Selina stood staring at the door in shocked silence for what seemed like several minutes before Dorian spoke.

"May I come in? Or you can come out here. Whichever is more comfortable for you. But either way, I know you're surprised to see me, and I think we have to talk."

"Right, sure," Selina nodded and blinked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude. Please come in and have a seat, Dorian. Can I offer you a drink or some food?"

"No, thank you," Dorian smiled and shook his head. "I just wanted to pop by and say 'Hello'."

"Well, how exactly did you know where to 'pop by' to?" Selina asked.

"I asked around and everyone said you closed down your bakery in the city and moved out to the country. At first I thought they were kidding, but...here you are." He grinned.

"I know it's a surprise, but, I felt like I needed a bit of a change," Selina sighed.

"Yes, a change!" Elijah said, striding up behind her. "A change in husbands to start with. My wife moved out to the country with me to live in a house that I had built for us!"

It wasn't very obvious, but as Klaus came up to his brother to try and calm him, he noticed Selina wincing with every emphasized word. "Careful, brother," he whispered. "Don't make a scene."

"Hello, Elijah," Dorian said, raising his chin and narrowing his eyes.

"Gray," Elijah replied with the same motions. "What brings you here? Although I think we all know the answer."

"Well, nothing much...came back to life, thought people should know," Dorian shrugged. "So...you two got married again? How...nice."

Selina sensed a fight was brewing so she just wanted to have her chat with Dorian and send him on his way. "Come on," she said and grabbed his arm. "Let's talk, in the kitchen. It's not far from here. We need to talk about the Arthur business and who's gonna tell him you're back. Can't have our son not know it."

"Right," Dorian agreed. "I sense that will need to be handled delicately."

"How long will this take?" Elijah asked. "I hope you aren't counting on a private conversation."

"Fine," Selina huffed, rubbing her temples. This was not a conversation that she truly wanted to have. "Whatever. I just need to explain myself. That's all. I've got nothing to hide."

She ordered Dorian to the kitchen, and Elijah, of course, followed close on both their heels. They sat down with cups of coffee and just before Selina began to speak, Elijah frowned at his perceived rival.

"You know, if you were planning on coming back here and just picking up where you left off, that isn't going to happen. Once you die, which I have to remind you that you did, any marriage you have is over!"

"Yes, I am well aware of that," Dorian agreed, rising to his feet. "I don't bear Selina any ill will for moving on, but things ended very quickly between us. Just because the marriage ended, doesn't mean the feelings have been totally resolved!"

"Um," Selina said. "How about I-"

But before she could get any words out, Elijah wound up to hit Dorian in the face. But before his fist could meet Dorian's nose, Selina put herself between them and Dorian pushed her gently to get her out of the way of Elijah's fist, causing her to crash into the stove as she fell.

"What in the world is going on in here?" Klaus cried, seeing Selina on the floor.

"Elijah was gonna hit Dorian," Selina said woozily. "I had to stop him."

Klaus sighed and helped her sit up with the other men looked contrite. "That's enough. See what you've done, brother? Let's calm down, shall we?" He knew his plea wouldn't stick forever, but hoped it would for the moment, at least. He held Selina close as she shook in his arms.

"I don't know what to do with them," she muttered. "I just don't know..."

Dorian moved forward and reached out. "Selina...Selina, I'm sorry. I just...I didn't want you to get hurt, but..."

"Oh, stop!" Elijah snapped and brushed his hand away. "She has her husband to take care of her. She doesn't need you!"

Meanwhile, everyone else was now aware of what was going on at least somewhat. With all the yelling going on, they couldn't help but overhear.

"Who is that that just came by?" Remiel asked Ricky. "I mean, I know in my guts that I've seen him before, but I just can't recall where!" She shut her eyes tight and tried to think. "It's driving me crazy!"

Ricky shrugged. "I couldn't be much help because I have no idea. The best guess I have is that he's someone Grandma knew and my grandfather isn't too happy about it."

Kai slid over to them. "I know who it is," he said in a whisper. "That's Dorian Gray, a bigwig demon. He and your grandmother were married a long time ago and I think they had a son too. But he died. So I have no idea what he's doing here."

"Excuse me, what?" Ricky asked, blinking fast. He'd heard that his grandmother had had something of a colorful romantic history that caused his grandfather a lot of distress, but his grandmother was so nice that he'd just assumed Grandpa was being paranoid and making it all up because he was scared and not wanting to admit it. Here was evidence though, apparently. Oh, boy.

"He died a long time ago," Kai repeated, almost cheerfully. "Blown up by a bomb or something like that, so it's definitely a big surprise in more way than one to see him just walking around. He died around the same time Vicky did."

"Oh, my gosh, yes!" Remiel nodded and snapped her fingers. "That's it! He was dead and in heaven! That's where I saw him before!"

Kayla scoffed and put a hand on Remiel's shoulder. "Well, he may have been dead before, but he certainly isn't now!"

They paused speaking as Klaus came out of the kitchen and gestured at Kai, who came to stand by him and ask, "What? You never want to talk to me!"

