"Well, how nice," Gwen said to herself as she looked out the window and saw Ellie's BMW pull up. "It's been awhile since Ellie's come and visited."

But when she opened the door to Ellie's insistant knocking, her eyes widened. Ellie wasn't dressed like herself: split skirt, high heels, white button down shirt unbuttoned to the point where you could see her bra. Her hair was up and she wore glasses and a frown.

"Are you all right?" She asked. "Interesting outfit to be wearing."

"No, I'm not...we need to talk," Ellie replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Gwen nodded. "I'll get some tea and I'm sure we have cookies around here somewhere."

"No, thanks, there's no need for that," Ellie sat down. "I...I don't intend for this to be a long talk." She sat down and adjusted her skirt, then removed her shoes. "Thank goodness," she breathed. "Those were killing me!"

"So how's Milo?" Gwen asked. "Is he doing all right?"

"Yes, thank you, but I don't want to talk about him either." Then Ellie paused. "Where's Steve?" She asked sweetly.

Gwen raised an eyebrow. That tone meant that Steve had done something wrong. "What...is something the matter?" She asked.

"Kind of," Ellie replied. "I just...wanted to talk about the whole 'other world' thing. It's kind of important."

"Oh yes," Gwen smiled. "You're welcome. You know, Steve was gonna have it be that you just fell in love with Lucifer again once you reached eighteen but I was the one who made it so you could meet him on your own terms. I knew things would work out just as well."

"You would think that," Ellie nodded, pacing while her skirt swished around her ankles. "But it's actually made it worse!"

"Worse how?" Gwen asked. "And not to be critical, dear, but I'm curious: why are you dressed in that outlandish way? It's not how you normally dress at all."

"I know it's not!" Ellie cried and stomped her foot. "This is how I dressed in the other world the first time I seduced Lucifer! And...and now he's wanted me to do it twice!"

"And the problem with that is...?" Gwen asked, confused.

"Well, clearly it's because he liked other world me who got to go to college and things much better than he likes me now," Ellie pouted. "Now he probably just thinks I'm a whore!" Her eyes found Steve who had just walked into the living room with his dog on his heels and sat down with a big sigh. "As for you..."

"Oh, shut up!" He said.

Ellie's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Steve repeated. "Do you know how ridiculous you sound? You're not three years old anymore. You can't make the whole house shake and con someone into giving you a magical goldfish because you didn't get to go to the aquarium. Grow up!"

Ellie blushed. "You know about how I got Fishy."

"Yes, I do," Steve nodded. "Of course I do."

Then she got her feet back under her and began round two. "What am I supposed to do? You started this whole mess. You're responsible for it. You have to help me!"

"You have to help yourself," Steve said firmly. "Now, if you'll kindly go away, there are more pressing things that I have to deal with today."

"Fine," Ellie shook her head. "If you're not gonna help, I'll just go home and be miserable in this stupid outfit until your son wants to have sex with me again and because I'm a sucker I'll probably say 'Yes' and it'll be wonderful. This is so not fair!" She growled, her eyes narrowed as she put her shoes back on.

"That's the spirit!" Steve called after her. "Good luck! I have no doubt you'll succeed because you're a beautiful young woman!"

"Oh, bite me!" Ellie called over her shoulder before stomping out the door, slamming it behind her, and driving away.

"Well, that was nicely handled," Gwen said.

"Thank you," Steve told her. "My goal was to have the house stay in one piece. I thought you would prefer it that way."

"Yes, thank you," Gwen sighed and grabbed Steve's hand. "You're not wrong about that."

"I see, it's one of those days," Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes when she saw Malachai on the doorstep. Some days she wondered why she bothered answering the door at all. "Please come in and share what's bothering you. Everyone else seems to be."

"Oh, if you're busy and this isn't a good time, I can always come back," Malachai replied. "Or if Avery isn't home."

"No, she's home. Best get this over with now," Gwen sighed. "Please come sit down." She led him to the sofa and cleared her throat. "Steve, we have another visitor."

Steve put his paper down and looked up. "Well, hello, Malachai! What brings you here? Is something wrong? Something to do with Avery?"

"Yes," Gwen nodded, arms crossed. "What has our daughter done now?"

Malachai cleared his throat. "Well, a lot, in some ways, and not enough in others."

"What a surprise," Steve sighed deeply. "Avery caused trouble."

"Are you all talking about me?" Avery asked as she strode into the room, arms crossed. "If you have a problem with me, the least you could do is speak about it to my face instead of just griping behind my back."

Malachai chuckled nervously. "Well, hello, Avery! I hope you're well! Nice to see you after so long."

"The feeling isn't mutual and I'm surprised you had the guts to come and face me after we almost had sex in your car. My plan was to avoid you at all costs, and I was hoping you'd be more than happy to take the hint when I stopped coming to my lessons." Avery huffed

"Well, that wasn't my first thought," Malachai replied. "I thought you were sick or injured and I was very concerned."

"So concerned you didn't call to check on me?" Avery asked. "Well, that's really nice!"

"You're not even sick!" Malachai yelled. "You can't be!"

"Yes, but you didn't know that!" Avery yelled back.

Meanwhile, Gwen and Steve were ignoring them and grinning at each other. Finally, Steve cleared his throat. "And just what did Avery mean when she mentioned you and she almost having sex in her car, Malachai?" He asked, his lip curving just a little even though he was trying to be angry. "What do you mean by this, young man?"

