Selina woke up slowly. There was heat on her face and light in her eyes. She flinched away from it. She sat up slowly and looked around. She was in a moving car heading...somewhere.
"Good morning, Sleepyhead!"
Selina froze. She knew that voice. And the chirpy one that spoke next: "It's about time too. We thought you were never going to wake up!"
Selina turned around slowly. Her head was throbbing. "Roxanne, what are you doing? Does anyone know you're here?"
Her daughter was blurry. She blinked a few times and Roxie came into focus.
"Nope!" Roxie said proudly. "I ran away."
Damon grinned. "I picked her up yesterday, at the restaurant right after they brought you out. She said both her parents were dead and she wanted an adventure."
Roxie giggled.
Selina frowned. "Her parents aren't dead! For crying out loud, I am her mother!"
Damon's eyes widened and he put a foot down on the brake. "Really? I thought she looked familiar."
Selina nodded. "Yeah, well now that you know, I'd like to be taken home. I can't be here like this and neither can Roxie."
Roxie shook her head. "We can't do that. We have somewhere to be getting to."
Damon nodded. "I need to have a chat with some of your more esteemed werewolf relatives. Apparently, a bunch are causing trouble."
Selina frowned. "What makes you so sure you can do anything? You just want to cause trouble, don't you? You're going to get yourself killed!"
Roxie nodded her head. "That's why he brought us along. I think it'll be fun."
Selina shook her head. "Not all of my relatives are like Uncle Jake. Some of them are worse. You'll see."
Damon chucked her under the chin. "What happend to you? You used to be fun!"

Selina's lip twitched and she frowned and pushed Damon's hand away. "I'm still fun!" She protested. "But growing up around my family gives a person a healthy unappreciation of family togetherness." Damon nodded. "I guess. I mean you and your mother weren't exactly the best of friends, were you?" Roxie spoke up from the backseat. "Did Grandma make you do lots of boring stuff you didn't want to do?"

Selina nodded. "She did...sometimes. But usually, she only had my best interests at heart." Damon smirked. "Oh, you mean like when she made you sign up to be in the Miss Mystic Falls pageant? Which best interest of yours was that based on?"

Roxie leaned closer to Selina. "What's the Miss Mystic Falls pageant?"

Selina rubbed her temples and rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. Just a competition where girls are forced into stupid pastel colored dresses and then spend hours and hours doing their hair because they think that will make them look 'pretty.' Then they're paraded around to be judged like breeding stock, all the while encouraging the vapid, shallow female stereotype." She paused. "And I do NOT make you do lots of boring stuff you don't want to do!"

"Can I be in a beauty pageant then?"

Selina shook her head. "No, you can't. It's bad for you."

Roxie unbuckled her seatbelt and got up on her knees in the backseat. "But I want to be in a beauty pageant!"

Selina narrowed her eyes at Damon. "Good going," she whispered. Damon's eyes widened and he shrugged at her. Selina turned to Roxie. "Put your seatbelt on," she said. "If you don't and we crash, you'll go through the window." Roxie bounced a little. "But it won't kill me." Selina shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I don't care. Just put on your damn seatbelt! Or else I will tie you to the top of the car again." Roxie's mouth drooped.

"Okay." She did up her seatbelt and looked at Damon. "Where are we going?"

"We have to stop off at the house first," Damon said, looking at Selina. "Stefan might be there, though. And Anna too. I hope not though. That'll just make things more difficult."

Selina nodded. "And how's Margaret?"

Damon sighed heavily. "She's the reason why we have to go to the house. I found her dead on the front steps this morning. It looked like werewolves had gotten to her."

Selina winced and turned to Roxie. "Speaking of werewolves, I assume your father doesn't know you ran away?"

Roxie shook her head. "No, he doesn't."

"But why did you do it?"

Roxie pouted. "He doesn't care about me anymore! I went in to tell him good morning, and he was in bed with Vanessa and they weren't wearing anything! She yelled at me and told me to go outside and play and not come back. So I did."

Selina growled, giving Damon a look. "After we stop off to have a look at Margaret, we have to go somewhere else, I'll tell you where."

Damon nodded and Roxie looked eager. "Are you talking about Enid's?"

Selina nodded. "Yes, I'm talking about Enid's. Maybe she can give us some hints about what to do about Vanessa."

