Malachai paced around his office, staring at the clock. Avery should have been here half an hour ago for her lessons! Where in the world was she? Was she hurt? Sick? Being a pain in the butt and ditching her responsibilities? He didn't know because she hadn't had the decency to let him know!

To ease his mind, he emptied out his desk, straightened the furniture, did some dusting and alphabetized all the books on the shelves. Then he decided to undo it all and arrange his books from Z-A. Avery wouldn't be expecting that! By then his jeans and most of his white shirt, with the exception of the sleeves, which he'd rolled up, were covered with dust. He quickly got rid of it and had just exited his office door to go in search of his wayward pupil when all of a sudden, her unmistakable laughter rang out through the halls. He followed the sound and came face to face with Avery, laughing and talking with a young warlock named Gerald.

At first, Malachai felt nothing. He was just a boy and...maybe it was good for Avery to be someone else's problem for once. But when he reached out and touched her bare arm, well, he felt a twisting in his chest and his hand became a fist. What gave him the right to touch her like that?! He had to put a stop to this.

Taking a deep breath, he strode over to the pair. "Hello, you two. What are you doing?"

"Hello, Mr. Fale," Gerald greeted him. His dark eyes were bright and his grin was big. "I was just bringing back some books to the library here and ran into Avery. We got to talking even though she told me she was on her way to her lessons with you. I'm awfully sorry for any inconvenience."

"Yes, well," Malachai nodded, his voice gruff. "At least one of you is."

"I don't know what you're so cranky about," Avery said. "Gerald was educating me about magic in Egypt! He's very good. He could teach you a thing or two about how to keep people engaged in lessons."

"I could have taught you that in our lessons," Malachai said through his teeth. "If you would have asked."

"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Fale," Gerald hastened to assure him, a blush coloring the young warlock's cheeks. "I wouldn't dream of taking your place."

"Please call me Malachai," Malachai responded tersely.

"All right," Gerald nodded. "But it might take some time to get used to since I was always taught not to call the more senior staff by their first names."

Avery bit her lip and lowered her eyes to the floor so Malachai wouldn't see how amused she was.

"Well, Gerald, you're certainly something," Malachai got out at last.

"Thank you," Gerald smiled. Then he turned to Avery. "So, Avery...eight o'clock, then? Will that be all right?"

"Oh, it will be my pleasure," Avery nodded. "Can't wait!"

They then both turned as they heard Malachai make a retching noise.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Something stuck in my throat." But they hadn't seen his wide eyes and didn't notice that both of his hands were fists now. What were they doing at eight? Was it something he needed to warn her parents about? Since Avery's activities were outside Steve's store of knowledge, it might not hurt to say something. But in the meantime, he had a lesson to teach.

He grabbed Avery by her arm and started to pull her away. "What are you doing?" She cried. "Are you nuts?"

"I have lessons to teach you and we're very late!" He snapped. "Goodbye, Gerald!"

She let him drag her into the office and push her on the couch before crossing one leg over the other and eying him coolly. "You're going to be sorry you manhandled me!" She swore, smoothing the wrinkles out of her red (of course it was red!) dress. With a slit!

"It was for your own good," he told her, trying not to stare at her legs. "Now, let's...let's start with the Witch Rebellion of 1356. It started in London when a witch named Gertrude wanted to help her human neighbors, but then the animals on the neighbors' farm began to die, and that happened around many other farms and-" He paused as she twirled some hair around one of her perfectly manicured nails and threw the book down on the desk.

"Don't stop now!" Avery said. "If there's a rebellion going on, it's got to be more interesting than a bunch of dead animals!"

"There is, but...but what is more interesting is what's going on between you and Gerald at eight o'clock!"

Avery grinned. "I wasn't aware I had to discuss my social life with you!"

"Yes, well, I'm concerned about your safety...and Gerald's. I assume you haven't told your father about him, or introduced him in any way? What if your father decides to hurt him?"

Avery shrugged and shifted position. "Daddy wouldn't do that. But I'm touched at you concern for my safety...it's very..." she paused, grinning wickedly and licking her lips. "Very...fatherly of you."

As he heard this, Malachai very nearly grabbed her and took her on the couch just to prove how unfatherly he felt. But he stopped just in time and pushed her back onto the couch.

