"I don't know if we should move in together just because that guy said so," Margaret said. "He doesn't know my daddy."

"Well, look at you," Henry replied. "The woman who was so keen to get married and then tell her dad afterward is having second thoughts now. I don't know whether to be relieved or offended."

"I'm not trying to offend you," Margaret replied. "I'm just being practical. Daddy and Mom come home tomorrow and we have to tell them something."

"I'll talk to your dad," Henry replied.

"Are you sure?" Margaret asked. "You know, I could do it instead."

"No," Henry replied. "It has to be me. Your father will respect me if I ask him personally. Or at least I hope he will." He gulped nervously.

"Well, if you insist," Margaret replied skeptically. "Good luck!"


Elijah was surprised that Henry was the first person he saw when he and Selina arrived home from Paris. "Henry?" He asked. "What are you doing here? Am I going to like the answer?"

"No," Henry replied. "But you and I need to talk, please, sir."

"Just a minute," Elijah replied. He and Selina then went to their room and dropped the bags on the bed. "I know what he's gonna tell me!" Elijah said to Selina. "He's gonna tell me that he defiled Margaret!"

"Why do you always use that word 'defiled'?" Selina asked. "It makes things much worse than they already are. You didn't seem to have a problem with 'defiling' me before we were married."

"Well, this is totally different!" Elijah said through his teeth.

"At least give him a chance," Selina replied. "I bet it took a lot of courage for him to even approach you. And he's trying to do right by Margaret and you and not do things with her behind your back. Doesn't he deserve credit for that?"

"All right, fine," Elijah told Selina. "I'll go talk to him!"

"Remember to be gentle!" Selina called after him, even though she knew her suggestion wouldn't be heeded. Elijah headed back to the living room and upon seeing him, Henry, betraying his nervousness with only a slight leg shake, stood up.

"Come to my office," Elijah commanded and led Henry to his sacred space, closing the door behind them. "So," he said once they were both seated. "What gave you the courage to talk to me, Henry?"

Henry squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds, and prayed that he wouldn't show any sign of fear.

"Well, it shouldn't surprise you that I want to talk about Margaret," he said, locking his gaze with Elijah's. "I would like her to move in with me."

"No," Elijah said flatly you're not married. I won't allow it."

"Technically we are married," Henry replied. "I was disguised as Adam the day of Margaret's last wedding."

"Well, that was without my permission, so it doesn't count," Elijah replied.

"What's the point in asking for your permission if you and I both know you won't give it to me?" Henry asked. "I'm trying to be polite here. I want to do right by you and your daughter, but I think it's just bullshit that you won't even give me a chance, despite how polite I've been!" He was standing up now, and breathing hard, just waiting for how Elijah would respond.

Suddenly, Elijah jumped up and gave Henry a hard slap across the face. "How dare you?" He spat. "How dare you come into my house and speak to me like that!" And with those words, he bounded over the desk, his hands around Henry's throat for a few seconds before the young man disappeared. Elijah stared down at his empty hands in shock. Where had Henry gone? He didn't have to wait long to find out. Henry appeared again, a few seconds later, leisurely posed in Elijah's chair, sitting sideways with his legs draped over one arm and a smirk on his face. "Looking for me?" He asked with a chuckle.

Elijah let out a growl and made another dive, but Henry just disappeared again, his chuckle ringing out in the office walls as Elijah missed him and knocked the heavy leather chair to the floor.

Shaking his head, and gathering his composure, Elijah stood up, his head whipping around the empty room as he panted, hoping for another sight of Henry. The young man appeared next to a lamp, his blue eyes sparkling. Elijah missed him again, and knocked a lamp over, followed by an entire bookshelf. It was this last, thunderous crash that brought Margaret and Selina running to check on them both.

"My god!" Selina cried, looking around at all the overturned things in the once pristine office. "What the hell happened here?"

"Is anyone hurt?" Margaret asked.

"I'm fine," Henry replied, appearing again. "Although your father has looked better."

"Henry!" Margaret scolded, her hands on her hips. "What have you done to him?"

"He was trying to throttle me!" Henry replied. "That is apparently what honesty gets you in this house. I was only trying to defend myself."

"You tried to choke Henry?" Selina asked Elijah as he smoothed out his hair. "I told you to be gentle."

"But I didn't promise you that I would be," Elijah replied, getting his breath.

"How about we clean this up and then go have a talk like normal people?" Selina suggested. "Clearly, we can't trust you two to handle this on your own."

"No, no," Elijah replied. "We can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Elijah sighed. "We can."

But Selina and Margaret still looked doubtful and stayed where they were.

"Just go!" Elijah demanded irritably. "We won't talk until you do."

