Ludovic wasn't normally a morning person, and usually tried to sleep as long as possible, but his eyes opened very early, just as the sun was coming up, and the beauty of it struck him. He gave Helene's sleeping form a gentle kiss on the cheek, grabbed some pants, and then, after putting them on, headed out of the tent and into the open. He smiled and took a dep breath. It was so calm that at times like this, it was hard to remember that they were on the run from the law.

He looked a little longer, then turned, startled by the sound of a twig snapping. His face twisted into the start of a snarl, but when he saw it was just Helene looking at him sheepishly, he relaxed.

"I didn't mean to step on that twig and scare you," she smiled and came to put her arms around him. "I just wanted to see what you were looking at."

"Sunrise," Ludovic pointed. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Yeah," Helene nodded. Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his shoulder.

"You know," he told her as he played with her hair and then grabbed her hand to kiss it. "I didn't mean to wake you; but sometimes I like to come have a look when the sun is rising and all the colors are in the sky. I think it's just beautiful."

"Yeah," Helene whispered in agreement. "It's beautiful!"

"You know what's even more beautiful though?" Ludovic questioned and pulled her close. "You, you sexy witch!"

Helene giggled. "You just want sex. And it's good timing too." She looked him over, a wicked glint in her eye. "I think I like you better with the pants off!"

Ludovic grinned. "It can be arranged. But holding you tight like this during the first light of day is even better!" He gently kissed her forehead as she looked up at him.

With a grin, she pulled away from him and began walking a few feet away. Stubbornly, he immdiately followed after her, and when she finally stopped, he came behind her, put his arms around her waist, and gently kissed her neck and a bit of her exposed shoulder. "You know, I can always transform again, if that's what it takes."

"Oh, please don't," Helene shook her head. "Do you know how giant you are when you're a wolf? It almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah," Ludovic nodded. "I could sense that. That's why I tried to be gentle. I hoped it would calm you down. Make you not so afraid of me."

"Well, it felt kind of good when you were sniffing me," Helene admitted and then reached up to touch his brown locks. "You know, your fur is very soft. Just like your hair."

Ludovic chuckled. "I may spend a lot of my life outdoors but I know a thing or two about conditioners. Trust me. Don't want to be all covered in knots if I don't have to be." He paused. "Seriously, though, I'm sorry if I scared you in my wolf form. I really didn't mean to. I was just curious."

Helene shrugged and locked eyes with him. "I really wasn't bad. I knew it was you so I wasn't like, terrified out of mind. That was just the first time it really hit home to me how big you are when you're a wolf!"

He pulled her close enough so that their lips were nearly touching. "Are you scared of me now?" He asked.

"No," Helene shook her head. "I'd actually really rather kiss you now." She leaned forward and kissed him deeply and he quickly kissed her back as they squeezed each other tight. Things quickly got hot and heavy, but before they removed any clothing, Ludovic pulled away.

"You know, Helene, you're a very good kisser!"

"You aren't bad either, except for when you have werewolf breath!" She giggled.

"Really? I thought you said it wasn't bad when I was on top of you in my werewolf form."

Helene swallowed and blushed. "No, it wasn't bad," she shook her head. "It was just intense. It should come as no surprise to you that I never had anything like that happen before."

"Really?" Ludovic raised an eyebrow. "You mean, Adrian never turned around you?"

Helene shook her head. "Not in an intentional, controlled way like you did. I saw him turn once we were younger and he attacked me. It got me put in the hospital and I wasn't too keen on being around him when he was turned after that. Happened when he was a vampire too."

Ludovic bared his teeth. "Was the attack on purpose?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "From what I remember, we were young and misjudged how wild he would get when he turned. It definitely wasn't intentional or his mother would give him such an earful. Or worse."

Ludovic smiled. "I have no doubt you were nervous when you saw me like that, but...thank you for trusting me." He put a hand on her face. "It was amazing." Then he kissed her lightly. "I have to go into the city. I promise I won't be long."

"Go where?" Helene asked. "Where do you possibly need to go now? You're not just going to abandon me here, are you?"

"No, I promise I'll come back," he told her firmly. "I just...I want to get supplies and food and things and if I'm lucky, be able to be absolutely sure no one is out and about looking for us. We've been lucky so far, but who knows how long that will last?"

