"I wouldn't be so hasty," Mikael said. "We're not even certain that she's really done anything yet, are we?"
"But those murders on the boat," Elijah said. "Didn't we decide that it was Lonely Heart who did them?"
Mikael shook his head. "That's not what we decided. We decided that it could have been Lonely Heart. Or it could have been a copycat. But I suggest you keep Sera under observation. Be her friend, but don't let on that we suspect her of anything. If she is Lonely Heart, we don't want to give her a reason to run away again. Am I clear, Elijah?"
Elijah nodded. "Yes, Father." He turned to leave the house and Mary Anne followed him. "Would you drop me off at Klaus'?" She asked him. "I assume you know where he lives."
Elijah nodded. "Of course I know," he said. "Come on, it's not that much of a drive from here."
When Elijah got home, he went up to Selina who was sitting on the sofa and pulled her to her feet. "Come with me," he said. "We have to talk. It's urgent."
Selina looked worried. "What's going on? Has something bad happened?"
Elijah sighed. "Well, yes and no. Just come, please."
"All right," Selina nodded and let Elijah lead her to their bedroom. "So what's going on?" She asked when the door was closed. "What's got you so worked up?"
"You know those meetings I've been going to?" He asked her. "The ones that made me need the briefcase?"
"Yeah," Selina nodded. "What about them?"
Elijah stood in silence a moment, a muscle in his cheek twitching before all the words spilled out of him. "I was with my father," he said. "My father and Aleksandr. They've been working together and they saw it on the news after you killed that couple on the boat and now he thinks that Lonely Heart's back, or someone trying to copy her. He's really suspicious of you and he still wants you dead!"
"What?" Selina asked, looking shocked. "Oh, my god! What am I going to do? Should I be packing now? Are we going to be on the run? This is exactly the sort of thing that I wanted out of when I asked you to put me on the boat back to America!"
"All right, calm down," Elijah said. "It's not as bad as you think. Father strongly suspects you, but he's not certain, so he asked me to do some undercover work. He wants me to watch you twenty-four hours a day and inform on you if you kill anyone else."
"Well, I don't plan to do that!" Selina said.
"Then we shouldn't have anything to worry about," Elijah said. "But just in case..." He gestured for her to go stand by the bed and he got down on one knee in front of her.
"Oh, my god," she said. "What is this? What are you doing?"
"I wish this could have happened at a better time," he said. He held out a ring box that he got out of his jacket pocket. "Selina, will you marry me?"
"Oh, my god," Selina repeated. "Are you serious?"
He nodded. "Of course I am. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't."
Selina nodded. "Well, all right then. Of course I'll marry you. It won't make your father too happy, but the point is, it'll make both of us happy."
He stood up and hugged her. "Exactly," he said. He kissed her and then let her go.
Selina stood shyly balancing on one foot. "So we're engaged," she said to Elijah. "We're engaged and your father's after me."
Elijah put his arms around her. "Try not to think about that," he said. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
She sighed and leaned against him. "You wouldn't would you?" She reached over and started to undo the buttons on his shirt, but he grabbed her wrist. "No, no," he said. "We're not going to do that."
"Well why not?" She asked. "We're engaged! Isn't that something to celebrate?"
He nodded. "Yes, and we'll have some champagne later. But we're going to sleep in separate rooms until our wedding. It'll be better that way."
Selina cocked an eyebrow. "Better how?" She asked.
He locked eyes with her. "Well, won't our wedding night be more special since we waited?"
"But we haven't waited!" Selina said. "We've been going to bed with each other ever since I divorced Nicky. Do you want me to pretend I'm a virgin too?"
Just then, Lucy toddled into the bedroom and Selina picked her up. "Do you want me to pretend I'm a virgin too?" She repeated. "Because," she indicated Lucy, "here's evidence that I'm not."
Elijah averted his gaze and walked out of the room without a word. Selina stood alone in awkward silence for a few moments and then went out to find him.
"What's the matter?" She asked when she finally did. "You're really serious about this waiting thing, aren't you?"
"Yes," he nodded. "It would mean a lot to me if we did. It would allow us to explore other parts of our relationship before we get married and get to know each other on a deeper level."
Selina sighed. "Well, all right," she said. "If it means that much to you, I suppose I can wait. But don't let this engagement last forever. I can only hold out so long. Especially since it's you we're talking about."
He smirked. "Well, I would never want you to suffer that much," he said. "I suppose you're going to tell everyone you know now?"
"Actually, I don't think I should tell many people," Selina said. "I've been through enough weddings with your mother to know I want her out of the loop unless it's absolutely necessary for her to know."
"Are you going to tell your mother?" Elijah asked. "I think you should."
Selina groaned. "But I don't want to!" She whined, stomping her foot. "My mother will be even worse than your mother."
"We have to tell one or the other," Elijah said. "If you don't tell your mother, I will tell mine. Think of the lesser of the two evils here, Selina."
Selina shut her eyes for a moment and the horrifying memory of the first monstrous wedding dress Elissavetta had ever bought her floated into her mind: it had been big and white and poofy with mountains of silk, satin and lace. She'd hardly been able to move.