"I just...I have a warning for you," Klaus whispered. "What with Dorian being alive, and Sybil, maybe Vicky is too. Maybe you should stop by that old house of yours because if she did come back, I think that's where she'd go and I don't believe it would be a good idea to leave her alone."

"This is a terrible joke to play on me, Klaus," Kai said.

"It's not a joke!" Klaus replied. "Why would joke about something like this? I mean, I could be wrong, but it's highly unlikely. I called Kol to warn him and you should know too!"

Kayla was pale and shaking as she backed into a chair. "He's trying to say that your former wife could be alive, Kai."

"Oh, don't be silly," Kai told her and ran his fingers through her hair to try and calm her down. "That's not possible, is it?"

"Well, let me reiterate that I don't know for sure, but...I think it's a distinct possibility," Klaus answered.

Kayla took a deep breath and tried to stay strong for him, even though inside, she felt like her guts were being torn apart. "I think you should go," she said, proud her voice didn't shake. "Go to your old house and see if my cousin Vicky is alive."

"Are you sure?" Kai asked. "Because if you don't want me to, I can stay here. And I won't go if you're just trying put on a brave face."

"No, go!" Kayla replied firmly. "I...I know you love me. I know we'll still be together after all this has been sorted out. I'm fine, I promise."

Finally convinced, Kai kissed the top of Kayla's head and lifted up her chin so that she was looking him in the eye as he spoke. "I love you too," he assured her. "So much. And I would never forget to come back to you." Then he gave her a quick peck on the lips, waved goodbye, and took off for his and Vicky's old house.

With him gone, everyone was reminded again of the mess in the kitchen.

"You two can leave," Klaus told Remiel and Ricky. "Go to your rooms, go take a drive, anything to get away from here. That might be best, at least for now."

"But what about Grandma and Grandpa?" Ricky asked. "What's going on? Will they be okay?"

Klaus gave him a smile to ease his anxiety. "They'll be fine. This isn't the first time in their long lives that something like this has happened. They've been through much worse and survived. They will again. So don't make yourselves sick over this."

When Ricky and Remiel were gone, Klaus heaved a deep sigh as his brother and Dorian continued to argue about Selina's feelings and the validity of marriage and who was best for Selina between the two of them.

"If you think you're so wonderful for her, then how come you can't see how upset you're making her over all this?" Dorian yelled. Selina was sitting at the kitchen table with a whole chicken that would have been for dinner that night. But now she felt she needed it more.

Elijah puffed up his chest and got in Dorian's face. "You see, Gray, that is the difference between you and me: I have been with her long enough to know that she is a strong woman who doesn't need to be mothered by anyone, especially not you!"

Dorian sighed and stepped away. It was time to end this, at least for the moment. He gazed at Selina, gorging herself on chicken, came over, took her free hand, and squeezed it. "Sorry I caused so much trouble," he said. "It truly was not my intention to distress you. I'm going to leave now and if you need me, for any reason at all, day or night, I'm sure you'll find a way to get in touch with me. And I'll be waiting."

He gave her a smile and she stared back, wide-eyed and chipmunk cheeked, before he let her hand go and strode out of the house without another word to anyone.

Once he was gone, the door slammed behind him, Elijah let out a growl and frowned.

Selina swallowed her chicken and stared back at him, tears running down her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but he just shook his head.

"No," he snapped. "Don't you dare!" Then he turned on his heel and stalked off to his office, slamming the door as loudly as Dorian had, while Selina lay her head down on the kitchen table and cried.

But not for long though. It was hard not to hear her crying, and of course it brought Klaus back to her.

"Hey," he said, pulling up a chair next to her and holding out his arms. "Come and cry in here instead. It'll be much more comfortable."

"Thank you," Selina sniffled. "But Elijah is mad enough already. What if he comes back out, sees us, and thinks..."

"Oh, who gives a damn?" Klaus asked and took her in his arms as she began sobbing again. "Just go ahead and let it all out, love. There's a good girl." He ran his hand down her back and kissed her hair. "I know this probably won't help much now, but things will get better. Elijah's not mad at you. He doesn't hate you. He's just...Dorian coming back has frightened him. He's afraid he's gonna lose you again."

"Not that that's any excuse," Selina sniffled. "I know I've screwed up in the past. I know I've set up a precedent so he has reason to be a little nervous in front of my exes, but if he wants to set up cheating scenarios in his head, that's his problem, not mine!" She then accepted Klaus's offer of a handkerchief and blew her nose before asking, "Do you think I'm an idiot for continually going back to your brother, even though invariably we end up like this?"

"No," Klaus shook his head. "Because he loves you. And you love him, dearly. He's just so thick that he hasn't figured it out yet."

"You ever think he will?" Selina asked. "At this rate, it might take a miracle."

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "I think he will."

Kai got out of his car, shutting his eyes tight as the door slammed behind him. Although he hadn't sold the house that he and Vicky had before her death, he hadn't had the heart to live in it anymore, either. He'd gotten an apartment for himself and let this place just hold on to all the memories.

But now he was back, for the first time in ages. As he made his way toward the front door, he reasoned that if Vicky had come back with the others, this was the first place she would go and he didn't want to leave her all alone. He opened the door and was met with silence. Taking time to stabilize himself, he soldiered on, key clutched tight in his hand, making his way to their bedroom, the last place he'd seen her.

