At school the next day, Roxie parked her bike next to Vince's, wiped the dirt off her "IMNo.1" license plate, and headed inside. Charlie was waiting for her at her locker. "So, I saw Vince this morning. He seemed upset. Did the two of you have a fight?" Charlie pushed a wisp of strawberry blonde hair out of her eyes.
Roxie shook her head and wrestled with her lock. "It wasn't a fight, really. I just got another letter from my dad and...you know how I feel about those."
Charlie sighed. "Come on, don't you think you should let this thing with your dad go? I mean, he seems nice enough." Roxie turned and gave her a sour look. "He got drunk and ruined the lives of seven people at Enid's! One of them was Charlie's uncle! How am I supposed to deal with that? Just let it go?"
"Look," Charlie said. "Pete's not upset about it. Vince says he writes him all the time and tells him how good he has it."

"Oh, come on!" Roxie said. "Don't tell me you're falling for my father's stupid act too. He lures you in and things sound all good and nice, but then you realize that you've ruined your life! He's like Charles Manson!"
"It can't be that bad," Charlie said as they walked toward their first class. "You know a lot about werewolf family structure, don't you?"
Roxie nodded. "Yeah. Uncle Jake made notes and I read them."
"So you know that if a female werewolf whose parents were both werewolves before her has a daughter herself, there's a high chance that daughter will be killed by her mother?"
Roxie nodded. "Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"
Charlie sighed. "My mom tried to kill me when I was three. Dad broke it off with her, took me and got the hell away from her and I am not half as resentful toward my mom as you are toward your dad. He's written you every day for ten years. How about you give him a break and write back?"
Roxie squirmed. "I will when I'm ready."
They sat in their seats and Vince came to sit next to them. "Vince," Charlie asked, "Do you think Roxie should make up with her father?"
"I do," Vince nodded. "I think it would be better for all of us." Roxie narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "You are such an idiot," she whispered. Just then, their chemistry teacher came into the room.
"Good morning, class. I'd like to remind you that class will be cut short today because we have a pep rally."
She ignored the class' collective groans and ordered them to prepare for the day's experiment.
"On the bright side," Charlie whispered to Roxie, "Maybe someone will use the chemicals to blow up the school and we won't have to have the stupid pep rally."
"I doubt it," Vince whispered back. "We haven't won a game all year. We need all the help we can get."
Charlie and Roxie looked at him in surprised. "Not that I...care all that much," he finished, trying to look nonchalant.

Klaus looked up from the sofa as Selina came in with the mail. "Anything at all?" He asked hopefully.
Selina shook her head. "Nope, I'm sorry."
Klaus growled a little. "It's been ten years. I was drunk! What is the statute of limitations on that mistake?"
Selina sat next to him on the sofa and leaned against him. "I wish I could help you. I do."
He began stroking Selina's hair. "You know you could help me. She still talks to you. Tell her she has to come home."
Selina sat up. "Now that's exactly what we don't want to do if we want this to work. Let her work this out for herself. It'll be better for both of you if she does."
Klaus scoffed. "She's sixteen! Where's she living? Who's she living with? Is she surrounding herself with good people? How the hell should I know!"
Selina couldn't help laughing a little and he glared at her. "I'm sorry," she said. "But just listen to yourself. She's got quite a nice house, actually."
Selina went into the kitchen and grabbed some photos out of the drawer by the phone. "I meant to show you these, but I forgot. They're pictures of her house."
Klaus leafed through them. The house was made out of brick and the inside had an art deco look, lots of white, red and black. "I can't believe you just let her go off and live by herself."
"She's not living by herself," Selina reassured him. "Vince is living with her."
Klaus' eyes widened. "What? No! No, no, no! She's not living alone with some boy."
Selina rolled her eyes. "Do you think I would let her into something that I thought would be bad for her?"
Klaus was still glaring. "What's the address? I think I want to pay a visit. Maybe leave a little housewarming gift."
Selina put a restraining hand on his arm. "No way. We are going to find something to distract you if it kills both of us." That night, just before she went to bed, Selina went out onto the balconey and stared up at the stars."I usually don't believe in making wishes," she whispered. "But this is an emergency. Help me come up with some way to distract him, please. It'll be the only way to bring him and Roxie back together."
She stared at the sky until Klaus called her to bed. Then she went to tuck herself in and closed her eyes.