"I'll tell my mother," she said. "I swear I will, even though I know I'll regret it later."
"Go now," Elijah told her. "It's best to get it over with quickly."
She nodded and darted out of the house, but her first stop wasn't at her mother's. It was at Stefan and Anna's.
"Your brother is out of control!" Selina said when Anna opened the door.
"Well, what happened?" Anna asked. "What's wrong?"
Selina sat down and held out the hand that had her engagement ring on it. "Well, first he gave me this. See it? Isn't it shiny?"
Anna's eyes were as big as saucers. "Oh, my god. He didn't! So, when's our wedding?"
Selina shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. But given the big price I had to pay for it, it'll probably be days away."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked.
Selina swallowed. "Well, he told me after he gave me the ring that he wants to stop having sex until we're married. He says it's going to make our wedding night more 'special'. He was absolutely serious about it too."
Anna patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, you poor kid."
"And you know what else?" Selina asked. "He told me I had to tell my mother about the engagement, otherwise he'd tell yours, and I think we're all well acquainted with what happens when your mother hears the word 'wedding'."
Anna nodded ruefully. "We certainly are. So I won't tell her. And I won't tell Nick either because I assume he won't want to hear about it. Oh, and you can't tell him either," Anna said to Stefan, who was coming into the living room.
"Tell who what?" Stefan asked.
"Elijah and I got engaged," Selina said. "And we don't want Nicky or Elissavetta to know about it because they will either pitch a fit or throw a party and I'm not in the mood to deal with either."
"Hard as it may be for you to believe," Stefan said to Selina, "Nick and I do talk about other things besides you."
"Well, good," Selina said, ignoring the insult. "Then you should have no trouble keeping your trap shut about this."
Stefan nodded. "Definitely. We'll be too busy figuring out Roxie's student council campaign to even think about your wedding."
Selina froze. "Roxie's running for student council? When did that happen?"
"A short time ago," Stefan said. "But I wouldn't want to bore you with the details. You have a wedding to plan, after all."
"But-" Selina said.
Stefan grinned, shook his head and walked away, and Selina turned back to Anna. "Do you have any idea what he's talking about? What sort of trouble is Roxie planning now?"
Anna got up slowly and pulled a paper out of the trash, handing it to Selina. "Read page five," she said.
Selina opened the paper up and gasped. There was a black and white picture of her daughter standing with her arm around a young boy who looked frightened and exhausted. Behind her, a tall, balding man with dark hair stood with his hand on her shoulder. The headline above the photo read "Local Angel Saves Principal's Son During Flare Up of Peanut Allergy." Selina scoffed. "Please tell me this headline isn't referring to Roxie."
"Oh, it is," Anna said. "Apparently, the girl who's the head cheerleader at Roxie's school made a deal with the principal to make a whole bunch of brownies for his son's birthday. Roxie found out and switched the regular brownies with peanut butter ones without the cheerleader's knowledge because she knew that the boy was terribly allergic to nuts and if it seemed like the cheerleader was deliberately trying to hurt the principal's kid, it would also hurt the girl's bid for student council president, whereas if Roxie saved the boy, she'd have a lock on the presidency for sure."
Selina shut the paper. "I would say 'you're kidding,' but I know you aren't. It sounds much too much like something Roxie would do. But as long as the boy is okay and Roxie is going after a goal other than killing people, something that will give her substance, then I suppose I can't be too angry." She picked up the paper again and scoffed. " 'Local Angel'? Who writes this crap?"
Anna offered to go with Selina to her mother's, but Selina decided it would be best if she went alone. She bid Anna goodbye and grudgingly set off. When she reached her parents' house, she lingered in the car until Caroline came out the door and down to tap on the window. Then she rolled it down. "I was going to come in eventually," she said. "I was just preparing myself. I'm not a creep or anything."
"Oh, I knew that," Caroline said. "I was pretty sure it was your car and I mentioned it to your mother and she suggested I come out and check."
Selina opened the door and got out, following Caroline to the house. "How thoughtful of her to remember that I like to ease in to our meetings." Then, Caroline's eye caught sight of Selina's ring.
"My god!" Caroline gasped. "Where did you get that?"
Elijah gave it to me," Selina said. "He proposed today. That's what I'm here to tell Mama about."
Caroline gave her a hug and then sprinted into the house leaving Selina to follow in her wake.
"What is this Caroline tells me about you being engaged?" Amelia asked. "Who is he? Have we met him?"
Selina nodded. "Yes, you've met him. It's been awhile, but you have. I'm sure that if Daddy wants to meet him again, it'll be all right with him."
"Well, who is he?" Amelia repeated, looking eager.
"Elijah," Selina said. "Nicky's brother."
Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. "I hoped it would be him," she said. "You've been around so many men, I wasn't sure, though. So have the two of you given any thought to your wedding?"
"Mama, I've not even been engaged that long!" Selina said. "Only for a few hours!"
"Well it's never too early to start, is it?" Amelia asked. "I'll throw you something grand. This is the first wedding of yours I've had the opportunity to do that for, you know."
"But it doesn't need to be big," Selina said. "Actually, I would prefer if it were more intimate..."
