Helene woke up one morning and felt instinctively that something was going to be different. She sat up in bed and breathed deeply, smiling as she inhaled the scent of the cupcakes baking in the ovens on the floor beneath her. Ever since Adrian had so abruptly betrayed her and ejected her from his life, she'd had to fend for herself. She could have gone home, but she remembered her father's warning right after his powers had been taken away that she should stay away from him so that whatever or whomever was after him wouldn't take it into their heads to attack her as well. So she'd wandered around for a little bit, checking out apartments, most of which were much too big for her, until oddly enough, she'd come across a single room apartment over a cupcake bakery. Unfortunately though, that was all that was going right for her. As far as Adrian was concerned, he hadn't even called to apologize for what he'd done and try to make amends for it, like a decent person would have done. She hadn't even made friends or anything. But maybe it was time to change that. Maybe she should start being more sociable. Smiling, she got out of bed and quickly dressed, heading down the steps, careful to avoid the broken one before her feet touched the floor.

"Morning," Barry, the owner said to her. "Sleep well?" He was a slim man in his mid-thirties with dark brown hair and an impish grin.

She nodded. "Yes, thank you, Barry. I'm thinking of going and making some friends today." She sat down at the table near the door, squinting at the neon colors of the walls and furniture of the cafe, which were a sharp contrast to the more conservative look of her small apartment.

Barry came around the counter and over to her table, plunking a chocolate cupcake with what looked like chocolate frosting on top. "Here," he said. "Try this."

She looked at him and shook her head. "No, thanks. I don't eat sugar for breakfast. I'll just go get myself a coffee later."

"Oh, come on," Barry said. "This is just like coffee. It's got mocha frosting on it and everything. I'm thinking of putting it up for sale if you like it. I mean, every other kind you've tasted and liked has been a best seller. It's like you have a magic touch or something."

She grinned. "Well, it's nice to know you value my opinion so highly." She picked up the cupcake and bit a little off the top. Her eyes widened. "You know," she said in surprise, "This is actually pretty good." She put it down on the plate and he took it away. "That's all I need to know," he said. "I'll have the kitchen make up a dozen and put them in a new display. Could you make advertisements for them again?" He asked her. "You have a very good eye."

She nodded. "Of course I will. And just out of curiosity, could I come up with a new decorating scheme too?" She asked. "The furniture is so bright it makes my eyes hurt."

Barry burst out laughing. "Would you, please?" He said. "I've been trying to find someone to help me redecorate forever."

He gave her one last grin. "Well, thanks for your help," he said. "I have a business meeting to get to. I got some people with lots of money to talk to me about opportunities to expand, maybe even get a franchise going!"

"Good luck!" Helene called after him as he bounded out the door. Once he was gone, she grinned indulgently to herself at his eagerness. Barry was like a little boy, really.

"So what did you think of the new cupcake?" A voice asked her. Helene looked over to see Luke, Barry's partner, who was about ten years younger and blond.

"It was good," she said. "Now I'm going to get going," she said. "My goal for today is to get a social life."

She left the bakery, pointing her finger to redo the place in blues and reds and purples, and shut the door behind her. It was a nice enough day that she felt like walking around just to see what would happen. She went to the coffee shop first, but as she was crossing the street, she was hit by a young man driving a red Jetta. It happened so fast, she didn't even have time to repel it.

As she lay on the ground, he stopped his car, opened the door, and came around to get on his knees next to her, muttering "I didn't see you, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?" She asked, turning her head and eyeing him grumpily. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened. "Hanz? Really? What are the odds I would meet you today?"

He grinned. "About the same as me hitting you with my car, yet both have happened. Can you get up?"

Helene tried to get up and they discovered that the fall had made her break her ankle. "Again, can I say how sorry I am about crashing into you?" Hanz said as he picked her up and put her gently in his car. "I don't know what went wrong. You should come to my apartment and let me heal you."

"What?" Helene asked, momentarily confused. "How?" Then she remembered. "Oh, yeah. You're a vampire. You have healing blood."

Hanz nodded. "Yeah, I do. So will you come with me? Or would it make Adrian jealous?"

Helene shrugged. "Actually, I don't know what it would make Adrian. He and I aren't together anymore."

"You aren't?" Hanz asked. "I'm sorry. Can I ask what happened?"

