Selina tossed and turned, her sleep disrupted by happy dreams of her and Klaus' years in Paris. Finally, she sat up, her pillow soaked with tears she didn't even realize she'd been crying. She sat up. Most of her blankets and been pulled out from under the mattress and were falling off the bed.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered to herself. "I have to get out of here." She got out of bed, then promptly tripped over an edge of her pale pink bedsheet and fell flat on her face. "Ow, shit." She muttered under her breath, then got up and strode to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. The dim, fuzzy lighting in the bathroom cast a strange glow over her face, making her dishelved hair, red-rimmed eyes, whilte skin and white nightgown turn her into something out of a horror movie. She shut her eyes and turned away, striding out of the bathroom and putting her hand on the doorknob. Turning it slowly, she opened the door, praying that the hinges wouldn't squeak. They didn't, but when she'd opened it enough to see out into the hall, she heard a soft groan. She looked down and saw Damon's prone, sleeping form positioned next to the door. Rolling her eyes, she shut the door again and got back on her bed to think about finding another way out. Then, her sheets and blankets piled on the floor caught her eye. She got dressed and began tying the sheets together. Then, she threw them out the window after tying one end to the bedpost. Then she climbed down the side of the house and began walking down the street away from it, her boots making clicking noises on the pavement, her hands in the pockets of her parka.

As she walked along the sidewalk, a car crawling on the street beside her rolled down its window. The driver looked out at her curiously. "Are you all right?" He asked. "Can I give you a lift somewhere?"

She nodded. "Do you know where Bridger Avenue is? I need to get to a house on 39th and Bridger."

He nodded. "Of course I can. It's not far from here, even though it seems like this is pretty much the middle of nowhere. Hop in."

Selina grinned and got in beside him. "Thank you so much for this. It's a little cold tonight."

He nodded. "That's why I stopped."

They drove along in silence until they reached Bridger, just down the street from Adrian and Helene's. "You can stop right here," she said. "Thank you for the ride, Jeff."

Jeff nodded. "It's my pleasure, Miss Warren."

Selina got out of the car and Jeff drove away. She then walked the rest of the way to Adrian and Helene's large brick house and knocked on the door. Adrian answered almost immediately. "I figured I'd be seeing you," he said. "I just wasn't sure exactly-"

But he got cut off as Selina threw her arms around him. "I'm so happy to see you!"

He nodded and tried to pry her off him. "I'm happy to see you too. Can I get you something to drink?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Aren't you curious why I'm here at this time of night?"

He shook his head. "No, I know why you're here. Uncle Elijah told me what he did."

"And you don't feel compelled to wreak filial vengeance?"

Adrian shook his head. "You need to relax," he said. "I saw what you did at the diner and the mall, and that's not like you. Dad let you have his blood again, didn't he?"

She nodded. "I asked for it. But only because this thing with Sam and Lucy and Damon and your dad is really starting to stress me out."

"And that's why Uncle Elijah took Dad out of the picture. It won't be forever. Just until you aren't so stressed out anymore."

"Who else knows?"

Adrian led her to the living room. "Me, Damon, Uncle Elijah, Aunt Anna and Stefan. I refuse to call him Uncle Stefan. That's too weird."

"How come Roxie doesn't know?"

Adrian groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. "Because she would feel compelled to wreak filial vengeance and that's not what we need right now."

Selina gave him a look. "So you're not going to help me out of this?"

Adrian looked at his mother sadly. "No," he said. "You have to work this out for yourself. Besides, it's not like I don't have my own problems. Alistair has been acting strangely lately and it's made Helene as freaked out as you."

Selina nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry." She sighed. "I guess I'll be going back to the house now before Damon wakes up and realizes I'm gone."

Adrian looked at his mother sympathetically. He knew why she'd come. Because of him. Because he looked like his father. "Why don't you stay here tonight?" he offered. "I'll call Damon and smooth things over in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Selina asked. "Won't it get you in trouble?"

Adrian shook his head. "Nah."

