Amy picked up the gift Kol had given her and looked it over. She was curious about what it was. Probably diamonds or something else ridiculously expensive. And of course she couldn't keep it. She'd have to give it back. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked out into the corridor. But when she reached Kol's door, she lost her nerve and ran back. Furious with herself, she headed back to the door, repeating this several times before swearing loudly in frustration and stomping over to Kol's door to knock on it.

Her heart was pounding as she waited for him to answer. She knew he probably wouldn't be happy to see her and his face when he opened the door and looked upon her was not exactly friendly.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Hi," she said, giving him a shy smile in an attempt to melt him that unfortunately didn't work as well as she thought it would.

"Hi," he said flatly. "What can I do for you, Amy?"

She was unsure of how to proceed. He was mad at her. Actually, not just mad, but flat out pissed. Clearly she couldn't use her feminine wiles to make things better. She would have to try something else. "If I'm interrupting, I could always come back later."

"Oh, let's just get this over with her and now," Kol spat. "I wouldn't want you to have to spend more time in my company than is absolutely necessary."

"So I'm not disturbing you."

"I've answered that," he said. "I don't want to say it again. Can we get on with this, please?"

Wow. He was in a worse mood than she'd realized. Well, all right then. "I just came to return the gift you gave me," she said, holding the bag up.

Kol shook his head and scoffed. "I guess no one ever told you it's bad manners to give a gift back to the person who gave it to you in the first place. I thought you knew better than that, Amy."

Very thrown off by his unusual bad mood, it took time for her to get her words out. "I-I-I-well, I thought since you're...mad at me, it wouldn't be fair of me to keep this," she tried to explain although she doubted it would help.

And it didn't. He continued to stare at her, stone-faced, his muscular arms crossed over his chest, not saying a word.

"Okay, I'll keep it then," she said to break the uncomfortable silence. "If that's what you want."

"Anything else?" He practically growled.

"I also...I also want to apologize for how I treated you the other night," she said, nervously stomping her feet and blushing bright red. "It was silly and uncalled for and wrong and I'm sorry."

"You hurt me very much," he told her, his eyes locked on hers.

"I...I know," she nodded as tears filled her eyes. "And that's why I'm so sorry because it's never been my intention to hurt you, Kol. You're...you're-" She trailed off.

"I'm what?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"You...you're my person!" She burst out before she lost her nerve, then blushed bright red and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry if that makes me clingy or annoying or whatever, but...you're my person and I'm very lost when you're not near me."

Kol then let out a long sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Did you look in the bag?"

"No, of course not," Amy shook her head. "I wouldn't open a gift from you if you weren't there to see me do it." Then her voice cracked. "But now you don't want anything to do with me, and..." Her sniffles soon became full-blown sobs.

"Amy..."

"And I'll have to find another place to stay even though this one is so perfect, and-"

"AMY!" Kol yelled. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would you want to do that?"

Amy sniffled and wiped her nose. "Well, you just said I hurt you."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I want you out of my life. I think we can get through a fight, can't we?"

"I think so," she sniffled. "That is, if you want to."

"Come here," he instructed, taking her by the hand and pulling her inside the penthouse. "Now sit!" he commanded, gesturing at the sofa.

She sat and continued to cry, but much more gently now.

"Better?" He asked after he handed her a tissue and waited for her to blow her nose. She nodded and he pushed some loose strands of hair from her ponytail out of her eyes.

"A little bit," she nodded. "Thank you."

"You want to open the gift?" Kol asked her with a wink.

Still a little off balance from his bad mood, she held it up. "Can I? Are you sure?"

"Amy!" He groaned, running his fingers through his hair and gently stomping his foot.

"Right," Amy smiled and opened the bag, pulling out an old, beautiful clock, It had to be an antique. "What a beautiful antique clock!" She cried. "Thank you!"

"It's more than just an antique or random piece of bric-a-brac," he told her, putting his arms around her. "True story: I got it from a sorcerer in Africa and it's a special clock; the mechanism never stops. It's a way to remind us all that time is an illusion; that you have every day to live your life just the way you want."

Amy smiled. She hoped his romantic tale was true and it wasn't just something that locals gave tourists to part them from their money. She looked it over. On the other hand, even if it was, it was beautiful and would have a special place on the mantle where everyone could see it. "Oh, Kol, it's beautiful! Thank you!" Then, to his surprise, she leaned forward and kissed his bearded cheek, making him blush.

"Wow," he remarked. "I should give you clocks more often. In fact, I'll get you a whole store room full if you want."

She smiled and hugged the clock close to her body. "I want to say again how sorry I am that I hurt you. I'm just trying to figure things out about myself, my life, and us and I just..."

"I forgive you," he said, putting a hand under her chin and bringing her eyes up. "You know what you and I need?"

"No," she shook her head. "What's that?"

"A bath," he grinned. "With candles and bubbles and soft jazz music. "What do you say?" He paused. "Unless Natalie is here and you have motherly duties that need fulfilling. He gave her a wink.

"No," Amy shook her head. "Natalie is with her father, so I'm free as a bird! Let's do it!"

As Ellie loaded the dishwasher after breakfast, she felt eyes on her back. And she was pretty sure she knew whose eyes they were.

"Why are you watching me from behind the kitchen door?" She asked him without turning. "Do you want to play hide and seek or something? If so," she continued to tease. "At least give me time to find a better hiding spot."

"Don't be silly, darling," Lucifer replied, coming up behind her. "I know you're busy with the dinner dishes, but...if I help, would you grant me a moment of your time?"

"Of course," Ellie nodded, stepping back and watching him load the dishwasher with astonishing speed.

Then he grinned and pulled the sleeves of his black silk shirt back down. "There."

"Fast," Ellie replied. "I'm impressed."