"I guess," Helene nodded. "It's not like it's raw anymore or anything. I'm used to it. That girl he left me for originally? She's back now."

"How?" Hanz asked. "I thought you took her body."

Helene nodded. "I did! But someone on the other side who has it in for me gave her a new body and brought her back to life and now she and Adrian are playing house together and I'm living in a one room apartment over a cupcake bakery!"

Hanz gently started the car. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Helene shrugged. "I don't know if it's good or bad. It might just be a thing."

"Well," Hanz said, "If you don't like where you're living, you can always move in with me. Well, me and my sister."

"Your sister hates me, remember?" Helene said to him. "She said I'd never be good enough for you."

"Well at one point that was true," he nodded. "But recent events might inspire her to change her mind. You have powers, don't you?"

Helene nodded. "I got them back. Why?"

He shook his head. "That's not important now. I'll tell you later."

When they reached his and Myna's apartment, Hanz asked Helene if she would be the one to knock on the door because his hands were full due to carrying her. When Myna opened the door, she gave Hanz a look. "What? Did you want to bring her in or something?"

"Please," Hanz nodded. "I owe her, really. I accidently ran her down. Made her break her ankle. I just want to heal her."

Myna rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Fine, but after you do that, she's on her way, all right? Alek's coming over soon and I don't want him to think that my brother associates with little hussies he picks up in the street."

"Even if they have their powers?" Hanz asked her, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Myna nodded. "Even if they have..." She trailed off and grinned slowly. "You have powers?" She asked. "I thought they'd been taken away."

"How would you have heard that?" Helene asked.

"I have my ways," Myna said. She watched as Hanz gave Helene some of his blood and she swallowed it.

"I suppose you'd like me to go now," Helene said. "Since that friend of yours is coming and all."

"Oh, no," Myna said. "You're just recovering from an accident. You shouldn't be walking."

Helene looked at her suspiciously. "Why the sudden change of heart? It has something to do with my powers, doesn't it?"

Myna ignored this. "I have cookies in the kitchen," she said. "Would you like one? Oh, who cares? I'll bring them out anyway."

While she was gone, Helene took the opportunity to look around the apartment. It was pretty utilitarian and sparsely furnished. She didn't see anything remarkable until a picture on the coffee table caught her eye. "It's Myna and Vanessa!" She burst out, looking worriedly at Hanz. "Please don't tell me your sister wants me to use my powers to resurrect Vanessa. I don't like her! She tried to kill me once!"

"True," Hanz said. "But she also brought us together. Remember that?"

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "So your sister does want me to bring back Vanessa?"

Hanz shook his head. "I don't think so. She hasn't mentioned anything like that, but you can ask."

When Myna came back with the cookies and placed them on the table, Helene blurted out, "What do you want me for? Is it to bring back Vanessa?"

Myna looked at her in surprise for a moment and then burst out laughing. When she'd calmed down, she looked at Helene and shook her head. "No," she said. "I don't need you to bring back Vanessa. I had originally thought to bring back my old friend, but now I've changed my mind. Having two of us trying to control the world would just be a bit much, don't you think? I want it all, and in order to have it all, I can't have anyone or anything in my way.

"Then what do you want me for?" Helene asked. "Assuming I agree to help you, that is?"

"Oh, you will," Myna said to her.

"You don't know that," Helene said. "I'm very capable of saying no."

"You're one of those self-righteous types, aren't you?" Myna asked. "The sort that wouldn't hurt anyone, even if they hurt you first?"

"What do you mean?" Helene asked suspiciously.

"I need you to help me get rid of all of those revolting hybrids Niklaus has running around," Myna said. "It would be too risky to have anyone around that could switch alliances any minute and bring my sister to power."

"Well, why do we have to kill the hybrids?" Helene asked. "Why couldn't I just use my magic to make their werewolf sides latent or something?"

"Because even if the werewolf gene is latent, we're still dealing with a bunch of would-be werewolves," Myna said. "And especially if they were forced to give up their werewolf status, they wouldn't exactly be sympathetic to our cause, would they?"

"Not really, no." Helene said. "What you say makes sense. But what would you do for me?"