When he reached the open door, he was startled to see her sitting on the bed, tears running down her cheeks, even though that was exactly what he'd expected to find. When she looked up at him, she wiped some of the tears away. "Kai?" She sniffled. "Is that you?"

"Yes," Kai nodded."Vicky, you're alive! I...I hoped you would be." He opened his arms and she ran over and jumped into them. "I can't believe you're alive!" He muttered as they both laughed and cried. "I don't know how it's possible. I was at Elijah and Selina's farmhouse...you remember them, right? And then her ex-husband who died showed up, and I thought..."

"You thought?" Vicky murmured. "And of course I remember Elijah and Selina. Elijah is my uncle, silly!"

"Yeah, right," Kai nodded. "I thought. And here we are."

Vicky sighed. "I know you're probably wondering how I got here, but the truth is that I have no idea. A bunch of us just...appeared. And did you say my uncle and Ms. Warren are living in a farm house?"

Kai nodded and shrugged. "Farmhouse, ranch house, whatever you want to call it. It suits them and they're very happy."

"Good," Vicky said. "I...I need to tell my parents I'm alive."

"I know," Kai nodded and caressed her hair. "And we'll tell, them, I promise. All in good time. Klaus already called your father and told him about Sybil coming back. And I don't doubt that he added you in as a possibility."

"Well, that's a relief," Vicky sighed. "I don't want to give them metaphorical heart attacks by suddenly showing up on their doorstep unannounced." She sighed. "I thought that would be the case when I came here, too. I stood on the doorstep for ages. But when I finally came in, it was empty. No one was here. Dust covers were on all the furniture. I began to wonder if I'd come to the right house at all. Why don't you live here anymore? How long have I been gone?"

"It...it's been years," Kai confessed.

"Oh," Vicky sighed. "That certainly explains it."

"And...I couldn't stay in this house. It was too painful for me to live where you died. Where I put you to rest. Where I couldn't save you." He hung his head and blushed deep red.

"Hey, I understand," she said. "You had to go on with your life. You did the right thing. It would have broken my heart to see you moping."

Kai looked up and swallowed, shutting his eyes tight as a few tears ran down his face. "Please forgive me," he begged.

"For what?" She asked, taking his face in her hands after wiping the tears away.

"For...for not being here for you when you needed me," Kai explained.

"You couldn't have known that I was going to be killed when you left," Vicky said. "How could you have?"

"Even so, I should have been here," Kai told her firmly. "I should have."

They hugged for a long time and as they pulled away, Vicky asked, "What were you doing at my uncle's house?"

Kai blushed and swallowed. "Just visiting your new cousins."

"I have new cousins?" Vicky smiled, her brown eyes bright. "I can't wait to meet them!"

"We will," Kai said and looked her over. She was bruised and covered with dirt, presumably from climbing out of her grave. "But first, you need to eat and shower. Your clothes are still around. I didn't get rid of anything."

"Oh, my dear Kai," Vicky smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "You haven't changed a bit! Of course you would tell me to eat first!"

"Yeah, well," Kai shrugged. "I know it's been awhile."

"Yeah," Vicky nodded, putting her hands on her rumbling stomach. "It sure has." She paused. "And then we call Lydia. Please tell me you still keep in touch with our daughter."

"Yeah, I mean, we talk at least once a week. Or at least we did," Kai sighed. "You dying hit her hard of course. Now it feels like the only person she talks to is that friend of hers, Ingrid. Or her boyfriend, Nate."

"Well, we have to talk to her now," Vicky told him. "If only to say that I'm back."

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "Yeah, we do."

"Thank you for the table, Bernard," Oliver said to the maitre'd who gave a nod and then turned to leave. As Katherine prepared to sit down, he looked her over in a way that he couldn't have in the car on the way to the restaurant. He grinned as he realized that she'd made an effort with a red A-line dress, her hair up, but loose enough that it would be easy to take down and play with later, gold hoop earrings, and silver high heeled sandals.

"Hey!" She said and snapped her fingers.

"What? Oh, sorry," Oliver apologized. "Did you want me to pull out your chair for you? I don't want people to think I'm impolite to my date."

"No, no," Katherine gently pushed him away. "I can pull out my own chair. But you were staring like a zombie and just about to start drooling!"

"I...I really like the dress you're wearing, so can you blame me?" Oliver asked.

"Thank you," Kathrine told him, rolling her eyes at his attempt to be gentlemanly as she sat down and grabbed her napkin. "You're wearing a very nice tie and I like what you did with your hair."

He blushed at this remark, his eyes on the floor and then moving up her legs and on to her lap, where he noticed a subtle flower pattern on her dress that he'd missed before.

Katherine smiled. She liked making him blush. "Thank goodness I managed to look good today, compared to looking like a troll the rest of the week," she remarked slyly as she sat her napkin in her lap before she looked him over. His tie matched her dress, but other than that, he was dressed all in black: Dark slacks, gucci belt, black cashmere sweater...and those glasses...she sucked in a breath. She still found it hard to believe they were one of the sexiest parts about him...but they were. Sighing deeply, she set her napkin in her lap. "Will you please explain why you invited me on this date?" She asked. "It's been weeks since I threw you out of my house!"