"I was very motivated," Lucifer reminded her.

"So what do you need?" She asked. "It's not anything bad, is it? Nothing with the children?"

"Of course not," he shook his head, grabbing her shoulders and trying to calm her. "What would make you think that? Or that I would be able to give you lots of detail if there was? As far as I know, they're fine and having the time of their lives doing whatever it is that they do when they're not here."

"Good," she said. Then she punched him in the shoulder. "But you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You almost gave me a heart attack!" Then she hit him with the towel, which only made him grin.

"A whipping so early in the morning! How promising!"

"So you want to have sex?" She asked, arms crossed. "All right, but I'm not at my best after four pages from the Kamasutra last night. I'm a little stiff." She paused. "And don't follow that up with what I think you will."

"Of course not," he said, his eyes oddly serious. "I hope thats not the only thing you believe I think when I come anywhere near you. Because it isn't."

After that, there was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. "So what then?" She asked at last. "If not sex?"

"Of course sex with you is always heavenly," he said with a wink. "But in this case, I got a present for you and it's waiting in my office if you have a minute to open it."

"A gift?" Ellie clapped. "What is it? A diamond bracelet? I saw one on TV that Julia Roberts is s spokesperson for and-" She stopped as Lucifer's eyebrow went up and she realized just how greedy and shallow she sounded. "Sorry. Let's go see what you got me! But please keep that bracelet in mind for my birthday. It's to die for! So to speak, of course."

"Well, it's not jewelry, I can tell you that," Lucifer replied. "Diamond or otherwise. It's more to do with a hobby, and-all right," he paused as he watched her sprint out of the kitchen, although it wasn't hard to follow with his much longer legs. "I like your enthusiasm, darling!"

She sped into his office and grabbed the wrapped box on his desk, eagerly ripping off the paper.

Lucifer hopped the balls of his feet, a wide grin on his face. "I really appreciate your enthusiasm, darling!"

But when she looked at the box, her face changed. "It's...this is a branding kit! Why do you have this? Did we buy a farm?"

"No," Lucifer looked at her in horror. "Why do you think I'd do that?"

"Because you're jealous of Elijah and Selina's farm, so..."

"That doesn't mean I'd subject my family to the horrors of rural living! Do you think either one of us would wake up in the early hours to milk cows? Do you see me...cleaning up after horses?" He shuddered.

"All right, all right, but why did you get this then, if we don't have a farm?"

"It's a branding kit!" He cried, looking very pleased.

Ellie looked at him cluelessly. "Not getting it."

"Well, Milo was branded by the lovely Natalie not so long ago so I thought you could..."

"I could rip off her head for hurting my son?" Ellie cried. "How dare she! I'm gonna kill her!"

"He seems to have enjoyed himself immensely!" Lucifer grinned. "I think we should enjoy ourselves the same way!"

"No!" Ellie cried, making a face. "I can't believe you're asking me to hurt you! I don't think I can enjoy this, Lucifer, I'm sorry. It's just...it's disgusting. You're not my property and I'm not yours."

"But Milo enjoyed it," he repeated, trying to convince her. "I think you're looking at this the wrong way. It's like a tattoo, and-it shows his commitment to-"

"It's disgusting," Ellie repeated. "I will spank, I will bite, I will whip, I will...do whatever else, but not this!"

"Milo thought differently," Lucifer told her. "And frankly, I agree."

"Hello, Earth to Lucifer!" She cried, snapping her fingers in front of his eyes. "What makes you think I would possibly want to do this to you? I don't want to truly hurt you! That would break my heart!"

That almost made him change his mind, but not quite. "I just thought it was a little something we could add to our foreplay. I don't think it will hurt that badly. Not worse than biting or being covered with candle wax or anything like that, anyway."

Ellie's jaw dropped. "Oh, dear Steve!" She put a hand on her head and swayed on her feet. "You've really and truly lost it! You honestly want me to brand you like a cow!"

"Yes, that's the general idea." Lucifer brightened, thinking she was about to come around. He gave her his most charming grin, hoping it would seal the deal.

But Ellie's mouth twisted and she slammed the box back down on the desk. "I know you want this," she said firmly. "But...my answer is no." She then turned on her heel and walked to the door. "What sort of woman do you take me for? What sort of woman are you trying to turn me into?"

"Eleanor, wait!" He cried. But she was already gone, the door having slammed behind her.

"Okay," Avery whispered as she and Malachai left her bedroom, arms full of stuff. "Don't make a peep. It's the only way we're gonna get out of here without my father knowing."

Malachai wanted to point out that she was the one doing the talking and he wasn't saying a word, but he kept his peace, only asking, "Why are we here anyway?" But he barely moved his lips.

"I had to get some things that I left here," Avery replied. Then she handed him a box. "Hold that. It's starting to hurt my shoulders."

"Well, if this is everything, I guess we won't be coming back here," Malachai whispered. "Unless, by some miracle, you want to visit your parents. Do you think your dad has discovered you matching up Kol and Amy yet?"

"Of course," Avery nodded. "That's why we're sneaking out of here." She paused, a grin curving her lips. "Once this is done, where will you take me on our first date?"

"Well," Malachai grinned. "There's this nice little Italian place that serves the best pizza! They even have one with cheese in the crust, can you believe that? Then I thought we could walk by the water and watch the boats. What do you think of that, Miss Avery?"

"That sounds wonderful," Avery nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We'll have a wonderful time. Thanks for inviting me!"

Malachai inclined his head. "Thank you for accepting. I hope you weren't expecting something more...glamorous."

"No, of course not! It's a date that's very 'you' and I love that," Avery assured him. "Rather than you taking me to some fancy restaurant where you know you're not gonna have a good time."

Then she looked him over from head to toe. He wore brown suede shoes, off white trousers, and a comfy beige sweater. She could just eat him up he looked that handsome!