The next morning, Selina found herself in bed, alone and feeling extraordinarily...ordinary. Sighing, she sat up. Nothing had happened. She didn't know what she'd expected. A magic fairy waving a wand and making Roxie appear, perhaps. No such luck there. She got out of bed and put on her bathrobe, to go into the kitchen. "I'm scared to ask what you're going to do with yourself today," She said to Klaus.

He looked up at her. "I have no idea what you're referring to," he said and looked back down at the paper. They sat in silence for a few moments and then Selina put her coffee cup down. "Look, I know that you're upset about not seeing Roxie, but barging into her house and demanding she come home isn't the way to handle it."

He looked up at her again. "You said that already. And why shouldn't I at least go and have a look around? Isn't that what a responsible parent would do?"

Selina shook her head. "A responsible parent wouldn't let himself get as drunk as you did. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it."

Klaus stood up. "I don't have to lie in anything, and if I want to see Roxie, I'm going to see Roxie!" He began rifling around in the kitchen drawers for any envelope that might have Roxie's address on it.

Selina strode over and tried to pull him away from the drawer. "You're only making this worse for yourself. How about you stop looking for envelopes and come back to bed with me instead?"

Klaus didn't even look up. "Nope, sorry, pet, I can't. I have a more pressing engagement." He grinned as he found an envelope. "This will do nicely." Now he did look up at her. "You have a good day, darling, and expect one more for dinner tonight."

Then, he kissed her once, turned and headed out the door.

"Wait!" She said.

He turned. "What?"

"What's the point of going now?" She asked, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Roxie's at school."

Klaus came back inside the house again. "You're right, there really isn't a point in going now. What should we do while we wait?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. I was thinking of going and asking Susan to go to the museum with me. They're having this fabulous exhibit on antique quilts that I thought she might enjoy. If you don't want to come with us, I'm afraid you're on your own."

Klaus scoffed. "I'm sure if that's the best you can come up with, I'll be fine on my own."

Selina shrugged. "All right, but it's your loss."

She left the house and got into her car, and drove to Susan and Elijah's to try and avert catastrophe.

Susan opened the door in surprise when she saw Selina on the other side. "Is something the matter?"

Selina nodded. "Yes, and I desperately need your help!"

"What is it?" Susan asked. "Has someone been killed?"

Selina shook her head. "Klaus finally decided to take action about Roxie."

"You don't mean he's going to try and bring her home, do you?" Susan asked. "Even he isn't that stupid."

Selina shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid he is. He wants to go over as soon as she gets home from school. I have no doubt he wants to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and carry her out. It's all my fault, really. I was the one who told him that she had a male roommate."

Susan brushed her brown hair out of her eyes. "Would it help," she asked carefully, "If Elijah and I came along? Maybe we could keep things under control."

"Yes!" Selina said quickly. "That's what I was going for. Do you think he'd be up for it?"

"Up for what?" Just then, Elijah strode into the room.

"Oh," Selina said. "Just a gathering this evening. A party at Roxie's house."

Elijah grinned knowingly and went to pour himself a drink. "So Niklaus has finally decided that he can't be away from her any longer and has decided to storm the fortress, has he?" He brought Selina another drink, a double, and she took it gratefully. "Yep, that's about it," she nodded. "I'm going to tell her around her lunch hour. Break the news to her so she has time to prepare."

Elijah looked at Susan. "And we'll be glad to accompany you this evening. This should prove to be quite entertaing."

Susan nodded. "We had tickets to the opera, but I think it wouldn't be a problem to skip tonight."

Selina bit her lip. "As long as everyone gets out in one piece, then I'll be happy. And thank you so much. I almost feel better about this now."

At the lunch break, Roxie went into the bathroom and found a message on her phone from her mother. She clicked on it. It said: your father knows about Vince. he might come and visit. be prepared.

Roxie groaned. Her mother still didn't have a grip on texting lingo. She dialed the home number. When her mother answered, she said, "I got your message. What's this about Dad knowing about Vince?"

