Selina was working the counter at the bakery when Caroline strode in and went right up to her. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" She asked angrily.

Selina gave her a look. "You'll have to give me more of an explanation because I have no idea what you're talking about," she said. "What do I have to say for myself about what?"

Caroline growled. "You know perfectly well what!" Caroline said. "You and Klaus! First you tell me that the two of you have completely separated so it's all right for me to pursue a relationship with him and then you go and fuck him behind my back! And now all he talks about it you! He doesn't pay attention to me anymore and it's all your fault! So you go right down to our house and you tell him to start paying attention to me!"

Selina shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "But I can't. This is between you and Klaus. I don't think I should get involved. It might make things worse if I do."

"Why is that?" Caroline asked. "I think you're just making stuff up so you don't have to face the consequences of your actions!"

Selina sighed. "No, not really. Caroline, listen to me, all right? Klaus and I had one of the most screwed up relationships you can imagine. What brought us together was the fact that I was a psycho murderer with no conscience. I killed without a bit of remorse. Hell, I even enjoyed it. We weren't in love when we first met, not really. Our relationship was purely sexual. And even after the second time around, when he turned into a hybrid and I turned into a hybrid and we made our three little babies, we weren't really a couple who was in love, even if it felt like it sometimes. We were more like friends with lots and lots of benefits. He told me right from the start that the whole reason we were attracted to each other was because our werewolf sides chose us for each other, animal instinct, you know? Lousy excuse and I've been repressing it, but Klaus, it seems, hasn't been trying so hard. And I probably didn't help things when I did what I did, so I'm sorry. I'll talk to Elijah about what's going on and maybe he'll be able to talk some sense into his brother. Does that make you feel better?"

Caroline nodded. "Thank you," she said. "It's a start." She looked at the bakery case. "Can I have a blueberry muffin, please?"

"We have a problem," Selina said after she knocked on the door and strode into Elijah's office, putting her hands on his desk and staring at him. He as much as threw down the book he was reading and bolted up out of his chair. "Are you all right?" He asked. "Is it something to do with the baby? Do we need to go to the hospital? Get your coat, we'll go to the car and-"

"Calm down," Selina said. "It's nothing to do with the baby, although it's sweet that you're concerned. It has to do with Klaus. Apparently, ever since we did the thing that you and I decided never to speak of again, he's been having trouble paying attention to Caroline. She came to the bakery today and wanted me to go to Klaus to fix it, but I decided that wouldn't be a good idea and I told her I'd ask if you'd talk to Klaus instead and make him see reason. So, can you do it?"

Elijah gave her a small smile. "I can try," he said. Then he got up and came to hug her. "I'm proud of you," he said.

Selina leaned against him. "Why is that?" She asked.

"Because you didn't go straight to see Niklaus even though Caroline asked you to," he said. "I'm sure that whatever is going on between them is something that they can work out themselves after I have a few words with my brother."

"Right," Selina nodded. "Exactly. What goes on between them is none of my business."

Elijah gave her a look. "I know it's hard not being involved since it's in your nature, but you'll see that this is really the best thing for you. I promise."

Selina nodded. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You just go on and go. Tell Klaus I'm awful in bed and stuff so that he won't think about me anymore."

Elijah shook his head. "No. I see no reason to bring that into the conversation. All I'm going to say is that Klaus needs to be with Caroline and that is that. His only option. End of story."

"Do you think that will work?" Selina asked him.

"It better," Elijah said. "Wish me luck."

"Elijah," Klaus said when opened the door. "Come in. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"This isn't a pleasure trip, Niklaus," Elijah said severely. "Caroline came into the bakery today and told Selina that you're no longer paying attention to her. Is this true?"

Klaus sat down and bowed his head. "Yes," he said. "It's true."

"But why?" Elijah asked, sitting down next to him. "Caroline is perfectly lovely."

"But she's not Selina!" Klaus said. "She doesn't make me feel the same sort of things that Selina does!"

Elijah sighed. "No one will," he said. "But that's the issue: by this point in your life, you should want something more than just a completely hedonistic sexual relationship. You should want to be with someone who can offer you a deep emotional connection as well as a physical one. Don't you and Caroline have that?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "We do. And it's good. But it's not as good as, you know."

Elijah nodded. "I do. But the fact of the matter is, the woman Caroline as not as good as is my wife now and we're making good progress turning her life around so that she is actually happy and stable. She will not be showing up at your door at any time to give you a booty call, so you'll just have to adjust. Do you understand me, Niklaus?"

