Selina was surprised when she answered the door and saw Katherine one the other side. "We have to talk," she said.

"And what would I possibly need to talk to you about?" Selina asked, her eyes narrowed as she started to shut the door in Katherine's face.

"You don't have to talk to me," Katherine told her, stopping the door with her hand. "I need you to talk to Gregory. He kicked Elizabeth out of our house the other day."

"He did?" Selina asked in amazement. "Why would he do that?"

"She didn't take to the whole 'chaperoning dates' thing well, then she just started acting crazy, and I don't think Gregory knew how to deal with it, so he just decided not to deal with it at all!" Katherine replied.

Selina went to grab her coat. "Do we need to go look for her?" She asked. "Do we know where she is?"

"At Laura's," Katherine replied. "No need to worry about her being out on the street or anything. But even though I know she's safe, I want her home, which is why I need you to talk some sense into your son."

"I'll try," Selina replied. "But I can't even talk sense into his father, so I don't know how successful I'll be."

Katherine heaved an exasperated sigh. "If you can't fix things with your own son, what good are you, then?"

Selina's eyes narrowed. "May I remind you that you came to me for help? I'm under no obligation to help you. In fact, I applaud my son for making your life difficult!"

Katherine growled. "I came over here in a civil frame of mind. Why are you trying to start a fight?"

"I am not the one trying to start a fight!" Selina shot back. "You are the one picking a fight with me and playing innocent! How about you go home and leave me alone? Or you'll end up with a very painful werewolf bite, believe you me."

Katherine wasn't sure if she was bluffing or not, but she wasn't stupid enough to take the chance and stay (even though she really wanted to.) She left and with a smug nod, Selina went back to her tea.

"Who was at the door?" Elijah asked.

"Katherine," Selina replied, giving her tea a big stir. "She wanted me to help her with Gregory, but as usual, she has no idea how to ask politely, so I didn't feel like helping her. I'll talk to Gregory on my own time, of course. But I won't say 'How high?' just because she says 'Jump'."

"Well, it's good you didn't drag me into this," Elijah replied, sitting down beside her. "I'm not really in the mood right now."

"Why?" Selina asked. "Can I help?"

"No," Elijah sighed. "Not really. It's just some of my companies that I own. They're having problems and everyone's calling to tell me what they are...I hired some lousy people to be in charge, it looks like."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Selina replied. "How about I run you a bath and light up some of my scented candles? That might help you relax."

"I doubt it," Elijah replied. "But anything could help, I guess."

"Sure!" Selina replied. "And while you wait for the tub to fill up, you can read Colin's latest letter."

"Oh, you mean our second son who never writes or calls anymore?" Elijah asked. "It's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth or something."

"Actually, he calls me sometimes," Selina replied. "But you understand why he never wants to communicate with you."

"No, I can't!" Elijah replied. "I was never horrible to him! Yes, I never understood his fascination with sports and getting dirty, but that was no excuse for him to run off with that genius chemist girlfriend of his and never say another word to me!"

"He's busy with his baseball career!" Selina replied. "If you would watch sports with me, you'd know that. He's also told Valerie that he was a vampire, and he turned her."

"Well, gee," Elijah replied. "All that happened, and we should have been told!"

"It's in the letter," Selina replied. "Actually, not the latest one, but one from awhile ago. I'll give it to you if you want."

"Oh, don't bother," Elijah replied. "If you're gonna do up that bath for me, that would be best."

"Fine," Selina replied. "I will." She strode off, and Elijah waited, reading over the letter until he heard a shriek, which was accompanied by a realization that he smelled smoke.

"Oh, fuck!" He cried and ran to the bathroom, opening the door and coughing. Through the smoky haze, he saw Selina huddled in a corner, and the curtains on the window set alight.

"Oh, for..." He grabbed the fire extinguisher out from under the sink and sprayed it in the direction he thought was the best, and then when the fire was finally out, he glared at his wife. "What the hell happened in here?" He asked as he blew all the candles out.

"I-I was trying to get the windows open so you could have some air," Selina replied. "But I knocked one of the candles over on accident, and the curtains caught fire, and then you came in here."

