The tall blonde looked out of place as she strode into the Inferno night club, her bag over her shoulder for just a moment before she dropped it next to a bar stool and sat down. She was amazed at first that they just let in her in, since the bouncer was usually pretty tough on many others, but she assumed that since her aunt worked there, they knew who she was, so...that made it easy. That and the fact that it was morning so the crowd was thin to non-existent anyway.

Laurelle Mikaelson wore jeans, sneakers, and a gray sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore no make-up except some tinted lip balm. As she pulled out her books and a pad of paper, Roxie came out of the back and spotted her. "Laurelle, honey, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Not for another forty-five minutes," Laurelle shook her head and hopped off the bar stool. "I just thought I would come by for some of the best coffee in town if you've got the machine up and running, but if you would like me to leave..."

"Oh, no, no," Roxie shook her head and started the machine after setting down the load of clean glasses she'd been carrying. "It's fine. I'm just not used to seeing many people other than staff here this early. And I've only just had my own coffee. I don't think it's kicked in yet. Double latte with foam?"

Laurelle smiled. "You know me so well. And I don't mean to come in and interrupt your quiet, but it's...I wanted a little extra study time and I thought this would be a good place for it."

"Right you are," Roxie nodded. "One of the busboys also does his studying here when we're not busy and it seems to be doing him good."

"That's nice," Laurelle nodded, put her pencil behind her ear, and opened her book as Roxie sat the coffee down beside her.

"School going well?" Roxie asked. "Any boys you like? I swear those are the only questions I'll ask."

Laurelle looked up at her aunt for a moment, took a sip of coffee, and then went back to her books. "I wish there was something about that to tell you, but I don't really go for that flirting stuff. I'm not even sure I like boys."

Roxie's eyes widened. "Well, you're young," she said. "You still have time to figure things out."

"Really?" Laurelle asked. "You don't think it's weird?"

"Of course not," Roxie shook her head. "If you like girls, that's fine. If you like girls for a little bit and then discover you like boys, that's also fine. Some people figure that stuff out right away and some don't. Some think they know and then things come along and it changes. I mean, I think my mom dated girls for a little while back in the 1920s."

"Really?" Laurelle raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't that her man-hating phase?"

Roxie nodded. "Kind of. And the first time she'd ever experienced having control of her own destiny. Needless to say, she took full advantage of it, sowed a lot of wild oats..."

"..And now she's living on a farm with Uncle Elijah." Laurelle finished.

"Right," Roxie nodded. "Sometimes life can surprise you."

Laurelle shook her head. "I can't believe we're talking about this. But thank you for making it less awkward than Mom or Dad would."

"You're welcome," Roxie replied. "Always here to help."

Just then, a man came into the bar and sat down on the bar stool next to her, ordering a black coffee and cherry Danish. While he waited, he greeted her. "Hi."

"Hi," Laurelle replied, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and a nice moustache. He wore a gray shirt and black leather jacket with jeans.

"I'm not trying to be creepy or anything," he said. "But I feel like we've met."

"I don't think so," Laurelle shook her head. "But then again, I am an identical triplet so it's not entirely inconceivable that you've run into someone who looks like me but isn't."

"Actually you're both right," Roxie told her. "You've met but you wouldn't remember. This is Alcazar. You hung out together a lot when you were little. You'd have milk and cookies and sit on his lap and call him 'Uncle'."

"Well, I hope he doesn't expect it now because I'm not a toddler," Laurelle replied, keeping her eyes on her book and continuing to sip her coffee because she felt nothing for the man.

Alcazar was not offended, like she'd hoped he would be. Instead he just chuckled. "As friendly as she ever was," he said.

"Okay, fine," she said and looked up at him, startled by his smile, which looked surprisingly hungry. It was a little disturbing.

"Hi...hi," she forced herself to say in a monotone. "How are you?"

"You really aren't a people person, are you, Laurelle?" Alcazar asked and then took a big drink of his Irish coffee.

"I am with people I like," she said. "I just don't feel the need to talk to and impress strange men."

"You know if you took the time to talk to them, they would be less strange," Alcazar told her. "Just a suggestion." Then he shook his head. "You're really not like your grandmother at all."

"You know my grandmother?" She asked as he finally said something that piqued her interest. She then took the pen from behind her ear and hit it against the counter.

"Yes," he nodded. "Gabrielle. Although I would be lying if I said I hadn't heard anything about your other grandmother."

"Yeah, Mom really makes sure people know her," Roxie nodded.

Laurelle took a drink of her latte and then looked Alcazar in the eye. "Doesn't surprise me you know Grandma Gabrielle. Aren't you like a million years old or something?"