Myna leaned in close. "The person who took your father's magic away as well as his body? That was Vanessa's father. It's punishment for his usurping his tribe leader five hundered years ago, just as Tessa returning and taking Adrian from you is your punishment for killing innocents to reclaim your own life."

"And what's so wrong about wanting to live?" Helene said. "Why am I being punished for that?"

"I could make it stop," Myna said. "All of it. Even though Vanessa's body is dead, her spirit is somewhere on the other side. If you could contact her for me, I could get her to have a word with her father to release yours."

"How do you know you're not lying to me?" Helene asked.

"Why would I alienate someone I need help from by lying to them?" Myna asked her. "I promise on my family's graves that if you promise to help me kill Niklaus' hybrids and get me contact with Vanessa, I will get your father free as a bird and your entire family will live happily ever after. If you don't take my deal, you might not have a family in the end. It's your choice. So will you help me?"

Astrid was standing in the front hallway, staring into a large, gilt-framed mirror. "Show yourself," she muttered under her breath. "You've been silent for too long. Tell me you aren't lost."

Slowly, the image of her husband appeared in the mirror, looking somber. "Here I am, Astrid," he said. "What's troubling you?"

"I'm concerned about Helene," she said. "She's stayed away as you requested she do, but I haven't heard from her and that worries me."

"Well, have you talked to Adrian?" Alistair asked. "Surely Adrian knows where she is and if she's all right."

"That's just it," Astrid said. "I've seen Adrian and he's with someone else. I don't think he and Helene are together anymore. I specifically told her that she'll have to stay with him if she wants to be alive by the end of things, but of course she didn't listen to me."

"Maybe it wasn't her fault," Alistair said. "Maybe they just grew apart. That happens."

Astrid shook her head. "When one person dies but refuses to stay dead because it deprives them of being with someone they love, they don't just happily go off and end a relationship, Alistair."

"I didn't say she did it happily," Alistair said. "And maybe, or most likely, it was Adrian who ended things. I knew that if they ever got together, he would eventually get bored and leave her." He glowered.

"Now we don't know that that's what happened, " Astrid said quickly. "You're making assumptions. She could have just as well ended things herself. And even if Adrian did find another woman, Helene is strong enough to handle it and get control of her own life. I'm sure of that."

"On a completely different subject," Alistair said through his teeth, "Do you know what my body is up to?"

While Helene stalled giving Myna her answer, there was a knock on Myna's apartment door. "Oh, that must be Alek," Myna said, standing up. "On time as usual." She went and opened the door. A man with short dark hair and dark eyes, wearing slacks and a white buttondown shirt with no jacket entered the room. He gave Hanz and Helene a look and then turned to Myna. "I thought you told me we were going to be alone for our little chat," he said.

Myna nodded. "Oh, we are," she said. She looked at Hanz and Helene. "Would you two mind making yourselves scarce for two hours or so?"

Hanz rolled his eyes. "Oh, all right Myna. But what is Nicky going to say about this?"

Myna frowned. "Oh, hush, Hanz. It's not like Alek is spending the night or anything. He'll be gone by the time Niklaus returns this evening."

Once Helene and Hanz were gone, Aleksandr sat next to Myna on the sofa. "So you've convinced Niklaus to be in a relationship with you?" he asked.

"Of course," Myna said. "It really wasn't that difficult. I don't think things are going well for him at home. He's over here practically every night." She paused, looking at Aleksandr's grinning face. "Why are you so happy?" She asked. "You don't still think you have a chance with his wife?"

"Of course not," Aleksandr said. "Why would I want to be with her when I have you?"

Myna grinned wickedly. "It's good you don't seem to be attached to her."

"I'm not," Aleksandr said.

Myna grinned and ran her hand down the side of his cheek. "To prove it, would you kill her for me? In order for the vampires to achieve domination, I've decided that all hybrids must be eliminated. And she is a hybrid."

"Yes, she is," Aleksandr nodded. "And I'd be happy to."

"How long has your sister been seeing Alek?" Helene asked.

Hanz shrugged. "Not long. Why?"

"He's Adrian's uncle," Helene said as they walked into town. "Did you know that?"

"No," Hanz shrugged. "Why does that matter?"

"I don't know," Helene said. "It's just a fact."

"What are you going to tell my sister?" Hanz asked, gripping her shoulders suddenly and giving her an intense look.