As for herself: A pair of red wide-leg trousers, white high heels, a white shirt unbuttoned so that a little bit of her white lace bra was visible, and her hair pulled back with a white scarf. Not bad if she said so herself. She smiled.

"Okay, we're gonna go down stairs quickly but carefully and then we'll be out of here," she said, breathing a sigh of relief.

But she'd breathed too soon. The second they grabbed the door handle, a cold voice sent shivers down their spines. "Going somewhere, Avery?"

They turned and found Steve staring at them, eyes narrowed, arms crossed over his chest.

"Daddy, how...how nice to see you," Avery got out. "I hope you're well." She gave him a forced smile. "I just came to get some of my things and now we're on our way out. Sorry I can't stay. Will you hug Mom for me and tell her I was here?"

"I would love it much more if it came from you, dear," Gwen told her. Avery didn't know whether to swear or be thankful. She could never tell with her mother. They moved over a little and saw she was sitting on a sofa, clearly visible from where they stood. She could have stopped them easily, but she hadn't.

"We're in a rush, or I would," Avery replied. "You probably heard that Malachai is taking me out on a date to have pizza." She paused. "Or we will once Daddy opens the door and lets us leave." She turned to her father. "Daddy, open the door," she said through gritted teeth. "Please."

"Gwen, Steve," Malachai gave them each a brief nod. He didn't want them to think he was a coward.

"How cute that you're going on a date like it's 1980 or something," Gwen smiled. "Let me go get the camera!"

"Gwen this is not the time!" Steve cried. Then he gave up thinking she would listen and turned his attention back to Avery.

"Daddy, open the damn door!" She yelled. "Since when did you start taking people hostage when you didn't get your way?"

"I actually have a reason this time," Steve told her. "And if you think this is just me being petty, then clearly you know nothing. Now, when were you going to tell me about Amy Burk and Kol Mikaelson? Why did you put them together?"

"She did what?" Gwen asked as she positioned the camera. "I have to say I expected it to be something much worse with the way you were carrying on, dear. I don't think Klaus and Amy were going to be together much longer and Kol has matured into a handsome, sweet, capable man who holds witches in high regard. It could be a really good match."

"Thank you, dear," Steve hissed as Avery and Malachai tried not to laugh. "But really this is none of your business."

"Mom is right!" Avery burst out. "And Amy is Kol's soulmate. I know it and you know it too, so I don't know why you're so mad...other than the fact that I saw it first and you didn't."

"On the contrary, I knew very well that Kol and Amy were meant for each other," Steve informed her. "But...but they needed time. A particular series of steps were in order so that everyone involved could adjust to the idea."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, that is ridiculous!" Avery cried. "If it's right then why do we have to wait so long. Why does everyone need to adjust?"

"Did you know about this?" Steve asked Malachai. "Did you encourage her?"

"Of course not," Malachai shook his head. "About the encouraging, I mean. I thought she was being rash but she never listens to me anyway."

"Do you know the repercussions matching Kol with Amy now will have?" Steve cried.

"Yes," Avery nodded, lowering her head in shame.

"No, what repercussions?" Gwen and Malachai asked.

"He'll become a beast again!" Steve said. "An animal with no sympathy to appeal to. Something our daughter didn't take the time to consider!"

"This is exactly what you did with Lucifer and Ellie to start out with," Gwen told him "It's unfortunate that bad things will happen as a result of Klaus losing Amy, but it shouldn't be her responsibility to make sure he behaves, just like it's not up to Ellie to make sure you and Lucifer have a good relationship."

"You know as well as I do that there's one person in the universe who could change Klaus...and be more than able to take the abuses he'll heap on her," Avery reminded him.

"She'll be able to take them, certainly," Steve nodded. "But it won't do much good. It won't cure him. So I won't sacrifice her. Not ever! It's entirely out of the question."

"What are you talking about, dear?" Gwen asked. "Who are you talking about?"

"Yeah, who?" Malachai added.

"No one," Avery and Steve said together.

Then she put her hands on her hips. "Okay, so we've discussed it. Can Malachai and I leave now? I'm hungry!"

"Fine, but just know I'm very disappointed in you," he said, waving his hand and opening the door.

"Noted," Avery said as she and Malachai grabbed their boxes. "But you're not disappointed in me. You're disappointed in yourself. And jealous of me." And with that, they picked up their boxes and left, but not before Malachai wished them a good day.

"Can you believe your daughter?" Steve asked, waving his arms as he stared wide-eyed at Gwen.

"What I can't believe is you," Gwen said. "A full on defiance and all you do is say 'I'm disappointed in you'? Getting toothless in your old age."

"Well, did you want me to kill her?"

"No," Gwen shook her head. "I'm just surprised and pleased about your restraint. And besides, it's not like she was completely off the mark."

"Oh, no," Steve groaned. "Not you too! Good to know I'm the only sensible person in this house. Now, on the off chance you stop conspiring with our daughter for a moment and wish to speak to me, I will be reading in the garden." He then strode off with Pepper at his heels and it didn't take long for Gwen to hear the back door slam shut.

As Natalie left her room in what had once been the family home but now was solely her father's, she found him standing at the bottom of the stairs. His hands were buried in his pockets and he had a shy smile on his face.

"Hey!" She said and ran down the stairs. "Why didn't you yell up to me? I would have been down here sooner!"

He shook his head. "I didn't want to interrupt you. But do you have some time for your old hybrid dad now?"

"Sure," Natalie shrugged. "That's the point of my living with you and mom both. So I can have time with each of you."

"You have a point," he nodded and led her to the sofa.

Once they were seated, she nervously began playing with the laces of her biker boots. "So," she asked. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"How much I messed up and hurt you," he said bluntly.

