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Bernadette sat at her vanity with her arms folded on top of it, her head sitting on them and her legs kicking. She was staring at herself in the mirror, pouting at the reflection of herself. More importantly, she was pouting at the giant thing in the middle of her face. Bern didn't even notice the maid that walked in to make her bed, tidy up her room and set out a new dress for her so she didn't just spend the day in her night dress. Stupid nose. Stupid, stupid nose. Why did she have to have such a huge nose? Everyone else had a normal sized one, one that didn't take up their entire face!

The maid left, bumping into Bethany on her way out and nearly dumping out the contents of the laundry basket she was carry. Beth frowned and picked up one of the skirts that managed to fall out, stepping around the older woman and walking in to check on her mistress's daughter.

...She was still sitting there staring at herself? Had she gone straight over there when she woke up this morning? She hadn't even brushed her hair! Bethany sighed and walked up behind Bern, picking up her hairbrush and beginning to work it through the orange haystack on Bern's head that was called 'hair'. "...Beth'ny?" Bern finally said after a few minutes of hair brushing, sitting up straight and staring up at the maid with the most pathetic eyes through the reflection of the mirror. Bethany blinked and stared back at her, clearly confused.

"Yes, Miss?" Bern took the brush out of her hand and turned around in her seat, sticking her lower lip out to further make herself look pitiful. Oh boy, what's she planning now?

"S'my nose too big?" Bern finally whimpered out, reaching up with both hands to poke at the bridge of her nose on either side with her index fingers, staring down at it and frowning. Bethany was taken aback by the sudden question. Bern had never asked this before, she knew the poor girl had obviously noted her nose was bigger than most but...yes...her nose was too big! But if she made Bern upset then Claudine would be upset. But she couldn't bring herself to lie! She was generally a very honest person! While Bethany was busy freaking out over how to answer Bern took the silence as her answer and pouted, hopping off her seat and walking across the room to her bed where a dress was laying in wait, changing out of her night dress into that dress instead.

"Only ugly old witches have big noses." This was said with a bit of finality behind it, like Bern was coming to some sort of conclusion. She wasn't an ugly old witch. She was only a little kid! It wasn't fair that she had to have this nose, so she'd just have to find a way to fix it. Bethany blinked and didn't fight her when the little girl took her brush out of the maid's hand, finished brushing her hair and walked out of her bedroom. Bern was going to find a way to fix this nose of hers! She just had to! Her first stop would be the library, running up the hall, up a flight of stairs, and down another hall until she finally reached the library. She pushed open the doors and peeked in to see if anyone was around, tiptoeing into the room and closing the doors behind her.

Let's see...would Cold Mommy even have books about magic in here? It was hard to say, but maybe she would? She had books about all kinds of myths and fairytales had recently been added to the collection for her! Bern hopped up set of steps to skip through the rows of books in search of something that looked like it could help her, softly humming a tune that Arianna had sung her to sleep to the night before. Bed time stories, fairytales, books on vampires...what was that book up on that high shelf? It looked old! And like it would have stuff about witches in it! But it was so high...ooh! There was a ladder over there! Bern grinned and hurried down to the end of the aisle to push the ladder back to there the book she was after was, staring up at the top...and gulping. That looked really high. Really high. Really, really, really high...too high...but...she wanted that book! And there was only one way to get it. So she took a deep breath in and climbed that first fateful step onto the ladder, clinging onto it for deep life as she slowly climbed up each rung of the ladder, whimpering ever so softly the higher she got. Don't look down! Don't look down! Don't look down!

When she finally reached the shelf that the book was on she gasped with delight and reached out to pull it halfway off the shelf and look at the cover. Yes! It was a book about witches and magic! Perfect! It was a really heavy book though; maybe if she just...dropped it...it would be okay. Bern continued to pull the book off the shelf until it fell to the floor, watching it land safely on its back cover. But it was so far down, Bern's eyes widened and she stared down at the distant floor. Oh no...it was so far down! And she was so high up! The little witchling whimpered and turned back to cling to the ladder for dear life, closing her eyes tightly and quivering with fear. This was a bad idea. A bad, bad, bad idea! Okay, now to slowly step down rung by ru—EEP NO TOO SCARY! Her foot had slipped on the next rung and she screamed and clung tighter to the ladder, whimpering even louder before crying out a loud "MOMMYYYYYYYYYY!" at the top of her lungs, crying louder after that. Too high, too high, too high! Claudine was at the bottom of the ladder seconds later, looking around for a moment to find Bernadette before looking up at the sound of her fearful sobs. How did she...how did she get up there?! The vampire frowned and pulled up the skirt of her dress enough to step onto the ladder, letting go of it to climb up after her daughter until she was able to slip her arm around the little girl's waist and hug her close.