Roxie heard this and snorted into her glass of water, nearly inhaling some of it.

"Oh, do you think that's funny?" Alcazar addressed Roxie. "Just so you know, young lady, I am only a few years older than you in human years, with a few centuries of life experience."

"Nice try with all your talking, but my niece is immune to seduction. She doesn't even like guys," Roxie patted his shoulder. "Better luck next time."

Alcazar raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you like girls?"

"I don't like either at the moment," Laurelle shrugged. "I'm still deciding and I don't think you're helping."

"She does like books, though," Roxie winked.

"I see," Alcazar nodded and smirked back.

"I have to put these glasses away," she told him. "Would you mind keeping an eye on my niece until I get back?"

"Of course," Alcazar nodded. "Maybe I'll get lucky and we can rekindle the relationship that we had in the old days."

"I don't know what you think you're up to with him, but I don't need a chaperon, Aunt Roxie," Laurelle complained. Then she narrowed her eyes at Alcazar. "And you...don't even think about it. There's no way in hell I'm ever sitting on your lap again!"

Roxie sighed and disappeared, leaving Alcazar to his coffee and Laurelle to her book. They sat in silence for a little bit and then Alcazar spoke.

"So...you're interested in books more than romance. A smart move on your part," he told her and then gulped down some more coffee.

She heaved a loud sigh. "I hope you don't expect me to talk to you because we're sitting next to each other and when I was little I used to sit on your lap," she told him.

"Well, maybe if you tried it now it would be more pleasant than you think," he said.

"I don't know what you and Aunt Roxie are trying to pull but you're coming off more creepy than anything else," Laurelle told him and pushed her things over so there was a stool between them. "And also, I don't do pleasant. Nor do I mingle. I just like to read...alone."

"Why wouldn't a pretty girl like you want to mingle?" Alcazar asked, honestly curious.

"Well, why would a man like you have a mustache like that in this day and age?" She asked with a shrug.

He burst into laughter. "Because I like it," he said. "Because I think it makes me one of a kind."

"Well, same for me," Laurelle replied.

"I see," Alcazar nodded and rubbed his hands before gulping down the rest of his drink. "Well, it was nice to see you again, Laurelle. I think you've certainly grown up to become a 'one of a kind' sort of woman." He left his empty glass on the bar, then hopped off his stool and pulled a twenty out of the pocket of his jeans.

"You're leaving?" She asked, feeling her throat began to tighten. Even if he'd come on a bit strong, and even if she didn't exactly like him, she'd enjoyed their exchange and hadn't intended to drive him away completely; but maybe she'd pushed too far.

"Yeah," Alcazar nodded. "I see your aunt coming back." He cocked his head to the side. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss 'One of a Kind.' I hope eventually you'll be more comfortable with me calling you Laurelle."

Then he turned on his heel and walked away, hands in his pockets and whistling through his teeth, before she could get out a word to reply.

Milo entered the classroom with the usual fuss, winking at girls and fist-bumping guys. Nico looked up in surprise because he was never early. He was usually late and the fuss his tardiness caused was a source of frustration for their teacher. What was going on? Was it about Natalie?

"Nico, my friend!" Milo cried with a smile and sat down, but not before taking a comb out of his back pocket to smooth out his lustrous dark hair.

Nico sighed and narrowed his eyes. "Are you sick? In what universe are you and me friends?"

"Oh, don't be so hostile," Milo said. "Surely we're friends...a little?"

"No," Nico snapped and went back to his book.

Milo rolled his eyes. "So...what are you reading?"

"You probably wouldn't like it," Nico told him. "I bet it's too advanced for you."

"You're not a very friendly person, has anyone told you that?"

"I'm very friendly," Nico returned. "Just not to you."

"So," Milo continued. "Heard from Nat-I mean, Mikaelson, lately?"

"Who?" Nico asked, finally looking up as an evil grin curved his lips.

"You heard me!" Milo spat. "You know I mean Natalie!"

Nico chuckled, enjoying himself immensely. "You mean the woman you're so crazy about that you call her by her first name and hope people won't notice?" He was grinning like a madman now.

"Do you want to die?" Milo hissed. "I mean it."

"Not today, thank you," Nico said, grinning at Milo's anger. "And in answer to your question, yes, I see Natalie all the time because she's my friend. But she's not yours. In fact, I don't think she even likes you. So get the fuck out of her life, Morningstar!"

"I think someone is jealous!" Milo taunted with a smirk.

"I'm not least bit jealous!" Nico told him, turning his eyes to the classroom door. "And if you wat to talk to Natalie, there she is! She just arrived!"

Milo looked up and sure enough, there was Natalie, striding into the room as several others in the class looked and whispered about her bare belly. She was wearing a crop top and low-rise jeans and so the branding was there out in the open for everyone to see.

