Roxie came out of school the next day and saw a familiar car waiting for her. She rolled her eyes.
"Isn't that your daddy's car?" Her friend Charlie asked.
Roxie nodded. "Uh-huh. He probably wants something." They walked over to Klaus' car where he stood waiting. "Why are you here?" She asked. "Does Mommy know?"
Klaus nodded. "Your mother has to go out of town over night, so I'm picking you up today."
He smiled at Charlie. "Roxanne, would you introduce me to your friend?"
Roxie lowered her eyes. "Okay...Daddy, this is Charlie. I know her from Enid's."
Charlie nodded. "My real name's Charlotte...after my mommy who tried to kill me." She winced.
"So where did Mommy go?" Roxie asked.
"Just to visit a friend."
Roxie's eyes narrowed. "Are you telling me the truth?"
Klaus shook his head. "No."
Roxie put her hands on her hips. "So why did you really come?"
Klaus got down on his knees. "I came because Vanessa is dead and your mother is gone and Adrian moved to another house, so I'm very lonely all by myself. Will you come and keep me company?"
Just then, Charlie's father came to pick her up. Roxie waved goodbye and turned back to Klaus. "I don't know, Daddy."
Klaus' eyes were really big now. "Please? I'm really sorry about Vanessa."
Roxie watched him suspiciously for a bit, then her expression lightened. "Okay, I'll come with you. But only for tonight, okay? I'm not coming forever."
Klaus took her in his arms and hugged her. "That's all right with me."

When they pulled apart, he opened the door to the passenger's seat and she started to climb in, but wasn't tall enough, so she turned to Klaus with appealing eyes. "Would you help me, please?"

Klaus grinned and lifted her up onto the seat. "Of course I will. You know that." They began to drive back to the house when Roxie said, "Does Mommy know you're taking me?"

Klaus shook his head. "Not at the moment, but we can call her when we get home."

Roxie nodded. "We should do that so she doesn't worry. She's crazy when she worries."

After that, Klaus turned on the radio and they sang along for awhile. And when they were cut off by a man in a red truck, Roxie swore at him as loudly as Klaus did. When it was all over, she blushed a little. "Don't tell Mommy I did that. She doesn't like it."

Klaus grinned and nodded. "It'll be our secret."

They got home and were met by silence. "What happened to Rusty?" Roxie inquired.

"Oh," Klaus thought a moment. "Adrian must of took Rusty to live with him at his house, but I'm sure if we asked Aunt Anna, she'd get you another puppy."

Roxie nodded. "She does have a lot of them." She went to sit down in front of the television. Klaus brought her a blood bag and sat next to her. "What are we watching?"

Roxie shrugged. "I don't know. Cartoons, maybe."

They watched cartoons and got so involved with them that they forgot to call Selina and tell her where Roxie was.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Selina cried out when Damon told her that he'd gone to school to pick up Roxie and take her to Enid's, but she hadn't been there. "She can't just be gone! She has to be somewhere!"

Damon nodded. "I know, but not at the school. I waited for quite awhile."

Selina sat down and sighed. "I know. I'm not blaming you. So, where should we look next?"

"Well," Damon said after a moment, "my first thought would be to call Klaus and asked if he knows. Because maybe he does. I don't know."

Selina stood up. "You know, you're right! He probably took her. I think I'll go and ask him right now. But first, I need to stop off at Stefan and Anna's."

"Why?" Damon called after her.

"For back-up," she said simply. "There's no way I'm going to be able to go through this without back-up."

"You want me to what?" Anna asked Selina once she'd invited her inside and sat her down on the sofa.

"I have to go and confront your brother and I need you to come with me." Selina said.

Anna hiked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It's the principle of the thing, Anna!" Selina cried. "If I go and confront your brother all by myself, you know what will probably happen?"

"Let me think," Anna said, kicking off her black kitten heels and shifting on the sofa. "You and Nick will have the first meaningful conversation you've had in over a year? I mean, I was all for you leaving when Nick first cheated on you with Vanessa. It was justified. You had to stand up for yourself. And the same thing with sending Roxie away. But personally, now that Vanessa is dead, It all seems a bit spiteful."

Selina looked at her incredulously. "How can you say I'm being spiteful? I only want to do what's best for my daughter. And I'm not in the mood to be seduced by your lothario of a brother, which is exactly what he will try to pull if we are left alone together for more than two seconds."

