Lucy handed Damon his neatly folded clothes. "Here," she said. "I washed them and everything. They also smell nice." Damon sniffed. "Oh, they do, don't they?"

Lucy nodded. "Well, I'll just leave you alone to get dressed then, shall I?"

"I don't see why you need to leave me alone," he said. "It's not like my body is a mystery to you. You've already seen everything. Why don't you stay?"

"Well, what's the point?" Lucy asked. "I can't stay in bed with you all day. It's impractical. I have things to do and people to see and if I just stand in here and watch you get dressed, I won't be able to accomplish anything!"

"And what's the problem with that?" Damon asked. "Why does everything have to be about how much you can accomplish in an hour or a day? Why does everything have to be a big rush? You know, where I live, we don't worry about things like that."

Lucy nodded. "Of course not! Because where you live, you don't actually have to do anything, do you? You have people who do it all for you and let you be lazy every second of the day. I couldn't stand living like that. I couldn't."

Damon's eyebrow went up. "Well have you ever tried? It's really not as maddeningly boring as you make it out to believe."

"I sincerely doubt that," Lucy said.

"Well, it didn't take long for you to form a less than favorable opinion of me, did it?" Damon asked, dressing quickly.

Lucy looked up at him. "If the next thing you tell me is that I sound like my mother, I won't be happy. I hate hearing you tell me that. I want you to like me for being myself, not her."

"I wasn't going to say that, actually," Damon said. "I believe your mother would encourage me to stay home, with her. Whereas you, you'd want me to fight in the war, wouldn't you? If you were in my time, I mean."

Lucy nodded. "Well, of course," she told him. "You'd be accomplishing something, fighting for a cause. Even if slavery is not the best cause to fight for, it's something. Tell me, how could you not want to fight? Why is it so unappealing to you?"

"I don't want to fight because I don't want to die," Damon said. "It's that simple. I don't care if it's selfish to want to preserve my life, but that's how I feel. And please don't expect me to change. I'm happy the way I am." He paused. "But what about you? Tell me, are you happy the way you are, Lucy?"

"Yes," Lucy nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's just that...when we were in bed, you were laughing, you were smiling, you were relaxed. And now you're not. Now you just seem angry. What can we do to make you smile again?"

"Well, you could stop talking to me and let me run my errands," Lucy said. "Getting my list of errands done always makes me happy."

Damon nodded. "Well, all right. I suppose that will have to do for now."

Lucy nodded. "Thank you for understanding. But when she put her hand on the doorknob, he spoke again. "Lucy wait," he said. She turned. "What?" she asked. "And make it quick."

"All right," he said and strode over to her, pulling him to her in a firm hug. Lucy was surprised and resistant at first, but then she felt herself relax. He let her go all too soon. "I hope that helps," he said.

"Actually, it does," Lucy said. "Thank you." She paused. "Would you mind coming on my errands with me? You know, for the company?"

"Of course," Damon said. "It would be my pleasure." He offered her his arm and the two of them walked out to her car, driving into town with the radio on loud.

"Damon? Are you all right? Where have you been?" Vampire Damon woke up on the ground, the sun in his eyes and feeling someone poking him and saying his name.

"Damon!" The voice said again. "Get up, will you?"

"Stop poking me!" Damon said. "Stop poking me and maybe I'll feel like getting up!" The poking and talking stopped and Damon was able to slowly sit up, noticing that his head and his back hurt and he felt a little nauseous. He blinked a few times and saw Stefan standing in front of him looking worried.

"Here you are!" Stefan said. "Where have you been? No one's heard from you for days! Did you have too much to drink at the tavern again?"

Damon looked down at himself and then looked back up at his brother. "Sure, why not? It seems like as good an explanation as any, right?"

Stefan took his hand and helped pull him up. "Do you need to hold on to me to get back to the house?" Stefan asked him. "Or can you walk by yourself?"

"I would usually say I could walk by myself, but now I'm not so sure," Damon said. "You might want to hold on to me."

Stefan nodded. "I will do that. Then we can get you home, get you cleaned up, and changed so you look presentable."