"Are you crazy?" Helene cried, her eyes wide. "No way in hell are you gonna go into the city, risk our freedom, and leave me here by myself! If you think we need more supplies, just tell me what and and I'll zap them up! I'm sure it's been long enough that my magic isn't nuts anymore."

"Good to know," Ludovic nodded. "It means you'll be able to take care of yourself until I get back. That's really a load off my mind."

"Here's a thought," Helene told him stubbornly. "If you're that worried, you can, you know, not leave!"

Ludovic chucked her under the chin. "Nice to know you're missing me already and seem to be willing to throw everything away to live with me and my werewolf breath in the woods." He then took her in his arms and kissed her soundly. "You stay near the tent and have wood nearby so you can always keep a fire going and you'll be fine. I promise." He took a deep breath and let her go. "Okay, bye! I'll be back soon, I promise!"

He then began walking away with his back to her, biting his lip on a smile as she continued to yell and curse at him for leaving her.

"Oh, my gosh!" Kayla cried. She'd felt nervous as she'd ridden up to the house and saw Kai and her father talking to one another, jumped off her horse and made a run for it, arriving just in time to see Kai running around the kitchen while Elijah ran after him with an old, rusty hatchet, threatening his life with every breath. "Daddy, stop! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

This made her father stop for a breath, but he still held the hatchet high. "I don't think so! Once I get my breath back, I'm going to make sure that Mr. Parker here is nothing short of impotent!"

"I have to say that I object to this," Kai panted as he began running again. "I think I like my family jewels where they are, thank you. Aren't there other ways we could resolve this? Elijah? Mr. Mikaelson? Sir?"

"See?" Kayla cried. "He was polite! He called you 'Sir' even though you are trying to castrate him!"

"I'm only doing it because I know that once that happens, you won't find him so irresistible."

"Oh, please," Kayla said, chin up. "If you cut them off, I'll jut hide them somewhere and we'll get them back on with magic!"

"Or with help from a doctor," Kai added. "That works too..."

Just then, Selina came in wearing a floppy pink sun hat and a pink and purple dress, a basket of fresh flowers hung over her arm. "Oh, my stars!" She yelled, her eyes wide. "Elijah, what on Steve's green Earth...?"

"It was then that Elijah realized he still held the hatchet over his head. He lowered it down, his gaze boring into hers. "I know you told me to get rid of this," he remarked.

"Yes, I did," Selina replied. "And this is why, you crazy person! Why did you keep it?"

"To castrate Kai!" Kayla cried, taking the opportunity to grab Kai and hold him close against her as she blushed bright red. "That's why, Mom!"

Selina narrowed her eyes on her husband. "Oh, I can't wait for you to explain this to me," she said, hands on hips. "And you tell me now."

"Well, I had a very good reason!" Elijah excused himself and pointed at Kai. "This lowlife rat asked me if Kayla could come live with him permanently! Isn't that terrible, Selina? Can you believe his nerve?"

Selina tried not to laugh and settled for rolling her eyes instead. "I see. I can also see that you're very troubled about this. But wouldn't it be better to talk about it in a calm, mature, responsible, adult way? Cause I know you secretly live in terror of my father treating you the same way you're treating Kai, so I would think you would have some empathy and understanding instead!"

Elijah flushed, looking down at the floor and not meeting anyone's eyes. "There's nothing to discuss," he said firmly. "Cause our daughter is not going anywhere with him! He's not taking her anywhere!"

Selina sighed and put her basket on the kitchen island. "Well, whether you like it or not, it's already happened. He's already taken her and with her consent too! She's crazy about him! And I give him a lot of credit for asking you first, like a true gentleman, instead of just sneaking around behind your back, even though that would have meant a lot less trouble for both of them."

Kai cleared his throat and reached for a basket of fruit on the island. "Excuse me, but...may I have an apple?"

"Sure," Selina nodded. "Go ahead!"

"But just before he could grab it, Elijah brought the hatchet down and split the apple in half.

"Oh, give me that!" Selina cried and gently but forcefully took it from him so that no one would be hurt. "I'm keeping this. You've abused the privilege!"