"Come on now, darling, let go. Mommy's got you." That felt odd to say. Bernadette whimpered and opened her eyes, turning her head to look back at her mother before she let go of the ladder and the two of them slid down the ladder until Claudine's feet hit the floor, gracefully putting the frightened girl down on her own feet facing her and getting down on one knee in front of her. "Bernadette, what were you doing up there?" She cooed, wiping tears from Bern's cheeks until the little girl's arms were thrown around her neck and she was crying into her skin. Uh oh...um...she'd never done this before, what was she supposed to do? Claudine couldn't remember how to console someone! Hesitantly the vampire hugged her daughter, petting her hair and looking around for some sign of why she'd been so high up. That was when she spotted the fallen book and picked it up with the hand that wasn't petting her hair, taking a moment to read the cover before and furrowed her brow and looked at what she could see if Bern's face.

"I--I just--wanted th-the boooook!" She cried into her neck, clinging tightly to Claudine. The vampire sighed and cradled Bern in the crook of her arm, standing and walking out of the library with her daughter in one arm and the book in her other hand, heading up the hall, down the stairs and down another hall to Bernadette's room. She continued to whimper and hiccup the whole time, especially since Claudine walked slowly to keep from upsetting her again. Once they were inside her room and sitting at the edge of her bed, Bernadette snuggled into Claudine's lap and hiccupped one more time, looking up at her after a few minutes of being rocked and held. "M-Mommy?"

"Yes, Bernadette?"

"Is...my nose too big?" Claudine blinked and tilted her head, looking from Bern to the book and then back at Bern. Then she laughed and shook her head, putting the book on the bed and hugging Bernadette to her.

"No, no, no. Your nose is fine...if it makes you feel better, Mommy's teeth get bigger when she is hungry, or angry...or scared." She let go of Bern with one arm to lift one side of her lips for her to see one of her fangs. Bernadette gasped and sat up, reaching out with one curious hand to poke at the fang, which made Claudine jump and suddenly swat the hand away. "Sorry, just...don't put your hand near my mouth when they're big like that. Alright?" Bern nodded and climbed off Claudine's lap, picking up the book and hugging it against her chest. She was going to find a way to change her nose, and maybe even fix Cold Mommy's teeth!

"Can I keep it?" She hugged the book tighter and stared up at Claudine with pleading eyes, who smiled and stood, petting Bern's hair.

"Of course you can. You worked so hard to get it, just don't do it again." And with that Claudine kissed the top of Bern's head and walked out of the room, leaving Bern to squeal happily and climb onto her bed. This book must have some answer to her questions!

This all seemed rather silly to her. Claudine couldn't figure out why she was even considering Bethany's suggestion on keeping a diary...oh, right, she knew why; Arianna had agreed that it was a good idea as well. In truth Claudine did once have a diary, but that was many centuries ago and she had been alive. She was a completely different person now, she hadn't had anything worth writing down and remembering after her capture and forced change. She paused for a moment to glance at a picture of Arianna she always carried with her when the girl wasn't around, a soft smile spread over her lips and she shook her head. No, no, she had things she wanted to remember and look back on now. Claudine had Arianna, her dear sweet little songbird, and she also had Bernadette who was growing on her by the day. That settled it! Claudine would use the silly diary Bethany had given her. She sat down at a desk in the library and picked up a fountain pen, opening the front cover to find the front page that read,



with a space for her to fill her name There was a lock that kept the contents sealed, would it really matter if she wrote that this belonged to her when no one would be able to see her claim without forcing open the lock? Her finger tapped at the corner of the page as she pondered whether to just skip this part. "Hm..." Ah, what the hell.



After she had stated her claim over the diary Claudine turned to the next blank page.

January 31, 2009

I can't even remember how many centuries it has been since I last kept a diary, but I suppose better late than never. My life is so much different than it once was, and it only just now has been anything worth writing about. I was a noblewoman! A Lord's eldest and only daughter! Respected by all; if someone so much as looked at me in a manner I did not approve of my father could have them punished as I saw fit. But now? Now I have maids who pout and whine like children when I ask them to do the simplest of tasks.

