"I'm so glad you and I have a chance to talk about things," Christine's mother, Renee, told Elijah as she let him into her house. "Christine told me you and she had a talk, and…" She trailed off when she saw Selina follow Elijah a minute or so later. "Would you go back to the car, please?" She asked. "This thing with our daughter is a private situation between your husband and me."
"Oh, no way," Selina shook her head. "If you think I'm leaving your single self alone with him, you are sorely mistaken."
"Elijah, would you mind?" Renee asked, gesturing.
"No, I won't," Elijah said firmly. "Selina is my wife and she needs to be part of this."
"Yeah," Selina nodded. "The needs of the actual wife take precedence over the wants of the one-night fling. Sorry!" Then she blew a raspberry in Renee's direction.
"I told you that you could come in with me if you acted maturely," Elijah remonstrated. "That's not maturity."
"You're right," Selina cleared her throat. "I apologize."
"Good," Elijah nodded. All three of them sat down then, with Elijah asking Renee, "Do you and Christine have any thoughts about what we should do now?"
"None that I can think of," Renee replied and took his hand. "But when I think of some, maybe the two of us can go to dinner and discuss them?"
"All right," Elijah nodded. "But I don't think it would be a good idea for us to have dinner alone. Selina, would you like to come too?"
Selina thought a moment: on the one hand, this really wasn't her business and it would be better if she stayed out of it because it would show that she trusted Elijah. On the other, she had a single woman who was very intent on snatching Elijah for herself proposing that they have dinner together, and who knew what sort of crap she would try and pull if not watched closely? Finally, though, she came to a decision.
"I don't need to come," she said. "If Renee is right about anything, it's that this is a matter between the two of you that doesn't need my input. So you two go out to dinner and make your arrangements, then Elijah can tell me about them when he gets home."
"Are you sure?" Elijah asked, feeling a little shocked. "Because we'd be more than happy to have you come with us."
"No," Selina shook her head. "This is a matter for the two of you to talk about, and it's really none of my business."
"Thank you for understanding," Renee smiled. "We might just be able to be friends after all."
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," Selina replied, giving her a very forced smile. "Civility is all you'll ever get from me."
On the night that he and Renee had chosen to go out, Elijah asked Selina one more time if she'd like to come with.
"Are you nervous that Renee will hit on you and want to use me as a chaperone?" Selina asked him. "Is that why you keep wanting me to come?"
"Of course not," Elijah assured her. "I'm completely confident in my ability to fend off any unwanted advances that she might make. But it hurts me to think of you sitting here all night and worrying yourself when you don't need to."
"That's nice," Selina told him. "But I'm trying to be more trusting and show that I'm as committed to you as you are to me, and I think this is a good way to start. So you just go along and do what you need to do, and I'll see you when you get back."
"All right," Elijah nodded, still not entirely convinced that her plan would work. "Whatever you say. You have a good night."
"Oh, I will," Selina called after him. "You don't need to worry about me."
"All right. I'll be back soon, I promise," Elijah told her and gave her a long look as if he didn't want to forget her face before taking her in his arms and giving her a long hug and a deep kiss and then striding from the house with the demeanor of a soldier going off to war.
Once the door had closed behind him, Selina tried to find ways to occupy herself so she wouldn't be thinking of Elijah being at a restaurant with another woman. She paced around the house restlessly, ripped a pillow in half, flipped TV channels for several minutes, and then finally called her and Elijah's eldest son Gregory (also known as the best substitute for her husband when Elijah wasn't around) and asked him to come over.
"Not that I wouldn't be happy to," he said. "But why? Are you and Father having problems?"
"Nothing is wrong, but he's at dinner with another woman," Selina got out. "I'll explain more when you get here."
"All right," Gregory replied, sounding a little tired. "I'll be there soon."
But when Gregory arrived, Selina was dismayed to see that he wasn't alone. He'd brought his wife (and Selina's archenemy) with him.
"What did you have to bring her for?" Selina cried when she saw Katherine's smirking face as she followed Gregory inside. "You said you would come alone."
"I said I would come," Gregory told her patiently. "The stipulation that I come alone was never made."
"Well, it was implied!" Selina said. "When it comes to her, you coming alone is always implied."
"Relax," Katherine told her. "I didn't come to cause trouble. What's this about Elijah going on a date?"
"It's not a date," Selina said sharply. "He just found out that he has another daughter to think about, and he and her mother are discussing how to handle it. That's why I didn't go. It's none of my business."
"And you wonder why you've lost men all your life," Katherine sighed. "It's cause you don't fight for them."
"I try, but Elijah's pointed out that the way I do it with him is annoying and I'm trying to better myself," Selina informed her.
"Well, isn't that noble?" Katherine asked.
"Yes," Selina got out. "I really think it is."
"But you've been having some difficulties, I see," Gregory picked up the torn pillow, watching as stuffing fell to the floor.
"Are you really that worried about Elijah straying?" Katherine wanted to know.