Oliver's lip quirked. "And I bet you were hoping that I would be so mad at you that I would never want to see you again. You wanted to be totally rid of me. But that's not the case. Will you look at me? Please? I have something important to say."

He snapped his fingers and Katherine looked up at him, wide-eyed. "What? And don't do that! I'm not a dog!"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I know it took me some time to make contact again, but I had to have time to get accustomed to my job and my new living arrangements. The university is making the transition to teaching very smooth and so I wanted to take the time and make good lessons for them instead of just obeying my instincts and running to you. Did you miss me?"

Katherine scoffed and raised her chin. "I most certainly did not!" Then she snapped her fingers at a nearby waiter. "Hey, can we get a bottle of your most expensive champagne, please?" The waiter nodded and Katherine turned and gave Oliver a pernicious look.

"Very well, madame," the waiter nodded and hustled off.

"You know, you're not trying to pull anything over on me," he told her. "I was going to order the champagne anyway, if you'd just have given me a few minutes. No need to be a shrew about it. And your dress is lovely, by the way."

Katherine chuckled. "Oh, this old thing? It's all right. Been in the back of closet for ages though."

Oliver smirked. He'd seen the price tag sticking out earlier, even though she'd probably realized it and removed it by now. It wasn't an old thing at all. "Oh? Was it in the back of the closet for so long that you forgot to take the price tag off?"

"What?" Katherine shook her head and tried to twist around and see. "It is not! I took it off!"

"Ah!" Oliver grinned. "So nice to know you bought a brand spanking new dress to go on a date with me. I'm very touched!"

"This is not a date," Katherine shot back, blushing scarlet. "I wanted to eat because I was hungry and I invited you so I wouldn't look pathetic and alone. Plus, I thought you could use a night off of macaroni and cheese or whatever you eat now that you're poor."

"Oh, thank you," Oliver drawled. "How kind."

"As for the dress, I just wanted something new and pretty to wear," she continued. "It has nothing to do with you and shopping for clothes is not a crime."

"If it was, they'd probably haul you in for a lifetime sentence!" Oliver joked.

"Ha, ha," Katherine said. She made a face at him and then started violently as her eyes strayed to the front door of the restaurant. Malachai and Astrid had just entered and his hand was around her waist. "Do you see them?" She whispered to Oliver, pointing. "I wonder what that's all about?"

"Well, I don't know," Oliver shrugged. "I don't know them well. I mean, I know Astrid is head of the Witches' Council and I heard a rumor that she and her husband are separating, but-"

"What?" Katherine asked, reaching across the table and grabbing Oliver by his collar. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" She then grabbed a pair of opera glasses out of her purse and trained them on the other couple. "You think Astrid and Malachai are together now? I mean, they sure look cozy!"

"I'm sure it's none of my business," Oliver replied. "I don't know and I don't care. "What are you doing? Why are you so interested?"

"I'm just looking," Katherine told him. "Lay off!"

"Of course you are," he sighed deeply. "Do you always carry opera glasses in your clutch bag to spy on people?"

"Wow," Katherine got out. "I'm pleased you know this is called a clutch bag. And no, I don't carry them around exclusively to spy on people! They're in here because the last time I used this bag, I-"

"You what?" Oliver asked, a glint in his eye.

"I went to the opera!" Katherine finished.

"So nice to know that you like opera," Oliver said. "I'll tuck that away for later. We could go on a date to the opera! It's very romantic of you to suggest it."

Katherine scoffed before turning back to Malachai and Astrid. "I'm not one bit romantic. Stop putting words in my mouth and let me watch the drama unfold!"

"I'm feeling a bit unsteady," Astrid said to Malachai as they made their way through the restaurant. "Would you mind giving me your arm?"

"I can do better than that," Malachai assured her. He pulled her close and held her tight.

"You don't need to go so far," Astrid said, wincing as they made their way toward the table. "You can loosen your grip just a little."

"We want this to be convincing, don't we? How can we be convincing if I don't hold you close?" Malachai whispered. But he did loosen his grip just a little before letting go and offering Astrid a chair. Meanwhile, their host's eyebrows were in his hair as he offered them their menus, but he said nothing.

Malachai gave her a peck on the cheek, but nearly missed her face entirely as her head whipped around to face a table nearby. "Great!" She scoffed. "Katherine Pierce is sitting over there watching us with opera glasses. You know what a gossip she is! Everyone is gonna know about us tomorrow! Or not even tomorrow if she's really on top of things!" She put her head in her hands. "I wish I could have a drink. This is a nightmare!"

"Oh, it's not that bad," Malachai tried to reassure her, giving Katherine a wave then smiling when she waved back. "See? She's polite and I'm polite. We'll just pretend everything is normal. And if this gets around, that's good! It's exactly what we want!"

"I don't know," Astrid sighed. "But if that's what you think is right, then I trust you." She grinned and looked him over. "I have to say, I like the new look. Never thought I'd see you in a leather jacket!"