"Roxie's not just yours," Anna said gently. "She's both yours and Nick's, so you can't decide everything. You have to let all this go!"

Selina shook her head. "No, I don't. I like things right where they are and I intend to keep them there. I don't want Roxie to get hurt like I did."

"And that's not going to happen," Anna said. "You think Nick keeps an extra kid on the side that he sneaks away to see on the weekends?"

Selina glared. "You might think I'm being silly, but I assure you that my brain is full of sound logic. So, are you going to come with me, or not?"

"No," Anna said flatly.

Just then, Stefan came in. "Oh, hi, Selina. What are you two talking about?"

Selina stood up and grabbed his arm. "We were talking about how you're going to come with me to help me stay strong when I confront my scumbag husband."

"What?" Stefan asked. "I don't remember volunteering for this."

"There's a bar across the street and tonight's ladies' night so you can have all the girls you want. Is that payback enough?" Selina asked through her teeth.

Stefan nodded and let himself be pulled to Selina's car. "Works for me!"

"So how do you want to do this?" Stefan asked as they stood in front of the closed front door of Selina and Klaus' house. "Do you want to just barge in, or try and be sneaky about it?"

"I'll knock," Selina told him. "And remember: your purpose is to not leave me alone with Klaus for a second."

Stefan grinned. "You're scared of him, aren't you?"

Selina scoffed and shook her head. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm not scared of him!"

"Well then, why don't you just go in there yourself and see what happens?" He began clucking softly.

Selina gave him a smack. "Oh, shut up! Fine, I'll go. But if anything bad happens, it's so your fault!"

Stefan just shook his head. "And if something good happens, will you thank me?"

Selina just rolled her eyes and opened the door. She stepped inside and called out, "Is anybody home?"

Just then, Roxie came running in. "Hi, Mommy! Daddy picked me up from school today and..." She frowned. "Daddy said you were supposed to be out of town until tomorrow."

Selina shook her head. "No, I've been here all the time and when Damon came to pick you up from school and you weren't there, we were very worried."

Roxie nodded. "I'm sorry, but Daddy said you were out of town and that it would be okay for me to go home with him. Am I in trouble?"

Selina sighed and hugged her. "No, you aren't. It wasn't your fault."

Stefan reached out for Roxie's hand. "Do you want to come home with me so your mommy and daddy have a chance to talk?"

Roxie nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Adrian took Rusty to his house and I want to talk to Aunt Anna about getting a new puppy!"

"Wait!" Selina called as they left. "Don't leave me here!"

"Why not?"

She turned. Klaus stood against the entryway of the kitchen with his arms crossed. He wasn't wearing a shirt. "Good to see you, love. It's been awhile."

Selina tried to keep her eyes off him. "I came here to talk about Roxie and I don't want any funny business. And don't call me love."

Klaus nodded. "Okay, fine. Let's go in the kitchen and talk."

Selina moved her head toward him a little. "But first," she said quietly, "Would you mind putting on a shirt?"

He grinned. "No, I don't think I will. Now, what did you want to talk about with Roxie?"

Selina took a deep breath. "How could you just take her away from school like that? I was worried sick! Couldn't you at least have called me?"

"We meant to," he said. "But then we got to watching cartoons, and they were so fascinating that we just sort of...forgot about you."

Selina nodded. "Yep, that's right. This is exactly the kind of irresponsible behavior I wanted to protect her from when I sent her away. You just completely ignored my wishes, didn't you? Does what I want not matter to you anymore?"

His eyes were hard. "I think it's mattered for the last year. But I'm done. Now, we're going to talk about what I want. First, I am going to see Roxie whenever I want. She's my daughter too. That's the main thing. But then there are other things, too. Things that have to do with you and the fact that you have a stick shoved so far up your ass that you seem to have completely lost track of who you are!"

Selina frowned. "Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," he said, "You've gone completely off your nut, haven't you? Thinking with your head all the time! That brain of yours has completely turned you against me. We used to be happy until the two of us started thinking...me wanting to take over the world and you...you letting yourself get so angry that you deprived yourself of the one thing your body needs."

"Oh, that," Selina shook her head. "I've been having plenty of sex, thank you. And I'm sure you have too. And don't think that just because you come down here and say you're sorry with out a shirt on, that means I'm going forgive you for cheating on me."