She nodded. "Okay, if you're sure. Thank you." She walked down the main hallway and found the room that she usually used when she stayed over.

"You want a shirt or something to wear?" Adrian asked.

Selina shook her head. "No, thanks. I'll be all right."

He left and as she was tucking herself into bed, he came back again with a pillow and a sleeping bag and placed them on the floor next to her bed.

"What are you doing?" Selina asked.

He looked up at her. "I thought you could use some company tonight. But if you don't, I can go..."

"No, no!" Selina said quickly. "Stay, please."

Adrian nodded. "I thought you'd say that." He lay down, pulled the sleeping bag over himself and zipped it up. "Goodnight, Mom."

Selina sighed. "Goodnight, Adrian."

The next morning Selina woke up and started violently when she saw several people standing around her bed. "I didn't mean for them to come," Adrian said quickly. "I called Damon to tell him where you were this morning and he must've called everybody else."

"I thought you were going to stay at the other house," Elijah said severely. "You promised you wouldn't leave."

"How did you get out, anyway?" Damon asked.

Selina shrugged. "Tied my sheets together and went out the window. And I meant to stay. It was just that I had a bad night. Dreams that are usually good were just...horrible."

Anna stood up and looked at the boys. "All right, all of you. Out. Right now!"

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Because I said so, that's why," she replied.

Damon sucked in his breath as the guys plodded out of the room. "Now I know where Roxie gets it," he muttered under his breath as he shut the door. Once they were gone, Anna turned to Selina. "You were having dreams about you and Nick and Paris, weren't you? Do you want to talk about it? I was there, so it's not like I don't know everything you're going to tell me."

Selina grinned and shook her head, throwing her covers aside. "Not everything."

"Where do you want to start?"

Selina sighed. "At the beginning, I guess. It was a rainy evening in 1923. I'd had a bad day at work and I was at the end of my rope and engaged in an epic struggle..."

"God damn it, you stupid door, why the fuck won't you open?" Selina slammed the door, but it didn't budge. Her fist just made a big dent in the middle. Of all nights to lose her keys. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Just then, she heard a chuckle behind her. She turned and frowned at the sight of the man who stood before her. He lived in the penthouse several floors up and he came by the bar where she worked to get a drink sometimes. "What do you want, Mr. Penthouse?"

He made his features neutral, but a sparkle still showed in his eyes. "Can I assume from the volume of your voice and the language you're using that you're experiencing some sort of distress?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I am! The door's stuck, I lost my key, and I've been trying to call the manager for an hour to come and help me, but nobody's picked up." She gave the door one last punch and sank to the floor, deflated. "This is just the cherry on top of a really, really bad day."

"I know you," he said. "Aren't you that waitress...?"

She glared at him. "I have a name, you know. Seraphine. Sera for short."

He smiled. "That's pretty."

She shrugged. "Some people seem to think I just made it up. But it's no stranger than any other name. My mother liked unusual names. What about you? What did your parents stick you with?"

"Nick," he replied.

Selina bit her lip. "That's normal. Lucky."

He smirked, then tilted his head toward the elevator. "You could come up with me and use my phone. The manager usually answers when I call."

She backed away a little. "Oh, no thank you. I really wouldn't want to impose. Especially since we just officially met and everything."

"Oh, come on," he said good-naturedly. "Give a man a chance to be a knight in shining armor."

Selina tried to keep a serious expression on her face, but she found herself breaking into giggles anyway. "All right," she said at last. "But I promise not to put my beer and sweat-stained self on your fancy sofa."

He shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. I don't care."

She looked at him oddly but let him lead her to the elevator and up to the penthouse. He opened the door and a man dressed in a smart black suit with dark hair and worried eyes met them at the door. "What took you so long?" He asked. "You promised you were going to call from the club if you were going to be held up. Don't just stand there. Come in, come in!" He ushered them both inside, but not before taking a long look at Selina. "Who's this?" He asked, looking at Klaus.

"Oh," Klaus grinned. "This is Sera. She lives a few floors down and she's having trouble reaching the manager. I figured she'd have better luck if she came up here."

