AN: I know this might seem quick, but I needed to get Lycoris's backstory in and I liked this way. Way more serious then the others, but that's what needed to happen. Next chapter you hear about Lycoris's fight and what happened to Dallas's face and with England. *snicker*

Lycoris could honestly say she'd been born into a life that should have been perfect. She was born the first child of a couple that had been hoping for children. Her parents had loved her, at least at first. She'd been what you would call the fairy tale princess. Her parents hadn't been very wealthy then, but her father had gotten a good job and they were pleasantly middle class. Then, as if by magic, her father's employer left them his entire, billion dollar Empire.

It was the first time her parents' marriage had shown strain. The next week her mother announced she was pregnant. Lycoris hadn't completely understood, but she knew that she would have a sibling. Lycoris had been happy. She'd seen her friends and had always wanted one. Being a child she didn't realize until years later that her mother's smile had been strained when she'd announced it in front of all their friends and family. Or her father's grip on her mother's arms had been bruising.

When Honey, then Gaynelle, had been born Lycoris had been oddly fascinated by the mewling, crying, pooping thing in the room next door. It was disappointing she hadn't got the instant playmate, but Lycoris loved the odd looking child with her almost violet blue eyes, dark golden hair that she would garner a nickname from, and long lashes that seemed to kiss her chubby cheeks every time she blinked. Plus Lycoris thought she was funny when her face went all red when she was upset. And then to Lycoris's pleasure Gaynelle started looking at her instead of just crying. And soon all Lycoris would have to do was touch the baby and she stopped. Lycoris was disappointed when her mother made her leave her baby sister alone, but she always snuck in to spend the day with her after school.

It never occurred to her to wonder why Gaynelle looked nothing like either of her parents.

By the time Gaynelle was one, even Lycoris could tell the smiles were getting tighter and the laughter faker and her parents' marriage colder. She didn't understand why until one night, while she'd been reciting the memorized Whinny the Pooh to Gaynelle her parents started screeching at each other. Lycoris had been scared and done the only thing she could think of, grabbed her sister and hid in the closet.

She did then know the words her parents hurled at each other or understand what was upsetting them, but she was a quick learner and by her sister's second birthday she understood something. Her sister was not her father's daughter, but his dead employer's. Lycoris kept quiet about that night refusing, too terrified, to ask either of her parents what had happened. She just hid in the closet holding her sister and closing her eyes to try and ignore it.

When things quieted down Lycoris crept out and found her father asleep on the couch and her mother in the bedroom. The door was locked and her father smelled like what she'd come to identify as whiskey. Lycoris placed her sister in her crib and slept beside it protectively. She knew that night that something bad had entered her home and her sister needed her.

When the next day her father stumbled in the room looking a different man from the one she knew, she'd been afraid. He'd ignored her though staring down at her sister blankly. His red hair was wild and gingery stubble grew from his chin. He turned to look at Lycoris and she flinched as he reached down to grab her red curls gently. He examined them and looked at Gaynelle. Lycoris felt tears come to her eyes as her father's big hand reached to touch the top of her sleeping sister's head. He petted her soft hair quietly and oddly tenderly.

"It's like honey." He said quietly. His brown eyes glanced back down to his pale daughter's face and he bent down to hug her and kiss her on the top of the head. Lycoris relaxed at this and the softening of his face. He looked like her father now.

He stood and turned back to Gaynelle. His big hand gently stroked her soft her apparently fascinated. "I like that honey. It's like her mother. Poisoned honey. I hated the name Gaynelle anyway, your mother wanted to name you after her grandmother so a gave in." he cooed at the sleeping baby, the look on his face sending cold chills down Lycoris's spine. "You'll be our little Honey from now own. Your father my have taken my wife and marriage from me, but I have his daughter. Now don't I Honey?"

He looked down at Lycoris, hand still resting on the one year old's hand, He gave her a sickly grin. "You and me, Cori. We'll raise this one up right won't we. Your mean old mommy won't have anything to do with her."

