Pairing: Elijah/Henrik (M/m) hand

*Note: See Crescent Academy, Chapter 16 for Elijah/Kol-Jackson pairing

Monday, September 5, 2011

Mikaelson Compound

Back yard

Evening

Rebekah's sharp eyes looked across the back yard into the sport court. She could see that the teen boys were wrapping up their game, but Tommy was no where to be seen.

"Your brother must be hanging out with Aaron or Silas upstairs," Rebekah commented. Now that Kol and his kids were in the main house, Tommy would play the guitar and video games with the boys in their huge quarters. The main house also had a large game room.

"Who knows," Davina mumbled, uninterested in the activities of the boys. She had bigger issues right now. Namely, facing her Aunt Freya.

"I'm going to call Freya and see where she is. Leave it to Nik to build a house so bloody large, it takes you an hour to find someone," Rebekah joked. Rebekah got a hold of Freya and pointed towards the greenhouse. She disconnected the call.

Elijah had surprised Freya with a state of the art greenhouse. She and Keelin sold their salves to supernaturals and made a small profit.

"Maybe I can work in the greenhouse if Tyson doesn't want me back at the ice cream shop?" Davina said dejectedly.

"Oh, stop being dramatic," Rebekah said, putting her arm around her daughter as they slowly trekked to the greenhouse. "Your dad will smooth all that over. He's paying that guy a fortune. How are you getting along with that Lauren?"

Davina shrugged, "She's okay. Pretty dull. I scared the crap out of her, too. She probably called Rachael and said I was a psycho."

"Are you getting along with any of the girls at school? Just because you are grounded from the car, doesn't mean you can't have some girlfriends over," Rebekah suggested.

"Okay," Davina said. Freya came out to greet them.

"Hey, guys," Freya said, wiping her hands on her canvas apron. The tall blond witch was also happy when in her greenhouse. She was smiling but it faltered as she saw Davina's long face. "Uh-oh, what happened?"

Rebekah looked at Davina, "She has something to share. There was a little incident at the ice cream parlor today."

"Okay, come on in," Freya said. "You can help me harvest some vervain, Davina. Kai always burns himself and refuses to do it anymore. Rebekah, I think Vanessa is having wine on the porch.
Rebekah smiled her thanks at her older sister and went to find their sister-in-law. She did not involve herself in witch business, if it could be helped.

Elijah's Study

"Daddy, the boys are being mean," Danny whined from his doorway. Elijah hadn't even heard his only daughter walk in. The small African American girl was frowning and followed by Penny and Liv.

"Yeah, Uncle Elijah, Finn said we were stupid!" Liv complained. "And Lukas pulled me and said I was a tattletale."

Lukas was Liv's twin. Freya and Keelin had adopted the former Parker children of the Gemini coven months earlier.

Elijah shut the dossier he was reading and stood up.

"Oh my," Elijah said seriously. "Should I hang them up by their toes? No, perhaps we should take all their Legos and..."

"Dadddd," Danny corrected. "Stop joking, it's not funny. Mom said to tell you."

"Oh," Elijah said. "That changes everything. I best come out then. Are you girls getting hungry. I was thinking Coq Au Vin for dinner. Sound good?"

Penny made a gagging sound, "Yuck. What is that?"

"It is French for rooster with wine," Elijah informed them.

"We can't have wine. We're like ten," Penny chided. She was Klaus and Cami's daughter. She had pale white skin, glossy dark hair, and bright blue eyes.

"Oh, then we better have fried chicken tonight," Elijah went on. "Who wants to help me?"

"I do!" Liv shouted. "But are you going to spank the boys for being bad? You told them they weren't allowed to bully us."

Elijah leaned down and kissed his niece on her curly blond hair.

"I will talk to them and we'll straighten this out," Elijah promised. "But I am sure they have plenty of excuses, as usual." The boys, Finn, Henrik, and Lukas had daily arguments with Danny, Liv, and Penny. For every hour, they played nicely, there were two were they were fighting. Elijah had asked his wife if they could install a boxing ring in the playroom to let the kids sort it out. She said no.

Elijah glanced back at his large desk and remembered the dossier. He told the girls to wait and went back and locked it in his desk. One of his connections with the Strix had sent it to him via courier. He was still trying to figure out how Hayley Marshall was pregnant with a vampire baby. He pushed those thoughts aside and went to get dinner started.

