I made it back to the house in no time, in the living room was the family, huddled together to watch the tape that Allison had found. Luckily, I just arrived in time as the tape plays and everyone watches it carefully. I walk over to them, but stop at the two marble textured pillars, and lent on the first one. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Allison look at me with her gaze, though it wasn't an angry one. It was a soft, caring one as she must not be angry with me - which was a good sign.

"I mean, do you really think Mom would hurt Dad?" Vanya asks, taking her gaze to Luther.

"You haven't been home in a long time, Vanya," Luther replies to her question, locking eyes. "Maybe you don't know Grace anymore,"  I see Klaus eating his way through a bag of crisps, probably having the munchies with the drugs he's taken. Diego was staring at the tape like it was evidence and he was studying it.

"If he was poisoned, it would have shown in the coroner's report," Diego added but it sounded like he sang it a bit.

"Well, I don't need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes," Luther bickered back to Diego.

"Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision," Diego remarked, stepping closer to the VRC and pressing the button on it, as the tape on the screen began to rewind. "Look closer," he spoke, lifting his finger from the button as it plays once again. "Dad has his monocle. Mom stands up. Monocle's gone," Diego turns around and heads over to the table behind the couch. As the video played out as it should and showed us all that the monocle was gone.

"Oh, yeah!" Klaus announces with a chuckle.

"She wasn't poisoning him. She was... taking it. To clean it," Diego spoke as he stopped at the table and leaned on it. One of his knives in his right hand.

"Then where is it?" Luther asks, as he switches off the TV and turns around to face Diego. "No, I've searched the house, including all her things. She doesn't have it," Luther explained, but I see Diego out of the corner of my eye, looking down sort of guilty - maybe?

"That's because I took it from her," he began, lifting his knife up slightly, gesturing a raised hand. I see everyone come alive and alert as they turn to face him, but I just shook my head. "After the funeral," he added, but I should have guessed it was him.

"You've had the monocle this whole time?" Allison asks, her tone in disbelief. "What the hell, Diego?"

"Give it to me," Luther spoke at the back end of Allison's, his voice raised and demanding.

"I threw it away," Diego replied calmly like it wasn't a big deal.

"You what?" Luther was baiting his tongue as he was angry at him. I hear Allison scoff and raise a glass to her lips, taking a drink.

"Look, I knew that if you found it on Mom, you'd lose your shit, just like you're doing right now," Diego spoke as he stopped leaning from the table, and pointed his knife at Luther.

"Diego, you son of a bitch," Luther began to walk forward, ready to have another fighting match with him. Diego raises his fits ready to have a fight with them, but I came in between them both in an instance.

"Both of you, calm down," I cocked my eyes between both of them, a stern gaze held on my expression.

"Look, I know Dad wasn't exactly an open book," Vanya began as Diego lowered his arms, his eyes on our Sister. "But I do remember one thing he said. Mom was, very, designed to be a caretaker, but... also a protector," Vanya explained what Dad had told her one time, but I frowned crossing my arms over my chest.

"What does that mean?" Allison spoke before I could get a chance.

"She was programmed to intervene if someone's life was in jeopardy," Vanya went on as I didn't want to believe our own Mother watched our Father die.

"Well, if her hardware is degrading, then," Luther began, his eyes cocking between us all. "We need to turn her off," my mouth hanged agape slightly, as I couldn't believe he was suggesting that.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait," Diego began pointing his knife at his brother. "She's not just a vacuum cleaner you can throw in a closet," Diego rushes out, his voice raised as he didn't like the idea. "She feels things, I've seen it!" His voice was raised throughout as he cared for Mom as we all do, but Luther was acting in the best interest of us all.

"She just stood there, Diego, and watched our father die," Luther replied, his hand pointed to the screen.

"I'm with Luther," Allison was siding with him as it wasn't a surprise.

"Surprise, surprise," Diego turned to look at Allison over his shoulder.

"Shut up," she wasn't having any of it, because we all knew those two were close. Diego met eyes with Vanya, so did Luther, both were waiting for her response and waiting to see which side she was on.