With that he'd picked the baby, now christened Honey, grabbed Lycoris's hand before walking out her mother screeching after him, "You won't take me children from me George. I won't let you take them." When her mother grabbed her father's arm he simply released Lycoris and slapped his wife into the couch. For a moment Lycoris thought he would kill her mother, Honey still sleeping in his arms and all. But instead he grabbed Lycoris's hand again and marched out.

Thus began the dissolving of Lycoris's life.

Eventually they did go back to the house, it could no longer be called home, but it was with a new cold father and to a furious bitter mother. Her father didn't react to any of her mother's screams or taunts, which seemed to occur daily. He would either smile at her coldly, or if he had Honey with him, tell her she had better shut her mouth so the child could sleep or else.

Lycoris did not know how her parents had been replaced with these people, she did the only thing her young brain could think of. She clung do Honey and vowed to protect her. She kept Honey to herself and as far away from Father and Mother as possible, trying to keep Honey happy and stable. She succeeded to a point. She began to sense when Mother was going for a fight or when Father was in a bad enough mood to brew one up. She would very quietly take Honey away to one of her hidey holes and keep her preoccupied until then.

By the time she was nine Lycoris was almost completely self-sufficient and no longer bothered speaking to either parent unless absolutely necessary. They didn't seem to notice, too engrossed in their own war of a marriage.

Honey herself seemed oblivious to the conflict, instead her life mostly consisted of Lycoris, who'd without realizing it, taken on the responsibility of raising her. Honey's first word was "Lycoris.", but it sounded like licorice and Honey still called her that more than her real name. When Honey got sick after playing outside in the rain at six it was nine year old Lycoris who called the doctor and nervously sat with her while he examined the blonde girl during the home visit. When Honey had strep at nine it was twelve year old Lycoris who made sure she took her medicine and called the school. When Honey at eleven had a play, it was Lycoris, then fourteen, who went and cheered her on.

By then Lycoris wasn't even sure if Honey knew they had parents. Neither was around much anymore, and it was Lycoris who took care of everything. Buying the groceries, cooking dinner, getting Honey up and ready for school, making sure she obeyed bedtime…Hell, it had been the fifteen year old Lycoris who'd went to Honey's parent-teacher conference when her twelve year old sister was caught with a cigarette pack in her locker. The school had long ago realized talking to their parents was useless and now instantly differed to Lycoris, even if they did disapprove of their family situation. There was technically no abuse or neglect going on.

But Lycoris, as ashamed as it made her, sometimes hated her sister for the responsibility foisted off on her and in seventh grade when she'd ran into some high schoolers behind the gym she'd accepted the joint they were passing around and smoked. It helped her when she was angry or sad. It helped her cope so she wouldn't take anything out on her sister. And soon she began drinking too. She made sure to hide it from Honey and was lucky enough to succeed.

But then Junior year it started getting harder. Honey was being rebellious and then suddenly withdrawn. Her parents were getting worse. Her grades had begun to slip, slowly but steadily, and more and more she smoked and went to the wrong parties with the wrong people. She even did ecstasy once. But finally in the middle of the year something jarring enough shocked her out of her drug induced haze and made her throw that all away forever.

Honey had been acting strange, around her for two weeks and Lycoris didn't notice. She didn't notice the most important person in her life was suffering. The day Honey finally entered Lycoris's room to talk, Lycoris had screamed until she'd left. Lycoris had been about to lit the joint when Honey had knocked and hadn't wanted Honey to see.

Lycoris had gone to pick Honey up at school, but couldn't find her sister. She was just starting to panic when one of the boys mentioned seeing her and Honey's friend Kat with the history teacher, Mr. Hall. Not thinking much of it Lycoris found his class room and pushed the door open to find his hands on a gagged and sobbing Kat, with a not moving honey on the floor. Lycoris couldn't really remember starting to move when she punched him in the face and she didn't remember much else accept that she kept hitting and kicking, hurting him anyway she could, over and over and over until the other teachers heard his screams and pulled her off. The sobbing Kat was untied and Honey was taken to the hospital.