"I think no," Helene said. "I've already killed enough. I don't want any more murders on my hands."

"Even if the beings you're killing are abominations that never should have existed in the first place?" Hanz asked insistently.

"If you're referring to the foolish idea that as a witch, I'm responsible for protecting the balance of nature, any concern I had about stuff like that vanished when nature screwed me over and killed me too early," Helene said. "I would be awfully hypocritical for killing so-called 'abominations' when I myself am an abomination. At least in the eyes of other witches, anyway. I should have been dead a long time ago, and yet, here I am."

"I don't think it's such a good idea for you to say no," Hanz said.

"Why not?" Helene asked. "Will she kill me too?"

Hanz shrugged. "I don't know. She might."

He paused and pointed ahead of them down the street. "Isn't that Adrian coming this way? Who's that woman he's with?"

Helene's eyes narrowed. "It's her," she said. "That Tessa woman he threw me out for. Let's go say hello."

"Okay," Hanz said, struggling to keep his balance as she pulled him along behind her until they caught up with Tessa and Adrian.

"Hi, Adrian!" Helene said. "It's been awhile."

Adrian looked up, surprised. "Helene! Why haven't you called? I've been meaning to talk to you."

"You could have called me just as easily," Helene said. She frowned at Tessa. "I'm sure you meant to, right? You've just been...busy?"

Tessa looked Helene over and frowned. "What have you been doing to my body?" she asked. "I never would have let my thighs get that fat. And how long does it take you to pull your ass through a door?"

Helene raised her hand to turn Tessa into some sort of farm animal, but Hanz grabbed her wrist. "Don't," he said. "There are other ways to deal with this. You know that."

"That's right," Adrian said. "We don't need to fight. I think it would be best if we all stayed away from each other from now on, all right?"

"So you're just going to let her talk to me like that, Adrian?" Helene asked angrily. "I mean, I know we're not together anymore, but I would think you'd at least stick up for a friend."

Adrian shut his eyes and turned to Tessa. "I know you're still a bit...new to being alive again and you and I being together, but you have no reason to be worried. You and I are together and Helene and Hanz are together and nobody is going to try to steal anybody from anyone else, all right?"

Tessa sighed. "Okay. I would have thought that becoming a hybrid would have lessened my nasty werewolf jealousy, but apparently not." She gave Helene a sugary smile. "I'm sorry."

As they walked away, Helene turned to Hanz. "I don't think I like her," she said.

"Well, that's obvious," Hanz said, smirking. "But like I told you, there's a way to deal with her. All you have to do is give my sister the word. Of course, if you give her the word, that means you'll have to kill Adrian too, but..."

"But what's he done for me lately?" Helene said. "At this point, I don't think I have to care what happens to him anymore. He obviously doesn't care about me."

Selina and David were sitting at an outdoor table at a restaurant by where Helene and Adrian had encountered each other. They'd seen the whole thing. "Poor Adrian," Selina said. "Always in the middle, he is."

"What was that about, anyway?" David asked, handing her some of his fries. "That girl one of Adrian's old girlfriends or something?"

"It's complicated," Selina told him. "I couldn't explain it to you quickly. But suffice to say, his life is nearly as twisty and turny as mine."

David sucked in his breath. "Well, ouch, poor guy."

Selina nodded. "I know, right?" She finished off her chicken sandwich and the two of them stood up. "So we're going to that movie tonight, right?"

David nodded. "Of course," he said. "Where'd you find out about it, anyway? I had no idea they did expressionist films anymore."

"Elijah told me about it. Thought I might be interested. Sweet of him, isn't it?" Selina said.

They went to his car. "I should probably drive you straight home so you can get ready. I don't know how long it takes you," he said.

"Not long," Selina shook her head. "But just FYI, 'home' is Anna's house, temporarily. The sink in my bathroom broke and completely flooded the place. They're still drying it out."

"All right," David nodded. "To Anna and Stefan's it is, then."

"I was just going to call you!" Anna said when she opened the door and found Selina and David on the front step.

"You were?" Selina asked. "What about?"

Anna pulled her in and wished David a curt "good day." Then she put her hands on Selina's shoulders. "I am such a genius," she said. "You're going to love me!"

Selina saw Stefan in the living room and called out to him. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?"