"Yes, yes, I understand," Klaus said, eying Elijah resentfully. "Now that you've made your point, will you go away?"

Elijah stood his ground. "I will once you promise me that you will leave Selina alone and not encourage her to come back to you in any way."

Klaus sighed. "All right," he said. "I won't. But don't blame me if she is the one who comes knocking on my door, big brother."

"Trust me," Elijah said. "That will not happen. Good day, Niklaus." And without waiting for Klaus to respond, he left the house and drove back home.

"So did it work?" Selina asked him eagerly when she met him at the door. "Is he gonna pay more attention to Caroline now?"

Elijah sighed, putting his arms around her. "He told me he would," he said. "And I have to believe that he meant it. Otherwise, getting through Damon and Lucy's wedding is going to be very difficult for him, won't it?"

Selina pulled her head up from Elijah's shoulder and looked up at him. "I don't doubt that. What do you want to do about Lucy and Damon's wedding?" She asked seriously. "Do you want to go, or should we skip it? We'll do whatever you choose."

"Are you telling me you're willing to miss Lucy's wedding on my say so?" Elijah asked her.

"Well, don't act like it's some big sacrifice on my part," Selina said. "I mean, I love Lucy and if she calls me up and says 'Mom, I need you at my wedding', then I'll go, but really, I wouldn't be comfortable. It would stir up too many things that would be counterproductive for me to be thinking of at this point in my life. We should think of something else to do instead. Something to keep our minds off it."

"Like what?" Elijah asked.

Selina shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "When I get an idea, I'll let you know."

"Hi, Grandma!" Lenora said brightly when she opened the door to Adrian and Helene's the next day. "How are you?"

"Ssssshhhh!" Selina said almost immediately. "Lenora, what did we say about using the 'G' word?"

"That I have to say it quietly," Lenora said.

Selina nodded. "That's right," she said, striding into the house. "So, who's all here? Your mommy and daddy?"

"No," Lenora shook her head. "Just Grandpa Alistair. Mommy and Daddy went to get stuff for their trip."

"Oh?" Selina asked curiously. "What trip?"

"They're gonna go get me a new kitty after Aunt Lucy's wedding," Lenora replied. "Grandma Astrid asked them to."

"Huh," Selina said. "Where is Grandpa Alistair?"

"Right here," Alistair said. "I thought I heard your voice, Selina. What do you need?"

"I need some advice," Selina said. "About Lucy's wedding."

"If you're going to need help coping, don't worry. I'll be there watching Klaus and making sure he doesn't make a mess of things and it wouldn't be too much more of a problem to look out for you too," Alistair said.

"Actually," Selina replied, "This is gonna sound horrible, but I think I'm gonna skip it. Having Klaus there is going to make things stressful enough, so I thought I'd give Lucy a break and take Elijah elsewhere so she only has to deal with one set of protests rather than two. Would you say that's a good idea?"

Alistair looked at her. "I say that you should do whatever you think is best," he said. "To say anything else would be presumptuous. Would you like any help from me?"

Selina nodded. "I just, I need some way to get Elijah away from the house. I mean, I've already proposed going away and skipping the wedding and he was open to the idea, but something in me says that the closer we get to the actual wedding date, the more he's gonna feel he needs to be there and list reasons why the couple should not be wed."

Alistair nodded. "I'm afraid I have to agree with you on that. All right. I'll help you get him out of town. And I won't say a word about it to anyone."

"So what are you gonna do?" Selina asked. "Get him drunk a day or so before the wedding, stick him in the car and then the three of us will drive off somewhere while he's asleep?"

Alistair shrugged. "That seems like the most uncomplicated plan. And as for where we'll go, several years ago, like around the time you turned, Klaus and Elijah had a house they used to live at. They haven't used in awhile, but I know where it is We could go there."

"All right," Selina nodded. "But servants? Honestly?"

"I know the idea of being waited on makes you a bit uncomfortable, but given the stage you're at in your pregnancy, wouldn't a little help be welcome?" Alistair asked. "I'm not saying you're not allowed to do anything yourself, but what's the harm in taking advantage of help when it's there?"

Selina sighed. "You have a point," she said. "All right. We'll go there. We'll go to the big fancy house with all the servants."

Alistair put his hand on her shoulder. "When would you suggest we leave?"