But Malachai was so panicked that he didn't notice the half grin. "I...I...I..." He tried to get out. "I...I don't...she..."

"Oh, buck up!" Avery yelled and gave him a spanking. "Enough of this 'I...I...I'. Yes, it's true, Father. I can call the policeman who gave him a ticket for it if you want more evidence."

Gwen lowered her head to look at her lap, her whole body shaking. "He got a ticket for it..."

"Well, never mind!" Malachai said, determined to get his bearings and keep them because he sensed everyone in the room was laughing at him. "I'm here because Avery has missed two of her lessons, like I said when I first came in."

"So what?" Avery asked, hands on hips.

"And to talk to your father about the giant fiasco you created when you brought all the dead souls back to Earth," Malachai continued, eyes peering into hers.

"So what?" Avery repeated with a shrug. "Daddy knows about that already."

"Well, Miss 'I Have An Answer For Everything' does he know that the souls still become ghosts from time to time?" Malachai shot back.

"What?" Steve asked, standing up quickly as his eyes widened. "That's impossible!"

"Are you...are you seriously saying that all the souls who came back to life, who have registered with the Witches' Council as living beings, are somehow ghosts now? Are they alive or dead?" Gwen asked.

"I'm not sure which," Malachai shook his head. "I just know that sometimes they can become ghosts."

Avery was very pale now and shaking her head as Steve frowned at her, his arms crossed. "Believe me, Daddy. I don't know how any of that happened. I wanted everyone who came back to be alive so they could be with their families and be happy. That's what I know I created."

"Well, if you didn't have anything to do with this ghost business, who did?" Steve snapped, running his fingers through his hair. "And how do you know all this, Malachai?"

Malachai cleared his throat. Clearly Steve's omniscience was a bit spotty when it came to stuff in the supernatural world. "Well, Sybil was one of the demons who came back and my old friend Mikael has started to see her and develop feelings for her..."

"Mikael who?" Gwen interrupted.

"Mikael Mikaelson, of course," Malachai told her. "Who else?"

Gwen and Steve looked at one another, shocked. "But he hates demons," they said at the same time. Then their jaws dropped.

"He definitely does," Malachai confirmed. "But for some reason that I can't explain, Sybil has become an exception."

Steve slowly turned toward Avery and pointed a finger at her. "Did you have something to do with this? How much trouble have you gotten into?"

Avery shrugged, then smiled, hands on hips and feeling very proud. "Probably. I thought they were good for each other. They balance each other out very well!"

"Have you lost your mind?" Gwen asked. "In what damn universe do those two balance each other out?"

"Well, Daddy's done it lots of times so it clearly can't be that hard," Avery replied.

"There's a method to it!" Steve yelled. "Do you understand me, Daughter? You can't just throw together anyone you want!"

"I'm not sorry!" Avery replied. "They do balance each other out and if you can't see it, then you're just dumb!"

Malachai cleared his throat and the other three just stared at him. "I know it's probably not my place to say anything, but, they really do look cute together and I truly think they've taken a liking to each other. Getting them to admit it will be something else entirely though."

Steve groaned, collapsed in his chair, and rubbed his temples. "Gwen, dear, do we have anything around that is very strong? If we do, I'd like a large glass of it."

"I agree," Gwen replied and headed over to the bar.

Malachai waited until Gwen and Steve both had their drinks and then clapped his hands once. "Okay, moving on," he said. "So apparently, one time, when Sybil and Mikael were in each other's company, she suddenly began to just...fade away until she disappeared." He turned to Avery. "Are you certain you have no idea what in the spell you cast could have made that happen?"

Avery shook her head. "Well, no, not off the top of my head, but if I had to guess, it has to do with the fact that they came back after being dead. Perhaps part of them is still tethered to the afterlife or however you want to say it, even though they might seem completely alive."

Steve shut his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So you think but you don't know. Like you weren't thinking when you made that stupid spell in the first place!"

"You can't be mad at me!" Avery protested. "I told you that when I did it, I wasn't aware that I could! I didn't know!"

"You're my daughter, for my sake!" Steve yelled. "You have some of my powers. How could you not?"

"Well, can any of your other kids bring back the dead?" Avery asked.

"Well, um...no, not exactly," Steve shook his head. "Azrael retrieves them, but...resurrection was something I always planned to keep to myself!"

Avery shook her head. "And...and what? Do you think that I just decided before I was born to go 'mwah hah hah' and steal it from you? It was pure dumb luck and I'm sorry you're not the super special dead raiser you used to be, but...it is what it is! I heard you yelling at Ellie earlier about being a woman instead of a little girl, but now...now you need to remember that you are a grown damn man! A grown man who should be supporting me instead of making me feel like I should be ashamed of something I really like! You sound like a jealous old fool, mad because I use the powers of resurrection to bring people together and make them happy! I'll look into what's going on with these souls. But not for you; For them and for my own knowledge of what I've done." She went silent and waited for someone to speak. For someone to yell at her. But no one was. They were all looking at her in stunned silence. Steve was looking as if he'd been hit in the gut, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to form words but couldn't.

"And you," she rounded on Malachai. "You're a coward! At least Mikael can admit he has feelings for Sybil and is willing to do something about them. I'm not going to let you waste my time anymore. I'm done!" She waited for him to speak, but he'd been stunned into silence like her father. That was fine. She liked it better that way. "Mom?" She asked Gwen. "Can't you at least look at me?"

Gwen brought her head up, and her eyes met Avery's. But she didn't say a word.

