"What?" Avery cried, tying up her robe as she ran into the kitchen.

"Your parents are here," Malachai nodded his head toward them. "See?"

"Well, here. Take this." She handed him a small towel after Gwen threw it at her.

"I don't know why you didn't just bring something bigger with you," he said through his teeth.

"Yes," Gwen agreed, her eyes sparkling. "That little towel won't cover much."

"My dear, please," Steve narrowed his eyes. "Don't make the situation any more awkward than it has to be."

"Oh, come on!" Gwen said. "We're all in human forms here; if we can't laugh at ourselves, then what is the point?" She smiled at her daughter. "Good catch."

"Thank you, but...what are you guys doing here? Can't you leave for a few more days, just like you promised?"

"Well, this is our home, Avery and I think we're entitled to come back from our trip when we want to," Steve told her. "The big question is what are you doing here with Malachai? I thought you said you wanted to go live with your brother and not come back here."

"But of course if you wan to come back, you're more than welcome," Gwen added quickly and winking. "As is Malachai."

"I should hope so," Avery said and crossed her arms. "Cause it's my home too!"

"Is it?" Steve asked. "Have you decided to leave your brother's mansion and return here for good?"

"No," Avery shook her head. "Definitely not. We chose to come here because we were really wanting to do what we did and it's quicker to get here in rush hour than to get to Malachai's house. And since you were supposed to be gone, we didn't think it would be a problem!"

Steve turned to Malachai, who was shaking and sweating. "And what do you have to say for yourself, young man?"

"Well," he squirmed. "Well, sir, your daughter and I, we..."

"Oh, stop!" Avery hissed. "You don't have to answer him. Don't give him the satisfaction of making you scared. Malachai and I had sex, all right? That's what we did! I admitted it to your face. Are you happy?"

"Yes, well..." Steve cleared his throat and then turned his head to give Gwen a wink before turning back to Avery, "Well, it disturbs me that you would sneak around like this. It disturbs me very much."

"Yes," Gwen bit her lip on a smile. "It disturbs me too."

Malachai nodded. "I understand. We should have been more patient; I should have insisted we wait and go to my place to...to...so I could..."

"So you could fuck my daughter?" Steve finished.

Gwen snorted. "Oh my goodness, did you just swear out loud?"

"I have my moments, dear."

"I don't care what either of you say!" Avery cried. "I'm a grown woman and I can do whatever I want with whomever I please!" Her chin was raised and her gaze was steely.

"This seems like a family matter," Malachai muttered, gracefully trying to get away. "If you'll excuse me..."

"Oh, don't go, Malachai!" Gwen urged. "We would love to hear about the relationship you two have! Wouldn't we, dear?"

"Yes," Steve agreed. "We would!"

"Oh, for your sake!" Avery cried, her voice full of irritation as she stomped her foot. "My relationship with Malachai is none of your business, but if you want to be useful, as long as you're here, do something about Azrael!"

"Dear, dear," Steve sighed and rubbed his temple. "Why does something need to be done about her?"

"I'm not the problem, Father," Azrael protested, appearing with a suddenness that made them all jump. "I'm sure you're well aware of what your daughter has done! Bringing back the dead and all."

"Yes, I am aware," Steve shut his eyes and then looked at her again, his eyes travelling down to her shirt as she adjusted her glassses and pushed her dark hair out of her eyes. "Save The Dead?" He asked. "Explain?"

"Of course I have to protest what's been done!" Azrael cried. "Not only has that little upstart stuck her nose in where it doesn't belong, but what about all the poor people she forced to come back? What about Rest In Peace? What about May their memory be a blessing, etc?"

"I never forced anything!" Avery yelled. "Those people aren't miserable! They get to be in love!"

"Did they, you know, come to you and tell you they wanted to be resurrected and be in love? Or did you just...assume?" Azrael cried. "And this better be it. There better not be any more!"

"See?" Avery yelled. "She's jealous and is messing up my chance to spread happiness in the world. She's dooming perfectly happy living people to be dead forever!"

"Well once you are dead, that's kind of the point," Azrael cried. "I mean, not for everyone, but...for the people you brought back, I'm sure they weren't counting on a return trip! You stuck your nose where it doesn't belong! I can't say that enough."