"But why?" Amelia asked. "The whole world should know how fortunate you are!"
"I don't care if the whole world knows," Selina said. "I just want close family and friends to come. I don't need a whole bunch of people at my wedding just to fill up seats."
Amelia just grinned at her. "I know you aren't much for details dear, so just leave everything up to Caroline and me and you won't have to worry a jot."
Selina rolled her eyes and left. Her mother telling her not to worry just made her worry more.
Elijah had gone to tell Alistair about the engagement and when he returned at nightfall, he found Selina alone in a flour-covered kitchen cradling a bottle of wine. "You know, that was for both of us," he said gently.
She looked at him bleary-eyed and burped. "Well, here," she said. "You can have the rest of it. Although I'm afraid there's not much left. Sorry about that."
He took the bottle from her and shook it a little. She was right. There wasn't much left. He grabbed a glass and poured the tiny bit from the bottle into it. "I assume your meeting with your mother didn't go well?"
"Well, there weren't any surprises there," Selina said. "I knew she was gonna hijack the whole thing and she did. What really did it for me was when I got back here and realized that I was gonna be sleeping by myself tonight. I figured, since I won't be having sex, I have to replace it with something else, right? Well, first I made brownies, like a gazillion brownies. Lucy helped and as you can see, we made a giant mess, but I'm too tired to clean anything up now. Anyway, I made the brownies cause I thought I was gonna eat them and then I realized that if I did that, I probably wouldn't fit into my dress. So I threw a bunch of the brownies away and gave some to Lucy before I put her to bed, and then I remembered about the wine and I drank it and now I feel sleepy."
"Well, you should go to bed then," Elijah said. He swallowed what was in his glass, then picked Selina up and carried her to one of the other bedrooms where he tucked her in. "Good night," he said. "See you in the morning."
Selina turned away from him and fell asleep. He turned off her light and left her room to get ready for bed himself. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He got out of bed thinking it was Lucy (she was big enough to know she had to knock before entering a room now) and went to open the door. Instead, he found Selina on the other side, wearing a red bathrobe.
"I thought you were asleep," Elijah said. "And remember what we decided? Until we get married, you're going to stay in the room where I put you and I'm going to stay in here."
"I know that," Selina said. "I jus' wanted to show you what I got under my bathrobe." She undid the tie and the robe fell to the floor, showing Elijah that Selina wasn't wearing anything at all. She grinned and pushed him against the bed. "I wanna give you a goodnight kiss, all over your body," she said. When he climbed into bed, she followed, still talking against his ear. "And when I get down far enough, I'll-" She whispered something in his ear that made his eyes widen. She giggled and started kissing him. She was as thorough as she promised and while she was still buried under the covers, he heard soft snoring under the blankets. He lifted them up and slowly pulled her toward him, thinking that it was good she'd finished before falling asleep. He grinned and situated her so that she was lying on top of him with his arms around her, and, grinning, fell asleep himself.
When Selina woke up the next morning, her head hurt and she felt nauseous. Probably because she'd drunk so much the night before. She looked down and saw that Elijah was underneath her and that she was naked. "Okay," she thought to herself. "Maybe if I get off him before he wakes up, he won't know what I might or might not have done. I mean, I'm pretty sure we didn't do anything, cause I'd remember if we did, but he's so anti-sex right now that it wouldn't hurt to be sure."
She managed to get off him without waking him and ran to the bathroom to throw up. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Are you all right in there?" He asked. "Is there anything I can get you?"
"No, thanks," Selina said quickly. "I just had a little too much to drink last night. That's all. I'll be better in a few minutes."
"Are you certain?" Elijah called back.
"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm sure. But thanks for offering." He didn't seem to have noticed anything unusual. That was good. Now all she had to do was not let on what she suspected. If he was fine, then she was fine.
She stepped out of the bathroom and saw that he was still grinning at her. "Are you all right?" He asked. "You seem nervous."
"No," she shook her head. "What would I have to be nervous about?"
He shrugged. "I don't know." They stood in silence a moment, then she put on a pajama tank top and shorts and said, "I think I want breakfast. What about you?"
He nodded. "You go and get Lucy and I'll be in after I shower and dress. Are you certain you're all right? I promise this is the last time I'll ask."
She nodded. "I'm fine, thanks. I'll see you in the kitchen." She watched him head into the bathroom and then left to get Lucy and make breakfast. It seemed like a muffin day.
By the time Elijah got into the kitchen, he found Lucy eating Cheerios and Selina just sitting at the table drinking coffee. He kissed the tops of both their heads and Selina looked up at him. "Want some coffe?" She asked him. "And I've got a batch of muffins coming out in a little bit, if you're interested."
He nodded. "Sounds wonderful. But why is Lucy eating Cheerios then?"
Selina shrugged. "She seemed hungry, so I thought that I'd give her a small bowl to tide her over. Why are you in such a good mood?"
Elijah inhaled. "Oh, I don't know. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I'm here with the two of you. Why shouldn't I be happy?"
"Well, I'm not saying you shouldn't," Selina said. "I'm just saying that it's unusual for you. Anyway, so you do want a muffin when they're done?"