Klaus grinned. "Oh, so the lady wants to play hardball." He reached for his pants and started to remove them. "Stop!" Selina cried out. "If you remove your pants, I'm just going to...it's too much."

Klaus nodded. "I suppose. But you did miss me then?"

Selina sighed. "Parts of me did miss you...maybe." She looked at him like he was a wild animal about to bite.

Klaus laughed. "My goodness, you are so stubborn." He went up to her and began running his fingers through her hair. "I love this hair. The way it bounces around when we..."

"Stop!" Selina said again. "Stop coming on so strong!"

His fingers trailed out of her hair. "All right, kiss me then."

"What?" Selina asked.

"You heard me," he said. "Just one kiss. And if you don't feel anything, you can hate me for another year, but if you feel something, you'll come home."

Selina thought a moment. "Okay. I suppose I could do that."

"And you have to try," he said. "You can't hold back just to spite me."

"Okay, okay," Selina nodded. "I won't."

The first time, they kissed lightly. Then again, for a little longer. It went on and on until finally, they found themselves in bed together. After awhile, Selina sat up. "I guess it's good that Stefan took Roxie away," she said.

Klaus kissed her shoulder. "Oh, yes. No interruptions is nice." Then, he went for her lips. "See? This isn't so bad, is it?"

Selina lay back down. "No, I guess not."

He began rubbing her stomach. "That other guy you were with, was he as good as me?"

Selina shook her head. "Nobody's as good as you. Even though I try to stay away from inflating your head too much, I have to give you that."

Klaus smiled. "You're too kind."

She leaned against him. "Nothing could ruin this now."

Just then, they heard a knock on the bedroom door. "Can we talk?" Adrian called.

"Just a minute," Klaus called back. "Let us get dressed."

" 'Us'?" Adrian asked. "Who have you got in there?"

"Your mother."

"Hello, Adrian!" Selina said.

"Mom?" Adrian asked. "When did you get here?"

"Hours ago," Selina said. "We'll be out in a jiff."

Klaus and Selina dressed and met Adrian in the living room. "So what's going on?" Klaus asked. "Are things any better with you and Helene?"

"Possibly," Adrian nodded. "You'll never guess what she asked me."

"To help her pick a china pattern?" Selina guessed.

"No," Adrian shook his head. "She's seeing someone else at the moment."

"She is?" Selina grimaced. "Oh, Adrian. I'm so sorry."

"Oh, it's okay," Adrian said. "He was recently turned into a vampire, and Helene doesn't know how to deal with him so she asked me to help train him. I took her up on it."

"Do you know who turned him?" Selina asked Adrian, looking at him suspiciously. "Was it you?"

"No, Mom! Helene asked me that too, with that same look on her face. I had absolutely nothing to do with Helene's stupid boyfriend Hanz turning into a vampire." Adrian frowned. "Helene says she wants to figure out who did, though. I don't blame her."

Selina leaned forward and put her hands on her denim-covered lap. "So is that all you came to tell us? That Helene's boyfriend was turned into a vampire?"

Adrian nodded. "Yep. And that he and Helene are moving in with me, so, you know if you come to visit and see someone you never met before, you know who it is."

"Oh," Selina said. "Well that's thoughtful. Thank you."

They sat in silence for a moment, then Adrian stood up. "I think I'll be getting home now. I assume the two of you want to get back to what you were doing before I came?"

Klaus and Selina looked at one another. "Goodnight, Adrian," they said together.

When Adrian got home, he found Helene standing nervously by the front door. "Are you all right?" He asked her. "Did something happen? Did he try to attack you?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "I gave him one of the blood bags from the freezer and he's been keeping to himself ever since. But I don't know about this living arrangement."

"Why?" Adrian asked. "You were the one who came up with it."

"I know,' Helene said. "But don't you think it might be a little awkward? I mean, I'm dating a new guy, but living with you...we lost our virginity to each other for crying out loud!"

Adrian grinned. "I know that. I remember. It put you in the hospital."

Helene bit her lip and nodded. "I know, but that was really my fault, right? Oh, and Rusty's downstairs. He was walking around the apartment until Hanz tried to eat him."

Adrian burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right? Dogs don't even taste good!"

Helene sighed. "I know, but that's what you're supposed to teach him."

Just then, Hanz came in, clutching the empty blood bag in one hand. "I finished this. Could I have another one? Or..." He saw Adrian and brightened up. "Good, you're back! Now we can go out for some of the real stuff. Have you eaten? There's this nice little bistro downtown I always wanted to try."