Poolside

Vanessa took a sip of her wine and leaned over to check Ansel in his bouncy seat. He was playing with a rattle and cooing.

"That's good boy," Vanessa said to her four month old nephew. Cami and Klaus were dealing with Matt and she offered to babysit. Her boys, Finn and Henrik were running around with their cousin Lukas.

"Don't you dare push him in the pool, Finn!" Vanessa warned. The pool was heated and there was a cover for when it got cold, but the boys weren't in their suit.

"Mom, can we have some cookies?" Henrik whined.

"Honey, you already had some. Dinner will be in an hour. Go get some carrot sticks, they are on the table," Vanessa said, taking another sip of wine.

"But I don't like carrots!" Henrik went on. Finn shoved him and he almost toppled in the pool.

"That's it," Vanessa said. "We're going in. I want all three of you to go wash up. Now."

The boys groaned and reluctantly trudged in their the back sliding door that led into the great room.

"Take off your shoes," Vanessa reminded them, not sure they heard her. She picked up Ansel and followed them in, seeing they hadn't taken off their dirty shoes.

Elijah was in the kitchen breading chicken and letting Danny stir gravy. Penny was carefully chopping tomatoes and Liv was making lemonade. She said dirt on the floor and frowned as she bounced Ansel.

"I told them to take off their shoes," Vanessa announced. "Whoa, you girls are doing a good job."
Danny abandoned the gravy and went to tell Vanessa that the boys were still being mean.

"Danny, I told them to go wash up," Vanessa said. "Elijah, they were wild outside and picking on the girls. Did you speak to them?"

Elijah smiled at his wife. "I will, dear. That is, after they clean this floor. How's the baby?"
"Great. He really is a little angel," Vanessa smiled, as she sat at the island. Penny put down her knife and went over to peer at her little brother.

"I can hold him," Penny offered.

"It's okay, sweetie," Vanessa said. "You continue. I think your mom and dad are about done..."

Liv giggled, "Yeah, the yelling stopped about five minutes ago and Matt ran out."

Elijah's eyes met Vanessa's, he said, "Yes, it seems Matthew took off in his truck. We have a few years before we have to deal with that. The chicken is ready to be fried. I'll take Ansel and go find his parents, if you want to start frying the chicken. The potato salad, cole slaw, and beans are in the refrigerator. And yes, I will speak to the boys."

Elijah took his nephew and smiled, "Hey buddy, I am so glad you took after your mama! Look at that peach fuzz on his head."

In truth, Ansel looked like both Cami and Klaus, but Elijah always made the same joke about his brother.

"Elijah," Vanessa laughed. "You are in a mood today. All this joking around and you will lose your reputation for being the stern one."

"Bite your tongue, wife," Elijah replied. "Oh, and someone ate half the cookies..."

"I can guess who," Vanessa said, going to wash her hands at the sink.

Dining Room

Klaus was fuming.

"Camille, his teacher said he is insolent and defiant in class. That is not like Matthew," Klaus said as he paced. He had checked his messages and had missed a call from the teacher. When he called back, Klaus was dismayed to learn that Matt had earned a lunch detention in only the second week of school.

"Honey, calm down," Cami said, getting up from the huge dining room table. "Matt is a smart kid. He just doesn't see the importance of that class. I think they called it 'senioritis' in my day. I might have suffered from it a bit myself. It's normal."

Klaus threw out his hands, "It's the start of the bloody year. He has a long way to go. If he wants to work like the others he has to show us he can handle it!"

Cami folded her arms across her chest. "You are right. But Matt is used to working and I think he feels singled out. You know?"

Klaus stopped and looked at Cami. His blond wife's eyes were filled with love and compassion. Her background as a therapist always came in handy when dealing with the kids. She had told him a hundred times that yelling didn't solve anything. He had been tempted to put Matt over his knee right when he got home from the Grill, but his son was a senior now. He knew that that wouldn't get to the root of the problem. But Klaus was so irritated with the boy that he had jumped on him as soon as he got through the door.

"You are right, as always," Klaus demurred. "I shouldn't have shouted at him. But he's got a jolly good thrashing waiting for him when he gets home! Running off like that..."

Cami put her arms around her husband. "Shhh, just breath. He knows how to piss you off. You both need to calm down and we'll see about getting him another tutor. And if you think smacking his backside will clear the air, you have my blessing. But in a year or two, he's going to be on his own...I don't know, though. Matt was in rare form. I can't believe he called you a 'dick!' That is way out of line."