But this new life I have had forced upon me isn't all bad. For instance, I will never grow old. I thought this to be a blessing, but recently it has become both a blessing and a curse...for you see, my lover and daughter will grow old.

Yes, I have a new lover. Arianna, my dearest little songbird. I have no doubt in my mind or my heart that she will not disappoint me the way he did. She actually makes me laugh and smile...real laughter and real smiling. After everything I went though I never thought such a thing to be possible. And she has the voice of an angel, which is good because even when I was human I was never known for having an incredible singing voice. She's an absolute angel both inside and out, and Bernadette just adores her.

Bernadette is my daughter, and she has been for some time. I found her in a pumpkin patch shortly before Halloween last year after witnessing two pumpkins spontaneously combust. For no reason whatsoever. I'm not exactly sure what compelled me to bring her home, perhaps Ari has softened me, but I have been caring for her with the help of Arianna and my maids ever since then. She's a very sweet girl, very full of life and open to all ideas. And she has met so many children already! At one point she began to ask me if it was odd that she didn't have a sibling like every other child she had met. Even 'Nice Mommy' has a brother; she calls Arianna 'Nice Mommy' while I get the...honor of being called 'Cold Mommy'...I do hope it is because I feel cold to the touch, for I have never been emotionally cold towards her.

She did meet a boy (I still don't believe he is truly a boy) that deemed her his sister, so she claimed him as her brother. I've always been an only child so I personally have never seen the novelty of having a brother or sister. However, if it makes Bernadette happy...since I cannot just give her a brother or sister. It is impossible for me and Arianna would have to sleep with a man. I don't share well.

Other than that life has been fairly pleasant. Although Bern has been having some issues lately with her nose. She believes it to be too big and that it makes her ugly, which I don't agree with. She's very precious, I need to find a way to take her focus off her nose and raise her self-esteem. Her nose isn't as bad as she is making it out to be. The other day I had to rescue her from a ladder here in the library. She was trying to

"Lady Claudine? Are you in here?" Bethany's voice startled Claudine and interrupted her train of thought. She sighed and looked up to find Bethany standing behind Bernadette, her orange hair was braided into two sections so it wouldn't be a mess to brush in the morning. And judging from the way she was dressed it was obvious she was ready to go to bed. Claudine smiled and set her pen down to turn in her seat and reach out for a hug which Bern readily accepted and nuzzled her face into her mother's neck. The woman smiled and kissed the top of Bern's head, gently twirling a braid around her finger.

"This is a goo look for you, you know. Sleep well, dear. Arianna's coming to stay this weekend." Bern beamed up at Claudine.

"Okay, Mommy! Good night!"

"Good night, Bernadette." Claudine let go of her daughter's hair and watched her skip on ahead of Bethany to head to her own bedroom. Claudine turned back to her desk and picked up the pen to finish writing.

retrieve a book on witchcraft. I do worry her priority on practicing magic is to do something about her nose...but I'm sure I can find a way to change her mind before she does something dangerous and hurts herself.

She really is growing to be lovely in her own way.

A Tale of Two Noses

It was a day like any other, at least one where Claudine was without her dear Arianna and so she was incredibly...bored. Bernadette had been dragged out of her studying by Lucille to have a tea party with her, a few maids and Gary much to her dismay. She had been becoming more and more bookish lately, though only with books about magic...and fashion magazines. It had struck her as a bit random but when she thought about it it really all made sense; Bernadette was very conscious about her appearance for some reason, she was beginning to blame herself for it what with her constantly spoiling the girls with pretty dresses and the like. There just had to be something she could do. Something, anything, to cheer her up about her nose issues. Children shouldn't have such problems, they were children, they should be happy and having as much fun as they possibly can. There had to be something. There had to be...but what? Claudine sighed and draped herself over the arms of a chair in her bedroom, staring up at the ceiling with her arms folded behind her head and one leg crossed over the other, one of her legs bouncing as she thought hard on every possibility. The obvious things came to mind, of course. A nose job, perhaps? No. No, definitely not. Parents who buy their children cosmetic surgery were disgusting. She'd tried the 'Everyone has something they don't like' route already and it had only lasted a few days. What could she do? Distract her from it? But how does one distract a child from the fact that their nose is quite large? Claudine could not deny the fact, but she saw nothing wrong with it. It was an endearing distinguishing feature, something that made Bernadette stand out even if she did not understand it in any way but negative. Perhaps...she needed to show her people who liked their large noses! Claudine gasped and sat up, sinking off the arm of the chair to sit on the cushion. She had it! And she knew just what to do! She pushed herself out of the chair and stood on her feet, smoothing out her dress and glancing back at the windows covered with heavy drapery. What time was it? She would check but what if there was light and she burned herself?