Adrian frowned. "You've been dead. "How do you know what's downtown?"

Hanz shrugged. "I don't know. I've been around. Cemeteries aren't the most cheerful places." He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with the words "So What?" in the front in solid black letters. "So, are we going to eat or not?"

"In a minute," Adrian said. "Give me a chance to catch my breath."

"He was at his Dad's," Helene told Hanz. Then she looked at Adrian. "Were you treated to another night of conversation about how lonely your dad is?"

"No," Adrian ran his hands through his hair. "He was pretty unlonely actually. Mom's back."

Helene brightened. "Really? Adrian, that's great!" She hugged him and Adrian had to concentrate with all his might to do nothing but just hug her back.

Hanz was glaring. "I'm hungry! If you don't take me out now, I'll go by myself and meet your nice neighbors across the street."

"Okay, okay." Adrian let Helene go. "But first, I have to ask: doesn't it seem strange to you that you're still here?"

"No," Hanz shook his head. "Vanessa and Enid brought me back."

"I meant that you're a vampire," Adrian said. "I assume you weren't one before."

"No," Hanz shook his head. "All my siblings and myself died of consumption, but nobody was a vampire, although some of the more superstitious thought my sister Myna was."

"Ah," Adrian said. "Now, do you remember what happened before you died?"

Hanz sighed. "If I tell you, can we go to eat after?"

"Yes," Adrian said. "Now, talk to me."

"Well," Hanz said thoughtfully, "I was going to meet Helene for a date and I decided to take a shortcut to the restaurant through the cemetery, but then it got really cold and I heard voices. I thought someone was chasing me, so I started running, but then I tripped and hit my head on a tombstone. Then, just before I passed out, I thought I saw my sister Myna's face hovering over me. I assume it was because she was the member of my family sent to bring me up to heaven. Then, next thing I know, I'm back in my bed at home and Helene's bending over me and asking if I'm okay. Her wrist was covered in blood and I felt warmth at the side of my mouth. I reached up and saw it on my fingers. She told me that I'd become a vampire somehow."

Adrian sighed. "All right, let's go eat, then. Helene, would you ask your dad and mom to look up Hanz' sister and that whole vampire affair? See if they can find anything significant?"

Helene nodded. "Sure. I'll follow you two out."

They left the house and Adrian and Hanz went down one side of the street and Helene began walking down the other. Finally, she reached her house. She knocked on the door. A few minutes later, her father answered. "What do you want?" He asked.

"Can I come in?"

Alistair sighed. "I suppose."

He let her in. The house was warm. They sat down at the kitchen table and he peered at her. "So, is there a problem?"

Helene nodded. "My boyfriend Hanz is a vampire now. Adrian asked him about it and I think he believes that something fishy is going on. Hanz told me that he grew up in this area around 1894. Do you remember anything weird in the papers? I mean, I know you didn't live here around then, but...anything? Hanz said something about a vampire scare."

Alistair shrugged. "No, not really. But I can start looking in the books for you. Of course that's all I can do, since my magic seems to have hit a snag. Try out yours too and see if it still works."

Helene nodded. "And Dad...are you still mad about what I did? Getting a new body, I mean? I know it's not exactly the most correct thing to do, but..."

Alistair sighed. "The part of me that grew up hearing I should always uphold and adhere to magical law is miffed, but the part of me that is your father is in my own way pleased you did it. It was way too soon for you." He kissed her forehead."

She grinned. "Thanks."

Just then, Astrid came in. Helene decided to ask her, too. "Mom, do you recall reading anything about vampire attacks in this area, specifically pertaining to a girl named Myna Lutze?"

Astrid looked up at her. "Don't try to handle Hanz yourself. It'll just lead to trouble."

Helene's eyes widened. "Will I be in danger of dying again?"

Astrid shook her head. "No. But make sure you stay near Adrian. He will be one of the few who can save you from a fate worse then death."

Helene nodded. "Okay, I will. Now, about Myna Lutze...?"

Astrid sighed. "She is death. Watch out for yourself."

Then, Astrid got up and left the kitchen. Alistair and Helene looked at one another. They didn't know what to say.

A week later, Klaus and Selina returned home to find something distressing. They entered their house and found it torn apart. The couch cushions had been ripped to pieces, furniture had been upended, and the entire house smelled like fresh blood. "I'll go upstairs," Selina said. "Make sure all the valuables are safe and whatnot."