"Wonderful," Damon told him. "Sounds great. I can't wait." As he and Stefan walked back to their house together, he couldn't help thinking bitterly, Mystic Falls, 1863. Home, sweet home. Not. Anywhere Lucy wasn't could not be called his home.

After Stefan helped him clean up and dress, Damon got into bed. "I'll tell Father that we found you," Stefan promised. "You won't have to do it yourself."

"And I just know Father will be happy to know I'm safe," Damon said. "I bet he's been worrying about me forever!"

"I realize you and Father have your differences, but please don't talk about him in that way," Stefan said. "He really cares about you, even if he doesn't show it well. How could he not? You're his son."

Damon put his arm over his eyes. "Would you just go and let me rest, please, Stefan?" He asked.

Stefan nodded. "Of course."

Stefan went to the backyard where his Father was reading a paper. "I found Damon, Father," he said. "I cleaned him up and now he's in bed recovering."

Giuseppe didn't even look up. "I know I can always trust you to be discreet, son. If anyone asks where he was, just say he's been ill and has only recently become well enough to receive company."

"Yes, Father," Stefan said obediently, even though he knew that everyone suspected Damon had been the run after having too much drink. The good thing was that everyone always pretended otherwise. That was a cardinal rule for living in their society: When it came to unpleasant things, everyone just pretended they didn't exist and things were peaceful enough.

Just then, he saw a carriage pull up and a pretty redhead get out. "It's Louisa Forbes, Father," Stefan said. "Would you like to go greet her or shall I?"

Giuseppe turned a page of his paper. "Would you do it, son?" He asked. "I would appreciate it."

Stefan nodded. "Of course, Father. Excuse me."

Giuseppe gave him a barely perceptible nod and then Stefan strode over to the carriage where Louisa's skirts were being straightened by her maid.

"Hello, Louisa," Stefan said, bowing slightly. "How nice to see you."

"Hello, Stefan," Louisa returned. "I came to call on your brother. I heard he was ill. I made him some cookies."

"Oh, I don't know if Damon's well enough to receive company yet," Stefan said quickly, moving in front of the door to the house.

"I don't know why you're so worried," Louisa told him. "The reason why he's having such trouble recovering is that your house lacks a strong female presence. Five minutes with me and I promise you Damon will be as well as he was the day he was born."

When he still didn't move from in front of the door, Louisa elbowed him aside with a force that surprised Stefan and forced her way inside the house. Without stopping to say a word to anyone, she made her way up the stairs to the second level where Stefan and Damon's bedrooms were and knocked on Damon's door. "Are you feeling better, Damon?" She called. When he said nothing, she opened the door and went inside anyway. When she saw that Damon was attempting to get out of bed, she walked over to him and pushed him back on the mattress. "No, no," she said. "If you move around, you'll never get well. You have to stay in bed and let me take care of you."

"No, that's not necessary," Damon said. "I'm feeling much better, I promise."

Just then, the door opened again to an angry gasp. "Louisa!" Selina said angrily. "What are you doing in Damon's room?"

"The same thing that you presumably came to do," Louisa told her. "Only I'm certain I would do it much better."

"Get out," Selina said between her teeth. "Now."

"Why don't you make me get out?" Louisa challenged. "I would love to see you try."

"Well, all right," Selina said. "But remember that it was you who challenged me." She punched Louisa in the face and in the eye, then Louisa pulled her hair and knocked her over. They rolled out of his room and into the hallway, yelling at the top of their lungs.

Damon sat frozen for a few minutes and then got out of bed, running to break them up.

"Why'd you stop me?" Selina asked as he pulled her away. "I could've had her! I could've had her!"

"I don't want you getting in fights for my sake, all right?" He said to her. "I don't like to see you get hurt. Do you understand me, Selina? Now, why don't you go downstairs?"

"Why should I do that?" Selina asked. "I won't leave you up here with Louisa! I won't!"

"You heard him," Louisa said to her. "He wants you to leave and he wants me to stay here. So you run along like a good girl and leave us be."

Damon nodded. "Please, Lina. Just do that."

"Well, all right," Selina said. "But just know that I am not happy about this! And Louisa, the color of the blood coming out of your nose looks much more flattering than that stupid yellow dress you're wearing." And she skipped away before Louisa could so much as say another word.

