"Damn, that didn't go well," Selina said.

"Are you going to go after her?" Elijah asked.

Selina shrugged. "Why bother? It's not like anything I say is going to stop her, and what's the worst she could do, anyway? Tell Nicky? He already knows, or at least suspects, so it's not like it'll be a big shock to his system."

She threw the covers aside, got out of bed and dressed. "I think I'll deal with this now," she said. "It'll be easier that way."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Elijah asked.

"I can handle myself," Selina said to him. "But it might be fun for you to watch."

He dressed and followed her out of the room, and to the living room where Roxie was just hanging up her phone. "I called Dad," she said. "And I told him what I saw."

"Oh?" Selina said. "And what did he say? Was he upset?"

"Not as much as I thought he would be," she said. "Just vaguely amused. But he'll probably tell Grandmother and then you'll be in real trouble." She grinned devilishly.

Selina sighed. "Roxanne, I am no more scared of your grandmother than I am of you. She's already broken all my limbs at once when she thought I killed your Aunt Susan, even though that was really your father's doing. How much worse could it be?"

"You could end up like Vanessa," Roxie said. "I saw the news. She was a real mess after Grandmother finished with her."

"Well, this isn't the same situation," Selina said. "She'd only stop herself from having super powerful grandchildren if she killed me and that is something she wouldn't risk losing no matter how mad she was."

"How could you do this to us?" Roxie asked. "Just forget about us like that, like we're trash or something? And since it's you two, I feel like Hamlet after King Claudius killed his father."

Selina scoffed. "I am nothing like Hamlet's mother. I'm more like poor Cordelia in King Lear. She loved the most, got exiled in return, and then she died. But unlike her, I've decided that I'm not going to roll over anymore. Roxanne, you're seventeen years old now, and for the majority of your life, you haven't lived in the same house as your father and me. You've created a life for yourself and been very successful with it, so I don't see why you feel you suddenly need a mother."

"I don't," Roxie said. "But what about Lucy and Sam? How is this little affair of yours going to affect them?"

"Only positively," Selina said. "It will do Lucy lots of good to have a father figure who's always there for her and and supportive." She looked at Elijah and he smiled at her.

"And as for Sam," Selina continued, "nothing is going to change, it isn't. I'll still love and support him, like I always have."

"Even though he's the kid you never wanted?" Roxie pressed.

"Of course I wanted Sam!" Selina said. "How could you even say that I never wanted him?"

"Well, he wasn't exactly planned for, was he?" Roxie smirked.

Selina tensed and felt Elijah's hand squeeze her shoulder. "Careful," he whispered. "Stay calm."

"Do you know how I got to be pregnant with Sam?" Selina asked Roxie.

"I think I should," Roxie said. "It's not like I haven't done it several times myself."

"I didn't mean like that," Selina said. "I meant the circumstances that led to his conception," Selina said firmly. "Do you know them?"

"No," Roxie shook her head. "But why does it matter?"

"It matters because it all started with you," Selina told her. "You had that pregnancy scare with Vince, remember? And you came to me and you were terrified and begged me not to tell your father. I promised you I wouldn't. But it stressed me out keeping your secret. It really did. I went and told Damon about what was going on with you just so I wouldn't have to bear the burden on my own, and then we had a few drinks and one thing led to another, and..."

"So much for drinking responsibly," Roxie said. "Don't you ever pay attention to the commercials, Mom?"

"That's not the point," Selina said through her teeth. "The point is, if I hadn't been so stressed out about your reckless irresponsibility, then I wouldn't have gotten drunk and slept with someone other than your father in the first place!"

"I rest my case," Roxie grinned. "You didn't really want Sam. He's just a reminder that you screwed up your life, poor kid. Someone should really be looking out for him. But it still doesn't explain how Sam happened. I thought that regular vampires couldn't have children."

"He got Enid to put a spell on him so that he'd have one chance to have a child. Apparently, one of the conditions of him getting it was that I not be the mother."

Roxie's eyes widened. "Oh. So that's what that was all about. Enid originally didn't want to put the spell on him, but I told her that he was a good guy, so he got lucky that way. And other ways."

Selina narrowed her eyes. "So Damon temporarily became fertile again on your recommendation?"

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "Look, he said he was going to have his girlfriend be the mother of his baby, so there wasn't a problem originally. How was I supposed to know she was going to dump him and then you and he were going to get drunk and have a booty call? And why did you even have sex with him if you knew that it might possibly get you pregnant?"

"I didn't know about any of it!" Selina said. "He never told me!"

"So basically, Sam's conception is everyone's fault but yours," Roxie said. "Good to know."

"I didn't say it was anybody's fault," Selina said. "I'm just saying what happened."

Selina turned to Elijah. "Did I say Sam's conception was anybody's fault?"

Elijah shook his head. "No. I didn't hear that."

Roxie frowned at him. "Oh, please," she said to him. "You don't have to be her faithful lap dog. She already slept with you so there's nothing she can hold over your head."

