"Invitation, please?" the bouncer asked Avery as she found herself at the front door to Inferno.

"Sure," Avery nodded. "Just a minute. I know it's somewhere." She began to rummage around for it in her clutch bag, feeling everyone's eyes on her.

"Dearest one, if you lost your invitation, we have another one." She looked up at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Well, you're certainly a Dad-send," Avery told her, kissing her cheek and winking as she took what her mother offered. "I just don't know where I put it!" She shrugged. "But that doesn't matter now." She took one arm of her mother's and then one of her father's before catching Steve's eye and giving him a smile. "Nice to see you out and about among the humble population, Daddy." She kissed him on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Steve shrugged. "Still the boss, I guess. No one's tried to challenge me, but…I suppose I'm starting to realize I haven't always been the best. I know I've made a lot of mistakes."

Avery gave him a gentle smile, taking his hand and squeezing. "Everyone deserves a second chance, including you."

Steve then kissed the top of her head and hugged her close for a few seconds before letting her go and turning to say a few words to someone nearby.

"I don't know what you did or said to your father when you visited and you two had your little talk, but he's much more at ease than I've seen him in a while," Gwen told Avery in a whisper. "What's your secret?"

"Well, there's not really a secret," Avery shrugged. "We just took time to talk to each other and realized that we have more in common than we thought." She gave her father a wink just as their eyes met.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Steve suggested, rubbing his hands excitedly. "I have two grandsons that are dancing tonight, and I have no desire to miss their performances. That, and I could really use a brandy. It's a bit chilly."

"And other people we know are performing as well," Avery grinned as they all presented their cards to the Council clerk and then went inside. Then as the club doors closed behind them, she eyed her parents anxiously. "I hope you guys are going to be comfortable being in Noah's club all night."

They gave her a confused look and then it dawned on them what she was getting at. They burst into laughter.

"My…my dear," Steve got out when he could finally stop laughing long enough to get a breath. "I promise this isn't all new to me. I've seen many things over time, and do you honestly think I've never been inside a club or had any sort of fun before?"

"I know you think I'm being naïve," Avery said. "But this is Noah's night club! And it's not named 'Inferno' for nothing!"

"If you're referring to the 'love rooms' here, I do know about them," Steve told her with a wink.

"I know you know," Avery said. "Cause you know everything!" She handed her coat to the hostess. "And for once, you and I seem to have the same goal in mind."

Gwen looked back and forth between them both. The idea of them agreeing on something was vaguely unsettling. "What are you two planning?" She asked suspiciously. "Steve, what's Avery talking about?"

"It's already planned, dear," Steve told her. "As you know. Nothing to worry about." He adjusted the sleeves of his shirt under his blazer.

Gwen opened her mouth to press further, but then decided to forget it. She turned to her daughter instead. "I just know that seeing Noah and Celine dance will be the highlight of the evening," she whispered in Avery's ear.

Avery nodded and grinned back at her. "Yes, and I bet there'll be lots of other surprises as well." She saw Lucifer and began heading toward him, her eye also catching Eleanor, Angelica, and Selina a few rows over. That's to be expected, she thought to herself with a sigh. It wasn't a surprise to see Lucifer and Ellie sitting separately, but it was still a little heartbreaking. She felt a squeeze of her hand and looked up at her father. He'd seen Lucifer and Ellie as well. As sad as it was, there was nothing to be done about them. They were adults making their own choices and that needed to be respected.

Avery whitened once it hit her that the person sitting next to her brother was none other than Klaus Mikaelson himself! Her eyes widened. "Let…Let…Let…"

"Let what, Avery?" Gwen asked, wondering what was suddenly ailing her daughter.

"Let's sit in front of Lucifer, shall we?" Avery suggested, pushing her father toward that row of seats in a way that almost made him lose his balance.

"Now hang on just a minute, dear," Steve protested as he tried to regain his footing. "I know I'm the oldest being in existence, but I'm no invalid. I can walk on my own, thank you!"

"Oh, you're so funny, Father," Avery forced a chuckle and gave Steve a slap on the back that almost made him fall over again.

It was up to her mother to get her father upright because Avery couldn't stop staring at her brother, seated next to Klaus Mikaelson. What in the name of Dad? Who's idea had that been? She wondered how long they'd been sitting like that, and if Klaus, in a show of bravado, had bragged to Lucifer about Angelica. The thought made Avery's blood run cold. If he knew, it would be the end of the world as they knew it!