Now that the hatchet was in the hands of a more responsible person, Kayla felt a bit braver. "Are you done acting stupid, Daddy? I love you, but for heaven's sake!"

"Far from it!" Elijah replied, crossing his arms and continuing to give Kai, who was now pale, a glare that could kill. But before he could say anything else, Ricky and Remiel returned from the walk they'd been taking.

"We got more apples on our walk!" Remiel said, not immediately noticing the tension in the room.

Then Ricky noticed the hatchet and his eyes widened. "Well, this is a nice welcome. What in the name of Steve do you have in your hands, Grandma?"

"This?" Selina looked down at it. "One of your grandfather's toys that I'm going to dispose of very soon."

"You wouldn't dare!" Elijah cried.

"Oh, I certainly would dare!" Selina swore.

"I think we should go to my room before Dad challenges you to a duel or something," Kayla whispered to Kai and took his hand. "Come on."

They slipped away as Selina and Elijah stared at one another and Remiel eyed Ricky. "I know this will be an amazing coming from me. I need to say it though: I love your family, but sometimes it seems like they can just be..." She broke off and shook her head, unsure of how to finish. But she didn't need to.

"Yeah," Ricky nodded, thinking they should go too. "I know what you mean."

"Good," Remiel said and let him lead her out of the kitchen.

"No, no, no, no!" Eloise growled in frustration. In a few days, she and Adrian were going for one last hurrah at Noah's before the girls came and she couldn't find anything stylish that would fit her expanding belly. That's why she was starting this project early. Finding something that was both cool and would fit was a bit of a chore. Then she managed to find a red A-line blouse in the back of her closet. It wasn't her favorite style, but maybe, with a pair of black stretchy jeans, it just might...

She held it up against her and looked at the mirror. That actually wasn't bad. It was then that she noticed Adrian sneaking up behind her, kissing her neck, and putting his hands on her chest.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," She smiled. "You know, they're still as big as they were yesterday. And if you were hoping to sneak up on me, you shouldn't have walked in front of the mirror."

"I wasn't trying to surprise you at all," he said as he grinned and kissed her neck. "I wanted you to see me."

"While you're here, I have a question," Eloise said.

"Sure," Adrian nodded. "Shoot."

"Is this-" She held the red shirt against her again-"cool enough to wear to a nightclub if I pair it with black jeans?"

"Yes, please wear that!" Adrian nodded. "Not only will you look amazingly sexy and cool, but..." He straightened and she was able to focus on his own jeans and red shirt. He'd been picking out an outfit just like she was. "We'll be twins!"

"And that makes you happy?" Eloise asked.

"Does it make me happy to be one of the two most stylish people at that night club?" Adrian nodded. "Heck yes!"

"Are you sure?" Eloise asked, looking skeptical. "I mean, thanks for the compliment, but I think this outfit makes me look fat, just like everything else in my closet."

Adrian took her face in his hands and kissed her gently but soundly. "I promise you that you've never looked sexier than while you've been carrying our girls."

She smiled and gently caressed his face. "Thank you. I needed that." Then she chuckled.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Well, I just...you're so open and physical and stuff now," Eloise replied. "It wasn't too long ago that you wouldn't come near me and thinking like that about me made you sick to your stomach!"

Adrian shrugged. "You're my wife now, so it's different." He began gently nudging her toward the bet until she ended up on the mattress. "We're married so now...now I need to do my duty as your husband...if it's all right with you."

"Yes, please," Eloise smiled, helping him get her skirt up, then grinning wider as he began tasting her after throwing her panties on the floor. "That's good," she assured him. "You can go a little harder if you want!"

"Yes ma'am," Adrian nodded, doing just that as Eloise giggled and squeaked, her tongue running over her lips. He went harder and harder until she climaxed, letting out a cry and panting heavily.

"Good?" He asked, taking her hand. "Or too much?"

"Good," Eloise assured him. "Very good! Where in the heck did you learn how to do that with your tongue?"

"Well, I can't let you in on all my secrets," Adrian chuckled and kissed her gently. "What fun would that be?"

"Good point," Eloise admitted as Adrian handed her her panties. They then sat in silence for a few seconds before he spoke, changing the mood in the room.

