Sighing deeply, Malachai headed back down to the party, grabbing the nearest glass of champagne and downing it in one gulp. Not long after, a wide-eyed Avery approached him and grabbed his arm.

"Oh, my father, Malachai!" She cried. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Malachai assured her. "But how I managed that when Klaus and Mikael were about to engage in a fight to the death is beyond me." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Are you...are you serious?" Avery asked, in shock. "I saw Elijah throw Klaus out but I had no idea why. Geez, now I know. No wonder."

"Klaus lost it when he find out that Sybil was marrying Mikael and was keeping her hostage in one of the bedrooms to try and stop that from happening."

"What genius!" Avery rolled her eyes. "It's not as if Mikael can't find what room she's in and break down the door!"

"Exactly, and that's why I think he lost it," Malachai nodded. "If he'd been in his right mind, he probably would have thought of something a lot more devious!"

"And how are Sybil and the babies? Klaus didn't hurt them, did he?"

"No," Malachai shook his head. "Thankfully he's not that far gone. Mikael's with them now."

Avery took a deep breath and put a hand to her fast-beating heart. "Thank Dad! I was terrified for a minute there."

"Do you really think your father would help Mikael?"

"I don't know," Avery shook her head. "Probably not, but since he's no monster, he'd definitely be there for the babies."

They stared at each other, smiling in silence for a few minutes before Malachai grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. "Come! I need...I need to show you something."

"What? Where?" She wanted to know what the heck he was doing.

"I don't know," Malachai shook his head and left the main reception room. "I just need to find a place for us to be alone."

It didn't take long for him to open a door, push her inside, and shut it behind him.

"Malachai, where are we?" She scolded. "It's pitch black in here!"

"You're right," he agreed and fumbled around for the light switch, getting it on. "There."

"This a closet!" She cried. "I'm sorry but whatever you're thinking of doing, I'm not desperate enough to do it in a closet!"

"Not even in a very spacious walk-in closet?" Malachai asked, a gleam in his eye. "Gee, you think you know someone!"

"Even though I wouldn't have sex in here, that doesn't mean it's not nice," Avery said, running her fingers along the paneling. "This wood is so soft!"

"You're right!" Malachai agreed. "I love the hangers too. I'll need to ask Elijah what wood it is, so I can replicate it in my own closet."

"So I hope you didn't stuff us in here just to talk about Elijah's closet," Avery said, hands on hips and looking at Malachai out of the corner of her eye.

"Of course not," he shook his head. "I just...I have somethig very important to say and I wanted us to be able to have privacy."

"You wanna talk? Of course you want to talk. I was just about ready to rip off my panties but I guess that's not necessary," Avery huffed.

"Were you really?" Malachai asked, wide-eyed.

"No!" Avery shook her head. "Now...what did you want to say?"

"Just that..." He stopped, locking eyes with her and running his fingers through his hair. "Just that I'm not ready for us to be in the past yet, but I still have some soul searching to do before we get together."

"Well, isn't that nice?" Avery sighed and stomped on his foot, making him wince. "You want to have your cake and eat it too! You know what? I don't want to be strung along anymore!"

Wincing and hobbling around, he sucked in a breath and grabbed her hands. "No, you don't understand. Please let me finish. It's not as bad as all that. I need to experience what we're like together before we make a real commitment. I'm asking you to date me, Avery. Will you? Officially?"

"Date you?" Avery asked.

"Yeah," Malachai nodded. "Like going to restaurants, theaters..." he shrugged.

"Well, I don't know because I'm not sure this isn't a trap," Avery replied, crossing her arms. "I mean, I would love it, but is it what you really want, or are you only asking cause you think it's what I want to hear?"

"Yes," he nodded firmly. "It's what I truly want. You want it too?"

"I don't know," Avery shrugged, nonchalant. "I need to think about it."

"All right, think about it," he nodded and gently kissed her forehead.

"Malachai..." She whispered.

"Mm?" He asked, pausing in smelling her hair.

"I...I've kind of done something that might make you mad at me."

Malachai's eyes widened. "Oh, geez. What? What have you done? Just tell me."

"Don't be mad, but...I don't think Klaus is Amy's soulmate," Avery confessed.

