The Uninvited (Sephie & Vampy)

[persephone325]

One Year Ago

"Wait...What?" Finn couldn't wrap his head around what he had just heard.

"I'm terribly sorry Mr. O'Connor. There's not much we can do for her now, than to make preparations and keep her as comfortable as possible." The doctor informed him.

"No... No. That's not good enough!" Finn exclaimed. "W-What about treatments? There's treatments for this!"

"Finn, darlin'." Moira spoke softly, her hand outstretched towards him. Finn let out a frustrated sigh and clasped his wife's hand.

"Treatment is possible, but it only really helps at the early stages." She informed the pair. "If we had caught this sooner, then - "

"Why didn't you? You're a doctor, yeah? You lot go to medical school for years! How'd this slip by ya?!" Finn interrupted, his Irish accent becoming more prominent the angrier he got.

"Finn, honey. Don't be mad at her." She patted her husband's hand. After a moment, she brought her gaze up to the doctor. "How..." Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat to compose herself. "How long do you think I have?" She asked. Finn squeezed her hand and rubbed his temples with his free hand.

"At this advanced stage, I'd say anywhere from four months to a year." She replied. Moira exhaled in shock and dropped her head. Finn wrapped his arms around her protectively and held her close. She sobbed softly. "I'm...very sorry."

"Feckin' 'ell..."

Five Months Later

Alannah and Fiona gripped each other's hands, tears streaming down their faces as they watched the casket decend into the ground. They weren't alone, however, as everyone gathered in the cemetery were either crying or had solemn looks on their faces. Alannah rested her head on her sister's shoulder. A sudden sob escaped her lips and she covered her mouth with her free hand to stop any more from coming.

She lifted her head and wiped her eyes, makeup smudged and running down her face. But she didn't care. Fiona didn't look any better, and for some reason that made her laugh once softly. Fiona turned to face her.

"What are ya laughing for? We're puttin' ma in the ground..." Fiona glared at her. Alannah shook her head.

"You..." She reached up and wiped a few of Fiona's tears away. "You look like shite." Alannah told her. She smiled at her sister, and the two burst into a mix of sobs and laughs. They wrapped their arms around each other and stood there, laughing and crying as their mother was lowered into the ground.

One Month Later

"Alannah?" Fiona called out as she made her way down the hall. "Did you wanna come to the mall with me?" She stopped outside her sister's room and knocked on the door. There was no answer. "Anna? Are you still asleep?" Fiona turned the handle and slowly opened the door. She could see her sister laying on her bed, but...something seemed wrong.

"Alannah, are you OK?" Fiona took a few steps closer, her eyes drawn to a dark red stain on the sheets. "Alannah!" She cried out, quickly closing the gap and crawling onto the bed. She turned her sister over, looking at her pale face. "Hey! Hey!" Fiona shook her sister to try and wake her. Her eyes trailed down her sister's forearm, finally resting on the gash on her wrist that was practically pouring blood. Her eyes snapped to Alannah's other arm where there was another gash.

"Alannah!!" Fiona screamed, grabbing one of her wrists and squeezing it to try and stop the blood flow. She pulled her sister up and held her close against her with her other arm wrapped around her back. "Don't ya dare do this to me!" She cried. "Don't leave me, too..."

"Dad!"

*****

"Mr. O'Connor? I know this is difficult, but I think this is the best course of action." The doctor said.

"I'm not a bad father." Finn stated, his voice drained of all emotion.

"Nobody's saying that. Everyone just needs some help sometimes." He reassured him. "I strongly recommend they go through the treatment program. They'll receive the best care." Finn rubbed his temples. The office was silent for what seemed like several minutes.

"OK..."

"Thank you, Mr. O'Connor. I'll make sure they're well taken care of."

Present Day

Alannah and Fiona sat in the back seat of the car, their hands intertwined and resting on the middle seat. They both stared out of their respective windows, watching the scenery pass them by.

"I...really missed you, girls." Their father said as he glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "The house was really empty."

"We missed you too, dad." Alannah replied softly, catching his gaze in the mirror and smiling slightly.

"Mhmm." Fiona agreed.

"Well, we're gonna have a great dinner tonight." Finn told them. "The doctors said you girls already had lunch. I've got some last minute work stuff to finish up. Can't put it off any longer. I'd like to spend the afternoon with you guys, but - "

"We know, dad. Work is stressful. We'll keep ourselves entertained until dinner." Fiona interjected. Finn smiled at her.

Finn pulled the car up to the house. It looked pretty much the same as the girls remembered, aside from some overgrowth in the gardens. Moira always kept the gardens in order...

The trio got out of the car, and the girls breathed in the familiar scent of the flowers that were still blooming. A few birds fluttered about in a nearby birdbath. Alannah came around the side of the car and stood next to her sister. She slipped her hand in hers and gave Fiona a gentle squeeze. Everything felt familiar, but also...different somehow.

"Welcome home, girls!" A blonde American woman called out, waving happily. Alannah felt her body tense up when she saw her.

"Fiona..." She whispered to her sister. Her voice was a mix of fear, anger, and worry.

Kimberly Andrews; the in-home nurse that had helped take care of Moira. Alannah never liked her much. She seemed so fake and overly friendly. Especially with the girl's father. Alannah wondered why the bitch was here.

"Come on, girls. Let's head inside." Finn waved them over. The girls followed silently. "You girls remember Kimberly, right?" Alannah stayed silent, merely nodding her head.

"I'm so glad you girls are back home!" Kimberly gushed with obviously fake excitement. She had an equally fake smile plastered on her overly red lips. "We're gonna have so much fun together!" She went on and on as the four of them walked into the house.

"You girls go ahead and get yourselves settled. I'm gonna go finish my work, and we'll have dinner." Finn turned to face them.

"Oh, yes! I'm making a wonderful dinner for all of us! You girls will love it!" Kimberly exclaimed. Finn began to head towards the study. "Oh, Finn. Honey!" Kimberly called him back. Finn turned around and was greeted with an overly affectionate kiss on the lips. Alannah wanted to vomit right there in the entryway. It almost seemed like Kimberly was marking her territory...

"Let's go, Fiona." Alannah whispered.

"I'll call everyone when dinner's ready!"