Klaus nodded and continued looking around the bottom floor. The rest of it was as messy as the living room. Then, he heard Selina scream, a shriek that echoed all through the house. He ran up the stairs and found her gesturing at a row of doors on the third floor of the house. The rooms where his hybrids were staying until he needed them. "What is it?" He asked anxiously.

Selina was hyperventiliating. "Open all the doors and see," she said. He opened each door and found every one of his hybrids dead and headless. "Who did this?" He demanded.

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. Someone who seems to have it in for you?"

"Yes, well..." He turned away from her. "I have to fight back, now don't I? And I know just where I can go to get potential hybrids at a moment's notice."

Selina had a bad feeling in her stomach, but she just nodded. "Good luck."

He strode out angrily, grabbed some of Selina's blood to complete the transformation, went and got himself hammered at a nearby bar and then went to Enid's. He opened the door and initially, everyone was pleased to see him. He sat down at the bar. "I would ask what I can get you," Pete told him. But it seems like you've had enough."

"I don't need anything to drink," Klaus said, grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor. "But I would love to give you something." He got out some of Selina's blood and shoved it down Pete's throat. Then he grabbed a long, sharp knife off the bar and shoved it into Pete's gut, laying him out behind the bar to heal. He managed to do this to six others before things went wrong. As he was laying out the seventh body, he looked up and saw Roxie's friend Vince. He was young, but Klaus still remembered how his parents had tortured Roxie and how Vince himself had committed wrongs against her. Klaus sped over to him and put him in a chokehold and was about to feed him the blood when he heard a voice cry out "No!" A speeding shape pushed Vince out of Klaus' arms and knocked Selina's blood to the floor. Klaus looked down. Roxie was lying over him protectively.

"Move out of the way, Roxanne," he said quietly. Roxie locked eyes with him and shook her head. "No, Daddy. I won't. He's my friend. Go home now. I don't ever want to see you again."

Klaus burst out laughing. "You don't really mean that."

Roxie nodded. "I do. Leave. Now."

So Klaus left, taking his new hybrids with him. Then, he waited for her to call to be brought home. But she didn't.

And ten years later, it was still the same. He tried to keep up contact with her, but to no avail. It wasn't that she didn't read his letters, she did. But mostly they just made her sad. She read them late at night while she sat perched on the jungle gym of the nearby playground with the moon as her only source of light. But tonight, she was interrupted.

"You shouldn't read in the dark like that. It'll ruin your eyesight."

She looked up, rubbing tears from her eyes. "I don't care, Vince. I really don't care. Everything else is ruined, so why not my eyesight?"

He got off his red motorcycle, parked next to her hot pink one and went to stand underneath her. "It's a good thing for you that you're wearing pants," he said. "Otherwise, I'd have quite a view."

Roxie laughed a little. "Oh, shut up."

He sighed. "So you got another letter from your father, huh?"

She nodded. "I haven't answered one in ten years and he still keeps writing. When will he get the hint and just leave me alone?"

Vince sighed. "Was what your father did really wrong?"

Roxie gripped the letter and looked at him in shock. "What?"

Vince shrugged. "I mean, he didn't kill anybody, did he? He just made the lucky few better. Uncle Pete writes to me sometimes, tells me that he doesn't have to turn at the full moon anymore. I wish I could have been that lucky."

"No," Roxie said quickly. "No, you don't. I saved you from what my father had in store for the others. Would voluntary transformation be enough of a payoff for being my father's lapdog for the rest of eternity?"

Vince grinned. "I don't know. You've been there. You tell me."

"You can't compare my former relationship with my father to being a hybrid. You just can't," Roxie said.

"Why did you save me?" He asked her. "What made me so special?"

Roxie shrugged. "Well, you saved me before. I wanted to return the favor."

"Or," Vince asked, "Did you 'save me' so you'd always be me more powerful? Could it be that your little act of charity was just another attempt of yours to keep me from my full potential?"

Roxie shook her head. "Of course not! Vince, where is all this coming from?"

He snatched the letter out of her hand. "Where's the envelope?" He demanded.

Roxie sighed. "It's in my bike. Why?"

"I'm going to tell your father that I want to cut a deal," Vince said. Then, before she could say anything else, he got on his bike and rode away.