"Oh, well," Malachai let out his breath. "If that's all, I don't entirely disagree. After how he's behaved, I think she deserves better."

"Exactly, and I decided to help her find the man she needs."

He shrugged. "Frankly, I don't think you did a bad thing at all. She's suffered a lot because of him, gave him another chance because she's much too good, and now she's suffering again. I can't stand to watch her be treated badly."

"Exactly, me either." Avery got close to him. "So...you're not mad?"

"No, of course not," Malachai shook his head. "As long as you were able to find her real soulmate, I don't see why..."

"About that," Avery interrupted, wincing. "The man is Kol!"

Malachai went pale. "Kol? As in, Kol Mikaelson?" He got out and pulled on his tie."

"Y-yes," she stammered, rubbing her hands together.

"Are you...have you lost your mind?" Mikael whispered angry. "Do you remember that he's Klaus and Elijah's brother? And I probably don't need to add that your father's gonna kill you."

"I know that," Avery nodded. "But don't worry. I'll figure something out!"

Amy took a deep breath to try and regain her composure, walking nonchalantly back into the house and stopping by the hall mirror to check her hair and make sure Kol hadn't messed it up; if she had a hair out of place, someone would notice. Then she groaned. "Why?" She asked herself. "Why?" Why had she kissed Kol Mikaelson? As difficult as things were between her and Klaus, he was still her husband's brother and decent women did not just go around kissing their husbands' brothers!

"Amy?" She turned and saw Selina rushing toward her. "Amy, there you are! I've been searching for you everywhere! Come here a second."

She pulled her into the open kitchen before Amy could utter a word, which was good because with the way she was feeling, everything about Kol would come tumbling out the first chance she had to speak.

"Are you okay?" Selina questioned.

"You don't have to be so kind to me," Amy said, tears falling down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to ruin this wonderful day. I should have just marched him back to the car."

"No, no," Selina shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. Klaus will never learn if everyone else takes responsibility for his actions. It's not your fault or your job to make excuses for him."

"What exactly was it that he did?" Amy asked.

Selina rolled her eyes. "He tried to lock Sybil in a bedroom so she couldn't marry Mikael. He found them and barged in, they fought, and then Elijah brought him outside, hoping it would cool him off somehow."

Amy blushed deeply. "Oh, my god, how embarrassing. I'll leave now!"

"Oh, please don't," Selina shook her head. "I think it would upset Sybil very much if you did."

"All right," Amy relented. "I'll stay. Have you seen my daughter, by the way? Hopefully she hasn't gotten too friendly with the bartender over what her father did. Not that I blame her, but that's not the best way to handle things."

"She's not near the bar at all," Selina pointed. "She's over with the jazz band."

"Thank you for being so nice about all this," Amy told her and gave her a shy smile. "I think I'll go see my daughter now. I don't want her to be alone if she's feeling terrible."

Selina gave her a nod and then Amy headed over to sit next to Natalie, who threw her arms around her and then took her hands. "I'm glad you're here, Mom! I was so worried!"

"Of course I'm here, beautiful girl!" Amy cried, hugging her back and moving some hair out of her eyes.

Natalie blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, but we both know that's more thanks to the beautiful dress of yours that I'm wearing and has nothing to do with me."

"It is all you," Amy insisted, complimenting her daughter. "Trust me!" She then paused. "So...you're sitting here by yourself? You're not mingling?"

"I...I was with Milo Morningstar," Natalie confessed. "But then he was a jerk to me so I threw ginger ale in his face. "Waste of a perfectly good beverage, I know, but it was what was at hand."

Amy chuckled for the first time in what seemed like ages. "You and he don't like each other very much, do you?"

Natalie scoffed. "That's the understatement of the year! Or maybe the century!" Then she put a hand on her mother's arm. "I'm so sorry about Dad. Uncle Elijah threw him out."

"I know, and he deserved it," Amy nodded. "Your father made his choice and it's not your responsibility, or mine, I suppose, to apologize for his behavior."

It was then that Natalie noticed a few guests' eyes on them. "Maybe we should go," she whispered. "People are staring."

"It's all in your head," Amy tried to calm her. "And I'm not going to make us miss this beautiful wedding for something that was, I can't stress this enough, not our fault. After this is all over, we can go home and relax and things, but for now, let's honor our invitation. Unless you're really and truly in distress."