The man looked Selina over again. "I see." He cleared his throat. "Before you make your call, would you like to change out of those clothes? Maybe soak for a bit?"

"Oh," Selina said, "I wouldn't want to be any trouble."

"Oh, it's not," he said. "I'll go run the water." He went and turned the water on and came back a few minutes later. "It's ready for you," he said. "There's soap and washclothes within reach."

Selina nodded. "Well thank you, thanks a lot."

She hurried into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself as she stripped off her clothes and got into the large, gold fixtured tub. She could hear Nick talking loudly to the man on the other side of the door, but she had no idea what they were saying. She wondered who the other man was. He'd seemed awfully worried when they'd come in the door. Maybe he and Nick were...

She paused and shook her head, lathering up a washcloth. It couldn't be.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Selina leaned against the side of the tub with her arms under her chin. "Come in," she called.

Nick entered. "Sorry if we're disturbing you out there. Alistair, he worries so much, it's like being married or something."

Selina frowned. "I know it's not any of my business," she said. "But are you and Alistair...You aren't really a couple, are you? I'm okay if you are, because before I worked at the bar, I lived at an artists' colony and people did whatever they wanted there and nobody was bothered by it, so..."

"Wait," Anna broke in. "You were sitting naked in a bathtub and you as much as asked Nick if he was gay?"

Selina shrugged. "Well, in my defense, I didn't know about them at the time and they were awfully chummy."

"Did you ever find out what they were yelling about?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I never thought to ask."

"All right," Anna nodded. "Continue."

He just smirked at her. "Is that what you think? Perhaps at this time and in this place, it's good for you to think that."

Selina cocked her head. "Really?"

He leaned closer to her. "You don't know what I mean, do you?"

She nodded slowly. "Oh, I know what you mean."

"Are you worried?" He asked, keeping his eyes on her.

She shook her head. "Do you want me to be worried?" Her eyes went to his lips. She didn't care if he knew she was looking or not. She leaned close enough so that her top lip was touching his bottom lip, but just before it turned into a kiss, there was a loud knock on the bathroom door and they sprang apart, Selina going back to scrubbing herself with the washcloth. The door didn't open, however. Alistair yelled from the other side. "I got hold of the manager for you, Miss," he told her. "But he says he can't come and fix your door until tomorrow."

Selina sighed. "All right. Thank you." She pulled the plug on the tub and as it drained, she said, "I won't abuse your hospitality any longer. There's a couch in the lounge that looks comfortable. I'll sleep there tonight."

"Oh, don't be silly," Klaus told her. "You can stay here. I insist! I'll even cook for you."

"He's actually quite adept at that," Alistair called. "And he's going to keep asking, so you should say yes now to save time."

Selina laughed. "All right," she said. "I guess I can't pass up such a gracious offer."

Klaus grinned. "Good. I suppose I should leave now, so you can dress."

"Oh," she said, "but I don't have any-"

Just then, the bathroom door opened a silver and a pair of rose lounge pajamas were dropped onto the tile floor. "Wear those," Alistair said. "Will they do?"

After Klaus slipped out, Selina got out of the tub, put on a towel and went to look at the pajamas. "They're beautiful," she said. "But you really didn't have to."

"Yes, he did," Klaus said. "Alistair frowns on people walking around the apartment naked and believe me, I should know."

"Oh," she giggled. "Of course." She put the pajamas on and stepped out of the bathroom.

"You're beautiful," Klaus said.

Selina smirked. "And you're a drugstore cowboy."

Alistair looked up. "Oh, and Stefan called and said that he has to cancel for dinner this evening."

"Doesn't bother me," Klaus said jovially. "Since I have a companion who is just as good or better."

"Who?" Selina asked.

"Just a friend of mine," Klaus said. "He'll be interested to meet you when he finds the time to come over."

"You want to introduce me to your friends?" She asked, surprised. "Have we suddenly started seeing each other?"

"Well, I did rescue you," he said.

She nodded. "But I have to warn you that it's been awhile since I've actually had a long-term relationship. The last guy looked a lot like you, coincidentally. Maybe I have a type."

