Selina stood up. "Well, it's nice to meet both of you," she said to Myna and Hanz, "But I have a date to be getting to."

"A date?" Klaus stood up. "Since when did you date?"

"Your sister asked me to double," Selina said. "And I didn't see why I should say no."

"Maybe because you're still married?" Klaus suggested.

Selina smirked. "Only legally. See you later." She gave Lucy a hug after strugglingto get her out of Klaus' grip, put her purse over her shoulder and walked out of the apartment.

Myna, Hanz and Klaus sat in silence once she was gone. "She seems nice," Myna said after awhile.

"You caught her on a bad day," Klaus said. "She's usually much more personable."

"I'm sure," Myna said, her eyes on the door. "Listen, this might be inappropriate, but one of our lightbulbs is out in our apartment and I wondered if, since we're all so chummy, you would mind coming over and fixing it for me?"

"Are you sure your wife won't mind you being around another woman?"

Klaus shook his head. "You heard her. She dates now." He rolled his eyes and put Lucy down on the floor. She began to toddle around, walking toward an electrical outlet, but just before she was able to reach out for it, Klaus scooped her up and carried her back to the sofa. "We don't touch those," he said. "They're dangerous. I'm surprised your mother hasn't covered them up yet." Lucy leaned against him. "I'll have to talk to her about that," he said, ruffling Lucy's dark blonde hair as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Myna and Hanz watched them for a few seconds and then stood up. "Well, we'll be on our way now," she said, and they made their way toward the door.

"When do you want me to come over and fix the lightbulb?" Klaus asked.

Myna shrugged. "Any time. It's not urgent. Although for reasons of my own, I would prefer sooner rather than later." She winked and Hanz rolled his eyes as they let themselves out.

Klaus looked down. He was still stroking Lucy's hair. "Lovely people they are, aren't they, darling?" He asked her. Then he carried her to her room, tucked her in and went to turn on the television.

"That was quick," Anna said as Selina approached the side of the building where she stood waiting. "I take it my brother didn't cause much trouble?"

Selina shook her head. "No, we had neighbors visiting, and even he's not foolish enough to get in a fight in front of strangers. Now about this guy you want to set me up with, what's he like?"

They got in Anna's car and drove away from the apartment building before she spoke. "Really good-looking man," she said. "And his friend, too, of course. They won't be joining my little menagerie any time soon."

"Did you say they were race car drivers?" Selina asked.

Anna nodded. "They like fast cars, fast women and good times," she said.

"Well, then they aren't going to like me!" Selina protested. "I'm not fast at all."

"Oh, I know that," Anna said. "I'm just trying to get you outside your comfort zone a little. Make you stretch your wings."

"I don't think I have a comfort zone," Selina said. "Every relationship I've had has been a complete failure."

"You do have a comfort zone," Anna told her. "My brothers are your comfort zone. You do realize there's only one that you haven't been with yet?"

"Elijah and I haven't been with each other!" Selina protested. Anna rolled her eyes. "Not for lack of trying on your part, I bet," she said.

Selina sighed. "Well, can you blame me? He's the first guy I've met who isn't completely screwed up, and he makes me feel competent, which let me tell you is a nice change from the usual."

They sat in silence for the rest of the trip and Anna parked the car in front of barbecue restaurant with race track behind it. The cars roared loudly as she and Anna headed inside. Two men got down from barstools to come and meet them; one was a blond with a smattering of freckles and an nicely tanned body and the other had deep brown eyes that burned in his pale face. The pale one put his arm around Anna and that left the blond one for Selina. They led them a table, and while Anna's date pulled out her chair for her, Selina's date Jeff just sat down in a chair and put a napkin in his shirt.

Selina stood next to her chair for almost a minute before she realized he wasn't going to pull it out for her, then sat down moodily beside him.

Anna's date was across from Selina and he leaned forward until their noses were almost touching and said, "We ordered the full rib platter before you girls got here. I hope that's all right with you."

Anna nodded. "Of course," she shouted to be heard over the cars. "You know this menu better than we do!"

Her date leaned back into his chair and he and his friend began to animatedly discuss a rat shoot they'd been to down at the landfill the night before. "I got a twenty pounder!" Jeff said proudly to Selina. "Of course it's rare to get one that big. The best part it is when you make a warning shot and all the rats come scurrying out in droves..."

Leaning back in her chair, the roar of engines washing over her, Selina felt her eyes begain to close...