"Daddy, do something!" Avery whined. "Are you going to let her talk to me like that?"

"Well, it's not like she's entirely wrong, even if your intentions are noble," Steve admitted.

Avery's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you're defending her over me!"

"I'm not," Steve said firmly. "What she did is as bad as what you did. There are more civil ways to handle disputes like this."

"Now I definitely want to go!" Malachai decided.

"There!" Azrael said and zapped some clothes on him. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you," Malachai nodded. "Much."

"Now, as I was saying," Steve told them. "You both did wrong. That's for certain."

"Oh, but Sybil and Mikael are so happy!" Avery reminded them. "Surely putting two such people together isn't bad. So Azrael should leave them alone."

Gwen and Steve rolled their eyes at this.

"And plus," Avery continued, "If you take Sybil away from him, Mikael will come after you for the rest of time and he is not a nice man. I'm giving you fair warning as your sister."

"Oh, how kind," Azrael rolled her eyes too. "Well, clearly, even though I'm right, I'm at the losing end of this. So I'll go. But..." She brought her hand out from behind her back, a sharp blade obvious in her hand. "You just watch your back or it's a one-way trip to Stabby Town!"

"I'd love to see you try!" Avery shouted.

"Don't you think I won't!"

"Children, stop!" Steve yelled. "And Azrael, you go and do your business and put that knife away!"

Azrael disappeared without another word and the room lapsed into silence before Steve said with a smirk, "Now, where were we?"

"All right, all right," Elijah panted as he put his hands around Selina's waist and slid them down to cup her bottom. "What do you say we rest now, cowgirl?"

"Why?" Selina asked, grinding a little and then putting her hat on his head. "Are you tired? You know, when you're the one who initiates this, you're never tired. You can just go until we both pass out from exhaustion." She paused, a grin curving her lips. "Are you really tired, or just sore because it's easier for me to be on top when I'm pregnant? Is it making you feel like less of a man?"

"No," Elijah blushed, his hands going over her stomach and cupping her breasts. "I just...I want...oh!" Selina had leaned down to kiss him and that had made him feel things.

"Sorry," she whispered and ran her fingers through his hair. "Was that too much?"

He turned to face the clock on his bedside table. "Well, no, but...it's after ten. Don't you and the baby want breakfast?"

"Yes, but you know I want...something else too," she giggled and bit his earlobe.

"Oh, yes, I'm very sure of that," Elijah chuckled. "That's been made very clear to me."

"I won't go on like this forever, so enjoy it while you can."

"Darling, please," Elijah rolled his eyes and took her hand. "You know that's an idle threat. You're as horny as ever, pregnant or not."

"True," Selina sighed and shook out her hair as he cupped her breasts. "I suppose you're right." She kissed him once more. "All right, if you're truly hungry, I suppose we can take a break and go have breakfast. That won't kill me. In fact, I bet Lucas will want pancakes or something so I better go and start on those."

"Is it really wise to just obey the boy's whims?" Elijah asked. "He could become spoiled!"

"I obey your whims," Selina replied. "And you don't seem to have a problem with that."

"You obey when you want to," Elijah corrected, running his fingers through her hair. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He gave her a spank. "Now, let's go to the kitchen before someone walks in on us and sees things they'd rather not."

"Well, if they don't knock on the closed door, they deserve to see whatever they see," Selina said firmly. "That's always been my stance and it always will be."

"It may be yours, but it isn't mine, so...please can we go have brunch or breakfast or whatever you want to call it? Please?"

"Oh, all right," Selina smiled. "Since you're so handsome. And because you said please." Then her stomach growled.

"And because you're hungry," Elijah finished. "Don't deny it. You need to eat. What kind of husband would I be if I insisted you go on like this even when you're hungry?"

"Not a very good one," Selina conceded and gently eased out of him, putting on one of his shirts, some underwear, and a robe. "Let's go get breakfast."

"And if you need to make it, I'll help," Elijah promised. "I think I have pancakes down by now."

"Yes, I think you do," Selina nodded. "Thank you very much."