Klaus finally chuckled, "In our son's defense, I was being a bit obtuse. How about I will talk to him and see if a day or two without his electronics will do that trick?"

Cami rested her head on Klaus' shoulder. "That might be better..."

Elijah came in with the baby.

"I am sorry to interrupt," Elijah said politely. "But this young gentleman may be getting hungry."

Cami pulled away from Klaus and took Ansel.

"Oh yeah, at least we have one kid who doesn't yell at us," Cami smiled.

Klaus smirked, "Give him time, my love. Brother, the courier brought that file?"
"Yes, let's speak in my study briefly," Elijah said.

Elijah's Study

A few minutes later, Elijah poured both of them a bourbon and leaned back in his chair.

Klaus grimaced as he took a sip, but not from the bourbon. He knew Elijah's silence boded grim news.

"Just tell me, Elijah," Klaus growled. "I need to know."

Elijah took a deep breath and opened the dossier.

"My contact in the Strix believes that when the Order of the Celestial Dawn agents detains you on the May 10th attack, that they did something to you," Elijah started. He paused to take a gulp of the amber liquor.

Klaus recalled, "I was driving on Floyd Street, right near the bank. I remember a voice, Katrina Petrova's, I think...then it is just darkness."

"In August, when Kol and went to compel that vampire Sebastian in New Orleans, we knew something was wrong," Elijah started.

Klaus interjected, "Did our little brother not get sloshed on Marcel's cognac? My son is still angry about that? Kol replaced the bottle but with something much cheaper."

"Yes, he got Jackson properly inebriated. Neither Hayley nor I were best pleased," Elijah recounted. "I put them both over my knee to sober them up. But when Hayley came in, I heard it. The heartbeat of her child."
"You said this before, it was too fast to be human or even wolf," Klaus said, standing to pace again. "But we do not even really know what the child could be." [*]

Elijah finished his drink and poured them another one.

"One thing I did not tell you is that I smelled blood on Hayley's breath when she first greeted me. The kitchen staff was speaking about missing blood bags, thinking one of the young vampires was overindulging," Elijah said with a grim look. "Did Camille ever develop a taste for blood with her pregnancy with Ansel?"

Klaus stopped in his tracks and spewed, "Never! I cannot even...Oh Elijah, she did start taking her steak rare. I used to chide her about how she only ate well-done meats, but then we were at Steinhilber's in Virginia Beach that weekend. I was in the loo and she ordered for me. When the waiter came out, I thought he had made a mistake...Bloody hell."

Elijah pushed the dossier to Klaus.

"My contact in the Strix fears that they are aiming to create another child half of angel blood, wolf blood and...," Elijah stopped, as Klaus grabbed the slim file stamped with "Top Secret" on it.

"Vampire blood," Klaus breathed. "An abomination to play into this ridiculous prophecy! Elijah, I know they are of your sire line, but why are any of these Strix still living? A sect of them betrayed us!"

"Niklaus, sit down," Elijah demanded. "The file also determined that with Hayley's good acts and pure heart, she could be considered an angel. Or she has angel blood in her parentage far in the past. The Strix have agents on it now, but we have no real way to test it, this theory. It is unclear. Brother, please, be seated, for the love of all things holy!"

This pacing was annoying him. Klaus sat back down heavily and threw the file folder on the desk.

"Fine. So why is this organization still in existence? You created it, you can end it," Klaus said icily.

"With the trinity at Crescent Academy under Hayley's watch, they are out of the game. My contacts say they have purged the traitors from their ranks. And we cannot infiltrate Cern and other fortresses they have amassed. It would be too risky. I still believe that the Strix are doing more good than harm. Aya Al-Rashid has vowed that she would not let this happen again," Elijah said with feeling.

"You always had a soft spot for that woman," Klaus snapped. "She is strong, beautiful, and majestic, but too clever for her own good."

"There is nothing soft about Aya," Elijah admitted. "She is at command of a great army, Brother. I failed her long ago. But I trust her now, we must trust her now if we wish to figure out what is going on. The real question is if this child Hayley carries is yours?"

Klaus' eyes burned bright orange for a moment as he struggled to control his emotions.