Stefan looked up from the sofa and shook his head. "At times like these, I feel better if I don't ask." He stood up walked to the door himself. "Whatever trouble the two of you have in mind, Anna, remember that we have to go shopping for the party sometime this evening."

"What party?" Selina asked.

"Oh, nothing," Anna said. "Just a soiree we're having for a few friends. A costume party. It's not for awhile, though." She waved goodbye to Stefan and ushered Selina onto the sofa. "Now, onto the subject at hand. I've decided that we need to get the rest of those papers that Elijah has with the sexy stories on them. I read that first one and I'm intrigued about the rest."

"I think they're in a locked drawer at his house," Selina said. "How are we supposed to get to them?"

"Easy," Anna said. "You distract him by acting out that first bit with the cherries and you wearing his shirt and tie with no pants and that will distract him long enough for me to find the drawer and get the papers and I'll come and find you when I'm done."

"I don't know if we should do this," Selina said. "It seems a little underhanded if you ask me."

"This is no time for your morals to be kicking in," Anna said. "We're having enough trouble with Elijah's and I don't want to have to deal with yours too. Besides, how could you pass up a chance to possibly see my brother naked?"

Selina scoffed. "That's not going to happen," she said.

"It might," Anna said. "I mean, you will be acting out a fantasy from the deepest darkest, smuttiest corner of Elijah's mind. And he's still a guy. A highly moral one, but a guy none the less and even the most moral man on the planet would probably kill a puppy if he knew it would make someone want to have sex with him."

She looked at Selina's hesitant face, rolled her eyes and pushed Selina out the door. "You'll thank me when this is all over," she said. "Trust me."

Elijah looked up when both women entered his study. He cleared his throat and stood up. "Hello. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh," Selina said, "I wanted to tell you that David and I are going to that German expressionist film you talked to me about. It was you who told me about it, right?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "But I told you about it because I wanted the two of us to go together," Elijah said.

"Oh," Selina flushed a little and felt Anna slowly back out of the study. "I'm sorry. I could always go see it again. I swear I'll be just as scared the second time around."

"You don't have to," Elijah said. "I might be busy for awhile coming up and won't have time anyway."

Selina sighed. "Okay, fine then. I guess I'll just have to think of something else for us to do together." She turned away slowly, grinning because she still felt his eyes on her. She unzipped her jacket and let it fall to the ground, trying her best to get all negative thoughts out of her head. Then, she picked up her coat and held it up. "Want to take my jacket?" She asked him, smirking a little when she saw him flush.

Underneath her jacket, she was wearing a shirt of his that she and Anna had managed to filch before they'd gone to the library, along with one of his ties, but nothing else, save for her panties. She bent over the desk until she and Elijah were practically nose to nose. "Like my outfit?" She asked him.

He was staring at her with his mouth open slightly, but no words came out. "That's okay," she winked. "You don't have to say anything yet. You'll probably like what's under my outfit more, anyway." She went around to the other side of the desk and he swung around to watch her as she slowly unbuttoned the shirt and pulled it off, biting her lower lip so that there were a few drops of blood on it. Then she sashayed forward kissed him deeply, feeling his tongue brush her lower lip lightly. Then, he put his hands around her waist and pulled her forward, making it easier for her to straddle him and push him against the back of the chair. As he kissed her neck, she unbuttoned his shirt and then unzipped his pants and he picked her up and put her not under the desk, like it had been in the story, but over on the green velvet-upholstered window seat, sucking on her breasts and kissing her stomach. Just as he was about to ease her panties down, the door to the library opened and Anna came in. "Okay, Selina, I've got the..." She paused, and looked up in amazement. "I didn't think you were gonna go that far. Really."

Selina turned toward her and grinned. "Well, let's say we really got into it."

Anna smirked. "Well, let's stop this before something gets into you, shall we? I see I got here right in the nick of time."

Elijah pulled away a tad and gazed at his sister. "Could you wait for just a few minutes? We're almost done, really."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Elijah, you know there's a reason why you can't do this now. Don't you?"

Elijah rolled his eyes. "I suppose." He grudingly got off her and Selina looked resentfully at Anna. "Come on. Nicky and I don't even anymore. If Elijah and I don't do it, I'll just be set aside like the good china."

"Somebody should eat off you every day," Elijah said, looking at her body wistfully.