"I'm sorry," Selina said in a rush. "He was upset because you hadn't written and thought you were living a desolute live and I thought I should defend you, but it all ended up coming out. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Roxie sighed. "It's all right, Mom. It was only a matter of time. Is he coming right after school?"

"As soon as he can manage it, I'm afraid," Selina said. "But Uncle Elijah and Aunt Susan are coming too. That should keep things calm...hopefully."

Roxie nodded. "All right, Mom. Thanks for the warning. Don't beat yourself up too much."

"I'll try not to." Selina's voice was quiet as Klaus entered the kitchen.

"Who are you talking to?" He asked her.

Selina took the phone away from her ear. "It's nobody, a salesman."

Klaus took the phone away. "Hello?"

The line was silent for a moment before Roxie said flatly, "Hello, Daddy."

Klaus grinned. "Roxie, darling! You've had me worried sick not talking to me for ten whole years!"

"Well, I haven't had much to say. Nothing that would be of interest to you, anyway."

"Oh, I think you're wrong about that," Klaus said. "Your mother told me about your new house and the boy you're living with. When we all come over tonight, I'd like to meet him."

"Oh, well gee, Dad. That's going to be difficult because Vince is out of town. He's going on a family vacation climbing in the Ozarks and won't be back for a week."

Klaus frowned. "You're lying to me, Roxanne. I don't like to be lied to."

"I'm not lying!" Roxie's voice was shrill. "He's really not going to be around!"

"We'll see about that," Klaus said. "Goodbye, darling. See you tonight." He turned off the phone and handed it to Selina. She was frowning at him. "You really didn't handle that very well. The first words to your daughter in ten years and once again you threaten the boy she likes."

Klaus brightened. "Oh, I've threatened him before? This should be an interesting reunion then."

Eventually, Selina decided to leave the house and go out to buy a new dress. "I could come with you," Klaus offered. "Give you my honest opinion. It really wouldn't be any trouble."

Selina pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't think you'd be the best judge, seeing as you prefer me with my outfits off rather than on."

Klaus smirked. "This is true, but that doesn't mean I don't have an opinion."

"No," Selina said. "Besides, you have plots to plot and I wouldn't want to take you away from those. I shouldn't be long, though."

She didn't come back until dark, just about an hour before they were supposed to leave for Roxie's. Klaus met her at the door.

Selina shrugged when he asked her where she'd been all day. "Well, you know how I am. I start at one store, and then I see a bunch of other things I have to buy, and before you know it, it's been hours."

Klaus gave her a long look. "Of course. Now, would you like me to help you dress, or..."

"I'll be fine, mostly," Selina said. "I'll call you when it's time for me to be zipped up."

Klaus sighed. "Oh, okay. But don't take too long."

Selina rolled her eyes and put her dress and shoes on and did up her hair. Just as she heard the doorbell ring, she called Klaus up to help her with her zipper.

"Did you linger over this?" He asked as he pulled it up after running warm fingers down her bare back.

"Yeah," She nodded and gazed at herself in the mirror. "I heard the doorbell and I didn't want to break our pattern." She turned back to him. "So, what do you think?"

He nodded at her dark blue and silver dress. "You didn't do too bad. Just one thing, though." He rifled around in her jewelry cabinet and pulled out a pair of diamond studs. "Wear these. They work nicely."

She nodded and was putting them on just as they heard a perfunctory knock on the door. "May I come in?" Susan called.

"Yes," Selina replied and went to open the door. Susan was wearing a black dress and her brown hair was up. "Elijah's waiting in the car," she said.

Selina nodded. "Well, let's go then. I don't see the point of stalling anymore."

At her house, Roxie was panicking. "I don't have much time!" She cried to Charlie. "What should I do now?"

Charlie looked like she wanted to laugh. "I don't see what the trouble is. They're your family, for crying out loud. Not a bunch of loan sharks you owe a debt to. Relax. Breathe." She breathed in and out deeply a few times, encouraging Roxie to do the same.

"You don't understand," Roxie said. "My family is full of the oldest vampires in the history of time! My dad and aunts and uncles are like, a thousand years old! They have weird old fashioned ideas, and if I don't play the straight and narrow so they think I'm living a responsible life, then I don't know what is going to happen!"