Elijah opened his mouth to reply, but just then the front door opened. "Hello?" a voice called out. "What is going on here? I've heard the most terrible thing! It's not true, is it?" A few minutes later, Elissavetta strode into the room took a seat on the sofa and looked back and forth at Roxie, Selina and Elijah. Klaus strolled in a few minutes later, standing behind the sofa and smirking.

"What's going on here?" Selina asked.

"Nothing much," Elissavetta said. "I just have some concerns and I feel we should discuss them."

"If you mean what I think you mean," Selina said, "There's nothing to discuss. I've made my decision about how I want to live my life and I'm not going to change it, no matter what you say."

Elissavetta looked at Elijah, who was grinning with satisfaction. "I would like to know what you find so amusing in all of this, Elijah," she said. "Why do you find so much joy in destroying your brother's marriage?"

"I didn't destroy anything," Elijah said. "Niklaus already destroyed his relationship himself. He was the one who treated Selina like a toy for his own pleasure rather than the beautiful, capable, intelligent woman she really is."

"Did you really do that?" Elissavetta asked Klaus.

"No!" Klaus said. "Since when did telling your wife she was beautiful and buying her pretty things become a crime?"

"When you stopped listening to anything I said!" Selina told him. "When I'm with somebody, I don't need stuff, okay? I need someone who will talk to me, listen to what I have to say, and really value my thoughts and opinions. And that's not the kind of person you are. It's not your fault. It's just the way it is."

"I don't agree with that," Klaus told her. "I think you're making stuff up."

"No, actually, she's right," Roxie said to him. "After Lucy came back here and you saw her for the first time, when she didn't cotton to you right away, the first thing you did was just take my old teddy bear and give it to her without even asking me first. That really hurt, Daddy."

Klaus frowned. "What is the matter with you, Roxanne? How can you still be upset about that damn bear? I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?"

"Nothing," Roxie said. "There's nothing more you can do." She got up. "I have to go. I have work in half an hour. Nice talking to everyone."

"Roxanne?" Selina said before she left.

Roxie paused, hand on the doorknob. "What?"

"Enid has a new bartender," Selina grinned. "When you see him, make sure you say hi. I'm sure you'll find him very interesting."

"Okay," Roxie said, looking at her strangely. "I'll be sure to remember that." She left and the room lapsed back into uncomfortable silence. Finally, Klaus cleared his throat. "What is it you were saying about Enid's new bartender?"

Selina shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing," she said. "Just a new guy she's got working the bar. I met him when I-"

"Wait!" Elissavetta cut her off. "Enid? You mean the woman who's been hounding me all this time, telling me that she's going to destroy my life the way supposedly I destroyed hers?"

"Yep," Selina nodded. "That's her."

"She's been quiet," Elissavetta said. "Perhaps she's given up on the idea and is going to leave me alone."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Selina said. "After what you did to her, which is kind of like what's going on with me but not, she probably would never forgive you. Although..."

"Although what?" Elissavetta asked. "Do you know something? What do you know?"

"I don't think it's my place to tell you," Selina said. "You'll find out eventually, I bet. And it might not be as nerve-wracking as you think." She stood up. "I'm going to go pick up Lucy at Stefan and Anna's." She gave Klaus a look. "You did say that's where she is, Nicky?"

He nodded. "Yes, that's where I dropped her off. I could come with you, if you want."

Selina paused a moment, gave Elijah a long look and then nodded at Klaus. "Sure, Nicky. You can come with me to get Lucy."

Klaus got up to follow her out the door. "All right, what's going on?" He asked her once they were outside. "Why were you acting like that towards Mother?"

"Acting like what?" Selina asked. "I wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Teasing her about Enid," Klaus said. "You know that has her on edge."

"Why should I be nice to her?" Selina asked. "She's certainly never done anything for me to warrant that sort of behavior. But then again, no one in my life really has. Other than my children with the possible exception of Roxie. She's your problem."

She got in the car. Klaus stood outside. Selina turn on the engine and rolled down the window. "You aren't coming in?" She asked. "I thought you wanted to come pick up Lucy with me."

"I do," he said. "But I kind of thought I would be the one driving."

"Well, it's kind of my car, so I'm driving and you are going to sit in the backseat," Selina told him. "Go on."

He growled and punched the door, going to sit in the back.

"You are such a child," Selina said when he shut the door. "I hope you didn't scratch the paint or anything. I just got a new coat put on."

"Just start driving," Klaus said.

"I will drive when I feel like it, and not before," Selina said. She waited another minute or so just because she knew it would irritate him and then backed out of the driveway and headed toward Stefan and Anna's.

"How serious are you and Elijah?" Klaus asked her as they drove along."

Selina looked at him in the rearview mirror. "Pretty serious. Why?"

"This isn't just some thing that's going to get old?" Klaus was looking hopeful.

Selina sighed. "No, Nicky. It isn't. I'm sorry. I don't think I can go on like we have been any more. I just can't. And if you cared about me at all, you'd let me go. It would be the first thing you've done in awhile to show that you really care about me and not just about yourself."

Klaus frowned. "Are you trying to guilt me into divorcing you?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "That would be underhanded. I am asking you nicely to divorce me. Or better yet, I'll just divorce you. I know if I put the whole thing it in your hands, it's never gonna happen. I have to take responsibility for myself, don't I?"

