"So, how did we do tonight?" Sam asked Todd, the drummer, who was peeking out the side of the curtain. "Is there a big crowd?"

Todd turned and shook his head. "No, not really. But at least she's back."

Sam's jaw dropped a little. "You're kidding. She's been here every show! You think she'd be sick of us by now."

"I think she likes you," Todd said. "But I don't know why I'm surprised. Chicks always dig lead guitarists."

Sam went to peek out the curtain himself and saw only a few scattered people in the auditorium, especially one dark-eyed brunette who was sitting in the front row.

"I think I'll go out and say 'Hi'," Sam said. "It's the least I can do if she's that much of a fan." He pushed the curtain aside and then walked down the few stairs going down the side of the stage until he was face to face with the woman. "Hi," he said. "I saw you from on stage."

When she saw him, her eyes widened and she stood up. "Oh, my god," she said. "It's you. I can't believe it's you!"

"Yeah," Sam grinned. "It's me. I just wanted to thank you for being here every night to support us."

"Well, of course!" She said. "You have a wonderful voice and your lyrics really touch me."

Sam looked around at the barely full theater. "I wish more people felt like you did," he said.

"Of course you do!" She said. "I could make it happen."

He looked down, seeing that she wore a homemade Lost Innocence t-shirt. "Really?" He asked. "Are you the head of our fan club?"

She nodded. "But I could be more than that. I could give you everything you ever wanted: the fame, the glory, the money. If you'll let me."

Sam looked at her oddly. "Just let me talk it over with the guys and see what they say, all right?"

The woman nodded. "Sure, of course. When you make up your mind, you know where I'll be."

"What's your name?" Sam asked her.

"Oh!" Her eyes widened. "How silly of me." She held out her hand. "I'm Corrie. And of course, I know who you are." She looked at the curtain. "You better get going now. It's almost time for you to start. Good luck. I know you'll be great."

"Thanks," Sam said. He walked away from the woman, who, although she was nice, was also a little strange. She made him slightly nervous.

"So did you tell her 'Hi'?" Todd asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "But now I don't know if I should have. I think she's crazy. She said she could give us fame and glory and money if we let her."

"She's not crazy," Todd said. "She's probably just an agent. That sounds like agent talk to me. Let's try and find her after the show to try and cut a deal. I mean think about it. It would be nice to have more fans than just our mothers."

They played the show and Corrie kept her eyes on Sam the whole time. When the set was done and the few people besides Corrie had left the theater, he went to talk to her.

"Look, Corrie," he said. "Are you an agent or something? Because me and the guys, we could use someone to represent us."

Corrie grinned and nodded. "I guess you could call me that. You're interested in signing with me?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Sure."

"Good," she said. She pulled a piece of paper out of her purse. "This is a standard management contract," she said. "It just says that I'll manage you and make you the best band you could be."

Sam looked it over. "What's in it for you?" He asked. "I know you like us, but you wouldn't just manage us and make us popular for free, would you?"

"Oh, I won't ask for anything in return until you've gotten what you wanted," she said. "That's how the game works."

"Well, all right, then," Sam said. "We'll sign the contract, then." She handed him a pen and he and the other guys signed the contract. The ink was red and runny and Sam felt a twinge of apprehension when he realized what it reminded him of: blood.

"So..." Roxie said, taking a breath, "Here were are then."

"Yeah," Vince said. "We are." He grinned at her. "You seem uncomfortable. Why is that?"

Roxie shrugged. "I don't know."

"Are you having second thoughts?" Vince asked her.

"No," Roxie shook her head. "Of course I'm not. I told you I would at least be open to getting pregnant and I am."

"Enid thought you'd need time so she gave me a version of that potion thing that gives us a month long window," Vince said. "We don't have to rush it if you don't want to."

"I want to!" Roxie said. "I won't flake out on this!"

"I didn't say you would," Vince said. "I just thought you'd need time to wrap your head around it."

"No," Roxie shook her head and looked at him resolutely. "Take off your pants and take me now, before I think about this too much and chicken out."