"I know I'm handsome, but you don't have to just stand there and stare, sister," Lucifer told her, breaking into her thoughts after giving their father a brief glance. "Look at this! Klaus Mikaelson is sitting next to me! Come join us!"

"Thank you, Lucifer," Avery told him while keeping her head down, and taking her own seat next to her parents.

"You know my sister, Avery, don't you, Klaus?" Lucifer questioned with a tilt of his head.

"We haven't officially met," Klaus replied, kissing Avery's hand. "But I saw her and one of your other sisters at a restaurant one evening. It was very eventful. Your other sister had something wrong with her eye and it all became quite a spectacle."

"You don't say," Lucifer remarked with a raised eyebrow before turning to Avery. "Care to explain that sister?"

Avery scoffed. "Well, I don't know what there is to explain! Can't a person have dinner with their sister at a restaurant?" She then turned without waiting for an answer, keeping her gaze on Selina Warren, her sister-in-law Ellie, and her niece, Angelica.

"Which sibling was he talking about?" Lucifer pressed. "You know we have many."

"Az-rae-el," she muttered since he wasn't letting it go.

"I'm not sure I heard you," Lucifer told her and leaned forward.

"You heard me fine and you know it," Avery spat with a roll of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Steve saw Elijah heading their way. "Elijah, what a pleasure to see you," he greeted the eldest Mikaelson.

"Look, Elijah is here!" Klaus teased. "Now that my brother has arrived and God himself is sitting next to me, my fan club is complete!" He paused. "Nice to see you, Steve. Sorry I didn't say that before."

"Would you hold your tongue, please, Niklaus?" Elijah mumbled. He had no idea what was going on, but if there was trouble brewing, it was certainly his brother's fault. "Lovely to see you, Steve, Gwen, and Avery."

"Klaus," Steve narrowed his eyes at the hybrid. "The pleasure isn't mine, but there's not much I can do about it."

"Nice to see you too, Elijah," Avery told him as she caught Selina's gaze on the group.

"Yes, lovely to see you," Gwen added. "A real pleasure." Then she turned to Klaus. "Are you worried about seeing Amy tonight? I realize you two have parted ways, but your daughter is performing with Milo."

"Worried, no," Klaus assured her. "What happened with Amy and me is water under the bridge," he waved a dismissing hand.

"Yes, water filled with a lot of your ex-wives' corpses!" Gwen hissed. "How many are there now, Klaus? Was Amy the last, or have you had another since her?"

If she thought Klaus was going to be shocked or shamed by her words, she was sorely disappointed. He just threw his head back and laughed. "Gwen, I had no idea you had such a unique sense of humor." Then he grinned as Elijah buried his head in his hands and prayed for the floor to swallow him up. "I can assure you that I'm single now and very happy to be so!"

"Well, hallelujah!" Steve exclaimed, his arms crossed over his chest. "Please remain that way and spare the women of Earth."

"Have you, Klaus?" Lucifer asked. "It would surprise me immensely. "I find it improbable that a low-life rat like you would remain chaste and pure."

"I never said I would remind chaste and pure," Klaus corrected. "I said I would remain single. There's a big, huge difference!" He smiled and Lucifer let out a low growl.

Elijah caught Selina's eye. "Come back now," he mumbled.

She nodded and signaled that she'd be over in a little bit.

Angelica was watching the spectacle too, and it was clear that it was doing things to her nerves. "Now that Grandpa is sitting by Klaus, I need to go over there," she said. "I need to make things right!" Panicked, she tried to stand, but her mother put a restraining hand on her arm and forced her back down.

"You'll do no such thing," Ellie scolded.

"Listen to your mother," Selina agreed. "If you go over there in a panic, it will be more than obvious to your father and grandfather that something is going on between you and Klaus and to give that away now is a foolish move for sure. Take deep breaths and stay here with your mother. I'll go over there and try to distract them."

"Okay," Angelica nodded and tried to take some deep, calming breaths. "Please keep Klaus safe, Aunt Selina," she begged. "Please!"

Selina sighed and shook her head. "Honey, trust me," she told the younger woman, giving Ellie a wink as Ellie lowered her head to hide a grin. "Klaus doesn't need saving. He's perfectly fine on his own."