"Well, what's there to talk about?" She shrugged. "It happened. Whatever."

"No, not whatever!" Klaus shook his head. "I am truly sorry!"

"I don't really care about what you say to me," Natalie shook her head. "Mom deserves your apologies more than I do."

Klaus nodded. "Undoubtedly. But I'm...I'm a fucked up man, Natalie. Damaged beyond repair. But please know that underneath all this darkness...underneath the beast...there's a man who loves you very much." Tears were running down his cheeks now. "You're the perfect combination of my strength and your mother's kindness and I've never seen that in any of your sisters."

Natalie swallowed, trying to hold back tears. "You know I love you too, but I can't ignore how much you hurt Mom."

"And I don't expect you to," Klaus nodded. "I've finally realized after so many years that she's better off far away from me. So are all the rest of you. If I did one good thing with her, I was part of bringing children into the world who are better than I will ever be. And she knows we're better apart too."

"Did you ever love her?" Natalie asked. "Can you love anyone?"

"Yes, of course I love your mother! And I can love you and your sisters and your brother. But loving me is a very hard thing. And she deserves better than being chained to an asshole for the rest of time. Despite the fact that it's a difficult pill to swallow and the fact that I have no say in the matter, I know your uncle Kol will be good to her and take care of both of you." After finishing the sentence, he cleared his throat and bit his lip.

"Natalie nodded. "Definitely. He's good for Mom. He makes her smile."

Klaus scoffed. "I'm not surprised," he said. "He always admired her from afar."

Natalie's eyes widened. "You lost Mom because of Sybil? You were still in love with her?"

"No, no," Klaus shook his head. "It's more complicated than that, sweetheart. Your father is a complicated, sick man. There are wounds that never healed." He wiped the tears off his face with the back of his hand. "I completely understand if you want nothing to do with me now; I'm no good and nothing can be redeemed in your old dad."

Natalie shook her head and grabbed his hands. "I don't want to stop seeing you, Daddy. And I have trouble believing what you're saying. If you were completely irredeemable, you wouldn't be sad about the things you did to other people. You wouldn't let Mom go off and be with Uncle Kol for her own good."

Klaus raised his eyes to look into her hopeful ones, then swallowed and let a shy smile curve his lips. "It's a nice thought and you're wise beyond your years, my daughter, but so, so wrong. I don't want to see you fall into the same trap your mother did. After all my years on Earth, I've finally realized that I have to be a lone wolf; that I can't have a mate without hurting them."

"You don't know that," Natalie insisted. "Maybe in time, you'll meet someone who will help you heal and push you to become the best version of yourself. Give you the confidence to show the world the good-hearted man I call my dad." She paused, her voice full of enthusiasm. "Mom wasn't able to do it, but Steve put someone on this Earth for everyone, even if it takes a few tries to find them. I don't think he would have forgotten about you."

Klaus chuckled, smiled, and took Natalie's face in his hands. "Such a romantic like your mother. "Steve doesn't care about a low-life monster like me; never has, never will. I'm too screwed up."

"Not true!" Natalie shook her head. "I know his grandson, Milo. Maybe I could get him to see his grandfather for you?" She put out one plan of action.

He winked. "You'd go near Milo Morningstar for me? I thought you hated that punk."

"I do!" She said and blushed.

"Well, obviously not so much," Klaus continued to tease.

"Yes, very much, but I would swallow my pride and talk to him for you if that's what you really wanted," Natalie insisted.

Klaus kissed her forehead gently. "I don't, but you're a darling for asking. I think I'm going to leave soon."

"What?" Her jaw dropped. "And go where?"

"I don't know, but I need to get away and be alone for a while. I don't want you to think I'm abandoning you though, because it couldn't be farther from the truth, sweetheart. And while I'm gone, I...I want you to stay with your mother and uncle."

"I can't be with you?" Natalie asked, pouting a little and wiping a tear from her eye.

"It's not that I don't want you to be, but...I don't think it's possible for a while, love," her father told her. Then he grinned and pulled a phone from his pocket. "But I'm giving you this."

"I have a phone already," Natalie reminded him.

"I know, but this one is just for you and me," he explained. "You can call me on it day or night and no matter what, I'll answer." Then he gave her a sad smile. "I wouldn't miss the chance to hear your voice for the world."

Natalie sniffled. "O-okay. "I-I promise I'll take good care of this house while you're gone."

"About that-I will let you have one party here in my absence," he told her. "Just to make sure you don't take things too seriously."

Natalie scoffed. "You're joking, right? You know I'm not the partying type. It's all so stupid. And it might make me popular; that is the last thing I want."

"Well, think about the look on Milo Morningstar's face when he finds out about your party. It would drive him mad, I think." He gave her a wink.

Natalie chuckled. "Well, if you put it that way, perhaps I could, at some point, have a party here."

"That's my girl," he whispered with a proud grin before grabbing her hand to squeeze it.

This made Natalie start crying. "Even when you're gone, know I still love you very much."

"I love you very much too," Klaus replied, before bringing her into his arms to kiss her hair and hug her hard and for a long time, even though he knew the longer he did it, the harder it would be to let her go.

Lucifer poured himself a glass of whiskey, then brought it to the desk in his office, easing himself into his large black leather chair with a groan and then staring into the hypnotic flames of the fire.

He knew he didn't always have the brightest ideas, but apparently asking Eleanor to brand him had been his worst. Not that he blamed himself entirely. It wasn't an idea that had been entirely out of the blue. Since she was okay with biting and spanking and whipping, he'd assumed that branding would be the same. It wasn't so, but he'd been touched how adamantly she'd been against truly hurting him.

Yes, it would have hurt and she would have seen the pain in his eyes, no matter how he tried to hide it, but when Milo had told him about Natalie doing it, it had lit something inside him and he'd been unable to make the idea go away.