"Are you okay?" Avery smiled and settled her skirt back to reveal her thigh again. "Maybe you need some water or something. A cold shower? a hot shower...if we took one together, it would really be hot!"

"No, thank you," Malachai shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair as he backed his desk chair as far away from her as possible. That had been too close! "Thank you for asking if I need water. That was very considerate of you, caring about me like that. Even though you're just trying to get a rise out of me, it's a good small step to care about someone else's welfare."

"And speaking of welfare," Avery replied and stood up to stride over to the desk and sit on it. "George and I are going to be okay. You don't need to worry about mine."

"His name is Gerald," Malachai said with a raised eyebrow.

"I knew that," Avery scoffed, her hair going over her face to hide a blush. "I just...I wanted to see if you remembered."

"Of course I remember!" Malachai snapped. "I know him better than you do!"

"How about we stop the stupid witch rebellion lesson and you tell me about magic in Egypt?" Avery asked. "I mean, not that you'll teach it better than...Gerald...did, but at least try, would you?" She then leaned forward, giving him a look down the low neckline of her blouse. "Sorry," she apologized when she sat up. "Had to adjust my shoe."

"Oh, fine, adjust everything for all I care!" Malachai threw his hands up in the air. "Just get it all over with so we can start the damn lesson! I mean it!"

"Well, all right then, Mr. Cranky," Avery sighed. "I'm done. Start the lesson if you want to so bad!"

"All right," Malachai nodded and grabbed a book off the shelf. "And because I'm nice, at your request, we'll start learning about magic in Ancient Egypt. Happy?"

"Oh, yes," Avery grinned. "Immensely."

One week ago...

"It's a gingerbread house!" Madeline whispered and buried her head in Helene's shoulder as the group came upon Barbara and Walter's cottage. "Does a witch live there? I'm scared!"

Helene shushed her and rocked her. "No need to be scared," she said, trying not to feel offended. But given the werewolf view of witches, it was not surprising that they'd read human fairytales to their children. "No, Walter and Barbara are really nice," she assured the little girl. "They'll fill your tummy up with good food and give you a nice place to sleep!" Then she whispered, "And even if a witch did live there, I'm sure it would be a nice one."

Madeline brightened. "Really?"

"Yes," Helene nodded. "The bad ones aren't allowed anymore."

"Who said that?"

"My mommy said that," Helene replied. "And I always trust my mommy."

It was then that Ludovic knocked on the cottage door and Walter answered. "Well, look who it is!" He smiled and turned. "Barb, the kids are back!" Then he looked over the group in surprise, immediately noticing the three newcomers. "And they brought friends!"

"I know it's rude of us to impose, especially without calling," Ludovic said. "Or contacting you in any way, but..."

"No, no, please come in," Walter urged. "We'll find comfy spots for everyone."

"Thank you," Helene smiled as they made their way inside. "These three have been through a lot and I think a good meal and some sleep will do wonders for them."

So Walter let them in and both Brayden and Madeline ran for it.

"Look!" Madeline pointed at some models of ships and planes Walter had made and displayed. "Toys!"

"No, sweetie, they're very fragile," Helene remonstrated. "Don't touch them without permission."

As Madeline pouted, Walter took her hand. "It's all right, sweetie. I give you permission. Come and have a look!" As a smiling Madeline looked at models, Brayden went into the kitchen with Barbara and watched as she made food, tasting some of it and snacking on things from the fridge. Nico joined them too, although not being a child, he was somewhat suspicious of the older pair.

"Are you all right?" Barbara asked him. "Why don't you go ahead and eat something?"

"I'm not hungry," Nico shook his head stubbornly.

"Well, I'm sure you must be exhausted then," Barbara nodded. "Why don't you go take a nap in the spare bedroom? You'll have plenty of time. Dinner won't be ready for at least another hour. And the room at the end of the hall is full of Walter's books if you like to read."

"All right," Nico huffed. "At least it's something to do."

He strode off and stayed away until dinner was ready. The meal was large and everyone was more than full as Walter and Barbara decided on sleeping arrangements with Helene and Ludovic.

"At least for now, let's take the kids into the bedroom with us," Helene suggested. "This is a new environment and I don't want them to be scared."