Amy carefully got out of Kol's car as he parked it at the club, praying that no one was seeing her butt because her dress, which was very short, had hiked up to kingdom come! After straightening it out the best she could, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was dark and the few people who were in the parking lot didn't seem to be paying any attention to her. Then she turned and grabbed her clutch bag, holding it close to her body while she waited for Kol to close the car doors.

He did, and then Amy's gaze landed on him as he tucked the keys in the pocket of his trousers. He was so hot tonight! She licked her lips to wet them because she couldn't deny that he looked good enough to eat all in black: black trousers, black blazer, black turtleneck sweater! And he'd insisted on keeping his beard, which not only made him look like a man, but an alpha male!

She giggled a little as a strand of hair fell out of the loose bun she'd put it in and tickled her nose.

"What?" Kol asked with a grin. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Amy blushed as he looked her over, appreciating the view of her legs that the short blue dress she wore gave him. "Just…hair in my face. It tickled."

"I have to say, your hair looks wonderful," Kol grinned, getting closer and moving the hair out of her eyes. "I love the dress. And the sparkly sandals."

Amy sighed, then. "Thanks, but…I still don't know what possessed me to buy anything that I'm wearing right now! It's not me! People will say 'look at that tramp who slept with all the Mikaelsons'!"

As Kol protested this statement, Amy's mind drifted. She knew deep down why she'd bought it, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable admitting it to herself yet: She wanted to seduce him and make it clear to everyone that he was hers and hers alone! She snorted and shook her head. It was such a silly thought. Kol Mikaelson most certainly wasn't hers, especially when she realized that for the past several weeks, they'd both been so busy that all they'd had time to do was occasionally make out like teenagers and, if the need was desperate, kneeling and tasting each other.

"If you continue to stare at me that way, darling," Kol chided, breaking into her thoughts. "Then I'll have no choice but to take you back to my car and fuck you hard in the back seat. And that will be quite uncomfortable for both of us." He gave her a teasing look as he gently grabbed her elbow and forearm. "In all honesty, as I've gotten older, I've come to treasure the comfort of my own large bed."

"Kol!" She scolded. "Don't say things like that so loud! People could hear you!"

He looked around, unconcerned. "What people, darling?"

"The people who are coming to see their children participate in the dance contest!" Amy replied, her arms crossed over her deep neckline.

"Well," he lowered his head to whisper in her ear. "If you don't want me to mention how sexy you look, don't dress like you plan to seduce me!" He then raised his head up to wink at her.

"I…I didn't dress this way for you," she protested, her face becoming as red as her hair.
"I just didn't know what to wear! And I thought that since it's a night club, and…" She shook her head helplessly. "This is all wrong. I'll zap myself back home to change." She turned on her heel to go wait at a nearby bus stop.

"Hey, no you don't!" Kol protested, grabbing her arm to bring her fully in contact with his bulging chest. "Don't you dare, woman! Not when you look so sexy and are dressed to kill to tell everyone else you're mine!"

Amy's heart picked up inside her chest, loud enough that she was sure he could hear it pounding. Her breathing picked up, and as she opened her mouth to protest that she neither looked nor felt sexy, but then, she locked eyes with Kol and realized that no amount of protest would change his mind. She was sexy and that was that. And tonight, he would prove it to her.

"You…do you really think I look sexy?" She asked. "You…you're not just joking with me?"

"Darling, I would never joke with you about that," Kol assured her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her, firm and long. Then he nuzzled her nose. "In fact, if I hadn't promised Natalie that I would be there to watch her perform, I would show you just how beautiful I think you are right this minute!" He grinned.

Then she blushed as he pulled her to him and felt his hands slide down her back and onto her bottom. "We…we should really go inside. They're probably starting soon."

He nodded and let her go more gently. "Now in all seriousness, Miss Amy Burke. We have two choices: we can go in separately and act like nothing is going on between us when we know that's total bullshit, or…or you could take my hand." He held out his hand to her. "You could take my hand and we could enter together as a couple, for all the world to see." He raised an eyebrow. "It's up to you, darling. What will it be?"

She took a deep breath and gently massaged her throat, staring blankly at him and trying to decide if he was serious or playing a joke. Had he lost his mind? He seemed serious! She swallowed and then lowered her shaking right hand into his.

Kol smiled and squeezed her hand tight. "Good choice, darling. I hoped that's what you would do." He kissed her softly. "Now let's go inside. It's cold out here."

