Astrid's eyes opened and she stretched and looked around, then opened her mouth to call for her husband, who was still sitting on the sofa bed by the window. But before she could fully get a word out, he saw her and ran over to the bed.

"I...I didn't know you'd still be here," she said as he knelt down beside her. "Not that I'm not grateful, but I think any reasonable person would have gone home by now."

"I go home sometimes," he assured. "Just when you're asleep so you don't see me. But I promised I would stay here to help you get through this and I meant it. A husband shouldn't do anything else when his wife is in such trouble."

"You mean ex-wife to be," Astrid reminded him.

"Not on your life," Alistair shook his head. "We're...we're finally at a point where we're close to each other again and I'm not going to give that up!"

"If you're expecting the baby just to make everything better, there's no point," Astrid got out and sobbed. "Once I deliver it, it'll die and then we'll be just exactly where we were before. More miserable, even." She began crying in earnest.

"Hey, hey, stop that now," he said, sitting beside her on the bed, taking her hand and kissing it. "Neither you nor I know what's going to happen."

"I do," Astrid insisted. "I know more about the disease that's struck me, and if by some miracle, the baby makes it through the pregnacy, the stress of delivery will make his bones break and he'll die at birth."

Alistair sighed. "Sean won't let that happen. He's working like mad trying to find a team of doctors that will help us."

Astrid scoffed. "Look at you being all informed!"

"Well," Alistair held his hand tighter. "Now that you're beginning to figure out your prorities and have come down from your pedestal at the Council, maybe I'll have a chance."

"I was not on a pedestal!" Astrid snapped.

"Was too!"

"Was not! And after I'm dead," Astrid spat, "You can take my place and be proud of your achievements."

Alistair got close to her ear. "Stop talking like that, woman! Don't tease me!"

"I'm not teasing!" Astrid insisted. "It's a tumor!

"What would possibly make you say something like that?" Alistair asked.

"Look at my belly!" She cried, pulling the bed sheet away from her body along with a bit of her gown so he could have a better look at her larger belly. "I know my body better than you do and I'm bigger! There's no way for me and the baby to survive!"

Alistair went pale and kissed her forehead. "You know I won't let you die if I can help it," he said stubbornly. "There has to be a way to fix this! I'll go find Sean; maybe he can look at you and tell us a thing or two!"

It didn't take long for Sean and Alistair to return. "So...Alistair says you think you have a tumor?" Sean asked.

"Yeah," Astrid nodded. "My belly is bigger and I don't know what else it could be."

Sean took out his stethoscope and checked her heart, which was fine, and then asked Alistair to help him grab an ultrasound machine from next door.

When she was set up, Sean looked her over while Alistair paced back and forth like an animal in a cage. "So?" He asked impatiently, wondering desperately if he would lose the woman he loved. "What is it, Sean? How bad is it?"

Sean didn't answer, and just when Alistair opened his mouth to ask again, the doctor turned, eyes wide with shock. "Well, I'll be damned," he said.

"What?" Alistair cried and ran over to join him. "It's a tumor, isn't it? Just like Astrid said!"

"No," Sean shook his head, his voice still full of wonder. "It's your baby boy. He's grown and...any sign of abnormalities he had before is gone. If I hadn't seen them before with my own eyes, I never would guess they'd ever been there."

"What?" Alistair and Astrid cried at the same time.

"All the troublesome things about your son have disappeared like some sort of miracle," Sean explained. Then he coughed and proceeded with caution. "Unless, of course, one of you slept with a demon, but then we wouldn't have seen the abnormalities at all, so I really can't explain it."

"Are you saying our baby will be okay?" Alistair asked, his eyes bright.

"We'll need to run several test, blood tests mostly, to be sure, but yes...from where I sit, it looks like your baby will be okay!" Sean nodded and gave them a wide smile. "I'm so happy for you both."

Astrid burst into tears, her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god..."

Then Alistair leaned down to hug her. "Our baby will be okay!" He cried, tears in his eyes too as he held her tight. "I don't know why and I don't know how, but...our baby is gonna be okay!"