"I-I don't--"

"Yeah, she shouldn't get a vote," Diego spoke, brushing Vanya off as he thinks she isn't a part of the family because she wasn't when we were little.

"I-I was gonna say that I agree with you," Vanya spoke, eyes locked with Diego.

"Ok. She should get a vote," Diego corrected himself, only because Vanya was off on his side. "What about you, stoner boy? What do you got?" Diego pointed to Klaus, his head twisting to see him leant against the pillar staring at us.

"Oh, so, what? You need my help now? Oh, 'Get out of the van, Klaus!'. 'Well, welcome back to the van," he was quoting form earlier in his day, making me knit my eyebrows together as he wasn't making any sense.

"What Van?" I asked, but he didn't speak a word to me.

"What's it gonna be, Klaus?" Luther scoffs before he spoke, his eyes now on Klaus.

"I'm with Diego, because screw you!" Klaus points to his brother, as Diego points back at him, happy that he went with his side. "And if Ben was here, he'd agree with me," Klaus was so sure about that, but if I knew Ben he wouldn't side with Diego. Just then, Klaus hisses out of nowhere, but I just shook him off. I felt eyes land on me, Diego was looking so was Luther.

"You both have valid points, but I can't side with either of you," I began, stepping back slightly, my eyes cocking between them. "I'm sorry, but I'm not voting on our Mothers life," I turned around and sat on the bench with pillows.

"So that's three. To two," Diego spoke using his right hand to have three fingers up and then two in his left.

"Vote's not final yet," Allison spoke up.

"What?" Diego cocks his head over to Allison.

"Five's not here. The whole family has to vote. We owe each other that," Allison spoke, as I nodded my head in agreement, as we did owe each other that.

"Right," Luther also agreed

"No, we should wait," Vanya agreed as well. They began to disperse within seconds, but I just lent back, resting my head on the back of the bench. I don't want to believe that our Mother had a hand in murdering our Father. When we were young she would love us, read to us, make us all dinner, it was like she was perfect. A perfect mother, a perfect women in general. But in fact she wasn't a human, just a robot made by our Father...

...........

*Thirteen Years Ago*

Gwen sat on her bed, crying her eyes out but little sound came from her. Her Father didn't like when they cried, and nor bothered with them when they did. It had been days since Ben passed, in her heart she knew he was never coming back. She held her pillow tightly in her grasp, not wanting to let go as she was feeling so much at the moment. It was always her problem that felt too much emotion. She buries her face into the pillow, weeping as the water works wouldn't stop and kept the volume of her cries to her bedroom. Unknown to her, Grace- their Mother had opened the door to see Gwen head first in the pillow.

"My little Evie," Grace's voice came softly to Gwen's ears, making her lift up from the wet pillow to stare at her Mother. Gwen's eyes were puffy and red, tears still free falling from her eyes and down her rosy cheeks. "I'm here," Grace spoke with such care and in a motherly way as she stepped into the room and came to sit on the edge of the bed. Gwen didn't waste time and wrapped herself around her Mother, squeezing her tightly for comfort. Grace let a few 'shh's' as she rubs Gwen's arm to generate more comfort. But she kept sobbing into her Mother's hold, not wanting to hold back the tears. "I hate to see you cry, and I wish I could ease that pain," Grace states moving her hand to Gwen's hair and softly caress the strands.

"I-I don't want to believe he's gone," Gwen managed to choke the words out between her sobs.

"I know sweetie, I know," Grace softly spoke as she didn't let up stroking Gwen's hair. Grace began to hum sweetly to her, trying to calm her daughter down. Within moments of sweet humming, Gwen began to slow her sobs down and tears stopped flowing. She was finding comfort in her Mother's sweet hums. Gwen never let up from the tight hug, and Grace did not stop her humming as both were finding great comfort in one another. The humming of Grace's voice at the last minute as Gwen was finally settled down and stopped weeping.

"Thank you Mom," Gwen spoke with a snotty nose and red eyes, but more of all she was sincere. Ben was always a good brother to Gwen and the rest, but they got on like no other. Now she was left alone, faced with the years to come. But for years Grace had always been there for her, and for her other siblings as well. It was the only Mother she really knew, and Gwen didn't care if it wasn't her real Mother. Grace showed them all the love and support that they needed, and truly, deeply cared for them...