"No, it's fine," Natalie shook her head. "Do you think there's time for me to go out and look at the horses?"

"Of course," Amy nodded. "If you're only looking and not riding. And be careful. Who knows where your father is out there, and he might be dangerous."

Natalie's eyes widened in shock. "Do you think Father would harm me?"

"I would hope not, but please, just be careful."

Natalie nodded and strode toward the nearest exit, bumping into her uncle Kol along the way. "Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't see you."

"It's all right, kiddo," he told her. "How are you doing after all the excitement caused by your father being a dumbass? Are you okay?"

Natalie couldn't help but chuckle. "I was okay before but then Mom and I talked and she made things even better."

"Yeah, she's real good at that," Kol agreed, meeting Amy's eyes as she walked nearby and making her blush and quickly look away. "Be careful out there."

"Yes, I will," Natalie promised. "I swore to Mom that I would and I will promise you too."

"This will be such a nice wedding in the country," Eloise smiled. "And it's so great that the girls are grown. I won't have to spend the whole time worrying about them!"

"Yes, but we'll have to worry about my father," Adrian scoffed. "Sybil invited him for some reason. I love her but...I have to wonder where her head is."

"Right," Eloise nodded. "I mean, how are you going to explain to him why you're there? As far as he knows, Mikael hates you just as much as anyone else. If he finds out that you have a relationship with Mikael, he'll go ballistic!"

"Exactly," Adrian took a deep breath. "Which why we'll pray to Steve that we can just sneak in without Dad noticing, have a drink and some cake, watch the wedding, and get out."

"Except you know it won't happen like that," a wide eyed Eloise remarked, squeezing his thigh so hard that her nails dug into his skin.

"Shit, babe, what's wrong with you?" He winced. "How do you know?"

"Look, on the road!" Eloise pointed. "That man up there holding the dead rabbit. I think it's your father!"

Adrian hit the brake so suddenly that Eloise nearly slammed against the dash as Klaus sauntered up to them.

"Hello, children," he greeted, revealing bloody teeth. "Where are you off to?"

"First tell me why you're holding a dead rabbit in your hand," Adrian countered.

"Oh," Klaus looked down at the rabbit corpse he was holding as if he'd forgotten it. "I went hunting."

"But...but you always told me that hunting animals was beneath you!" Adrian cried. "That's what you said! Human blood or you wouldn't feed at all!"

"Well, unfortunately, I had to make an exception this time because the only non-animal blood supply around for miles is at that farce of a wedding for...you know who. So I did what I had to do." He shrugged, then turned his gaze to Eloise, who tried to stay calm. "You look stunning, Sybil, dear."

"Thank...thank you," she got out after making herself speak.

"Why are you out here?" Adrian asked. "Why aren't you inside?"

"Because your uncle threw me out of his house!" Klaus cried. "You try to make a little excitement and some people get crabby." He paused. "What are you doing here? If you came to see your mother, she's not available. She's too busy trying to get on Mikael's good side by kissing his ass and hosting that...wedding." He paused. "And why is it just the two of you? Where are the little ones?"

Adrian lowered his gaze to the ground and then hopped from foot to foot.

"No!" Klaus' eyes widened as it dawned on him. "Don't tell me that you were invited to that monster's wedding! Or at the very least assure me that it's because your mother made him invite you and you're not going willingly, only to be polite!"

"Oh, it's no big deal, Father!"

"Of course it is!" Klaus spat. "It's a very big deal to me! Are you and Mikael friends now? Is he calling you 'son' like he never did me?"

Adrian growled softly as he heard Eloise let out a soft whimper and squeeze his arm. "Stop that right this minute!" He ordered his father. "You're scaring Eloise! You're scaring my wife!"

Before Klaus could respond, a car pulled up behind them and Helene and Ludovic got out.

"You're not my son anymore!" Klaus cried dramatically.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Dad!" Adrian rolled his eyes. "It's just a wedding for crying out loud! We'll go see Mom, we'll have a glass of wine or two, see the marriage and then after it's all over, we can leave and pretend it never happened."

"I can't," Klaus shook his head. "You've chosen my enemy! You're dead to me!"