"Shit," Malachai muttered. His head was pounding, he felt sick, and once again, he was laid out on the floor in front of his easy chair, Avery's picture in his hand. This was how it had been for several days, since he couldn't stop thinking about the big mess he'd made of things with her. He'd been so foolish, so proud, so scared. And now he was probably going to lose the woman who'd always told him that she loved him just when he realized that he loved her back with all his heart, and that no one else would ever make him feel that way again.

He managed to get himself to his feet and stumbled to the kitchen where he made himself toast and black coffee, and then, after he'd showered and dressed, he drove to Lucifer's. It was the only way to try and fix what he'd done.

Once he'd reached it and parked, he strode up to the porch and paced back and forth while trying to convince himself to ring the doorbell. He was scared, he was nervous, and he had no idea what he would say to Avery after the fiasco that had been her moving into his place.

But suddenly, just as he was about to put his finger on the doorbell, the door opened on its own, and he found himself face to face with Avery and Ellie, who were on their way out.

"Malachai?" Avery asked. "Didn't expect to see you here...or anywhere. Ever again."

"Yes, well..." At the sight of her, he'd choked on his own spit and begun coughing. "Hi, sorry," he said once he got a breath. "I don't know what just happened, but..." he looked over her red dress and heels. "You look lovely today."

Avery kept a straight face in spite of the compliment. "What can we do for you?" She asked.

Still trying to figure out how to answer, he turned to Ellie. "Hi, Ellie, how are you today?"

Ellie shook her head and narrowed her eyes, arms crossed. "I'm well. As Avery was saying, what can we do for you? Is there any specific reason why you came?"

"Yes, well...I, um..." He muttered, backing up and nearly falling down the two porch stairs. "I don't, I think, I thought...I wouldn't want to interrupt, your-"

"We're going to lunch," Avery informed him. "Ellie wanted to talk to me about setting me up with a demon guy she knows, since I'm single and everything."

"Malachai sighed and averted his eyes. "I suppose I deserve that."

"Nah, don't be ridiculous," Avery waved the remark away. "I suppose I should thank you, actually."

Malachai swallowed and went pale, her news finally clearing his head. "Is there any chance that..."

Just then, Lucifer came upon them. "Malachai, you're here! How wonderful! I've been waiting for you."

"You were?" Ellie and Avery asked together as they looked at him in surprise.

"Yes," Lucifer nodded and locked eyes with Malachai. "We need to discuss that thing, for the Council. The one that happened a few hours ago...?" He gave him a nod. "You remember?"

"Oh!" Malachai nodded after a few slow seconds. "Right, that thing! Of course we do. I was just...I guess I was so stunned by your sister's beauty that I forgot about the thing!"

"Well, whatever this thing is, it sounds important," an unmoved Avery told him. "So Ellie and I will just get out of your way and you can get on with it."

"Good day, Malachai," Ellie added as they made their way down the steps and across the drive to get into Ellie's car and closed the door behind them.

"Do you...do you think he bought it?" Avery asked before biting her nails.

"Oh, I'm sure he did!" Ellie assured her. "You saw how pale and nervous he was."

"I know," Avery smiled a little. "He was a wreck! I hate being so mean to him." She started to open the car door. "Maybe I should just-"

"Oh, no, no!" Ellie shook her head. "You take your hand off that door handle right now. I know it's hard, but you have to be strong. You have give yourself the time to get the upper hand even if it's hard. Otherwise, he'll never seriously see you as an equal in your relationship, and that's what you want!"

"How do you know all this?"

"Because he disrespected you," Ellie replied. "Took you for granted. I've been in your place before. Lucifer used to treat me the same way."

"Right," Avery nodded. "Be strong. Get respect." She stared straight ahead her face serious and resolute for a few seconds before she crumpled. "But he's so cute!" She said. "And so good in bed! I miss him!"

"Yes, but does he miss you?" Ellie asked. "That's what you have to think about. And until you can believe it, you shouldn't be anywhere near him."

Lucifer invited Malachai to sit in his lounge and then strode over to his bar. "What can I get you? Gin? Scotch? Whiskey? Beer?"