"I agree, dear," Barbara nodded. "Marvelous idea. But that won't inconvenience you and dear Ludovic in any way, will it?"

"No, of course not!" Helene blushed slightly. "And even if it did, I'd be willing to suck it up for the kids." She looked at Ludovic. "Right, dear? We'd be willing to share a room with the kids for their sake rather than have it to ourselves at least for now?"

Ludovic heard this and made a dismayed face just for a moment before clearing his throat. "Right, of course. For the children."

As Ludovic cuddled against Helene, the scruff on his face rubbed against her cheek and she opened her eyes. "Hey, would you shave?" She muttered and tried to squirm away. "Your yucky beard is scratching me!"

"Oh, come on," he said with a grin, grabbing her and kissing her neck, something he could do now that Madeline and Brayden had adjusted and were in another room. "You love it!"

"I-I don't!" She said between giggles as he began tickling her. "Stop it! You're gonna wake everyone up!"

"Well, I'm not the one who laughs loud," Ludovic whispered.

Helene smiled and shook her head. "You are such an ass!" She whispered and kissed him softly.

"Big words for someone who kicks and steals the covers," Ludovic returned. But he smiled too. "You love it and you love me!"

Helene shook her head as she stuck her tongue out at him. "I can barely stand you! I don't know how i put up with you for the whole week in such a confined space!"

He kissed her deeply and pulled her underneath him. "Because of this."

Helene kissed back and held him tight. "Oh, yeah," she grinned. "That. I like that."

"Damn straight!" Ludovic winked and grinned before kissing her again. Hands roaming over each other's bodies, they made out for a while but didn't do more because they realized that the kids could come barging in any second. Then, at last, they paused and cuddled with Ludovic's long fingers running through Helene's hair. "So...is everything okay with the kids?"

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "Why?"

"Well, I heard you sneak out of here to go see Madeline cause she seemed worked up," Ludovic explained. "Do we need to move her back in here?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "She still misses her mother but it's not so bad anymore. A song and a big hug and kiss usually calm her down again to get her to go back to sleep. I think she's beginning to trust me."

"Well, you seem to have a talent for that," Ludovic said with a wink. "You certainly know how to get me to sleep!"

"I'm so sorry I woke you," Helene apologized. "I thought I was being sneaky, but apparently not."

"It's not...well you kind of stomp like a dinosaur when you walk, so being sneaky is not your best thing," Ludovic informed her. "But don't feel bad; you're good at other things."

Helene sighed. "Thanks. I hope planning for the future is one of them because you know that regardless of how nice Walter and Barbara are, we can't stay here indefinitely. I mean, we could if it was just us and the little ones since Barbara and Walter really seem to like them, but Nico...I'm always afraid he'll say something he shouldn't."

Ludovic sighed, lay back on his pillow, and rubbed his temples. "But we also can't just get rid of him. He's a troubled young man and he needs...he needs guidance and stability in his life."

"Right," Helene nodded. "So what do we do?"

Ludovic sat up. "I know you'll think I'm crazy when I say this, but...I think it's time we came clean to Walter and Barbara. At the very least, it'll be a load off our minds."

"Yeah," Helene sighed. "I guess you're right. And they'll probably kick us out cause I mean, it's a pretty big thing we kept from them! I don't know of any secret bigger than ours."

"But we'll figure something out after," Ludovic promised and kissed her hair. "We always do."

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "You're right."

"Okay, so since you're pushier than me, you're gonna be the one to tell them," Ludovic muttered to Helene as they made their way down to breakfast.

"I don't agree with that," Helene shot back. "You tell them. Bad things happen when I open my mouth!"

"Well, that's true and I'm glad you finally admit it," Ludovic winked.

"Good morning, kids," Walter greeted them. "You just can't stay away from each other, can you?"

"No," Ludovic sighed. "Cause she's...She's really..."

"Just a minute," Walter told them and got under the table. "I'm hiding. Don't tell Madeline and Braydon where I am!"

"We won't," Helene promised.

"Next it's my turn to hide," Barbara added. "But for now, I'm watching Nico get vegetables from the garden to go with lunch."

"We know you're busy," Helene got out. "And you've ben so kind to us, but we have something to tell you: we've...we've been keeping a secret from you and we feel really bad about it, so-"

"What a coincidence!" Barbara told them. "We've been trying to find a good time to tell you our little secret too. And believe me, we're even sorrier than you are that we kept this from you."