"Is that tattoo on your belly a new 'in' thing?" A girl asked eagerly.

"It's not actually a tattoo," Natalie correctly easily. "But yes, I'm sure it'll be something that's very 'in'." Then she looked at Milo out of the corner of her eye. "I thought I would try it with my own family initial. Isn't it the best?"

"What's she doing?" Milo asked, rising to his feet and putting his hands on his hips.

"She got you good," Nico chuckled. "She really did." Then he hit his palm against the desk several times.

"Does it hurt?" A curious girl asked Natalie.

Natalie grinned. "A little bit but not for a long and a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to be pretty and popular!"

"All right, that's it!" Milo stomped over and grabbed Natalie by the arm. "Mikaelson, come here!" Then he dragged her from the classroom, ignoring her protests.

"Hey! Get your dirty hands off me, Morningstar!" Natalie yelled as he shoved her against a nearby locker and began to pace.

"You want to tell me just what the hell you think you're doing?" He asked as he passed his fingers through his hair.

"What do you mean?" Natalie chuckled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you mad that your little branding trick isn't so special now that I've made it the hottest thing since hell?"

Milo's eyes widened and his nostrils flared. "That was just supposed to be something kept between you and me!" He snapped. "You weren't supposed to share it with anyone!"

Natalie blinked several times. "Excuse me. Did you just call branding 'our thing'? How can we have a thing? We aren't even a thing ourselves!"

He took a few steps toward her, making her gasp and back into the locker as he put his hands on either side of the wall behind her head, her body trembling under his gaze. "You know what I mean, Natalie."

"No, I don't!" Natalie spat, her hands balling into fists. Her eyes met his. She was furious.

"Oh come on," Milo purred against Natalie's ear as he traced the brand and the exposed skin of her belly. "You and I are connected now."

Natalie gasped. She wished the feeling of his lips against her neck was more irritating, but it wasn't. In fact, she really liked it. Not that she would tell him. It made goosebumps break out on her arms, the hair stand up on the back of her neck, and warmth spread through her body and pool in her core.

"You...you're fucked up, Morningstar," she whispered, reaching out to push his shirt up a little and run her fingers over his own brand.

"Right back at you," he returned and nibbled on her earlobe. "Don't try to deny it. I can smell your arousal." The slight pain made her moan with pleasure, much louder than she meant to. And unfortunately, it drew attention as Milo trailed his lips down her neck.

"Morningstar, Mikaelson, don't you have somewhere to be?" Malachai asked, striding toward them. "Like class?"

"Oh, we would, but our next one is yours and it doesn't start for another twenty minutes," Milo returned. "Didn't you know that? We were very early today."

"And we needed a way to occupy ourselves," Natalie added, rubbing her hands together nervously.

Malachai narrowed his eyes on both of them. "And I can see that you found it," he said. "In my experience, students needing to occupy their time before class should read notes or a book. And Mr. Morningstar, I don't need a reminder of when my class starts, thank you very much."

"Yes, sir," Milo nodded. "Sorry, sir."

Malachai approached them, his eyes still dark with suspicion. "Since you two seem to like spending time together, let's put it to good use; let's make it educational. I want a report about how a relationship can become toxic on my desk in one week, no excuses!"

"What?" Natalie complained. "No, no, no! You can't do this!"

"How dare you?!" Milo howled. "I can't work with her!"

"Really? It seems like you were fitting very well together just now," Malachai grinned. "Papers on my desk in a week, please!"

"This is all your fault, Milo Morningstar!" Natalie spat before turning on her heel and leaving him alone in the hall.

"Don't think I'm enjoying this!" He called after her retreating back. "It's no picnic for me, either." Then, once she was gone, he thought about telling his mother about Malachai and his punishment. Maybe she could find a job for him in hell, because even though he would never admit it to his teacher's face, Milo thought Malachai really knew a thing or two about torture.

At the sound of a shrill and angry voice, Nico looked up from his comic to find himself face to face with Michelle Mikaelson. Or at least he was pretty sure it was her. With the way his day was going, there was no chance he would get lucky and inadvertently meet one of her sisters.

"Out of the way!" She was yelling at everyone who crossed her path and not hesitating to give them a push if they didn't listen. "I said move!"

Yes, Nico sighed and rolled his eyes. It was the worst of them. First Milo and now this. Why did Steve hate him?

"Go sit somewhere else!" She barked at a poor young man holding a latte.

"Yes, ma'am!" He nodded and got up immediately, giving her the chance to take his place, which just happened to be next to Nico. She looked him over and scoffed.