Amy took another deep breath as she followed Kol into the club. She'd decided to keep her cashmere wrap around her shoulders instead of checking it as Klaus pulled her along to the sitting area. She couldn't see everyone already there, but she could definitely feel Klaus' eyes on her.

"Klaus, Elijah, hello," Kol greeted his brothers briefly before taking Amy over to two empty chairs.

"Baby brother," Klaus responded with a grin.

"Kol, nice to see you," Elijah told him with a nod.

"Klaus," Amy said after finally finding the courage to address him. "It's so nice to see you here to support Natalie. Thank you."

"Hello, Amy," Klaus told her with a sincere smile. "Of course, I wouldn't miss Natalie's performance. She's very important to me."

She nodded but didn't reply to her ex-husband. It was better that way.

"Well, look at this cozy scene! Your ex-wife and her new lover, who just happens to be your baby brother, have come and you said hello to them," Lucifer butted in perniciously. "And since they entered hand in hand, it's obvious they're official now. Not that that hasn't been all over town for months now!"

That was it. Klaus growled and raised his gaze to glare at the devil. "You come at me whenever you want, Lucifer. I'm used to it. But you leave Amy alone, or there'll be hell to pay!"

"I agree!" Elijah added, coming to stand next to his brother. They were both angry.

"Now, gentleman," Lucifer told them smoothly. "Aren't we all among friends? Can't we just be friendly and share a good time together? After all, I suppose we are all a large family."

"Lucifer, that's enough!" Avery snapped at her brother. "Stop disrespecting Amy!"

"And witches in general!" Gwen added, genuinely unhappy with her nephew for perhaps the first time in her life.

"Oh, of course, Avery," Lucifer chuckled. "Keep kissing Dad's ass! He'll probably let you rule over all of us some day if you continue this way!"

"Son don't drag me into all this nonsense, or you'll regret it," Steve scolded Lucifer through his teeth as he tried to inch away from the group and find safety with Gwen. He was getting too old for this.

"Oh, really?" Lucifer asked, a wild grin on his lips. "I'm shaking! What could you do that would be worse than what you already put me through?"

"If we're gonna throw stones about relationships, I can't help but notice that you're sitting across the room from your wife, when, as we all know, because you have no self-control at all, she would usually be sitting right in your lap, Lucifer," Klaus told the devil. "Anything you want to mention to us all? Trouble in paradise…again?"

Lucifer tensed, his hands balling into fists. "Be careful, Niklaus. Remember the white oak stake!"

"Isn't this interesting to hear you issuing empty threats, Lucifer?" Kol interrupted as he and Amy joined the group. His voice was calm and steady.

"Don't…don't push him Kol, please," Amy begged in a whisper. "Remember that if he has a stake, it can hurt you just as easily as it can your brother and at this point, I don't think Lucifer truly cares who he hurts!"

He turned to her and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before he kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, darling. I'll take care of this. I'll get through it in one piece. We all will."

"I suppose you don't know, brother, but I feel I should warn you," Klaus told his baby brother. "Lucifer here is starting to collect old things like himself and has managed to get his hands on a white oak stake!

"Yes," Lucifer nodded with a grin. "You know, it's funny to think that something so simple as a stick of wood could do away with an Original vampire. Don't you think it's funny?" He smirked.

"Not as funny as the fact that when I was in Africa, I discovered the one thing that could kill the supremacy of demons, and that would be you…the devil himself." Lucifer paled and swallowed hard as Kol turned to look at him. "This knowledge could be immensely useful if you continue to disrespect Amy and the other witches."

"Okay, that's enough!" Selina announced. "I'm back and this is going to stop now!" She grabbed Lucifer by the arm and tried to pull him away from the group and toward the bar. "You're coming with me. It's about time we shared a drink together."

Lucifer reluctantly followed Selina away and everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is getting out of control, Daddy," Avery whispered, putting a hand on Steve's arm. "Which I'm sure you've noticed."

"Yes," Steve whispered back and hugged her hard. "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Kol, that was marvelous," Amy told him, as tears filled her eyes.

"This has nothing to do with you, all right?" Kol told her. "And I won't have you brought into it. Lucifer's obviously lost his mind, and I won't have you hurting because of it. And I'm sure I'm not the only one."