"Oh, it can't be that bad," Ludovic told her, wondering what sort of terrible secret two friendly old people who lived in the woods could be keeping from them. But he soon realized that she was right. "Fuck!" He yelled as two entirely new people appeared before them after Barbara raised her hand. "Uncle William? Aunt Beatrice? Have you been here the whole time? Was it you all along? Oh, my...what the fuck?" He collapsed into a nearby chair.

"Language, young man!" William chided. "I know it's a shock, but cursing solves nothing! Besides that, young children are present!"

Helene, who was still standing, looked back and forth between Ludovic and Walter, dumbfounded. "But why did you just call Walter 'William'? What's going on?"

Ludovic looked at Helene, rubbed his temples, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fuck," he muttered again.

William looked up. "What did I just say? Does anyone listen?"

Ludovic sighed, stood up, and took Helene's hand to kiss it. "Don't be mad," he said. "Please."

"Why would I be mad?" Helene asked. "I don't understand a thing."

"Well, this is my Uncle William and Aunt Beatrice. She's an Ancient Witch."

"Hey!" Beatrice protested. "What's that supposed to mean? I like you, so why are you calling me ancient?"

"You look very pretty," Helene commented.

"Thank you," Beatrice returned before giving Ludovic a look. "She's a good one. You're an idiot if you let her get away."

Helene blushed and looked at her shoes for a moment, then looked up at Beatrice. "I know this is a bit nosy to ask, but what sort of spell did you use to change your appearance? It must've been very powerful! Why would you do something like that?"

It was at that moment that both of the kids came into the kitchen. "Where did they go?" Madeline asked Helene. "They must be very good hiders!"

"Yeah," Helene nodded, glad for the excuse to get the children out of the way until all this had been explained. "Just keep looking! I'm sure they're around somewhere!"

As the kids scampered off, William looked at Beatrice. "Do you want to explain it all, or should I?"

Meanwhile, Ludovic was looking very nervous and hopping from foot to foot.

"You can," Beatrice told him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"All right," William nodded, then locked eyes with Helene. "Your companion of all this time is my nephew. He has abandoned his home and familial obligations when we are in dire need of him. So much need in fact that his parents insisted I find him and bring him back to our people."

Helene scoffed and got closer to Ludovic, locking arms with him. "Oh, come on! Isn't he old enough to decide where to live and what he wants to do with his life?"

Beatrice nodded. "My dear, I promise that we agree with what you're saying. We don't approve of his parents' tactics and would have preferred a way for Ludovic to decide all this on his own."

"I've made my decision," Ludovic muttered through his teeth. "No matter what they say, I'm not going back!"

"Going back where?" Helene asked.

Before Beatrice could answer, Nico entered with a basket full of tomatoes. "Who are those two?" He asked, pointing. "Where did Walter and Barbara go?"

"Can you explain it to him?" Helene asked. "I would, but I still don't really understand it myself."

But before Ludovic could say a word, the door of the cottage burst open and some goons from the Council stormed in and grabbed Ludovic, pushing him against the wall and pinning his arms behind his back.

"What in the hell?!" Helene cried.

"Find the kids!" Ludovic yelled, knowing they had nowhere else to go. "Take them and run!"

"No!" Helene put her hands on her hips. "I won't! I'm not going to leave you, and besides...I know these people! I'm not scared of them!" She proved this by giving three of the people who grabbed her bloody noses and broken fingers. Finally, three more of them had to pin her down and stick a needle full of potion in her neck so that she lay limp in their arms.

"What did you do to her?" Nico yelled when they grabbed him too. "You better not have killed her."

"We haven't," snapped his captor. "Now be silent and come with us. Understood?"

Nico nodded, hoping with all his might that his brother and sister would stay hidden and wouldn't see how he, Ludovic, and Helene were being hurt.

"Before we all leave," William broke in, "There are small children here, playing hide and seek. Take those three out now and let us get the children. All right?"

"All right," the Council Agent sighed. "But make it quick. And no funny business!"

"Fine," Barbara nodded. "You have our word." They then went in search of Madeline and Braydon and found them asleep in their bed. Thanking the universe for small blessings, they each picked up a child and carried them out.