Klaus' lips were drawn back from his teeth and he was glaring at her. "You might want to smile," she said. "Lucy will probably get scared of you if she sees her daddy looking at her like that."

"You would know," Klaus said. "Has she even looked at you since you attacked her? I mean, seriously? At lunch, she was squirming an awful lot trying to get away from you."

"I didn't mean for that to happen," Selina said. "Aleksandr and Myna kidnapped me on Halloween and injected me with a lot of your blood. I had no control over it. I wouldn't have done it if I had." She saw him tense a bit when she mentioned Myna's name. "What's the matter?" She asked. "The love boat hit a reef or something?"

"You could say that," Klaus said.

Selina tsked. "Surprise, surprise." She said. "Do you want to share what happened?"

"Yesterday I got a phone call from Vince," Klaus said. "Apparently, Myna has been killing my hybrids behind my back."

Selina's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

Klaus punched the back of her seat. "Oh, I don't know. If I did, I would have done something about it by now!"

"Well, how many of them have been killed?" Selina asked.

"Several," Klaus said. "Three when Vince called, and even more before that. Their heads chopped right off."

He looked up at Selina. "You haven't been talking to her or anything, have you?" He asked. "I mean, you do know how to kill a hybrid and you did kill a bunch when you were mad at me once."

"I haven't talked to Myna at all," Selina said. "Why would I socialize with a woman who tried to screw me up and succeeded? I don't even know why she did it." She paused. "What if my attacking Lucy wasn't just some random thing?" She asked. "What if it was supposed to happen?"

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked.

"Well, Myna's been killing all your hybrids. What if, for whatever she has in mind, our kids need to be dead too? And it's not like I'd just let her stroll in my front door and murder our children. So she had it be an inside job. But why would she want your hybrids dead at all? Why would she want to hurt me?"

"I don't know," Klaus said. "I don't know why'd she'd want to hurt you or any of the other hybrids for that matter."

"Well, that's not helpful," Selina said. "Would you like me to see if I can find out why she's killing your hybrids? I could do that."

"Would you?" he asked. "That would be a good idea. But when you go and talk to who you have to talk to, I'm coming with you."

"Why?" Selina asked. "How do you even know who I'm supposed to talk to?"

"Well, didn't you say that Aleksandr was with Myna when they kidnapped you and forced you to drink my blood?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he was. I wouldn't have missed him."

"Well, then he'll know what Myna's up to, won't he?" Klaus asked. "In fact, he'll probably be in on it."

"Ugh," Selina groaned. "That makes him more of a baby than you, doesn't it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Klaus asked.

"Well," Selina said, "You want to be with me and pout when you don't get your way and that's it. He wants to be with me, and whenever he doesn't get his way, he tries to hurt me or someone I love to get me into submission. This is just like when he found out Damon and I were together and then he locked me in my bedroom and starved me, then had my cousin Michael tie Damon up in the basement of the boardinghouse, or maybe it was my cousin's house-I forgot where it was, but anyway-once he let me out, Aleksandr took me into the basement and made me feed on Damon so I would feel all guilt-ridden and terrible. It sucked."

Klaus grinned. "I'm starting to look pretty good, now aren't I?"

Selina cleared her throat. "Well, not long term, but know that you aren't at the absolute bottom of my boyfriend/husband list."

He grinned. "Well at least you threw me that bone."

Selina groaned. "I can't believe I have to talk to Aleksandr of all people to find out what Myna's up to. Isn't there another way? Can't you call him up, ask him to come to a bar with you, get him drunk and then make him talk?"

Klaus nodded. "I could. But it's iffy. Honestly, if you got kidnapped by someone because you had information they needed to know, would you rather be interrogated by a woman or by a sexy man in a tight shirt?"

"Sexy man in a tight shirt," Selina said immediately. "I'd probably say even more if he took it off."

"Exactly," Klaus said. "Now you get my point."

Selina groaned one last time. "I thought I was done pimping myself out for the common good. I was done. I made that decision this morning!"

"Well," Klaus said, leaning over the seat from behind her when she stopped at a stoplight. "When you see him, if he asks you to go back to wherever he's staying with and sleep with him, be very inviting. Wear something that shows a lot of leg."

Selina scoffed. "Honey, you don't have to tell me how to seduce someone. I know how to do it, okay? And I was married to your brother for ten years. If I know how to seduce anyone, it's him."

"Are you sure?" Klaus asked. "I'm not. When was it you were married to him? The nineteenth century? What were you like at that point? Were you sexy?"

Selina burst out laughing. "Um, no. I was mostly just really, really bitter. When he and I met, I pulled a gun on him."

"Well, that's a start," Klaus said. "Wear some of those tiny jean shorts and a shirt that's tied up to show your belly button and you can be the cowgirl of his dreams."

Selina narrowed her eyes. "Oh, my god. A cowgirl? You can't be serious."

"I think I am. I mean if it was me, I'd go for something else, of course, but..." He grinned.

"I think I'm well aware of what you'd go for," she said dryly. "You know, you're acting very eager about this. I'm confused."