She flopped into a chair at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands. "I only hope Vince doesn't come back tonight. Dad wants to meet him, he wants to meet Dad. It wouldn't end well."

Charlie sat next to her. "You don't know that. Your dad could be on good behavior." She looked around the kitchen. "Everything is neat, you got food prepared, I don't know what more I can do for you."

Roxie grabbed her gently. "Please pretend you're my roommate. If you do, this won't be so difficult."

Charlie detached Roxie's hands and stood up. "Oh, no. I'm not going to go there."

"Please?" Roxie pleaded. "I'll owe you big time."

Charlie thought a moment, then finally relented. "Oh, all right. If Vince does show up, the comedy will be priceless."

"Thank you," Roxie said. "Pick something nice from my closet."

"All right," Charlie called.

The second she was upstairs, the doorbell rang. Roxie took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." She strode toward the door and opened it. Elijah was on the other side, standing easily, arm in arm with Susan. Roxie let out her breath. "Thank god I saw the two of you first. Are Mom and Dad dawdling because they stayed to make out in the car?"

"Actually, no." Selina came up behind Susan with Klaus bringing up the rear. "My seatbelt was stuck."

Roxie looked at her skeptically. "That's a new one."

"Are you going to invite us in?" Selina asked.

Roxie started. "Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, please come in. Welcome to my home."

Elijah, Susan, Selina and Klaus stepped into the house. "Very nice work here," Susan said. "Did you do all the paintings yourself?"

"Actually, no," Roxie shook her head. "My friend Charlotte is the artist. She got some work in a gallery month or so ago and they keep asking for more."

"Impressive." Susan lingered over a painting of some red roses covered with dew.

"That was one of my toughest paintings," Charlie said, coming up behind her. "I went out and took a picture in the morning, just at dawn, and painted from there. The fact that I'm really not a morning person was what made it tough."

Susan turned to her. "Well it turned out beautifully. You must be Charlotte."

Charlie nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm Roxie's roommate." She shook Susan's hand. "We should have a good night. Roxie's been planning all day."

They sat in front of the television. "How strange," Elijah said. "See, we were all under the impression that Roxanne's roommate was a boy."

"Oh," Charlie shook her head. "I mean, we both have boyfriends, and they come over quite a bit, but only during the day. At night, it's just her and me. Studying hard for school."

They all sat in awkward silence and then Roxie said, "Charlotte, may I see you in the kitchen?"

Charlie nodded and when they were alone, Roxie whispered, "What the hell are you doing?"

Charlie shrugged. "I'm trying to make you look good. What's wrong with that?"

"Well, thanks, but you're being too obvious. They don't believe a word."

"Well, what do you want me to do, then?"

"Just relax, will you?" Roxie said.

"I will if you will," Charlie said as she followed Roxie back into the living room.

"Anyone want a drink?" Roxie asked. "And I'll get out the pictures from our week in New York City if you want to see them."

"What do you have to drink?" Selina asked. "Not alcohol, I hope."

"No," Roxie shook her head quickly. "Just water, juice and pop." She mouthed to Charlie, "Hide the vodka."

Elijah and Klaus declined, but Susan and Selina asked for a Pepsi and an orange juice. Charlie got them and Roxie grabbed her photos.

They were looking through them while Charlie and Roxie regaled them with trip stories, when suddenly the door opened.

"Who's that?" Selina asked.

"I could go see," Klaus said, starting to get up.

"No!" Roxie said quickly. Then, she relaxed and smiled. "I mean, no, Dad. You're a guest. You sit. I'll go see who's at the-"

She broke off as Vince entered the room. He looked at them all before he said, "I'm sorry. Nobody told me there was going to be a party tonight. If I'd known, I would have put on my Sunday best."

"Excuse me," Susan said. "But who are you?"

Roxie shook her head and hurried over to him. "He's nobody, Aunt Susan. Just the exterminator. We're having a problem with spiders in the bathroom."

Susan wrinkled her nose. "Oh, how awful."

Vince frowned as Roxie ushered him to the bathroom and shut the door. "You have to go."

"What?" Vince asked angrily. "I don't think I do. It's my house too, you know. I pay part of the rent!"