"All right then," Avery said at last. "If no one has anything to say, I'm...I'm going to do what I should have done long ago, when it was first apparent that I was a source of annoyance for everyone in this room: I'm gonna go move in with Lucifer. I know he has lots of space and maybe...just maybe someone will appreciate me there. Possibly even love me." She zapped up a bag and then strode out the door.

After it was slammed behind her, Gwen cleared her throat and looked at the men. "Well...that went well," she said with a sigh. "Maybe...maybe we should just let her go. Perhaps that would be best."

"Don't worry," Malachai said. "It won't be forever. I started that; I'll find a way to get her back. I'll start thinking about it after I go and call Mikael."

He left and then Gwen and Steve sat in silence for a few seconds before Steve spoke. "Would it be strange if I said that the thought of Sybil and Mikael Mikaelson being together was more shocking to me than the fact that those who were resurrected are ghosts?"

"No, it's not strange," Gwen sighed and took his hand and kissed it. "I agree with you completely."

Vicky winced at the dark liquid in her coffee cup. It was cold now but that shouldn't have been a surprise to her. She'd made it at least an hour ago. But maybe longer. She couldn't remember exactly. She thought about dumping the rest in the sink and making more, but it just seemed like it would take too much energy. Might as well choke it down instead of wasting it. She was getting up to put her cup in the sink when Kai appeared.

"Good morning," he said with a shy smile. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Good morning," she returned. "I did all right. Thanks for asking." She stuck her cup in the dishwasher and closed it, then turned and looked at the back of him as he poured his own cup.

"Thank you for getting this made," he said before putting his cup to his lips. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," Vicky replied. "Don't take this the wrong way, but...you still have a nice butt." It was the first time she'd said something like that to him since she'd come back, and she did it to try and stir things up between them. They'd only kissed once since her return and nothing else and if she were entirely honest with herself, she did want more. But she wasn't stupid. She knew she'd been gone for ages and she was certain that he'd moved on. And it was his right. She couldn't expect someone as good looking and wonderful as him to just be alone and celibate forever.

"T-thanks for the compliment," he got out at last. "I...I try to keep in shape."

"Are you going to tell me?" She asked.

"Tell you what?" Kai asked, gently kissing her forehead. "You know I'll tell you anything."

"Who she is," Vicky said. "The woman you're keeping yourself in shape for. Cause we both know it's not me when you didn't even know I could come back."

Kai's lips became a thin line for a second before he began stuffing his face with brioche. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said when he'd swallowed.

"We've been together in this house for weeks and you haven't even touched me once," Vicky pointed out. "Don't get me wrong, I completely understand, but...it'd be nice to know what's going on."

Kai sighed. "Vicky, I...the reason why I haven't...done any of that is because...because I thought coming back to life would be really confusing and tough for you and and I didn't want to rush things before you were completely set up here in this new life. I wanted to make sure you were comfortable with me again before we restarted our relationship."

Vicky nodded and stood up, heading over to the sink. "Don't worry," she said. "I know you haven't been a monk since I died. I know you had that one night stand with Gabrielle, and that evening with Gabrielle led to a little girl named Eloise, who is now grown and married to Adrian."

"Right," Kai nodded. "I told you that; I never tried to hide it from you."

"Yes, and I'm...thank you for being honest with me about that, but you never..." her voice broke as tears filled her eyes. "You never told me who the woman was that truly stole your heart from me."

Kai shut his eyes tight. "Please don't be this way; Don't do this to yourself. I was overjoyed when I saw that you were alive again." He strode over to the sink and took her hand.

Vicky nodded after turning to face him. "I believe that. I was happy to see you too; but just because you're happy to see me doesn't mean you can't actually be head over heels in love with someone else."

Kai lowered his eyes to look at the table and sighed.

"Who is she?" Vicky continued to press. "Don't I deserve to know?"

Kai looked up. "What would it change if you did?"

Vicky shrugged. "I just...I just want to see if she's worthy of you, that's all."

Kai let out a humorless chuckle. "Me, the notorious Kai Parker? Who's caused so much trouble for so many? You honestly think I deserve to be so picky about women that can say one is worthy of me? Fat chance! I'm so lucky every day that Kayla Mikaelson...oh shit!" He put a hand over his mouth.

"Kayla Mikaelson?" Vicky asked. "As in my cousin Kayla? That's who you're seeing now?"

He stayed silent.

"Well, at least you kept it in the family," Vicky sighed. "And I don't have to worry about some total stranger ruining your life."

"Hey," Kai shook his head and reached out for her. "This doesn't have to be the end for us, right? Even though I'm with Kayla now, we can be friends. We just need to give it time, Vicky."

Vicky shook her head. "I don't know if I can be friends with you. I think it might be best if we...if we concede that there's nothing between us but memories and make a clean break." Then she stood up, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she made her way out of the kitchen and toward her bedroom, and it wasn't long before Kai heard the slam of a door and was left alone in silence.

"Thank you so much for watching Lucas while we go out for a little while," Remiel told Selina. "It'll be just a walk, I swear. We'll only be gone for about twenty minutes and I promise we'll come back!"

"It'll be okay," Ricky said and took Remiel's hand, giving her a gentle tug toward the door. "We can't come back if we don't leave!"

Selina bit her lip on a smile as she watched Ricky practically have to carry Remiel from the house to get a little bit of fresh air. Then, once the door was closed, she smiled down at Lucas, who smiled back from his carrier. "Sounds like your mommy didn't want to leave you," she said. "But don't worry, you're safe here, most beautiful boy in the world!"