Remiel sighed as she put her hair in a bun and looked at herself in the mirror. Her body was working on getting back to normal but she still had some of her baby weight. Luckily, she was curvy, and Ricky found her irresistible in any case.

"Morning, dearest Remiel," came his voice as his arms encircled her waist and he planted a kiss on her neck. Then his hands worked their way up her sides to slide her t-shirt off. "Put your arms up," he suggested. "That'll make this easier."

"Not now," Remiel whispered. "Lucas could come in here at any moment. You don't want him walking in on us when we're...you know..." she blushed.

"Oh, stop it, he has to learn about the facts of life somewhere. Would you rather be able to pick and choose the details, or have him hear it from my grandmother?" Ricky asked, turning her around and kissing her. "Cause you know she won't hold back."

"I don't know what's gotten into you!"

"Well, you," he told her. "Can't I have you? Just for a little bit?"

"Not too long," Remiel said. "We don't want your grandparents to come looking for us because we're late to eat."

"That's even more of a reason to stay here," Ricky replied. "I mean, surely you heard how loud they were! It's embarrassing! They kept us up all night and that's why we woke up late this morning!"

Then they froze as a high pitched giggle echoed in the room. Then the turned and saw their tiny little face peering at them around the door. "Mama! Dada!"

"Who is that?" Remiel smiled. "Is that you, Lucas? Peekaboo!"

Lucas giggled and then took off for the kitchen with his parents laughing and running after him until they reached the kitchen and he threw himself into his grandfather's arms.

"Hello, Lucas! How are you?" Elijah asked and kissed his hair. "Would you like to kiss your grandfather?"

Lucas burst out laughing and playfully shook his head, squirming to get himself out of Elijah's grip to join Selina at the stove.

"Hi, Lucas," Selina smiled and ruffled his hair. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Chockit!" Lucas cried.

"Of course," Remiel smiled, setting him down on one of the stools by the kitchen island. "Anything with chocolate on top for our boy."

"Is that okay?" Selina questioned. "Or should he have cereal?"

"The chocolate is fine," Remiel grinned. "That's how I feel too!"

"Would you like some chocolate muffins?" Selina asked.

"Muff-in!" Lucas cheered and clapped his tiny hands. "Muff-in!"

"Did I grow up as fast as Lucas?" Ricky asked Selina.

"Well, yes," Selina nodded. "It's part of the demon genes in our line now. There's nothing you can do about it now, sweetie."

"Does it bother you?" Remiel asked as she played with Ricky's hair.

"No, but...I want time to enjoy our little boy," Ricky replied. "That's all. But I love him just the way he is." He paused. "Does it bother you, Remiel?"

"Yes, but..." Remiel shrugged. "Like your grandmother said, there's nothing we can do about it now."

Selina threw up her hands. "It came from me!" She cried. "It was because of me that demon genes were brought into our family!"

"Don't say that!" Elijah cried and kissed her hair. "It's how things work for us now, but on the bright side, we'll not have to worry about losing tiny lucas because he's flying around everywhere."

"That's true, but we're working on teaching him to use his wings properly," Remiel told them. "As he's part angel, it seemed only right. We promise to keep a close eye on him though."

"Don't worry, I think it's adorable," Selina told her, settling Lucas in a booster seat. He stayed put for only a few seconds before he rose up and hovered over the table, laughing and clapping his hands.

"Oh, no, young man," Elijah took him in his arms and gently lowered him back into his seat. "Please stay put."

Selina yawned and Ricky cleared his throat. "Tired?" He asked. "Doesn't surprise me. It sounded like you two were busy last night."

"Did we keep you awake from all our noise?" Selina blushed. "I guess we got carried away. I'm so sorry, honey!"

"Wow, Ricky, what an accomplishment," Elijah told him with a grin. "You made your grandmother blush!"

"Oh, stop," Selina bit her lip and pounded on Elijah's chest.

"I'm sorry about all the noise we made," Elijah apologized. "We'll be more careful in the future."

"No worries," Remiel shook her head. "It's not like we've never been loud."

"On a completely different subject," Selina cleared her throat. "We're inviting Gabrielle over for dinner. If you all want to join us, you may, but if you want to make other plans, that's okay too."

"That's good of you," Remiel said. "The poor woman sounds like she needs a friend."