"Well, the part of me that thinks logically isn't," Selina replied. "But you know, the werewolf side gets territorial and just ruins things."
"This will probably sound weird coming from me, but I don't think you have anything to worry about," Katherine told her. "Letting Elijah handle this on his own probably made him have some respect for you. I know I told you that you didn't fight enough, but I was only teasing. You do what you think is right, even though I think you're wrong."
"Well, thank you," Selina nodded. "That's very good of you to admit."
"What's she like?" Katherine wanted to know. "The woman who's trying to steal Elijah away?"
"Now, Katerina, we don't know if she's trying to steal him away," Gregory said. "Don't start trouble where there isn't any."
"First of all, she's not causing trouble where there isn't any," Selina told her son as Katherine's words began to work her up again. "Any person with eyes could see that she wanted to get her mitts in him. She did a crappy job of hiding it, even when I was standing right there!"
"Seriously?" Katherine cried, standing up. "She did all that and you just let Elijah go out to dinner with her alone? Have you lost your mind? It's like I have to do everything around here! Get up and grab your purse. Do you know where they went? We'll take Gregory's car!"
"Okay!" Selina replied. "What should we do when we get there? And just so you know, the woman is an inactive werewolf. I'm not sure if that changes things any, but…"
"It means that if there has to be any taking down of her physically, you'll be the one doing it," Katherine got out. "You get me?"
"Yeah, I got you," Selina replied. Katherine then strode back to her husband and demanded his keys.
"Why can't you just take Mother's car?" He asked.
"Cause Elijah will recognize that!" Katherine cried. "He'll be less suspicious if we take ours. Can I have the keys, please?"
"Oh, all right," Gregory sighed. "But just let the records show that I don't think you're handling this the right way."
"And that," Katherine said, "is exactly why we're not inviting you to come with us."
With the keys in Katherine's manicured grip, she and Selina left the house, and a stunned Gregory looked out the window to check for the presence of flying pigs, cause that was the only way he could think of that his mother and his wife would willingly work together.
"So the plan is that Christine, following her agreement, will come and stay with me and my wife on the weekends," Elijah told Renee. "That's the deal?"
"I think it's a good way to start," Renee agreed. "Don't you? Unless of course, you were to leave your wife and come live with me. Then we could all be together as a family."
"I can't consider that," Elijah replied. "I'm happily married."
"Are you sure?" Renee asked. "Cause when we met, you didn't seem so happy."
"Well, now I am," Elijah replied. "I promise you."
"I'm sure I could make you change your mind," Renee insisted. "If you just…" She then let out a cry as she was yanked away from Elijah, thrown to the floor, and got Selina's heel in her back.
"Good job," Katherine praised her. "I wasn't sure you'd be able to do it."
"She was about to kiss him, so how the hell could I not?" Selina wanted to know.
"Good point," Katherine replied.
"Elijah," Renee got out in a pained voice. "What's going on? I can't see a thing!"
"You should be real proud of yourself," Katherine told her once she was able to look both her and Selina in the eye. "I've never even liked this woman and you have me working with her. Even my husband was shocked. Now, it's all well and good for me to try and steal Elijah from her, because I saw him first, but if you think you can just show up at her house and steal her husband because you have a kid with him, you're sorely mistaken. That's my job and I don't like being displaced!"
"How come you're not sticking your heel in her back, then?" Renee demanded of Selina.
"Cause I have to tolerate her for the sake of family harmony," Selina replied. "I don't have any obligation to do the same for you. Now, I understand that since Elijah fathered Renee, we'll have to allow you in our lives to a degree, but I will not tolerate you trying to steal my husband. Do you understand?"
"Okay, enough!" Elijah got up and helped Renee to her feet. "Don't I get to have a say in this?"
"It was her idea!" Selina said, immediately selling Katherine out. "I'm just the muscle!"
"But you agreed to go along with it," Elijah said. "I asked you if you wanted to come along tonight and you told me that you didn't need to. I'm very disappointed in you."
"Don't you talk to her like that!" Katherine cried, pulling Selina to herself. "Here is a woman who at one point was so mistrustful of men that she murdered a whole bunch of them. Tonight, she trusted you, and you decided to go out with a woman who was putting her lips and her grubby werewolf hands all over you. If we hadn't come when we did, she probably would have gotten you drunk and dragged you off to get married before you knew what was happening, and then you would have gone with it cause it was part of your honor code not to abandon a woman who's your wife. She stuck up for herself tonight and she didn't murder her rival. You should be proud of her. You should be begging her forgiveness. After all you've put her through tonight the last thing you have the right to feel toward her is disappointment. We're not leaving until you apologize."
Elijah noticed that everyone else in the restaurant was staring at them and whispering, so just to make them go, he apologized. Katherine didn't feel the first time was sincere enough, so she made him do it twice more until she was satisfied. Then she spit in Renee's drink and wished her and Elijah a pleasant dinner before ushering Selina to the bar to have victory drinks on her.