When she was aware again, she was sitting at a table on a balconey of a hotel room that gave her a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower. She was wearing a gauzy white dress, the air was warm and the stars were out. She was enjoying the view when the doors behind her opened. She turned and saw Elijah with a tray in his hands. He brought it to the table and laid it down. "I had room service bring it up," he said. He moved the small crystal vase with a red rose in it off the tray and put it in the center of the table. Then he took the rose out and handed it to her. "For you," he said, grinning. She giggled and blushed. "Thank you," she said. She looked over what else was on the tray. "Champagne," she said.

He opened it and poured some out for her. It was pink. He poured some for himself and they toasted. Then, Selina opened the other containers. One had strawberries in it, the other, chocolate mousse. Selina took a strawberry, put it in her mouth, and began slowly sucking on it.

He watched her intently for a little while and then brought his hands down hard on the table. "We should go inside," he said.

"Why?" Selina asked, taking a bite of the strawberry. "The fireworks will begin soon."

"It doesn't matter," he said. "I have something much better in mind then fireworks."

Selina's eyes widened and she grabbed the champagne and he took hold of the tray and they both went inside, setting everything down on a table. Then he pulled her to him and kissed her hard, taking her to the bed and easing her dress off. Then, she ripped off his shirt and he went over to the table and grabbed the open wine bottle, pouring a little bit of the pink champagne into Selina's belly button and sucking it out. She giggled as his lips tickled her skin. Then he brought his head up and kissed her deeply, her hands running through his hair. Then, he got up again and brought the mousse over. She put some on his neck and licked it off slowly, then he put some on her breasts, slowly and leisurely sucking on her nipples. As she squirmed wildly underneath him, he whispered her name into her hair. "Selina! Selina!"

"Selina!" Selina opened her eyes and found herself face to face with her date. His face and the napkin that he had tucked into his shirt collar were now covered with barbecue sauce. He let out an enormous belch and giggled. She gagged and winced, struggling to sit up.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked her. "You were squirming around for awhile and we kept trying to wake you up, but you wouldn't wake, then you started undoing the buttons of your shirt and..."

Selina looked down and blushed, quickly fastening her buttons again. She felt ill.

"I have to go outside for some air," she said, standing up. "The three of you just keep doing what you were doing."

Before Anna could say another word, Selina made her way out back behind the restaurant, near the garbage dump and pulled out her cell phone. She called Elijah. It took him awhile to answer.

"What is it now?" He asked.

"I'm coming over," Selina said. "I'm having a really bad date and I need some civilized company."

"No," Elijah said. "You can't come here. If you're having a bad time, excuse yourself and go home. It's not necessary for you to come here."

"Yes it is!" Selina cried. "Elijah, you don't understand! These men are slobs! They shoot rats for fun! And they don't say excuse me when they burp! For god's sake, what is civilization coming to?"

"The world is full of all kinds," Elijah told her. "Consider this a learning experience." He hung up and Selina growled. "You are so much nicer and more accomodating in my head," she whispered at Elijah angrily before stomping away from the restaurant. She walked back to the parking lot and took Jeff's car because he was dumb enough to leave the keys in the ignition.

She had to get to Elijah's. That's all there was to it. But based on the phone call, he wouldn't just let her in. She had to think of another way. She thought and thought, and then it came to her: Lucy. He'd probably let her in if Lucy was with her. She made a sharp turn and began driving in the direction of her apartment building, leaving a message for Anna back at the restaurant to say where she'd gone.

When she reached her apartment, the door was locked. She knocked furiously and yelled at the door. "Nicky, let me in! It's my apartment, damn it! You have to let me in!"

Just then, there was the sound of a baby crying from inside. Klaus opened the door and gave her a look. "Look what you did," he said. "I just got her down for a nap. What did you have to go wake her up for?"

Selina nudged him aside and went in. "I have to take her out," she said. "It's urgent."

"What?" He asked.

Selina looked at him. "Elijah wants to see her, okay?"

"Can't it wait?" Klaus asked. "Does it have to be now? Why is it that you're at Elijah's beck and call all of a sudden? That's really pathetic, you know."

Selina glared at him. "You didn't seem to think it was so pathetic when I behaved that way toward you!"

Klaus just glared at her. "If you'll excuse me," he said and went back to Lucy's room, bringing her out and bouncing her gently. He sat down and gave Selina a look. "So can I assume the date didn't go very well?" He asked Selina, smirking.