"Gin, please," Malachai replied. "Double." Then he buried his head in his hands. "Your sister hates me! She told me that Ellie is thinking of pairing her with a demon man!"

Lucifer rolled his eyes and handed him his drink. "Oh, don't be a fool, Malachai! Buck up! It's all nonsense meant to get under your skin, but I can assure you that blubbering like a fool will not help your case!"

"Really?" Malachai asked in surprise. "You think?"

Lucifer nodded and crossed one leg over the other. "I'm sure of it." Then he slapped his arm. "Even though you treated her like garbage, for some reason she still has a bit of a soft spot for you."

Malachai shook his head. "I was going to ask why you hit me, but that's probably why. I'm an idiot, a fool, a nobody...I had her, I lost her."

Lucifer just sighed and shut his eyes. "Aren't we all sometimes? I agree with you about everything."

Malachai drank some gin, swallowed, and sat thoughtfully for a few seconds. "If you're so angry about what happened between me and your sister-you are still angry, correct?"

"Correct," Lucifer nodded. "I certainly am."

"Well, then...why are you helping me?"

"Because we men have to stick together and since my sister still has a soft spot for you, I resent my wife's attempts to turn Avery against you," Lucifer explained. "But she's very determined so you won't be able to defeat her on your own. Do you understand?"

" I think so and I'm glad you're in my corner. By the way," Malachai continued. "I heard what happened with Charlotte. I'm awfully sorry she's gone."

"Not necessarily gone, just moved," Lucifer corrected. "To some other part of the universe. She was peculiar in her own way, but so is my father."

"I know, I met the guy," Malachai nodded. "So...what are you saying? Do I have a chance to get your sister back?"

"Well, it depends why you were so quick to throw her out when you'd just invited her to move in," Lucifer told him.

"It's because..." Malachai tried to find the words to summon up his feelings about Avery. "It's because your sister is bigger than life! And I'm just Malachai the Warlock, which, even in the magical world is like being lower than dirt, so how can I compete with God's daughter?" He paused. "It must be so much easier for you when you and Ellie get in fights cause, you know, you're Lucifer and I bet she-"

Lucifer burst out laughing at this. "Oh, dear me," he said when he could get a breath. "Where do you come up with these things? You clearly don't know my wife as well as you think you do. You have it all wrong."

"I do? How?"

Lucifer rose to his feet and began pacing back and forth. "You misunderstand. Eleanor is not some waif that my father plucked from obscurity to be rescued by me. She is a goddess that Dad brought into my life, to push me and twist me and change my very being! She may have come into this world the illegitimate daughter of two overly ambitious, very horny teenagers, but...there's so much more to her than that. She is good! She is smart! Without her this whole damn house would just...fall apart! And I...I'm just a fool who's always done what was easiest...who's never really given anything to the world..." He sighed. "I'm nothing. I don't even know what she sees in me." He looked up and locked eyes with Malachai. "But if you see Dexter, don't mention I said any of that. He doesn't think viewing Eleanor that way is healthy."

"Oh, I won't say a word!" Malachai assured him, eyes wide as he shook his head. "Wow. I never thought of either of you that way."

"Of course, because we're good at hiding it," Lucifer replied, gulped down some scotch, and flopped dramatically into a chair. "Between the two of us, she is the magnificent creature! I'm just Old Lucifer!"

"You know, I came to you because I thought you would be able to help me but if you're just as clueless as I am, then I guess we're both screwed," Malachai replied.

"No we aren't!" Lucifer shook his head. "You don't understand. And even though you've just insulted me, I'll still help you. What we need to is put a little bit of 'me' in you."

"Please clarify what that means before we go any further," Malachai requested.

"Give you a bit of my personality," Lucifer elaborated. "Make you act like me!"

"Oh," Malachai nodded. "Okay. Proceed." He paused. "Wait a minute; are you sure this is necessary?"

"Yes," Lucifer nodded. "It is. Now shut up and let me get on with it."

"I thought you didn't like me very much."

"Well, you're growing on me, all right, old man?" Lucifer winked.

"Very funny, Mr. Fake Gray Hair," Malachai returned. "Now seriously...where do we begin?"

