Finn was surprised to see that even a few days after she'd gotten the news about her biological father, Daisy was still upset, although of course she didn't want him to see.

"Are you gonna talk to me about this now?" He asked her at their locker. "You can, you know. You don't have to hold it all in."

Daisy scoffed. "You want me to talk to you and share my feelings?" She spat. "And then stand around with you and sing "Kumbaya"? You're not interested in my feelings. Don't pretend."

"I'm not pretending!" Finn replied. "I know how you feel. I found out that my parents weren't my real parents too, and it was…it was really jarring. You grow up thinking one way about your family and then with just a few words, your whole world changes."

Daisy gazed at him long and hard to see if he was making fun of her, but as much as she wanted to, she couldn't detect any mockery or insincerity in his face. He really did look concerned. She sighed and said, "Yeah, it's been tough. I…I still can't bring myself to talk to my parents yet. Clarissa took it a lot better than I did." She paused. "Do you think I'm being stupid? That I don't have any right to treat them this way?"

Finn shrugged. "I'm sure they know that the news is a big shock for you, so they understand you wanting to keep your distance and figure things out." Just then the bell rang. "I gotta go," he told her apologetically. "But I'll meet you back here after class if you'd like to talk more."

"Okay," Daisy got out, to his surprise. "You promise you'll be here? You're not just messing with me? I'm kind of vulnerable and I don't want to be messed with anymore."

"I promise," Finn told her firmly. "I will be here for you. Trust me."

"You better be," Daisy said with narrowed eyes before they went their separate ways and didn't look back at one another.

She was really surprised when she arrived back at her locker after class and found him standing there waiting for her just like he promised. "You're here!" She got out. "I really didn't think you were gonna keep your word."

"Well, that's the thing about me," he told her with a smile. "When I say I'm gonna do something for someone, I do it."

"Even if they treat you badly?" Daisy asked, a faint rose flush coloring her cheeks.

"Yes," Finn said and took her face in his hands. "But I really hope that this meeting improves their opinion of me to the point where I don't have to worry about them treating me so mean from now on."

"I don't know," Daisy said as his lips moved closer and closer to hers. "We'll see."

Then he kissed her. She thought he would realize immediately what he'd done and push her away, but he didn't. He kept going until her body was warm and tingly. When he let her go, he was smiling and her face was scarlet.

Not wanting to let him know how much she'd enjoyed his kiss, she looked down at the ground and spat. "Why did you do that?" She asked. "You…you're gross!"

"Look me in the eye and say that," Finn countered. He was grinning widely and she knew it.

"I can't," She replied.

"All right," Finn sighed. "I'll leave you with your dignity intact."

"Thank you!" Daisy said, looking up now. She grabbed his arm as he began to walk away, her dark eyes blazing as she gave him a good hard slap. "See you later," she said and then strode away, hoping that he wouldn't hear how hard her heart was beating.

While Finn was dealing with Daisy, Molly was having a much better time with Adrian. She loved waking up next to him in the morning and zapping them both breakfast in bed before she got dressed and left for school, and was even okay with saving some bacon for Rusty.

"Are you ever gonna get tired of this?" Adrian asked one morning as he kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry," Molly apologized sarcastically. "Would you rather walk all the way to the kitchen for food?"

"No…" Adrian shook his head. "That part is good. I just…I wonder if you want me to do something for you once in a while."

"Ah," Molly nodded and stabbed into her over easy eggs, feeling an odd pleasure as the yellow goo oozed out of the white. It was like watching the egg bleed. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and put a hand on Adrian's thigh. "Would you go get me some blood, please?" She asked.

"Of course," Adrian nodded. He'd been getting up to do that anyway. He recognized the look in her eyes. "I'll be back in a minute." He was half way to the kitchen before he groaned and stomped all the way back. "I'm such an idiot," he told Molly as he got in bed next to her again.

"Yeah, you are," Molly agreed. "Why don't you have any blood?" Her face changed again. "I told you that I need it."

"Then take some," Adrian told her. "I'm full of it, remember?"