Once she was gone, Damon looked at Louisa. "You're not gonna leave me alone until I let you help me, are you?"

"Oh, don't say it like that!" Louisa said to him. "I'm not going to do some dreadful torture on you. I care about you and I want you to be well. Now, as I said before, you should go right back to bed."

"You might want to wipe your nose," Damon reminded her.

"I'll do that," Louisa said. "But only after I'm satisfied you're taken care of."

Damon sighed. Normally, he would never have put up with this, but after the mess with Caroline, he felt he at least owed her family some sort of restitution, and karma was definitely biting him in the ass by forcing him under Louisa Forbes' thumb. By the end of it all, if he made it out alive, his debt to Caroline would be more than repaid.

Finally, he was well enough in Louisa's eyes for her to let him go, at least for the moment. He had no idea how he'd gotten in this time, or how to get back. He just wished someone would tell him. Just as he was dozing off, there was another knock at the door, and his father strode in, an angry look on his face, followed by a little girl Damon recognized.

"This is Lenora," his father said. "She says she knows you. If it is for the reason I think it is, I don't think I need to say that I'm very disappointed in you. But I've said that to you so many times over the years that I doubt it matters to you anymore." Then, he turned on his heel and strode out.

Lenora closed the door and walked over to Damon's bed. "That man's a big meanie, isn't he?" She observed. "Who is he?"

"That's my father," Damon answered. "We're not close. Now, are you responsible for me being here?"

"Yes," Lenora said, averting her gaze. "Aunt Lucy told me to send you here. Other you is at home. I came to see if you were okay. And to let you know that I'll send you back if you want, no matter what Aunt Lucy says."

Damon shook his head. "Well, I'm not okay, but Lenora, look at me: If Lucy wants me here for whatever reason, if that's the only way she can heal from what she found out about me, then I don't want to go home. I'll stay here until she gets better."

"Are you sure?" Lenora asked skeptically.

Damon took her in his lap and said, "Yes, I'm sure."

"Do you really think this is gonna go okay?" Roxie asked.

"Well, of course it is!" Anna said as they hauled Tyler's body up on a table. "It's a little late to have doubts now."

Roxie looked away from the body. "I feel ill," she said. "The body smells terrible."

"Well, that's because he's been dead for awhile," Anna said. "And when bodies have been dead for awhile, they don't exactly smell like daisies you know."

"Yeah, whatever," Roxie said. "Let's just do what we have to do. This won't take long, will it?"

"Hey!" Anna said. "We're bringing a dead man back to life, okay? We're not turning on a light or whatever else a person can do that takes two seconds. It's a complex process, especially for someone who has only really done simple magic before!"

"You mean you have no idea what you're doing?" Roxie asked. "Well this is just great! You could have mentioned that before we went all the way out to Mystic Falls, broke into the cemetery, killed a guy, stole a body, and brought it all the way back here!"

"I wouldn't have taken you all the way to the cemetery if I couldn't figure out how to do the spell," Anna said to Roxie. "It's just gonna take longer than you'd like."

"Like how long?" Roxie asked. "And if it's a long time, aren't you worried that Stefan will figure out what we're doing and stop you?"

"I'm luckier than you," Anna said. "Stefan doesn't care what I do. Even if any normal person would, he doesn't ask questions and just lets me go about my business."

"Really?" Roxie asked. "Lucky you. Vince gets suspicious about everything I do. He doesn't trust me at all!"

"Well I'm sorry," Anna said. "But you have to admit, you've given him a lot of things to be nervous about over the years. I don't blame him. He's a good guy and you're lucky to have him."

"I know," Roxie replied. "I'm not saying I don't love him. I'm saying that I wished he would just trust me. I feel like he's always trying to fix me."

"Maybe it's cause he knows deep down you're better than you act," Anna said. "Personally, I think you are. You act like you're above it all, but deep down, you're good. I think Vince has good instincts."

"So what are you saying?" Roxie asked. "That you don't want me to help you?"

Anna sighed and nodded. "I think it might be best if you didn't. You wouldn't be much help with the actual magic anyway. You'd just be a distraction. So go home and be with Vince and I promise you, I'll get this done."