"Sean!" Sybil cried when he finally entered the exam room. She'd been waiting anxiously for what seemed like an eternity. "You're here! I can't wait hear more about my baby!"

Sean smiled. "Well, how nice to see you, Sybil! You seem to be in much better spirits than you were the last time we saw each other!"

Sybil nodded. "Some things have changed last time...for the better."

Sean smiled and put a hand on her back. "I'm so happy that you told Mikael that you're pregnant and he took it well. I bet that's a weight off your mind."

"No, I haven't told him yet," Sybil shook her head. "But he officially asked me to date him!"

Sean choked on his spit and started coughing. "Seriously?" He asked when he could get a breath. "Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when he'd agree to date someone. Wow. he must really, really like you!"

"I hope so," Sybil nodded. "Because that will make telling him about the baby someday a lot easier."

"Someday," Sean repeated. "Well, I hate to tell you this but the first part of your pregnancy is almost over! Soon you'll start to show so 'someday' is coming up pretty darn quick!"

"I know," Sybil swallowed and sighed. "I know...I know."

"You don't have to do it right this minute, but I just wanted to remind you that it's on the horizon," Sean said. "Now let's get you set and hear that baby's heartbeat!"

"Yes!" Sybil smiled as she lay down on the table. "Let's do it!"

As she raised up her sweater so he could put the gel on her belly, he gave her a look. "You know it's a funny thing..."

"What is?" Sybil asked.

"Well, another one of my patients has, by some miracle, gotten demon genes in her, which fixed some problems she was having and made sure the baby would have longer than hours to live at birth."

"Her baby would have just lived hours?" Sybil winced. "How awful!"

"Well, she's very lucky that that's not the case now," Sean said. "And here you are, a female demon having a normal pregnancy."

"Yeah," Sybil nodded. "And all because of the mighty Mikael Mikaelson!"

"Now, to the heartbeat," Sean told her, placing the scanner on her belly as they both looked at the screen.

It didn't take long for Sybil to hear the rhythmic thumping. "Can you hear it?" She asked Sean eagerly.

"I can," he nodded. "Except..."

Sybil's eyes widened. "Except what? Is something wrong?"

Sean shook his head. "No, no, you can relax. At least about that, anyway. It...now that I look at this, it seems there's two heartbeats instead of one."

Sybil went pale. "Excuse me?"

"You're pregnant with twins, Sybil," he told her firmly. "It's just that one is smaller and hiding behind the other so I couldn't see it before."

Sybil brushed the scanner aside and sat up. "I think I'm going to be sick!"

"No, no, it's okay! Calm down and I'll get you some water." He waited until she got some of it down to speak again. "It'll be okay. I had twins with my wife."

"Why are babies always okay with you?" Sybil asked. "Is there no such thing as a bad baby situation?"

"Yes, I suppose there could be," Sean conceded. "Sarah and I were real young when we had Ellie. Just about to start college, not a lot of money...and she was our little surprise. We didn't even know what our relationship was! I mean, what to call it. And sure, it worked out in the end, more thanks to Sarah than me, but it worked out. Then we had twins after."

"My situation is nothing like yours," Sybil said and took another drink of water.

"If you want my opinion, one baby or two, I don't think it'll change the way Mikael feels about you because he's so incredibly fond of you!"

"Well, I hope you're right," Sybil told him. "Because I don't know what I'm gonna do otherwise!"

After the appointment was over and she was once again in her tiny apartment, Sybil couldn't stop thinking about how she had a whole other baby to think about now. And how she wanted it...wanted both of them. And even how, if she and Mikael didn't work out the ghost thing, she could lose those babies like that poor patient of Sean's would have if not for her miracle.

Sybil wasn't sure about miracles but she knew she should at least try for one. And it was for the noble cause of keeping her babies safe, so how could she be refused? Angrily, she stomped her foot and looked up. "Azrael, I summon you to appear before me now!"

She waited what seemed like forever and just as she was about to repeat herself, jumped out of her skin when a voice sounded behind her. Turning on her heel, she found herself face to face with the Angel of Death. "Azrael, I presume?"