Vince grinned and took off his pants before taking her to their room. "Yes, ma'am," he said.

When they reached their room, they undressed the rest of the way before Vince said, "Last chance. You can back out now if you want."

"No," Roxie shook her head. "I don't want!"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure because this will get you pregnant right away," Vince said.

"Really?" Roxie asked, her mouth drooping a little. "I was looking forward to having to try over and over and over again."

Vince grinned. "Well, we can do that," he said. "Nothing's stopping us."

Roxie looked down at herself and then at him. "We're standing here naked and all we're doing is talking. Why is that? I'm done talking."

Vince nodded and got her on the bed where he planted kisses all over her body before driving into her. She let out a shriek. This went on for quite some time and when they were finished, covered in sweat and breathing hard, Vince whispered, "That's it. We've passed the point of no return."

Roxie looked at him. "Don't phrase it that way. It makes me nervous."

Vince kissed her hand. "I'm sorry," he said. "So, how do you want to handle telling your parents about this?"

Roxie shrugged. "We should probably sit them all down and tell them. Calmly and rationally."

"That would be a good way to go," Vince agreed. "Taking into account how your father reacted the last time he thought I'd gotten you pregnant."

"Well, that was a mistake," Roxie said. "This is very intentional. And we're married, so there's no excuse for fussing on their part."

Vince took Roxie in his arms again. "I can't wait for this to actually happen. Can you?"

Roxie nodded. "Oh, I'm sure I can. But I'll like it. I think."

"Just think about how we might have a little girl who looks as pretty as you," Vince said. "That's what I want."

"Really?" Roxie asked. "I thought it was a guy thing to want a boy."

"Well, it's not like this is the only baby we can have," Vince said. "There'll be lots of time for us to have others." He smiled. "Wouldn't it be funny if we got both?"

Roxie froze. "What?"

"What if you had twins?" Vince asked. "So we got to have both a girl and a boy?"

Roxie became pale. "Oh, god. I don't think I'm gonna be able to handle one baby, let alone two!"

"It was just an idea," Vince said. "You're not ready for more than one, and I don't think you'd ever have more than you can handle."

Roxie bit her nail. "I hope you're right," she said and gave a little shiver.

"So this is the place?" Elijah asked as he and Selina and Gregory went into the bakery. "Kind of run down, isn't it? Did you even consider that before you went and agreed to buy it?"

"Well, yes," Selina said, looking around the place with satisfaction. "I have no doubt I can make something of it. And I already have a name in mind: Sweet Emotion."

"That's certainly catchy," Elijah said, trying to sound enthusiastic. But his grin was only half-hearted.

"Look," Selina said, putting Gregory down because he was squirming to get out of her arms. "I know you don't exactly approve of me starting my own business because it goes against all the ideals you hold dear as a person served well by the status quo of a chauvinistic, patriarchal society, but this is something I really want, so could you please support me? It would mean a lot."

Elijah sighed. "You're right. I apologize. I have no doubt you'll be able to turn this into something impressive. You have the skills and the talent to do that."

"Well, thank you," Selina said. "Now, did you decide what you want to do with Gregory? Do you and your father want to watch him, or do you want me to bring him here every day?"

"We can watch him!" Elijah said. "How hard can it be to watch one child?"

Just then, they heard a crash and a loud wait. Gregory had been trying to get up into one of the chairs, but had fallen and hit his head on the floor. "You were saying?" Selina asked Elijah. The two of them ran over and Elijah picked Gregory up and stood him on his feet.

"You'll be all right," Selina said, sitting down on the chair and taking Gregory in her lap, ignoring Elijah's look of disapproval. "You just got a little bump, that's all." She kissed the top of his head and hugged him to her for a few seconds. "There," she said when she noticed he had stopped crying. "All better." She put him down and he ran to the other end of the room, almost knocking into an older lady wearing an apron stained with egg yolks and batter over a printed house dress before Elijah got hold of his hand.

"Hi, Edith!" Selina said to her. "I thought I'd bring my family over to check out my new premises."