"Fine," Margaret replied. "But if we hear any more crashing, we're coming back and we're not leaving." They left and Elijah pushed up his sleeves.

"Are we having a fist fight?" Henry asked.

"No," Elijah replied. "But I would like to know why in the world you think I would allow you to marry my daughter."

"Because I love her and she loves me," Henry replied. "I would make her happy. You want her to be happy, right?"

"Of course I do!" Elijah replied. "But you hardly seem like the person who would make my daughter happy."

"Oh, and seeing with your own eyes that I make her happy isn't enough evidence for you?"

"Margaret hasn't been with many men," Elijah replied. "Or even one. And I have to wonder if her reaction to you is just some girlish whim rather than something that's suitable in the long-term."

"So you think that eventually she'll come to her senses, dump me, and marry someone like that Adam man you set her up with?" Henry asked.

"I made a mistake bringing Margaret and Adam together," Elijah confessed. "From now on, I'll let her choose her own boyfriends...within reason, of course."

"And what's wrong with me?" Henry asked.

"I seem to remember that in high school, you were quite the ladies' man," Elijah replied.

"I made all that up!" Henry cried. "It wasn't true!"

"But you felt you had a reputation to make, so that's why you spread rumors that you were a Lothario?" Elijah asked. "That was more important to you than anything else?"

"I was a stupid teenage boy," Henry replied. "But even then, I always intended for every part of me to go to Margaret. And now, with the body change, since she's not in a body that's related to me anymore, there's nothing that can stand in my way." He paused. "Well, except for you, that is. Think about it. You are the only person standing in the way of your daughter's happiness."

Hearing this, Elijah got up to open the door, then he yelled for his daughter.

"Yes?" Margaret asked. "Daddy, you didn't kill Henry, did you?"

"No," Elijah replied. "Not yet. I have to ask you: is he the only man who will make you happy? Are there no other candidates I could suggest for you?"

"No," Margaret replied. "I know that's not something you want to hear, but Henry is the man who will make me happy. There can't be anyone else."

Elijah sighed. "All right," he said. "Although I think your devotion is misplaced, if I can't change your mind, I have no choice but to go along with this folly."

"Really?" Margaret asked as she ran to hug Henry. "Thank you, Daddy!"

Elijah watched Margaret and Henry hugging, and caught Henry's eye for one last time. "I'll be watching you, Henry," he warned the boy. "I'll be watching you until you prove yourself worthy of being my son-in-law."

Henry inclined his head and then stood up, taking Margaret's hand. "Come on," he told her. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

"Yeah," Margaret replied. "I'm sure Daddy doesn't want his office destroyed anymore."

They left the office, shutting the door behind them as Elijah sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair and sighed in exasperation.


"You need to talk about Margaret and Henry?" Selina asked as she and Elijah prepared for bed that night. "Best to get it all out rather than keeping it bottled up inside you and letting it sit until you get so mad you explode."

"I can't say I'm happy," Elijah replied. "Do you honestly think he's the right choice for her since he's such a scoundrel?" He paused and gave a humorless laugh. "What am I asking you for? Your whole love life prior to me was scoundrels! You wouldn't be the best judge."

"Are you saying that I would let Margaret date an unsuitable man?" Selina asked.

"Why not?" Elijah asked. "You let Gregory turn into a werewolf and then set him loose on an innocent populace. You'll have to pardon me if I don't always trust your judgment."

"Well, if I make such bad decisions all the time, why did you ask me anyway?" Selina asked.

"Just to be polite," Elijah replied. "I know how testy you get when you feel like no one's asking your opinion."

Selina's jaw dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"I'm trying to say you're not the most stable person!" Elijah replied. "You make terrible decisions, and without my stable hand, you'd be a big mess! Without me to civilize you, you're nothing more than an animal who gets sexual arousal from being hurt!"

"Hey!" Selina yelled. "You don't see me mocking your sexual preferences, so why don't you lay off mine, all right? Now let's get to bed before you say anything else that'll piss me off."

"Fine," Elijah replied. "Let's."

Selina and Elijah went to bed angry, but his feelings changed when he woke up around three in the morning because Selina had let out a yell in her sleep. He opened his eyes and when they adjusted, he saw Selina thrashing in the blankets beside him, and, he could swear he heard her sobbing. Finally, he turned on the light and put his hands on her to try and calm her, but she punched him instead.

"Selina!" He yelled as he moved his jaw. "Selina, wake up!"

Finally, she went still, seeming to become more aware. She let him put his arms around her, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. "I had a nightmare," she said.

"I know," he said, wondering what she could have been dreaming about that was bad enough to make her cry. He ran his fingers through her hair. "You want to try and get back to sleep, or..."

"No," Selina shook her head and sniffled. "I think I need to go sit up for a bit. After that, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep again."