"You're very bold, Miss Vane, summoning me this way. "How did you find out that you could call me and I would appear?"

Sybil shrugged. "Just lucky I guess. I took a chance."

Azrael narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "All right, here I am. What do you want, Miss Vane?"

"I want to live!" Sybil pleaded. "I was murdered! It wasn't fair!"

"I understand," Azrael nodded. "It must be thrilling to have this second chance. But it was your time to die. Dad decreed it and my sister broke the rules bringing you back the way she did. I hope you understand that."

"I do," Sybil nodded. "I'm not saying that I'm any kind of special. I agree that by all rights, I should be dead now and if not for certain things, like the fact that I found someone, I'd come with you willingly."

"Oh, yes," Azrael rolled her eyes. "The mighty Mikael Mikaelson. Another fun little trick of my sister's."

"Yes," Sybil nodded, her hand going to her belly. "I can't keep disappearing, Azrael. I beg of you, please let me go."

Azrael sighed. "I can't. Your time is almost up. Soon you'll need to come back with me."

"Please don't make me kneel in front of you," Sybil said. "I'm pregnant!"

Azrael went pale and swayed. "What did you just say?"

"I'm pregnant," Sybil repeated, her voice stronger this time. "And if you keep making me disappear, my babies will die."

Azrael shut her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yes, I can hear their heartbeats now that you mention it."

"I might not deserve a second chance to live, but they do deserve a first chance," Sybil pointed out. "They didn't ask to be born. Let them live, please." She paused. "If you absolutely have to take me, let me carry them to term and once they're born, you can take me then. Is that fair?"

Azrael was about to take the deal, but then she stopped. She couldn't deprive the little ones of their mother. No children deserved that. She didn't want them to feel like she did with her mother gone.

"Fine," she said, her eyes narrowed. "I release you from my power. Have your babies. Love them. Cherish them. Enjoy your second chance at life with them."

"I will," Sybil began to cry, stunned that she got to live. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it," Azrael told her as she disappeared. "I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for them. If they weren't here, and if my mother hadn't just relocated, I'd take you in a second. Don't ever forget that."

Amy brought in a blessedly small load of her own shirts and delicates into her and Klaus' bedroom to add to everyone else's she'd done, and began folding them on the bed, but didn't get far before she realized she was being watched. Without looking up, she said, "just a minute, Klaus. I'm almost done. Where do you want to do it this time?"

Her words were followed by a loud groan and she looked up just in time to see Natalie start to head out into the hallway. "Just a minute, young lady," she called. "Sorry, I thought you were your father. Since I saw you, what is it you want?"

"I want for you to never talk about you and Dad having sex around me, okay?" Natalie huffed as she stomped back to stand in the doorway.

"I told you," Amy repeated. "I thought you were your father. If I'd known it was you, I would have said something else." She gestured for her daughter to come in. "You don't have to stand in the doorway like that."

"I don't know," Natalie winced. "I know what happens in here and-"

"It's not happening now and I promise you I just washed the sheets," Amy swore. "Please come in."

"Oh, all right," Natalie nodded and came in to stand by the bed. "Are you...are you sure I'm not interrupting anything?" She knew it was ridiculous, but there was a part of her that was intimidated by her mother and positive that Amy didn't want to have much to do with her.

"I mean, I'm folding laundry, but I hate that, so it can wait," Amy told her, hands on hips. "Oh, and yours is in that pile over there," she pointed. "You can take it up to your room and please put it away soon so that it doesn't get all wrinkly."

"All right," Natalie nodded. She hated being told what to do, but she supposed it was a small price to pay for not having to do her own laundry just yet. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Amy nodded.

"You seem tense," Natalie observed. "Want to...want to talk about it?"

"Really?" Amy raised an eyebrow. "But you never want to have conversations with me!" She paused. "Not that I'm against it. It's just...it's so..."

"What?" Natalie asked. "Is this about me? Have I done something wrong?"

"No, no," Amy shook her head. "I just feel like we don't talk much, so the fact that you want to have an actual conversation and be in the same room as me, well...it's a surprise."

Natalie hugged her clothes to her chest. "Well, I'd say the same to you, because I know that I'm not the sort of daughter you wanted."