"Well, look who's here," she drawled. "I think we've met. You're just so insignificant that I don't remember. What's your name?" She snapped her fingers several times. "Roy? Cletus? Jed?"

"Actually it's-"

"Don't know, don't care!" She snapped.

"Nico!" He spat.

"I said I didn't care," she said, getting in his face. Then her face twisted like she had swallowed a lemon. "Get out of my sight. You stink!"

Nico burst out laughing. "It's funny that you think I'm gonna move for you. Cause I'm not. Not my ass or any other part of me."

"I said now!" She yelled. Her voice was shrill and inescapable. People looked up and didn't look away. "Did you skip your shower today? Or did you forget how to use soap after doing some sport? Your scent makes me want to barf!"

"Really?" Nico gasped in pretend shock and put a hand to his chest. "Well, my apologies, Your Highness. We can't have that!"

Then he stood up, causing Michelle to eye him hopefully. Was it possible he was finally getting the message and leaving?

He put the hood of his jacket over his head and waved his arm so she would smell the scent of it even more.

"Oh, dear-that is so gross!" She began waving a paperback to get the smelly air away from her.

"It's the smell of authentic male werewolf sweat, just for you, Princess!" Nico winked. "I had basketball practice today and I know I'm not my cleanest but the last thing I'm gonna do is clean up just because you throw a fit and demand it."

"I doubt you're even housebroken!" Michelle cried.

"Well, it's hard when you have no bathrooms or anything and have to shit in the woods and wipe yourself off with leaves, but..." he got up next to her and whispered, "lucky for you, I am housebroken." He paused. "Now that we've gotten that cleared up, why don't you file your nails or put on lipstick or whatever other pointless thing you do to waste your time and let me read in peace."

Michelle stuck her tongue out at him out at him and then noticed everyone else around was watching the whole thing and trying not to laugh at her.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I have friends who could turn you into a pig if I asked them to!" She cried. "Not that that would be much better! The smell would still be the same!"

"Good for you!" Nico spat. "If you have friends, which I doubt you actually do, go bother them instead of bothering me!"

Michelle gave a dismissive sniff. "Once a loser, always a loser. It's not like I would ever give you the time of day anyway."

"Finally something we agree on," Nico nodded, Then he grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it over, sitting on it to face her.

"What...what are you doing?" She asking, putting her hands on his chest so that she could push him off the chair, make him look like a fool, and maybe injure him if she was lucky. But when her hands touched him, she gasped and tried not to show it. The boy had muscles all over!

She hoped he wouldn't notice that he now had the advantage, but of course he did. "I was wondering," he murmured, low enough for her ears only as he grabbed either side of her chair to trap her, "since there seems to be some sort of attraction between us, we should just spend the night and get things out of our systems. What do you say?"

She was stunned, just like he'd hoped she'd be. "W-what? I don't know..." Her face was bright red and she put her hands over her cheeks to hide it.

"Oh, come on, Michelle," he drawled, tracing the skin of her arm in a circling motion. "You know what I'm talking about. You, me, tonight. Interested?" The last word was whispered in her ear before he gently bit down on the lobe.

She gasped and then closed her eyes tight, along with her mouth, before a moan could escape. Then he burst into laughter and pushed her away from him. "Yeah, right. I would...would walk in fire or eat scorpions before allowing that to happen. But thank you for reassuring me that I don't smell so bad after all and you were just being a bitch."

"Fuck you!" She yelled, grabbing her book and bag and striding away.

"You wish, Princess!" He called back, hoping his laughter was ringing in her ears.

Then he turned and found himself looking at Michelle...no, it wasn't Michelle. This one's eyes were warmer. "You'll have to excuse my sister," she said. "She's a bitch even on her best days. I'm Laurelle." She smiled and offered him her hand to shake.

"Nico," he told her with a smile. "And don't worry. I won't hold it against you that you look like her. Or that she's your sister."

"Well, obviously you didn't think I was her since you just saw her walk away, but how are you not...confused?" Laurelle asked.

"I promise this isn't any sort of pick up line or anything but...you have much warmer, friendlier eyes than your sister," he told her. "That's how I knew you were someone else."

"Thanks," she looked down at his book. "What are you reading?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just some comics."

"Cool!" She nodded.

"Oh, fuck it all!" Milo yelled, barging over to the pair.

"Fine," Nico sighed. "Please tell me what happened. Otherwise I know you'll make some big scene until I tell you that I want to hear about it."

"Wow," Laurelle looked back and forth between them. "You guys are friends?"

"Yeah, of course we're friends!" Milo replied.

"Just that?" Laurelle clarified. "Not a couple?"

"No, no!" Milo shook his head. "I mean, my dad's bi so it's not like impossible I could like guys, but I don't think he'd be my type."