Selina bristled. "Why would you assume that it didn't go well?" She asked. "It might have. Besides, it's none of your business anyway."

Klaus nodded. "I think it is if you find someone you like. Don't you think I deserve to know about the kind of people you're going to have our daughter around?"

Selina sat down next to him. "I could ask you the same thing," she said. "I assume you and that Myna have made headway? Has she invited you over for a slumber party yet?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "She asked me to come over sometime and fix a lightbulb for her, but that's it."

"Hmmm," Selina said. " 'Fix a lightbulb'. There's a euphemism I've never heard before."

He stood up and came close to her, whispering in her ear. "Would you like me to fix a lightbulb for you? You know I will, gladly. And from your mood, it seems like you need it."

"No, no, no," Selina shook her head. "You and I are not sleeping together anymore. I don't care about what reasons Enid has for wanting you to stay with me. You aren't getting any farther than the sofa. And in order for the euphemism to work properly, I'd be fixing a lightbulb for you. Don't you know anything about electricity. Geez!"

He grinned. "Are you volunteering to fix a lightbulb for me?"

Selina shook her head. "Of course not." She sighed. "Even if I did have a bad date."

"I knew it!" Klaus grinned. "I knew your date was horrible! You're back way too early for it to have been successful. A successful date would have led to a slumber party of your own."

Selina scoffed. "Just because I go out with someone doesn't mean I have to sleep with them. Especially if they have no manners, eat like pigs and shoot rats for fun."

Klaus looked incredulous. "What kind of men is my sister introducing you to?"

Selina nodded. "I know, right?" She shuddered. "Anyway, so can I take Lucy to Elijah's or not?"

He gave her a keen look. "If you're taking her for the reason I think you are, it's not going to work."

Selina grinned. "How do you know? It might."

"Are you sleeping with him?" Klaus asked.

Selina shook her head. "If I was, I wouldn't need to bring Lucy to his house to bribe him to let me in, would I?"

Klaus started laughing. "You mean your charms haven't been sufficient enough to get you into his bed?"

Selina pouted. "No. And I really wanna go!" She hit him. "This is all your fault, you know. You turned me into a sex fiend! Thanks to you, I can't handle it if I hear the word 'no'!" She stomped her foot. Klaus ran his fingers through her hair, blowing in her ear. "You know that you'll never hear 'no' from me," he said.

Selina looked up slowly, sucked in her breath and moved his hand from her hair, nodding. "And maybe that's the problem," she said. "Maybe, as much as I hate it, I should hear 'no' every once in awhile."

Klaus looked at her hopefully, peeling off his shirt. "Are you sure?"

Selina nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get Lucy." She went into Lucy's room, took her out of her crib and put on her pink rain coat, tying the hood tightly under Lucy's chin. "It looks like it's going to pour," Selina said at Klaus' questioning look. "I don't want Lucy to get wet."

"Well good luck," Klaus smirked. "See you in a few minutes. I'll be in bed waiting for you."

"Eh heh-heh," Selina stuck her tongue out at him and she and Lucy left the apartment.

They reached Elijah's house and by then, it was raining steadily. She held Lucy closely to herself and the two of them made their way up to Elijah's front door. Selina knocked furiously. Elijah opened the door and stood just inside. "Yes?" He asked. "May I help you ladies?"

"Lucy wants to see her favorite uncle," Selina said. "May we come in?"

"Of course Lucy can come in!" Elijah said. "I would enjoy seeing her too! Selina, make sure you don't slip going down the stairs. The rain's made them a bit slick."

He took Lucy from a shocked Selina and shut the door, leaving her standing in the rain.

She stood on the doorstep for a second and then started knocking on his door again. "You can't just leave me out in the rain!" She called. "It's wet and it's cold and this is not gentlemanly behavior!"

She looked and saw that Elijah and Lucy were watching her out of one of the side windows. She began striding down the steps angrily but slipped and fell face first into a puddle. She struggled to get up, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes and spitting out water. Then, she went over to the window and knocked on it. Elijah just shook his head and shut the curtains. She went back up the stairs, opened the door and shouted into the living room, "I hate you right now, you know! You're much nicer and more giving in my head!"

She slammed the door closed without giving Elijah time to close it for her and went back to her car, starting it up. She couldn't go back to her apartment. She just couldn't. If she did, she'd probably jump in the shower with Klaus, if not sleep with him and she couldn't let that happen. As she pulled out, her cell phone rang.