In a smoldering tone, "They could not get to Ansel, so they do this? It is barbaric! What do they deign to do with this child? Have you spoken to Hayley? To Jackson?"

"No, not about this. She is convinced Jackson is the father," Elijah confessed. "I thought to send Marcellus down there to find out more. They have a deep rapport. Until I got this dossier, I had hoped that Kol and I were wrong. The former Fleur-de-Lis Sanatorium, or rather Crescent Academy, is heavily fortified. Kol and I took the liberty of compelling every one there, who was not a witch, to stay on the property and defend Hayley."

Klaus' eyes blazed, "Elijah, that bold, even for you. If you did that, then you knew this was something more...Brother, you should have warned me sooner!"
Elijah got up and went over to Klaus.

"I am sorry, Niklaus, I was hoping I was being paranoid," Elijah apologized. "I did not wish this to mar your happiness. That rogue angels would go to these lengths just to create a child to...end the world was too much. Even for one as jaded as I."

Klaus squeezed his eyes shut. "Ansel was born out of love. But this child, I never touched Hayley. Gods, what will I tell Camille? If this is true, I will have another child out there..."

"Tell her nothing now," Elijah advised.

Klaus nodded, "Marcel was planning to go down to the Compound and check on things anyway. And Elijah, you need not protect me like this anymore."
Elijah put a hand on Klaus' shoulder.

"Brother, I will never stop trying to protect you," Elijah affirmed. "I hear Vanessa calling us to supper. Whatever this is, we will find a way to make it through. Just like we always do."

Greenhouse

An Hour Earlier

"What is this?" Davina asked, fingering the odd looking plant.

"Oh, don't touch that," Freya warned. "This section is all Kai's experiments. He is working on a cross between vervain and wolf's bane and a few other things. Now, go on and tell me why you are here, young lady."

Davina leaned against a table housing a small crop of basil and sage and then winced when her sore rear touched the table. She quickly rubbed her still tender behind and started to tell her aunt what happened.

"Basically, a bunch of the kids in town are little...I am not allowed to say assholes, but that's what they are," Davina shared. "I got really irked at these high school kids and well, um..."

"Go on," Freya said. She was testing the soil of a lobelia plant and paused to look at her niece, who was also a member of her coven.

"So I did a spell and it started a small fire, the kids got freaked and ran out. Um, the sprinkles came in and drenched the place. Dad came in and we cleaned it up. I lost my driving privileges for a week," Davina went on. "Then, Mom and I got into a big fight..."
"And you got your sassy bottom dealt with," Freya guessed.

Davina flushed, "Yeah, with the hair brush! But Mom said I got spanked for not wanting to tell you...I don't want you to be mad at me. I am sorry, Aunt Freya."

Freya stepped closer to Davina.

"Sweetheart, I am not mad or as disappointed as you might think," Freya said with sympathy. "When I was your age, I got in a tiff with Dahlia and leveled an entire village. I never told anyone this but I also caused a river to change courses once and caused another village's crop to be ruined. In those days, that was murder also."
Davina looked at Freya in surprise. "You did? Did you get in trouble?"

Freya thought back, "Dahlia was not a mother to me. She laughed when she saw the destruction, like she was proud of my power. Humans were nothing to her except pawns she could use. But I felt ashamed and guilty, which caused my magic to be even more erratic. You will learn to control this. That feeling you get when you unleash magic is intoxicating and addictive, but the aftermath can be horrible to live with. Look what I have growing here."
Freya pinched off a sprig of the lobelia.

"This little purple flower is lobelia," Freya instructed. "It can grow into a shrub and is really pretty in a garden. But it can interfere with our flow of magic. Aunt Keelin and I have been playing around with isolating those properties and putting them into pill form. If you feel like you are going to, you know, freak, you can take a pill or two and it will stop your magic for a time."

"Stop my magic? Have you tried it?" Davina asked. "It sounds perfect, especially when I have PMS. I almost shocked a bunch of girls who were sitting on my car before the fire thing...I need something."

"Shocked? Okay, that is not good. I'll grab you some pills. I have tested this on Finn, as well as myself. Remember when Finn got into all that trouble at his friend's house. That is what gave me the idea," Freya said. "It also works in tea form, but the pills could be something you can take at school."

"Thanks, Aunt Freya. I guess I should have told you all this before I got into trouble," Davina said sheepishly.