Amy smiled and ran her hand over her daughter's back. "Parents will never admit it, but we can have ideas in our heads about what sort of children we think we want. Then we can find out that what we get is something completely different, that's good in its own way. There's no such thing as a perfect daughter or a perfect son, Natalie."

"But I mean, look at you," Natalie gestured. "Your nails are always perfectly manicured, your hair is perfectly styled, you're so beautiful and well-dressed and I'm-I'm the ugly black sheep of the family. All you have to do is look at Tara, Savannah, Vivi, and Rosalie, and then look at me. One of these things is not like the other. And I'm the other!"

"Young woman, you are certainly not ugly," Amy said, taking Natalie's face in her hands. "And I'm very sorry if I ever made you feel that way. Yes, you're different from your sisters, but you know what? You have the most beautiful heart-shaped face. And you got your father's marvelous eyes. You were lucky to be tall, too. Long legs can be very useful. Do you know how often Rosalie and Vivi tell me what a pain it is to always have to know where a stepladder is every time they want to get something off the top of the refrigerator?"

"Why do they put it there if they can't reach it?" Natalie asked. "That just seems silly. Thank goodness they have tall husbands. That should help too." They smiled at one another for a moment and Amy thought Natalie was done. But not yet.

"Thanks for all the compliments, but they don't do any good if you hate my ugly Goth clothes too. I know you hate them. I see it in your eyes."

Amy sighed. "It's true that they aren't exactly my cup of tea," she admitted. "But you like them, don't you? Or are you saying you hate the way you dress and want to try something else?"

"No, I like them," Natalie replied earnestly. "I was just saying that you don't."

"It shouldn't matter what I think," Amy said and tried not to wince at her outfit. "Feel free to like what you like and explore all kinds of styles. That's what makes life interesting."

"Admit that you hate what I'm wearing!" Natalie cried.

"You won't stop dressing like that whether I like it or not," Amy told her. "Because you're your father's daughter and do what you want, my thoughts be damned."

"Yes," Natalie nodded. "Dad accepts me for who I am."

"And I don't..."

"I'm trying, Mom," she said.

"I'm trying too," Amy nodded. "I want us to have a relationship. I really do, sweetheart. I'm sure we'll find some way to come together."

Natalie heaved a big sigh and was about to leave the room when she caught sight of the laundry on her mother's bed, especially the lace bra and panties. "Oh, I hope you don't think this is too weird," she said. "But this..." she held up the rose pink bra. "This is beautiful. I want something like this!"

Amy smiled. "You like it? I like it too."

"Yeah," Natalie blushed. "I like wearing pretty things no one but me knows about. Kind of like my little secret."

"Really?" Amy let out a happy little squeal that she hoped Natalie didn't hear and ran to her underwear drawer, picking out some bras and panties. "These are from a French collection. You can have them if you want. They're all yours."

"No, I couldn't take my mom's underwear," Natalie shook her head.

"Because it's strange?"

"No, I just..." she reached out and took a pair of purple panties. "I don't want to deprive you of anything so pretty."

"Well, not to give out too much information, but...I have plenty. If your father thinks I'm low, I promise he'll buy me more. You're not depriving me of anything." Amy smiled. "And take these two as well, a white lace pair and a pink lace pair. I think they'll look wonderful on you. And if you want some of your own, I can always take you shopping. Just tell me when."

"I would like that," Natalie said with a smile, dropping the panties back on the bed and giving her mother a hug. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Amy smiled back and gave her daughter a big hug. She was still smiling as Natalie grabbed the bras and panties, told her goodbye, and left. Breathing a sigh of relief for small miracles, she continued to fold clothes. She never thought lingerie would be the thing that would bring her and her tomboy daughter together, but she shouldn't have been surprised. Stranger things had happened...and most of them since she'd attached herself to Klaus Mikaelson.

"Shit," Natalie muttered as she left the bathroom and ran down the hall toward her music class. She'd spilled mustard all over her blouse and after all the time she took to try and get the stain out, she was late! She had decided to take up guitar and had enrolled in several classes to learn how to do it. She liked the thought of being musical; it was an enjoyable part of her day that she hated to miss even a second of.