"Yes," Selina agreed. "We know about her being Ludovic's mother and she must feel so alone, tossed aside, and forgotten!" She sighed. "It's so hard to please everyone when you've had children with different men."

"What?" Ricky howled. "How many? Does Grandpa know about this? Are you going to get divorced?"

"No, he knows," Selina sighed. "He knows everything, including that he's the one I'll always love best, so you'll never have to worry, Ricky."

"No," Elijah shook his head and held Selina tight. "You certainly won't."

"Oh, I'm not worried," Ricky assured her with a shake of his head. "Not with everything I heard last night!"

"Dad?" Arthur asked, nearly dropping his phone when he answered the call and heard his father's voice on the other end. "Is that you? I thought you were dead!" He paused. "Then I heard some souls came back, and of course I hoped you'd be one of them, but...is this for real?"

"It is. Sorry I took so long to call and let you know, but...I had to collect myself, figure out what to say...I don't know how much time I have left. Any big news I should know?"

"What do you mean 'I don't know how much time I have left'?" Arthur cried, his voice full of alarm.

"Never mind," Dorian sighed as he watched his hand fade away. "Never mind my problems; I'm sure there's a way to fix them. How are you, Arthur? How's Lily?"

"Oh, Lily and I broke up," Arthur told him. "She...she said she didn't recognize the man I'd become and I told her that if she didn't like me, she could just leave."

"Didn't recognize the man you've become..." Dorian repeated. "Pardon me for expressing a little fatherly concern, but...care to share more about that?"

"No," Arthur shook his head. "It's not important. But I am running an import-export company that's gonna be known all over the world and make me millions if not billions of dollars!"

"Well, that's good, Arthur! I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad."

"An entrepreneurial spirit...just like your mother. And speaking of your mother, I've seen her."

"Yes, well, good," Arthur sighed. "I don't need to hear about it, though. I've always had one parent who gave a crap about me and that's you. I'm so glad you're back!"

"I know you and your mother aren't on good terms, but you can't just pretend her away," Dorian tried to reason with him. She's always going to be there. She loves you very much and is just as stubborn as you are."

Arthur gritted his teeth. "I resent that! And Mom doesn't love me! She loves her comfortable life with her jackass husband Elijah Mikaelson, where she can play at being the perfect mom to her non-demon children!"

"That's not who your mother is and you know it. Is she perfect? No. Has she made mistakes that have hurt me? Certainly. But overall, I think she is a sweet, kind, loving, well-intentioned person, which you'll see if you let her in your life."

"Geez, Dad, you must really love her still to be spouting all this crap!" Arthur scoffed. "Do you?"

"I did love her once, and I will treasure those memories always, but...we've both moved on with our lives and there's nothing to be gained by going back," Dorian told him.

"So...if you're going to be around for a while, I could introduce you to some lovely ladies?" Arthur asked slyly.

"Son, I don't think that's necessary!"

"Oh, but you said you were over Mom! Are you or aren't you?"

"It's very complicated," Dorian confessed.

"So if...if Elijah Mikaelson were suddenly out of the way, you'd try and get back together with her, wouldn't you?" Arthur guessed.

"Possibly," Dorian admitted. "But he's not out of the way, she loves him very much, and I don't want you to do anything foolish like try and kill him to get your way."

"Whatever," Arthur scoffed. "I'm not so desperate for motherly affection that I'd throw my life away to try and obtain it. I lost interest in that a long time ago."

"Would you, just for me, and only for a brief time, be willing to see her?"

"I would give you my lungs and my heart before I did that!" Arthur cried, shocked his father would ask such a thing. It was as if he hadn't heard a word of his side of the conversation.

"Oh, come now. You lost one parent and put aside another; I don't want you to end up alone, because who knows what could happen in the future?"

"I bet she wouldn't even let me in the house!" Arthur said. "And plus, she probably hates me. Or at least loves her other children more."

"I know she wasn't fair," Dorian tried to calm his son. "And I think, especially after so long, part of her knows it too. She feels bad. Wants to make it up to you. All you have to do is be willing to give her the chance."

"Anything else you want, Father? The moon, perhaps?"