The thought of her branding him while wearing tight black leather...it was so thrilling and so...so erotic. And Dad knew how important the physical side of their relationship was to both of them. But apparently, this time, it had been too much for her. That had been surprising. He'd been surprised, that was for sure. He wasn't used to her denying him anything in the bedroom, but another part of him was glad that she had because of course he didn't want her to do anything that she didn't enjoy. He'd learned his lesson about that.

Suddenly, a beep from his cell phone broke the silence and he jumped. He looked at his phone and saw a message from Eleanor: Bedroom. Now! Remember I don't like to be kept waiting.

He raised an eyebrow. She wasn't usually so pushy but given that she was probably still angry with him, an unusually curt tone was to be expected if she planned to talk to him at all. He gulped down his whiskey then made his way to the bedroom, taking the stairs of the grand staircase two at a time. He wondered what she wanted. Something to do with the children, probably. Or to let him know that he was banished to the spare bedroom until further notice.

When he reached the bedroom and saw the door was closed, he knocked softly and spoke in a murmur. "Eleanor? Are you all right? Has something happened to you or one of the children? How can I help? And it's me, Lucifer, by the way. Your stupid husband who tried to make you do something I shouldn't have..."

"Shut up and come in!" She yelled.

Feeling oddly nervous, he swallowed and squared his shoulders before coming into the room and shuting the door behind him. Then, he let out a cry as he felt the burn of whip on his backside.

"Get on the bed!" yelled Ellie's voice. "Now!"

He turned around, rubbing his bottom. "What the hell is going on?" He asked. Then he saw Ellie. She wore black lace lingerie, tall black pumps with fishnet stockings and a leather collar. And she held a whip in one hand.

"Well," he grinned. "What do we have here?"

She threw the whip on the ground and strode over to slap him. "On the bed, I said. "Can't you take orders?"

"No," Lucifer shook his head. "It's a real problem and I think I need to be punished, Mistress. Between this and what I've done earlier, even though I was just trying to have a little fun..."

Ellie narrowed her eyes. "Take off your clothes and get on the bed, facing the mattress. Don't make me say it again. And don't you say another word either!"

"Oh, all right," Lucifer nodded and did what she wanted. Then he heard her pick up the box with the brand in it, speaking in her more usual tone.

"Honey, I'm looking over these instructions and I don't get them. It says you have to heat the brand in the preheated...microwave? That's not even a thing!"

"What?" Lucifer turned over on his back. "What nonsense are you muttering, Eleanor? Let me have a look at that."

"Okay," Ellie nodded, coming over to the bed, her eyes moving downward.

"Darling, my eyes are up here."

"I know," Ellie nodded, not changing the direction of her gaze and licking her lips.

"It says preheat microwave using the steak setting for ten minutes...what does that mean? I'm not some piece of meat! How hot is this gonna be? Hotter than when I was on the throne in hell?"

Lucifer continued to try and decipher the ridiculous instructions and Ellie put her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. He looked so adorably outraged that she just...

"Oh, yes, laugh all you want," he drawled before pulling her into his arms and carrying her to their bed to set her down.

"What? What are you doing? I thought you wanted this?" She asked, confused.

"I thought I did, but I want you more than anything, darling, branding or no. I don't know what I was thinking with it. Milo made it seem like so much fun when he told me about it, but perhaps it's not our type of fun."

"No," Ellie shook her head. "I don't think so. But..." She smirked. "Just what is?"

"Having sex all night," he grinned as she lightly traced circles on his bare, muscular chest with her red nails. Then she put her chin on his shoulder and her lips against his ear. Soon he felt a light nip on his earlobe.

"You know," she whispered, "before we do this, I could use a bite. Do you mind?"

He pulled back and looked her over. Her eyes were bright and mischievous and her skin had its usual flush and glow, so she clearly didn't urgently need to use him as a food source; she was just being kinky and that was fine with him.

"I don't mind at all," he said, grinning as she bit down and drank from him, then gasped as she swallowed, her eyes full of ecstasy. "More?" He asked as she leaned back. Her teeth were red and the stuff was trailing down her chin.

"No, that's enough," she said. "I don't want to get too drowsy and miss out on the actual fun stuff." She hopped off the bed and went to wipe off her face and rinse her mouth out. She knew from past experience with drinking his blood that too much at once made her very drowsy like she'd taken a handful of tranquilizers or sleeping pills. And her blood had the opposite effect on him. Every sense was sharpened, even more than usual. It was like drugs but much better...and free.

"Are you all right?" He asked when she returned. "Still awake?"

"Oh, yeah," she nodded. "I've figured out how much is too much by now." She smiled as she got back in bed. Then he pulled her to him, his hands sliding under her panties to cup her bottom. He kissed her soundly and then pulled back for a moment.

"You know, I like this lingerie very much. Is it new? It must be. I would have remembered it if I'd seen it before."

"Yes," she nodded, beginning to kiss him furiously. "All new. Gotta do that sometimes."

"Oh, I agree," he nodded and got her underneath him before rubbing her gently. Not that he needed to because of course she was plenty aroused already, but what could it hurt?

When she climaxed and let out a cry, he captured her mouth with his as her legs went around his waist and her hips began bucking wildly.

"It seems you're suffering," he drawled as he locked eyes with her.

"Oh, yes, it's absolute torture," she nodded.

"Well, I suppose I should do something about that, shouldn't I?" He asked, pushing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes.

"Yes," she agreed. "Please."

"And you're certain you know what you're asking for?"

"Yes."

"All right." After sliding her panties off, he drove inside her and she let out a cry, pulling him to her and kissing him repeatedly as he drove into her again and again until they were both panting and exhausted and lying next to each other on the mattress.