Elijah nodded. "Please." He sat down next to Lucy and took her in his lap. "Actually," he said to Selina as she opened the oven door and carefully took the muffin pan out. "There's another reason why I'm in such a good mood. I had a dream last night. A very good dream."
Selina put the pan down on the counter and turned. "Oh, really?" She asked. "What about?"
"You were in it," he said. "You came into my room and you...how do I put this delicately? You got into bed with me and you were very...enthusiastic, I think would be one word. Thorough would be another." When he saw her eyes widen, he said, "What?"
She took three of the muffins and put them on a plate and put the plate in the center of the table. "It's strange that you mention having a dream like that," she said. "Because I think I had the same dream. And when I woke up this morning, I was in your bed and I was naked! I mean, I've never actually had a history of sleepwalking before, but do you think that might have been what happened?"
He shrugged. "It's possible. Is stress one of the things that can bring on sleepwalking? Because I believe that with your mother taking control of our wedding the way that she is, you might be experiencing some stress. That has to be it, because I know you would never consciously break your word to me about not having sex again until after we're married."
"As hard as it is, I wouldn't," Selina told him. "And Mama's not going to have that much control," Selina said. "I'm going to have a talk with her and tell her that she can help plan, since it seems to be so important to her, but I'm going to make it very clear that I get final say on all the details."
"You will be tactful, won't you?" Elijah said.
Selina nodded. "Of course I will. I'm always tactful." She noticed that Lucy was reaching for a muffin and she broke one into small bites for her before handing it over. She took one of the pieces of muffin and put it in her mouth, smiling. "Nummy!" She said.
Selina grinned. "Thank you." She patted Lucy on the head and ate her own muffin before picking up her plate to go put it in the sink. "Can I take anyone else's dishes?" She asked.
"Oh, don't be silly," Elijah said. "Sit down. I'll take yours."
"Well, all right," Selina said. "Thank you." She gave him her plate and he took the two plates and went to put them in the sink. Then they watched Lucy eat and when she was done, Elijah looked at Selina. "What are you going to do today? Damage control?"
"Well, I think I should at least check on Mama's progress," Selina replied. "I mean, I know I only told her yesterday, but she's about as quick as your mother when it comes to stuff like that. I'd be surprised if she hadn't mailed out invitations, bought the cake and found the reception hall already."
"Well if you suspect she's already done that much, you might want to run and run fast," Elijah said. "Good luck and remember to be nice!"
"Oh, you're here!" Her father said when he opened the door. "I was just about to call you and tell you to come over."
"How much has Mama gotten through already?" Selina asked after she stepped inside. "Everything?"
Her father shook his head. "Not quite. But she does have several ideas you might want to take a look at."
"Why?" Selina asled. "Because I'll like them, or because I'll think they're horrible?"
Her father patted her on the shoulder. "They aren't necessarily to your taste. I thought I'd prepare you in advance."
Taking a deep breath, Selina thanked her father and hurried into the kitchen. She stood in open-mouthed shock as she looked around. The walls were covered with various colors of dress fabric, the table was hidden under what seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of placecards and her mother was consulting with two men in sweater vests about cake samples.
"...And this one is lemon with white frosting," one of them said as Amelia bit into a slice of cake. "What do you think?"
"I like it," Amelia said. "Let's do this one!"
"No, we aren't," Selina said to them. "I would like a chocolate cake, please. Or red velvet if you need to have something fancier. Red velvet cake would be okay. But I don't like lemon."
Amelia looked disappointed. "I suppose we can do chocolate cake if it's what you want. Even if it's not traditional in the slightest."
"And lemon is?" Selina asked. "Mama, I don't care to have what's traditional. That's not who I am. And before we go any further with this wedding planning, I would like to make one thing clear: you can assist me with all the wedding details since it's so important to you, but I will have the final say on everything. Not you."
Amelia's jaw dropped a little. She looked at Selina's father, who had just come into the kitchen. "Did you hear that, Matthew?" She asked. "Did you hear how she just spoke to me?"
Matthew nodded. "I did. And what's so wrong about letting her decide the details of her wedding?"
"Well, I would be perfectly happy to let her, if I could be content with the fact that she'd make good choices. This is a wedding that will have a lot of important people in attendence. It has to have some dignity," Amelia said. "And having a buffet and one of those silly little things where people sing songs to background music with the words on the screen isn't dignified!"
"Mama, you've obviously forgotten what the man I'm going to marry is like," Selina said. "He wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I made everything tacky and I don't plan to, so will you just trust me?" She went over to the wall and felt all the fabrics. "I want the bridesmaids dresses in red."
"I was thinking blue would be prettier," Amelia said.
Selina turned. "Well then let's compromise and go with purple." She grabbed a pad of paper off the counter: "Dress fabric: purple. Cake: Devil's food with cream cheese frosting." She looked up at Amelia. "What's the next detail?"
Amelia grabbed a folder off the table next to the phone. "I made some calls and here is a folder full of sketches of possible wedding dresses for you. I'm afraid none of them are as short as you're used to, but..."
