Alainn had been waiting for a black-robed visitor to come take her waste of a son away, but had been disappointed thus far. She was even more irritated when she heard a familiar voice from in front of their house.
"Mother!" called the voice. "Your loving son has returned to spend some quality time!"
"Things are about to change between us, mummy dearest," he called.
As Alainn came out, she smirked at her recently disposed heir. "Well, you managed to stay alive and to finally do something with your hair. At least you'll look decent for your own funeral."
"Perhaps you're a bit overconfident, mother?" posed the former heir.
"It seems that you've managed to become at least vaguely confident since I got rid of you."
He smiled and replied, "I've become more than just confident..."
"I've become a distraction," he said as his uncle emerged from the door.
"And a darn fine distraction you are, Alphin," confirmed Breagadoir. "He got you out of your home, which we all know you use as your tower: the seat of your power. You're weaker out here."
"What. Are. You.
Doing. Here?" asked Alainn, trying to control her anger.
"And hello to you, sister," laughed Breagadoir. "We arrived some time ago to rescue my poor, neglected nephew." He then added, with a biting tone, "Seems you'd treated him as poorly as you treated my son."
Meantime, inside the house, Harlequin was introducing herself to Alahna.
It was a smashing good time.
Outside, Breagadoir demonstrated to Alainn just how much stronger his magic was.
And Surtr dealt with Nieve's attempt to rush to mommy's rescue.
And then Harlequin spread more flames inside of the home...with an unconscious and bound Alainn and Alahna trapped inside.
Alphin got to play the role of super hero daddy as he whisked young Seamus away from the burning house.
"Well, now that we've taken care of things here, let's go help young Alphin with his other issue," said Breagadoir with an evil grin.
So, as the sun began to rise, Breagadoir, Harlequin, Alphin, and young Seamus arrived at the Best household.
"Stay with Auntie Harlequin, Seamus," Alphin told his son.
"I'll teach you to make something cool," his auntie told him.
"Is it a toy?" he asked excitedly.
"Oh, I think so!" she responded enthusiastically.
While she taught him to make, and play with, fire, Alphin and Breagadoir approached the front door.
"Here's how you get someone's attention," Breagadoir told his nephew.
Indeed, the household came running to deal with the fire.
With the fire extinguished, Mandy began addressing everyone.
"Mother, I think you should know whose baby Shanda is carrying," she announced.
"What?!?" blurted a shocked Shanda, who had been staying over under the guise of merely being a family friend who had recently separated from her husband (whom Mrs. Best had assumed was the baby's father).
Shanda was far less popular with the Bests after Mandy revealed the truth, complete with a recording of the conversation where Shanda told Evan he was going to be a father. Mandy then explained how her account to her father about Alphin's impropriety had simply been a ruse to get him out from under his mother's eye.
While his wife laid into Shanda, Evan decided to make a hasty retreat into the house. Breagadoir decided to cast a pestilence curse on Shanda before dealing with Evan.
Discomfort for her, but no harm for the baby. Evan, on the other hand, would having something longer lasting for the "happy couple" to share.
The elven prince managed to corner Evan as he was trying to hide upstairs.
The haunting curse brought this:
"Well, hello there, handsome," the ghost of Kimberly Durk greeted Breagadoir.
"Hello yourself," he replied. "Would you be kind enough to haunt this man and his mistress for the rest of their days?"
"Oh, I'd be delighted to," she replied, as she and Breagadoir stared down the police chief.
Breagadoir had held up his side of the bargain, now it was Alphin's turn.
Alphin had been promised the revenge he desired in exchange for taking the heir to the next town prior to the completion of his lifetime wish. This act would invalidate Alainn's line from consideration in the competition. Since Alphin was the one removing the heir, the rules of the competition could not hold this act against Breagadoir.
As long as he had his beloved Mandy and his precious Seamus with him, Alphin didn't care about the competition.
This was his chance to have a real life. To no longer simply be his mother's pawn.
This was his fresh start.