Adrian raised his head and clenched his jaw so that his father wouldn't see he was beginning to cry. "You'd throw your own son away for so little?" He asked quietly.

"What's going on here?" Helene asked as both she and Ludovic joined them. Although she and Adrian had had their difficulties, she could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't well, and if she could do anything to fix it, she would.

"You too, Helene?" Klaus asked, looking at her in shock. "Is there anyone of my acquaintance that wasn't invited to this wedding? I thought someone as strong and badass as you would be smart enough to know to stay away from it." He shrugged. "But then again, you were with my son in the past, so perhaps the two of you are engaged in an affair. What do you think of that, Eloise? Does it frighten you?"

That was the last straw. Adrian sprang at his father, but Ludovic grabbed him before he could reach him. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Ludovic hissed in his ear. "Calm the fuck down. You're not helping anything."

"Meanwhile, Helene was wracking her brain to think of how her father would have diffused a situation like this...or if it warranted an actual call to him. "Klaus, you aren't well," she said at last. "I think you need to leave here and get yourself back under control. Or at the very least, go somewhere where you can't hurt anyone."

"Fine," Klaus hissed. "But you're all dead to me! All of you!" Then he sped off into the nearby forest without giving any of them a chance to reply.

"Ah!" Lucifer grinned as the doorbell rang again. "Duty calls!" He took up the list of guests again and made his way toward the door, but Elijah stopped him.

"Thank you for your help, Lucifer," he said. "But I'm here now. I have it under control."

"But I was doing so well!" Lucifer cried.

"Yes you were, and I thank you for it," Elijah nodded. "Let's say all the help you've given me is your ticket into this wedding, shall we?"

Lucifer made a face and stomped off. Maybe now that he'd been dismissed, Eleanor would be willing to find some way to help him occupy his time.

Meanwhile, Elijah rolled his eyes and opened the door. "I apologize for the wait," he said to whoever was on the other side. "Welcome to the Mikaelson-Vane wedding. Are you-"

"Thanks for reminding us why we're here," Adrian interrupted. "Hi, Uncle Elijah!"

"Oh, Adrian, welcome!" Elijah grinned as his nephew and Eloise stepped through the door. "I was wondering where you were." Then he turned to Eloise. "How lovely you look, dear. May I take your coat?"

As Adrian and Eloise focused on Elijah, Helene and Ludovic sneaked in behind them, hoping no one would turn around and notice.

"You are too kind," Eloise smiled and looked around. "What a lovely home you have here. So classically decorated. Really beautiful!"

"Thank you, but it's mostly Selina's doing. She has the eye for things like that. But I did hire the jazz band," he added proudly.

"Sorry we're late," Adrian apologized. "I hope it didn't upset Mom."

"No, actually I don't think she's noticed," Elijah assured him. "And I think it was lucky; your father made a bit of a scene and I had to have him escorted out."

"No wonder he was so mad!" Eloise said, wide-eyed. "I mean he might have mentioned that, but I thought he was making it up!"

"We found him in the middle of the road near here, hunting bunnies," Adrian informed his uncle.

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Niklaus? Your father? Hunting bunnies?"

"And that's not the worst of it!" Adrian continued. "When he found out we were invited to this wedding and actually decided to come and enjoy ourselves, Dad got mad and disowned me!"

Elijah's hands balled into fists. "Don't tell your mother that," he implored. "Or else she'll start drinking or hunting bunnies herself, or who knows what else!"

"No one got hurt though," Eloise assured him. "My brother Ludovic managed to pull them apart before there was a chance for injury."

"Ludovic is your brother?" Elijah asked her, dumbfounded.

Adrian cried out as Helene peeked out from behind him to greet Elijah. "Hello, Elijah! Long time no see!"

Elijah chuckled. "Hello, Helene! Yes it has been a while, hasn't it? How's your mother and the baby?"

"Mother is still recuperating and my brother will be taken care of and restored to health...we hope," she said.

"I see," Elijah nodded.

There was a few seconds of silence and then Helene pushed Ludovic forward. "Allow me to introduce you to the man who forced me to marry him!"

"Don't I have the loveliest wife in the world?" Ludovic asked, wincing as he held out his hand for Elijah to shake.