"Be quiet," William muttered. "We don't want to wake them up." And with that, the party marched from the cabin, shutting the door behind them as they all wondered if they'd ever see it again.

Eloise smiled at herself in the mirror as she cradled her belly. "It's almost time for you to come out, little ones," she whispered. "Daddy and I can't wait to meet you!"

"Who are you talking to?" Adrian asked. He'd just gotten out of the shower and the only thing he had on was a towel around his waist.

"Just the babies," Eloise replied. "Telling them how glad we are that they're coming soon."

Adria put his hands around her waist and began kissing her neck. "I bet you definitely are," he said. Then he lowered down the elastic neckline of her blouse to get at her breasts. Easy to do since she rarely wore a bra anymore these days.

"Adrian, what are you doing?" She whispered, squirming and trying not to laugh so he would know she wasn't encouraging this behavior. "Your sister is in the other room and we don't want to make her feel bad by throwing what we have in her face! Can't you control yourself?"

"No, not really," Adrian shook his head, nibbling on her ear and then sneaking a hand under her blouse to give her chest a squeeze. "I mean, I could...but I don't see why I should have to." He winked. "Besides, they aren't gonna be big forever and soon the girls will need them so...I want to enjoy it while it lasts!"

She rolled her eyes and gave him a light slap, but then smiled indulgently. "Why am I not surprised? You're a true sex addict, Mister."

"Am I?" He nibbled on her earlobe and squeezed her nipple as she moaned. "I don't hear you complaining." He re-positioned them both so he could gently suck on one nipple than the other.

"Well," Eloise got out, "of course not, but...oh! This...this is so different from when you were my...when you were my..."

Adrian let her stand up, fixed her shirt, and gave her a gentle spank on the bottom and a small grin. "Please tell me you weren't going to say the word 'father'. This is not the time to bring that up! You do and you'll suffer, woman!"

"Of course not!" Eloise shook her head and tried to look innocent. "I just...what I mean is that I like that you can be sexual with me now."

Adrian chuckled. "Of course I can. It's all I think about, day and night. Not that I'll share details of course. I'm too much of a gentleman for that."

"Are you sure?" Eloise asked. "I mean, I know I'm big now, but..." she licked her lips and put them against his ear. "I'm always open to hearing new ideas."

"Oh, dear god!" He got out. "Maybe I am a sex addict. After my last meeting with Mikael, I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the genes!"

Eloise shook her head. "I can't believe you're seeing Mikael. If your dad knew about it, he would freak!"

"Well, that's why I'm not going to tell him," Adrian replied, letting down his towel and heading to the closet while Eloise began putting her hair up in a bun. She'd decided to practice different styles putting her hair up because she knew it would be better when she had three grabby babies. "And the first time wasn't even my idea. He called me! I thought it was a joke at first, or that he was coming to murder me. I nearly had a stroke!"

"But the shock didn't last long, did it?" Eloise asked.

"Well, no," Adrian assured her. "Once I was positive he wouldn't kill me, I gave him an earful!" He paused. "Then, after I calmed down, he told me that he didn't come to make trouble and he just wanted to talk. Of course, since this is a guy who has held multi-decade grudges against both my parents, I was skeptical, but at the same time, I figure there's something to accepting his help. He knows a lot about the supernatural world. Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No," Eloise shook her head. "And maybe he'll reach into his store of sexual knowledge and give you a tip or two. It couldn't hurt." Then she burst out laughing as Adrian let out a wail.

"Why would you bring that up?" He cried. "Eloise, what did I ever do to you?"

She looked down at her belly. "Well, I can name three things," she said jokingly.

"Well, actually," Adrian conceded, "it wasn't bad as all that. He said that sleeping with Charlotte was like sleeping with himself and he's still looking for the woman who will be able to handle everything he knows."

Elose winced. "Ewww! Well...I hope he finds her so we don't have to hear about it anymore!"

"No kidding," Adrian scoffed. "I'm just glad I was able to drink! I mean, the guy thinks he's some sort of Christian Gray or something!"

"Maybe he is," Eloise winked.

"And he thinks you're really beautiful, by the way," Adrian told her. "In spite of your demon blood. His words, not mine."