"It's important to me to make sure you're relaxed and calm," he said. "I don't want you to spend all your time freaked out and worried because Helene and her werewolf boyfriend are still at large and no one at the Council seems to give a crap about finding them." His eyes narrowed. "That stupid werewolf jerk, Ludovic!" His hands became fists. "I don't know why she ran off with him when I was a werewolf too and it was the one thing she'd always go on and on about not tolerating. Maybe he's killed her in a fit of psychotic werewolf rage! Wouldn't that be a lesson to her? She had the good werewolf all along and she threw him away!"

Eloise sighed and put a hand on Adrian's thigh. "You really seem worked up about this. Is it because you're still in love with her? It is, isn't it? And the only reason you're with me is because you can't have her? You know if that's the case, you could have been honest about it instead of going all the way and marrying me and stuff. How fair is to me to be married to a man who loves someone else?"

Adrian sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "Helene and I still have many issues, but...none of them are romantic. And I have no idea why this is making me so mad because Helene and I...romantically, we were wrong for each other in every possible way! Nothing about our relationship helped either of us. It was...it was a mess!"

"And you don't think the one with me is a mess?" Eloise asked, brightening.

"No," Adrian said firmly and took her face in his hands. "You're my life, my heart, the reason I open my eyes in the morning and get out of bed...and the only people you'll ever have to share that honor with is our girls," he assured her as he put his hand on her belly. "I swear. I could never love anyone like I will love the four of you."

After Ludovic got into the city, he did a quick glance around to see if anyone was looking for him and Helene to haul their butts back to jail. But no one seemed to. He didn't see any wanted posters or anything with their faces on them. He wasn't even sure if people did that anymore.

After a while, he went into the first building where it looked like he could get a drink. It was virtually empty as he sat down on a bar stool and waited for someone to come back so he could order. It was Noah's club.

"Wow," Roxie remarked, starting a little as she came up from the storage room. She hadn't been expecting anyone, as usually people knew when the hours were and didn't come during off time, so they never felt the need to lock the door. "Wow, I wasn't really expecting to see anyone."

"Really?" Ludovic asked. "Is the place always this dead?"

Roxie looked him over. He reeked of werewolf and he was really good looking. Not as handsome as Vince of course, but awfully close. "No," she said at last. "It's just that we're closed at the moment."

"Oh, sorry, milady," Ludovic apologized and got off the bar stool. "You know anywhere around here I can get a drink?"

"Don't blame yourself," Roxie shook her head. "I know you're not from around here or any sort of regular, so you couldn't have known."

"Yeah, I'm just visiting," Ludovic nodded. "You got a nice place here."

He turned to go just as Noah came into the bar. After Roxie explained the situation, Noah insisted Ludovic stay.

"What do you want to drink?" He asked. "On the house, I insist. It's always nice to have someone new come in."

"Just whatever kind of beer is closest," Ludovic replied and sat down again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Noah replied, grabbing a really good brand of beer and pouring it out for him before turning to Roxie and helping her go over the inventory and unpack what she'd brought up.

Finally, he turned back to Ludovic. "So you're just visiting for the day?"

"Or a couple of days," Ludovic nodded. "I don't know yet." He looked around with a smile. "But I might stay a little longer and come here for a visit."

"That would be nice," Noah told him. "I think you'd have a good time. We're not just a dance club. We schedule events and parties every week." He leaned in. "You're a werewolf, aren't you?"

Ludovic bristled. "Yes, I'm a werewolf," he said. "Is that a problem? Are werewolves not allowed in this club?"

"No!" Noah shook his head. "Any species can come here and have a good time." He gestured at Roxie. "She's got werewolf blood herself. A lot of it."

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "I do. And so does my husband. He does all the maintenance work around here." She paused. "You come here for any other reason besides a drink?"

"Yes, actually," Ludovic nodded and took a gulp from his glass. "My wife and I are traveling for our honeymoon and our car is crap. It's the second time it's broke down in a week." He sighed dramatically. "But that's part of the memory, I suppose. I was just looking for food and stuff before I went back and fixed things."

"Are you sure my husband and I can't help you?" Roxie offered. "Vince is also a very good mechanic and he's taught me a thing or two about repairing stuff."