"Actually, I want a longer, more dignified dress," Selina said. "Just nothing with a hoopskirt. Like how about this?" She pulled out a sketch of a long white gown with cap sleeves and criss-crossing fabric on the bodice and two snow-flake-like accents, one on the right bust and the other just under the left bust, which flowed into a long white skirt with a substantial split down the front and a lace underskirt.
"That slit's a bit risque, isn't it?" Amelia asked, eyeing the sketch doubtfully.
"It'll allow me more freedom of movement while still being somewhat conservative," Selina said. "Let's go get it, please, Mama."
"Is that the dress you picked?" Caroline asked, coming into the kitchen and looking at the picture. "I like it. I think it's pretty."
"Mama doesn't," Selina said. "She thinks it's risque."
Amelia sighed. "I had hopes that you'd go for something a bit more conservative, but I suppose if that dress is the one you want, I won't stand in your way."
She, Selina and Caroline went to get the dress and decided on blue roses for Selina's bouquet and that they would all wear flats instead of heels. They got to the dress shop and found the dress Selina wanted, bought it and got back to the car. "We've decided on cake, flowers and your dress," Amelia said. "I think we'll continue with guests tomorrow."
"There's no need for that to be a big long discussion," Selina said. "The only people I want at my wedding are Caroline, you, Daddy, and Nicky's sister Anna. That's it. That's all I need. And Lucy. Can't forget about Lucy. Everyone else on the table was doubtlessly a friend of yours that I don't know and as much as I appreciate that you want a full house, it's just too much for me. Can't you understand that?"
Amelia nodded. "I guess. Helen Fell said exactly the same thing when we were planning your first wedding."
Selina frowned. "Why would you have been planning my wedding to Damon with Tommy Fell's mother?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call what Helen and I were planning a true wedding," Amelia said. "Just a little get together with friends. And if Tommy had happened to propose in the middle of it, then what a nice surprise for all of us."
"But what about Damon?" Selina said through her teeth. "When I first told you that we were engaged, you were happy about it! You talked to Giuseppe and everything! I remember this very distinctly. It was the same day that Damon told me he was going into the army..."
The carriage bumped over the ruts on the water-soaked and muddy road, but Selina didn't mind. She looked fondly down at the locket. It had finally happened. Despite the interferences of Louisa Forbes (among other girls), Damon had finally given her something to show his intention to marry her.
She wasn't surprised, of course. She'd known forever that they were going to be married. And she'd hated all the waiting. With a sudden jolt, the carriage came to a stop in front of her mother's house. A few minutes later, the carriage driver came around and opened the door for her, helping her out. She thanked him, and as he sped away, Mama came running toward her.
"I'm so glad you're here!" her mother cried, throwing her arms around her. "It's been ages since I've been able to get over to the Salvatores'. How are you? Are you all right? Is something wrong?" She pushed her daughter away gently and looked her over. "You seem all right," she said.
"Yes, Mama. I'm fine." She nodded and gently unclasped the locket. "I'm also engaged."
"What?" her mother asked. "When did this happen?" she took the locket from her daughter and looked it over. "Is this solid silver?" she said to herself. "I think it is."
"It happened just a few days ago, Mama." She said. "The same day he told me he's signed up at the recruitment office."
"Damon's decided to go and fight the Yankees?" her mother asked. "Good for him. I'm certain his father is very proud."
"Oh, yes," she nodded. "He is." She looked around. "Mama, can we go inside? It looks like it's going to start raining again."
"Of course dear," her mother said. "I'm sorry." She followed her mother inside. And they sat at the kitchen table. Her mother brought coffees, and they drank them in silence. Finally, her mother said "are you worried?"
"No," she shook her head. "Why should I be worried?" she paused. "Is it because of what happened to Papa?" she asked. "Are you afraid that Damon's going to go off to war and die and I won't be able to be married after all?"
"I'm saying it's a definite possibility," her mother said. "I never considered it when your father left. He and I were swept up in the glory and mystique and never bothered to face the cold, hard truth. When the officer came to tell me he'd died…" she paused to wipe her eyes with her handkerchief.
"I'm sorry, Mama," she said quickly, feeling herself start to tear up. "Let's talk about something else." Just then, the doorbell rang and she got up to answer it, not surprised to see Damon on the other side. He said he would come by."
"Have you told her yet?" he asked. "What did she say?" he stepped into the entryway. Then, he got a good look at her. Tears were falling down her cheeks. He wiped them away. "What's the matter, Lina?" he asked. "Are you all right?"
Those words echoed strangely, and he repeated them again, shaking her gently. She nodded and hugged him back. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just so happy."
"I was happy you were happy," Amelia said. "Personally, I was hoping you would have picked someone more conservative to marry. Like Tommy Fell. Luckily, this time you have, so I'm not worried at all."
Selina shook her head. "If you didn't want me to marry Damon, why didn't you say anything?"
"Would you have listened if I had?" Amelia asked. "Besides, Damon was going off to war anyway. It was more than probable that he wouldn't come home alive. I wanted your last memories of him to be happy ones." Amelia said very matter of factly.