"Better?" He whispered against her ear as he pulled her to him.

"For now," she grinned and tried to catch her breath. "I can't promise anything about later, though."

"Well, as you know," he purred, rubbing her again and nibbling on her ear. "You know I'm always ready for later."

Kol climbed into the jacuzzi tub and settled in the warm water and bubbles, then grinned as he watched Amy undress the rest of the way.

She was facing away from him and toward the bathroom mirror as she removed her bra and threw it in the sink. Then she bit her lip on a smile and slid off her panties and heard Kol's groan and sharp intake of breath. She'd never thought of her bottom as her best feature, but he apparently he did. Good to know. She turned around and took some slow steps toward the jacuzzi tub, straddling the edge for a moment before stepping into the warm water and giving him a shy smile, then sat between his legs. She could feel him behind her and he was already as hard as a rock. "Would it be too much torture to ask you to redo my bun for me?" She asked.

"It's never torture when I have the opportunity to play with your beautiful red hair," he told her. Then he whispered, his lips against her ear. "Why would you think otherwise, darling?"

This made shivers go through her body, even though she was sitting in very warm water.

He ran his fingers through her silky strands for a moment before putting her hair up out of the way and securing it with the clip.

"Thank you," she told him, a smile on her lips as she leaned against him and he put his arms around her.

"I have to thank you first for giving me that delightful view of your ass," he said. "As you can tell, I enjoyed it very much."

"Good," Amy smiled. "Oh, this...this is heaven!" She closed her eyes and leaned against him as he chuckled. "What?" She asked. "What's so funny?" She leaned her head back and looked at Kol, finding him looking back at her with a grin on his face.

"Nothing," he said. "I just wondered what heaven was for you? The warm, bubbly water or the man in it?"

"Well, you, of course," she said. "How can I resist you?" She grabbed the bottle of wash on the edge of the tub. "Eau de rose pour femmes." She chuckled. "Rose water for women?"

"Laugh all you want," he said, playfully slapping her bottom. "I love my softer side and showing the more feminine side of mine to the world."

"Doesn't surprise me," Amy smiled. "Here you are in a bath. Don't most men like to take showers instead?"

"I'm not most men, Amy," he told her, running his fingertips lightly down her arms, making her shiver.

"I know," Amy said, reaching behind her and running her fingers over his jaw and chin. "You're a very hard man to resist, Kol Mikaelson. Did you know that?"

He winked and settled his lips against her ear. "Then why do you try?" He asked. "And is the fact that you have so much trouble resisting me the reason why you've finally agreed to have me be your boy toy from time to time?" As he said this, he ran his hands over her curves and cupped her breasts.

"What?" She cried, sitting up straight. "You think I'm using you for sex? I would never do that, especially to someone as wonderful as you! What did I do to make you think that low of me? Was it because I refused your present?" She began stammering and fidgeting. "P-please tell me that...that you're k-kidding. Please. I see you as more than a piece of meat, I swear!"

He arched both eyebrows in a comic fashion, an evil grin spreading over his lips.

"Oh, my gosh, you were joking!" She cried, hitting his chest with her fists. "It's not funny! You almost gave me some sort of heart attack!"

"Let's face it," he smiled. "I'm an evil, evil man," he said. "I just love to watch you freak out when I tease you." He brought her into his arms again and kissed her left cheek.

"But you do know I was just teasing you, right?"

"Didn't you just call me your person earlier?" He asked, smiling as he felt her hands caress his thighs.

"Yes, I did," she blushed. "And I meant it."

"If at any time, you want to use me as your sex toy, don't be afraid to knock on my door, or call or text...send a carrier pigeon...anything. I'm always available and at your service." He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

"Stop it!" She chuckled and kissed him.

"I feel honored to be your person, Amy," he assured her after breaking the kiss to caress her neck and kiss the top of her head.

"But?" She questioned, raising her eyes to his.

"I don't think I'll be your person after what I'm about to tell you," he said, giving her a shy smile.

She nervously bit her lip and lowered herself down into the bubbles to cover the parts of her body she didn't find very attractive.

"Darling, if you're trying to hide your body from me, I know it by heart now. I'm also incredibly attracted to it and think about caressing it day and night."

"It's good to hear, but...I still feel self-conscious about my thicker waist and thighs," she explained, hoping he would understand.

"You feel self-conscious about all the parts of your body that I love," he teased, sliding his hands down to her waist to tickle her.

"Kol, stop!" She giggled. "And stop trying to change the subject. What were you about to say?"

"Yeah," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I was. I'm sorry."

"What's going on?" She asked nervously, wrapping her arms around herself.

He cleared his throat and did his best to look her in the eye. "Since our argument, I've been thinking and I realized that if you had given me the time of day way back when, I would have picked you over Margot. In a heartbeat."

Amy stayed silent, swallowing hard.

"Yeah," he nodded with a sigh. "I knew you would take it that way."

"I've been doing some thinking too," she said. "And your feelings that you had for me back then...they were yours to have. You're entitled to them. Then you met my sister and fell in love with her. I shouldn't have been so hard on you when you admitted that. I think it's good that you feel you can be honest with me. I'm just...I'm just so lost these days and trying to figure things out that I wasn't as appreciative of that honesty as I should have been. I'm truly sorry, Kol." She paused and looked into his eyes. "I don't know how I would have reacted if you would have told me that you were attracted to me back then...and it's not all that important now. What is is that you are a person who is always treating me with consideration and respect. And..." she lowered her head and blushed.

"What?" He asked with a smile as he raised her chin so that he could look into her eyes.

"Well, now it's me who's truly attracted to you," she confessed. "So I guess the tables have turned."

"Yeah," Kol grinned. "What I feel for you was in the past and I sure don't feel it right now." He slowly lowered his head down to crash his lips on hers. "Would you like me to show you just how not into you I am?"