"Selina, hello?"

"Stefan?" Selina said in surprise. "What's up?"

"Look," he said. "I know this is short notice, but Damon is having his girlfriend come over for dinner and wants to know if you'd like to meet her."

"Well, isn't that considerate?" Selina said. "You can tell your brother thank you, and that I'd be glad to come."

"I think he'll be glad of that," Stefan told her. "See you in a bit."

Selina shut off her phone and drove away, looking one last time at Elijah's house.

Elijah stared out the window, holding Lucy to him. She was looking up at him with a seemingly accusing expression.

"Don't look at me like that," he said to her. "I didn't want to send your mother away. I love your mother. But sometimes in life, people don't always get what they want. And I want your mother more than anything. It's just that your father's in the way. It wouldn't be right for me to go after her if she's still married to your father. That's why I sent her away." He took Lucy to the living room and sat down in an armchair with her in his lap, kissing the top of her head gently. "But she'll be back," he whispered. "She always comes back. She's not going to give up on me. That's what I love about her." He looked down at Lucy. "Promise you won't tell her, okay? It's our secret."

Damon looked over as Stefan shut off his phone. "So what did she say?" He asked. "Is she coming?"

"Yes," Stefan nodded wearily. "She's coming. But I can tell you right now that this probably will not end well."

"Why not?" Damon asked. "I just want to talk to her. It's not like I'm going to carry her off to my bed, strip her naked and ravish her."

Stefan gave him a look. "But you want to, right? No," he shook his head. "Don't answer that. Please."

Damon smirked. "Just trust me, brother. This is going to work."

"There are other ways to get Selina over here to talk to you," Stefan said. "You didn't have to make up a girlfriend."

"When you told her about Mandy, was she jealous?" Damon asked.

"No," Stefan shook his head. "She was actually happy for you. This is a big step back. She's going to come here expecting to meet your girlfriend. What are you planning to say when she gets here?"

"I'm going to tell her that Mandy couldn't make it and ask nicely if we can all have dinner together as a family anyway," Damon said. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there? Besides, Sam hasn't seen his mommy in a long time."

"Really?" Stefan asked. "You're using Sam as an excuse to lure Selina over here?"

"You're acting like that's a bad thing," Damon said. "It's not. We're raising Sam together and in order for that to happen, she has to come over every once in awhile."

"So just call Selina every so often and tell her you want her to come over and hang out with you and Sam," Stefan said. "It's not that difficult. This stupid charade is unnecessary."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Damon put a finger to his lips. "It might be unnecessary," he whispered. "But it's too late to turn back now. Places, everyone!" He strode over to the door and opened it grandly. "Hello," he said. He looked at Selina in surprise. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I know, I know," Selina said said she came inside and wrung out her raincoat and hair. "I look like a drowned rat. But it's raining buckets out there, so that's kind of unavoidable."

"We could delay dinner if you'd like to shower first," Damon said.

"But what about Mandy?" Selina said. "I don't want to put anyone out."

"Oh, you won't," Damon said quickly. "Mandy's sick. She won't be able to make it tonight."

Selina looked at Stefan. "But when you called, you said she'd be here!"

"Mandy called right after I hung up with you," Stefan said. "Literally right after I hung up with you."

Damon winked at Stefan behind Selina's back, mouthing 'thank you.'

Selina sighed. "Well I suppose if we're not waiting for anyone, I wouldn't say no to a shower before dinner."

She was about to go when Sam held out his arms to her, looking hopeful. Selina smiled and took him. "Of course I'll hug you," she said, hugging him and kissing his nose. "I missed you, buddy." When she let him go, his clothes were damp.

"Do you need me to show you where the shower is?" Damon asked.

Selina shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I can find it on my own."

Damon followed her and placed a hand gently on her arm as she walked away. "I'm not trying to pull anything," he said. "I just want us to be a family for tonight, all right?"

Selina nodded. "Sounds good to me. And thanks for the invite. The other options I had for this evening were not half as good as this." She smiled at him, hugged him tight and kissed him on the cheek. When they pulled apart and Selina skipped off toward the shower, Damon found it difficult to move. He shut his eyes and took deep breaths trying to calm himself, but that was difficult. His mind kept showing him pictures of Selina's lithe, naked, rose-scented body dripping with water. He groaned and turned himself against the wall. When he was able to move again, he made his way to the bedroom where the shower was. She'd turned it on by them and was probably lathering up a loofah and scrubbing herself off.