Selina shrugged. "Well, I don't know. How about we leave the day before the wedding so we can be out of the way before the really stressful stuff starts? Early in the morning the day before the wedding? That way, you can drop us off, come back here and not have missed a thing."

"Sounds like a plan," Alistair said. "I can't wait."

"Now about this vacation Lenora says Adrian and Helene are taking," Selina said. "What's that about?"

"Well," Alistair told her, "Astrid has a job working on the witches' council now, and they've just passed sentence on a criminal who has a collection of minor infractions to his credit, but he was deemed a flight risk, so Adrian and Helene have agreed to watch over him until his time is complete."

"Are you sure it's a good idea having a criminal around an impressionable young girl like Lenora?" Selina asked.

"They've taken away his magic and turned him into a cat," Alistair said. "What harm could he possibly cause her? If anything, I'm more worried for him, and that is saying something."

The night before he and Selina and Elijah were supposed to leave for the house, Alistair took Elijah out drinking. It wasn't to Enid's, of course, but a much nicer place. After Elijah had his first drink, he got up to go to the bathroom. After casting a glance around to make sure no one was watching him, Alistair put a spell on Elijah's glass so that as long as he drank from it, he would always want another glass. This went on for a bit, and when Elijah was thoroughly soused, Alistair led him outside and drove him home.

"Okay," he said to Elijah once they got in the house. "We're back now. You should go to bed and sleep off all you drank. Do you need help getting there?"

"No," Elijah shook his head, burped, and stumbled, but Alistair caught him before he hit the floor. "I think I'll help you anyway," he said. They walked to Elijah and Selina's bedroom door and Elijah knocked loudly. "Selina!" he yelled. "If you're in there, I'm home!"

"You need to be quiet," Alistair reminded him. "Your children are sleeping and you don't want to wake them up."

Elijah nodded. "Oh, right," he said. "The babies are sleeping. Shhhhh!" He knocked on the door again, this time more softly. "Selina!" He whispered. "Are you in there? I'm being quiet!"

Now, Selina opened the door. But Elijah hadn't let go out of door handle, so when she opened the door, he fell inside the room, his face hitting the carpet. "Ow," he said, his voice muffled.

"You should have let go of the door handle," Selina said. "Here, give me your hand. I'll help you up."

Elijah gave her his hand and though it took a little time, Selina and Alistair managed to get Elijah to his feet.

"Are you two going to be all right now?" Alistair asked them. "Because I can stay if you'd like."

"It would make more sense if you did," Selina said, moving Elijah's hand as it kept creeping up her shirt. "Why don't you just go find a room, get some sleep and then tomorrow, we'll leave. I've already dropped Laura and Gregory off at my neighbor's, so that's one less thing we have to worry about."

"The children are gone?" Elijah asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "They are."

Elijah gave her a look. "That means we can be loud!"

"I think I'll go now," Alistair said. "Good night, you two."

"Good night," Selina said, giggling as Elijah began blowing in her ear. She shut the door behind them and then the two of them spent the rest of the night making love until they finally fell asleep.

As soon as Selina's eyes opened again, she sat up, got out of bed, dressed and then went to go get Alistair.

"I think we should go," she said. "Now's as good a time as any. Is that all right with you?"

Alistair nodded. He was already dressed and looking very neat. He followed Selina back to her room where Elijah was still asleep. "How can we get him to the car?" Selina whispered. "He'll wake up if we try to carry him. Is there some sort of transport spell you can use?"

Alistair nodded. He waved his hand and Elijah disappeared. Alistair and Selina then grabbed the pair's bags, got into the passenger and driver seats (Elijah, who was still sleeping, was stretched out in back), and drove away from the house, and toward rest, relaxation and an experience that would hopefully make Elijah forget all about the fact that he was missing out on Lucy's wedding.

Elijah woke up in the car feeling very groggy.

"Where in the world am I?" He asked.

"You're with us," Alistair said. "We thought you could use a break and wanted to surprise you."

Elijah blinked a few times and everything became clear. He saw the backs of two black heads in front of him. "Selina? Alistair? Where are we going?"

Selina turned. "Oh, it will be all right, honey. Alistair said you had this fancy house that you used to use and I thought that it would be a good idea for us to go there for a bit and relax."

"What day is it?" Elijah asked.

"Friday," Selina said. "Why?"

Elijah's eyes widened. "Lucy's wedding is tomorrow! I have to go back!"