"No," Roxie shook her head, crossing her arms. "I'm not just gonna let you do this by yourself, especially if it will get you in trouble. You have to let me do something to help!"

Just then, one of the doors upstairs opened. "Hello?" Stefan called. "Anna, I'm back! Where are you?"

"It's Stefan!" Roxie said. "Want me to go upstairs and distract him?"

"Yeah," Anna nodded. "Why not?"

Roxie ran upstairs and found Stefan sitting down on the sofa. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," Stefan replied. "How are you?"

"Good," Roxie said. "If you're looking for Aunt Anna, she's busy with a project that requires peace and quiet. She told me to tell you that she'll need you out of the house for awhile."

"What?" Stefan asked. "Why would she need me out of the house? What is she doing?"

"Well," Roxie said, trying to think up a good excuse. "She's making a surprise for your birthday and she doesn't want you to know what it is."

"Why would she be making me a surprise for my birthday now?" Stefan asked. "My birthday is more than two months away!"

"Well is it so hard to believe that it's a very intricate present that will take time to make?" Roxie asked. "Just believe me, okay? I saw it!"

"Anna's making me something?" Stefan asked, looking intrigued. "That's so thoughtful."

"Exactly!" Roxie told him. "She's making you something that takes a lot of effort and concentration, so if you could just, you know, leave for awhile, until she tells you to come back, I'm sure she'd really appreciate it."

"Where is she right now?" Stefan asked. "Is she here?"

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "In the basement. But don't go down there or it'll ruin everything!"

"What if I promise not to look?" Stefan asked. "I'm sure that if I promise not to look, she won't mind me being downstairs." He got up and strode toward the open basement door. "Anna, if you're down there, do whatever you need to do to hide my surprise, cause I have to come downstairs and tell you something."

"Is that really necessary?" Anna called back.

"Yes," Stefan called. "It is."

"Fine," Anna said. "Just a minute." There were a few minutes of silence and then Anna said, "All right. You can come down now and say what you need to say."

Roxie nodded encouragingly and Stefan went down to the basement. "Roxie told me you've been working on my birthday present. You know my birthday isn't for more than two months, don't you?"

"Yeah," Anna said, doing her best to conceal the table that had Tyler's sheet-wrapped body on it.

Stefan sniffed. "What is that smell? Is that a body?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, it's a body. I don't know why I thought I could hide it from you."

"I don't either," Stefan said. "Why don't you tell me what you're doing with it."

"It's a guy named Tyler Lockwood," Anna said. "He used to be married to Caroline Forbes, but he died and now Roxie asked me to bring him back to life so that he could be with Caroline and she'd leave my brother alone. I told her that I'd use my powers to do that even though it might possibly be illegal."

"Well, I don't know what to say," Stefan said. "I've done a lot of things in my time that are questionable, but I don't know what to say about this."

"Sure you do," Anna said. "So go ahead and say it."

"All right," Stefan told her. "I would prefer if you didn't do whatever the hell it is that you're thinking of doing. Not that I can stop you, because I can't, but since you've mentioned that you're doing something that might get you in trouble, and from the sound of things, possibly hurt, I think I should mention that if anything happens to you while you do this, I'm gonna be very lonely without you." He cleared his throat. "Now that I've said my piece, I'll go find a hotel room to stay in until you call me on my cell phone and tell me you've finished whatever it is that you're doing. Okay?"

"All right," Anna nodded. "I'll be careful. I promise. And Stefan?" He paused at the door and turned around. "Yes?"

Anna ran over to the door, threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Thank you," she said. "I'll work as fast as I can. I promise."

"I hope so," Stefan told her. "Because I can only play along with this for so long."

"Yeah," Anna said. "I know."

Stefan went upstairs to pack a bag and then went back into the living room where Roxie was still sitting on the sofa.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked her. "I thought you'd have gone home by now."

Roxie shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought I'd stick around...in case you needed anything."

"Anna told me what you two are up to," Stefan told Roxie.

Roxie gasped. "You didn't try and stop her, did you? What she's doing is very important!"

"I didn't try to stop her," Stefan said, shaking his head. "She told me what she was doing and I said my piece about it, but I'm still letting her do as she sees fit. And I'm gonna go stay in a hotel until she finishes."