He opened the bathroom door and stared at Selina's blurry image in the shower stall. He watched her for quite awhile, then when the shower turned off, he realized that she'd probably be wondering what he was doing there, so he went out and grabbed some towels and came back, finding himself face to face with Selina, out of the shower, naked and dripping wet.

"Can I do something for you?" She asked.

His mouth opened and closed and he held the towels out. Looking at him oddly, she took one. "Thank you," she said and dried herself off. "Do you have a bathrobe or something that I can wear while my clothes dry?"

"It'll have to be one of mine," Damon said. "Is that all right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "It's fine, thank you."

He brought her the robe and tried to sound nonchalant as he said, "You don't seem all that concerned with me seeing you naked."

She shrugged. "It's not like you never have," she said. "And I trust you not to take advantage of the situation. I refuse to act like some overly modest Victorian lady just because you and I aren't involved anymore." She paused. "Although I suppose that given your feelings for me, it would be more sensitive of me to cover up, wouldn't it?"

"Any other night but tonight, my answer to that would be 'yes'." Damon told her. "But honestly, I wasn't thinking about that. I really just want to have family time. That's all."

Selina tied the bathrobe shut and put her underwear on. "Well, that's sweet," she said. "And I'm sorry Mandy's not feeling well, but I'm glad to hear that you've found someone and things are going well for you."

"Actually," Damon told her, "there is no Mandy. I made her up in hopes that you'd hear about her and be jealous."

Selina sighed. "Damon, look at me. You and I have a past. It isn't exactly a pretty past, but you know things about me that not many other people do. And I want you to know that just because you and I aren't together anymore, that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I do. You and Sam are probably the most stable, available men in my life right now and that's nice. I need that."

Damon brightened a little. "So are you saying that you want to get back together?"

Selina shook her head. "I'm sorry, no. I'm saying that I would love for us to have family nights like this frequently. I mean, we're going to have to spend time together if we want to raise Sam properly and right now, I don't know exactly how I'm going to manage that. I'd be lying if I said that there isn't a part of me that wishes I could just look you in the eye and say 'yes, I want to be with you' cause that would make things a hell of a whole lot easier, but that would be wrong and..."

Damon cut her off. "Yeah, yeah. I know. 'I love you, but I'm not in love with you'. You've explained all this to me before. I don't need to hear it again. Now let's go eat dinner before it gets cold."

His voice was cold and he strode away from her quickly and Selina stood alone in the hallway and sighed, steeling herself before walking to the kitchen.

By the time she arrived, Damon had not regained his jovial manner and the atmosphere was tense as he and Stefan brought out food containers from the kitchen and put them on the dining room table.

"What can I do to help?" Selina asked.

Damon looked up at her. "I think I've got everything under control," he said. "You sit opposite me, next to Stefan."

"All right," Selina nodded. "But I'd be more than happy to feed Sam if you..."

"No," Damon shook his head. "You don't have to trouble yourself. I wouldn't want to have to force you to do something that would be an inconvenience for you."

Selina pursed her lips and took a seat next to Stefan. She wouldn't take the bait. She wouldn't. She looked over the food Damon had prepared, chicken, asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes, and looked up at him appreciatively. "This all looks great," she said. "I can't wait to eat it!"

Damon nodded. "I hope you like it," he said quietly, then after everyone had food on their plates, he began feeding Sam some mashed potatoes.

Everyone ate in awkward silence and when it was time to clear the dishes, Damon removed Selina's quickly. "There you go," he said. "I wouldn't want to keep you here longer than you planned," he said. "I know you have men to do and other children to see."

"Lucy and I have moved into an apartment," she said. "I live on my own now. Well, not entirely. Nicky's living with us because Enid says that he has to, but I'm not sleeping with him."

Damon gave her a look. "Sure you aren't," he said. "Let me guess: he's on the sofa and you're in the bedroom and he's given you his solemn vow that he won't try to do you at all while he's under your roof."

Selina scoffed. "He won't if he doesn't want to get hit with the wolfsbane mace again."

Damon's eyes widened. "You're serious, aren't you?" He said in surprise. "You really aren't sleeping with him? But I thought that was impossible! Like the two of you were magnets with privates or something!"

Selina burst out laughing. "I admit it's taken a lot of self-control, but I've finally realized that being with him takes a lot out of me, more than I can afford to give, so I'm giving him up."