Molly paused and smiled, her lengthened fangs making her look both fiendish and extremely attractive in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked. "You know I can get carried away sometimes."

"I'm sure," Adrian replied as she took him in her arms and began nibbling gently on his neck. "Go to town. I don't care."

He then grunted as she bit deeply and began drawing blood from him, and when she finally lifted her head up, her chin was red.

"Sorry," she hissed. "Did I take too much?"

"No," he shook his head. "But you got some on your mouth. And your lips." He gently began to wipe the blood off her face as her eyes moved back to normal. He would have licked it off, but since it was his own blood, that would have seemed a bit strange.

"Thanks," she said after he told her she was clean and her head rested on his bare shoulder. "Have I told you that you taste really good?"

"Oh, yes," Adrian nodded. "In more ways than one." He looked at the clock on the bedside table and rolled his eyes. "Damn," he said. "You have to go to school now. You don't want to be late."

Molly growled. "I hate damn school. I'm practically an adult. Why do I even have to go?"

"So you can be super powerful and stop your birth parents from the destroying the vampire race as we know it," Adrian answered as he watched her dress. "That's a good enough reason, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Molly nodded as she pulled her jeans on and zipped them and Rusty played with her jean cuffs. "But I would still rather be here with you."

Adrian chuckled. "That's so nice. Do you know if your dad is gonna stop by today?"

"I don't," Molly shook her head. "But we should always count on it anyway."

"Have a good day," Adrian called as she left his room and went to get her keys. "Learn lots of stuff. Don't let my extreme handsomeness distract you."

"I'll try not to," Molly called. "But it'll be hard."

"So…how are you crazy kids doing today?" Kai asked when he knocked and Adrian answered the door with Molly at his side. "You're dressed. That's nice to see."

"Yes, well, we never know when you're gonna pop in," Molly said and pursed her lips. "And we don't want to scar you for life. You've got enough problems with Grandma wanting to live at the house and everything. Where is she now?"

"Oh, I don't know," Kai replied. "But this is the best place for you to be right now unless you want to be grilled about your love life."

"I can talk about it," Molly said resolutely as Rusty toddled in and gave a bark so she took him up on her lap.

"You might want to talk to Finn about how it goes before you agree to be interrogated," Kai told her. "Cause it really didn't seem like he was enjoying himself. And once she meets Adrian, she might decide on another match for you. She already knows who he is and doesn't even want me near him."

"Is she one of the people that we have to kill in this war thing your uncle Malachai thinks is coming?" Adrian asked. "Cause that sounds good to me."

"No," Kai groaned and came to sit down on the sofa. "She's on the good side now, apparently, since John's dumped her to have some relationship with an aunt of yours who's turned against your family. Knowing my mother as I do, I think it was a smart move and I applaud him for getting out of her clutches and moving onto someone else."

"So we just have to sit around and let her control our lives?" Adrian sighed. "That sounds like fun."

"No, we don't have to do that," Molly assured him. "And even if she does try and worm her way into our lives and says she doesn't like you, it doesn't matter. My goal in life is not to please her. I want to be with you. You're enough for me. That's it and tough luck for her." She then looked apologetically at Kai.

"You probably didn't want to hear that," she guessed.

"Oh, no," Kai shook his head. "That's fine. It's better than listening to Mother complain about John and his girlfriend any day of the week.

"You want a drink?" Adrian asked his friend and stood up.

"Yes, please," Kai nodded. "In fact, I'll come with you. Just us guys in the kitchen talking about guy stuff."

"And will you get me a Coke?" Molly asked.

"Oh, all right," Kai told her. "But at least let me have a few minutes with my friend before you make everything about you."

They strode off and Molly sighed. Yep, despite the fact that she would always think of Kai as her father, he was definitely beginning to act more like a brother now.

"You're gonna teach William how to control his fire powers?" Helene asked her father as they both sat in the kitchen of her parents' house.

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "Lucy put the idea forth and I thought it was a good idea. You can't let the boy live in fear forever. And you can't be afraid of him for the rest of his life either."