He met his brothers' eyes and they nodded in agreement. They'd never agreed on much, but at least now, when it counted, they all agreed on this.

As Angelica watched her father and Klaus together, not knowing what they were saying or doing was becoming too much for her to handle. She needed to get out of here, if only for a moment, to gather her thoughts and breathe!

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked suspiciously as her daughter stood up. "I know it's nerve wracking about your father and Klaus but have faith in Selina. She'll keep things under control."

"I'm just going to the bathroom," Angelica assured her. "Of course, I wouldn't do anything else like go on a silly rescue mission. That would give everything away, wouldn't it?" Before Ellie could say another word, she sprinted through the crowd, her head spinning as she made her way to the hallway leading to the women's bathroom. It was surprisingly dimly lit, and she started to let out a cry as strong arms encircled her waist. Then a large hand covered her mouth, stopping any further noise before she was pulled into a nearby room. As the door closed behind her, she could definitely hear her heart pounding.

When she could finally breathe and her vision became accustomed to the darkness, it was easy to see who her assailant had been. He had an unashamed smirk on his full lips.

"Klaus?" She whispered, eyes wide.

"Well, hello there, Angel," he greeted easily. "Long time, no see."

"I…I mean, why in the world did you pull me in here?" She blushed bright red. "Do you know what this room is? What goes on when the door closes and locks?"

"Well, from the look of it," he replied as his arm encircled her waist and he looked about the dim room, "since there are candles and a bed shaped like a heart, I would say it's your brother's love shack!"

"Exactly," she nodded, full of outrage, her body shaking. "So why bring me here?"

Klaus smirked and shrugged. "Well, I suppose it's as good as anywhere. What's not to like? I'm here, you're here, there's a bed, which is a huge plus because doing it on the floor or against a door is not all that comfortable for a long session…" He waggled his eyebrows. "All right, all right, so it's your brother's bed, but he's not using it and I don't think we can afford to be picky. What do you think, Angel?"

She kept quiet, staring into his gray eyes as she tried to control her breathing.

"Right?" He repeated, his head tilted to the side, grinning and setting both hands on her hips.

She shook her head in disbelief and he thought he knew what she would say, but she surprised him, taking his face in her hands and crashing her lips against his.

It threw him for a moment, then he closed his eyes and let a guttural growl escape his throat. He pushed her back against the door and tore open her blazer to cup her breasts through the lace bra she wore.

"Is this new?" He asked, giving her breasts a squeeze before gasping for air and lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist while he planted a fiery trail of kisses down her neck. "Are you trying to seduce me, Ms. Morningstar?"

"Maybe," she whispered, panting loudly and trying not to make too much noise as he gently sucked on one nipple, then the other. "Damn," she breathed as she buried her fingers in his wild curls. His scent was intoxicating. She was drunk on it. "Is that new aftershave?" She asked. "Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Maybe," he replied with a chuckle. He kissed her again and then grabbed her ass firmly so she wouldn't fall as he carried her over to the bed. "Now, for the main event. I suppose we only have about ten minutes, but as you know, even though I can do slow and sensual, fast and pleasurable is a skill of mine too, so no worries."

The sound of his zipper unzipping snapped Angelica out of it all and she paused her nibbling of his earlobe. "Put me down now," she ordered.

"On the bed, yes ma'am!" He said with a wink.

"No, on the damn floor, Klaus!" She snapped. And when she was on her feet, she gave him a good, hard slap.

"What the fuck, Angel?" He cried out as he brought a hand to his reddening cheek and then zipped his pants back up. "If you wanted it rough, all you had to do was say so!"

"Are you out of your damn mind?" She hissed, wanting to shake him.

"You're asking me that?" Klaus questioned. "When you're the one who seduced and slapped me?"

"Do you realize this is my brother's bedroom?" She cried.

Klaus held out his arms, a confused look on his face. "Yes, I thought we'd already established that!"

"Do you even care that right this minute, my father could be right outside the door and could…could…could…" the thought of it made her lose her nerve and start stammering uncontrollably.

"Could…could…could…" Klaus imitated comically, a light in his eyes.

"Stop making fun of me and realize that my father could barge in here any minute now!" Angie cried, stomping her feet. "He doesn't care much for other people's privacy."

"And?" Klaus shrugged, unaffected.

"And for fuck's sake, if he saw or heard you and I do anything, he would kill you for putting a finger on me!"