They arrived at the boardinghouse awhile later. By then, Selina's headache had worsened and even Damon was on edge from all the times Roxie had asked "Are we there yet?" He put his foot down hard on the brake as they reached the front of the house. Roxie's head banged against the back of Damon's seat and she sat up, rubbing the bump. But she stayed quiet.

Damon opened the door for Selina and she got out and surveyed the house. "Never thought I would come back here again. And we burned down Doctor Stensrund's place when we left, so that's gone." Her eyes found a car at the side of the house. "Oh, no. Anna is here." She winced at the sight of the blue Porsche. "This will just be jolly."

"This is good, actually," Damon said. "We can keep Roxie here and let Stefan and Anna watch her while you and I go see this Enid person you're talking about. And speaking of talking, does Roxie ever stop?"

Selina sighed and shook her head. "No, not really. She's a bit of a handful. Well, for me anyway. She and Klaus get along very well."

Damon shook his head. "I can't believe you went off and had kids with him."

"Well, it wasn't like I wanted to!" Selina's voice was now defensive and shrill. "My reasons for leaving had to do with my being a werewolf, so you would understand none of them!" They reached the front step and Stefan opened the door. "Well this is a surprise," he said. "Well, you're being here I mean, Selina. Not the two of you fighting. Sometimes, it seemed like that's all you ever did. And nothing's changed."

Selina frowned. "Yeah, well shut up and let us in. And Roxie's in the backseat of the car, nursing a headbump. She should be along any minute, weeping loudly and throwing herself into your arms to get sympathy."

Stefan narrowed his eyes and gestured for them to come in. "Since you asked so nicely. Come on in. I'll go have a look at Roxie."

"You do that," Selina said. "She'll enjoy that." And sure enough, a few minutes later, she heard Roxie complaining loudly to Stefan about how certain people were big meanies who hurt her, not to mention very bad drivers. "They should take his license away!" She chirped. "He could hurt somebody!"

Damon put his head on Selina's shoulder. "Why didn't I just leave her at the bar? Although I suppose any idea is a good idea when you have five or six drinks in you."

Selina ran her fingers through his hair. "It's not your fault. She tricks lots of people that way."

Roxie hit her with a pillow. "That's not true. Everybody loves me!"

Just then, Anna came in from the kitchen, giving Roxie a hug. "How are you?"

Roxie assumed a tragic expression. "Not good. I don't think Daddy loves me anymore."

Anna looked up at Selina. "And why's that?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. I've been unconscious for two days. But last I remember, he and I were out at dinner, and then Vanessa showed up, and that's never a good thing-"

But Anna was ignoring her now and looking back at Roxie. "It's okay. We'll find a way to distract you. I'll show you something really great."

But Roxie shook her head. "Sorry, I can't do that. We're going to Enid's."

"Actually," Selina said, "I was thinking that Roxie could stay here with the two of you while Damon and I go talk to Enid. That is, if the two of you don't mind."

Anna looked at Stefan. "No, I don't mind. Do you?"

Stefan shook his head. "Of course not. Roxie can come hunting with me. I was just about to go."

Selina stood up quickly. "Well that's all settled then."

"But I want to go to the bar!" Roxie cried. "And have rum and Cokes like Mommy does!"

"Well you aren't old enough for those," Selina said. "And besides, if you come with us, you'll probably have to deal with Vince, and do you really want that?"

Roxie stuck out her tongue. "Oh, hell no!"

Selina frowned. "Where did you learn to talk like that?"

Roxie grinned. "From Daddy."

Selina rolled her eyes. "It figures."

"Who's Vince?" Damon asked. "Is he her boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Roxie exploded. "He's a stupid boy who likes to do mean things to me for no good reason."

Selina shook her head. "Oh, I'm sure there's a reason. Anyway, now that you're being watched, we'll be on our way."

Damon gave her a look. "Don't you want to see Margaret?"

Selina shut her eyes. "I guess. Where is she?"

Damon pointed. "On the back steps."

"Actually, I moved her," Anna said. "Now she's in the kitchen."

"Oh, my god," Selina told her. "Is that really sanitary to have a dead body in the kitchen?"

Anna grinned. "Of course. That's why she's not exactly dead anymore."