"Calm down," Selina said. "No, you don't. That is exactly why we're doing this: to keep your mind off Lucy and Damon's wedding. Klaus is gonna be enough trouble. I didn't want the both of you shouting out reasons why Lucy shouldn't get married. So let's just drive to the house, stop at the grocery store on the way, and when we get to our destination, I'll make you something yummy, okay?"

"Actually, we don't have to stop beforehand," Alistair said. "I'm sure if you told Christopher and Rose what you wanted, they'd be more than happy to go out and get it for you. They run the house, you know."

"You mean they're servants?" Selina asked.

"Oh, come on," Elijah said. "We treat them well. It's not like they live in the root cellar with nothing but bread and water. We're better than that."

Selina nodded. "Yeah, I know that. But after my upbringing, I've always been guilty about relying on servants. That's why I prefer to do everything myself." Then she looked down at her stomach. "But based on how big I am, I suppose just this once a little help wouldn't hurt."

When they reached the house, they were greeted by two smartly dressed people who Selina assumed were Christopher and Rose.

"Welcome back, sir," Christopher said to Elijah. "You aren't looking so well if I may say. Can I get you anything?" He had salt and pepper hair, deep blue eyes and a very serious look on his face.

"Get him a Bloody Mary," Selina suggested. "He had a big night last night and he still hasn't quite recovered from it." Both Rose and Christopher looked at her curiously.

"Sir," Rose said to Elijah, "Who is this?" Rose was a stout blonde in her mid-forties with dyed big blue eyes and rosy cheeks.

"Oh, this is Selina," Elijah said. "She's my wife. She will be doing the cooking around here, but as she is currently at a late stage in her pregnancy, she will, from time to time, require your assistance."

Christopher nodded. "And we'll be more than happy to give it to her," he said. He clicked his heels together, turned away from Selina and Elijah and then he and Rose walked away.

"I don't think he likes me very much," Selina said.

"Well, he's very proud of his position in this household," Elijah explained. "He and Rose usually do the cooking and it's possible that he feels you want to usurp him."

"Well, I sure didn't mean any harm," Selina said. "I suppose if a man's dignity and pride are at stake, I could let him and Rose take over things and wait on me. We aren't going to be here for very long anyway, are we?"

"Why shouldn't we be here for very long?" Elijah asked. "What's the rush?"

Selina sighed. "Honestly, I only intended for this to be a ruse to get you away from Lucy and Damon's wedding so you and Klaus wouldn't cause trouble for her. I wasn't planning on it turning into anything else."

"Well, then that's all the more reason for us to make this into an impromptu vacation," Elijah said. "Not that I need to tell you, but you're due in a couple of months, and who knows the next time we'll be able to get away after the baby's born?"

"Yeah," Selina lay her head on his shoulder. "Once the baby's born, we'll have three kids under five, can you believe that? And I don't care if you protest, but I refuse to push out a fourth until at least two of the kids are in kindergarten. Preferably all three, but at least two. Is that all right?"

Elijah nodded. "I suppose that will be fine."

"Good," Selina nodded. "Thank you."

Just then, Rose timidly came toward them. "Ma'am?" She asked Selina. "What will you be needing from the grocery store to make dinner tonight?"

"Nothing," Selina said. "I've decided to allow you and Christopher to handle that. Is that all right with you?"

Now Rose stood straighter and there was a light in her eyes. "Oh, yes," she said. "I'll go inform Christopher. He'll be pleased." She looked at Elijah. "I'll get you your Bloody Mary now, sir."

Elijah smiled at Selina. "Thank you," he said. "You did the right thing. And you're not going to regret it, I promise."

"Really?" Selina asked.

Elijah gave her a look. "Would I ever purposefully mislead you?"

"I hope not," Selina said. They sat down in the living room playing rummy until Christopher announced breakfast and spent the rest of the day exploring the house. As Selina went to bed that night, she said, "I hope Lucy's gonna be okay tomorrow. I think she will. She's got Caroline looking out for her. And Alistair's there making sure Klaus doesn't do anything stupid. I'm sure things will go off without a hitch."

"I'm sure you're right," Elijah nodded. "Good night, my darling."

"Good night," Selina told him.

"Caroline," Lucy said when she opened the door of the house the morning of the wedding. "What are you doing here? Have you come to try and talk me out of it?"

Caroline shook her head. "It should please you to know that I've given up on that idea, although you should know that your father has not."

"Well," Lucy said, "You can go home and tell him that nothing he can say or do will change my mind and he's just gonna have to deal with it, all right?"

Caroline sighed. "Well, all right. Let's get you ready then."