"Why didn't you just take the fire extinguisher out of the cabinet and, oh, I don't know...put out the fucking fire?!" Elijah cried, shaking her. "I've already dealt with enough incompetence today. I don't want to have to deal with yours as well. It might be best if you left for a little while so you don't screw anything else up."

"Fine," Selina replied, knowing that the intensity of his reaction had to do with his werewolf nature, so she wasn't as offended as she could be, even if she was a little hurt. "I'll go stay with Anna so I won't bother you!"

"Good!" Elijah yelled. "Goodbye!"

Selina left the house, slamming the door behind her. She drove to Anna's, dropped off her things, and then complied with Katherine's request to go see Gregory.

"Let me guess why you're here," Gregory said dryly once he and Selina were seated in his living room. "You're here to yell at me about Elizabeth."

"Not yell at you," Selina corrected. "But Katherine was concerned. Don't you think you're being harsh? You didn't like it when your father kicked you out for being yourself, so why are you doing the same to your daughter?"

"I have standards!" Gregory cried. "She knows that and is choosing to defy me anyway. You can't expect me to just lie down and put up with that."

"What did she do that was so bad?" Selina asked.

"You should have seen her when she left the house the other day!" Gregory cried. "She looked like a hooker! And she's drinking blood and having sex behind my back, and..."

"So basically everything you did when you were her age," Selina replied dryly. "Every kid experiments like that. It's not abnormal. Were they using protection?"

"Well, yes!" Gregory nodded. "But that hardly makes their behavior okay! As part of this family, she knows she has a responsibility about how she represents herself!"

"So she had sex using protection with a guy she liked," Selina said. "Wow, what a monster!"

"It was Charlie she was having sex with!" Gregory cried. "He's her cousin! It's wrong!"

"At least they're not related by blood," Selina pointed out. "This isn't as bad as when your sister Margaret was having the hots for Henry and the whole body-switching mess ensued. I honestly thought your father wouldn't make it. I know it's hard dealing with a rebellious teenager, but the more you fight her, the more she'll fight you, and since you love her very much, you don't want that, do you?"

"No," Gregory huffed. "I guess not."

"And she's always been the odd one out in the family, being human and all, no matter how much we love her," Selina continued. "Can you blame her for wanting to fit in more with the rest of us?"

"No," Gregory shook his head.

Selina reached out and stroked her son's hair before giving him a hug. "I know it's hard to do (just ask my mother), but no matter how irritated Elizabeth may make you while she's trying to find herself, just show her that you love her. You don't have to agree with everything she does, and when she does things that are truly wrong, go ahead and discipline her, but let her know that you understand she's struggling to find herself, and that you'll be there for her, and that will stop your relationship from being ruined permanently."

"I know that in my head," Gregory replied. "But putting it into practice is a bit more difficult."

"I understand," Selina replied. "Believe me. But since you love Elizabeth, and Elizabeth loves you, I think the two of you can get through this as long as you loosen the leash a little. Then she might be willing to compromise."

"You think you have this all figured out, don't you?" Gregory asked.

"Well, yes," Selina nodded. "How do you think your father and I have been married so many years?"

"You know," Charlie told Elizabeth, "I really like your new hair."

"It wasn't originally like this," Elizabeth told him. "Your mother cut it shorter cause she was horrified at my original trimming job."

"Why did you do this to yourself?" Charlie asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong: you look really hot, but...why?"

"I just want to belong is all," Elizabeth replied. "Be like the rest of you. Do what you do. And short of being turned, cause I'm not ready for that, this is as close as I can get."

His eyes strayed down to her very prominent display of cleavage. "Were you trying to look like Elvira or what?" He asked.

"Well, no," Elizabeth shook her head. "I just wanted a better feel for it, you know? Now, where do your parents keep the blood?"

Charlie chuckled. "I can't believe you're actually drinking it. Doesn't it make you sick?"

"Well, most of it," Elizabeth replied. "But not yours. You taste good." She paused. "And since I live here with you now, I can have all I want, right?"

"Okay," Charlie replied. "Sure."

"You seem nervous," Elizabeth said, running her fingers over his cheek. "What's the matter? You're not scared of me, are you?"

