair. The three of us sleep in my room. Mom and dad were going to figure out where the three of us would bunk later, but for now we all slept in the same space.

My bag has it caught inside. Darcy sleeps on that, while Lilac and I take the bed.

She is tucked in peacefully. All traces of noodles and rubies are brushed from her teeth. I kissed her head, reading one of Junior's books to help her. Even with her earlier nap, Lilac goes easy.

Darcy waited ten more minutes. "We need the girls."

I sighed.

"Instead of listing all the reasons they shouldn't be involved, I'll remind you that they have plot armor in the magic of fucking friendship that lets them win every fucking fight." Darcy argued. "Personally, I think it would be really satisfying to turn down Chamberlain to stone and throw him on the ground."

I sighed again. "I know."

A beat.

"When are you getting them?"

"Tomorrow. After school."

"I will not make it that long."

"If you leave now, you'll get at the liquor store right after they close. Get enough to get us through tomorrow." I instructed.

Darcy got up. After dressing into something stealthly, she paused at my window. "Hey Morgue?"

"Mmhmm?"

Darcy opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, then stopped. "You want the vodka shots or a bottle of wine?"

I snorted. It was hard to hide tears. "Wine."

"Got it." She hopped out.

I closed the window behind her. Sinking to the ground, I let myself cry too. Killing that man will fix most of my problems, not all. Still. Looking forward to it.