"Why not?" Nico asked. "I mean, good, but why not?"

"Well, for one thing, I think I'd like a guy who showers at the very least," Milo said.

"I intend to, lay off me!" Nico snapped. "I'd rather listen to you go on and on about your problems then talk more about this. You and I are not a couple, and we never will be cause whether your bi or not, I like girls. a lot!"

"Malachai is making me write an essay with Natalie Mikaelson!" Milo cried. "Isn't that awful?!"

"Yeah," Nico snorted. "Poor Natalie."

"Natalie Mikaelson?" Laurel smiled. "She's my aunt."

"Right," Nico pointed. "And here she is now. I'll just go sit with her now to make her feel better about this assignment since she probably feels at least as bad. Nice to have met you, Laurelle."

"You too," Laurelle nodded. "I hope we can do it again."

"Yeah, go sit with your girlfriend!" Milo shouted dramatically and sat down. "Just leave me here in my misery! You jerk."

"Wow," Roxie grinned widely as she did the calculations for the week's take for the third time just to make sure the nice, big number was correct. She couldn't wait to show Noah. Maybe knowing that the club could do well in his absence meant that he could be convinced to take vacations more often. Well, technically, it hadn't been a vacation. More like a convention for work. But the point was, it was some place that wasn't here, which was better than nothing. Then, she heard the sound of footsteps and looked up to see Noah striding toward the bar with a grin on his face.

"Well, the bar still seems to be standing," he said and took a seat. "Good job."

"Thank you, Junior," Roxie returned. "Frankly, I would be more worried to have you alone here by yourself."

Noah raised an eyebrow at this.

"I mean...hey boss, you're back!" Roxie smiled.

"Yep, I stopped off at the mansion to drop off my luggage and then came straight here. Everything okay for you and Vince? No...robberies or fires or anything like that?"

Roxie sighed loudly. "Obviously if the bar is still standing, everything went fine. How many times do we have to tell you?" She pushed the paper toward him. "Here's what we took in while you were gone. I think you'll be pleased."

"I know you would do well," Noah said, grinning widely as he looked at the paper. "But you know how much of myself I put into this business. I get anxious when I'm not here to know exactly what's going on."

"I know, but you also know by now that I am the best possible person you could have watching the club while you're gone, right?" Roxie asked. "And the convention must've been interesting. I bet you got a lot of new ideas, learned new advertising techniques...anything like that?"

"Sure," Noah nodded. "Right."

"Well, I can't wait to hear about it," Roxie enthused. "You want a drink first though?" She'd been excited ever since Noah had told her about the convention.

"Yes, please," Noah nodded, casting one more look around and hoping Roxie wouldn't notice. "Scotch on the rocks, please." As she poured him his drink, he took out a pen and some paper and made notes, then looked up at her as the glass was set down in front of him. "So what did I miss while I was gone? Anything?"

"Well, Mikael and Sybil got married," Roxie told him. "And apparently, it was something."

"Oh, yeah," Noah nodded. "I heard all about it from my parents who, along with my brother crashed the thing. At least Elijah let Dad help so Mom didn't have to feel like they were intruding."

"I'm sure Mom sensed yours would show up," Roxie replied. "She knows your dad too well to think otherwise." She paused. "On the other hand, she probably wasn't expecting my dad to show up, throw a fit about Sybil marrying Mikael, and then start a reign of terror."

"Oh, damn," Noah sucked in his breath. "Did he kill anyone?"

"No, but he took Sybil hostage," Roxie said. "It was a mess. Poor Amy was so embarrassed."

Noah scoffed. "And I thought my family crashing was bad. That wins." He paused. "Anything else?"

"Well..." Roxie thought. "There's a rumor going around that Amy left with Uncle Kol after the wedding was over and then never went back to Dad's. So they're working on having the Council give them a divorce. I don't know much more than that. I tried to get my sister Natalie to tell me something but she's kept quiet."

"And no wonder," Noah clicked his tongue. "Her parents are separating and divorcing. I bet she's a wreck."

Roxie shrugged. "Not entirely. Uncle Kol is there for her and Amy and I bet that dulls the pain a little."

Noah whistled. "Wow, Kol Mikaelson and Amy Burke. There's one pair I didn't see coming. But he's always been involved in the magical community so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised." He paused. "And I know we talked about Natalie, but would it be overstepping my bounds if I asked how you were feeling about all this?"

"Well, it's not like it's anything new," Roxie shrugged. "Amy's always gonna be either my stepmom or my aunt. It all depends on who she marries. And she's nice, so it's not like I'm doomed. It's okay."

"Good," Noah smiled. "Glad to hear it."