"Prince Ludovic," Elijah greeted as he did. "Such a pleasure!"

Ludovic inclined his head. "As it is also a pleasure to meet one of the first vampires."

"As for Helene, I've known her since she was a baby. No one can force her to do anything so I don't believe her," Elijah grinned. "And if you have any doubts, just ask Adrian."

"Thank you for your input, Elijah!" Helene huffed.

"So what brings you two here?" Elijah questioned. "Are you here to speak to my wife, or...?"

"I can see how you would think that," Ludovic nodded. "But it's not so. Allow me to present my deepest apologies for us showing up at this wedding when we weren't actually invited. I tried to tell Helene that it was inappropriate but she wouldn't take 'No' for an answer!"

"Oh, will you shush?" Helene cried. "See, Elijah, I know my parents were invited, but since they have to deal with Mom's and the baby's recovery, they couldn't make it and we thought that instead of letting an invitation go to waste, we would just come in their place."

Adrian rolled his eyes at a tone so familiar. "Don't worry, Uncle Elijah; we tried to tell her she was being unreasonable!"

"While you aren't the first people to just invite themselves to this wedding, that's not how it works, Helene," Elijah scolded, crossing his arms. "You can't just come and take the invitations of someone else!"

Helene stomped her foot. "But it's not like we're total strangers off the street! You know me and the invite was for my mom and dad!"

"I know I'm probably overstepping my bounds here, but could my brother stay, Elijah?" Eloise asked. "Please?"

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Helene snapped at the blonde.

"I'm sure they wouldn't be opposed to you going outside and looking at the festivities through the window," Adrian smirked.

"Bite me, Adrian," she snapped, shaking her fist at him.

Elijah heaved a big sigh. "I suppose since I'm allowing Prince Ludovic entry, it would be bad manners to refuse you entrance, Helene, since you're his date."

"It's very kind of you to let my wife stay in spite of her bad behavior," Ludovic told him. "Thank you."

"in name only," Helene reminded him. "Don't use the 'w' word too lightly!" She sighed. "Where's the bar? I need a drink!"

"That's a real catch you have there, Ludovic," Elijah murmured as he watched her go, leading to shouts of laughter once Helene was out of earshot.

When there was a lull in the action and Natalie was sure that her mother was occupied and wouldn't notice her absence for a half hour or so, she slipped out and ran for the barn, closing the door behind her and letting out a terrible shriek. Then, when that was over, she went quiet, got her breath, and did it again, kicking the nearby hay bales repeatedly. "Take that!" She cried with each kick "Dad! You! Are! So! Stupid! Take that! And that! And that!"

"Wow!" Came a very familar voice. The voice of Milo Morningstar. "Wow, wow, wow! I don't know what that hay bale has done to you, but I have to say I feel sorry for it, whatever it was. Are you going to throw your glass too?"

She turned and glared at him, eyes narrowing. "You go to hell, Morningstar!" She spat. "And leave me alone!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I would, but my mom is very strict about how long we get to come and go and I very much doubt she'd let me stay forever. Dad either."

"It was just an expression," she told him through gritted teeth. "Basically, my point is, get away from me!"

"Can't you tell me something different every once in a while?" Milo asked. "That speech is getting old."

"How did you know I was here?" She asked without turning around to look at him. "Did you follow me like a creep?"

He got close to her, gently turned her around, and pushed some strands of her red hair behind her ears. "I would hardly call it creepy, but how much would it bother you if that was my point exactly?"

She scoffed and pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me! You think I'm ugly!"

"I wouldn't say that today, at least," he admitted. "It's mostly because of your mother's dress and the fact that you actually look like a girl, but for the moment, I can actually look at you without wincing or wanting to poke out my eyes."

She stroked a horse and then stomped on his foot, making him let out a yelp before giving him a good hard push. "Go spread your cheer somewhere else!"

As he hopped from one foot to the other after regaining his balance, he realized that he had no idea what to do with her. And that she was a lot stronger and more powerful than he'd realized. She'd thrown him off quite easily. He shrugged, then got close to Natalie, gently sniffing her hair before backing away. "You know, I'm bored and there's no one else at this wedding even close to my age, so...wanna make out? I'm willing to take a chance."