"Yeah, it would have saved you from a sore backside and losing your car," Freya chuckled. "But it's hard to admit how hard controlling the magic. But hon, promise me you will only use it when you need to. Remember, we never know when we need our magic to defend ourselves and the innocents around us. With Finn, he is a child and I am not concerned, but with you, there may come a day and time when you have to defend your family. Got it?"

"I know. It's nice to have a family I get to defend, instead of defending myself against them," Davina smiled. "I really am lucky to have you and Mom and Dad."
Freya kissed Davina on the cheek. She knew Davina was referring to the way her biological mother let us be used in the French Quarter coven's Harvest ritual, which required her to be sacrificed for their power.

"We are lucky to have you. I would never want to fight against the Harvest witch in a battle," Freya teased. "Now, let's go. It's almost time for dinner. Half you family is here, we should call your dad over."

"Yeah, we keep losing Tommy over here," Davina laughed. "I think he hates being the one boy and being so outnumbered."

"I bet the crying does get a little hard on everyone. You know, you are always welcome here, too, if it is okay with your parents. I'm also going to give you some more seeds. Every witch should have her or his own garden. It's done wonders for Kai, he's really enjoying botany, if all things," Freya said as they headed to the main house.

"Umm, can I get some healing salve so I can sit for dinner? Mom doesn't know her own strength with that stupid brush!" Davina tried.

Freya playfully slapped Davina on the bottom over her loose sweats.

"Nope, no healing for you," Freya said. "You remember how it feels and take a pill the next time you feel that surge of power. It will help."

"You're right, I guess," Davina intoned, rubbing her backside. It was a little itchy now and not that sore.

"Wonder if your dad has any of that strawberry cheesecake ice cream," Freya said. "Elijah made cookies, but they are almost gone."

"The boys again?" Davina asked. The last time she was over, she saw them sneaking cookies and daring each other who could get the most.

"No, this time it was me," Freya admitted. "Just don't rat me out. I hate to admit me but he is becoming a better baker than me. Damn him."

Davina laughed and they walked to the main house.

Dining Room

Dinner Time

"The next person who throws something is going to their room," Vanessa hissed, standing over her boys and Lukas. They were giggling and making faces at the girls across the vast dining room table.

"The fried chicken is good," Tyler said, his mouth full.

"It would be better with some beer," Connor joked, elbowing him.

"I heard that," Klaus warned from the other side of the table.

Klaus and Elijah had spoken to Marcel and filled him in on everything going on. He promised to make preparations to fly to New Orleans the next day.

Vanessa went back to her seat.

"Elijah, you didn't speak to the boys, did you?" Vanessa asked.

Elijah had the decency to look guilty. "I am sorry. We were dealing with something. I will do it directly after dinner."

"Thank you," Vanessa said, eyeing her children who she thought were still throwing corn at the girls.

Cami had put Ansel to bed and came down carrying the baby monitor. She saw Matt at the table, eating and looking in good spirits.

"You and Dad made up?" Cami whispered, leaning down.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Mom," Matt said. "I was out of line, too. We're good. I'll apologize to Mr. S. tomorrow during my lunch detention."

"Good, hon," Cami said, rubbing his back with her free hand. "I'm proud of you. We'll figure it out. Okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Matt said. "If you weren't there, I'd probably be in a lot more trouble right now."

Cami gave him a smile and made her way over to her seat. As she walked, she felt a piece of chicken pelt her in the arm. She looked over and gave the younger boys a stern look before picking it up.

"I see everyone is in good spirits," Cami said, wrapping the chicken in a napkin.

"Did he go down okay?" Klaus asked, biting into the fried chicken.

"Oh yeah, he was tired. Glad you made up with Matthew," Cami said.

"Glad you made me," Klaus grinned, chewing. "He's a good kid. I sometimes forget how young they all are. And when Matt took off, he was meeting a young lady, who happens to work at the Grill."

"Oh, the plot thickens," Cami said, reaching for the salad. "That explains it. I was thinking there is no reason he can't work a couple of hours on Sunday after his school work is done. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good plan," Klaus agreed. Klaus' eye caught something being thrown. "Boys, I saw that! Stop throwing food!"

Penny threw back a piece of food. "Daddy, that hit me in the face!"

"That's it," Vanessa snapped, throwing down her napkin.

Elijah put a hand on her, "I've got this. Boys, come on. Dinner's over for you. Upstairs."