"I know it's a lot to ask, but...I thought that since it's the only thing I want from you, you'd be willing."

"I'll call you soon," Arthur reassured him. "No way I'm letting you slip away."

"Love you, son."

"Love you too, Dad."

"Well, hello, Madame," Elijah greeted as he opened the door to Gabrielle's knock. "How nice to see you again. We're so glad to have you at our humble farm."

"Hello to you, Elijah," Gabrielle smiled. "Thank you very much for having me." She handed him a gift bag. "I hope this is something you can use."

Elijah looked in the bag and his eyes widened when he saw that it contained a wonderful brand of whiskey. "Thank you, this is fantastic!" He told her. "I didn't know you knew whiskey!"

She laughed. "Well, I know men like you must love it!"

"Hello, Gabrielle," Selina greeted as they made their way into the kitchen. She wore a pink gingham apron and was stirring a large pot of sauce to put on top of the lasagna she'd made. "Sorry I didn't come get the door but it's not a good idea to leave a bubbling pot alone." She then picked the spoon up from the pot and tasted a little. "Fantastic," she muttered, then turned around and shoved the spoon in a shocked Elijah's mouth as he passed by her. "What do you think? Is it missing anything?"

"No!" Elijah shook his head, getting his bearings and focusing on tasting the sauce. "Wonderful as always."

"Thank you," Selina smiled.

"These are for you," Gabrielle said, smiling shyly and holding out a bouquet of flowers to her friend. "For your hospitality."

Selina grinned widely and sniffed the flowers. "These are exquisite. Thank you, but you really didn't need to go to the trouble."

"It's my pleasure, really," Gabrielle assured her. "I've not made many friends since I came back to life and you both have been so kind to me..." She began crying.

"Oh, no, wait!" Selina said, wiping her hands off on her apron and then hugging her friend. "There's no need for tears. What's the matter?" She looked at Elijah. "Could you hand me one of your handkerchiefs or some tissues, please?"

"Okay," A very confused Elijah nodded. "Be back in a second." He came back with the tissues and handed them to his wife.

"There you go," Selina told Gabrielle. "Take a deep breath, blow your nose, and wipe your eyes."

"I've made a mess of my life!" Gabrielle cried. "And there's no way to fix it! I'm going to be alone forever!"

"Oh, I doubt that," Selina told her. "I'm the queen of messes and it's always worked out in the end for me. Just ask Elijah!"

"She's telling the truth," Elijah agreed with a wink. "Cross my heart!"

Gabrielle chuckled for a little bit and then shook her head. "Eloise and Ludovic will hate me now. I should have...I should have handled things better!"

"You're fine," Selina told her. "So you had a past! Who cares? Who doesn't when you live as long as we do? I'm sure, given time, both of them will be happy to have a sibling!"

"But your son, Adrian, hates mine, and mine is not too fond of Adrian either!"

"Well, I won't stand for awkward Christmases, so they'll just have to grow up!" Selina nodded toward Elijah. "It took my husband some time to get there, but he did. So I think you don't need to worry."

"Right," Gabrielle nodded. "Thank you." She sat down at the table and Elijah got her a drink and some garlic bread to munch on until the lasagna was ready, and just as it was set down on the table, Ricky and Remiel strode in with Lucas.

"Sorry for the short notice, Grandma, but the restaurant we were at had some sort of fire and everyone had to be evacuated." Ricky explained. "Is there gonna be enough for us too? We can always go get burgers or something if not."

"Burger!" Lucas cried and tried to squirm out of his mother's grip. "Yay!"

"No, no," Remiel shook her head. "Not yet, Lucas."

"Of course there's enough," Selina nodded.

"What do you want to drink?" Elijah asked them as they sat down and greeted Gabrielle.

"Lovely to see you again," Gabrielle remarked. "And your son is still adorable! If there's anything you need to do, I would be happy to take him for a bit."

"Thank you!" Remiel smiled, handing Lucas over to her. "That would be a big help while we go change."

When they got back, the food was all laid out and Lucas was happily settled in Gabrielle's lap, refusing to go anywhere else.

"I hope you don't mind," Remiel said and blushed a little.

"Of course not," Gabrielle shook her head. "It's my pleasure to look after your little boy."