"And then you would have married me off to Tommy Fell the second you found out Damon was dead?" Selina felt like her mother had slapped her. "How can you be so cold, Mama? If Damon would have died on the battlefield, I wouldn't have married anyone else afterward because I love Damon, maybe in a different way than I used to, but unlike you, I believed then and I believe now that a woman doesn't need a man to complete her, and I don't care if it would have made people shun you or me. I spent way too much of my life watching you deal with what happens when you lose the man you love and then marry someone else just because you think you have to be married. It wasn't a pretty thing to have to witness and I sure as hell would have never put myself through it. I value myself more than that. I'm just sorry you don't." She then looked sheepishly at Caroline who was sitting against the car window, eyes wide. "Sorry you had to hear that, Caroline." She leaned forward and whispered to her mother's driver: "I would like to go to Damon's, please." She gave him the address and when they arrived, Selina left the car without a word to Caroline or her mother, heading straight for Damon's front door and knocking with all her might.
"Where's the fire?" Damon asked as she strode into his house without answering. He had to jog to keep up with her. "Lina, are you all right? What's the matter?"
Selina sat down on the sofa, grabbed one of the throw pillows and began pulling the stuffing out. "I can't believe my mother," She growled. "Just when I think she can't get any more nasty, she pulls out the atomic bomb of nastiness. I'd like to rip off her head and stick it on a pike! I'd like to-" She paused as Sam grabbed another pillow and began pulling the stuffing out of it too. Then, she took a deep breath and slowly put the pillow down, picking up Sam to cuddle him instead.
"Well, what happened?" Damon asked.
"We were doing wedding stuff today because Elijah and I are engaged now, and when I said I wanted just a handful of people at the wedding, she starts going on and on about Tommy Fell and how she and his mother had planned a wedding shower for Tommy and me."
Damon frowned. "Why? You were engaged to me. When we told your mother, she seemed happy enough."
"She was just humoring us," Selina said. "She knew that you were going off to war and that you'd most likely die, so she wanted my last memories of you to be pleasant ones."
Damon grinned wickedly. "And they were, weren't they?"
Selina nodded. "I'll say." She hugged Sam to her. "But can you believe that? I mean really."
"It doesn't come as a surprise to me," Damon said. "Do you remember how bad I was? Or did you miss all that?"
Selina shrugged. "I mean, I knew what people said of course, but I never really believed it. I saw you with Lucy vision." She paused. "By the way, I'm sorry I didn't bring Lucy with me. I know how much you like her."
Damon's eyes widened. "What? Of course I don't like her! What would make you think that?"
"Would you relax?" Selina asked. "What's wrong with you?"
Damon laughed uneasily. "Nothing. I'm sorry."
"Maybe you should get out more," Selina said. "Take a night off for yourself once in awhile. Think about it, would you?"
"Sure," Damon said. "Sure I will." He looked at Sam. "Sammy, let's show your mother the tower you made, all right?"
Sam took her hand and led her to his bedroom, where a very impressive block tower stood in the corner. "Did you build that?" Selina asked Sam. "Did you do it all by yourself?"
He grinned and nodded. "Yes."
"Hey!" Damon said playfully. "No you didn't!"
"Okay," Sam said. "Daddy help."
"That's better," Damon said.
"You two go and and stand on either side of it," Selina said, pulling out her phone. "I want to get a picture of you and your masterpiece."
They posed and she snapped the picture.
"How about I take one of you two?" Damon said. Selina went and stood with Sam and Damon took another picture, then looked at Selina. "One more with all three of us?"
She nodded. "If you can get over here quick enough, sure!"
He left to get another camera and set it on a table, then ran over to stand with Sam and Selina just in time for the camera to flash. Selina took a look at it afterwards. "I think this is frameworthy," she said, showing it to them. "We should put it next to the one of Joshua in the living room."
"Do you have to go now?" Damon asked her.
Selina shook her head. "No, why?"
"Because Sam's been really into piano stuff lately and I was wondering if you'd show him a thing or two. You still play, don't you?"
Selina nodded. "Yes, actually. And I'd love to."
Damon picked Sam up and the three of them trooped to the music room where Selina took a seat at the piano and Damon and Sam took seats on a chair situated nearby. Selina stretched out her fingers and then placed them on the keys. "So what sort of thing do you boys want to hear?" She asked.
"Something peppy," Damon said. "None of those etudes by that Chopin guy like you always used to play. They're too...pretty."
Selina rolled her eyes. "Chopin wrote some of the most complex, beautiful music ever. But I suppose I do have to consider my audience." She got off the piano bench and opened it, taking out a stack of sheet music. "Let's see what we have here." She flipped through several pieces before one finally caught her eye. "Here we go! Joplin's 'The Entertainer'. You can even dance to that." She began playing and at one point, Damon and Sam did get up and dance for a little bit.
"Now if only I could have a picture of that, then things would be perfect," Selina said as she watched them out of the corner of her eye.
"You would love one, wouldn't you?" Damon asked.
"Yes," Selina nodded. "I would." She finished the piece with a flourish and Damon and Sam both applauded. Then, Selina spun around on the bench to face them. "Has Sam had lunch yet? I'll make him something."