Keelin glared at Lukas, "Elijah, Lukas is guilty here, too. Want me to take them up."

"No, Keelin. I think the boys need to go to bed early. You finish. I think it is Connor and Rachael's night to clean up," Elijah directed.

Davina said, "I can stay and help."
"Thanks, dear," Elijah said. He rounded up Finn, Henrik, and Lukas who protested that it was the girls' fault they were throwing food.

Younger Boys' Room

Elijah got the boys into a bath in the large bathroom in their bathroom.

"Daddy, can't we watch t.v.?" Henrik moaned as Elijah handed him a towel.

"No, you may not," Elijah said firmly. "I think we are going to have a talk about your behavior."

Henrik's eyes widened, he covered his backside with his hand.

"Nooooo, you're gonna spank us!" Henrik wailed, bursting into tears. "I'm not talking to you!"

"I wasn't planning on it," Elijah retorted, "But maybe I need to."

"I hate the girls! Liv scratched me and knocked down my toys outside. She's a bitch," Henrik yelled.

Elijah was at a momentarily loss for words.
"What did you say?" Elijah snapped.

"She's a bitch!" Henrik said, doubling down.

Elijah turned him and pushed his hand away from his still damp backside.

"You *crack* know *crack* better *crack* than *crack* to speak *crack* like that," Elijah said, putting the now crying boy between his knees. "Where did you hear that language?"

Henrik sobbed and stomped in place trying to dissipate the sharp sting.

"I-I don't k-know," Henrik wailed. "Stopppp."

Elijah leaned his son over her lap and swatted him across the behind once harder.

Whack!

"Well, you are getting spanked until you tell me," Elijah warned. He said a red handprint appear and lessened the next two spanks.

Whack. Whack.

"Ohhhhhhh," Henrik yelped. "Noooooooo."

Whack. Whack.

"It was from Erik and Jer," Henrik cried. "They s-said it t-to each o-other!"

Whack. Whack!

Elijah swatted Henrik firmly two more times with the flat of his hand.

"I better never hear that kind of language out of your mouth again, young man," Elijah warned. "Or you will get the ruler on your bottom every night for a week before bed."

"Noooooo, Daddy!" Henrik wailed. "I don't w-want the ruler. I ammmm sorrrrry!"

Elijah usually only threatened the boys with the ruler or gave them a lick or two over the seats of their pants, but they acted like it was a cat of nine tails. He suspected the older boys had warned them about some of the spankings they had gotten with it that were more severe.

Elijah calmed himself. "Come on, let's get you dried off and in your p.j.s. You are going right to bed."

Henrik cried louder when he heard this and danced around as Elijah hastily dried him off and had him brush his teeth. Henrik was glaring at Elijah and pouting.

Elijah crouched down. "I don't like having to spank you, but you are tempting me to give you a real paddling. Now, can you settle down? Or do you need some help?"
Henrik took a breath and looked at his father, sniffling.

"I am s-settling," Henrik vowed. Elijah used the wash cloth and wiped his face and then pulled him into a hug.

"Good. Do you understand why I smacked your backside?" Elijah said, carefully, as he helped Henrik dress.
"I sweared and said a bad word," Henrik sniffled.

"Yes, that is not a word we use. I'll speak to the older boys about their language. And tomorrow, we are going to sit down and work out this fight you boys have with the girls. You are all family and it is done," Elijah said sternly. Henrik looked like he was going to cry again. Elijah sighed and pulled him into another hug.
"Buddy, I'm not mad at you, okay? I am just a little frustrated. I love you lots," Elijah said, smiling.

"Love you, too," Henrik mumbled, sneaking a hand back to rub his rear. "Will you tell me a story at least?"

"Of course," Elijah said. "But I need to talk to Finn and Lukas, too, first.

Elijah picked up his youngest and carried him into the bedroom. He chuckled to see the other two beds in bed, pretending to be asleep.

"Boys, I know you are awake," Elijah said. "I'm not going to spank you right now, but I want to see a big improvement in your behavior tomorrow. And when you get home, we're going to sit down with the girls and work this out. Now, who wants to hear the story of the time Uncle Klaus called the town butcher a bad name and blamed it on me?"

The boys all cried, "I do!" Elijah settled Henrik in his bed and pulled out his chair to tell the story. They didn't make it to the part where the butcher threatened to bake Klaus into a meat pie, as they were all sound asleep.