"Oh, this?" Malachai chuckled and pulled some string off the sleeve. "It's nothing new. Just an old jacket I thought I could get use out of again!"

She smiled. "Well, it certainly looks wonderful on you...a whole new, wonderful vibe!"

Malachai blushed. "Thank you!"

They then grabbed their menus to pick their lunch as Katherine turned back to Oliver. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open.

"What?" Oliver asked. "What's the matter?"

"This...this can't be possible?"

"What can't be?" Oliver questioned and took her hand. "If something is distressing you, you know you can tell me."

"Look over there!" She stabbed a finger at a nearby table. "You see those two people?"

Oliver turned and saw a blonde and a man with longish dark hair approaching. "So? Who are they? Are you going to be fretting about everyone who comes in the door?"

"The woman is named Sibyl," Kathrine informed him. "She was a demon and she died! And she's with Astrid's husband, Alistair!"

"She doesn't look so dead to me," Oliver pointed out. "Dead people don't walk around restaurants with their arms looped in someone else's."

Katherine made a shushing noise and leaned in to soak up this new development as Alistair led Sybil to a table.

"It was very nice of you to invite me out to eat," Sybil told Alistair as he held out a chair for her and she sat down. "But also wholly unnecessary."

Alistair laughed. "You must be joking, my dear Sibyl. After you died and came back, it was the least I could do for you! Plus, you were so good to Klaus in the past. A friend of his is a friend of mine."

"Well, thank you very much," Sybil smiled and caressed his cheek. "Klaus is wonderful, so it wasn't hard." She sighed. "I'm very sorry about you and Astrid. If there's anything I can do-"

"There isn't," he cut her off. "I'm all right." He cast a look around. "Is this table good for you, or shall I ask for another one?"

But before Sybil could reply, he froze, catching Astrid's eye. His eye began to twitch and he squished some of the table cloth in his fist.

"Alistair?" Sybil asked. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

Alistair pointed and Sybil looked over, just in time to see Astrid come toward the table. "Alistair, is that...you?"

"Hi, Astrid," Sybil said. "N-Nice to see you. This is a lovely restaurant, isn't it?"

"What are you doing here?" Malachai asked, his voice full of shock as he got up and came to join Astrid. "How are you alive?"

"Well, we're still working on that, honestly," Sybil admitted. "I have no idea."

"See, there you go," Alistair said. "She has no idea so I see no reason to press her further. You just go on back to the table and enjoy your..." He winced. "Your date, and let us enjoy ours. All right?" Then, feeling a bit more steady, he met her eyes and gave her a pernicious grin. "All right?"

"You...your what?" Astrid breathed.

"Our what?" Sybil breathed.

"Oh, don't be shy, my dear," Alistair told her. "You're a beautiful woman!"

"Maybe you could join us at our table," Malachai suggested. "It seats four and I think I have more questions to ask you."

Alistair shrugged. "Sure," he agreed. "Why not?"

When they sat down to order, Alistair was shocked to see Astrid order beef. "What did you order that for?" He asked. "You never eat beef. You always eat chicken! And so many vegetables! And who drinks milk in the middle of the day?"

"I just wanted it, that's all," Astrid said. "Calm down, would you?"

But he didn't. Especially not when the oysters came. They were really to raise her iron levels, but of course, Alistair couldn't know why she needed to do that. "Oh, and now you're having oysters. Probably to prepare for a hot date!"

"Well, what about you?" Astrid cried. "You don't like pasta! You say the garlic is terrible for your breath and blah, blah, blah..."

"I changed my mind," he said, breathing in her face and making her cough. Meanwhile, Malachai and Sybil were rolling their eyes at each other.

"What do you think is going on with them?" Sybil asked. "I don't think they brought us here to have a nice meal."

"I think I might have an idea," Malachai assured her. "But I'm not positive." He paused. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, he's...the divorce is really messing with his mind, I think," Sybil said. "Or the thought of it, anyway. Maybe I should see about sending him away somewhere for a nice long rest."

"Maybe," Malachai agreed and they turned back to the fight.

"Would you just sit down and eat?" Astrid hissed. "You're making everyone uncomfortable. Now, speaking of uncomfortable, I have to go to the bathroom. Excuse me." She then strode off without looking over her shoulder, so she had no idea that Alistair was following her close behind, giving the onlookers a lot to chew on.

"I can't believe they ran off like that," Katherine said. "Wow."

"Oh, why are you surprised?" Oliver asked and took the glasses away. "Anyone could have figured out that's what was gonna happen." He put them up to his eyes and focused on what he assumed were the bathroom doors. "Now we just have to wait til they come out. But something tells me it will be a while. They wouldn't fight like that if it wasn't gonna take a while."

"So you think they still like each other?" Katherine asked.

"Or are attracted to each other," Oliver agreed. "And now they're gonna be in a place where no one will see them. Who knows what could happen?"

Astrid burst into the bathroom and ran for the sink, fearing she was going to be sick, like she'd been for the last few days. Her breathing ragged, she clutched the edge of the sink tight and waited. When she was finally convinced nothing would happen, she took a deep breath and splashed water on her face.

