"Running into Klaus and Amy at the art museum was a good start," Louisa told Robbie. "I mean, he was still a bit…territorial of her when you said 'Hello'. Why would he be that way?"

"Well," Robbie bit his lip. "He's kind of a nut. I told you that. He just is possessive of everyone. See, this is exactly why I'm skeptical about us having an actual relationship."

"Is that so?" Louisa asked. "I feel like you're holding back. No matter how crazy the cause of Klaus' jealousy might be, you can tell me. After all I've experienced with your family, I won't be shocked."

"It's really nothing you need to worry about," Robbie said quickly. "Please don't make me tell you. It'll make trouble for no reason and we just got to a really good place!"

"Part of being in a relationship is being honest with each other," Louisa said firmly. "Tell me why you make Klaus jealous."

"Well," Robbie was silent a long time before he finally said, "It's because I slept with Amy, okay? It was like, right after I found out Klaus was my dad, and I was pissed off about it. Amy and Klaus were going through a bad time cause she found out about Klaus' time with my mother and it freaked her out, so when she came to me for comfort…I didn't exactly say 'no'." He then looked at Louisa with pleading in his eyes. "Please don't be mad," he begged. "Please."

"I'm not mad," Louisa said and he let out a relieved breath. But then she continued talking and he got tense again. "I just…I have to wonder if I'm gonna be good enough for you," she said. "I mean, Amy's much prettier than I am."

"That's not true," Robbie shook his head. "She's pretty in a different way than you, but she's not prettier. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I do," Louisa nodded. "I just…I don't want to feel like I'm too boring for you. Cause when you compare me to all the other women you've been with, I am."

"Please stop comparing yourself to other women I've been with," Robbie commanded. "They don't matter. I don't give a shit about them. All I care about is that I'm here with you, and I don't want anyone else."

"Are you positive?" Louisa asked.

"Yes," Robbie nodded. "I am. I promise."

"Okay," Louisa bit her lip. "I'll remember that."

Robbie then took her in his arms. "I hope you do," he said. "You make me very happy. I don't think you realize how much yet."

Louisa hugged him back, trying to keep her resolve firm, but later that day, when Robbie was out, a woman called, looking for him and Louisa was the one to answer the phone.

"It's nice to know that Robbie has a secretary now," the woman replied to Louisa's greeting. "I'm an old friend of his, and I'm coming into town in a few days. Could you ask him to make time for me? Maybe schedule a dinner for us or something?"

"Sure," Louisa replied, her voice flat. "I'll let him know you called."

"Thanks," the girl chirped. "My name is Leslie White. Goodbye."

Louisa made the note and some dinner reservations, and when Robbie got home, she thrust the message in his face. "Leslie White called. You'll be going out to dinner with her. If you want her to have my bed, just let me know. And don't worry. I'll find a way to get out of the house so you can have some privacy!" She then stomped off and locked herself in her and Robbie's bedroom while he tried to think of some way to calm her down.

"I am never gonna forget the sight of your dad and Gwen singing Helen Reddy as long as I live!" Selina said, still laughing at the memory, even after a few days.

"Yes," Elijah nodded, letting himself smile. "It was amusing. I'm so glad that Father finally found the right woman."

"Yeah, me too," Selina nodded. They then paused as they heard Amanda swear.

"What's the matter?" Selina called. "Are you okay?"

"The book keeps falling down!" Amanda yelled. She came in holding one of her picture books, put it on her head, walked a couple of steps, and then it fell onto the floor, causing her to growl in frustration. "See, Daddy?" She complained to Elijah. "I can't get it! Viktor is gonna be so mad at me!"

"No, he won't," Elijah assured her. "You're just learning. Doing things like that takes time."

"Yes," Selina sighed. "Long, boring, mind-numbing time."

"We're being encouraging," Elijah told her with a frown. "Remember?"

"How was I not being encouraging?" Selina asked. "I was just saying that learning that stuff takes a long time, and that it's not necessarily an interesting process."

"Did you have Viktor as a teacher when you did it?" Amanda asked.

"Well, of course I didn't," Selina shook her head. "Just some of the most dull women in the world."

"So you can balance with a book?" Amanda wanted to know. "Can you show me?"

"Oh, all right," Selina nodded and picked up the book from the floor. "But it's been awhile, so I'm a little rusty. I might drop the book as much as you do."

She put the book on her head, and then her posture improved dramatically from her usual rebellious slouch as she made her way across the kitchen and didn't drop the book once.

"Wow!" Amanda said when her mother returned to the table. "That was amazing!"

"Well, thank you," Selina told her. "How very nice of you to say."

"I'm impressed as well," Elijah added. "I thought you were a perpetual sloucher and you always would be."

"No," Selina shook her head. "Not permanently. I'm just unwilling to sit in what my teachers would have called 'the right way'."

"Could you help me?" Amanda asked. "Please?"

"All right," Selina nodded. "Stand up."

Amanda got up off the chair where she'd been sitting and Selina put the book on her head and asked her to take a few steps. The book fell quickly like before.

"See?" Amanda cried in irritation. "I suck!"

"You don't suck," Selina reassured her. "I think it has something to do with your posture. You're probably not standing up straight enough."