"Sure," Damon said. "Do I get anything to eat too, or just him?"
"I suppose I could make something for both of you," Selina said and picked Sam up, carrying him out of the music room and into the kitchen. She made sandwiches, celery and lemonade, which they all ate outside.
"Have you talked to Stefan since he and Nicky decided to help Roxie out with her campaign for school?" Selina asked.
"Yeah," Damon nodded. "I heard it from Roxie herself, actually," Damon said. "She babysits Sam for me sometimes. She's actually very good with him."
At the mention of Roxie, Joshua appeared beside Selina, wearing the same slackjawed expression as his mother. "You let Roxie watch Sam?" Selina asked.
"I don't think it's a good idea either," Joshua said. "She's evil! She's the whole reason why I'm here! She-"
"Did you say something?" Selina asked Damon. "I thought I heard a voice."
Damon gave Joshua a look that caused him to disappear and shook his head. "Nope. I didn't say a thing."
Selina went back to her sandwich. "I must be hearing things then."
"Are you mad at me about Roxie?" Damon asked.
Selina shook her head. "No, I'm not. If you're comfortable with her being your baby-sitter and Sam doesn't seem negatively affected, I will trust your judgment on the issue."
After they finished lunch, the three of them built another block tower and watched a movie, and after the movie ended, Selina's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Selina, where did you go?" Elijah asked. "Your mother called me in a panic because she said you had some sort of fit today."
"I did not have a fit," Selina said. "And if I had, it would have been totally justified. She told me something that didn't make me very happy. I'm with Damon and Sam right now, but if you want me to come home, I will. Is Lucy behaving herself?"
"Of course," Elijah said. "And you don't have to come home yet if you don't want to. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
Selina nodded. "I'm fine." She told Elijah goodbye and turned her phone off. "He was just checking up on me," she told them. "He does that sometimes. Mama told him I had a fit."
Damon nodded. "Yeah, we heard. So, would you like to stay for dinner before you go, or-"
"Are you cooking?" Selina asked. "And have you fed today?"
Damon nodded. "I did. What about you?"
Selina nodded. "Yeah, I did."
"So what are you in the mood for?" Damon asked. "Hamburgers?"
Selina nodded. "Sure. Why not?"
After dinner, she hugged both Sam and Damon goodbye and got in her car to head back to Elijah's.
"Sorry I was gone so long," she said to Elijah. "It's just that I hadn't seen Sam in awhile, and-"
"You don't have to explain yourself," Elijah said. "Lucy and I had a wonderful day."
Selina looked at Lucy who was about to fall asleep on Elijah's shoulder. "I think she needs to go to bed," she said. "Maybe the two of you had too much fun today." She took Lucy out of Elijah's arms and went to put her in her pajamas and tuck her in. Afterward, she started when she found Elijah standing outside Lucy's door. "May I help you?" She asked.
He pulled her to him and kissed her hard. She threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up and carried her to his bed.
"What are we doing?" Selina asked when they finally came up for air. "I thought this was against the rules."
"Kissing isn't," Elijah said matter of factly, running his hands over her shirt. "As long as we keep our clothes on, we're fine."
"Oh," Selina nodded. "Well, as long as that's clear." She kissed him again, but after a little while, she stopped. "This is what it was like in that dream I had," she said. "It felt exactly like this! That really happened, didn't it? I wasn't sleepingwalking at all!"
Elijah shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. But you were very, very drunk."
"So will you return the favor?" Selina asked. "I mean, it's only fair."
Elijah grinned and shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "And let this be a lesson to you about drinking too much."
Selina narrowed her eyes at him. "You suck," she said. "If we weren't sleeping in separate beds already, we would be now!"
"Oh, the mature approach," Elijah said as she stomped out of the room. "How delightful."
After this, Selina pondered not talking to Elijah at all, but then she realized that if she didn't, she'd have one less person to complain to about her mother's outrageous wedding antics. At one point, it got so bad that her father actually stepped in and told her mother that she had to let Selina only invite five people and have the wedding at her own house instead of some fancy schmancy ballroom.
"It'll be in the yard," he said to Amelia. "They have a big yard. What's so bad about that?"
"Lots of stuff," Amelia said.
"It's just one thing," Matthew said. "You don't like it because it was her idea not yours. You should feel lucky she let you help plan this thing at all!"
Amelia eyed him sulkily and stomped off.
"Thanks, Daddy," Selina said.
"I got your back, don't worry," Matthew said, giving Selina a hug. Just then, Lucy came ambling over. She was fiddling with the color of her lavender dress and looking like she was about to cry.
"I don't think she likes the dress," Matthew said.
Selina picked her up. "She's been like this ever since the first time I put the dress on her. Maybe I should just find a cotton one and let her wear that. It'll be easier that way."
"Whatever you want," Matthew said. "Remember, this is your day, not your mother's."
The morning of the wedding, Selina was awakened bright and early by a phone call from Anna. "So," she said. "How are you feeling?"
Selina yawned. "Tired," she said. She looked at the clock on the bedside table. "It's five-thirty in the morning, Anna! Why are you calling so early?"
"I can't help it," Anna said. "I feel like it's Christmas!"