"And-oh! Something else happened while you were gone. Something big! I can't believe I almost forgot! The triplets are grown up now!" Roxie informed him.

"What?" Noah exclaimed. "We talked on the phone before today! Why didn't you mention it then?" He put his hands on his hips and gave her what he hoped was a very chilling glare.

"Well, I don't know!" Roxie shrugged. "The club was always busy when you called and we only talked for five minutes or something. I thought it would take longer than that to tell you about the girls."

Noah grinned widely and scooted his stool close to the bar. "So how are they? Are they doing well? I hope they aren't having trouble adjusting."

"No, they don't seem to have changed. Like the personalities they showed when they were little match what's there now. If you'd been here this morning, you could have met Laurelle. She came in during the quiet hours to do some last minute studying and have my wonderful coffee."

"It is good," Noah agreed. "The stuff they had in the hotel room was garbage. I had to get in my car and drive a whole two miles to get a good cup." He paused. "Is Laurelle still quiet? It sounds like it."

"Oh, yeah," Roxie nodded. "And I don't think she likes boys, or at least doesn't feel comfortable with them. There's no one she's interested in at her school."

Noah shrugged. "That's not so bad. Maybe she likes girls."

"Nope, she says she doesn't like girls, either. But then Alcazar stopped by and they had about as civil an exchange as she's capable of having with a guy, so that's something, I guess."

"Doesn't surprise me," Noah nodded. "She was as close to him as she was to Adrian. And...dare I ask about Michelle? Is she as imperious as ever?"

"Yep," Roxie winced. "Michelle is still Michelle."

Noah chuckled. "That's comforting. Still bitchy as always. And I say that with love."

Roxie snorted. "It's just me you're talking to. You don't have to sugarcoat anything." She paused. "And I guess you saved your favorite for last."

Noah blushed. "Well, I wouldn't say favorite, but we're buddies. I've given her baths. I've tucked her in! She's my goddaughter! Can you blame me for caring the most about her?"

"Noah, calm down. I'm not judging. I'm teasing," Roxie reminded him. "She's really cute. sweet, and adorable. I don't really get all the feathers and bows she likes to wear in her hair, but...you know what? Maybe you should call her! I'm sure she'd be glad to hear from you now that you're back!"

"I will, but now I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on in my office and she's probably at school, so there's no point. I wouldn't want to interrupt her learning." He paused and smiled. "Can't have her parents thinking I'm a terrible influence since I've somehow conned them into believing otherwise." He paused. "Did you bring the mail in?"

"Yes," Roxie nodded. "And anything you need to look at is in your office."

"All right, that's where I'll go then. And Roxie? Thanks for looking after the place."

"You're welcome," Roxie smiled. "See you later, boss. I'm glad you're back."

Having just got a phone call for Noah, Roxie marched over to his office and knocked very loudly. And when he answered the door, he found her glaring at him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What?" He asked. "I've innocently been sitting here in my office looking at mail. Why are you glaring at me like that?"

"Don't you play innocent with me, Noah Morningstar," Roxie hissed. "That stupid escort agency you always use is on line one. They apparently believe they're sending someone over for you tonight."

"Well, thank you for the information but you could have just as easily transferred the call instead of making them wait while you came all the way over here to scold me." Noah pointed out. "This extra effort wasn't necessary."

"Oh, yes it was," Roxie replied, getting in the doorway when he tried to close the door on her. "And I say this, respectfully, as your friend: I thought we were done with all this escort crap. I thought you were done sleeping with women who look like Madonna did when she sang 'Like A Virgin'. All this sleeping around crap isn't doing anything for you. Why can't you just find a nice supernatural girl who will make you happy?"

"Okay," Noah stood up and threw his pen at the wall. "Let's make one thing clear here and now, Roxanne. I am your boss. You are my employee. You are not my wife, you are not my mother. Hell, even my mother doesn't push as hard as you."

"Maybe because she knows I'll do it on her behalf," Roxie shrugged.

But Noah went on as if she hadn't spoken. "My private life is my private life And my sex life is my sex life and neither is your business. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't," Roxie shook her head. "It's my business when I have to get the girls to you. It's my business when you make me plan out all this crap. And it's my business when I watch you be miserable and unfulfilled every night because no matter how much you pretend, I know you want a stable relationship full of love!"

"That's enough!" Noah yelled. "My club. My life. My sex life. None of which has anything to do with you. Now, get the hell out of my sight."

"Fine," Roxie narrowed her eyes. "But don't forget: your sex life is on line one." Then she turned her back on him, slammed the door, and stomped down to the lower level of the club to pour herself a drink. "That idiot," she mumbled. "Doesn't know a damn thing about what's good for him. And he wouldn't be able to put his shoes and socks on in the morning either if someone didn't help him. Stupid asshole." She poured herself a shot of whiskey then blushed when she found herself looking at her wide-eyed niece, Celine.