"But I thought the book was supposed to make me stand straight!" Amanda cried.

"No, it's just the thing that determines whether you are or not," Selina explained. "If you are, the book should stay right where it is."

They tried a few more walks across the kitchen until Amanda finally made it across without the book falling.

"I did it!" She cried, putting the book down on the table and jumping up and down as she grinned at her father. "Daddy, didn't you see?"

"I did!" Elijah smiled and gave her a hug. "Good for you. When we practice posture, you can help Viktor and I teach."

"I can?" Amanda asked. "Will you tell Viktor that?"

Just then, the doorbell rang and they heard Viktor call out. "Elijah!" He yelled. "Are you home? I have more ideas for our class!"

"See, there he is!" Elijah told Amanda as the two of them headed to the door, with Amanda throwing herself into Viktor's arms when Elijah opened it. "You can tell him yourself."

"Tell me what?" Viktor asked. "Amanda, what have you done?"

"She's got good posture now," Elijah replied.

"Yeah, I can walk across the kitchen with a book on my head and it won't fall down," Amanda nodded. "Mommy helped."

"Did you?" Viktor asked Selina in surprise. "I had no idea you knew how to do stuff like that!"

"I'm an antebellum/Civil War-era rich girl from the south," Selina replied dryly. "Of course I know how to do stuff like that. According to my mother, I wouldn't marry well if I didn't."

"Well I'll be damned," Viktor smiled. "I always assumed that you were turned in the twenties, and that all the crazy stuff you did that Alistair and Klaus told me about was because you were having trouble adjusting to being a vampire."

"It's reasonable for you to think that," Selina conceded. "In the twenties, I think what was going on with me was that I was finally experiencing what true freedom was like, and it made me behave a little recklessly."

"That's an understatement," Elijah said.

Viktor then looked at Amanda. "You think you could show me what your mother taught you?" He asked.

"Okay," Amanda nodded. "I'll try." She crossed the kitchen again, nearly losing control of the book, but saving herself just in time, and letting herself fall into Viktor's lap when she reached him.

"I was thinking of having her help us teach that," Elijah remarked to Viktor. "What do you think?"

"I agree," Viktor replied as Amanda smiled widely. "I think she'll do an excellent job."

"So…" Gwen said to Rebecca and Eli. "When will the two of you be getting married?"

"We don't know, Mom," Rebecca replied. "We figured that after all we've gone through, it might be nice to just be engaged for a little while. That doesn't bother you, does it?"

"I guess not," Gwen frowned. "But don't take too long. I want to live to see you marry at least once."

"I knew you were going to say that," Rebecca replied. "You'll get to see us be married. I promise."

"Good," Gwen replied. "At least little Luke has both of his parents at home now."

"Exactly," Rebecca nodded. "That's our goal right now: getting Luke adjusted to the new living arrangements, and for such a small child, he's handling it remarkably well."

"Good," Gwen nodded. "Cause we wouldn't want a repeat of Robert's childhood. Once was enough."

"Yes, yes, yes," Rebecca sighed. "I know it was hard, but we got through that, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did," Gwen told her. "But like I said, it's not an experience I'd like to repeat."

"And you won't have to," Rebecca smiled and embraced Eli. "Cause it's not like I have to raise my son by myself this time."

"Is that true?" Gwen asked Eli suspiciously. "I mean, we already know you cheated on Louisa. Who's to say you won't do that to my daughter as well?"

"Cause I love your daughter," Eli responded firmly. "The only reason why I married Louisa is because Rebecca wasn't around. But now that she is, I have no reason to have a wandering eye."

"Well, you better not," Gwen told him firmly. "I'm watching you. And if you step out of line, I have a long list of unpleasant things I could turn you into. Like a goat." She grinned. "You'd make a lovely goat."

Eli gulped nervously and let Rebecca go as Gwen picked up Luke. "I think I'll take him out," she said. "He could use the fresh air."

"All right, Mother," Rebecca nodded. "You do that."

Gwen left with him and then Eli said to Rebecca, "Tell me the truth: are you as worried about the longevity of our relationship as your mother is? If you have any concerns, we should address them now."

"I have no concerns," Rebecca shook her head. "And don't listen to my mother. She's always been like this. It's why I never got married before, or had a decent relationship: she scared all the good men away with her scariness, so the only ones that would come near me were the shifty ones I met on the sly."

"Well, she doesn't scare me," Eli replied bravely. "Well, not that much, anyway. I'll just ignore that she even has the power to make my great-grandfather, who delights in scaring the crap out of everyone, wet himself (even though he won't admit that out loud) and then we'll be able to have a tolerable relationship." He paused. "Do you really think she'd turn me into a goat like she said?"

"You're a brave man," Rebecca smiled. "I'm proud of you. And I don't think she'd turn you into a goat if you didn't give her reason to."

"Thanks," Eli smiled. Then he said, "So…how long do you think your mother will let us just be with each other before she demands we have a wedding?"

"Not long," Rebecca sighed. "She'll probably nag us every day until we do it. The longer we can ignore her, the longer engagement period we'll have."

"Sounds like a plan," Eli nodded. "So…how good are you at ignoring your mother?"

"Very good," Rebecca assured him. "It's the only way to survive with her. Everything will work out how we want it to. I promise."