They had a pleasant meal, making pleasant conversation and laughing and joking between bites. Lucas was extremely well behaved much to his parents' delight and surprise and managed to keep every bite in his mouth, which was new.

When the dishes were empty, Gabrielle rose and handed Lucas to his mother. "Let me help with the dishes," she said to Selina.

"You're kind to offer, but it's really not necessary," Selina told her.

"Guests get to stay seated," Elijah added.

"I can't," Gabrielle insisted. "I need to do something to help!" She then grabbed a pile of dishes, rinsed them one by one, and handed them to Selina to put in the washer.

Then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Ricky volunteered. "It's probably my new books of tattoo designs." He opened the door and almost closed it when he realized someone he'd never seen before was on the other side. But the young man blocked the door.

"Who are you?" Asked the stranger as his eyes swept Ricky from head to toe.

"Aren't I the one who's supposed to be asking you that?" Ricky wanted to know.

"I don't give a fuck about who's supposed to do what so who are you?"

Ricky cleared his throat. "I'm Ricky Mikaelson; Selina and Elijah's great-grandson."

"Well, great," the young man said and stepped into the house, getting into Ricky's face without so much as a smile. "I guess that makes me your Uncle Arthur."

As he advanced toward the kitchen island, a shocked Selina turned and dropped the dishes she held, which fell to the kitchen floor with a crash. "Arthur? Oh, my stars!"

"Hello, Mother."

Gabrielle was panicking too. She grabbed Elijah's arm. "Please take me away from here. I...I suddenly don't feel well."

"Arthur," Elijah said, eyes narrowed.

"Homewrecker," Arthur returned flatly.

"What brings you here?" Elijah asked dryly. "Whatever it is, I hope it can be done quickly. We're in the middle of what was a very nice evening."

Arthur nodded. "Well, I didn't come for you, that's for sure."

"I see," Elijah nodded. "Gabrielle, please come with me."

"Wait a minute," Arthur said, catching Gabrielle's eye. "Do I know you from somewhere? Have we met?"

"I doubt it," Gabrielle muttered, keeping her eyes on her shoes.

"I have to say I'm more certain than you. I have a good memory for faces. I'm sure yours will come to me eventually. This is gonna annoy me until I figure it out."

Then Elijah and Gabrielle left and Remiel and Ricky took Lucas away as well. "Is there...is there some place private we can talk?" Gabrielle asked Elijah as they left the dining room.

"Of course." He took her hand and led her to his office, closing the door behind him. "I could tell from the look on your face that something is going on. What's the matter? Do you know my stepson?"

"'Know' is a very strong word," she told him as she paced around his office, biting her nails.

"Now you know I can only help you if you're completely honest with me," Elijah said. "If he's threatened you, or hurt you in any way..."

Gabrielle's eyes widened as his hands balled into fists and he made his way toward the door. "No, no, Elijah, please! It's nothing like that!"

"Well, then what?" Elijah cried. "It can't be nothing if you look so nervous!"

"I...oh, your wife is going to be so mad at me!" Gabrielle sat herself down in Elijah's desk chair and buried her head in her hands.

"Why is that?"

"Oh, I...that boy and I slept together," she confessed. "It was a spontaneous, one time thing, and I had no idea he was your stepson at the time, otherwise I never would have-"

"It's...it's fine," Elijah said, even though internally he was in shock. "Things happen, I suppose. And no one knows that better than my wife."

"She'll resent me for it."

"You're exaggerating," Elijah said. "You say you didn't know who he was when the...act happened and so I don't see a problem."

Gabrielle nodded. "I don't see why you would mislead me about this, but...just in case, can we keep it a secret for the time being?"

Elijah winced and ran a hand through his hair. "My wife and I swore after our last wedding that we would do our best not to keep secrets from each other."

"But it's not one of your secret's, it's one of mine!" Gabrielle pointed out desperately. "And I'll confess eventually. Just give me a few days."

"All right, fine," Elijah nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If that's exactly how it will be, I'll keep this secret for you."

"Thank you!" A relieved Gabrielle cried. "You're wonderful, Elijah!"