Elijah caught this last sentence just as he was coming in from giving the horses their water. "What's that, darling? Do I have some competition?" He winked.

"I said 'boy'" Selina reminded him, coming over to kiss him soundly and cup his bottom. "And you are most definitely a man!"

"I certainly am," Elijah nodded. "And I intend to prove it to you later." He then turned to Lucas. "You're going to spoil this boy rotten, aren't you?"

"Oh, like you're not!" Selina returned.

"Of course I will," he said and picked the baby up. "Hello, handsome Lucas, how are you today?"

"See? You're spoiling him rotten too!" Selina pointed out, grinning widely. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Since you've got him, I'll get it!" She decided.

When she opened the door, she froze. In front of her was a woman who looked very much like Eloise...but different. She stood there open-mouthed for she didn't know how long before her manners came back to her. She blinked and shook her head. "I apologize for my bad manners," she said. "I don't usually stare rudely or make people just stand in the doorway but you look like someone I know. Please come in."

"You don't have to be sorry," the woman told her. "I'm not surprised by your shocked reaction; I was the one who was rude enough to come to your house uninvited. This is the Mikaelson farm, isn't it?"

"Farm, ranch, it's a lot of things," Selina shrugged. "But yes, you've come to the right place; What can we do for you?"

"Well, I believe you and I are related," the woman told her. "Your son is married to my daughter. I'm Eloise's mother. My name is-"

"Oh, my gosh, I'm such an idiot!" Selina interrupted. "I should have known it was you, Gabrielle!" She embraced her. "It's so nice to meet you! Can I get you something to eat or drink? Let's go to the kitchen!"

"You're very kind, but I don't want to impose," Gabrielle protested gently.

"You're not imposing," Selina assured her, brushing her protests aside. "I love feeding people and you're family now!"

When they arrived in the kitchen, they found Elijah bonding with Lucas. "Elijah, do you have a second?" Selina asked.

"Mmm?" Elijah looked up after setting Lucas back in his basket.

"I want you to meet someone," Selina told him. "This is Eloise's mom, Gabrielle. Gabrielle, this is my wonderful husband, Elijah."

Elijah smiled. "Of course, how wonderful! Give me a minute to wash my hands before I come any closer to you. Children can be very messy."

"It's not a problem," Gabrielle smiled. "I'm very happy to meet you too, Elijah!"

"What a lovely accent," Elijah remarked. "French, isn't it?"

"Yes," Gabrielle nodded. "I was born in Paris."

"Well, we don't hear that accent very often around here, so it's like music to our ears," Selina told her.

"True," Elijah agreed.

"Who is this marvelous boy?" Gabrielle asked, smiling at Lucas.

"That's our great-grandson, Lucas," Selina replied.

Gabrielle took Lucas' little hand and shook it, still smiling. "Tu es si precieux!"

"He seems to like you," Selina observed as Lucas smiled and giggled. Then she put a hand to her forehead. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry I let us get distracted by the baby. Are you hungry? I have scones I made, and it would be real easy to make tea or coffee."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose," Gabrielle told her.

"It's not an imposition!" Elijah blurted out, giving Selina a little push. "She runs a bakery and we have lots of things. It's her pleasure to feed you!"

Selina felt her whole body tighten. Then she took a deep breath. It was one of those times she had to tell herself that Elijah was just being Elijah and not trying to be a bossy macho jerk who wanted to keep her stuck in the kitchen attending to his whims. She would handle it with grace. "Yeah," she agreed. "What he said. I promise it's no trouble at all."

"In that case," Gabrielle inclined her head graciously. "I would love some tea and scones."

"I'm sorry to have to leave so abruptly," Elijah apologized to Gabrielle after they finished eating. "But I have some phone calls I need to make in my office. Lovely to meet you."

"I feel the same," Gabrielle nodded.

"Hey," Selina said before Elijah could stride off. "Have you had blood today?"

Elijah paused and thought a moment. "Yes," He said at last. "Had it with my first cup of coffe this morning before I left to do the chores. But thank you so much for reminding me."

"No trouble," Selina smiled.

He left, taking another scone with him, and Gabrielle and Selina were alone.

"Your husband seems wonderful," Gabrielle remarked. "I'm so pleased to meet you both."

"I'm happy you showed up too!" Selina smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I love this farm to bits; It's one of the best gifts Elijah ever gave me. But it's a bit isolated so having someone new come and visit, well...it really shakes up the day in a good way. I hope we'll get to be very good friends." She paused. "More tea?"

"Yes, please," Gabrielle nodded and held out her cup. "Now, I...I want to clear some things up about my relationship with Kai," she said when Selina had filled it. "Because I don't want you to think I'm some sort of..."

"It's all right that you and Kai had a one night stand," Selina reassured her. "I'm the last person who would judge. Elijah is my husband now, but I've been married to two of his brothers in the past and had kids with one of them. Love can be complicated." She shrugged. "I'm also glad that you and Kai met because it brought Eloise into the world, and into my son's orbit, which did wonders for him; without Eloise, he would still be moping and unhappy and unwilling to talk to anyone but his dog."

"Thank you for seeing it that way," Gabrielle told her. "Kai and I are friends and of course we'll both always be there for Eloise, but...it'll never be more than that."

Selina nodded. "Yes, as it should be."

"And I know that he and your daughter, they used to be..." Gabrielle trailed off.