She was running fast and not paying attention to either her direction or her feet when all of a sudden, she ran into another student, their heads hitting with a crack as pain surged through her body and she fell to the floor.

"Oh, my god!" She cried, rubbing her head before scolding the other student. "Watch where you're going? And is your head made of iron or what?"

"I could ask you the same question, replied a sickeningly familiar male voice. "What are you, Wonder Woman?"

"Oh, it's you, Morningstar," she huffed, looking up at Milo's tall form and wincing. "We have got to stop running into each other like this."

"Same to you, Mikaelson," Milo snapped, wincing as she got to her feet. "Dressed ugly like usual, I see."

"Yeah, it's my way of keeping certain snotty undesirables off my path," she said and hitched up her skirt a little. "And it seems to be working...most of the time."

"I loathe you," he said and stuck his tongue out at her. "You think you're everything but you're nothing!" He poked her in her collarbone.

This earned him a good, hard shove. "Stay away from me, you jerk!" She hissed. "Don't touch me!"

"Or what?" Milo mocked, his dark eyes bright. "Oh, wait, I know! You'll tattle to your daddy and beg him to come rescue you!" He reached out and began playing with the little tie on her plaid shirt and then pushed her against a locker, his body fully covering hers.

"Let go of me, asshole," she said. She slapped his face hard. He growled and they started pounding on each other until a few buttons on her blouse came undone.

They froze and stared at each other and then he licked his lips before putting her hands over head. His eyes lowered down to get a good look down her blouse at her pink lace bra, his tongue sliding over his lower lip. He couldn't look away from her small, round breasts and the nipple poking through the expensive lace. He tried to get a deep breath. "Well, well, well," he murmured. "What do we have here?"

She blushed a deep pink as her chest rose and fell with each breath. Couldn't he look somewhere else? "Let go of me, Milo. Please?" She tried to be polite, in case that would work. Not that she had too much hope.

He just buried his dark eyes in hers, pushing more of her shirt aside so that he could brush the lace of the bra and some of her exposed breast with his fingers. Even though it was just the slightest touch, she let out a whimper that she cursed herself for letting him hear.

"Milo," she murmured, shutting her eyes tight so she wouldn't drown in his dark ones anymore. So that she would be distracted from this...whatever in the world this was. Then she felt his tongue and lips slide gently down her neck as he gently squeezed her nipple with his fingertips.

"Natalie, oh, my god." He kissed her deep and began undoing the rest of the buttons when, all of a sudden an angry voice broke the spell, loud and sharp.

"Let her go!"

He froze and swore under his breath as a young man approached them, werewolf from the looks of him. "Who the hell are you?" Milo hissed.

"My name's Nico," he spat. "And I don't care who you are, but a girl deserves more respect than you were giving her at the moment."

Frowning, Milo pushed Natalie away and while his attention was distracted, she did up her shirt buttons and took a deep breath.

"I don't know who you think you are, but just a fair warning, wolf boy," he said. "Mind your own damn business!" He gave Natalie one last brief glance and strode away.

Natalie was watching without blinking now. This was a situation that she knew would thrill some girls, but not her. She just wanted to thank her rescuer and try to salvage what she could of her music class, although she was probably too late.

"Are you okay?" Asked Nico. "Did he...did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Natalie nodded. "What did you say your name was again?"

"I'm Nico," he told her. "I'm no one you should know. No one special. I mean, technically, my siblings and I were adopted by Ludovic, Prince of the Werewolves, but..." He trailed off and held his hand out to her.

Natalie shook it and smiled. "I heard about that. I'm Natalie Mikaelson. And much more comfortable now that my shirt isn't opened for all the world to see. Thanks for your help, but I promise I can handle Milo. We've been like that for ages. Nothing he does can shock me."

"I didn't think you were unable to handle him," Nico said. "I just...I didn't like seeing you on display in the hall like that. I didn't want you to get in trouble." He gave her a salute. "Well, if you're all right, I'll go now."

"Thanks again," Natalie said. "You...you wanna grab a burger after school sometime?"