Lycoris didn't leave her bedside. When her sister woke up and told her that Mr. Hall had been hurting her for weeks, but not like he'd been hurting Kat, Honey was quick to explain clearly worried her sister would do something rash if she thought otherwise. Honey hadn't told anyone because he said he had proof enough to make sure she was taken from their parents and separated from Lycoris forever. Then honey had dissolved into tears saying over and over "He was so evil, I knew he would do it. I knew he could. And I didn't want you gone. It's my fault he kept hurting Kat. It's all my fault." Lycoris wanted to die right then and there. She'd failed. She'd failed Honey.

She didn't leave Honey's, or Kat's for the matter, side the entire trial and though she wished desperately she could have gotten her own hands on Hall she had to enjoy it from the distance as someone else got to him. He'd tried to make an escape attempt, but he and his girlfriend made the horrible mistake of stopping at Paige's, then not Honey or Kat's friend, family's restaurant. Paige had recognized him. And since the girl had been very much in love with Kat at the time, she had proceeded to gleefully beat the shit out of him. Nobody made the attempt to stop her, though her brother's held Hall's girlfriend back, and the police decided to let it go since she'd helped catch a criminal and all.

Right after Paige managed to confess her love and after a few awkward weeks got together with Kat. Which was fine with Lycoris. Paige was the best friend for Honey in her humble opinion. Her sister needed a strong protector for when she wasn't there.

There parents caught wind of the incident and Honey was briskly packed away to an all girls and all female staff private school, which Paige and Kat quickly followed her to. Lycoris was relieved Honey had them there, but was panicked about how to handle her sister's departure. It seemed her entire life had been focused solely on rising Honey and now she was gone. It left a void Lycoris didn't know how to fill.

Then she met Ivan at a Senior sort-of-friend's party. Lycoris hadn't touched alcohol or drugs since that night, but she didn't know the punch was spiked and she'd downed it most of the night. One minute they were just talking the next minute they were in the back room tearing each others clothes off. When Lycoris realized she was pregnant, her first reaction wasn't fear or sadness or even shock, it was happiness. Odd for a Junior in high school who had her whole life ahead of her, but Lycoris's whole life had been raising someone. Now that Honey had settled in away from her and seemed fine, she would now they talked every eight hours on the dot, Lycoris had experienced a sort of empty nest syndrome. And thus she was hard put to disguise her pleasure when telling Ivan she was pregnant.

At first they tried being the awkward couple, but three weeks in Lycoris ended it and demanded they stayed friends. They boy was clearly relieved and they'd worked out an agreement. Ivan would stay in Russia until the baby was born. It was close to the date he was due to get his American citizenship anyway. Then he would sign over all parental rights. Lycoris would send him pictures and letters every year about how the baby was doing. And he could eventually decide if he wanted to be involved in the baby's life anymore than that.

It was barely a day after they'd worked this out that her parents discovered the pregnancy and packed her off to a school which was rumored to be the best reform school for troubled teens. Lycoris had of course planned how to meet their demands for the baby to be given up. She would save part of the money the sent her in a private account they couldn't touch since it was opened for her by her aunt. A woman she'd never met, who'd been guilted into it. The only one who could touch it was Lycoris. She would finish high school and she had already convinced the bank to transfer the house into her name through her aunt, who she'd given money to buy it. Her parents didn't know they were supporting a house they no longer owned or that their daughter was saving the money they were sending for her upkeep. Lycoris was quite pleased with this plan especially since if they tried to sue her over the money she had enough on both of them to get custody of Honey and ruin their lives.