Damon's eyes widened. "What did you do!"

Anna shrugged. "Nothing much. Just a little reanimation spell. This is a big house and somebody has to make sure it stays clean."

Damon shut his eyes.

"You want a drink?" Selina asked. "Or a lot of them? I wouldn't mind a few myself."

Damon nodded. "Yeah, but not here."

They left to the sound of Roxie talking happily with Stefan: "I like going hunting with you. Mommy never lets me go after people, even though Daddy says it's okay."

When they were back on the road again, Damon asked, "So what exactly is this Enid's anyway?"

Selina cleared her throat. "Well, in a nutshell, Enid is the being that created werewolves. She's thousands of years old, but you wouldn't think it to look at her. And her place is a bar, but it caters chiefly to werewolves. Generally if you aren't one, they don't let you in unless you know somebody."

Damon nodded. "Well, it's a good thing I do, then."

Selina continued. "And Vanessa, the woman that Roxie was talking about earlier, she created vampires. It was all part of some competition between them and their sister Hazel to see who could have the best use of magic and become head of their tribe of witches." Her hands balled into fists. "I hate her so much! Even though Enid took her powers away, she still manages to be a big pain in my ass on a daily basis."

"So witches created the other races," Damon said thoughtfully. "No wonder they act like they can rule over everything."

Selina gave him directions to Enid's, and when they arrived, Selina feared for a moment that they were going to get stopped for questioning, but once the guards at the door saw her, they just waved her and Damon on inside.

Inside, everything was much quieter than usual. Pete stood behind the bar, watching a little TV. On the screen were scenes of absolute carnage. "What is that?" Selina asked.

Pete looked up. "I'm glad you're here," he said. "Enid found out about Vanessa and Klaus. What they're doing, I mean."

Selina sat on one of the barstools. "And just what are they doing? Does Enid have any idea about how to stop it?"

Pete shook his head. "I don't know. She's not here right now. She left to go look for them this morning. I don't know how successful she'll be, though. Vanessa's been killing werewolves right and left. That's her plan. To get rid of most if not all the werewolves so that the vampires are supreme and then make Klaus' werewolf side dormant so that the two of them can rule the world."

Selina shook her head. "I don't think he'll go for that. He loves his werewolf side too much to just give it up. Even for Vanessa. Or at least I hope he does."

Pete looked at them and sighed. "Well, nothing to wash away sorrows like alcohol. What will you two be having?"

Selina grinned. "Two or three of my usual, please."

Pete nodded, looking at Damon. "And what exactly is it that vampires like to drink? I wouldn't know, seeing as we don't get too many in here."

"Bourbon," Damon said immediately. "Same number as Selina's."

Pete nodded. Once they had their drinks, he turned the television on again. "They've been in the neighboring areas. Makes me curious why they didn't just start here."

Selina took a drink. "Probably because this is all Vanessa's doing and she figured that if she came here first, Enid would stop her from the get go. If she started in other places, then she'd at least be able to get a few kills in. Klaus would never kill like that. It would completely defeat his desire to make hybrids if all the werewolves in the world were dead." She paused. "That's a bit of hope for me, isn't it? That could be a sign of eventual dissention in the ranks."

"Oh," Damon frowned. "So you still want him to come back."

Selina stood up. "I do. I told you that you wouldn't understand."

Damon shook his head. "What I don't understand is how you can be with somebody like that. It's been twenty years. He's probably bored with you."

Selina narrowed her eyes. "It's not like your track record's clean. If you hadn't run off with Katherine, then none of this would have happened at all!"

He stood up. "Yeah, well-" Then he stopped talking and took another drink of bourbon.

Just then, the door to the bar opened again. Selina turned on her stool and nearly choked on her drink as Klaus strode into the bar. He grinned at her. "Hello, love."

"Well," Selina put her glass down and spoke dismissively. "Glad to see you found the strength to get out of bed this morning. I didn't think Vanessa would let you. Have the two of you had a good time while I've been unconscious?"

Klaus frowned. "Well, I meant to come look for you, but-"

Selina shook her head. "You know what? Save it. I don't want to hear anymore and I don't have to."

"I didn't come here to pick a fight with you, actually," Klaus said. "I just wondered if anyone knew where Roxie went."