"Well, that's because you're doing this for a very good reason," he said. "You're saving our children from decapitation at the hands of a madwoman. That makes me very enthusiastic. Besides, you hate Aleksandr anyway, so I have no reason to object to the two of you getting together. It doesn't mean anything."

"Ah," Selina nodded. "There it is again. Since I don't have any real feelings for Aleksandr, it's perfectly all right for you to encourage me to have an evening with him because you know it won't evolve into anything long-term."

"Exactly," Klaus nodded. "Now, are your cowgirl-type clothes at the house or at your apartment?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know if I have any cowgirl type clothes!"

Klaus' eyes widened. "Oh, of course you do! Let's go to your closet and see what's in there. Surely we can come up with something."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Fine, but first we have to pick up Lucy."

"Right," Klaus nodded. "I'm proud of you for remembering that. I would have thought you'd forgotten."

Selina shook her head. "I wouldn't forget." The light turned red and they managed to make it to Stefan and Anna's without having to stop again.

"Just a minute," Anna said when Selina and Klaus opened the door. "Lucy fell asleep, but I can go and get her."

"Oh, don't be silly," Selina said. "Let her sleep. We can wait. Besides, it's not like she comes near me anymore anyway." They all sat down on the sofa and stared at each other.

"So, what's new?" Anna asked.

"Something big," Selina told her. "Something really, really big."

"What? What?" Anna asked eagerly. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Selina looked at Klaus. "You wouldn't mind checking on Lucy, would you? In case she wakes up?"

Klaus grinned. "Oh, I get it. You want me to be gone when you tell Anna that you slept with Elijah." He rolled his eyes and headed off to Lucy's room.

Anna's eyes widened and she grabbed Selina by the shoulders. "You slept with Elijah? When? How did it happen? Was it good?"

Selina grinned. "It wasn't too long ago, actually. Maybe a couple of hours. I was having a bad time, Adrian called him, he came over, and we talked, and then..." She flushed a little.

"But what about his morals?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. He might have mentioned something about how making me feel loved was more important then his morals at that particular moment, but the words are all a little fuzzy now. And it was good. Very good. It would have been perfect if Roxie hadn't come in in the middle of round two and found us. Then she told Nicky and he told your mother, and..."

"God," Anna said. "You just don't get a real break, do you?"

Selina sighed. "Well at least this break was longer than usual."

"What did Mother say?" Anna asked. "Is she ordering you and Nick to stay together?"

"I don't think so," Selina said. "But even if she did, I wouldn't listen. I've had enough of being used in relationships, you know? I just want someone who's good, and honorable and cares about me. Is that too much to ask?"

Anna hugged her. "No, it's not."

"Are you done now?" Klaus asked, coming out with Lucy. "Can we go?"

"Sure," Selina said and stood up. Then she watched in surprise as Lucy caught her eye and eagerly held her arms out.

"Hey, cutie," she said as Klaus handed Lucy over. "Seems like you like me now, huh?"

"Probably because she senses you aren't crazy anymore," Klaus said. "Maybe the time with Elijah loosened you up. Not that I couldn't have done that. If you'd thought to ask me."

Selina grinned. "Oh, being with Elijah helped me out more than you'd guess. As for you," she said, circling him. You're a stimulant. You get me all worked up and it takes me forever to calm down."

"I can't help it," he said. "That's just the way I am! So, do you want to start looking for the cowgirl costume at your apartment or at the house?"

"Cowgirl costume?" Stefan asked as he came into the living room. "I thought the two of you were working on being apart. Why would you be picking out sexy costumes?"

"Actually, she's working on us being apart, Stefan," Klaus said. "I'm just an innocent bystander here who wasn't even given a chance to defend myself."

"Oh, come on!" Selina said. "You know we're screwed up!"

"I think that's a matter of opinion," Klaus said. "I think we're fine. And think of Roxie. Do you realize how horrified she sounded when she called me to tell me about you and Elijah? It was worrisome."

"Oh, please," Selina said. "She doesn't really care. She just likes meddling in other people's business and making them miserable. It's like her hobby. She could probably even make a career out of it."

"Fine," Klaus said. "Think what you want, but I believe you're being too flippant about this."

"Well, I don't," Selina said. "She's used to people fearing her, so naturally she's going to throw a fit if she makes a threat and doesn't get the desired reaction."

Stefan cleared his throat. "Cowgirl costume? Explanation, please?"

"Oh, psh," Selina said. "Nicky's ex-girlfriend is killing all his hybrids for some reason that we don't know, but I have reason to believe that the kids might be in danger, so I'm going to go talk to Aleksandr, who is apparently Myna's partner in crime and see if he'll tell me anything. And apparently I'll be doing it while wearing tiny shorts and a midriff-baring top, even though I think that idea is stupid."

"Well, do you have a better idea?" he asked.

"You mean something that isn't lame, demeaning and sexist? Yeah, I do," she said. "Let's take Lucy back to my apartment and I'll tell you along the way."