"Gee, I'm flattered," Eloise drawled. "I am who I am and the only person whose thoughts matter to me are yours. As long as you love me, that's all that counts."

Adrian took her in his arms the best he could and kissed her hair. "Don't worry," he assured her. "You're everything to me! As for Mikael, he hates practically everything: Demons, my dad, the whole damn world...all equally!" Then his phone rang and he answered it rather quickly. "Hello?" The color drained from his cheeks almost immediately as he said, "Okay, got it. I'm on my way."

Once the phone was back in his pocket, Eloise asked, "what's wrong? You're white as a sheet!"

"Someone from the Council called me."

"How could they do that?" Eloise asked. "You don't know anyone from the Council! I mean, other than Alistair and Astrid. Was it one of them?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "And I have my ways of finding out things."

Eloise rolled her eyes. "I guess that means your father helped you."

Then Adrian's eyes widened. "Maybe they caught Helene and that thug boyfriend of hers! No more time to waste! I gotta go!"

"Oh, no, you're not!" Eloise shook her head. "Not without me, that is! I'm coming too!"

"Well, don't just stand there!" Adrian got out, his voice full of impatience. "Let's go!"

They were almost to the front door when a loud groan from the sofa made them freeze. Kayla was sprawled out in sweatpants and one of Adrian's t-shirts, and making good progress on a carton of ice cream.

"I know you're sad and all, but that better not be the double chocolate brownie," Adrian said to her. "If you're eating all my chocolate brownie, you'll really have a reason to be sad!"

"Adrian be nice!" Eloise remonstrated and strode over to the sofa. "Your sister is in pain!"

"It's the cookie dough!" Kayla said, her mouth full.

Adrian sighed. "Well, all right. Fine. I guess you can finish that off if you need to."

"Thank you," Kayla told him.

"We have to go," Eloise told her. "Will you be okay here by yourself?"

"Yes, she'll be fine," Adrian snapped. He didn't really have a lot of patience for histrionics, even if they were his sister's. "The voice on the phone sounded urgent!"

"Don't mind me," Kayla said. "I'll just stay here and eat and think of what a jerk stupid Kai Parker is."

"See?" Adrian said through his teeth. "She's fine. Let's go!"

Then Kayla sat up a little straighter and wiped her eyes. "Just out of curiosity, what's going on?"

Eloise sighed. "The Council called. Your brother is convinced it was because they caught Helene and Ludovic and he's in the mood for blood. I'm going with him to stop him from doing something stupid."

Kayla sighed and looked morose again. "You're lucky that you have someone. And babies on the way. A family..." She reached for her ice cream. "All I have is my ice cream..."

Adrian rolled his eyes and gently began pulling Eloise toward the door before she could ask her sister more questions. He knew that if he didn't do that, they would never leave. "Bye, Kayla!"

"Bye," Kayla replied. Then the door slammed closed and she heard nothing else except for the thud of her spoon against the carton.

"Damn it this cake has nuts in it!" Kayla frowned at her fork as if it had betrayed her, then looked at the cake. Then she sighed, got some frosting on her finger, and sucked it off. "Oh, crap, who cares?" She muttered. "It doesn't matter if I get fat anyway." She finished off the cake and then raided the cookie jar by the microwave, not even pausing to take a breath, She grabbed it and took it to the sofa, eating until the sound of the doorbell gave her pause. "Shit," she muttered through a full mouth. She took the cookie jar in hand and then strode over to the front door, pulling it open and then slamming it just as quickly when she saw Kai's eyes brighten at the sight of her. He was also looking very hot dressed in all black...with a leather jacket. She let out a giant burp that caused her to slide down onto the floor and burst into tears.

"Kayla?" Kai called. "Sweetie, are you okay? I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I didn't even know you would be here. I just...I came to talk to your brother. How are you? Not good, it seems."

"Please don't call me 'sweetie'," Kayla begged, running her fingers through her uncombed dark hair. "And...and my brother's not here. If you want me to pass along a message, I will, but otherwise, you probably want to leave."

"Well, I mean...if you want me to," Kai told her. "I just came to talk to Adrian about you...to see how you were doing. I would have come to ask you personally, but...every time I tried to get myself to go to the farm house...I couldn't."