His voice was so loud, Roxie was sure it carried. "Be quiet. Please just be quiet."

"Who are those people?"

"My relatives," Roxie said. "My parents. My aunt and uncle."

Vince brightened. "Your dad's out there? I think I'll go introduce myself."

He made his way toward the door, but it opened before he got there. Klaus was on the other side. "I couldn't help but overhear," he said, grinning broadly and looking at Vince. "Are you the young man Roxanne is living with?"

Vince nodded. "Yes, I am. But let me just say right now that I have no intentions about your daughter at all. In fact, I spend most of my time trying to avoid her."

Roxie scoffed.

Klaus was looking at him intently. "Yes, I do remember you. You're Pete's nephew, aren't you?"

"Yes," Vince nodded. "He writes me about what he's been doing, and would it be too much to tell you that I'm interested too?"

"No!" Roxie said quickly. "No, he isn't. Back to the living room, Daddy. I'll bring out dessert in a minute."

Klaus went, but not before saying to Vince, "Perhaps we can make a deal."

The rest of the visit went without incident until Selina and Roxie were cleaning dishes in the kitchen. It was then that Selina noticed something she never had before. "Roxanne," she asked, "What's that on your shoulder?"

Roxie looked down at the little red rose. "Oh, it's just a little something I picked up at the Santa Monica Pier."

Selina looked at her hard. "Is it permanent?"

"Yes," Roxie nodded. "That's why it's so small. I didn't want something huge on me for the rest of eternity."

"Anything else I should know about?"

"No," Roxie shook her head, but then she inhaled and her shirt came up a little. Selina's eyes widened. "Is your belly button pierced?" Roxie looked down at it for a minute and then looked up sheepishly. "Oh, look at that. I guess it is." She laughed weakly.

Selina's nostrils were flaring. "I don't know what kind of image you think you're projecting, but your Aunt Anna and I did not spent the twenties crusading for women's rights so you could dress like a streetwalker. I don't think I want you living with these kinds of influences anymore. When we leave tonight, you're coming home with us and you're going to learn some responsibilty."

"Mom!" Roxie whined.

"I mean it," Selina said. "Now pack up your things."

Roxie frowned and plodded to her bedroom and threw her things into a bag. "All right, Mom. Let the torture begin."

"What's going on?" Klaus asked.

Roxie looked at him. "Mom thinks I'm projecting a bad image, so she's taking me home to learn responsibilty, even though I've happily lived on my own for ten years."

Selina nodded. "Maybe we can get her a job waitressing at Enid's."

Roxie froze. "A waitress? You have to be kidding me!"

Selina nodded her head. "I think it'll be good for you."

Roxie grudgingly walked inside when she arrived for her first day on the job at Enid's a week later. The first person she saw did not help her mood.

"Well, well, well. Princess Roxie descending from on high to mingle with the commoners." Roxie growled at the sighed of Vince's stupid, smirking face. He was chewing on a toothpick and he had some sort of food on his face. "I wish I had a camera."

"Oh, shut up!" she cried. "I'm only doing this because I have to. My mother is a slave driver."

Vince grinned. "And she would be better at that than anybody else, wouldn't she? Growing up when there actually were slaves and all."

Roxie rolled her eyes. "Just tell me who I see now."

"Actually," Vince told her, "I'm head waiter. I'll be telling you what tables are yours and all the tips you can use to successfully get through the day. But it realiy surprises me you chose this shift."

"Why?"

Vince laughed. "Happy Hour is in ten minutes," he said. "What do you think of a bunch of drunken werewolves pinching your ass and calling you Baby Doll?"

"I think I'll kill them all," Roxie said immediately.

"Oh, but you can't," Vince said. "That's one of the things about customer service. You have to be sweet and nice and grit your teeth. But just a hint: if you do let them pinch your ass, I bet you'll get a bigger tip."

"Oh," Roxie laughed. "How many men have pinched your ass lately?"

Vince shook his head. "Ladies' Night is my time to shine. I am quite the master if you don't mind my saying so."

Roxie shook her head. "Of course not. Mark Twain said once that if you let go of your delusions, you lose who you are, and as much as I would love for you to get a personality, I'm afraid anything you come up with would only be a step back." She headed to the kitchen, got her assignment, and braced herself for day one.

