Courtney liked having siblings. Especially older ones.
They were like super affectionate parents who let you get away with lots of stuff and were always sneaking her delicious things.
But among all of her siblings, she had a sure favorite from the moment that she was brought into the family.
*Creak!*
Courtney's bedroom door cracked open and she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her bed.
"...Did she buy it?"
Courtney cracked open one eye and stared up at her charming, purple haired eldest brother.
Beside him, there was a mature beauty with a slender body and long black hair.
The glow of her golden eyes and his red ones lit up her dark room better than her 'Jack Skellington' night light.
"Mommies were super concerned when I said my tummy was hurting at dinner, but they didn't make me eat a lot, so I'm good to go!"
"That's my baby sis!"
Apophis and Courtney exchanged a very routine fist bump before she crawled out of bed.
She then held out her arms for Tiamat who was standing beside him- invoking slight feelings of jealousy in her brother in the process.
"Sister-in-Law!"
"Hey there, little tyke. Did you miss us?"
"Yea! How long are you staying this time??"
"Oh, you'll have to ask your brother about that."
Courtney turned towards her brother with big eyes.
He glanced down at his watch and then checked his phone to ensure he wasn't missing any messages from a certain someone.
"I asked our sister to cover for me for a couple of days, so as long as nothing comes up, we should be able to stick around a bit."
Courtney leaned over to whisper in Tiamat's ear.
"How many is a couple..?"
Tiamat whispered back; "Three or four."
"Well which is it??"
"Alright, alright, alright." Apophis finally liberated his sister from the clutches of his wife and hoisted her onto his shoulders.
"Enough with all of this number talk. To the kitchen!" He pointed.
Courtney cheered with both arms in the air. "Hooray!!"
Together, the three left Courtney's room and headed straight for the kitchen in the children's wing of the manor.
Once there, Apophis placed his little sister on a stool at the bar so she could watch him work his magic.
Apophis wasn't just Courtney's favorite because he was warm, funny, and affectionate.
He was also the only one to let her watch the first thirty minutes of 'The Human Centipede' ... she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that though.
But the major reason why she favored her brother miles above everyone else was because he also had the pallet of a five-year old.
Meaning that he enjoyed eating and making the same terrible things that a child might delight in.
Some were wacky, some were colorful, and some were comically gross, but around 67% of the time he ended up hitting a home run.
And the best part about their secret culinary sessions was that he always snuck her out past her bedtime to partake in them.
Tiamat slid in the seat next to Courtney and the little girl finally noticed the two missing counterparts.
"Where are my other sisters in law?"
Apophis and Tiamat got funny looks on their faces and licked their lips fondly.
"They're just resting a bit, little miss. Your brother helped us with a very strenuous work out." Tiamat's cheeks were red as she tried not to get flashbacks.
"Really? Then why aren't you resting?"
"Erm..."
Tiamat had over 1,000 years on both of Apophis' other wives.
She recovered from those 'work-outs' a lot faster than Claire and Rita did.
"The jig is up, dear."
Courtney finally fluttered her eyes open. She groggily rubbed Seras' cheek like a professionally stage-trained actor.
"Mommy..? How did I get here..?"
"Christ."
Abaddon would've chuckled if he weren't worried about Courtney picking up some bad habits.
"Don't worry, we're not here to break up your little tradition." Abaddon dismissed.
"You know about it??" Apophis somehow looked shocked.
"My favorite child told me." He beamed with pride.
The boys glared at Gabbrielle.
"""Snitch."""
She merely shrugged harmlessly as if she couldn't be expected to keep a secret from their father.
"I'll tell you what.." Seras began. "We'll let this little culinary madness continue if you learn how to add something green to your menus."
Apophis opened his mouth to speak.
"No, green candies and jalapeños do not count."
Apophis closed his mouth.
He soon found himself grumbling under his breath. "Well that almost defeats the whole purpose..."
Abaddon chuckled and clasped his hand on his eldest son's shoulder.
"Well you can either do it, or I'll tell your mother that you're keeping your sister awake and jeopardizing her school performance." (Lailah)
A shiver ran down Apophis' spine. "...You're a shrewd negotiator, old man."
"Call it what you will."
While Apophis went searching in the fridge for something that had actually grown out of the ground, Abaddon and Seras sat down with their children.
"I'm surprised you two are up and about this late. I would've thought you would have taken out your teeth and hit the sack by now." Belloc joked.
""How about we hit the son instead??""
"I apologize for my outburst."
Abaddon and Seras rolled their eyes and returned to the matter at hand.
"Actually, I came bearing gifts for my diligent and kind children...But I forgot how little of you I actually had." He glanced at Gabbrielle.
"I am a tough act to follow, father." She nodded proudly.
"Yes you are, Peach."
The boys rolled their eyes while Courtney looked even more excited than she did when Apophis texted her the menu for the night.
"Gifts?? Are they toys??"
There was a replica 'Chucky' doll and plastic knife that she had her eye on for quite some time now.
"Honey, we talked about this. Your dad isn't allowed to get you anymore toys until you can learn your twos multiplication table." Seras denied.
"But I thought daddy said he was the most powerful entity in the multiverse and he could do whatever he wanted??"
"Oh?" Seras asked dangerously with a smile that was not a smile. "Did he now...?"
Abaddon felt his back begin to sweat and he quickly tried to change the subject to secure his safety.
"A-Anyway! I want you all to take your pick of these."
Waiving his hand over his chest, Abaddon pulled out fourteen glowing orbs from his soul; seven red, and seven golden.
"I was thinking that you all might like to have... hm?"
Suddenly, a few of the sins and virtues began to vibrate like they had minds of their own.
In the midst of him explaining, four of the orbs shot toward Apophis while he was dredging a pork chop in breadcrumbs.
Once the great powers entered his chest, he had no choice but to step back from the kitchen counter as his body was wrapped in a bright glow.
Seras had to cover her daughter's eyes so that she wouldn't go blind, but Courtney was still immensely amused.
"Big brother is a lightbulb!!"