She brought Lucy into the bathroom and sat her down in front of the mirror.

"You know, you really don't have to help me with this," Lucy told her. "I am perfectly capable of handling things myself."

"Oh, don't be silly," Caroline said as she began working on Lucy's hair. "You shouldn't have to do this all by yourself."

Just then, the bathroom door opened and Caroline let out a small shriek.

"Would you relax?" Damon said. "It's just me."

"You could have knocked," Caroline told him severely. "You had no idea what we were up to in here! And you aren't supposed to be seeing her! It's bad luck!"

Damon shook his head. "No, what will be bad luck is the fact that Klaus insisted on coming."

"Did you want something?" Lucy asked him.

"I was just, um, I was..." As Damon looked at Lucy, he felt himself losing his train of thought. Finally, it came back to him. "My keys!" he said. "I was looking for my keys. Have you seen them?"

Lucy nodded, wincing as Caroline pulled her hair a little too hard.

"Sorry," Caroline whispered, looking sourly at Damon.

"They're in the kitchen, next to the toaster," Lucy told him. She eyed his tux. "And may I say you're looking very fancy yourself?"

Damon nodded. "Yes, you may."

They stared at one another some more and then Caroline cleared her throat. "Your keys!" she said sharply. "You were leaving to get your keys, which are in the kitchen and not in here."

"All right, all right," Damon said, holding up his hands and backing out the bathroom door. "I'm leaving."

Once he was gone, Lucy said, "What was that all about? The attitude, I mean?"

"Well," Caroline said, "Just because Damon cares about you and is nice to you and stuff doesn't mean he feels that way about other women. I, for example, was used by him, abused by him, and then tossed aside like a used tissue once he was done with me."

"Well, I'm sorry that happened to you, Caroline. I really am," Lucy said. "But the fact of the matter is that he's different with me, and I know that he'll never hurt me the way he hurt you. If he did, I would leave him with a very painful reminder not to do it again."

"I'm just making sure you're aware of the sort of man you're marrying," Caroline said. "I care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thank you for your concern," Lucy said. "But I won't let myself get hurt. And even if I do, I want to make my own mistakes, Caroline. I'm not a baby anymore. I don't need you to be a helicopter parent for me. It's time for me to spread my wings and fly."

Caroline stayed silent, frowning at Lucy, her lips pursed as she finished Lucy's hair and helped her into her dress. Then, just as Caroline was pulling the zipper up, they heard a honk outside. "There's Daddy," Lucy said. "Right on time. I really hope he behaves himself today. I mean, Alistair's gonna be there and he promised that he'd keep Dad in line, but you never know."

They made their way out to the car. Klaus was standing next to it, and when he saw Lucy, a look of wonder crossed his face. "Look at you," he said when Lucy reached him. "My little girl all grown up. You're beautiful, Lucy."

Lucy felt herself blush as she accepted a hug from her father. "Thank you, Daddy," she said. "And thank you for being such a good sport about this. I know it's hard for you to let me go."

Klaus nodded. "As it is for any father who loves their little girl. But there comes a time when we must all learn to let go. Now, with that in mind," He opened the door to the limo he'd brought and grinned. "Your carriage, my darling."

Lucy grinned. "Why thank you." She got into one side of the limo and Klaus and Caroline squished together on the other side, since Lucy's wide, poofy skirt took up so much space.

"It's a good thing we know each other," Caroline said as she and Klaus clutched at one another. "Otherwise this would be very awkward."

"True," Klaus agreed with a grin as he ran his hand down her back and over her bottom. "But I don't mind. Do you?"

Caroline couldn't help but smile. "Certainly not," she said.

When they reached the ballroom at the hotel where the wedding was taking place, Alistair ran to the door to greet them. "You're here!" he said, looking immensely relieved. "Thank god."

"Of course we're here!" Lucy said to him. "It's my wedding, and Daddy's supposed to give me away. Why wouldn't we be here?"

"Things can happen," Alistair said without missing a beat. "I'm just glad nothing happened to you."

"Well, okay," Lucy said, looking at him strangely. I'm gonna go wait in my place until it's time for my big moment!"

She left and Alistair looked at Klaus. "You're handling yourself remarkably well," he said. "A little too well. Is there something you'd like to tell me about?"

"No," Klaus said, trying to keep himself relaxed. "I'm fine."

"Look," Alistair said. "If you feel apprehensive, it's all right to say so. I mean, when Helene said she wanted to marry Adrian, I just about had a coronary, so I understand what it's like to have your daughter be in love with a man you don't necessarily approve of."