"Thanks, but...I can figure it out," Ludovic assured her. "Really, I swear. You're very kind though."

"Well, okay," Roxie said doubtfully. "If you're sure."

"Where's your wife now?" Noah questioned. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Ludovic nodded. "When I left, she said she wanted to go and get her hair or her nails done or some other womanly thing. So she's doing that and here I am at your delightful establishment talking to you wonderful people." He gave Noah a look. "You know how it is."

"Yeah," Noah chuckled. "I do. What's your name by the way? I'm Noah."

"I'm Michael," Ludovic told him, deciding to use the alias he'd used with Walter and Barbara. "And my wife's name is Lauren."

"Nice," Roxie smiled. "How sweet!"

It was then that a poster for the upcoming karaoke night/dance party caught Ludovic's eye. "Karaoke night?" He asked.

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "We do that a couple times a month. It's fun! It doesn't even matter if you're a good singer or anything. We get barbecue, have lots of good music...a good time is had by all."

"And you got the orders for the pies to your mom, right?" Noah asked. "You didn't forget?"

"No, I didn't forget," Roxie promised. "She said she'd bring them by early in the day or I can go pick them up. Whatever."

"Her mom makes really good pie," Noah whispered to Ludovic. "Actually, she makes really good everything!"

"Now tell me the list of who's coming again," Roxie requested. "I gave mom the list so she could make enough dessert but before she makes it, she wants one more recount."

"Well, my whole family," Noah said. "Including spouses and children. Your mom, your uncle if he wants to come-"

Roxie scoffed. "Which I doubt he will because he hates fun."

"-Adrian and he's coming with Eloise so I have to make sure we have juice and clear soda and stuff like that-"

"Good!" Roxie nodded. "It's good for her to get out cause who knows when she'll have the chance again with three babies coming."

Other than when Noah had talked to him about the pie, the pair seem to have forgotten Ludovic was even there.

"Excuse me," he interrupted as his gut twisted just a little. "Eloise and Adrian?"

"Yeah, my brother and his wife," Roxie nodded. "She was kidnapped and held hostage by his crazy ex who tried to make her miscarry or even kill her."

"Oh, well isn't that unfortunate?" Ludovic got out. "I hope she's okay."

"She's getting there," Roxie nodded. "But they're both mad that neither Helene nor the nut who helped by doing the actual kidnapping have been caught. They escaped from jail, you know."

"How frightening," Ludovic told her. "You never know what sort of crazies are out there." He finished his beer and then gave Noah a look, wanting to get out as soon as possible now. "Are you sure I can't pay for this?" He asked.

"Nope," Noah shook his head. "I won't take your money. I know we probably won't see you for the party, but I hope you can come. And your wife, too."

"I'll let her know and we'll see what happens," Ludovic told him. "Thanks again for the drink. See you around."

Later that night, Remiel, clad in dark red lounging pajamas, tiptoed to Ricky's room, opened the door very gently, and peered inside. He was reading a book and seemed to be deeply absorbed in it. Part of her didn't want to disturb that, but another part told her that he wouldn't mind. She listened to the second part, opened the door more, and made her way in, standing in front of the bed and playing with her hair for a while before she cleared her throat, causing Ricky to look up and put the book, which was for class, down and give her his full attention. "Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't see you."

"It's all right," Remiel told him. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything."

"No, you're not," Ricky shook his head. "Just doing a little reading for class but I can do that any time."

"Thanks." She sighed. "I came straight here and didn't run into anyone. That was a relief."

"But you don't have to worry about that," Ricky assured her. "Everyone knows we're sleeping together. No one will give you grief. I mean, Grandma might squeal and give you a hug, but no one will get mad at you."

"I know that and it's comforting in a way, but it's also very strange. I don't know what to make of it." Remiel shrugged.

"Yeah," Ricky nodded and put his book on the bedside table. "I know what you mean." He looked her over. Her cheeks were red and her forehead was glistening with sweat. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's just very warm in my room," Remiel replied, wiping her brow. "I seem to be...leaking water from my face."

"It's sweat," Ricky told her. "Your body is reacting to heat."

"Oh," Remiel nodded. "All right. "May I sleep in here with you? And can we open a window?"