"Wow, I wouldn't want to be the person you're bashing right now," the young woman told her aunt with a smile.

"Sorry," Roxie told her. "I had no idea you were down here." She smiled. "So...how's my favorite cutie patootie?"

"Hey, Aunt Roxie," Celine waved. "I'm good. And you're not, I take it?"

"I'm fine," Roxie sighed. "Just club stuff." She began gathering ingredients for a Shirley Temple. "Can I make you your usual drink?"

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind a Shirley Temple," Celine nodded. "But this time, could I have a little bit of rum or vodka, please? I heard it's a thing. I promise I won't tell anyone." She gave her aunt a wink from under obvious false lashes.

"I know it's a thing. It's called a Dirty Shirley and Noah's sister, Angelica, likes them, so I make them from time to time. But your father would kill me if I gave you one."

"Right, but who's going to tell him?" Celine pointed out. "I certainly won't."

"Two drops and nothing more," Roxie told her. "I'm not letting you get hammered.

"Yay!" Celine clapped. "Thank you, Aunt Roxie!"

"What are you doing here?" Roxie asked as she gave her niece her drink. "Don't you have school?"

"I had an appointment with Dr. Sean so I got to leave early," Celine explained before taking a large drink.

"A doctor appointment?" Roxie asked. "Nothing wrong, I hope."

"No, just a checkup," Celine replied. "Laurelle and Michelle already had theirs."

"I see," Roxie nodded.

"So...you care to explain who you were bad-mouthing?" Celine asked. "I'm insanely curious."

"No one exciting," Roxie shook her head. "Your godfather is just being a stubborn ass. Only back from his trip a few hours and he's giving me grief."

"Uncle Noah is here?" Celine asked, grinning widely and setting her glass down on the bar, then hopping off her stool to head in the direction of his office.

"Don't go see him now," Roxie said. "He's in the middle of a phone call."

"Ah," Celine nodded and sat back down. "If he's doing something important, I wouldn't want to disturb him. I can wait. I can't wait for him to see me all grown up!"

Roxie narrowed her eyes and looked her niece over. Even as a toddler, she'd had a strange fashion sense, but for Steve's sake, since she'd grown up, it had gone completely insane: She was wearing a pair of Mary Janes with fishnet pantyhose and lacy socks, a tiny white leather skirt that left practically nothing to the imagination, a transparent blouse over a black lace corset, lace gloves, and some feathery lace contraption in her hair. "What in the world are you wearing? Your parents would kill you if they knew you were dressing like that. Especially here! Someone could mistake you for a hooker or something!"

Celine rolled her eyes. "Oh, no! Not you too! You're the cool aunt! Let me dress how I want without a fuss. This is the style I like. And like you say, my parents would hate it, so I have to wear it here."

"So you didn't wear it when you went to see Sean?"

"Of course not," Celine shook her head. "I changed in the bathroom when I got here. The style is called burlesque."

"Oh, dear Steve!" Roxie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Of course it is!"

"I know you might think it's strange, but I really feel like myself dressed like this. Like how I bet you used to feel when you dressed like Madonna," Celine tried to explain.

"No, actually that never had any appeal for me," Roxie shook her head.

"Well, burlesque does to me, and I want to dress like it where and when I can," Celine replied. "And it would mean a lot if you would, at the very least, not tell Mom and Dad." She took another sip of her drink.

Roxie shook her head, unsure of what to say to that, but knowing she had to say something. She was saved by someone calling her from outside. "I think an alcohol delivery has arrived," she said, quickly excusing herself. "Will you be all right on your own while I deal with it?"

"Sure," Celine nodded. "I'll just walk around the club, drink my drink, and not cause any trouble for Uncle Noah."

"Good girl," Roxie smiled and departed.

In his office, Noah was still fuming about Roxie's blunt lecture. Who was she to interfere in his private life? Why did she care who he slept with? If he wanted to fuck an escort every night, or two or three for that matter, he would do it!

Swearing under his breath and grabbing a chart, he left his office to head into the main club area, where he planned to pour himself a big drink. He smiled to himself as the sound of burlesque music met his ears. He headed to the bar, and as he reached it, his gaze found the most beautiful creature sitting alone and waiting as if for him. She was truly fantastic. To hell with everything he'd just said. He needed to know her name so he could take her to his room, lock the door, fuck her for the rest of the night and then take her to church so he could be married to her for the rest of eternity and do it all over again.