"And you see," Klaus said, "I never got why you had problems with Adrian. He was a good boy. A little too good for my taste, if I'm going to be perfectly honest. Some days it seemed like he wasn't even mine at all."

"And it seemed like whenever he was around Helene, he seemed more like you than anyone else," Alistair said. "It's all a matter of perspective."

They stood in awkward silence for a few minutes and then Klaus finally said, "You don't think Lucy's making a mistake, do you? I mean, technically, she's only ten years old. That's much too young to make a commitment to anyone."

Alistair rolled his eyes. "And the elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar," he said. "So you are uncomfortable with the idea of Lucy marrying Damon."

Klaus scoffed. "I'm uncomfortable with the idea of Lucy getting married at all," he said. "I hardly know her. How is it fair that I hardly know her and yet she sees fit to leave me and go be with someone else for the rest of eternity?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest," Alistair said, "This less than satisfactory relationship you have with Lucy is really your own doing. It was your affair with Vanessa and beastly temper that drove Selina out of your house and right into Damon's arms. I know you tried to make things right with her at the beginning, but it didn't exactly turn out the way you wanted. And dwelling will not help anything. You just have to move on from here."

"I just don't think it's fair," Klaus said. "I want a satisfactory relationship with Lucy before she runs away and gets married. It's my right as her father!"

"Don't do anything stupid!" Alistair said warningly. "You've been doing so well!"

Klaus' face, which had shown anger before, relaxed slightly as his eyes found a clock. "It's almost time for Lucy to get married," he said. "And I suppose if I can't get her to give up the wedding idea, then the least I can do is give her little pearls of wisdom to remember me by and wish her good luck."

"Are you positive that's what you're going to do?" Alistair asked. "You're not going to do anything to interfere with the wedding?"

"Alistair, it hurts that you don't trust me," Klaus said smoothly.

"I can't, honestly," Alistair said. "I've known you far too long to harbor any illusions about that."

"Well it doesn't matter," Klaus said. "I'm gonna go talk to Lucy no matter what you think!" And before Alistair could open his mouth to protest, Klaus stomped off in the direction of the room where Lucy was waiting. He knocked and heard her say "Come in." He opened the door and stepped inside. When she saw him, her face lit up. "Hi, Daddy," she said. "Come to say some last words over me?"

Klaus looked at her for a long moment and then said, "Yes, some last words will be said."

"Okay," Lucy told him. "Go ahead."

"I don't want you to get married today," Klaus told her.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You're not getting married today," Klaus said. "I'm sorry. I can't let that happen."

"Too bad," Lucy said, standing up tall and staring him down. "It's my life and there's nothing you can do to stop this!"

He began to advance on her, a look of sorrow on his face. "I'm sorry to have to do this," he said. "But it's for your own good. You'll see that."

"No!" Lucy shrieked as he picked her up and carried her out of the back door of the room into another part of the hotel. "Daddy, bring me back! I have to get married!" She beat him with her fists, but it did no good. Finally, she had to stop because her muscles ached and she was out of breath. He found a closet and put her in it, tying her up tightly with rope and then locking the door behind him on her yells for him to come back, but not before he poured liquid vervain on the inside handle of the door so she would be burned if she tried to force her way out.

When Klaus reached the ballroom again, Alistair gave him a look. "What took you so long? The room Lucy's in is not that far from here."

"It was the strangest thing," he said, trying to keep his face a mask of innocence. "Lucy had a breakdown. She said that she was rash deciding to get married now and she wanted to wait until we had more time to get to know each other. But don't worry. I talked her back into it and made everything okay."

Alistair felt a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but shrugged it off. Klaus would do anything to anyone in order to get his way, but there was not a chance he would go so far as to hurt Lucy to make her bend to his will.

The music began and everyone made their way down aisle with happy, eager expressions. Then, it was time for Lucy to make her big entrance. "Here comes the Bride" began and the door stood open as everyone watched and waited for Lucy to come out. But to their amazement, no one came. The organist played the song again and still, no one came. Finally, after a third failed attempt, Klaus went to stand in front of the confused crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends, family, it appears that there will be no wedding today. Lucy showed evidence of cold feet earlier and I thought I'd talked her out of it, but apparently not. I'm sorry you had to come all this way for nothing, and if Lucy ever expresses a desire to have another go at this, I'll be sure to let all of you know."