"Why not stay with Dad?" Roxie asked. "He has room and I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know if that's a good idea. What Anna is doing borders on illegal and if your father finds out, I think it would put an end to this little operation of yours. Remember, your father isn't as easy-going about your aunt's activities as I am."

"Oh, right," Roxie said. "Well, I'm gonna go. Thanks for being so cool about this thing that Aunt Anna and I are doing."

Stefan nodded. "You're welcome," he said.

"So this is what the town is like?" Damon asked as Lucy parked her car in a parking garage and the pair of them began walking around the streets lined with shops. "I like it. It's nice."

"Of course it's nice," Lucy said. "It's late summer, so it's still warm. But it's less pleasant in the winter, you know. So cold and icy." She shivered. "I don't like it at all. Sam and I are summer babies. Our birthday is right near yours as a matter of fact."

"Can I ask why I haven't seen much of him since I showed up?" Damon asked. "It's like he took one look at me and ran away. Have I done something to offend him?"

"Oh, it's not your fault," Lucy said. "But seeing as how you're his father and I'm his half-sister, seeing you and I together in a romantic way has always been difficult for him. Especially when he found out that I was spending time in your bed. That probably scarred the poor guy for life."

Damon's eyes widened. "What? You mean, he came upon us when you and I were-?"

"We weren't actually doing anything at the time, but we weren't dressed and Sam was able to put two and two together. Things have been strained between the two of you ever since, although lately things have improved," Lucy assured him. "It's just something he'll have to deal with because I'm not giving you up!"

Damon grinned. "Well, that's very reassuring. Thank you." He hugged her to him. They made visits to a few stores to get Lucy some paints, pencils and canvas, then some toothpaste and laundry detergent, and a bunch of modern clothes for Damon, and as they were coming out of a bakery with a dozen cookies, a man ran past them, snatching Lucy's purse from her arm.

"Hey!" Lucy called, handing Damon the cookies and starting you run after the thief. "You come back here with my purse, you-you-" She couldn't think of an epithet strong enough to describe her attacker. It should have been easy for her to catch him, but as she didn't want Damon to know at this point that she was a vampire, she obviously couldn't go around demonstrating her power, no matter how dire the circumstances were.

Fortunately for her, that didn't seem to be a problem for Damon. "Come here, Lucy!" He said. "Grab your bags and your box and come here."

"Where?" Lucy asked as he grabbed her arm and pulled her along. She noticed a lone horse standing on the side of the street. Indications on the horse showed that it belonged to a policeman who was a member of a mounted unit. "If you're talking about that horse there, we can't just take it! It belongs to the police!"

"That doesn't matter now!" Damon said, picking her up bags, box and all and placing her on the gray horse's saddle. "We need to get your purse back from that thief and this is the best way to do it. We'll bring the horse back, I promise. Now there's no time to waste!" Damon jumped onto the horse and ordered it forward at a furious pace. In no time at all, they caught up with the purse snatcher. "There you are, you scoundrel!" Damon exclaimed. "Unhand my lady's things right now or I will take them from your cold, dead fingers."

"Are you crazy?" The thief asked.

"Drop her things and you will not have to find out," Damon said. "Do you understand me?"

But the man didn't put the purse down, so Damon took the whip in hand and brought it right down on the mugger, who fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Damon got off the horse and walked over to look down at the man, turning him over. "The purse, please," he said. "I would prefer that you hand it over willingly, but if you don't, I promise I will beat you soundly until you do."

"Damon, that's not necessary!" Lucy said. "I think he's freaked out enough that you can just take my purse from him. Do that and let's go."

He looked at Lucy. "All right," he said. "Although I would prefer to give this man everything he has coming to him without hesitation, if you would like to leave, that's what we'll do."

"Thank you," Lucy said. "That is what I would like."

Damon gave the mugger a disgusted look, snatched the purse away, and got on the horse. As he and Lucy rode away, leaving the mugger on street, Lucy put her chin on Damon's shoulder. "That was some speech you made to the mugger," she said. "You sounded like Robin Hood or something."