"Yeah, they were together," Selina nodded. "Very together to the point where it did a number on Elijah's nerves, but then..."

"Then Vicky came back and it changed everything," Gabrielle nodded.

"Yes," Selina sighed. "Yes it did."

Gabrielle put a hand on Selina's. "Perhaps it's not the end of the world. Maybe, in time, things will be able to go back the way they were."

"I wish we could know for sure," Selina nodded. "But in the meantime, it's my daughter who's been mopey and sad for ages now. I've tried to cheer her up, but nothing's worked."

Gabrielle took a sip of tea and changed the subject. "You and your husband seem to have a wonderful relationship. You're very lucky."

Selina grinned. "We're madly in love. Does it show?"

"Yes," Gabrielle nodded. "You couldn't miss it." She paused and then changed the subject again. "You know, when I was in soul form, before I came back, I met...I met a man who said he was your husband."

"Oh, you met Dorian!" Selina smiled.

"Yes, he talked about you a lot," Gabrielle nodded.

"He's a good man," Selina said. "And the second man I would die for if I needed to. But I love my husband more."

"You do," Gabrielle nodded. "You and Dorian were together at some point, though? And did you have any children? I vaguely remember him mentioning a boy."

"Yes, his name is Arthur," Selina nodded. "But our relationship ended badly after Dorian died and I moved on with Elijah so we don't talk anymore. He's incredibly stubborn and hard-headed."

Gabrielle shook her head and clicked her tongue. "That is so sad."

"It really is," Selina nodded. "I wish it didn't have to be that way, but it is."

The doorbell rang again. Selina excused herself to answer it, kissing Lucas' forehead along the way. This time when she opened the door, she saw Vicky. "My gosh, it's like we're Grand Central Station today," she remarked before giving her a hug. "It's so wonderful to see you, sweetie!"

Vicky smiled. "It's wonderful to see you too, Aunt Selina! How have you been? It seems like you've embraced country life." She looked around the fields and then at Selina again.

"Yeah," Selina smiled back, stepped out of the doorway, and gestured for Vicky to sit next to her on one of the chairs on the wraparound porch. "Elijah had this whole farmhouse made just for me," she said with a smile. "Isn't it lovely? And it has a wonderful big kitchen too!"

"And it's all so clean!" Vicky added with a wink. "Along with being beautiful."

"Well, your uncle lives here too, and you know how neat he likes to be," Selina said. "What do you say we go inside? Want tea? Coffee? Juice?"

Vicky was about to agree until they reached the kitchen and she saw Gabrielle. "I...I don't need anything, thank you. You have another visitor." She held out her hand to Gabrielle. "Hello, I'm Vicky Mikaelson."

Gabrielle gave Selina a worried look before taking Vicky's hand. "I'm Gabrielle."

Vicky froze as recognition dawned. "You mean the Gabrielle?"

"I'm Eloise's mother if that's what you mean," Gabrielle confirmed.

Vicky nodded, lips pursed. "I see."

Sensing trouble, Selina did her best to stop it. "There's nothing to see, is there, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle nodded. "I swear to you, Vicky: Kai and I are only the best of friends. All we want to do together is be parents to our daughter."

"Thank you for telling me this," Vicky said. "But it's not really any of my business what Kai does with his life anymore."

Selina and Gabrielle stared at each other, eyes wide. Then Selina cleared her throat and tried to lighten the mood. "I'm so glad you're back, Vicky. Your sudden departure left us all very empty." She paused. "Although it did help me get to know your father pretty well. I wish we could have gotten to know each other under better circumstances though."

"Is Kayla here?" Vicky asked. "I need to see her. We have to talk."

"I'm right here," said Kayla's voice behind her. "What is it that you want?" She had just come in from brushing the horses, dressed in some of Selina's maternity jeans (which hadn't taken her long to find, even without help), and a large t-shirt to hide her belly.

Vicky turned and gave a nervous laugh. "Hi, Kayla. I'm your cousin, Vicky."

"I know who you are," Kayla said, her voice sharp. "It's nice you came back to life."

"Do you really mean that?" Vicky asked. "It doesn't sound like you do."

"Maybe I should go," Gabrielle said, standing up.

"Please don't go," Selina whispered. "Or I'm going to lose my mind!"

"What can I do for you?" Kayla asked.

"It's...what I came to tell you, actually," Vicky replied. "Kai and I have decided to part ways. He's yours now."

Kayla blushed, her hand automatically going to her belly. "I don't understand."

Vicky put her hands on her hips. "Oh, I think you understand perfectly. My husband is yours. And if I were you..." She gave Kayla's body a very obvious once over. "...If I were you, I would tell him that you're carrying his child. He doesn't know, does he?"

Kayla's gaze went down to her feet. "I don't know what you're talking about." She'd been wanting to keep this quiet because she hadn't been sure how to say something without hurting anyone. This was not the way she'd wanted it to come out. She began to cry loudly.

"So that's where that pair of my maternity jeans went," Selina said as she put her arms around her daughter. "I thought I'd lost my mind." She tensed up again as Elijah emerged from his office, probably because of the sound of Kayla crying. He approached them purposefully and Selina prepared herself to defend Kayla, but Elijah kept his eyes on Vicky instead.

"Vicky, it's wonderful to see you again," he told her. "But let me make it clear that as long as you are under my roof you will not speak to my daughter the way that you have. Is that clear? I know that this is a difficult situation for us all, but she deserves your respect."