Elijah hadn't left Selina's apartment after everyone else had. In fact, he'd stayed to tidy up. Selina had many good qualities, but being neat wasn't one of them. He had pulled the vacuum out and was vacuuming under the sofa when he heard yelling and crying in the hallway that almost drowned the vacuum out. He opened the door of the apartment to see Selina and Klaus and Lucy on the other side. But none of them paid any attention to him.

"...So what's going to happen is that you're going to take Aleksandr to a bar, you are going to get him drunk, and then he's going to tell us everything we need to know."

"I still say that's not going to work," Klaus said. "He's not going to tell me anything that Myna didn't want me to know in the first place. I still think you should take one for the team."

"No!" Selina said. "Besides, if you get enough drinks in him, at one point or another, he might think you're me anyway...or at least a woman."

Klaus' eyes widened. "Oh, I hope not. That would be awkward."

"Well, that's when you dunk him in the water barrel. Or-" Selina's eyes widened. "Or you could go straight to Myna and ask her youself! She's just a vampire after all. You could compel her to tell you what you want to know. That way, we'll get what we want for sure, and nobody has to humiliate themselves."

Elijah cleared his throat and reached out for Lucy, who was in tears and holding out her arms to him. "What in the world is going on?"

"My neighbor is an evil vampiress who is in cahoots with your brother Aleksandr to kill all of Nicky's hybrids, which may or may not include our children. We need to find out if that's true so we can get them out of the way somewhere if they're in trouble," Selina said to him.

"Oh?" Elijah asked with one eyebrow raised. "And how is it that you plan to accomplish this?"

Selina rolled her eyes. "We're still debating about that. I am of the opinion that some well-chosen words will do the trick, but Nicky has his doubts."

"He stood idly by while Myna pumped you full of my blood!" Klaus said. "Do you honestly believe he still cares enough about you to want to just tell you what you want to know without there being something in it for him?"

"Maybe not," Selina said. "But I'm not going to humiliate and degrade myself if there's another way." She gave Elijah a look. "Don't you think it's ridiculous that I should have to dress up in a skimpy outfit and possibly sleep with Aleksandr to get anything out of him? You'd probably lose all respect for me if I did that, right?"

"I wouldn't lose respect for you since you'd be doing it under protest, but really Niklaus, can't you be a little more creative than that?" Elijah asked.

"Well, maybe you don't have to sleep with him," Klaus said. "You could make him think you were going to sleep with him and then renege on it at the last minute."

Selina shook her head. "That wouldn't work. A smart man would ask for any sort of payment upfront. Wait!" Her eyes widened. "I have a plan. Everything will work perfectly."

"I was surprised to get your note," Aleksandr told Selina when he opened the door to his hotel room and saw her standing on the other side wearing a hot pink cocktail dress with no sleeves and a black ribbon around the waist. "Usually you try and do everything you can to avoid me."

"Well, I'm here now," she said. "May I come in, please?"

"Of course," he said. "Can I get you a drink? I know I used to discourage your fondness for the bottle, but I figure it couldn't hurt to have a little, now could it?"

Selina grinned. "Well, actually, you were right about that," she said. "And I've been making a concerted effort to really deal with my drinking, so I'll decline alcohol, but if you have any pop around, I'll take that. Coke, please."

He nodded. "Certainly. There's a machine down the hall that has that in it. I'll get you some and be back in a minute."

He returned with a can of Coke and a cup with ice. "Would you like me to pour it for you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, thanks. I can do it myself." She opened the can and poured it into the glass with ice, taking a leisurely sip and putting the cup down. "Now, as to why I came. I'm concerned about you."

"What?" He asked. Clearly that hadn't been the response he'd been expecting at all. "What reason would you have to be concerned about me?"

She leaned forward. "You were there the night Myna took me and put Nicky's blood in me. I saw you. But my question is, why?"

"'Why'?" He repeated.

She took another sip and then nodded. "Yes. Why? I mean, from the looks of things, she was clearly in charge of the operation. Who is she? What is it about her that makes you so willing to trail along in her wake when you, an Original, are older, stronger, and more experienced than she is? Shouldn't you be in charge of whatever scheme she's cooking up?"

He nodded. "It would seem that I should be. But things are a bit more complicated than that. Myna was friends with Vanessa, her second-in-command, as it were. There was an understanding between them that if Vanessa ever came to any harm, Myna would carry on her work to destroy all the werewolves and Niklaus' hybrids and leave the vampires to rule over everyone. As for how I came into it, she promised me something in return for my help And I'm not the only one."

"What did she promise you?" Selina asked.

Aleksandr swallowed. "She promised me that if I helped her, she'd find a witch to perform a spell that would make me human again, make it so I wouldn't have to be a vampire at all. I never did want to be, you know."

"You didn't?" Selina asked. "You never told me that."

"Well, it's true," he said heavily. "When it actually happened, I did like it, at first. The idea that I had all the time in the world to learn everything that there was to know, that was a blessing to me. But as time went on, the novelty wore off. I watched my friends get old and die, my wife, my children. And I was still the same, never aging a day. After all was said and done, I was alone. At least that's what it felt like. Yes, I had my family, but that's not the same as coming home to the person you love and waking up in the morning with them in the bed next to you."