All of this Lycoris went over as she waited outside Connelly's office for two hours. She reminded herself of all the things she'd survived as the three girls across from her, in various states of injury, entered and left the office. One holier-than-thou woman would do anything to her se couldn't handle. Plus Lycoris was still pissed. Murderous really. And when Angelia Connelly, Connelly's niece, walked out wearing a smug impression on her hurt face Lycoris knew she was right. Connelly knew or at least didn't disapprove of the girls actions.

Lycoris felt her face darken and anger she hadn't felt since Hall going through her. The girl closed her eyes and went stiff ignoring the rest of the world. She couldn't let her anger cloud her mind. She needed to think carefully. She knew that, but it didn't help much. The one of the timid office women, Miss Maria she thought was her name, stepped foreword to saw Connelly would see her. She knew her anger was still showing, because Miss Maria flinched when she looked at her. Lycoris stood, but didn't move to the office. And finally when she felt her hot anger had simmer into a colder flowing underneath the surface she did enter.

Lycoris looked around the room as if with mild interest, purposely ignoring the woman across from her. It was a nice room, very clean and woody, which she was partial to. It had nice dark floor to ceiling bookcases that contrasted nicely, but not too sharply, with the dark cream walls. There was a flowering plant in a plain vase in one corner sprawling out of its container giving the room life and was the only part of it that didn't seem deeply controlled. She doubted a single surface hadn't been wiped perfectly clean, even the wooden floors beneath her were perfectly smooth and no doubt sanitized enough to eat off of. The most jarring part, besides the woman in front of Lycoris, was the Confederate flag which took up the entire wall in front of Lycoris. Behind her she heard the office women taping through the open door.

Finally Lycoris looked at the woman in front of her. Connelly had long lovely brown hair that was in a swept up style that suited her thin pointy face, making it look fuller. She had large gray eyes and full lips, surprising, but oddly flattering for her small face. She wore a large silver cross on a chain. It rested directly on her chest, which was thrown up with her straight posture. The woman had a very mild, friendly, but ashamed adult's expression. Lycoris closed the door behind her with a snap and casually locked it with one hand while pulling the strong to lower the blinds over the glass with the other.

Connelly stiffened a little at the click, but kept up her expression. Lycoris's skin crawled with pure hate. Then with an almost audible snap Lycoris locked onto her hate and let it go ahead and spread. But unlike her hot fury with the girls earlier, this was a colder more intense hate. Lycoris returned Connelly's smile imagining choking the woman with her own flag. Lycoris took the seat Connelly gestured and wondered mildly who would be the first to break their mask.

"Miss Reynolds surely you should know better than to get in a fight the first day you return to our fine institute." Connelly said looking oddly triumphant. Lycoris realized she thought she had means to get Lycoris expelled. How incredibly stupid.

Lycoris gave a sweet smile, and looked up at her gently. "Cut the bull shit you soulless bitch or I'll go back on my decision not to kill you the moment we met." Lycoris said voice thick with honey and leaning foreword a friendly tilt to her head.

Miss Connelly stiffened, eyes going wide in disbelief. Lycoris's expression went harsh. This woman would regret fucking with her. The brunette woman stared at the girl some more before reflecting Lycoris's own grin. They were more like baring of teeth at each other truthfully.

"Then I suppose I can tell you I hope you enjoy rotting in hell and no longer attending this school, you sinful little harlot." The woman growled. Lycoris smiled at her unpleasantly.

"Yes and you can enjoy rotting in prison for attempted infanticide along with that niece of yours." Lycoris told her coldly, the woman looked ready to deny it, but Lycoris continued. "Don't play dumb we both know you were involved in Angelia starting a fight directly near the steps. If I hadn't actually known how to fight, unlike her and her friends, I might have gotten hurt. I got the warning that you are willing to use any means to get me back, but know one thing." Lycoris leaned foreword, any lingering visage of calm leaving her to be replaced by a murderous ice. "You shouldn't have threatened my baby. And if I don't kill you first, I'll make your life a living hell."