Vicky stared Elijah down. "Crystal clear," she said. "Luckily for you, I've said what I need to say and I'll be on my way now. Have a good day."

She began to make her way to the front door when, out of nowhere, Lucas rose from his carrier into the air and began flying in an unsteady way toward Vicky as everyone watched in shock.

"For the love of Steve, someone make sure the door is closed so he doesn't fly out!" Selina cried. "If that happens, then we're screwed!"

But she didn't need to worry: After hovering over a shocked Vicky for several seconds, he dropped into her automatically outstretched arms and didn't seem to have any interest in going anywhere else.

"What in the name of..." Vicky trailed off, wide eyed, as the baby stared back at her with a gummy smile. She turned to Selina, who was rushing toward them. "What in the world is this?"

"His name is Lucas," Selina explained. "His mom is an angel...hence the wings. Good thing his uncle reminded me about that or I think I would have fainted!"

"I don't care what he is, just get him away from me!" Vicky cried, thrusting Lucas at Selina before running out the door.

To Selina's surprise, Lucas then began crying. Loudly. Ceaselessly. As she cuddled him and tried to get him to stop, she wondered when his parents would get back. "It's okay," she whispered. "I got you. Your mommy and daddy will be back soon." At least she hoped so. This was the first time he'd truly cried since he'd been born and she had no idea what to do about it.

"You clearly have a lot going on," Gabrielle told Selina. "I'll go talk to Vicky." She turned to Kayla. "I'm Gabrielle. You really should tell Kai about his baby. I can assure you that he won't react badly. Not when he loves you very, very much." She left the house and Elijah ran his fingers through his hair.

"Is it true?" He asked Kayla.

Kayla locked eyes with him and nodded. "Yeah, it's true. Please don't be mad, Daddy."

"I'm not mad," Elijah shook his head. "I just wonder why you didn't tell your mother or me about this sooner?"

Kayla started crying again, so Selina put Lucas in his carrier and put her arms around her daughter. "It's going to be all right," she soothed. "Now that we know, we'll make it all better, you'll see."

Meanwhile, Gabrielle was rushing to catch up to Vicky. "Stop!" She yelled.

"Why?" Vicky huffed. "What do you want?"

"I just want to offer you my support," Gabrielle told her. "I know how devastating it must be to see your world fall apart."

"Why would you do that for me?" Vicky asked. "What's in it for you?"

"Like you, I was one of the souls who came back to life," Gabrielle told her. I missed so much. I missed seeing my daughter grow up. I know it's not exactly the same, but...it felt like losing the love of my life too."

"I guess," Vicky nodded, wiping her eyes. "It sucks to hurt, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but you're a beautiful woman," Gabrielle said. "And I'm sure there's a man out there who will love you very much."

"I would sooner die," Vicky spat. Then she pulled herself out of Gabrielle's grip, strode off to her car without another word, and drove away.

After setting a glass of ice and lemonade down on the table in one of the parlors at Lucifer and Ellie's, Avery settled in with one of the mystery novels she'd gotten from the library. Ellie had said it was very good and she couldn't wait to see for herself.

But she hadn't gotten far when the doorbell rang. She tried to ignore it, figuring that one of the gazillion people who worked or lived her would get it. But no one did. "Lucifer?" She called. "Ellie? Dexter? Someone's at the door. You wanna get it?"

But no one answered so, groaning and rolling her eyes, Avery got up to get the door herself, her eyes widening as she found herself face to face with Malachai.

"It should be obvious that I want to talk to you!" Malachai shot back. "I didn't just come here to stare at the architecture!"

"Well, it should be obvious that I don't want to talk to you!" Avery snapped. "Go away and let me read my book in peace!" She tried to slam the door and he stopped it with his foot. "Wow," she said, wide eyed. "I didn't see that coming. You have strength after all."

"And you read," Malachai retorted. "I guess we're all full of surprises." He paused. "Do you mind if I come in?"

Avery shrugged. "Do what you want; It's not like I can stop you."

"You could if you felt very strongly," Malachai told her. "But I don't think you do."

Avery just turned to head back to her sofa and he followed after shutting the door gently behind him. He opened his mouth to start speaking, but she went right back to her book instead.

"Seriously?" Malachai cried. "I came all the way over here to speak with you and you're just going to ignore me? That's very rude, Avery!"

"So is barging in here without a personal invitation from me," Avery pointed out without looking at him. "But please, if you have something you need to say, don't hesitate to unburden yourself. Just don't expect me to respond because, as I said before, I don't want to talk to you!"

"Come now, Avery," Malachai sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "You and I..."

"Now you want us to be 'You and I'?" Avery scoffed. "I thought that was the last thing you wanted. You made it perfectly clear. And just when I finally get the message, you change your mind. I don't understand you one bit!"

He sat down on the couch beside her, gently removed the book from her hands, and threw it on the coffee table next to her lemonade. "It's all very complicated," he said. "I barely understand it myself."

"You don't have to make it complicated," Avery pointed out. "It wasn't complicated when you were rubbing up against me in your car and sucking on my breasts!"

"I don't know why I let that happen," Malachai shook his head. "Your Steve's daughter for heaven's sake!"

"Right, and I'm also my own person, my own soul!" Avery reminded him. "I have needs. Dad had needs too, remember. Unlike my brothers and sisters, I wasn't just created out thin air or clouds or whatever."

Malachai nodded. "You're completely right. But remember that I'm older, and..."