"If that's what you wanted, then why did you leave me?" Selina asked. "Why didn't you just take a risk and tell me the truth?"

"Because I was a coward," he said. "I thought that if I told you the truth, you'd think I was crazy and you'd reject me. I couldn't bear that. So when Niklaus told me that he had someone who could remove the curse from me in exchange for telling me where you were, I betrayed you. Left you. You aren't the only one I've done it to. There have been others. Several others."

"Why didn't you turn any of them?" Selina asked.

Aleksandr sighed. "Well, if I'm miserable being like this, I certainly wouldn't subject anyone else to it. Not even if they begged me to. Not even if they were sick or dying. Because if I've learned one thing over the years, it's that dying gives life its point. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would that knowledge inspire you to do?"

"Oh, any number of things," Selina said. "Because I wouldn't want to have regrets."

Aleksandr nodded. "Exactly. But when you have forever, it makes you lazy. Makes you take things for granted. But once you're dead, you don't get a second chance."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "You know, Adrian had a girlfriend, Helene. She was a witch. She died on her prom night, got electrocuted then drowned. She felt she'd been cheated out of a future with Adrian, so she refused to go on to wherever it is that people go when they die, choosing instead to stay earthbound, even if she had to rob others of their lives to do it."

"I know her," Aleksandr said. "She's the witch Myna recruited with a promise to save her father from the depths where he was sent by Vanessa's father for trying to kill his tribal leader five hundred years ago. Helene is the one that will give me my life back."

Selina put a hand on his. "And what is it that you have to do for Myna in return? Are my children in danger? Is Nicky? Is there anything I can do to save them?"

"Get out of your house," he said. "And take Lucy with you. Find someone who will provide you a safe haven. And tell Roxanne and Adrian that as well. That they can't stay in the houses where they live, that they should go somewhere where no one will find them."

"And what about Nicky?" Selina asked. "How can I save him?"

Aleksandr shook his head. "I can't tell you any more," he said. "I just can't."

"Of course you can tell me how to save your brother," Selina said. "Aleksandr, please. We've been getting along together so well. Don't wreck it now."

Aleksandr shook his head. "Why would I want to save the man who doomed me to be like this?" He asked. "The man that doomed our entire family? I'm sorry, but he's Myna's main target and as far as I'm concerned, she can have him."

Selina nodded. "Fine," she said. "If that's where you stand, using your logic, I can't blame you. But I don't agree with it. Nicky has children who need him and I'm not going to let him be sacrificed to some bitch just because you're a coward." She stood up from the table and strode toward the door.

"Fine, then." Aleksandr's voice was quiet. "But this means that what happened to you on your birthday might happen again. Or worse could happen. I really have no control over that. It's whatever Myna decides."

Selina narrowed her eyes at him. "You heartless bastard," she said. "Believe you me, you and Myna will breathe your last before Nicky ever does. That's a promise!" She left the hotel room, slamming the door behind her, and went to tell Klaus and Elijah what she'd learned.

"You still look neat," Klaus said when he opened the door in response to Selina's knock. As she strode angrily through the front door and sat hard on the sofa, he groaned. "And since you're so uptight, you obviously didn't sleep with him. Did you learn anything helpful?"

Selina nodded. "Perhaps a little too helpful."

"What did he say?" Elijah asked, sitting next to her. "It's not all bad, is it?"

"Oh, quite a bit of it's bad, but I wouldn't say all of it," she told him. "Apparently, Myna is Vanessa's second-in-command, who promised to take on her mission of destroying all werewolves in the event of something happening to her. Well, werewolves and hybrids. And the kids and me are on her hit list, but Aleksandr told me that as long as the family separates and everyone goes their own way, we should be all right."

"You mean he's suggesting that all of you move different places?" Elijah asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Me and Lucy move one place, Nicky moves another, and Roxie and Adrian likewise."

"I would be happy to take you and Lucy in," Elijah told her. "You don't even have to ask."

"I just bet you'd be happy to take her in," Klaus said.

Selina frowned at him. "Hey," she snapped, "you aren't allowed to be bitter. Aleksandr said that you're the main target on Myna's hit list. He was ready to just let you be killed. I told him I wouldn't let that happen. Don't make me be sorry."

"Well, maybe I should move in with the two of you and Lucy as well," Klaus said. "It's not like you don't have room, Elijah."

"No," Selina shook her head. "The point of this is for us to be separated. You need to find your own place."

Klaus smirked. "How convenient for you," he said to her.

She grinned back and put her arms around Elijah, who smiled ran his fingers through her hair. "It is convenient for me, isn't it?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "So where am I supposed to go?" He asked.

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. Be creative. Make a new friend."

Klaus' eyes widened. "Do you think Stefan and Anna would let me stay with them?"

"Maybe," Selina said. "And that's certainly a possibility. You could go and ask."

Klaus nodded. "I think I will," he said.

"And be sure to let Roxie know too!" Selina called after him as he ran out of the house and straight to his car.

"You know, it's weird," Roxie said to Vince. "Mom told me that Enid got a new bartender and that I'd find him interesting, but so far, I haven't seen anybody new at all. Do you think she was messing with me?" She followed him to his table and watched as he picked up the dirty glasses.