"Oh," Damon sat up now. "You mean that brat who just won't shut up? We left her at-" Selina elbowed him in the gut before he could finish the sentence. "She ran away," Selina said. "She doesn't think you love her anymore, and frankly, with what's going on between you and Vanessa, I don't know if I want her near you anyway, so you'll never know where she is. Deal with it."

He stared at her angrily for a few seconds and then burst into cold, cruel laughter. Then he began running his fingers through her hair. "Maybe we should talk about this," he said. "Enid's apartment is empty. Maybe we could do it up there."

Selina shivered. She didn't feel so brave now. Then she took another swig of rum and Coke, sneezed from the bubbles and looked up at him, prepared to say something that would make him go away. But Damon got up first. "Or you could go," he said. "Roxie's not here, so I don't know why you are."

Klaus turned. "You could tell me what she won't," he said, locking eyes with Damon. "Go ahead. And if you don't tell me, I'll make sure to find some way that will make you very anxious to tell me what I want to know. He grabbed a matchbox off the bar and took one of the matches out, twisting it around between thumb and forefinger and looking at it thoughtfully. "Such a simple device," he mused. "Yet, once you strike it, the fire it creates can level a building in just a few minutes. People, however, take a little longer. Why don't you show us?"

He lit the match and gave it to Damon, who put it near his jacket. Selina shook her head. "No, don't you dare!"

"Oh," Klaus said, raising an eyebrow. "So you would rather talk. Maybe, have a drink?" He eyed her hopefully. "There's no one home. It's much quieter there."

Selina sighed. "Fine. But talking's all we're doing. I'm not drinking around you right now."

As they got up to leave, Damon protested again. Selina shushed him and promised she'd be back, and then followed Klaus out to his car where she sat in the backseat. "All right, let's talk. Best to get it over with right away. Even though, of course, I don't plan to tell you anything."

"I don't see why not," he said. "What is it that you hope to gain by keeping Roxie from me?"

"Well," Selina said, "For starters, a thoughtful, intelligent, well-adjusted daughter."

Klaus looked in the review mirror and grinned. "I see you're in one of your moods again. I know how to fix that."

"No!" Selina shook her head quickly. "There is no mood that needs fixing!"

"Oh, yes there is," he said. "It's one of those times where you're mad at me for some trivial reason and you prefer to stay that way instead of letting me make you happy."

"That's a cheap shot," Selina said. "And it doesn't solve anything, by the way. At times like this, I just feel worse afterwards, so so much for your powers of seduction."

He just grinned at her and they drove the rest of the way back to the house in silence.

Once inside, they headed straight for the kitchen. "Can I get you anything?" He asked her, then paused. "Oh, I probably shouldn't. I saw how many empty glasses were in front of you."

"So?" Selina frowned. "What does that have to do with anything? I could still handle more."

He shook his head. "I don't think so." He took out a glass and then reached into the refrigerator and took out the milk, pouring her a glass. "Have this instead."

Selina looked down at the glass he held and smiled ruefully. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work."

Klaus shrugged and drank the milk himself, putting the empty glass next to the sink. "And just what is it that I'm trying to do?'

Selina crossed her arms. "You're trying to get me all worked up so I'll hit you and you'll hit me and then...but I'm sorry. That's not going to happen today."

"All right, then," he shrugged good-naturedly and sat down at the kitchen table. "Let's talk then." He pulled out the chair across from his and gestured to her. "You can have a seat if you want."

"Okay." Selina went to sit down, but missed the chair entirely the first time. She pulled herself up and sat down with her elbows on the table. "What do you want?"

"I just want to know why you're so against my plan," he said. "It will benefit you too, you know." He began unbuttoning his shirt. Then, he peeled it off and came to stand across from her. "How many people can say that they've had sex with the most powerful man in the world?"

Selina blinked. "I hate you." She got up and headed upstairs to the bedroom. He followed. "What's the matter?"

Selina sat on the bed. "Even if I did support this whole thing, it wouldn't do me any good at all. Roxie said she saw you and Vanessa in bed together the day she ran away and you weren't wearing anything!"

"Oh, that?" Klaus shook his head. "That wasn't anything. That was just business sex."