He shrugged. "Possibly."

Selina looked at Alistair. "You wouldn't happen to have any giggle water, would you?"

"What?" Alistair asked, looking confused.

"Alcohol," she said. "After the day I had, I need a stiff drink."

"In the cupboard," Klaus said. "I'll get it."

He got out a bottle of good gin and brought it to her. "How'd you get this?" She asked. "Do you know a guy?" She paused. "Wait a minute! I keep thinking I'm in States. I don't know why. Those poor slobs and their prohibition."

He nodded. "I do." She got the lid off and poured some in a glass. "It'll be strange being in a relationship again. But I want to say here and now that I'm in no mood to be cuffed. The last time it didn't work so well."

Alistair cleared his throat. "Well, jail often doesn't."

She giggled. "I'm not talking about jail, silly! I'm talking about being engaged! Those rings are like prison shackles, you know?" She gulped down what she had in her glass and then poured herself some more. After she finished that, Alistair took the bottle away. Selina looked at Klaus. "He's a real wet blanket, isn't he?" She asked, nodding at Alistair.

Klaus nodded. "Oh, yes."

"I heard that," Alistair said.

Eventually, after the dishes from dinner were cleared away, she yawned. "Thanks for a lovely evening, but I have to get some sleep."

"Do you have work tomorrow?" Klaus asked.

She shook her head. "I have a day off."

"I have to run down and visit a friend," Alistair broke in. "Can I trust the two of you here by yourselves?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "The bank will be closed-I mean, we won't make out or do anything like that."

"I hope not," Alistair said, and left.

Selina wandered over to the window and a car parked at the curb caught her eye. "Come here," she said to Klaus. "There's a car parked outside and I swear it's the same one that rear-ended me last week."

Klaus came and looked. "You know," he said, "It's parked close enough that if we were to, oh, drop something on it, it would hit and splatter quite nicely."

"What fruits and veggies do you have?" Selina asked eagerly.

Klaus surveyed the icebox. "I'd go with egg plants and tomatoes." They both took one of each and Selina dropped her egg plant out the window, cheering as it exploded all over the car's windshield. Then, she turned to face him. "Isn't this illegal?"

He shrugged. "Do you care?"

She nodded. "Good point." She dropped the tomato out the window and cheered again.

"My turn," Klaus said. He was as enthusiastic as she was and by the time they were done, the car was thoroughly splattered.

"That'll teach him," Selina said, stepping away from the window. "Now, where do I sleep?"

"You take my bed," he said. "I'll take the sofa."

"Are you sure?" Selina asked.

"Yes," he nodded.

She began walking toward the door he indicated. "All right...and thanks again. You really are a lifesaver."

Klaus shook his head. "No problem. Goodnight, Sera."

She smiled. "Goodnight, Nick."

"That's amazing," Anna said.

Selina grinned. "He told me the next morning that he dreamed about me. It was probably just a line, but it worked at the time." She sighed. "I don't feel entirely better, but it's a start." She paused. "I should probably call Roxie and see if she got to work all right."

She had, but Enid wasn't there. No one knew where she was.

"That's strange," Selina said. "Let other people handle it, okay? I don't want you doing anything dangerous."

Roxie sighed. "Okay, Mom. I'll stay out of it."

Thus assured, Selina dialed Enid's number to see if she would answer.

Enid drove up to Klaus and Selina's house and parked in the street before going up to the door and using her magic to get it open. She'd had a very strange vision the night before and it asked her to get something from this house. She hoped finding it wouldn't be too difficult. She began wandering around the rooms until she found what she was looking for, or rather, who. He was frozen on the floor where they'd left him, his eyes wide with shock. Enid smirked. For once she was glad Vanessa had made her first beings indestructible. If Klaus had been killed permanently, things would have been a lot more difficult for her. She gripped the dagger firmly, brushed her dark hair out of her eyes, and pulled. A few seconds later, Klaus' eyes opened. He coughed. "Enid? What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, Niklaus," she said. "Come with me. We have much to discuss."