Klaus chuckled. "I believe I've put more than a finger on you. I'd even go so far as to say that wee-wee," he lowered his eyes down to his crotch, has done worse than I ever could, being inside of you. And as for the other thing, if you weren't so loud, maybe he wouldn't hear us!"

"You…you…" She shook an angry finger at him and began to pace in front of the bed. "Do you want my father to kill you?"

"All right, all right," Klaus sighed, realizing just how distressed she was. "Let's put our cards on the table once and for all. I will never, ever be scared of your father, Angelica." He tried to calm her down, hands on either side of his waist. "He's like a joke to me! A pretentious Calvin Klein model with powers! The only thing stopping me from hurting him is the fact that you, for whatever reason, seem to love your old man."

"Thank you for that," she told him, breathing a sigh of relief. "But, goofy as he may seem, he still does have a white oak stake in his possession!" She hoped he understood the gravity of what she was saying.

He put a hand over his heart, his eyes widening comically. "Are you so worried about my well-being? Angel, I'm touched!" He wiped away an imaginary tear.

"You really think this is hilarious, don't you?" She asked, her eyes wide. "You think I'm playing a joke?

"No, of course not," Klaus shook his head, then amended his words. "Well, all right, maybe a little. You're being way too anxious about all this." He reached out and lightly touched her cheek, his fingers just barely meeting her skin before she pushed his hand away. "It's adorable though."

"You're a bad boy!" Angie scolded, forgetting what room they were in and what state of mind he was in.

"It's brand-new information to me," he said with a chuckle as he backed her against the wall. "Do you want to spank me for being so naughty?" He licked his lips.

"No!" Angelica shook her curly hair. "Not if you're gonna like it! Let me be very clear that I think you're insufferable and crude and I don't like you very much!" Her chin rose in the air, and she kept her eyes on his without blinking.

"Says the woman who couldn't keep her hands off me and had her tongue down my throat not five minutes ago," Klaus reminded her with a smile, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't even look at me for the rest of the evening," she commanded, shaking a finger under his nose as she fumbled with her bra and blazer.

"Yes ma'am," he saluted and gave her a spank that made her jump just before she pulled the door open, left, and slammed it behind her back. Even so, it was hard not to hear the sound of his uproarious laughter behind her.

Azrael stepped through the club doors then pulled on the skirt of her short red silk Dior dress. It had apparently hiked up as she'd gotten out of the car, and she didn't want anyone to see anything. Even if it was a beautiful dress, bought for herself by herself, as usual. Although Angelica had put the idea in her head to buy it in the first place. She carefully made her way the sitting area, immediately noticing her sister, Avery, as she started looking for a seat.

"Hi," she greeted, then took a seat beside her.

"Well, hello!" Avery returned, wide eyed. "Nice to see you! But…I had no idea you were coming to this competition!"

"Why?" Azrael asked. "Aren't I allowed? Don't I deserve to be able to support my nephews just like anyone else?" She was frowning.

"Of course you can!" Avery nodded with a roll of her eyes. Then she leaned forward. "And I'm glad you're here, if we're gonna be completely honest. Nice dress, too!"

"Thanks," her sister replied. "And…not that I want to push my luck, but…why exactly are you glad that I'm here?"

"Angelica came," Avery elaborated. "As we expected she would."

"Yeah, so?" Azrael shrugged. "What's the problem?"

Avery gave a subtle tilt of the head. "Look at the man who is sitting back…behind you. But don't be obvious about it."

Azrael tried to look without making it look like she was looking and immediately saw the problem as Klaus Mikaelson waved at her.

"Shit," she swore under her breath and went back to looking straight ahead.

"Yeah, and if that's not bad enough, you won't believe who decided to sit beside him! Just guess!" Avery insisted.

"Please tell me it's not Angelica!" Azrael muttered. "She wouldn't be stupid enough to—"

"No…but it's worse! Think hard!"

"Oh, I don't have any-shit, seriously?" Azrael cried as it hit her. "Do you…did Lucifer really sit next to him? Do you think he suspects something?"

"It's a possibility," Avery shrugged. "He's definitely fishing for information in the least subtle way possible, bantering with Klaus and pushing his buttons."

"Well, what can we do?"

Avery sighed. "Not much out here in public. Just try and relax and hope for the best. I don't think anyone wants trouble here during the dance competition."