"Who knows?" Vince shrugged.

She grinned and punched Vince in the arm. "Maybe she doesn't like you anymore and is trying to set me up with somebody else."

"Come on," Vince took her in his arms and grinned. "Why wouldn't anybody like me? I'm so cuddly."

She kissed him and lay her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess you are."

"When she heard someone clear his throat behind her, she started and turned around, finding herself face to face with a blond man she'd never seen before, but who looked strangely familiar. "Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But where's Enid?"

"In the kitchen," Roxie said, pulling away from Vince and following the man. "What do you need her for?"

"I just need to have a chat with her," he said. He eyed her keenly. "You know, you look a lot like a woman who came in here a while ago," he said. "Enid told me this woman had a child with my son."

"Really?" Roxie asked. "Was the woman pretty?"

"Oh, yes," he nodded. "Although not really my type."

"What was her name?" Roxie pressed.

"Selina," Enid said, coming up to them. "It was your mother. Stumbled in here early a few mornings ago. I don't really know why. She didn't say."

"Wait a minute," Ronan said to Enid. "Who is this girl?" He pointed at Roxie.

"This is Roxanne," Enid said. "The apple of your son's eye, it seems. But that's not atypical in werewolf families, now is it?"

"No," Ronan said, looking somewhat bitterly at Enid. "It wouldn't be. You made sure of that."

"Anyway," Enid said after several minutes of awkward silence, "I think I'll just make introductions, shall I? Ronan, like I told you, this is Roxanne, who is the second of Selina and Niklaus' children. Adrian is the eldest. You'd recognize him as belonging in your line if you saw him, and then little Lucy is the baby. She's blonde and blue-eyed too, but doesn't really look like anyone yet. Roxie, this is Ronan. He's your...grandfather, I guess would be the appropriate term."

"What?" Roxie asked. "Really? I should call Adrian and tell him to get himself down here! Excuse me a minute." She scampered away and Ronan grinned. "I like her," he said. "Eager little thing, isn't she?"

"That's not the term most people use, but she has her moments," Enid agreed. "I assume you'd also like to meet your son some time as well?"

He nodded. "Yes, I would. And see Lissy. You have to let me see Lissy."

Enid grinned. "Of course you can see Elissavetta," she said. "In fact, that's what I brought you back for. To say I'm sorry for everything."

Ronan grinned. "Really? I wasn't expecting that." Then his expression soured. "What are you up to, Enid? You've never been this nice to me."

"Nothing," she said. "You worry too much. I swear I'm not up to anything. Just go find the woman you love and the two of you enjoy yourselves." She patted him on the back and he went behind the bar, watching Vince intently. When a buzzing sounded, Vince pulled an object out of his pocket and put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Vince, it's Klaus. I need you to do something for me."

"What's that?" He asked.

"Selina told me that Roxie is in danger. I need you to take her away from here until I say it's safe for the two of you to come back."

"But where should I take her?" Vince asked.

"I have a jet in a hangar a few hours from here. Take Roxie to the jet and tell the pilot to take you to the island. He'll know what that means."

"An island?" Vince asked. "Cool. I'll be sure to pack my swim trunks."

There was a laugh on the other end. "Oh, you won't need them. While you're there, I suggest the two of you get married. It would be good for her, I think."

"Oh, she won't agree to get married," Vince said. "She's opposed to it or something."

"Well, the island has a strange effect on people," Klaus said. "The atmosphere makes them do things they'd never dream of. Just trust me, all right? And don't tell Roxie any of this. Otherwise she won't want to go, and it's very important you get her out of town and keep her out of town."

"Sure," Vince said. "I'll do that." Then he hung up and put the phone back in his pocket just as Roxie came back to him.

"Adrian said he'd be here in a minute," she told Vince excitedly. "I can't believe the new bartender is my...grandfather. Now I know why Mom said I'd find him interesting."

Then, she turned as Adrian strode through the door. "Hey, what the heck did you mean when you called me?" He asked Roxie. "You can't be telling the truth and I don't have time for your tricks today."

"Adrian," Roxie told him, "look over at the bar."

"Fine," Adrian said. "I'll look at the bar and see our 'grandfather' standing right behind it." He looked where she'd indicated and started. "Oh, my god," he said. "I...wow." He walked toward Ronan and took a seat on a barstool. "Enid was right," Ronan said, giving him a grin. "I would recognize you anywhere."

Adrian's eyes were still wide with shock. He put his head down on the bar and brought it back up again, as if checking to make sure Ronan wasn't a hallucination. When he was sure that Ronan was real, he sat frozen until Roxie came and slugged him on the shoulder. "What's the deal?" She asked. "Why are you so worked up?"

"Mom called," he said. "She says we're in trouble. That someone wants to kill us and we should all get away."

"That's what Vanessa tried to do for years and now she's dead," Roxie said. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"You should," Adrian said. "This is someone else. She wants to kill you, me, Lucy, Mom, Dad...all hybrids and werewolves, basically. She's some sort of second-in-command for Vanessa, dedicated to carrying on her 'noble work'."

"Sounds like you could use a drink," Ronan said. "What can I get you?"