"I'm doing fine," Kayla informed him. "Fine. Great. Perfect. Never better!" She then stuffed her face with more cookies, wondering what she was gonna tell her brother when he realized there were no more cookies or no more cake.

"I don't think that's true," he said. "I'm worried about you. Can we please talk?"

"No, we can't," Kayla said. "The best thing for you now would be to go back to your wife." She got a catch in her throat and her eyes because to water. "Vicky is a v...very nice...woman and I'm...very...h-happy...she's alive." By the end of the sentence, she was sobbing nonstop.

"You think I believe you when you're crying like that?" Kai called.

"It doesn't matter if you do. It's the truth!"

"What are you eating?"

"Cookies! And you can't have any! They're triple chocolate chip and they're mine!"

"But that's my favorite kind!" Kai told her. "Please let me in. Please?"

The door opened and he entered, but Kayla was not there to meet him. Instead, he found her by the kitchen sink, wiping her tears away. "Baby," he began."

"No," Kayla shook her head and neatly stepped aside as he reached for her."No baby, no sweetie, no honey...please."

"But...but it's hard for me not to call you that because..."

"I know why," Kayla sighed. "But you're married. I...I don't want to be like my dad was, wrecking a marriage just because being with you would make me immensely happy. I respect your marriage vows. Why can't you?"

"Because technically, since she died, we're not really married," Kai shook his head. "Til death do us part happened. Not that I'm going to tell her that yet, but-"

Kayla turned away from the sink to look at him through tear filled eyes.

He got closer to her. Took one hand of hers in his and kissed it. "You're even more beautiful," he murmured.

"I would be flattered if that weren't a horrible way to talk to your wife's cousin," She told him.

The remark made him growl in frustration, running his fingers through his dark hair. "I don't know what to do! It's all so hard!"

"Do you still love her?" Kayla asked.

Kai looked Kayla in the eye. "I'll always love Vicky, but...never like I love you. Never."

Kayla turned away so that he couldn't see that tears were welling up in her eyes. "Pretty words, but Vicky still needs you more than me. Now that she's back, she's like a baby. It's not good to leave someone like that on their own. I don't need you. She does."

Then there was silence. She felt his body behind her. His warm breath on her neck, stirring up the few loose hairs that had escaped her bun.

He pulled her against himself from behind, his breath brushing her neck, lips against her ear. "Are you sure you don't need me?" He whispered. His lips slid down her neck before pulling a bit of her oversized t-shirt aside to kiss her bare shoulder.

"Don't," she moaned. "Kai, please..."

"I missed your smell," he whispered, inhaling her scent.

"I...I smell like cookies and cake and...it's all I've been stuffing myself with for the past...oh, I don't know..." Kayla breathed.

"Exactly," Kai nodded and licked away the cookie crumbs that lingered around her mouth before quickly undoing his pants and pinning her against the fridge as his hand slid down her stomach and into her sweats.

As he rubbed her, she took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. Then, as his lips moved to her neck, she felt her pants and panties go down around her ankles. "I need you inside me," she whispered.

"Good," Kai panted. "Cause I...I was thinking the same thing."

She moaned loudly and clutched him tight as he buried himself inside her. "Yes," she panted. "Oh, Kai, yes!"

He didn't say a word though, continuing to kiss her and bury himself inside her until she finally collapsed against him, his hands going down her back and cupping her bottom, squeezing gently.

"We...we can't tell Adrian we did it against the fridge," Kayla panted. "Between that and my eating all his cookies, he'll go berserk!"

Kai licked his lips as she looked up at him.

"No worries," he said as he nibbled on her earlobe. "It'll be our little secret."

Secret.

Kayla froze. Her jaw dropped. "Oh, my god," she whispered and grabbed her pants, quickly putting them on. "What have I done?"

"Kayla, it's nothing!"

"Yes, it is!" Kayla replied. "I...I've ruined everything! I'm a fat slut!" She burst into tears. "Please go," she sobbed. "Please go and don't come back."

"No, you're not!" Kai exclaimed and shook his head. "Kayla, don't talk about yourself that way."

"Go!" Kayla cried. "Just go!" When Kai refused to move, she began tossing bowls at him.

"Okay, okay," he cried and ran for the door. "Message received."

He left, slamming the door behind him as Kayla sat with her back against the refrigerator and continued to sob.