Then, as she dried off, she heard the door open. Thinking nothing of it, she kept going, then caught sight of Alistair in the mirror. "What are you doing?" She asked, whipping around as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "This is a women's bathroom. Get out!"

He smirked and buried his hands in his pockets. "Why? Does it bother you to be close to me?"

"No!" Astrid shook her head, wishing one glare from her could kill. "It makes me want to throw up! Get out of here and go back to your new girlfriend, Sybil!"

Alistair grinned and put a hand to his heart. "Do I detect jealousy? I'm touched! I know this might disappoint you, but I don't feel the same about your lover, Malachai the Puppet! I never knew you to be foolish, but clearly, missing me has made you lose your mind!"

"I have not," Astrid spat, regaining her composure and reapplying her lipstick. "I'm perfectly well, thank you. And when you're done being a jerk, you know where the door is."

She turned back to the mirror to touch up her hair, then gasped when she saw him stride up behind her, smirking.

"Looks like you've put on a little bit of weight. I like it," he observed and gave her a spank that made her gasp and smack him. Then he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly before she twisted back to face the mirror, wiping off her lips and making a face, squirming as he put his hands around her waist.

"Alistair," she breathed while trying not to moan or show in any other way that she liked what he was doing. "What has gotten into you? We're in public for crying out loud!"

"I know what's gotten into me," he said. "You. And I'm not going to stop." He nibbled on her earlobe and blew in her ear. "And we're not really in public. Everyone else is behind that door. No one is gonna see." He flicked his wrist and locked the door so that no one else could come in. "Especially not now."

Astrid closed her eyes tight and in spite of all her efforts, a whimper escaped her lips.

"I like the little sounds you make," he whispered and backed her gently against the wall. The room was getting warm enough to fog up all the mirrors as he pulled her to him, his hands sliding over her body and cupping her bottom. "And I want to take you now so you'll make some more."

"Not in a bathroom, no," Astrid shook her head, dropping it onto his shoulder.

He put a hand under her chin and brought her face up so her eyes met his, then kissed her soundly again, his hands cupping her breasts. "Close your eyes," he whispered. "And you can be anywhere you want."

"You're crazy," Astrid breathed. "You're crazy. You're-" She then gasped as she felt his hand slide inside her panties. "Oh," she gasped. Yes, that's good."

"Is it?" Alistair whispered. "Should I go harder?"

"Yes," Astrid whispered, leaning against him and holding him tight. "Harder!"

He rubbed her until she let out a cry, then he grabbed her face and kissed her hard. When he pulled away, her eyes were wide and she grabbed him, kissing him furiously. "More," she said between kisses. "More. Please." She was panting heavily now. Soon his pants were unzipped and her panties were off, all stomach trouble forgotten.

"Oh, yes," She cried as he balanced her against the wall and pushed into her again and again. It was as if the dam had finally burst. Whatever had stopped them from connecting like this before was suddenly gone and now they couldn't stop. They didn't want to stop.

Thinking that the couch in the fancy bathroom would be more comfortable, Alistair paused for just a moment to set her down on it before burying himself inside her again. And again. And again."

"Don't stop," she murmured, overtaken by how good this felt, but still hating him for going on a date behind her back. "Let's just go home, lock the door, and not come out...not for days..."

"Good idea," Alistair agreed as he sucked gently on each one of her breasts, loving the sound of his name coming from her lips and her moans every time he buried himself inside her. "What a marvelous idea...I could get out of these clothes, and then we could..."

"Yes," Astrid smiled. "We could." Her stomach rumbled, turning her attention elsewhere. "But not just now, I'm hungry."

"Oh, all right," Alistiar huffed as they both did up their clothes. "But eat fast. Please?"

Astrid wiped the sweat off her brow as they headed for the bathroom door. That had been close. It was just sex, that was all. And hopefully, now that they'd done it, he could just leave her alone, and not make her have to worry about feelings anymore.

Oliver brought his last spoonful of creme brulee up to his lips and popped it in his mouth before setting the spoon on the table. "Kathrine, how was your-" He broke off when he noticed that her cake wasn't even touched. Instead, her gaze was toward the bathroom, as it had been for the last several minutes.

"Katherine?" He asked.

No response.

He tried a little louder. "Kathrine!"

She whipped around, frowning. "What? This had better be good. You're interrupting something very important!"

"You've just been ignoring me all night and that upsets me," Oliver said. "I'd like to know why."

"Well, did you see Alistair and Astrid run off toward the bathrooms and shut the door?" Katherine asked. "And they haven't come out for ages. I bet you a hundred dollars they're having sex in there!" She turned back to staring at the corridor as Oliver rolled his eyes.

"I wish the rest of us could be so lucky," he grumbled.

"What?" Katherine murmured, just barely turning her head. "Did you say something?"

Not sure that she was actually listening, he decided to fib just to make sure. "Oh, I...yes. Something I forgot to tell you: I'm, sad to say I'm going to be turning back into a robot at midnight. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Yeah, yeah," Kathrine waved her hand impatiently. "Whatever."

"All right, that's it!" Oliver huffed, coming around the table, grabbing Katherine, and kissing her soundly as the opera glasses clattered on the floor. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying!"