"Is there vodka back there?" Adrian asked. "I'll take one on the rocks."

Ronan nodded. "Okay. We'll see how you handle this one, and I might let you have more after."

"What's going on?" Enid asked. "Is there trouble?"

"Could I take one of the extra apartments upstairs?" Adrian asked her. "Apparently, even though your sister is dead, she has a follower who has me marked for death."

"Well, we can't let that happen," Enid said. "You can stay as long as you need to."

"That's the last of my clothes," Selina said as she shut the drawer of the dresser and looked over at Elijah. "I think I'll go make cookies. This has been a long day." She turned away from the dresser and walked toward him, putting her arms around him again. "Thanks for taking us in like this," she said. "I feel safer now."

Elijah kissed her hair. "You know I want to keep you and Lucy safe," he said. "That's so important to me."

She looked up at him and kissed him. When she pulled away, she said, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He nodded and she left and headed to the kitchen where she got out ingriedients for chocolate chip cookies. When they were ready, she got them out of the oven and set them out to cool just as Lucy toddled in, grinning.

"Tookies!" she said, pointing to them. "Give me tookie!"

"No," Selina said firmly. "You have to wait."

"Me want!" Lucy wailed. "Me want! Me want! Me want!"

"Lucy, you have to wait," Selina repeated, picking her up and preparing to take her into the living room. Tears were streaming down Lucy's cheeks now.

"What's going on here?" Elijah asked. He saw the cookies next to the stove. "These look good, I think I'll have one." Before Selina could stop him, he picked one up and put it in his mouth. His eyes widened. "Hot!" he said. "Hot, hot, hot!" He spat out the bits of cookie in the sink.

"See?" Selina said to Lucy. "That's why I didn't want you to have any cookies yet. So you wouldn't burn your poor tongue." She kissed Lucy on her cheek.

Elijah was wincing. "So it's all right for me to burn my tongue?"

"You didn't give me time to stop, you, did you?" Selina asked him. She went and put Lucy in the living room and then came back. "I have the perfect remedy for that," she grinned. "Shut your eyes and open your mouth."

He looked surprised, then humored her. Giggling, she went to the refrigerator and took out a can of spray whipped cream, pointing the nozzle directly at Elijah's open mouth and pressing down. When his mouth was so full he couldn't close it without bits of whipped cream spurting out onto his chin, his eyes popped opened and he swallowed.

"What did you do that for?" He asked.

"Well it distracted you from being upset about your tongue, didn't it?" She asked. "Besides, it's fun to eat spray whipped cream straight from the can. See?"

He winced as she sprayed it directly into her mouth and swallowed. Then she looked back up at him. "What's the matter with you?" She asked.

"I'm afraid I'll have to take revenge on you for that little trick," Elijah said, coming toward her. "How should I do it? If I recall, you're very ticklish..."

He grabbed her and started tickling her. She started laughing and squirming, but eventually, she managed to get the whipped cream can pointing directly between his eyes. "Tickle me some more and I'll shoot, I swear," she said.

He grinned. "You wouldn't." But when he grabbed for her again, she smirked and let the whipped cream fly. It got all over his face and in his hair.

"See?" She said. "I told you. But you didn't believe me!" However, she reached over and wiped some of the whipped cream out of his eyes, then leaned forward and kissed him deeply. When she pulled away, Elijah said, "It's getting kind of late, isn't it? How about I put Lucy to bed and meet you in the bedroom?"

"Sure," Selina grinned. "But don't forget to wash off your face first."

Elijah washed off his face with a damp wash cloth and went into the living room, where he found Lucy sleeping soundly on the floor. He picked her up and put her to bed, then ran eagerly to the bedroom where Selina was waiting for him.

"Did she go down easy?" Selina asked.

"Pretty much," he nodded and began undressing, knowing that Selina was watching him intently. "She was already asleep when I found her in the living room." When he was undressed and climbing into bed beside her, she grinned. "Well, Lucy might have gone down easily, but I won't!" She took a pillow and hit Elijah on the head with it, then he took it away and grabbed her, pulling her to him and kissing her. When he pulled away, he said, "You're in a feisty mood tonight, aren't you?"

She grinned. "Oh, hell yes!" She managed to get him down on the bed and straddle him. "Last time you got to play with me," she said, leaning forward so that her hair brushed his chest. "Now I get to play with you." Grinning wickedly, she rolled off him and went under the covers, slipping off his boxers and slowly stroking him. He moaned and shifted a little. He shut his eyes and relaxed. "You like that?" Selina asked after a moment.

"Oh, god, yes," he replied. "Please don't tell me you're finished."

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not." Then, he felt her tongue slowly circle his tip and make its way up his shaft with little licks. He moaned again. He felt like he was going to explode. Finally, he came spectacularly when she wrapped her lips around his length and began sucking greedily. The force of his release was something he'd never felt before. When she climbed back on him, he flipped her over so she was underneath him and looking up at him wickedly. "I just rocked you like a hurricane, didn't I?" She asked.

"Yes," he said, nibbling her earlobe. "Now, it's your turn."

She grinned. "Bring it on."