It wasn't long after Amanda and Viktor's breakup that Elijah invited him to join the family for dinner one Friday night.
"I have to thank you for doing this," he said as Elijah ushered him inside. "Alexandra was going out tonight and I wasn't looking forward to being alone."
"Oh, no problem," Elijah assured him, then turned and called for Amanda.
"What's up?" She asked when she appeared in the living room. Then her eyes widened when she saw Viktor and she made to leave, but Elijah stopped her. "Where are you going?" He asked. "Viktor came as a guest for dinner and I'd appreciate it if you'd entertain him while your mother and I got out and get groceries. Would you do that?"
"Oh, sure," Amanda nodded, knowing full well that she couldn't say anything else. "Okay."
"Good," Elijah nodded. "Thank you."
He and Selina left then, and when the door closed behind them, Amanda turned to Viktor and said, "So what would you like to do now?"
"Well, I don't know. We're in your parents' house, so I don't know if our usual activities are a good idea."
"Why not?" Amanda wanted to know. "They've left!"
"But I don't think they'll be gone for very long," Viktor pointed out. "We don't want to be caught in a compromising position."
"Daddy's always really picky about groceries and stuff," Amanda said. "Trust me, they'll be gone awhile. Enough time for a fun game, I think." She went and got some cards. "You any good at strip poker?"
"No," Viktor shook his head. "I'm afraid I've never played."
"It's not hard at all," Amanda assured him. She told him about the different hands, then dealt out the cards. "The loser of each hand has to remove an item of their clothing," she added with a wink. "That's the fun part."
Things were slow going for Viktor at first, and after five hands, he was without shoes, socks, and tie. Then Amanda lost a few hands, which was really good for Viktor since she wasn't wearing much in the first place (just a dress and some heels) so at the end of her third lost hand, she was already in her underwear.
"All right," He said as he stared at her. "I think I've had enough. Put your cards down."
"But we still have so many hands to play!" Amanda complained.
"I don't think I'll last that long," he said, crawling over to her, taking her in his arms, and unhooking her bra as he kissed her. "You get what I mean?"
They managed to go on for a little bit before Viktor realized that Elijah and Selina could be back any minute and that it wouldn't do to have them find him with his shirt off and his pants unzipped while he embraced their naked daughter. He ordered her to dress while he did the same, and when Selina and Elijah returned home, all they saw was Viktor and Amanda playing go fish as if nothing else had happened.
"Oh, my god," Christine said as Eva led her into Roxie's. "I'm so relieved to be here and away from all the overwhelming new relatives I have." She sat down at the bar and ordered a Coke, something that Roxie was more than happy to give her. Eva let her drink it and when it was gone and another one was ordered, she said, "Would it be a bad time to mention that you're related to Roxie here?"
"What?" Roxie asked. "What's going on?"
"Christine here is Uncle Elijah's daughter," Christine explained.
"Does my mom know about this?" Roxie asked.
"Yeah," Eva nodded. "She's still adjusting to the idea, though."
"Who's your mom?" Christine wanted to know.
"Ms. Warren," Eva explained. "She had kids with both your dad and my grandpa, and Roxie is one of the kids with my grandpa."
"Yeah, but don't worry," Roxie replied and pushed a shot of vodka in Christine's direction. "I won't force you to be chummy with me or anything. I'm just here to pour drinks."
"Actually," Christine replied, "You're probably one of the few family members I'm not the least bit terrified to get to know better."
"Well, isn't that interesting?" Roxie smiled. "Usually, I terrify everyone!"
"I bet you're exaggerating," Christine replied and took a swig of her drink.
"She is," Vince said, coming out of the break room and embracing Roxie from behind as he kissed her neck. "Well, now she is. But there was a time when that wasn't so true…"
"And yet you still liked me anyway," Roxie smiled, turned around, and kissed him. When they pulled apart, she said, "Vince, this is my new cousin Christine. Christine, this is my husband Vince."
"Hi," Christine waved. "I'm new to the family."
"I've been there," Vince told her. "It's not as bad as you think."
"I don't know," Christine replied. "Mom went out with Mr. Mikaelson to talk about when I was going to come stay with him and Ms. Warren and another one of his old girlfriends showed up at the restaurant and attacked her."
"Is that so?" Roxie asked. "Did she die?"
"No, Mom's fine, but it was a real shock to her," Christine replied.
"Mom must be really off her game if she saw your mom as a threat and kept her alive," Roxie mused.
"Or maybe your mother has matured," Vince suggested. "It happens to everyone."
"Do you think I should worry about Ms. Warren wanting to kill me?" Christine asked.
"No, you'll be fine," Roxie assured her. "It's your mother you'll need to worry about."
"Is she serious?" Christine eyed Eva. "Tell me she's not."
"I'd have to ask my Grandpa to be sure," Eva replied. "But I think she is. I'd watch out for your mom if I were you."
"Okay," Christine nodded. "I will."