Natalie gave him a look. "No, thank you," she shook her head. "I don't want to make out with you. Not now, not ever! Especially since you're only asking me out of desperation!"

"Not desperation," Milo corrected. "Boredom. When it comes to women, I am never desperate!" He paused. "Is that the only reason why you don't want to make out with me? I suppose it would be gentlemanly of me to allow you to explain yourself."

"What feelings are there left to explain?" She asked, taking a few steps to lean against one of the pieces of wood that held up the barn. "I can't stand you!"

"Yes," Milo nodded. "And girls kiss boys they can't stand in school corridors all the time!"

"Excuse me, you jerk!" Natalie cried. "You were the one who kissed me! How quickly you forget!"

He strode up to her and put a hand on either side of her body. "I never forget anything. Including the fact that you didn't fight me. In fact, you kissed me back."

Natalie scoffed, mad that he could see her blush. "It doesn't mean anything. It was pure insanity on my part!"

"Let's test that, shall we?" He suggested, pulling her close and gently biting her earlobe as his hand slid down to squeeze her bottom and pull up her skirt.

She put both hands on his chest as her heartbeat quickened. Damn him and his...presence! She pushed him just a little and he tensed, then his eyes widened when he realized that she was staring into his eyes and not on his butt on the floor.

"What?" He asked suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Shut up," she said, grabbing fistfuls of his silk shirt and crashing her mouth on his.

Surprised, he hesitated for a second or two, but it wasn't long before their tongues were tangled and their hands were all over each other, their moans echoing off the barn wall. She undid his shirt buttons, her fingers sliding over his lithe, muscular chest for a little bit before he gently pushed her onto a hay bale and nudged her dress straps off her shoulders. He let out a groan when he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra or anything and was completely bare before him. He felt himself stiffen and fall forward, sucking each nipple gently, one at a time as she moaned louder underneath him, her hips bucking. He lowered the dress a little more so that it was basically hanging around her waist and swirled his tongue around her belly button, its warmth and roughness making her squeal. But what was he doing to himself? It was pure torture. She was pure torture, being so close like this.

He grabbed her hands and pulled her to a sitting position, then kissed her again, placing his hands on her breasts as she kissed him back and threw her arms around his neck. But as she felt his hand slide under her skirt and start to rub her, she pushed him away with force.

"What the hell was that for?" He cried as he landed hard on his butt.

She got up, righted her dress, and wiped her mouth, scowling. "You...you stay away from me!"

"Why? We were having such a good time. Why did it have to stop?"

"Because you wanted to take advantage of me!"

Milo scoffed and got up. "You kissed me first and you think I'm the one who wants to take advantage?"

"Well, I don't think I was the one who shoved my hand in your pants, was I?"

Milo rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh, for fuck's sake, Natalie! Come here!"

"No!" Natalie shook her head. "I'm not your property, Morningstar, and I don't have to do what you say!" She took off running toward the barn door, not even bothering to button his shirt as he gave chase, catching her around the waist just as she got near the door. She kicked and flailed, trying to free herself, then she noticed a brand hanging on a nearby hook. She managed to grab it and warm it up before turning to face him and shove it against his bare chest as he let out a cry of pain and let her go.

"What was that?" He yelled, wide-eyed. "What the fuck did you just do?"

"It's your fault," she said, swinging the branding iron menacingly. "I told you to leave me alone and you wouldn't listen!"

"You...you branded me, you bitch!" He howled, the 'M' red, angry, and obvious on his chest.

"Well, since it's an 'M', it could just as easily be for Morningstar as Mikaelson, can't it?" She asked, smirking. Then she threw the branding iron on the floor and ran out of the barn toward the farmhouse.

Milo remained, alone as he examined his bleeding wound, a grin curving his lips now that she wasn't around to see him do it. "She branded me," he whispered to himself and then burst out laughing. "My Grandpa, she branded me!"