Edith took Selina's hand in hers. "I can't thank you enough for agreeing to continue to run my business," she said. "I've done it for so long, I can't imagine my life without it."

Selina smiled. "It's no problem, really. I was glad to do it." She looked at Elijah. "This is Edith Jones. She owned the bakery before I did. Edith, this is my husband Elijah and our son, Gregory."

Edith nodded. "Lovely to meet you," she said, shaking Elijah's hand. Then she looked down at Gregory and smiled, ruffling his dark hair. "I have something for you," she said and headed to the kitchen in the back, returning a few minutes later with a mini cupcake covered in chocolate frosting. "Would you mind if he taste tests this?" She asked Selina. "It's just an idea I had."

"Sure," Selina told her. "Why not?"

Edith handed Gregory the tiny cupcake and he ate it with surprising neatness and then gave her a wide grin of approval. "I've never seen a child that young eat sweets without getting frosting all over their face," Edith sad. "I'm impressed."

Gregory grinned. "Thank you."

"So polite at only a year old," Edith said. "Is that how old he is?"

Selina nodded. "That was one of the first things we taught him to say when he started talking."

"So will it just be Selina working here by herself, then?" Elijah asked.

"No," Selina said. "It will be Edith and me, and Abby. That should be enough people holding down the fort until we're popular."

"Who's Abby?" Elijah asked. Just then, a mousy-looking girl entered the bakery and hung her bag on the coat rack by the door. "Hi, Grandma Edith," she said. "I'm here to work!"

"Come here and meet some people, Abby," Edith said. "Selina brought her family to meet us."

Abby walked over and gave Gregory just a fleeting glance before her eyes settled on Elijah. "Hi," she said, looking awestruck. "It's you!"

"Abby, this is my husband Elijah," Selina said. "Elijah, this is Edith's granddaughter, Abby."

"Hello," Elijah said, taking Abby's hand firmly and holding onto it for a moment before letting it go. "It's nice to meet you." Abby just stared at him for a moment, her face turning a shade of red before she burst into a fit of giggles and ran back into the kitchen.

"Did I say something wrong?" Elijah asked. "If I did, I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Selina said, trying not to laugh. "I think Abby just has a little crush on you, that's all. When I first met her, she came into my office, saw the picture of you that I had on my desk, and when I told her who you were, she got this lovestruck look in her eyes and asked if I would bring you down here some time. So I did." She tried not to laugh because Edith was standing right next to her.

The group stood in silence for a moment, then Elijah cleared his throat and tapped his watch. "I have an appointment," he said. "If you've done everything that you need to here, it would be best if we went now." He looked at Edith. "It was lovely to meet you and your granddaughter and I hope to see the both of you again."

"If Abby has her way, you certainly will," Selina said. He gave her a severe look and ushered her and Gregory to the car. Once the car door was closed, Selina burst out laughing. "This is just too funny!" She said. "Can you believe that Abby's got a crush on you?"

"Of course she does," Elijah said. "She's only human after all. She couldn't help herself. Now don't go getting jealous. She's just a girl."

"Oh, I'm not jealous," Selina said. "I'm supporting this all the way. I mean, it's not like there's any risk of me losing you to her, is there?"

"Of course not," Elijah said. "She's just a child. I would never go any younger than you."

"Well that's good," Selina said as they pulled out of the bakery parking lot. She giggled again. "You know, Abby's a high school senior this year. That means she's gonna have a prom. And guess who she'll probably want to go with?"

Elijah's body stiffened. "That's where I will draw the line," he said. "I will not go to a prom with her. Can you imagine how strange that would look?"

"I wouldn't say no so early," Selina said. "She brought one of her guy friends in the other day who it would seem has the hots for me. We could double date!"

Elijah scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. What purpose would that serve?"

"Well, I think Abby has a crush on Derek but is too afraid to say anything. Having you and Abby and Derek and me all in the same spot could get it so you and I could get them together. We would be doing a good thing."

Elijah looked at Selina's hopeful expression. "You've lost your mind," he said.