Azrael nodded. "I hope you're right."

"What are you two going on about?" Steve asked, leaning toward them.

"Nothing all that interesting," Avery replied easily. "I was just talking with my sister about fashion and how hers has greatly improved. That red dress she's wearing is simply divine!"

"It is!" Gwen nodded after taking a look. "Please tell me where you got it!"

"Thank you, I will." The Angel of Death blushed a little. She wasn't used to this kind of attention.

Steve grinned. "I'll be honest; you two being so chummy was something I never expected."

"What?" Avery asked, wide-eyed. "Is that what you think this is?"

"This isn't us being chummy or sisterly," Azrael corrected with a wave of a dismissive hand. "This is just two people exchanging pleasant words at a family event." She nudged Avery in the ribs. "Isn't that right, sister?"

"Right," Avery confirmed without missing a beat. "I agree. That's exactly what this is."

But Steve ignored them and gave Gwen a wink. "Isn't it adorable? They're too shy to admit that they're friends now. But I'm proud of them for it!"

"Of course," Gwen winked back.

"Oh, for Dad's sake!" Azrael cried.

"Let's just ignore them," Avery suggested. "We know the truth, so what they think doesn't matter." She grinned.

"Right," Azrael grinned back. "Of course."

But Avery was soon confronted by someone almost more troublesome for her than her brother.

"Good evening, everyone. I just thought I would come by and say 'Hello' before taking my seat."

Avery raised her chin and kept her eyes on Malachai Fale, looking him over. He wore dark turtleneck over a pair of black leather pants, and dark leather boots.

"Good evening, Malachai," Gwen said, giving him the first polite greeting.

"Gwen," He greeted, then turned to the man beside her. "Steve," he remarked between clenched teeth.

"Malachai," Steve returned, tonelessly. "I assume you're here because of your involvement in the dance competition?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded and bounced on his heels. "It was my idea to have this competition in the first place, as a matter of fact." He tried to meet Avery's eyes, but she ignored him and stayed silent.

"How wonderful!" Gwen remarked at last. "Unexpected, but wonderful."

"Yes, well, I'm full of surprises, just like Steve," Malachai said. "Can I sit by you, Avery?"

"Fine," Avery sighed. "It's my nephew's club, so you can do whatever you want." She put one leg over the other and her hands on her knee. "Nice outfit. I feel sorry for all the cows that had to die to make it."

Ignoring her, he turned to her sister. "Azrael, hello! Always a pleasure!"

"Likewise," Azrael replied, so shocked that she didn't take the hand Malachai offered, and he shook hers instead. Something had gone wrong between her sister and the warlock and somehow she'd missed it!

"So, how have you been?" Malachai asked Avery, trying to sound merely polite rather than desperate.

"Fine, thank you," Avery replied, not looking at him, but rather keeping her gaze straight ahead.

"How's the search for Prince Charming going?" He asked perniciously.

"I have to keep looking," Avery responded. "I would love for him to be at my side right now, but unfortunately, that's not the case!" She burst out laughing, then Steve, who was watching it all, joined her.

"You certainly don't hold back, that's for sure," Malachai observed. "I don't know if anyone's ever called you mean, but…"

"Do you think I'm mean, Malachai?" she asked. "Please elaborate!"

"Has it occurred to you how much I've been suffering?" He asked. "Not just today but for weeks and weeks! I even made up this dance competition for a little bit of joy!"

"Did you hear that, Daddy?" Avery asked Steve. "Malachai has been in pain!"

"Yes," Steve nodded. "I heard and it's very disturbing." He was trying to keep a straight face, but he wasn't sure how successful he was being.

"Sorry if I'm bringing up a sore subject here, but…what happened?" Azrael wanted to know.

"It's all your father's fault!" Malachai lashed out. "He just went and blurted out that I wasn't meant for Avery!" He was now hysterically waving his arms about. It made quite a picture.

"What is he talking about?" Azrael looked at her sister in shock, the explanation not really helping her at all.

Avery just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So he told you that," she said, unperturbed. "And what did you do about it? How did you respond?"

"What did you mean, what did I do?" He asked. "What can I do, Avery? If your father didn't choose me for you, well, then, that's the end of it, isn't it?" He opened his mouth to say more, but couldn't think of a single word.