"And certainly not wiser!" Avery snapped. "You don't want me in your life, I get that! Respect me enough to allow me to move on and stop showing up to rub how much you dislike me in my face! Just leave so I don't have to look at your stupid handsome face anymore!"

"I...I didn't say that I don't want you in my life anymore," Malachai corrected, caressing her chin and cheeks with his fingers. "I...I want you very much... so damn much, and...wait," his eyes lit up. "Did you call me handsome?" He looked at her in surprise.

"Did you just say you wanted me so damn much?" Avery asked, equally shocked by his admission. "Don't play with me now! I heard it come out of your mouth! You can't take it back!"

"I'm not going to take it back, but..." Malachai sighed. "You bring things out in me that I barely recognize. Things I haven't felt since, well..." he scoffed. "Way before you were born." He sighed. "In the magical world, women are in control. A man gets married and, well...unless you have a very generous wife, which is not always the case, you lose yourself. No one cares about you anymore. You're just an extension of the woman you marry. Which is why I've worked so hard to be unattached. Be my own person. Not just be 'The man who married the head of the Council's daughter' or 'The man who married god's daughter or Gwen Hamilton's daughter'. Do you understand?"

Avery sighed. "Yeah, I guess I do," she said. "Now that you've been kind enough to actually explain it. I promise you that if you let me in, I'll be a very generous wife. I swear. I like your power. I like your passion. I like how you love. And I wouldn't change a thing."

He gave her a long look to see if she was teasing him. Finally, he realized she was telling the truth. "You do love me," he said. "I know it. In a way I've always known it. And because it's real, that's why there was a part of me that always wanted to love you back. You have a power over me, woman! And it's terrified me from day one!" He smiled, grabbed her chin, and gave her a sweet kiss.

"It doesn't feel like I have any power over you," she said. "If I really did, you wouldn't have been able to pull away!"

"You do, and it took...years of practice and lots of willpower to not give in, even though I wanted to so badly."

Avery took his face in her hands. "Well...do you want to fight it anymore? Or do you want to give in to me just as much as I want to give into you? We won't unless you're ready."

"I am," he nodded. "I am if you are."

Avery grinned widely. "I have been for ages, but you already knew that."

"Yeah," Malachai nodded. "I'd be stupid not to." He leaned his head down and gave her a sweet kiss that turned long and passionate, his fingers threading through her hair, her arms going around his neck.

As he nuzzled her neck and kissed her earlobe, he felt her start pulling at his shirt. "Need help?" He asked after kissing her soundly.

"Yes," Avery nodded. "Yes, please!" After they got his shirt off, it didn't take long for other articles of clothing to follow until Avery found herself in her bra and panties and Malachai just in his jeans, which were unzipped and unbuckled and down around his ankles. They were both breathing heavily. "Just to be clear," she said. "We're doing this, right?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded, leaning forward to take her in his arms and kiss her again. "I don't think there's any turning back now."

"Night Night, Daddy."

"Sleep well, Milo," Lucifer told him, ruffling his hair. "And if you must get out of bed before the hour is up, stay in here. At least then you can pretend you slept the whole time. Hard to fool your mother into thinking otherwise when she can clearly see that you didn't."

"Okay," Milo nodded and shut his eyes.

Lucifer shut the light off and as he shut the door softly behind him, he turned just in time to see Ellie striding toward their bedroom in high heels, a robe, and, he hoped, nothing else.

He followed sneakily behind her and took her hand. "Well, hello, darling. What are you up to? Care to share the details or do you just want to surprise me?"

Ellie turned on him with a frown that quickly wiped the grin off his face. "What's it to you? It's not like you ever see me anyway!"

"What's this?" He asked, feeling very confused as he followed her to their bedroom. "Eleanor, what in the world is the matter with you?"

"Oh, nothing's the matter," Ellie said, going into the room and standing against the bed with her hands at her sides. "Tell me honestly: What do you see when you look at me?"

Lucifer sighed and looked her over. "That you look beautiful as always. Are you wearing anything under that robe, because if you aren't, it'll take much less time for me to undress you."

"Stop!" Ellie shook her head. "Just stop! Have you even...since we got back from that other place...do you even see me anymore?"

"Of course I see you," Lucifer told her. "What sort of silly question is that? It's not like you're one of Avery's spirit things."

"Well, then why is that whenever we have sex now, you want me to dress like I did in the other world?" Ellie huffed. "You know I was a completely different person there! You haven't wanted to touch me since we got back. You just want to chase after some fantasy your aunt made up! And I'm...I'm not gonna let that happen anymore. I'd rather we keep being celibate like we were before you realized you didn't want me anymore."

"When it came to that, it was just after you gave birth to Milo!" Lucifer protested. "It's very hard for me to keep my hands off you, but I just...I know your father's advice, Eleanor. I know that it's safer for you to heal and I respect that."

"Well, that's nice but really, it wasn't like I gave birth to Milo yesterday!" Ellie pointed out. "He's a toddler already and one who sneaks out of his room when he's supposed to be napping because he thinks I'm not looking." She took a deep breath and shook her head as he opened his mouth to protest. "You know what? Go to hell and stay there! I quit!" She left and took off for one of the stairwells that led to the floors below.

Lucifer just shook his head and ran after her. "Eleanor, stop! Just what do you think you're doing? Get back here this minute! What in the world is the matter with you?"