"Now, your mother knows nothing about what's gonna happen today, right?"
Anna nodded. "You told me not to tell her and I didn't. And Stefan didn't tell Nick or Roxie anything either."
Selina let out her breath. "Good. This day might go smoothly after all." She hung up and fell asleep for another three hours before she was awoken again by nearly falling off her mattress because Lucy was jumping on it. She stabilized herself and then took hold of her daughter. "What are you doing?" She asked. "No jumping on the bed! You could get hurt!"
"Uncle 'Lijah says come," Lucy said.
Selina put Lucy down and put on a bathrobe and went out into the living room. When Elijah saw her, he stood up, smiled and gave her a hug. "How are we doing?"
"I'm okay," she said.
"Good," he replied. "You sit and I'll bring you your breakfast."
"You made me breakfast?" Selina asked. "You didn't have to, but thank you." He came out with a plate of eggs and bacon and after he set it down in front of her, he pulled out a notepad from his suit pocket and looked at it. "Selina, breakfast: check."
Selina looked at the notepad. "What's that?"
"It's our wedding schedule," Elijah said. "Now everything is going to work like clockwork. I got the house all cleaned up, Lucy's eaten, Anna's going to be here in a little bit to help the two of you with getting dressed, the yard is being set up, oh, I love it when things go according to plan!"
"I can't believe we have a wedding schedule," Selina said, rolling her eyes and standing up. "But I can't say I'm surprised, either. I'm going to change. Remember, you're not supposed to see me before the wedding."
"I know," Elijah said. "I'll stay away."
"Yeah, well, just see that you do!" Selina said.
Lucy was still waiting in Selina's bedroom and watched her mother intently as she removed her wedding dress and Lucy's own dress from the closet.
"Okay," Selina said to her. "Come here, you."
Lucy ran to her and eagerly helped her put the dress on. She liked this one much better. Selina buckled Lucy's shoes and curled her hair and just as they finished, they heard a knock on the bedroom door, and then it swung open to admit Anna. "Your parents and Caroline are here," she said to Selina. "Elijah and your mom are having a real nice chat."
"Well, that's good," Selina said. "If Mama's talking to Elijah, she won't be in here bothering me."
"Let me see your dress," Anna said. Selina slipped it out of the garment bag and let Anna "oooh" and "aaaah" for a few minutes before they put it on. "There's no veil," Anna remarked. "Were you just gonna put your hair up?"
Selina nodded. "Yeah. Would you braid it?"
Anna braided Selina's hair and put a little makeup on her, and then when they'd finished, they hurried out to look at the clock. "Just in time," Anna said. "Am I good, or what?"
Just then, Caroline peeked her head in. "Is there anything I can do here? Wow, Selina. You look good!"
Selina grinned. "Thank you. Would you take Lucy? I think she's getting a little bored and I don't want her to mess up her hair or get her dress wrinkly."
Caroline nodded and led Lucy out of the room.
"You ready for this?" Anna asked her.
Selina nodded. "I think so." They went outside into the sunshine and stood on the small lower deck that led straight down the aisle. The wedding march was playing, and as everyone turned to look at Selina, she stepped gracefully off the porch and proceeded to walk down the aisle, but when she was nearly at the end of the aisle, her heel got caught on her skirt and she stumbled. She was close enough to Elijah that he caught her, however and she was able to right herself without trouble.
Then the officiator looked over the crowd. "Elijah and Selina have decided to recite their own vows today, and Elijah requested, contrary to the usual that Selina go first."
"What?" Selina whispered. "Why?"
"Because I saw what you wrote ahead of time and that inspired me to write mine," Elijah said. "So go ahead."
"All right," Selina cleared her throat and locked eyes with him. "The third time we met, I was in trouble. I'd just gotten badly hurt and you came by and asked me if I needed help. I told you I was fine, I told you I could handle it. But you didn't believe me. You picked me up, you took me home, and you cared about me, more than anyone had ever done in my life. That's when I fell in love with you." Her voice broke. "But I didn't want to tell you because I wasn't sure you'd feel the same way about me. But I know now, and so I'll say it right here in front of all these people: I love you, Elijah, and I'll never leave you."
Everyone was silent for a moment. Even Elijah seemed to have tears in his eyes. When he'd composed himself, he took her hand. "I know how you think I see you," he said. "As a fragile woman who always needs my help. And while I don't think that all the time, there have been instances where that's what you've been: A woman who was deeply hurt and needed someone to lean on. And I want to thank you for letting me be the one to help you. And while I know that no man will ever own you, because I love you, I humbly asked to be allowed to be your protector as we continue on our life together."
Selina sniffled and nodded. "Okay!"
"Wait!" The officiator said. "We haven't gotten to that part yet. We'll do it now: Do you, Elijah Mikaelson take Selina Amelia Elizabeth Warren to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Elijah nodded. "I do."
"And do you, Selina Amelia Elizabeth Warren, take Elijah Mikaelson to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do!" Selina said immediately.
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the-"
But he didn't get to finish. Selina jumped into Elijah's arms and he kissed her deeply and it seemed like no one else was there but the two of them.