"Oh, psh! What the hell do you mean by business sex? Unless of course Vanessa was, you know, a prostitute or something. But I think even that's too kind of a term for her."

He sat down next to her. "Awww. Is somebody a little jealous, maybe?"

Selina nodded and started to lay her head on his shoulder, then she came back to herself. "No. No, I'm not going to do this! And why should I be jealous?"

Klaus looked at her keenly. "I don't know. Why are you?"

Selina shook her head. "I'm not. That's the point! So you and she can do whatever the hell you want, but don't expect me or Roxie or anyone to be involved in it with you."

She was headed toward the door when he sped over and blocked it. "Get away from the door," Selina snapped. "I have to be going."

Klaus grinned. "If you want me to move so badly, why don't you just make me?"

Selina groaned. Touching him at a time like this would be bad judgment, especially since he wasn't wearing a shirt. It would be the end of her. She hesitated. Then she growled. She was being ridiculous. She managed to make him budge a little, and then he grabbed her wrist firmly and refused to let go. Growling again she swung some punches at his midsection. A few of them landed. Then she struck his nose. He swore and clutched it.

Selina grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me kiss it and make it better."

She kissed him deeply, while he groaned about how much his nose hurt. Then, he pulled her to him and snuck his hand under her shirt.

She moaned. Then she took her hands, put them on his chest and shoved him against the wall, kissing him hard and unzipping him. He picked her up and carried her to their bed. She wriggled out of her skirt and her panties and they made love for a good long time. When they were done, it was dark. Selina pushed Klaus off her and turned on a light, getting out of bed and dressing. He opened his eyes and looked at her, grinning. "Now is there something you'd like to tell me after all that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," she said. "But not what you're thinking. I just want to say that this was nice and we should do it again some time." Then, she grabbed her jacket, put it on and strode out of the room.

Hanz had gotten his body back already, but Helene hadn't, so they mostly still hung out in the cemetery.

"Where are you buried, anyway?" He asked. "If you told Enid, I'm sure she'd get you your body back."

"Actually," Helene sat down. "I'm a bit more complicated than that. When I drowned, my body was washed away, so technically, I never was buried. I've been looking for a new body ever since. And I have one in mind, but that person is still alive, so I have to handle this carefully."

Hanz gave her a look. "You're going to rob someone of their life so you can have yours back again? Who is this woman and what did she do to deserve that?"

Helene looked away. "You're going to think it's stupid."

Hanz looked at her. "Please tell me. I won't laugh, I promise."

Helene sighed. "Well, thanks to this girl, the boy I liked before I died doesn't like me anymore."

"Oh." Hanz looked away. "So you feel that if you take the body of the girl he loves, he'll like you again?"

"Actually," Helene said cheerfully, "he'll probably hate me with a passion. But I don't care about him anymore, really. I just haven't seen any body I like better than hers. But afterward, I'll still be with you. I promise."

Hanz smiled and then Helene went off to Adrian's, where she found him and Tessa in bed together. Wincing, she opened the bedroom window and snuck through. Then, she squeezed herself into Tessa's body. Tessa woke up with a gasp. She was choking and coughing. Adrian was beside her, pulling on his pants and looking for a phone to call someone. Rusty and Rosie were barking like mad. Finally though, Tessa was still. A minute or so later, she opened her eyes. Adrian got down on his knees next to her. "Are you all right?" He asked. "I was worried sick there for a minute."

A grin crossed Tessa's features and she reached out gently to stroke his cheek. "I'll be fine now," she said. She kissed him and he ran a hand down her back. Then, once they pulled apart, she got out of bed and began dressing. "Where are you going?" Adrian asked.

"I just have to go away," she said. "I was wrong to ever be with you. I shouldn't have tried to steal you away."

"What?" Adrian cried. "Steal me away from whom?"

"Helene," Tessa said. "When you told me about her, she seemed like such a sweet girl. You shouldn't be like this with me. You should be celibate and honoring Helene's memory forever. I'll just have to find someone else, no matter how hard it will be. Goodbye, Adrian." At the end of this speech, the windows began rattling and one of them shattered.

Before Adrian could say another word, she left the room. Then, he heard a voice, Tessa's voice: "You didn't seriously think that was me, did you, Adrian?"

Adrian climbed into bed and put his face in his pillow. It was happening all over again.