The woman tensed and her hand moved to the phone. "Don't bother telling anyone, who will they believe? The pregnant girl who just got ganged up on or the principal who'd so vehemently opposed her schooling and didn't punish her attackers." Lycoris said amused by the actually unease showing in the woman's once confident eyes.

"I'm not afraid of a girl." Connelly sneered. Lycoris smiled a very Russian smile at her.

"Really, then that's a foolishness that borders on suicidal, because unlike you I can afford to make any murder charges or bodies disappear." Lycoris said softly, before standing and leaving the room briskly.

…(AN: Do not FUCK with people's kids or you're dead meat.)…

"MANHATTAN!" A familiar voice shouted as Lycoris walked into her last class period. She'd been in the office a while and had even missed lunch.

A girl with dyed pink hair and full Goth clothes was staring her across the class her looking gleeful. Lycoris smiled dryly. Robin. The girl ran beside the pregnant girl and dropped to her knees as if in worship.

"We are not worthy your wonderful, pregnant-ness you amazing almighty being." Robin said happily. Lycoris ignored this and walked to the back of the room to sit beside Jason, who smiled at her pleasantly, on the special sit they'd provided for her. When he handed her two puddings, she, and her hungry stomach, decided it was time to forgive him. Plus he'd had the good sense to jump into the fight and hold off the bitches' boyfriends. Lycoris leaned over and kissed the red haired boy on the cheek in thanks. He brightened.

"Hello your holiness needs to tell me what happened when she killed the Evil Ones." Robin said annoyed, following Lycoris and plopping into the sit on the pregnant girl's other side.

"I didn't kill them." Lycoris said as she opened the chocolate one. Robin growled to Lycoris's amusement.

"So I want every bloody detail." The girl moaned eyes glazing. "Just imaging Angelia's bruised face gives me a pleasure that I never thought I'd experience outside of sexual intercourse."

Lycoris just looked at her along with Jason. Robin stubbornly remained unaffected and unashamed. Lycoris scooped some pudding onto her finger and licked it.

"Kinky," she said mildly. "I didn't know you were into BDSM. Or Angelia."

"And I didn't know you could fight."Robin said ignoring the Angelia part of the comment clearly trying to get something out of Lycoris.

"There's tons you don't know about me." Lycoris told the girl dryly, digging out some more pudding.

"Such as," Robin asked looking close to jumping up and down. So impatient, Lycoris thought dryly, but fondly.

"Jason you tell her, I'm hungry and pregnant." Lycoris ordered before focusing on her food. Jason chuckled and leaned over to a now scowling Robin. Jason and the Goth girl had an odd hatred/love/friendship/rivalry thing going on.

"Manhattan beat up a teacher, did ecstasy, was an alcoholic, got in fights, and threatened to kill Connelly. Oh, plus she was a dope head." Lycoris paused wondering how he knew about the last one, but shrugged it off. Jason always seemed to know things he shouldn't. She opened the second pudding and tasted it unsure of the flavor. Hm, peanut butter.

Robin stared disbelieving and looked towards Lycoris. When Lycoris didn't deny it, Robin made a noise halfway between choking and grunting. The girl didn't speak until the end of class, most of which Lycoris spent longing for more food. She'd already done this lesson, because the teacher liked her enough to e-mail the lesson plan. She'd decided to get ahead during her free time.

"You have ruined us Manhattan you are supposed to be the good one." Robin said solemnly as they left, Jason carrying Lycoris's bags for seeming to want to stay in the girl's good graces.

"I am the good one. Nowadays anyway." Lycoris said calmly. "Jason you're driving me home and to get groceries."

Lycoris left telling Robin to call her after track practice if she wanted to know about the Ivan her mother had seen.

"Damn I forgot." The girl growled as Lycoris left. Lycoris was smiling up until the moment Jason started to help her take in the groceries and she opened the door that lead into the kitchen. Inside was a black and blue Dallas, being gingerly taken care of by Canada.

"What happened?"