"Well, no," Charlie replied, reaching out to cup her right breast. "I'm still processing this whole change in you: I mean, one minute we have to drive you to the hospital cause I lost control and fed on you too much, and now you've completely changed and are asking me to bite you just for fun."

"But do you understand why I'm doing this?" Elizabeth asked him. "It's not because I want to hurt anyone, or be difficult or whatever. I just want to be like the rest of you. I don't want to be the weak one who has to be watched every second cause she doesn't heal instantly. No one seems to understand that. Especially my dad. And he won't even let me try and explain it to him."

"Well, you can talk to me about anything," Charlie told her, giving her a kiss. "I'll listen."

Elizabeth sighed. "Thanks, but we can do that any time. Now that your dad's at work, and your mom is busy, there's something else I'd like to do instead." She grinned.

"Did you take your pill today?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, I did," Elizabeth nodded, unbuttoning her sweater and throwing it on the bedroom floor. "There, I've gotten you started. Don't dawdle!"

Charlie smiled as she kicked off her shoes and he helped her off with everything below the waist. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, and then he nipped at her neck while she unzipped him and slipped her hand inside his jeans.

That night, Elijah and Gregory were at Roxie's, having a drink. "Do you ever feel like raising children is a difficult, thankless job?" Gregory asked his father.

"Your mother told me what happened with Elizabeth," Elijah replied. "Katherine was desperate enough to ask her for help." He sighed. "Not that she gave it, of course. Cause all those two can do is fight."

"Yeah, I know," Gregory replied. "And that was not a fun conversation on my end when Mom finally got around to it. It was like relieving the night you threw me out all over again, only I wasn't the person being yelled about. But I refuse to think I did anything wrong. I just don't understand why Elizabeth would act like this all of a sudden. We've always tried to make her feel included, even though she's different. Did I go wrong somewhere?"

Elijah put a hand on his shoulder. "You did the best you could," he said. "Now it's up to Elizabeth. And apparently, she feels she's ready to take care of herself."

"And that," Gregory finished, "is exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm just waiting for her to come home and tell me she's pregnant with Charlie's baby. I know that will happen some day. Cause Laura doesn't do discipline at all!"

"I know," Elijah nodded. "That's why I set her up with Edward. He compensates for every shortcoming she has, just like I do with your mother."

"And I do with Katherine," Gregory nodded.

"Oh, please!" Roxie scoffed, popping up from behind the bar. "Please tell me what shortcomings Mom has that you feel you can fix just cause you're so much better."

"You should know if you were listening, Roxanne," Gregory replied.

"You are not allowed to call me Roxanne!" Roxie told him. "There are people allowed to, but you are not one of them. And Mom can be a great (if unconventional) disciplinarian if she feels it's warranted. She tied me to the roof of her car in the rain once when I sassed her about ice cream."

Gregory smirked. "And was it her who told Helene to turn you into a goat? Adrian never tires of telling me that story."

"No," Roxie replied, her mouth twisting. "That was all Helene's idea. But Mom wasn't in a rush to tell her to turn me back. And I'm sure Laura is the same way. So give them a break, would you? Just because they don't act like prison wardens when it comes to discipline doesn't mean they do a bad job!"

"You're defending your mother?" Elijah asked Roxie in surprise. "That's a change, Roxanne."

"See?" Roxie said pointedly to Gregory. "He is one of the people who can call me Roxanne. You are not!"

"I get it," Gregory replied. "I'm sorry."

Roxie smiled. "Well, that's a good start to the list of apologies you two should start making tonight." She peered at Elijah. "Are you gonna apologize to Mom?"

"She's at your Aunt Anna's tonight," Elijah replied. "We had a spat, the house caught on fire, and I figure it would be best to talk to her again in the morning."

"Well, good," Roxie replied. "Just make sure you do!"

"Don't worry," Elijah replied. "I will."

"And I will too," Gregory said quickly before Roxie could glare at him and possibly take away his drinking privileges. "I'll talk to Elizabeth as soon as I get home. If she'll talk to me, that is."

"Good," Roxie replied. "You do that."