...She should probably invest in a clock in this room.

Claudine grabbed a thick black coat and put it on, tying the belt around the waist after she had fastened the buttons up to her neck. If it was light out she would need to cover herself. What a hassle. She walked out of the room as she pulled a pair of black gloves on to cover her hands, looking around until a maid passed her with a fresh tray of cookies for the tea party in Lucille's room. "Trisha, what time is it?" Claudine asked simply, interlocking her fingers together for a moment to push the fingers of her gloves down. The maid, Trisha, blinked and held the tray carefully in one hand to check a pocket watch all of Claudine’s maids were required to wear.

"It is seven o'clock, m'lady. The sun set an hour ago." She told the vampires happily, to which she nodded and sighed with relief. She would be fine going out like this.

"You may go." Claudine waved her off, stepping around the other woman to head down the stairs. "If the girls ask, I am merely running an errand and will return shortly." She called out before she was out of sight. Once outside she breathed in deeply and actually smiled a real smile, staring up at the night sky. It was always nice to go out like this. Though there was something she would have to take care of first before she could go into a store for what she needed, but it was quick and easy for her these days. So, humming a soft lullaby, she pushed open the front gate and wandered off in a random direction away from her home to find herself a meal. About an hour later she had made her way to a shop that she had noticed wasn't often filled with a crowd of people; it was a small hobby shop that she was sure would have the item she needed to make her point to Bernadette before she sent her to bed. The old man behind the counter seemed surprised when he saw the pale (Yet flushed and looking fairly satisfied) woman walk through his front door and look around the store. It wasn't the fact that she was a woman, more the air of regality and superiority that she seemed to give off as she nodded in acknowledgement to the man and disappeared silently into the aisles filled with knick knacks and random curious items. What was a woman of her apparent stature doing in his tiny little shop?

Now where was it...he just had to have it. She had seen a pair of teenagers walk out a few nights ago wearing a pair of these and laughing idiotically. Claudine carefully scanned the shelves, intent on finding what she needed and get home as quickly as she could before she sent her daughters to bed too late. Ah ha! There it was! She plucked the package off the shelf and turned on her heel to return to the front and pay for the item. Ugh, why could the owner not have been a woman?

"Will that be all, ma'am?" He asked cheerfully as he took the package and ringed it up, putting it in a bag for her. She nodded, not saying a word. She could be civil without having to speak to him! He took the money she handed him, though she would never admit that she gave him a bit more than she actually needed to.

"Keep the change." She simply said, taking the bag and walking out of the store without another word. There, she had supported his little shop and even given him a nice sum of money without anyone being none the wiser. Not a soul aside from them would know of it either. Though perhaps Arianna would be proud? Hm. She tucked the bag into the pocket of her coat and continued on her way back in the direction of home, though not without making another stop to a video store to purchase a few copies of certain movies. She was home soon after, removing her gloves and tucking them into her free pocket. The maid from before she left passed by carrying a basket full of laundry. "Are they in bed yet?" Trisha paused, shaking her head.

"The tea party ended though. Bern went to her room to study, Lucille is waiting for you." Claudine nodded, heading up the stairs to put Lucille to bed first. After tucking her in and giving her a kiss on the forehead she said good night to her...and Gary, flicking on her nightlight and unwrapping the package as she headed down the hall to Bernadette's room. She knocked on the door, her brow furrowing with concern when she got no answer. What? Why was there no answer? Claudine let herself in then, remaining silent as she gazed around the room until she saw Bern sitting on her bed with her nose in the book so to speak. She didn't seem to notice her mother's arrival yet, so Claudine took this chance to remove her coat and fold her hands behind her back with the item in her hands. She cleared her throat, getting Bern's startled attention as she girl jumped and closed the book in surprise. Oh! It was just Momma.