"Sure," Ricky nodded. "I don't blame you. It's kind of hot for this time of year." He got the window open and when he turned back around, his jaw dropped. Remiel was standing naked in front of him, her pajamas neatly folded on his desk chair.

He blushed red and quickly put a hand over his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Remiel was surprised by his reaction. "I thought you wanted to sleep together, but if not, I can leave."

Ricky moved his hand, jumping off the bed and hopping around, eventually sweating a lot himself. "No, it's fine, we can sleep in the same bed." He paused. "But why?"

Remiel frowned. "Are you all right? Did I do something wrong? Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No, you didn't anything wrong," Ricky was quick to reassure her. "I just wonder why you're naked."

Remiel shrugged. "I didn't think it would make you react like that. You saw me naked a lot before. And you're going to be tattooing people all over their bodies, aren't you?" She shrugged. "It doesn't bother me like that. To me, this is just a vessel. A flesh sack. But I apologize for not considering your feelings."

"Oh, it's not that," Ricky hastened to assure her. "I'm fine with nakedness. I am! And damn it, woman! Now you're even more beautiful with your round belly and full breasts and..." He broke off to run his hands through his hair. "Help me, Steve!" He looked up at the ceiling. "Remiel, you're torturing me!"

Remiel shook her head. "I'm very confused. I thought...I thought we were becoming. What's the word on Earth? Friends?"

"We are!" Ricky assured her. "But for Heaven's sake! You're doing things to me!" He paused. "My body is reacting to yours in a..." He lowered his eyes down to his crotch, which was bulging. "A big way. You really...you're really getting me going! You're turning me on!" He paused. "Like the other day when we were in the barn and we kissed and...now you're standing naked in front of me!" He took a deep breath. "I'm only a man! I have needs! And what I really need now is you!"

Remiel's hands clenched and unclenched. "I didn't mean to distress you," she got out. "I'm very sorry. I'll get dressed and go back to my room now." She was confused and hurt by his reaction but it seemed like her leaving would make it all stop and that was better for both of them.

"No, you don't have to leave!" Ricky cried. "Just, you know, put on your pajamas, or underwear and t-shirt if it makes you feel less hot while I do the same for myself. But please stay. I can't imagine going to sleep on my own now."

Remiel put her underwear and a t-shirt on, then gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I like sleeping in your arms very much," she told him.

"Good," Ricky breathed a sigh of relief. "Me too."

Now that she was covered, Remiel made her way to the bed and Ricky joined her soon after, putting the blankets over both of them.

"I...what do you know about the party on Friday at Noah's?" She asked him.

"Oh, it'll be so much fun!" Ricky enthused. "You should come!"

"I don't know," Remiel shook her head. "I had too much alcohol and behaved horribly last time. What if it happens again? Maybe I should just...not go anywhere beyond this house." She sighed. "I'm so horrible at this. I don't know what you want, or what you need. Or how to even do relationships."

Ricky grinned. "One of the things I need should be obvious. I can't even look at you without being overtaken by the urge to have my way with you."

"You're right," Remiel chuckled. "How could I forget that?"

"Can I call you my girlfriend?" Ricky asked.

"Do we have to label it?" Remiel asked. "I think I'll be a terrible girlfriend." She shook her head nervously.

"Just be yourself," Ricky suggested, pulling her close. "And enjoy the evening with me. Don't think about it too much. You'll do great. And if you don't want to drink, I'm sure we can find you something that doesn't have alcohol in it."

"Maybe that's a good idea."

"What if people ask what our relationship is?" Remiel asked. "What will we say?"

"Well, if you aren't comfortable being a girlfriend, what do you want me to say?" Ricky asked. "That you're the mother of my child? It's true, at least."

Remiel shrugged. "Whatever you want. I have no idea. I suck at all of this."

Ricky smiled and kissed her hair. "Well, I don't think you're sucking now," he reassured her as he put a hand under her chin and kissed her deeply.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Kayla asked as she went with Kai to the door. "You don't have to. I'm more than willing to share my room and you're very welcome!"

"Thanks, but...it's okay. And it's not like I won't come back," Kai said. "You'll see me tomorrow."

"Well, all right," Kayla nodded and grabbed the doorknob to open the door. "I love you."