"Sure," Nico nodded. "I would love that."

Gabrielle poured herself a glass of wine, put on some soft music, and began leafing through the top catalogue of a pile she'd built up, to make a list of things she would buy herself when she was free of Arthur Gray and his nonsense and was in possession of a plentiful bank account. She would need new clothes for sure...ones that were nice but not tainted by his money or his grabby fingers. She looked down at the black yoga pants and loose pink shirt she wore. Comfy for sure, but...she wanted better.

Just as she was about to turn the page, her phone began to vibrate. She swore as the magazine page gave her a paper cut and stuck her finger in her mouth, swearing again when she saw who was calling. She threw her phone so that it bounced and landed on a chair a few feet away, but it just kept vibrating. And vibrating. It wouldn't stop. Finally, with another curse and a growl of frustration, she picked it up and answered. "What?" She snapped. "What is it you want?"

"I was just wondering if you missed me!"

Gabrielle scoffed. "I missed you like a root canal. Now go away and leave me in peace!"

"I just thought you'd want to know that a package will be arriving at your house very soon," he said smoothly. "And I think you'll want to accept it."

"If it's from you, I doubt it," Gabrielle replied. "In fact, I might just send it back." She paused. "And how in the world do you know where I live?"

"I know you're almost at the end of your savings and are living at your daughter's father's house. How kind of him to give you a place to live when you've disrupted his life so much. If I were him, and you were causing me so much trouble, I would have left you to live in the street!"

"I would prefer that to our deal!" Gabrielle replied.

He clicked his tongue. "I said if I were Kai. I, on the other hand, am not letting you out of my sight."

"Screw you!" Gabrielle snapped.

"Oh, you will," Arthur told her and gave a very musical chuckle. "Very soon."

Gabrielle scoffed. "May I remind you that the contract said no sex, and that it wouldn't start for ten days!"

"May I remind you," Arthur countered, "that we'll be fucking eventually. As for the ten day waiting period, I really don't think you'll find a sneaky way to get rid of me like you did with that contract trick."

Gabrielle winced. Damn, he was too good for his own good. She started as the doorbell rang.

"Now be a good girl and go get your package, " he purred. She could hear the laughter in his voice.

Gabrielle groaned, got up, and strode over to the door, pulling it open. There was a delivery man standing on the other side and holding a bag from a very famous (and expensive) lingerie store in Paris called Maison Le Jaby. "Oh, my god!" She cried, not knowing whether to be excited or disgusted.

"Are you all right?" Asked the delivery man.

"I don't know yet," Gabrielle returned. "Thank you for the bag." She tipped him, signed for the package, and sent him on his way, setting the bag down on the table. Part of her was eager to see what was inside. But another didn't want to look in case she liked what she saw.

Finally, when she got up the courage to open the bag, she pulled out a few see through lace bra and panty sets, garters, and silk pantyhose. "What the hell did you buy me?" She asked. "What are you thinking?"

Arthur chuckled. "Well, if you're gonna accompany me to business functions, I want you to be well dressed. I have a reputation to preserve, you know."

"And do you expect me to stand around in my underwear at those business functions?" Gabrielle hissed.

"No," Arthur said. "Of course not."

"Then why go to all the expense? No one is going to see what's under my dress."

"Yes, but I'll know," Arthur said, and from the tone of his voice, she was glad she couldn't see his face. "It will make sure that I'm excited enough to take you in my arms after."

"You aren't gonna treat me like a whore! I'm not going to allow it."

"Oh, please, a whore wouldn't get things so expensive; try those on and make sure they fit. I'm going to call you in a few days with details of your first assignment. Make sure you pay attention to your phone so you don't miss my call."

"In the meantime, I'll think of ways to murder you in your bed!" Gabrielle spat."

"Yes, and dream of me too," Arthur told her, unperturbed, laughter in his voice once again.

She ended the call, swore under her breath, and stomped her foot. The she turned and looked the lingerie over. He may be a terrible, terrible man, she thought as she stroked the beautiful fabric, tried some of it on, and looked at herself in the mirror. But at the very least, he had good taste.