He caught her by surprise, and she stiffened, not returning the kiss at first. Then he pulled away just a smidge so that he could hear her moan before she grabbed his face and kissed him back. He soon deepened the kiss, and then, when her hands were in his hair and she was pulling him as close as she could, he ended it.

"There," he grinned at her still-puckered lips. "I have your attention at last." He got up and went around to sit back down, enjoying Katherine's deep blush immensely, even as she grabbed a napkin and scrubbed at her mouth.

"Don't flatter yourself," she spat. "The kiss hardly affected me at all! I'm not romantic, and thus, this date didn't affect me at all either. Sorry to break it to you, Sparky! I don't do romance and I don't do dates! The only good thing that came of this was all the juicy gossip I learned!"

Oliver smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you done now?"

"No," Katherine shook her head. "Not even close."

"Let me tell you something about yourself, Katherine," he said. "You have been affected by this date. And by me. In fact you're so affected by it that you're trying to make yourself forget how you feel about me. I know you were romantic once. I know you dreamed about it all your life when you were younger. And then life hurt you so bad that you stopped believing it was possible to be loved and be happy. You prefer to wear the mask of Katherine Pierce the Bitch because it's easier not to feel anything than to face the pain in your life."

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "You-You-" Her lip began to quiver as tears fell down her face. "Don't say another word to me!" She spat. "Go to hell!" She rose so fast from her chair that she knocked it over, threw her napkin on the table, then gathered up her things before striding from the table.

Oliver wasn't surprised. He threw a enough money on the table to not only pay for their food, but also leave a very generous tip, and then ran after her, soon catching up to her in an empty alleyway. "Okay, stop," he said. "Wait for me!"

"Go away!" Katherine demanded, facing away from him.

"No!" Oliver shouted at her. "I won't go away!" He grabbed her and turned her around so they were looking into each other's eyes, pushing her against the alleyway wall as both their breaths picked up. "I want to kiss you again," he whispered, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes.

Kathrine raised her chin. "Well, I'm pretty sure I don't want you to kiss me!"

"I think you're lying," Oliver countered.

Katherine's tongue slid over her bottom lip as he kissed her again, softly at first, and then deeper, surprised when she brought one of her legs up to rest against his hip. This turned him on more and he began touching and kissing everything he could reach: lips, neck, shoulders, breasts, back...he didn't want to take his hands off her. Finally though, he did, when he felt his hand go up her hip and under her dress. That was going too far.

"What?" Katherine breathed. "Why did you stop?"

"Because," he said, very much in control. "A gentleman never takes advantage of a lady on a first date, especially when she made it very clear how much she didn't want his attention."

"No, I-" Katherine protested.

"I'm very sorry," he said flatly. "It won't happen again. I'll wait for you in the car. And be sure, when we drive home, to sit in the back."

"So," Malachai said to Sybil as they waited for Alistair and Astrid to return from the bathroom. "Any ideas about how you could be in heaven one minute and on Earth the next?"

"No, I'm still thinking," Sybil replied. "It really could be anything. Cause the spirit world is nothing like Earth, you know, and-" She paused as Malachai suddenly turned toward a nearby table and noticed Gwen, followed behind by a lady in a white lace A-line dress, with matching shoes and pearl drop earrings. and carrying a clutch purse. A very distinguished and sophisticated young woman. It couldn't be...Avery?" He turned away and began playing with his napkin as he realized it was in fact her. And she looked good!

"Are you okay?" Sybil asked him. "What are you looking at?" Then she realized. "Isn't that Gwen, one of the big witches?"

"Try 'major divinity'," Malachai corrected.

"Wasn't she with Klaus' dad?" Sybil asked. "And who's that girl she's with?"

"She's not with Klaus' father anymore," Malachai sighed deeply. "She's with God now, but if you met him, he'd want you to call him Steve. And that girl with him...she's...something else. Her name is Avery."

"I'm so glad Gwen found another fish in the sea," Sybil told him. "As for that Avery, you don't seem to be able to take your eyes off her."

"Well, she's Gwen and Steve's daughter, so-" Malachai shrugged.

"Their daughter?" Sybil asked. "You mean God and Gwen's? Oh, boy."

"Yes," Malachai sighed. "That about sums it up." Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry for ignoring you. What were you saying?"

"I was saying that where you go when you die isn't like Earth," Sybil continued. "All I can remember is that one minute, I was existing as a soul, and then the next, I was on Earth and alive. That's it."

"What's it?" Malachai asked.

"I was just saying that there was a spell, and-"

But Malachai wasn't listening. His gaze was only on Gwen and Avery's table.

"I don't understand," Sybil shook her head.

"It's okay, I'm sorry," Malachai said. "I just need...would you excuse me for a second?"

"Of course," Sybil nodded. "Please go!"

Malachai tried not to appear nervous as he approached Gwen and Avery's table. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw they were looking at their menus rather than him. That way he could make sure he wasn't sweating anywhere before he started speaking. Finally, after checking every upper body part that could sweat (and knowing he looked very strange in the process), he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Good evening, ladies. It's lovely to see you."