"I love you more."

"No, I love you more."

"Make it stop," Elijah muttered from his place next to Selina by the kitchen island. "Will he ever leave?"

"Stop that!" Selina remonstrated and gave him a swat on the back of the head.

It was then that Kayla turned to her father. "Kai is leaving, Daddy," she made clear to him. "I mean, he's coming back, but for now, he's leaving."

"Thank Steve," Elijah muttered. "I thought he'd decided to move in!"

"Elijah, go say 'Goodnight' to Kai," Selina suggested.

Elijah scoffed. "He's a grown man! He doesn't need me to do things like tell him good night and tuck him in bed!"

"Do it now," Selina growled, then added in a softer, but no less forceful tone, "please."

"It's okay, Ms. Warren," Kai called from outside. "He doesn't need to do that. I'll be the nice one here. Goodnight, Mr. Mikaelson. Ms. Warren. Sleep well. It was a nice visit."

"Yes, you're the nice one all right," Elijah called after him. "Just like you were when you let Victoria die!"

The room was plunged into silence and Kayla grabbed Selina's arm as their jaws dropped. Finally, she spoke. "Daddy, what's wrong with you? Why would you say something so horrible?"

Hearing the distress in Kayla's voice, Kai came back inside and held her tight. He thought something like this would happen, which is why he'd stayed out on the porch. "It's okay, Kayla," he assured her before kissing her hair and leaving again.

Selina then turned on Elijah. "If you don't go out there and apologize on hands and knees right this minute, I'm gonna leave you and not come back!" She grabbed two beers from the fridge and slammed them down on the breakfast bar. "And take those with you."

Elijah shut his eyes tight. He'd regretted what he'd said the second it had come out of his mouth. He took a deep breath, grabbed the beers, and went outside, hoping Kai hadn't left yet.

Meanwhile, Kayla hugged her mother hard. "Mom, Dad's a good man. Why would he say something so cruel?"

Selina shook her head. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I just don't know. I guess, to him, even though you're grown, you're always gonna be his baby and Kai's had a colorful life, so maybe your father thinks he'll hurt you or something. Not that that excuses being rude, but..."

"Kai would die for me!" Kayla said. "At least I'm pretty sure he would!"

"You know that and I know that, but it's no use trying to make your father understand," Selina said. "He needs to realize it for himself."

Meanwhile, Elijah breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Kai was still making his way to his car.

"Kai!" He shouted.

Kai didn't turn around. "I know, I know! I'm leaving, okay?"

"Well, maybe you don't need to go so fast," Elijah told him. "I have beer. Want to sit on the porch with me?"

Kai did turn now. "I don't know," He said. "What's the catch? Did you poison it or something? Is this a trick?"

Elijah held the bottles out for Kai to inspect. "Selina handed them to me and I haven't tampered with them. See? I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

"Oh, all right," Kai nodded. "Let's do it."

They sat in awkward silence for a little bit and then Elijah spoke. "Look, I'm sorry I've made things so difficult for you and Kayla, but...you have to understand. She's my baby and I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I'm overprotective, I know, but..."

"No, I understand," Kai reassured him quickly. "You'd never know it from looking at me but I come from a powerful magical line and I've...I've had this feeling for a while now that I can't explain. A really weird, not-good feeling."

"So...you want to protect Kayla too?" Elijah asked. "You're not just going to drag her into danger?"

"Of course not!" Kai shook his head. "I would die for Kayla if I needed to. She is so important to me. I just want her to be happy."

"So...if she came to live with you, she could still come visit us?"

"Yeah, of course!" Kai nodded. "I wouldn't stop her from doing that! I know she loves this place and I do too!"

"Even in spite of me," Elijah gave a chuckle and shook his head. "Wow. Logically, I've always known that you would do anything for Kayla. That's why I've been a bit...jealous. She always needs you now. She doesn't need me."

"Yeah, she does," Kai nodded. "That's why you shouldn't drive her away." He grinned then. "Were you seriously jealous of me because Kayla likes me? Please tell me more!"

"Don't push your luck," Elijah said. "Just drink your beer and enjoy the night."

"Right," Kai nodded, really wanting him to repeat his confession even though he'd heard it clearly. "Yes, sir."