"But what about Lucy?" Damon asked. "Doesn't she have to know her dad?"

Selina sighed. "I don't want her to. I think he'd be a bad influence on her and that you and Elijah would be a million times better. If she stays around Nicky for too long, she'll end up either spoiled rotten or hopelessly neurotic and I don't want that for her. I know she'll do well for herself, but it's up to me to make the right choice for her, which is to make sure that she is never exposed to Nicky's influence."

Damon nodded. "I'll help with that," he said. "Plus, I think it would be good if Sam grew up knowing his sister."

Selina nodded. "I think so too."

Just then, there was another knock at the door. Selina went to open it and was surprised when Roxie strode into the living room. "Sorry," she said to Damon, completely ignoring her mother. "But I had to come here. I didn't have anywhere else to go."

Sam saw her and held out his arms. She grinned and picked him up. "Hi, Sammy!" She said. "I'm so happy to see you!" She held him up and kissed his tummy, making him burst out giggling.

"What brings you here?" Selina asked her.

Roxie paused and looked her mother over. "I could ask you the same thing, but frankly, I really don't want to know."

"I got caught in the rain and my clothes were soaked, that's all," Selina told her. "Now, what's your excuse?"

Roxie sank down on the sofa and held up her hands. "I can't be around Vince anymore. Dad has become like God to him and he does whatever he says."

"Remember what I told you about getting new interests?" Selina asked.

"You said that I should do that only if I couldn't get Vince to come back to his senses," Roxie said. "And I can't. So now what am I going to do? I don't even have a place to live!"

"I think your brother might have some extra rooms," Selina said. "Go check with him."

Roxie shook her head. "Adrian isn't going to want me to live with him."

"Well, you don't know that," Selina told her. "It doesn't hurt to ask."

Roxie got up and sighed. "Fine, I'll ask, but he's gonna say no."

"You don't have to go now," Damon said, looking her over. She was as wet as Selina had been. "You can wait until the rain lets up. Dry yourself off. And we even have some leftovers if you're hungry."

Roxie nodded. "All right, Thank you." She dried herself off and ate, and when the rain let up, she told everybody goodbye and made her way to Adrian's.

"Now tell me again," Adrian said. "How exactly is it that you're here?"

"Well, I don't exactly know myself, honestly," Tessa told him. "I was in the spirit world, just watching everything, and then one day I get summoned by this guy who told me that he had a way to right the wrongs that were done against me. That he could bring me back and reunite me with you. I said 'that sounds nice, but I don't have a body to go back to' and he said 'that doesn't matter. I can make you a new one'. So I materialize, but then I realize that I can't just get a new body and show up. That would be a shock. I decided to do a little haunting beforehand so it wouldn't be a shock to you when I showed up. I thought the guy who called me up would be against my haunting Helene for what she did, but he was actually very enthusiastic. And when I got bored of watching her wet herself into a coma every night, I went and got my new body."

"So you're here because some guy brought you here magically?"

Tessa nodded. "He said that he and I both had a common enemy in Helene and that we could help each other get vengeance against her. I got mine when I came back here and was reunited with you, and I wonder what he'll want me to do for him. I hope it's nothing too bad."

Just then, their musings were interrupted by a knock on the door. "I wonder who that is," Adrian said. He and Tessa made their way to the front door and opened it. "Roxie?" Adrian said in surprise. She nodded and came inside. "Well, look who it is," She said, eyeing Tessa. She didn't seem surprised to see her. "I don't know how you got here, but you tell your brother from me when you see him that I think he's a fool and an idiot and I hope to God that I never lay eyes on his stupid face again!" She paused and looked at Adrian. "I live her now, cause Dad's gone to be with Mom and Vince and I are fighting. Do you have any problems with that?" Speechless, Adrian and Tessa shook their heads. Roxie nodded and stomped off and Tessa looked at Adrian. "What was that about?"

"I think I know, and I'll explain later," Adrian said.

That night, Tessa had a dream. She saw the man who'd brought her back. "Listen to me very carefully," he said. "I'm going to tell you what you have to do for me as payment for my bringing you back. Are you listening?"

Tessa nodded.

"Good," he said, "Cause this is very important. I need you to kill Helene Fale. If she's left alive, she will be a danger to humans and supernatural beings alike. Do you understand me?"

Tessa nodded. "You want me to kill Helene. I can do that."

The man nodded. "Good. Once you do, your debt will be considered paid."