His jaw dropped, the chart fell to the floor, and, as he made his way to the bar, he had to be careful because he quickly discovered the vision had made him as hard as a rock. This was why he always used that escort agency: they hadn't failed him yet. Grandpa help him, this ti,e they'd even sent his dream girl! Her blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun with a cute, fancy little feather, and she was dressed like a burlesque girl from head to toes. He knew it was strange, terrible and just...weird, but he wanted to grab her, pull her into his room, and bury himself in her over and over while she called him 'Sir'. All night, preferably.

As she hopped off the barstool, he came up behind her and pulled her in contact with his muscular chest. She whimpered in surprise as she felt his breath in her hair. "Tell me, darling," he whispered. "Do you do everything in bed?" He breathed her flowery scent in deep as he waited for her response.

"I...I don't know. I'm not sure." She sounded more surprised then seductive, but that was to be expected. She hadn't even seen him.

He let out a short growl. "It's okay," he assured her. "I'll teach you everything you need to know." He lowered his hands down her hips and pushed up her tiny skirt, clicking his tongue. "You're a very bad girl, you know. Wearing fishnets and no panties. What would your daddy say about that?" Then he gave her a big spanking that made her cry out.

"Oh! I don't think you need to teach me much, since you already slapped my ass hard." Her heart was pounding in her chest. Who was this person? Should she hit him? Should she yell for Aunt Roxie? Or should she just keep talking?

"You know," he murmured, his lips against her ear. "You have a dirty mouth on you, Madamoiselle. Say 'I'm sorry, Sir'." Then he nibbled on her earlobe.

"What?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Say 'I'm Sorry, Sir'."

"I'm sorry, Sir," she repeated.

Noah groaned loudly. Fuck him! He brought his pelvis in full contact with her behind and she gasped as she realized how aroused the man behind her truly was. She turned her head just a little and gasped even more when she saw out of the corner of her eye that it was her godfather, Noah. He clearly didn't know she was who she was. She should stop this right now. Tell him the truth and save them both from further embarrassment. But she was realizing also that she...she wanted this. And before now, she'd never felt more like herself.

"You smell good," he murmured, raising his hands to touch her breasts. "I bet you smell good all over, even between your legs."

She chuckled nervously. "I've never smelled myself there before." She felt hot and knew she was blushing.

"Or tasted yourself, I bet," he continued as he blazed a trail of kisses down her neck. "You know, you play your role to perfection. How much to have you to myself for a week?"

"What?" Celine asked, her eyes wide with shock. What was he doing? Why would he ask her that? And why was he grabbing her hand and kissing her palm in a way that made her feel hot everywhere?

"I want to do bad things to you for a week," he said. "Do you do bondage?"

She said nothing and seemed a little nervous.

"Are you all right?" He breathed.

"Yes, sorry," Celine nodded. "W-what did you say?"

"Do you do bondage?" Noah repeated. "I promise I won't spank too hard unless you want me to."

"I-"

"Never mind." Noah grabbed Celine's hand and was about to take her to his rooms when Roxie happened upon them.

"Noah! I thought Celine was going to find you pretty quick. She hasn't seen a lot of the club. Were you planning on showing her the lay of the land?"

He froze, his eyes wide. It was the worst possible thing she could have said. He turned around and gagged in a potted plant.

"Are you okay?" Roxie asked as she noticed him go pale and mutter to himself about 'what did I do'?"

"It's fine," Celine pleaded. "You don't have to make yourself sick! Would it be better if I kissed your cheek? Then we could forget about this!"

"No," Noah snapped. "You putting your lips anywhere near me will not help me forget anything. Just...excuse me. I have to...have to... go to church."

"Church?" Roxie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Church, my office...I just want to be alone!" Noah cried. "No one disturb me!" He ran off, still trying to catch his breath and not making eye contact with anyone.

"What got into him?" Roxie wanted to know. "I've never seen him like that."

Celine shrugged. "I guess he thought I was someone else, since he didn't give me a chance to introduce myself before he-"

"He what?" Roxie asked, and then gasped, wide-eyed. "Oh, my god! I...I...he truly thought you were...I mean..."

"It's okay, Aunt Roxie. Let's just forget about it," Celine snapped. Everyone was making such a fuss and it was starting to get embarrassing. "I'll change back into my jeans and t-shirt and go home. Sorry for any trouble and thanks for the drink."

"Okay, sweetie," Roxie nodded. "Nice to see you." But once Celine was gone, she went and hit her fists on the bar several times. Noah had mistaken his goddaughter for an escort and who knew what would have happened if she'd not shown up when she had? This...this was unbelievable! She looked up at the ceiling. "If you're doing this," she told Steve, "stop, for your grandson's sanity. And if not...have mercy on our souls."