....................

I sat in my old room, after reliving that memory of Mom, I needed some friendly reminder that she was our Mother still. Despite what the others currently think of her. I held a photograph in my hands, it was a picture of us all, in uniform wearing our domino masks and our Mother behind us, smiling widely. I could see the pride in her expression - but now I had my doubts if she was just programmed to be a fake Mother, that those feelings were just false and made up from wiring and a databank.

"Gwen you down here?!" Diego's voice rang out from behind my door, but it sounded faint at first, meaning he was walking down the hallway to our bedrooms. I smiled at the photo one last time, and stood from the edge of my bed, and placed the photo on it. I walk towards the door, and open it just in time to see Diego coming from the hallway.

"If you're here to lecture me, don't," I spoke straight off the bat as I didn't want to start a fight with him now. But he seemed slightly distracted with something else, he turned his head to the right, making me look down the hallway. My eyes widened as I saw two figures wearing suits and children masks, one were blue and the other pink, I couldn't tell what they were from down here. My eyes lowered to see they had guns in their hands, but before I could do anything Diego pushed me back with some force. Making me fall flat on my ass in my room as gunshots rang out. I see Diego run past my door, making me scoot backwards and waved my hand to the right as the door slammed shut on it's own.

I could hear gunshots some more but rushed footsteps and then a grunting sound, and something hitting metal. My door judders with a force of something, but I quickly shot my hand out, and held the door at by, as the footsteps began to run away, and fade from ear. My breathing was picked up as I stood up and waved open the door to see no one there. I rushed forward, my hands gripped onto the inside frame cocking my head up and down the hallway to see the mask figures nowhere to be found. Suddenly, I heard gunshots in the distance, further in the house.

"Diego," I spoke his name softly, as I ran through the hallway and to the main room of the house. I came over the balcony that oversaw the living area, I grip the railing and saw Diego perched in the nook of the couch as shots were fired rapidly. Just then the firing stopped, which gave me my chance. I took a quick deep breath and jumped over the railing, and landed on the couch flat. I rolled off from the couch and to my feet, just in time to see Allison fighting the guy with the blue children mask on, kicking him in the stomach and at his side. However, she was no match as he grabbed her by the throat and began to choke her. I rushed forward and jumped on the guys back, and used my elbow to hit the head of the guy. But as I hit his head with my elbow, the mask was metal and my elbow vibrated. I pushed through the pain and began to drag him back, but he grabs me by the jacket and flips me forward and onto the ground as he slams his foot down on my chest, but luckily my hands protected my chest as his foot landed on my palms.

"Let them go!" Diego raised his voice as he began to hit the guy in the side, before jumping on his back and hitting the arm that held Allison. Luther came in and barged the guy as he dropped Allison and stepped off of me, making me roll back into a handstand and back up on my feet as I saw Luther throw the guy through the doors and into the entrance way.

"Who the hell are these guys?!" Allison rushes out, slightly breathing heavily. As I rub my elbow as it was still stinging from the hit.

"Who are they here for, worries me the most," I rushed out as Luther, Allison and Diego's eyes met mine.

"You're welcome," Luther announces his eyes on Diego.

"I was doing fine,"

"Oh, yeah, you really had them--"

"Ever hear of a rope-a-dope?" Diego cuts in, but soon is quietened by the firing of bullets as they hit the fireplace, trying to hit Diego. I jumped back as I couldn't make it across the way due to the bullets.

"Gwen come on!" Allison yells over the firing. I came to the edge of the archway, peering my head over to see the female women in the pink mask shoot my way, making me jolt back. "Come on!" Allison yells again, making me prepare myself. I shot forward but my body was turned to the archway to the bullets that came. I flicked my fingers at the oncoming bullets as they froze in mid-air, but I didn't stay and stare at the bullets. I dashed across the other side and into Allison's arms as the bullets unfroze and went back to their normal speed.

"Get out of here now! Go!" Diego yells over the bullets, making Allison and I run through the secret door in the living room, it was like a fake bookshelf. But my thoughts went to Diego, praying to God he was ok...

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