"Hi, Mommy." Bern smiled, putting her book on the night stand beside her and climbing under the covers as per their routine. Claudine smiled, stepping up to the bed and reaching one hand out to pet at Bern's pretty orange hair.

"Hello, darling. How was the tea party? Lucille said she enjoyed having you there." She sat down at the edge of Bernadette’s bed beside the girl, keeping the hand that was holding the item very carefully hidden. This got the girl curious. Mommy only sat with her when she had something she wished to discuss! What was she hiding?

"It was fun. We had real tea, and Trisha made us cookies! Bethany made little tiny sandwiches. They were good too." Though not as good as the cookies by mere principle. Cookies would always triumph over finger sandwiches. Claudine chuckled, pleased to see her daughter happy. She was rather surprised by Bethany joining in on the fun instead of fretting over Claudine's every action; she would let it slide this once.

"I am happy to hear that. Did they tell you I needed to run an errand?" Bernadette nodded. She and Lucille hadn't questioned it; usually an errand meant she was hungry. "Good, good. I stopped and bought a few things for you." Claudine smiled, tilting her head a bit. "But first, a story." Bernadette gasped delightedly and leaned closer to her mother. A story? Wow! She wanted to hear it! "You see, in the early twenties until the early seventies there was this man by the name of Groucho Marx. Admittedly, I was also a bit of a fan while he was popular in theatre and television."

"Whoa! A man? Really, Mommy?" No way! Claudine hated men! She nodded.

"He was amusing. But that is not the point. He was, and still is, best known for certain features which he proudly portrayed. Would you like to see?" Bernadette blinked, unsure as to what the point of this story was. Did she want to see? Well...sure! She nodded, very curious as Claudine nodded in return and turned away. Her hands lifted to put something on her face, pulling her hair back out of her face before she cleared her throat. Oh, if Claudine could blush her face would be very red right about now as she turned to Bernadette wearing the most ridiculous thing she could possibly put on. It was a pair of the well-known 'Groucho glasses' complete with the big nose and fuzzy mustache. Bernadette blinked and just stared, unsure of how to react. Was...was Mommy making fun of her? No! She couldn't be! Could she? But...Mommy wasn't like that! She had said this man was...proud? But now that she looked at the whole picture she couldn't hold back the tiny giggles that bubbled up and escaped her, covering her mouth with both hands as they grew to full laughter. She looked so funny! Hahaha! Oh boy! She never in a million years would have ever imagined her mother, the refined Lady from an era of royalty and nobles, wearing something as silly as that! It was so funny! Haha! Claudine smiled and continued on as if she wasn’t wearing a plastic face. "You see, Bernadette, Groucho Marx had an enormous nose. He also intentionally added grease to his mustache and his eyebrows to give the illusion that they were larger and bushier than they really were. However, he was proud of the way he looked. He was loved by everyone who saw and knew him." She pet Bernadette’s hair again, keeping the glasses on for as long as the girl wished. "Do you understand what I am saying, Bernadette?" Bernadette was still laughing, nodding her head. She understood. Mommy was trying to help her with her nose issues again. Everyone was always telling her she was pretty, but she figured they merely said it to make her feel better. But...for Claudine to go to this extent to make her happy? Maybe they really did mean it after all! She took the glasses off her mother, staring at them for a moment before she turned them around and put them on herself. Claudine laughed this time, tapping the plastic nose and smiling.

"You look beautiful, Bernadette. You always have." She leaned in to press a light kiss against Bernadette's forehead, standing up as Bern snuggled into her covers and pulled her Edward Elric doll closer to her with the glasses still on.

"Thank you, Mommy." Bernadette said sincerely. Claudine nodded, taking the glasses off her daughter and setting them down atop the book she had been reading. "Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"...Can we go dress shopping tomorrow? Just us?" Claudine blinked, a bit surprised by the request.

"Of course, we will do whatever you like. But you need to go to sleep first, alright? We will go tomorrow evening."

"Okay, Mommy...I love you!" Claudine, who had picked up her coat and made her way to the door by then, paused at that and stared at Bernadette with surprise. No one but Arianna had ever said that before...had her head been beating it would have stopped just then. She smiled warmly.

"I love you too, Bernadette. Good night, ma cherie." Bernadette nodded and Claudine flicked off the light, closing the door after she had walked out of the room and sighing. She put a hand over her chest where her heart once beat, looking back at the door with a warm smile. Maybe being a mother wasn't so bad after all...