Can't Remember to Forget You

Leslie

this segment of the AU is based on the song above. lyrics will be scattered across the text in bold italics. i recommend listening to the whole song for better context, but the lyrics start/end in the song during 0:16-1:02. enjoy!

"Mama, where's Sister Krone?" Isabella smiled at her children, Phil still eagerly ringing the mealtime bell. It was, of course, a front. A way to tell her darling children that nothing was wrong, and that she loved them. "She had to go away for work. I'm afraid we might not ever see her again, but I'm sure she enjoyed her time with us." Phil ran off, ringing the bell, without a care in the world now that his question was answered.

Loved them. Ha! What a joke. 

It was easy to convince herself that she truly adored these children, that she loved them with all her being, but she couldn't. If she really loved them so much, she wouldn't be able to send them away to their death with a cheerful smile on her face. No matter how much she wanted to, she could never love these children. They were just quality sheep, ready to be slaughtered and seasoned for the rich, and she was the shepard. 

Isabella walked to the dining room, children either in their seats chattering excitedly for their dinner, or in the pantry gathering utensils and plates from the cupboards. Just like every, perfect day for her perfect children. She was the Mama of one of the very best farms, after all. Everything would be perfect, she would live on to be the most successful Mama, and her perfect children would become the perfect meals on golden platters.

Her children. They were never hers. Simply just demon food while it was still alive.

They would never be hers, not when they were destined to be handed off to death and misery.

They would die knowing their life was all a fabrication, and she was okay with that. For just a little longer, she would call them her own.

Oh, dinner was done. The older children had already started on the dishes, and Isabella was just running on autopilot. She had practiced the loving act she always put on, even when her mind was in another place. How wonderful it is!

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''~~

Isabella sat in her office, drying Jemima's hair and putting it into her nighttime braids, tight with thick, healthy hair. "Thank you, Mama! I look so pretty at nighttime thanks to you!" And with that, the last child was out. 

When it comes to you

Sister Krone was an obstacle that had been successfully removed. Now that she was gone, Isabella didn't have to worry about another person compromising her. Besides, the children didn't need another ally, even if she was doing it for her own motives. Please, Isabella saw this coming a mile away. The amount of praise and shameless lip-service was a dead giveaway. Although, could she really blame Krone? She had her eyes on a prize so far away, and was too focused on that to truly watch her surroundings. That was her only fault.

Isabella was so glad that Krone was gone for good, but why did she feel so much sorrow from her passing? 

Leslie wouldn't have approved.