Eventually, she got used to the routine. That didn't mean she wanted to stay with it, though. She had a plan. The next time she went to work, she came upon a small, skinny young man named Roger who she knew admired her from afar. "Hi," she said to him. "Your name's Roger, isn't it?" He turned and dropped the tray of silverware he was carrying in shock, then picked it up, stuttering. "Y-y-yes," he said. "H-h-how did you know?"

"I've been watching you," she grinned. "And I wondered if you would do me a huge favor."

He nodded. "O-of course."

"Could you switch shifts with me? I'm a much nicer person in the morning. I'll compensate you well for it."

Roger burst into nervous giggles and asked her for a kiss. She shrugged and gave it to him, figuring she'd only have to do it once. As soon as it was over and he had sauntered away, Vince came up behind her. "I saw that."

She turned. "Oh. Jealous?"

Vince shook his head. "No! I'm appalled! How could you do that to poor Roger? The guy is in love with you for some reason that is a mystery to me and you're totally taking advantage of him."

"Oh, but I have my reasons." Just then, a handsome guy with blue eyes and longish blond hair wearing a black leather jacket entered the bar and gave Roxie a wave before sitting down at one of her tables. "Who is that?" Vince asked.

"Oh," Roxie grinned. "His name is Aaron. I served him yesterday."

Vince scowled. "I hope you just mean food."

Roxie grinned. "And maybe more if he plays his cards right." She shoved her dishtowel at Vince, sashayed away and left the bar with Aaron.

That night, Vince was waiting up for her when she got back. "How was your date?" He asked her.

"Oh, fine," she said. "I have to be getting home in a bit. Mom will hunt me down if I don't."

"Wait just a minute," Vince said. "What's so special about this Aaron guy anyway? Do you like him because he's just as shallow as you?"

Roxie shook her head. "I like him because he's sweet and intelligent, and more built than you."

"What makes you think that?" Vince bristled. "I happen to be very well built." He peeled off his shirt. "See?"

Roxie was dismissive. "I've seen better." She began filing her nails. "Are you going to take off anything else?"

"Do you want me to?" Vince asked.

"Do you want me to want you to?" She looked up at him.

He scoffed. "You know what? Just screw it." He ripped off his pants and pulled her up, kissing her hard. When he pushed her away, she looked shocked. "Oh, my god. You...I can't believe you just did that!" She pushed him away and started to stomp off. When she was by the door, she turned again. He was breathing hard and looking reproachful. "Oh, what the hell?" She said, running at him and jumping in his arms. He threw her down on the carpet and pulled off her dress, making a huge rip in it. She protested and he kissed her to shut her up. She resisted at first and then relaxed into it, kissing him as much as he was kissing her. The room became unbelievably warm as she ran her hands down his body and he ran his tongue down the hot skin of her torso. She squirmed underneath him and shifted, attempting to roll him over so she'd be on top, but he resisted. Even as she bit and scratched him, all he did was laugh at her.

And when he finally drove into her, she screamed so loud, it brought the chandelier down. When they finally pulled apart, Roxie wiped the sweat off her brow, put on her clothes and turned to Vince. Clearing her throat, she said, "I'll see you at work tomorrow," and staggered out of the house.

As she thought, Roxie changing shifts with Roger didn't please her mother. After a particularly scathing lecture, Roxie decided to take revenge for everything. Alone in her room, she made a phone call, then grinned to herself as she fell asleep.

The next morning, she headed out for school wearing a tight black shirt and a shirt skirt. "You can't be thinking of wearing that to school," Selina said as Roxie made her way down the driveway. Roxie turned. "What's wrong with it? It's fashionable."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Well that doesn't necessarily mean it's decent. Go put on something more modest, please."

Just then, a silver Jetta drove up and the window rolled down. The driver looked at Selina. "That's funny," she said. "You and I had the exact same conversation when you were fourteen and you wanted to wear bloomers in order to play sports with Damon and Stefan." She opened the car door and gracefully exited, smoothing her skirt as she stood up. "Hello, Selina Amelia Elizabeth."

Selina paled. "Mother? What are you doing here?"