"The matter is that you loved other world me and hate me right here!" Ellie huffed. "I'm never enough am I, when your dad and your aunt are always waiting around to make a version that's smarter and sexier and more sophisticated!"

"Well that is just the most foolish thing I've ever heard!" Lucifer shot back.

They continued to yell, making their way toward the parlor where a very naked Avery and Malachai were still making out on the sofa. However, they pulled apart quite suddenly when they heard the noise get louder.

"Do you hear that?" Malachai whispered. "I think that's Lucifer and Ellie! They aren't gonna come in here are they?"

"I hope not, but just in case...grab your clothes! Put on whatever you can and carry the rest!" Avery instructed.

He tried to get his pants on and very nearly accomplished it, but ended up having to walk while holding the rest of what he wore and trying to keep his balance as gravity brought his pants down around his ankles again, bringing him to the carpet with a crash.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Avery whispered. "Stand up!"

"Right," Malachai panted, untangling himself from his pants and letting Avery pull him behind a pair of thick black curtins just in time for Lucifer and Ellie to enter the room.

"...I don't know how you can say it's ridiculous when it's true!" Ellie cried. "I'm a creation of your dad, your aunt...you...who the hell am I? And how can you be attracted to someone who doesn't know who the hell they are?"

"I love you because you're kind, you're funny, you're sweet, you're loving...and the rest...I'd be more than happy to help you figure out the rest," he told her. "Or you can figure it out yourself. I'd be a fool if I didn't admit that Dad did you wrong. We should have waited. But what you do have is all the time in the world to catch up on what you missed. You have time to figure all this out. And we're all behind you...just like you were behind Vincent when he decided he wanted to be a concert pianist or...when Angelica wanted to open her events planning business. You've always been there for us. Let us be there for you."

"What...really?" Ellie asked in shock. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Lucifer nodded. "Of course."

Ellie took a deep breath and burst into uncomfortable laughter running her fingers through her hair. "Oh, geez, I'm...I'm so sorry, I just...I didn't mean...I don't want...I just..." She shook her head and rested it on his shoulder as he put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

"I know," he murmured. "I know..."

Then she looked into his eyes for a good long while before standing on tiptoe to kiss him. And of course he kissed her back, all over. Then she smiled. "I think...I think I'll take you up on that sex now," she said. "And...I think we can do it in here if you want. There doesn't seem to be anyone around."

Malachai then made a noise, but Avery stomped on his foot.

"Did you hear something?" Ellie asked as Lucifer undid her robe and backed her against the wall.

"Nothing," he shook his head as he undressed himself. "Probably just the house settling."

"Yes," Ellie nodded between kisses. "You're probably right."

As the wall they'd chosen was right next to the curtains, it was very obvious to Malachai and Avery what they were doing. It was the same thing he and Avery had been doing not long before.

"Wow," Malachai whispered, peeking out after a while. "Look at them. A bit loud, aren't they?" He turned to Avery. "Since they're so busy, you think they'd notice if we dashed out and did it on the couch?"

"Shhh!" Avery hissed and shook her head. "Don't say another word."

But they'd been heard. "Okay," Ellie panted. "I definitely heard something now. Someone's in here with us."

"Oh, don't be silly," Lucifer shook his head. "You're hearing things."

"I think we should check," Ellie said firmly, running her hand down his chest and kissing his shoulder. "And I don't think I'll be able to focus until we do."

Lucifer groaned and put her on her feet. "Oh, all right," he huffed. "I'll have a quick look around, but only to show you that there's no one hiding anywhere." His eyes then widened as he noticed toes poking out from under the curtains. "I apologize, Eleanor," he said to her. "It appears we have company."

"I knew it!" Ellie said. "Vampire hearing doesn't lie!"

"Stay behind me," he instructed. "This could get messy."

Ellie rolled her eyes at this. She could snap an intruder apart with one hand or rip out their throat in two seconds. Without pants on, a good hard kick to the crotch and he was down for the count. "All right, fine," she said. "But I'm just doing it for the view."

He pulled the curtain open and came face to face with a naked Malachai. Both men started yelling and swearing and while they were distracted, Avery sneaked out, zapped a shirt on, and came to stand next to Ellie, who'd zapped on a shirt of her own.

"What in the world, Malachai?" Lucifer yelled. "What are you doing hiding behind my curtains with my sister? And undressed too!"

"Why are you so shocked?" Malachai cried. "Clearly you're not uncomfortable with people being naked in this parlor!"

"Well, I wasn't expecting it to be an old fossil like you!" Lucifer replied.

"You're older than I am!" Malachai reminded him.

"At least I don't look it!" Lucifer smirked.

"This is like a car wreck you just can't look away from," Ellie whispered to Avery.

"I know, right?" Avery whispered back. "Frankly, I like Malachai's grays. They make him look distinguished."

"Yeah, gray's not bad," Ellie shrugged. "I don't see what the big fuss is." She paused. "Since they clearly don't need us while they hash this out, you wanna go have cake?"

"Sure," Avery nodded. "Love to!"

They left and as the door shut behind them, Lucifer and Malachai finally stopped fighting and realized they were alone. "Avery?" Malachai yelled after grabbing some curtain to cover himself up with. "Where did you go?"

"Eleanor?" Lucifer shouted and grabbed a pillow. "Did you go with her?"

"It appears they left us," Malachai sighed. "Wanna get dressed and find them? They couldn't have gone far."

"Yes," Lucifer nodded. "And let's never speak of this again."

"Of course not," Malachai agreed. "You don't have to tell me twice."