When they got home, Elijah went to his office for a little bit while Selina put Gregory down for a nap, and when Elijah emerged again, he said, "So, do you want to take advantage of this time we have to ourselves?"

Selina shook her head. "No," she said.

"Are you still angry about the baby issue?" Elijah asked. "You can't be serious! It's been a week."

"Be patient," Selina said. "The more you nag, the longer the wait will be." She looked up at him. He was frowning. He stood in silence for a moment, before going to grab his coat and hat. "I'm going out," he said. "I don't know when I'll be back." But just as he put his hand on the doorknob, the doorbell rang. Selina opened it and her eyes widened when she saw who was on the other side. "Mama?" She finally got out. "What are you doing here?"

Amelia Lockwood Warren gave her daughter a look. "Can't a mother just come visit her daughter?" She asked, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her blue eyes.

"They can," Selina said as she gestured for Amelia to come in. "And if the mother and daughter got along, that would be normal behavior, but you and I don't get along, so what horrendous thing happened to make you desperate enough to come and see me?"

Amelia removed her mauve hat and sat down on the sofa, smoothing out the wrinkles in her matching suit. "I have some bad news," she said gravely. "Your father has lost his mind and decided to leave me."

"Why would he do that?" Selina asked, shocked.

"It has to do with you," Amelia said. "He claims you don't visit enough and that's my fault."

"Well, you have to admit, you don't exactly make me feel welcome," Selina said.

"You chose a dark path when you activated your werewolf gene," Amelia told her. "You can't expect me to show kindness to you when you've acted in a way I don't approve of."

"Well, that's a bit rich," Selina said, "especially when you consider the fact that you and I are exactly the same thing now, thanks to Nicky. Both hybrids."

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "Turned into something I detest, also because of you." She sniffed.

"And you wonder why Daddy left you," Selina said. "Since you're such a lovely person and all."

Amelia was about to open her mouth to respond when the door to the house opened. "Is everyone home?" Mikael called out.

"In the living room!" Elijah called back. "Selina's mother has come to visit."

Mikael appeared in the living room a short while later and walked over to Amelia, kissing her hand. "Hello," he said. "Are you Selina's mother? I wasn't aware she had any relatives still living. Outside of her own family with my son, I mean."

"Yes, well, I don't see how you would know," Amelia said. "As Selina doesn't like to talk about us. I'm Amelia Lockwood. Or at least I will be after my husband abandons me because he likes Selina better."

Mikael looked at Elijah. "Would you care to introduce me to this charming lady, son?"

Selina made a gagging motion and got up to leave the room. Elijah rolled his eyes, but said, "Amelia, this is my father, Mikael. Father, this, as you know, is Selina's mother, Amelia."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Amelia said. "So you live here?"

Mikael nodded. "I do. I'm helping watch over my grandson. Making sure nothing bad happens to him."

"Is there a danger that something bad might happen?" Amelia asked.

"Well," Mikael nodded. "When you've been around as long as my family and I have, you accumulate enemies, and after what happened to my grandson's sister at her wedding, Elijah thought it wouldn't hurt to have someone around to keep an eye on things. Yes. We have enemies, and it's possible your daughter still does too, from the days when she was one of the most infamous killers in the world. Lonely Heart."

Amelia's eyes widened. "Selina was Lonely Heart? I never would have thought!"

"Yes," Mikael said ruefully. "She was one of the few I never successfully caught." He gave Elijah a look and Elijah cleared his throat and stood up. "Well, I'll leave the two of you to talk about things and get to know each other, shall I?" he said. "I was just going to go out when Amelia came anyway."

"Let me come with," Selina came running out all of a sudden. "Oh, god, please let me come with." She gave her mother and father-in-law a look. "You both wouldn't mind looking after Gregory, would you?"

"Of course not," Mikael said. "You two go and enjoy yourselves. We're quite content where we are."

Elijah and Selina left the house and went to the nearest bar they could find. After Elijah watched Selina drink as much as she could without passing out, he put her in a taxi and told the driver to take her home, thinking to himself that all the drinking in the world wouldn't help with the fact that his father and his mother-in-law had taken a liking to each other.