Amy burst into laughter as his hands slid over the curves of her ass while they lowered themselves deeper into the warm bath water.

"Can I put my hands on you?" He whispered.

She nodded, eyes closed. "Yes, please."

He kissed her and and kissed her again, each kiss becoming deeper with one moving into the next as he rubbed her gently under the water."

"Harder," she murmured at last. "Harder, Kol, please!"

He rubbed her until she cried out and held him tight to catch her breath.

"I want to be inside of you," he whispered. "Please."

She nodded. "I want that too. So much."

He slid his finger inside her, her moans of pleasure making him incredibly aroused.

"I'm so hard," he whispered. "I want to bury myself inside you."

"Yes," Amy nodded, then nibbled on his earlobe a little. "Do it."

Then she let out a cry as he buried himself inside her over and over without any more hesitation, sloshing some water onto the bathroom floor.

"Did you put on a condom?" She asked when they broke their kiss for a second. "Sorry I forgot to mention it before."

"Well, now I've decided to put one on whenever you and I are going to be in the same room for any period of time," he shrugged and winked. "It just seems smart."

"Yeah," Amy nodded, reaching down to be sure that was the case and then squeezing him gently.

"Gosh, woman, what are you trying to do to me?" he whispered.

"Am I making you suffer?" She asked.

"No," he whispered. "Good god, no. Don't stop."

"Don't worry," she murmured and licked her lips. "I won't."

"Damn!" Angelica Morningstar swore as she pulled up to the ATM. She had been hoping to just get her money and leave, but it seemed like there was a very long line. She parked her car, got out, and waited behind the last person, knowing full well that she could just magic herself to the head of the line, but also knowing that was an underhanded thing to do.

"Hi," she said to the lady in front of her, giving the poor woman a smile. "Lovely sunny day, isn't it? Have you been waiting long? I see there's quite a line."

"Yes," the woman nodded. "Sunny and nice as can be, but its not like I've been able to enjoy it since I've been stuck in this line for half an hour and haven't moved an inch!"

"Really?" She asked, standing on the tiptoes of her wedge tennis shoes to try and see what could be holding things up. "Why would that be?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "There's a tall man who's been emptying money out for ages and won't listen when anyone tells him to get on his way."

"Well, that's very rude of him," Angelica told her. "Ignoring people waiting patiently like that. "What a greedy pig, too! How much money does one man need at one time?" She growled in frustration as she stood up on her tiptoes again but still couldn't see more than the back of the man's curly head. "It's a shame he's so selfish but at least we can enjoy the nice sun on our faces." She shut her eyes for a moment to enjoy the warmth on her cheeks, but her peace was interrupted by the cry of a man being rudely shoved onto the sidewalk. "Oh, my gosh!" Angie cried, running over to help him stand upright. "Are you okay, sir?"

"Yes, thank you," the man nodded. "But I would be careful if I were you; the man getting the money is a psycho!" He straighened his posture and his tie. "All I did was remind him that people were waiting to use the machine and could he please take his money and move along and he-he threw me on the ground! Grabbed me by the neck and threw me like a sack of potatoes!"

Angie's jaw dropped. She hated people who acted that way. "How rude! Just who does that jerk think he is?"

The man sighed. "I don't know and I really don't care. I just want to get out of here before he tries to kill me!"

"Are you sure you're all right?" Angie called as he pulled away. But she received no answer.

"I think he had the right idea," the woman she'd talked to remarked. "There's another machine not far from here. It won't kill me. It's better than waiting for who knows how long."

"All right," Angie smiled. "I hope you have a nice day."

"You too," the woman smiled back, giving her a wave before getting in her car and driving off.

As everyone cleared away too, leaving Angie alone with the man, she decided to try and be polite first. She was always told that she was a 'shoot first, ask questions later' sort of person and she was trying her best to change that. She waited a few minutes for the man to leave without so much as a word. But after about five minutes, he didn't move an inch. She began tapping her foot. "Excuse me!" She cried. "I'm sure you have enough money there for whatever hamburger and soda or bottle of whiskey you're gonna buy yourself for dinner, so...step aside! I need to use the machine!"

He didn't turn to face her, but she could swear he'd chuckled, albeit very softly. "How rude," she growled. "I could very easily call someone and have you arrested if you keep causing me trouble. Make it easier on both of us and move!"

"And just why," he drawled, without turning, "would I want to make things easy on you? And if you did call someone, they would be on their ass just like your friend quicker than you could spit."

Angelica winced. "I do not spit, thank you very much. It's a dirty habit!"

But he said nothing. Just grinned, turned on his heel, and strode away.

Although she was very angry with him, she couldn't help but stare at his butt for a little bit. It was a very nice butt. Then she shook her head and came back to herself. "Wait a minute now! I know you! You're Nik-Niklaus Mikaelson! Something like that? Nicky Milkaelson?"

He stopped and turned to face her, then pulled some envelopes of money out of the inside of his jacket, looking at her for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "Well, I know you too," he said, pointing a finger under her nose.

She crossed her arms. "So I guess no one told you it's bad manners to point at people."

"Oh, gee, I don't know anything about manners! In the shack in the woods where I grew up, no one had the fancy education to teach me such things," he shook his head.

She had to laugh. "Good thing you can get by on your looks," she said. "Good looks excuse a lot of things."

"You think I'm good looking?" Klaus asked. "I hope you don't expect me to return the compliment."

"I didn't mean it that way," she shook her head. "I mean aesthetically. Like a Van Gogh, or a Monet. If you know who those men are."

"I do, as a matter of fact," he said. "I just visited the Monet exhibit at the art museum yesterday."

"Wasn't it great?" Angie asked, losing herself for a moment. Then she came back to her senses. "You say you know me?"