Amy arrived in the kitchen and grabbed two canapes off a passing plate, one for each hand, taking a breath before stuffing one, then the other, in her mouth. She didn't want them because she was hungry; in fact, food was the last thing on her mind. She knew she should be worried about where Klaus was and what he was doing. Heck, maybe she should even be out looking for him. But all she could think about, all she could see every time she closed her eyes, was Kol. Backing up against a wall, she smiled awkwardly at a few guests as they passed her. Even though she knew in her heart that she wasn't responsible for what Klaus had done, she still felt out of place here. As if everyone else were blaming her too. She scoffed and shook her head. What a mess he'd caused. Had he thought about the consequences of his actions at all? Then she gave a bitter chuckle. What was she saying? Of course he hadn't. Why would he start now? She turned to go get a drink and bumped into someone hard. "Sorry!" She apologized immediately without looking up. "Are you hurt?"

"No, problem," said a deep and very recognizable voice. "I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yes," she nodded, raising her eyes to meet the ones that were always on her mind now. "Kol!" She cried. "What a surprise!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Not really. I mean, it's my father who's getting married. Not that I was immediately gonna come, but..." He paused. "And it's not the end of the world if you bump into someone in your family isn't? Not a secret. Not a scandal." He gave her a wink as a seductive smile spread over his lips.

"Don't!" She hissed and cast a hunted look around. "People are watching; it's inappropriate!"

"What is, darling?" He asked before raising his bourbon glass to his lips and taking a small sip.

Damn him! She thought, her hands balling into fists. "You know perfectly well what it is! And I would appreciate it if you wiped that grin off your stupid face."

"Oh, relax!" Kol told her. "Everyone knows what Klaus did and I'm sure they feel bad for you; I'm sure they wouldn't begrudge you some...better company." He paused. "And I've always liked my face. Don't you? I'd hardly call it stupid."

Amy shut her eyes, counted to ten, and tried to control her breathing. "Kol, you know you're my brother-in-law! Assure me that you know that! Assure me that you remember I'm married to your brother, Klaus!"

"Mmmhhhmm..." he nodded. "And you're my sister-in-law. I think that would make an excellent porn film, don't you?"

"Stop it!" Amy scolded, blushing bright red. "You're embarrassing me on purpose!"

"Well, I don't mean to embarrass you," Kol told her. "But yes, I am doing all this on purpose. You're right about that." He paused and got close to her. "And do you know why? To make you more comfortable. To get you used to my behavior. Because there's nothing wrong with it, or you acting that way, either. I just want you to relax!" He pulled her to him and hugged her close.

"You're shaking like a leaf," he whispered in her ear. "Why?"

"You know why," Amy said, wanting to push him away, even as she leaned in closer. That would have been the right thing to do. "Everyone here is looking at me with pity because of what Klaus did. You probably shouldn't be anywhere near me either. Go be with someone fun. I have too much baggage. Thanks for your...for your help though."

"Amy, look at me!" He ordered, taking her shoulders in his grip. "Who cares? Who gives a fuck what other people think? Because I certainly don't!"

"You should!" She insisted, pulling out of his grip and turning away from him to grab the edge of the kitchen island. "I behaved horribly toward you today."

"Oh? In what way?"

"You know what way," Amy said. "In the barn." She kept her voice low but there was no doubt he heard her.

He grinned wide, getting close enough that she was backed up against a wall. "Do you think about our kiss, Amy? Because it hasn't left my mind since it happened." He reached up to push some strands of red hair out of her face and she sucked in a breath.

Her body was covered in goosebumps and she couldn't deny she liked the warmth of his body against hers or the feel of his breath on her skin. "What are you doing?" She asked. "Trying to get me to relax again?"

"No," he whispered, shaking his head as his hand reached around so that a single finger could slide down her bare back. "I'm just trying to help you see the truth. "I liked how soft your lips felt against mine...and how they tasted like...was it frosting?"

"Yes," Amy blushed. "That was just my chapstick. I didn't feel like putting lipstick on today."

He rubbed up against her just a little and she moaned, her eyes closing tight. If he kept going on like this, she'd climax right there in Selina and Elijah's kitchen, damn it!

"Here you two are!" Elijah's voice startled them both and soon enough, where there had been body heat, a wave of cooler air hit her. "Everything all right?"

"Of course," Kol said as Amy smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress and nodded in agreement.

"How are you, Amy?" Elijah asked, tilting his head toward her, his voice full of concern. "Any better?"

"Well.." She cleared her throat. "Just as well as can be expected. Thank you for asking." She began nervously rubbing her hands.