Gwen looked up first. "Malachai!" She grinned, sneaking a look at her daughter. "What a nice surprise!"

"Mother," Avery broke in loudly as Malachai opened his mouth to reply. "What do you think about shrimp salad as an appetizer? I like it."

"I'd recommend it," Malachai told her. "Their shrimp salad is the best here." He paused. "How are you, Avery?"

She kept her eyes on her menu for a little longer then ever so slowly raised them to look at him. "Oh, hello, Mister Fale," She greeted him, strongly emphasizing the name she knew he hated. "Lovely day. Sorry I didn't see you before."

Gwen lowered her head and tried not to laugh as Malachai blushed and blustered, wanting so badly to make a scene, but knowing how that would look in public. Her daughter was learning fast.

Finally, he managed to calm down and keep his eyes steady on her face, which was just lightly made up, compared to all the makeup slathered on it before. "Yes," he got out. "It's a beautiful day indeed."

They stared at each other but before it could become a longing gaze, Avery cleared her throat and bunched her napkin in her fist. "Nice that you could stop by, Malachai," she said. "But I have no doubt that you brought a date here. Don't be rude to her like you were to me. You don't want it to be a habit."

"By the way, Malachai," Gwen said, wanting to get into the conversation before he could leave...maybe make him suffer a little longer. "That leather...it's new for you. What inspired you to wear that?"

He shrugged, keeping his eyes off Avery, who was also trying not to look at just what her mother had mentioned, especially how it clung to his big arm muscles.

Malachai blushed and coughed. "Oh, no, this...this isn't new. It's very old. Just...found it."

"Well, in any case, I think it's a good change for you," Gwen said with a nod, then looked at her daughter. "What do you think, Avery?"

She looked him over, trying not to be too obvious and maintain an air of indifference. "It's rude to comment when the elderly are trying to be hip and fit in with the young people," she said dismissively. "I think he's trying to get someone to believe he's attractive or something."

"Some things I do for myself," he told her. "Not everything has to be about someone!" He paused. "Besides, I already have a date. I'm over at a table with Sybil. I just wanted to say 'Hello'."

"Sybil the demon?" Gwen asked. "But how? Didn't she die...and brutally too?"

Avery, who was drinking some water, nearly spat it out, but knew that she had to keep her cool.

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "She was dead until one night when your daughter got so sad that she cast a spell to bring back all the dead from heaven!"

Gwen whipped around. "Avery, is this true? Please tell me it isn't!"

Avery slowly raised her eyes to meet her mother's. "I have no idea what he's talking about," she said. But her deep blush gave her away.

"Avery," Gwen said. "Don't lie to me. Tell the truth."

"Fine," Avery huffed. "I did the spell like he said but I don't see what so bad about reuniting people with their loved ones!"

"Oh, damn," Gwen shook her head. "Your father's gonna have a heart attack! We'll have to find him a new body...and how are we gonna explain all this to your sister Azrael?"

"Why did you do it, Avery?" Malachai asked.

"It's none of your damn business, Mr. Fale!" Avery hissed.

"Stop calling me that!" Malachai cried. "You know it gets on my nerves!"

"We need to go now," Gwen decided. "We need to go home and tell your father what you've done."

"I don't see what the rush is," Avery told her. "And what about our mother-daughter lunch?"

"If the world still is in one piece after we get through this, then we'll try again," Gwen told her.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Malachai asked.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Gwen nodded. "Thank you."

"No, it's not!" Avery protested.

"Okay, I'll go give me regards to Sybil and if I can find Astrid, I'll let her know that we're leaving too."

But before Malachai reached the table, Alistair beat him to it. "We have to go now," he said. "Get your things."

"But we just got here," Sybil complained as she stuffed free bread in her purse. "And I'm hungry!"

Alistair redid his tie. "We'll go somewhere else, I swear. Just...not here."

"Why?" Sybil wanted to know. "Are you exhausted after all the sex you and Astrid had in the restroom?"

"I beg your pardon!" Alistair cried.

Sybil smirked. "You can pretend all you want, but I'm not stupid!"

Meanwhile, Malachai and a red-faced Astrid reached the table at the same time soon after.

"Did you and Alistair have sex?" Malachai asked. "Is that why you were in the bathroom so long?"

"He's my husband," Astrid said, not looking Malachai in the eye. "It's not a crime to have sex with him."

"What happened to our plan?" Malachai wanted to know. "We're supposed to be a couple!" He tried to stay mad but found himself moving on to look at Avery and Gwen's table instead.

"And you want to be with her," Astrid guessed, gesturing at Avery. "You're so in love with her that you can't focus on anything when she's right there!"

Malachai blushed again. "Not true!"

"Yes it is!" Astrid replied.

"I need to go see Steve," he told her.

"Why? So you can ask him to marry you and Avery?"

"Oh, very funny, Miss 'I had sex with my husband in a bathroom'!" Malachai spat. "No, it just so happens that it was Avery who cast the spell to bring the dead back to Earth!"

"What?" Astrid cried, her voice full of shock. "What are you standing there for? Don't wait another second! Go with them to see Steve and I...don't worry about me! I'll take a taxi!"