"Okay!" Anna said. "Selina, put your clothes on. We're going right now!"

Selina held a finger up. "But-"

Anna took Selina's dress and put it on her, then her jacket, and dragged her out of the house, shoving her into the car. "Couldn't you have shown just a little self-control?" Anna asked.

"Make up your mind!" Selina replied. "First you want me to stop being so moral and then you want me to have self control. Which is it? For crying out loud! Did you even get the papers?"

"Yes," Anna said, waving them under her nose. "At least I got the papers. And it was not easy. That drawer was locked up tight. It's obvious he doesn't want anyone to see what's on these papers, which of course makes me want to look at them all the more."

"Fine," Selina said resentfully. "Take your prize home. Read it all you want. I know now that you used me. You didn't even let anything happen."

"Oh, stop fussing," Anna said. "You'll have other chances, I bet. You just have to be patient."

About two hours before she was supposed to meet David for the movie, Selina made up some food, grabbed Lucy and they went to Elijah's for dinner.

"It's just my little way of apologizing for the mix-up about the movie," she said. "I honestly forgot that we were supposed to go together. I wasn't trying to be mean."

"I know you weren't," Elijah said, taking Lucy from her so she could get a better grip on the food. They set it out and ate without much conversation, and then after they washed the dishes, Selina went to get on her coat to leave, even though the clouds had turned an ugly, frightening shade of purple and rain was coming down in sheets.

"Where are you going?" Elijah asked her.

"I told you," Selina said. "I have to meet David at the movie theater. And would you mind watching Lucy?"

"No, of course not." Elijah said, "But the meteorologist on the news said the storm's just going to keep getting worse with thunder and lightning and that we'll have a flood by midnight. Do you really want to be out driving in that?"

"No, I don't," Selina said after a moment. "In fact, could I spend the night here?"

"I insist," Elijah said.

"Are you sure it wouldn't be too much of an imposition?"

"I wouldn't offer if it wasn't," he said.

"Great," Selina said, taking Lucy. "Looks like we'll be having a sleepover at Uncle Elijah's," she said to her. "Isn't it going to be fun?"

As she disappeared down the hallway, Elijah said to himself, "Oh, I wish we were."

Elijah woke around midnight when a clap of thunder woke Lucy and made her cry. He went into her room and picked her up, cuddling her against him. "It's just a storm, darling. It will be all right. I'm here." It took awhile, but finally she stopped crying and looked up at him, giving him a small smile. They sat in a rocking chair for awhile, then they went to his bedroom.

As they rested on his bed, the peaceful mood was broken by a loud, insistent knocking on the bedroom door. Selina was on the other side. She was breathing hard and practically in tears.

"I know this is going to sound absolutely ridiculous, but ever since I was a little girl and a part of our roof fell in and almost hit me while I was asleep, I have hated storms. They just scare the crap out of me." She looked at Elijah and her daughter sitting serenely on the bed and came to sit next to them. Elijah shifted Lucy so he held her in one arm and took Selina in his other, kissing each of them softly on the forehead. Then he put Lucy, who was soundly asleep, down on the bed and kissed Selina deeply on the lips, easing her onto the bed. But she soon pulled away.

"What are you doing?" She asked. "We can't make out right next to the baby!" She paused. "I'll go put her back to bed and then we'll continue."

She returned a few minutes later and they resumed their activities. Once, when he pulled away for a moment, she grinned and said, "I thought you were the moral one, Elijah."

He sighed. "I try harder than anybody else, but I'm still a man. I appreciate beauty in my art and my women." He lightly ran his fingers over her bare stomach and Selina breathed in sharply.

"Do you think I'm beautiful, Elijah?" Selina whispered.

"Oh, yes," he breathed and kissed her deeply again, but as he went to pull down her panties, thunder struck again, rousing Lucy and bringing Elijah and Selina back to their senses.

"I'll go calm her down," Selina said as she put her pajamas back on. "And I'll stay in her bedroom in case she wakes up again."

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "That might be best." She left and went to Lucy's room and managed to calm her once more. Then she tucked herself into the twin bed beside the crib and closed her eyes. Just before she was about to fall asleep, she felt lips on her forehead and heard Elijah whisper in her ear, "Sleep tight, my darling. Sleep tight."