Selina tucked Gregory into bed that night, but he refused to close his eyes. "Why won't you sleep?" she asked.

"Dada!" Gregory said brightly.

"You can't see your daddy," Selina said. "He's busy at the moment. You'll see him tomorrow, I promise." She thought he was going to start crying, but he didn't. He just gave her a very severe frown. "No sleep!" he said. "Dada!"

"Fine!" Selina shrugged. "I'll go see if I can find him." She left the room and looked around, but Elijah was not in their bedroom. As she was walking toward the library, she heard Elijah's voice: "You're so pretty, Selina. I love it when we do this." His voice was slurred a bit and then she heard a crash. "Sorry," he said again. Then in a higher pitched voice: "It's all right. It wasn't your fault."

Frowning, Selina opened the library door and heard a yell of "Don't!" She blinked and saw Elijah sprawled out on the floor with one of his statues underneath him, his lips on the statue's lips. "What the hell is going on here?" She asked, looking down at them. Elijah's eyes were out of focus. "Oh, my god," he said. "There are two of you!" He got up and walked over to pull her to him. He kissed her, then his hands began to roam over her body and under her shirt, feeling her breasts.

"That's right, they're real," Selina whispered. "I'm the real one." She moaned as he began kissing her neck. "That feels nice," she said. "That feels nice. Keep going." He removed her shirt and lowered her onto the rug, kissing her stomach and swirling his tongue around her belly button.

"Normally, I wouldn't condone this," Selina said, "But-" She let out a moan as his hand went up her thigh and slipped off her panties. "No!" She said. "This isn't what I came in here for! You have to go see Gregory first!"

"Really?" Elijah frowned. "Do I have to?"

"Wow," Selina said in surprise. "You sound a lot more alert all of a sudden." She sat up. "You were faking it, weren't you? Being drunk, I mean?"

A slow smile curved Elijah's lips. "Will it matter if I say yes?"

She kissed him again. "This time, no. We've already started things. We might as well go all the way." She stood up and slowly stripped off the rest of her clothes before winking at him. "I'll be waiting for you," she said. "Now go say good night to Gregory."

Elijah groaned and put his pants on, which at that point was not an easy task. "This is the worst day. First Abby, then our parents, and now you and your wicked teasing."

"I'm not doing this to be mean," Selina said. "Gregory won't go to sleep unless you say goodnight to him. That's not my fault!"

Elijah rolled his eyes and walked to Gregory's room where Gregory was still awake and waiting for him.

"Dada!" Gregory said and held out his arms. Elijah picked him up. "What is it that you want from me?"

Gregory leaned against him and closed his eyes. As his breathing became regular, Elijah put him back in his crib, tucked him in again and patted him on the head. "Good night, son," he whispered before snapping off the light and leaving the room to head back to Selina. He opened the office door and saw that his desk chair was facing away from him.

"Selina?" He asked. "Where are you?"

The chair slowly turned to reveal Selina, dressed in Elijah's shirt that he'd left behind as well as glasses and a messy bun.

"Miss Stinson," he breathed. She got out of the chair and walked toward him slowly. "Hello, sir," she said in a breathy voice as she slowly let down her hair and unbuttoned the shirt. "What can I...help you with today?"

A sound escaped Elijah's throat as she pushed him against the wall and unzipped him, running her fingers over him. He shut his eyes and moaned. It felt so good. Then she ordered him to get on his back on the floor and she alternated between licking and sucking and by the time Elijah regained his senses again, he felt very satisfied.

"Good work, Miss Stinson," he said, his voice breaking a little. "You'll be getting a bonus for that."

He took her in his arms and grinned as Selina giggled and shrieked, "Thank you Mr. Richmond. Oh, thank you!"

The next morning, Selina said to Elijah, "I have a secret for you."

"What?" He asked.

She leaned in closer. "I didn't take my pill last night."

"You mean-?" Elijah began.

"Yeah," she nodded. "We might be on our way to having another baby!"