"Oh, I understand," Helene nodded. "And I think it's a good idea, but…do you know what you're getting into? I don't know if you do."

"Okay, dear, you do remember the man I was attached to at the hip for more than half a century, don't you?" Alistair reminded her. "Klaus is more dangerous and predictable when angry than William will ever be. I'm happy to take the risk. And maybe sometimes you and Malachai could come and help me? It would be good for him, if you could find the time."

"All right," Helene nodded and squeezed her father's hand. "We'll do that."

Malachai, Helene, and Lucy were all there the next day when William had his first lessons with Alistair, something which surprised William himself.

"What are they all here for?" He asked in amazement as they trooped into the room and sat down.

"They came to encourage you with your lessons," Alistair replied. "I thought that would help. Unless you don't work well with an audience. Then I can send them away."

"No, I can handle it," William replied. But despite his words. Alistair could tell he was nervous. This was good. As he tried to get his breath, a small flame shot out of his finger. It didn't hit anything, but Helene gasped nonetheless.

"That's okay," Alistair whispered as he came up behind William, who had tensed at the sound of his mother's voice. "In order to get anywhere with this, we have to get you worked up. You're doing fine. It's not your fault. Now think about Lucy. Think about Lucy and Damon."

William shut his eyes and his hands balled into fists. Then he began to make angry grunting noises and soon, his whole body was enveloped in flames.

"Don't scream," Malachai whispered to Helene, who looked terrified. "Whatever you do, don't scream."

"What happens now?" Lucy asked Alistair as William continued to burn with no end in sight. "How do we bring him back?"

Alistair looked troubled. "I may have pushed him too far. Can you do something, Lucy? Talk to him. Maybe that'll snap him out of it."

"William!" She called. "William, stop. It's okay! I love you. You don't have to worry about Damon anymore."

Her words echoed in William's ears and soon he felt himself beginning to calm down and before long, he stood in the office a young man and not a scary wall of fire.

"I'm sorry," Alistair apologized, putting a hand on his grandson's shoulder as Lucy ran up to hug him. "I didn't mean to push you so far."

"It's all right," William said. "Like you told me, if we're gonna control this, I have to let myself experience it, don't I?"

"Let's have that be enough for today, shall we?" Alistair asked after clearing his throat. "And if you don't entirely hate me, maybe we can have another lesson next week?"

"Sure," William nodded. "I think I would like that."

"I'm so proud of how you handled yourself at your lesson today, especially when Alistair brought me and Damon up. I know that thinking of me and him is difficult for you."

William nodded. "But you have to admit, it's a good solid way to get me stirred up."

Lucy chuckled then and came to put her arms around him and gave him a kiss. "I think I want to reward you for all your hard work today."

William smiled. "If it's the reward I think it is, aren't you worried? Cause you know that arousal brings fire too, and you'll burn up, won't you?"

"I'm not worried," Lucy said and began leading him to his bedroom. "I trust you." After they got inside, she shut the bedroom door behind him and proceeded to undress.

"Is it getting hot in here?" She winked. "Or is it just me."

"Oh, it's definitely not just you," he said, undressing himself and taking her in his arms, kissing her neck, her lips, and her shoulders. Her body was definitely warm. They then moved to the bed and as her legs parted, he looked down at her with an intense light in his dark eyes. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Lucy? Are you prepared for the consequences?"

"I told you, I'm not worried," Lucy insisted, bringing his face down to hers and kissing him. "If I burn, so be it. It'll be a good way to go."

He ran his hands all over her body then, his lips blazing a hot trail from her lower jaw, down her neck and abdomen, and between her thighs until he was stimulating her gently with his tongue.

"Oh, yes," she said, bucking forward, her eyes closed, her body warm and covered in sweat. It was like being in a sauna or a warm bath, but she didn't mind.

Then he changed positions and was kissing her lips as she threw her arms around his neck and he pushed inside her and pulled out over and over again. She kept her eyes open to see if the room would become engulfed in flames, but in the end, the only consequence they noticed as they lay together afterward was a burned outline of her body on the covers.