"Of course," Klaus nodded. "Your name is on buildings all over. You like to throw money around, don't you Angelica Morningstar? That's the sibling you are, right? I know you have several." He paused. "Are you embarrassed to have such a stupid name? Do your parents realize they named you Angel?"

"Not Angel," Angelica said through her teeth. "You know damn well that's not my name."

He clicked his tongue, his eyes on her lips. "What would Grandpa say if he knew the words coming out of that dirty mouth of yours? That dirty, full mouth..."

She slapped him and he put a hand to his reddening cheek. "I guess you're no angel after all, just like everyone on the street says."

"Not that I care what street people say," Angelica got out. "But do they call me anything else."

"Nothing flattering," Klaus shook his head. "A pretentious pain in the ass. Are you gonna cry now? Are your feelings hurt?"

"No," Angelica bared her teeth. "I've been called worse, you son of a bitch."

Klaus shook his head. "Again with the language." He caught her fist as she tried to hit him. "For shame, Angel. Didn't anyone tell you it's not good manners to hit people?"

"My name's not-"

"Angel." He repeated firmly, pulling her to him, his hand going over her back and coming to rest on her bottom. "Angel. Angel. Angelica." His face was close to hers now, their lips practically touching. Then, just as suddenly as he'd grabbed her, he pushed her away. "Have a nice life, Angel." Then he strode off toward his jeep without looking back, smirking at the thought of the would-be princess standing there, mouth hanging open and angry about what he'd just had the gall to do. Then, he paused. He heard a sound. Turning his head, he realized the sound was coming from Angelica, who was making her way to the ATM machine. And she was...laughing? Why was she laughing?

"What's so funny?" he asked, running back to her.

"Oh, nothing," she shook her head. "Please feel free to be far, far away from me. I don't want you to miss happy hour at the bar down the street. You're probably gonna spead your entire bank accounts' worth of money on beer and then be a danger to society."

"Not until you tell me what you're laughing about," Klaus shook his head. He automatically moved a stand of hair out of her eyes and then she slapped his hand away. Then he crossed his arms and waited for her answer.

"Well..." she took a stick of gum from a pack in her purse and then moved forward to punch in her ATM code, pausing when she realized Klaus was standing behind her, and gasping as her body brushed his when she turned a little. "Do you mind? Back away a little. I need to enter my code and get my money and I don't want you looking!"

Klaus sighed, rolled his eyes, and looked up toward the sky. Obviously, she was being annoying on purpose. He swore under his breath as she punched in her code as slowly as possible and blew annoying loud bubbles with her gum.

"Are you done?" He snapped at her after what seemed like an eternity.

"Actually, yes," she nodded, backing away from the machine and putting the cash in her purse. "You see, what's making me laugh is...the fact that you, of all the people in the supernatural world who could call me a pretentious pain the ass...that's what it was, right? When it was you who pulled that stupid stunt with Sybil Vane at her and Mikael's wedding and now it's all anyone can talk about. They literally cannot shut up about what you did."

"Well, fortunately for me," Klaus replied, his lip curling. "I don't give a fuck about what 'they' or anyone else says about me."

"Oh, I know that," Angelica nodded, unconsciously reaching out to brush some dirt off his jacket. I know it as well as the fact that I can, occasionally, be a big pain in the ass. What's making me laugh so much, what is making my belly so sore, is the fact that what everyone is saying is not about you, but how happy everyone is that Amy finally kicked your sad, sorry butt to the curb, in spite of the fact that you're a womanizer and an abuser and the biggest asshole ever born. I mean, really, they should give her a medal for finally realizing what sort of person you are and getting the hell out. I mean, I should probably send her a congratulatory card at the very least." She paused. "See? It's hilarious!" She gave him a wicked grin and cocked her head to the right.

Klaus paled. Suddenly he didn't like that mouth of hers anymore. He growled, trying to frighten her, but instead she just put her hands on her hips, raised her chin, and gave him a look of challenge.

"Now, as I was saying before, Mister Klaus Mikaelson, why don't you leave town and give all women whose hearts you've broken some peace of mind. I'm glad you probably have enough offspring from these experiences to cover the world so you can't forget what you've done. You have a good day now." She then turned back to the machine and punched in a request for a receipt. She had been harsh, even bitchy, she supposed, but someone had to show this man all that he'd done, all the hurt he'd caused, without fear. Might as well be her. She grinned.

But she celebrated too soon; she felt him behind her, his chest touching her back.

His breath was hot and uncomfortable against her ear and she didn't like the feeling of his lips on the lobe. Or maybe she did. She couldn't decide. "One more question before I go," he said. "How long has it been since you last saw Sammy Salvatore, love? Any time at all since he came to his senses, realized what a bitch you are, and left you? I listen to the talk of the town more than you think and they say he hasn't said a word to you since he up and left and never returned. Did he just run off? Leave you out in the cold? Did you drive him away? Poor abandoned Princess...so cold." He ran his hands down her arms, rubbing gently. "Let me warm you up. Or is that possible with someone so frigid? Did he leave because you couldn't keep his bed warm at night?"

That was it. She turned around and slapped him hard. "Don't say another word about Sammy," she hissed. "Or I swear..."

"Never mind, I've said my peace," he smirked. "I had no idea it would touch such a nerve. What a pity." He shook his head. I suppose since I've had my fun, I should wish you a good day, for now. Have a good day, An-gel-i-ca Morningstar!" He enunciated every syllable of her name and gave her a mock salute and strode off, leaving Angelica alone.

Once she could no longer see him, she growled, her hands balled into fists. She thought she was at peace with her and Sammy breaking up, but apparently not. She wanted so badly to hit Niklaus Mikaelson with those fists but she would have to settle for a consolation prize: he was leaving town. Hopefully for good.