"Well, I think that's just bullshit and you're a coward," Avery hissed. "And if you were a real man and my knight in shining armor, you would have fought him for me, destiny or not!"

"I…I…I…" Malachai was pale now, and he looked about to faint. And Steve was bursting into laughter.

"You…you…what?" Avery cried, snapping her fingers under his nose as she tried her best not to let her eyes wander and get a look at him in those pants. Damn, he looked very sexy tonight and she wasn't ready to stop being mad at him just yet!

"Well, look at the time," he remarked suddenly, looking at his wrist that had no watch on it. "I should go now and see how things are going back stage. It's almost time for the show to start, you know! Excuse me!" He did his best to hide his face as he hurried away, but it was obviously blushing.

Meanwhile, Avery and Steve were holding onto each other and laughing themselves sick.

"Okay, do you understand what's going on with Malachai?" Azrael asked Gwen. "I don't think I'm going to get a satisfactory answer out of those two."

"It's not hard to understand dear, really," Gwen told her. "Malachai has just had issues with commitment, and this is just Steve and Avery's way to get him to man up and admit that he wants a committed relationship!"

Now that that was cleared up for her, Azrael turned to her sister. "Poor Malachai," she said, although with laughter in her voice. "They call me the Angel of Death, but I think you just killed Malachai Fale, Avery."

"Good," Avery winked and took her hand, giving her a wink. "That was the point, sister!"

"I'm sorry…my apologies…excuse me, please!" Angelica apologized to each parent she had to pass to reach her seat beside her mother, letting out a sigh of relief as she sat down.

"Here you are!" Her mother remarked. "I was minutes away from calling a search party to go look for you!"

"Oh, stop!" Angelica told her mother. "I wasn't gone that long!"

"So you say," Ellie's eyebrows were in her hair. "Okay, I'll play along just this once, but if you ask me, the lie would be much more convincing if you buttoned up your blazer because everyone can see your bra right now!"

"What?" Angelica opened her eyes in shock, trying not to let out a shriek as she buttoned up. "Geez, why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Well, let's see," Ellie replied, stroking her chin as if deep in thought. "Considering that Klaus showed up and sat back down just about the same time you did, and really seems to be enjoying the view, even from here, it didn't feel right to take it away from him!" She was having a good time at her daughter's expense, and she knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help herself. Grinning wide, she waited for her daughter's reply.

"Don't make him too happy," Angie muttered. "He can be a real ass when he wants to be!" She began muttering under her breath as she continued to readjust her blazer.

"Is that so?" Ellie asked, arms crossed. "And yet you made out with him for ages anyway. How did that go?" One side of her mouth was drawn up in a smirk and her arms were crossed.

"No, no," Angelica shook her head, but her face was bright red. "We didn't have a make-out session. We most certainly did not!" She paused. "Like I told you, I went to the ladies' room, and there was a line, and—"

"Yes, you did," Ellie nodded. "And I'm guessing it was so hot being stuck in that line that you needed to undress yourself?" Her tone was ruthless.

"Fine, so we made out a little, happy?" Angelica burst out.

"How was it?" Ellie asked again, her grin wide and showing off a lot of pearly white teeth as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You know it's no good to try and lie to me about that. I know that look and that blush. It's one I used to have to make go away after your dad and I spent the lunch hour having sex in whatever empty room we could find. We even had sex in closets sometimes. In fact, you might have been conceived…"

"Stop!" Angie cried, eyes wide. "Don't you dare go any further!"

"What? Can't I be curious? Obviously it was hot, or you wouldn't come back blushing and half naked. I'm very happy for you!"

"I am not half-naked," Angelica corrected, waving an angry finger at her mother.

"Did you do it in the bathroom? How did you manage to sneak Klaus in if there was a line?" Ellie asked.

"Of course not!" Angelica shook her head. "I'm never that desperate! Noah's playroom was close by and we just…" she trailed off.

Then her mother tilted her head back and burst into laughter.

"I don't see what's so funny," Angelica pouted, arms crossed. "I don't know why you're so interested in my sex life, but I'm not telling you anything else if you're just gonna laugh at me like this!"

"No, honey, I'm sorry, it's just that…you must really want him if you're willing to have sex with him in your brother's playroom!" Ellie wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Whatever!" Angelica shrugged. Then she turned away from her mother and subtly caught Klaus' eye, giving him a wink and grinning when he winked back.