Selina and Arthur were left alone in the dining room. Arthur sat in stony silence, and when his mother reached out for his hand, he pulled it back. "Don't touch me," he snapped.

"Okay," she nodded. "It's...it's nice to see you. Thank you for coming to visit."

"I only came because Dad wanted me to," he told her. "He seems to think that you feel bad about how you treated me. Begged me to give you another chance."

"I...I don't expect another chance," Selina shook her head. "That's up to you. I just wanted to apologize for everything. I know I abandoned you, and was selfish and cruel and there's nothing I can do to make up for that. I'm sorry. You deserved better."

"I...I did. I do." He paused. "Did you...did you ever love me? Did you ever love Dad? Or were we just your place holders until you could get Elijah jealous enough to come back to you?"

"Oh, no!" Selina shook her head. "I know it might seem that way, but for a long time, you and your father were exactly what I needed. You made me feel loved just for being. No pressure to behave a certain way. I was just me and you both loved that."

"And so I don't understand why you left!" Arthur cried. "If we were so wonderful...if we were what you needed, why did you leave?"

"I...I can't explain it exactly," Selina replied. "Elijah has been the love of my life for as long as I can remember and love is a complicated thing. Sometimes you know what you want and you get it right away, and sometimes it...takes a lot of time for you to find it."

"What the hell does that mean?" Arthur cried.

"Well, I don't know!" Selina cried. "Why are you making me tell you this? It's only going to hurt you!"

"Damn it, Mother! It's because I deserve the truth!"

"When your father and I got together, I felt as low as a person could feel. He made me feel like I was worth something He made me feel loved for the first time in...a long time. Really and truly loved. And that gave me confidence to go tell Elijah what I needed in our relationship. That if he wanted me to stay with him, he'd have to treat me like Dorian did or he'd never see me again."

"So Dad helped give you the courage you needed to dump him and go be with someone else," Arthur nodded. "And that leaves me as what...the mistake when you screwed up the birth control one night?"

Selina just shook her head. She didn't really have an answer for him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"What?" Arthur yelled. "Repeat that. Louder."

"I'm sorry!" Selina yelled at the top of her lungs and then burst into tears.

"You better be," Arthur told her. "Now that I've moved you to tears, I'll be going on my way now."

"Good night," Selina sniffled.

"Yes," Arthur grinned and took a deep breath as he opened the door. "It's certainly a better one, anyway."

As Gabrielle walked back to her car, she suddenly froze; the hair stood up on the back of her neck stood up and she turned. There was nothing in the shadows, but she knew someone was about.

"Whoever you are, show yourself!" She yelled. "Now!"

"Not even a 'please'?" Arthur asked as he emerged from the darkness, arms crossed and a smirk on his lips. "As much as my mother likes you, I don't think she'd have much to say about your manners."

"What do you want?" Gabrielle snapped. He'd been very rude before storming out of the house and she had no wish to see him again.

"You know," he put his hands in his pockets and strode toward her. "Memory is a funny thing; as I ate my mashed potatoes, I remembered...where I saw you before. How you were the horrible harlot who took advantage of me and left me drunk and alone in that opera gift shop."

"Am I supposed to be threatened?" She asked. "It was nothing! We had sex one time and then it was over! It's not like we're getting married!"

Arthur chuckled and got in her face. "Does my mother know? Does my mother know that her new best friend fucked her son?"

Gabrielle blushed. "That's part of my private life and none of her business."

Arthur shook his head and put his hands on her hips. "So she knows nothing." He clicked his tongue. "Shame on you! What are we going to do about that?"

"Let go of me!" She snapped and pushed him away. "Don't touch me."

"Wow, you weren't this uptight when I was between your legs."

"It was the biggest mistake of my life!" Gabrielle shouted.

"You see," Arthur continued, "I don't like it when people take advantage of me. My mother, for example, couldn't care less if I live or die." He slid a finger down her cheek, chin and neck as her breath picked up. "What should I do with you, Gabrielle?"

"I don't want you to do anything with me! Let me go!"

"All right," he said, kissing her forehead before she pushed him away. "I'll let you go. But I'm not done with you yet; I'll contact you very soon."

He then left a panting Gabrielle alone, disappearing into the darkness as she took a deep breath, got in her car, and left.