"You need to relax, my dear," Elijah suggested. "Find somewhere to help you forget everything that's happened for a few hours."

"You know that's what I was saying to her," Kol agreed, making her gasp as he gently pinched her bottom.

"If...If you'll both excuse me," she said, hoping her long hair would hide her blush as she kept her eyes on the floor. She was pretty sure that pinch had given her a small orgasm and she didn't want to encourage anything else. Even if she'd been seriously thinking about it, it wouldn't be somewhere public like a kitchen. "I need to go see if I can find Selina now." She looked up and gave them a small, quick smile. "Bye!"

"She's a good woman," Elijah remarked as they watched her go."I can't believe Klaus hurt her again." He was frowning.

"Yeah, I know," Kol nodded. "She really needs someone better, doesn't she?"

Mikael roamed through the crowd, nodding at everyone he saw and saying a quick 'Hello' and 'Thank you' before moving on to the next person. He knew they were curious about what had happened with Sybil, but he didn't want to talk about it; he had better things on his mind. He had the love of his life to marry!

"Sorry!" Elijah apologized as he bumped into him, grabbing his forearm to keep them both sturdy. "Sorry. How's Sybil?"

"Fine," Mikael nodded. "Much calmer. Selina and Avery are helping her dress. I believe we'll be able to marry in a few minutes. We better do it fast before some other terror shows up and ruins everything."

A crooked smile spread over Elijah's face. "Oh, don't worry about Niklaus; he ran off into the forest and is hunting bunnies as we speak. I don't believe he'll be bothering us anymore."

"Bunnies?" Mikael raised an eyebrow.

"True story," Elijah nodded. "Adrian and Eloise told me and I don't know why they would lie. But don't tell anyone else." Just then, the doorbell rang. "A late arrival," he said. "I wonder who it is? Excuse me, Father." He headed to the door, opened it, and recited, almost mechanically, "Welcome to the Vane-Mikaelson wedding. Are you-Freya?"

"Yes!" His older sister smirked. "Yes, I'm Freya. Good to know you remember!"

"You've had other names," Elijah reminded her. "I believe you were going by Katherine when you and Selina first met."

"Yes, yes, well..." She sobered and began nervously rubbing her hands. "As to why I'm here..."

"I'll be interested to know," Elijah said. "I thought we agreed that because of John and his hatred of demons, not to mention some lingering issues you still have with my wife, that you were electing to stay home."

"That was her plan," said a deep voice. "But I wanted to come, so she felt she needed to be here as my plus-one. No clue why." He nudged Freya through the door and then came in behind her, his chin raised in challenge as he stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets. "Hello, Elijah. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has," Elijah replied dryly. John was a huge figure in the magical world and not a particularly likable one. Besides hating demons, he hated witches, especially, although anyone who caught him on a bad day would feel his wrath. "Why stop a good thing now?"

"John!" Mikael said when he noticed him. "What are you doing here?"

"Mikael!" He greeted, shaking his hand. "My dear, old friend. How have you been?"

"Oh, stop with all the false pleasantries," Mikael snapped. "We both know why you came here. Since there's no place for you, you should leave."

"I beg to differ," John said. "I'm your daughter's plus one and I think it will be just fascinating to watch you wed a demon woman."

"John," Malachai said as he joined the group and gave the man a reluctant nod. John had been in a relationship with his very wicked half sister for several years and Malachai had never liked either of them.

"Well, how marvelous! Both my old friends are here, Mikael and Malachai!" John said, although neither of those men considered him anything close to a friend. "Maybe now we can have a drink and reminisce about the good old days when we all hated demons! What do you say?"

"If you've come strictly to cause trouble, you can just turn around, open the door, and leave," Malachai snapped. "No one will be hating anyone here."

John scoffed and shook his head. "The two of you have changed so much! Oh, well. I suppose I should find something else to do. Freya, I see a bar. Why don't we go have a drink?"

He strode off and before she followed, Freya whispered to her brother, "I'm sorry, Elijah. I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right," Elijah assured her. "We'll keep him under control. We promise. Don't worry."

"All right," she said and gave her brother a hug. "I guess...I guess I'll try not to. Thank you, Elijah."