Of Villains and Shotguns

"You still have this room?" Nelly said mouth slightly agape as she was led in to a room she remembered quite fondly. A place were she truly became part of the family. It was a room divided equally in three different colors and themes. A striking line on the floors and walls diving each space separately. 

In the middle a table with an aging holographic projector hidden within a raised sigil, a silly design by back then six year old Lina. She had truly fallen in love with magical girls and had demanded a room be remodeled for the three sisters to be their headquarter. 

"Of course." Lina said and switched the power on in the room. Three chairs rose from hidden trapdoors in the floor, one for each sister. Nelly's was an ebony gothic throne, perfect for a villain, a villain gone good. The embarrassing detail she had specifically requested was a pair of bat wings that opened up when she sat on her chair. The joy the youngest had displayed as Nelly fully played along with the theme was a core memory. 

"You'd think you'd grow out of a magical girl phase by sixteen." A panting voice said from the doorway. Sister number two, twenty years just this summer, Cathrin. She must have ran here the whole way from her own wing. 

"Does anyone really grow out." Lina said and sat at her own light green chair which lit up with a resplendent green halo around her. "And before you say you did, don't think for a second I don't know about your figurine collection." Lina continued and smirked at the newcomer. Cathrin blushed and rushed to sit in her own chair without a word, staring at her hands. 

Her chair was light pink, and small heart shaped bubbles flew out from it, all bursting into a pink smoke seconds later, filling the room with a surprisingly realistic strawberry fragrance. 

Nelly couldn't help but blink a few times, taking the new events in, before she too sat in her own chair. The wings opening without a hitch even after all these years. Now that everyone's introductory sequence had played it was time for the main theme. A small ten second jingle as a magic wand rose up in front of each member of this Magical Sister Squad. It truly was different living in a family with such unimaginable wealth. 

"No matter how fun it would be to say the lines we used to. Now is not the time for that. Cathrin listen to this…" Lina said turning to face Cathrin and started retelling the story with a lot more anger than Nelly had managed to muster. They truly were sisters, the both reacted in the exact same way—including swearing at their mother. 

"Who is she staying with? Was it cousin Brinks?" Cathrin asked and the wand in her hand was creaking at how hard she was squeezing it. Nelly thought she must be that wand was Lalage's throat, should Nelly was that too? She wasn't yet certain if she could. 

"Yes, I think so. I made sure she had a place to go to after I started dating with Gideon." Nelly said still pondering if she had it in her to truly hate Lalage. 

"Wait, I didn't know that was the reason. Was she that jealous from the relationship?" Lina asked. 

"I think so. She kept saying there was something wrong with him, that I could choose anyone in the world, but not him." Nelly said thinking back to the heated discussion from almost three years ago. The rationale that she was this jealous to go this far did make sense, the stabbing part was out of character. 

Nelly had always been the one during their time together—before the whole Arbore situation—that was ready to step up in the hard situations and make do. Lalage was the one to let go, the proverbial kind angel. At least relatively to how much you can be when you don't have enough food on the table. 

"Despicable." Cathrin said and Lina agreed with disgusted head shakes. Before the silence got too heavy Cathrin continued. "Then we shall give her a surprise visit with some of the Sharps." 

Sharps, the elite no-nonsense units who would not hesitate to do anything a true Arbore asked for. Murder, torture or even their own death was not out of the question. Where their unconditional loyalty stemmed from Nelly hadn't been told, but she had a very good guess. 

"I'm not sure…" Nelly said. 

"Even after what she has done to you?" -Lina

"She is the only thing I have left from my childhood." -Nelly

"She endangered your husbands life. Might have even ended the marriage if he doesn't believe you." -Cathrin. 

Nelly choked on her rebuttal. It was true. This was a something she had been looking forward to for quite some time. The three years they had been dating and even longer if you consider the wishes to have someone to fall asleep besides and wake up next to. That wouldn't steal all your belongings, take your life or both. 

"Don't kill her… Please" Nelly said voice breaking as tears welled up again. The two sisters didn't say anything, just looked at each other. A blaring noise rang, Nelly jumped and clamored at her heart. The lights in the room dimmed and a light purple blinking light took the forefront. 

'Villain alert, a villain is approaching your location' an automated voice rang in the room. The three sisters all froze and became white as sheets. Cathrin was yelling for Lina to stop the alarm, who in turn looked like she was about to cry when the button to silence the alarm wasn't working. 

The worst didn't come to pass, as Lina managed to silence the alarm just in time, before the door swung open. Mother was there. Back then the warning had been a fun game between parents and children, now the situation might have been a very different if mother arrived as it was playing. 

"I thought I told you to stay." An icy voice rang from mother, her hair silver, the same fate which awaited Nelly in her years as an elder Vampire. 

"We just wanted to help her." Cathrin said, ready to take the bullet for the youngest. 

"Silence." Every syllable pronounced slowly to their perfection. A coldness from deep in their bones struck all three children. Mother had used her powers on them and she never did so. All three sisters were unmoving and unbreathing. "Our conversation with the Walsh head has concluded. You are to be punished harshly."

This was a decree as from a god, there was no negotiation to be had. There was nothing but to get used to the new situation. Broken and battered, Nelly had been defeated, but there was one thing which she was still uncertain of.

"How about the marriage?" Nelly asked, finding some strength she hadn't realized she had access to and managed to meet her mothers eyes. They were cold, but there was something else too—pain, potentially even sympathy. 

"The marriage still stands as long as Gideon is up for it. I hear he has woken up." Mother said not breaking eyecontact, her breathing was a bit heavy. Again only by fractions of a percentage, but Nelly noticed, that is what mother taught her. 

There was still some hope, she should gather herself and try to contact Gideon. Explain how and why it had all happened, maybe they could still be a thing. The honeymoon would have to wait, but they could still go. A small relieved smile washed over her, marred by the sobbing and tears that followed. 

Both sisters approached Nelly, but stopped as heavy footsteps resounded from the hallway. Paco, with his ceremonial cape fluttering trying to keep up. He stopped at the room his expression one of almost sheer panic. She had been wrong, she silently laughed in her mind, he could be made to show emotions. 

"Miss! Grave news." Paco said his oaken eyes wavering, unable to lock with Nelly. "Mr Walsh has awoken and…" He tried again. "Mr Walsh has awoken and…" Now Nelly began to fear something was wrong, when even he couldn't get a sentence out. 

"Out with it." Empress Dana said and glared at the guard. 

"…and he had a shotgun wedding at his hospital bed with Lalage Parn." Paco got said. When the words finally sunk in Nelly's eyes rolled and she fainted on the spot.