"Did I?" Damon asked, his face lighting up. "Because that was who I meant to sound like. I wanted to sound like a hero."

"Well, you didn't just sound like a hero," Lucy told him. "You really were one. Thanks for working so hard to get my purse back."

"It's no trouble at all," Damon said. "Do you still have everything?"

"Yes," Lucy nodded. "I'm certain I do. I think he was too busy running away and wetting himself to take anything."

"Do you have all the things you need, or are we going to need to go to another store?" Damon asked. "Because if not, I suggest we go home and you lie down for awhile. When a lady witnesses something as frightening as a mugging, the best way to recover from it is rest, staying inside, that sort of thing."

"That may be what works for women in your time, but I'm fine, I swear," Lucy said. "I'm not scarred or frightened or anything."

"I still would feel more comfortable if you rested," Damon told her.

"How about I read in my room for a bit?" Lucy said. They got the horse back to its original location, finding themselves face to face with an angry police officer. "How could you steal my horse?" He demanded of them. He was eating a sandwich and bits of spit and chewed up foold flew out of his mouth as he spoke. "You can't just take any animal you see out for a joyride! He's supposed to be a police animal!"

"And yet, he was standing in the street doing nothing when we borrowed him," Damon said. "I promise you he was used for the appropriate purpose and we had every intention of returning him when we took him."

"You see, Officer," Lucy said, her eyes on the policeman's, "my purse was stolen by a mugger and there were no fine lawmen such as yourself to track him down, so when we saw your horse, we did what we had to do. We had no other choice. Do you understand?"

Suddenly, the officer blinked and his stern expression lightened. "Well, I suppose if he was really fighting crime and you had every intention of returning him, I can excuse you. You two have a good day now."

"Thank you officer," Lucy said with a grin. "You have a good day now."

"Well, that was strange," Damon said as they walked away. "Don't you think it's strange how quickly his attitude changed?"

"No," Lucy said. "I'm just glad he finally saw reason. That's all I'm gonna say."

They arrived home and Lucy decided that she would take a nap after all. Damon followed her to their room, tucked her in, kissed her goodnight, and turned off the light. He changed clothes and sat in the living room for awhile, staring out the window, but he felt himself getting restless. He wrote Lucy a note for when she woke up, telling her that he was going out for awhile and slipped it under her door. He then left the house and walked around aimlessly, not paying much attention to any particular thing or person around him until he heard someone call his name.

"Damon!" The familiar voice brought him to a standstill. He blinked several times as he saw Stefan approach him. "Brother?" He asked, feeling shocked. "Is that you?"

"Well, of course!" Stefan said. "Who else would it be?"

"How are you here?" Damon asked him after they embraced. "Did you fall through time as well?"

"Fall through time?" Stefan gave Damon a strange look and then burst out laughing. "Are you joking? You must be joking. Having a drink too many always did bring out the worst in your sense of humor."

"I haven't been drinking!" Damon said. "I really did come here from home after falling through a portal of time! And you? How did you get here?"

"The same way you did in actuality," Stefan said. "I'm a vampire, and so are you. We've been the same age we were when Father killed us in 1864 for siding with the vampires. Selina's one too. We-" He paused as he saw all the color drain from Damon's face. He saw his brother collapse and grabbed him quickly to hold him up.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked. "Damon, what's wrong? You can tell me."

"I'm not a vampire, Stefan," Damon said. "I swear to you."

"Wait a minute," Stefan said, grabbing Damon's hand. "You're not wearing a ring and the sun is out! You should be burned to a crisp right now, but you're not! When did you come from? What year? 1864?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "!863. June."

"Ah," Stefan nodded. "That explains it. Everything makes sense, then."

"What were you saying about us and Selina being vampires?" Damon asked.

"Nothing," Stefan said quickly, looking Damon straight in the eye. "I never said anything about us and Selina being vampires. I asked if you wanted to come with me to get a drink."

"Oh, all right," Damon said. "That sounds wonderful. Lead the way, brother."

In mid-October, Roxie finally got a call from Anna. "Are you done?" Roxie asked. "Is that Tyler guy alive yet?"

"Yes!" Anna said. "It took awhile, but I did it! I gave him Nik's address and he told me he had every intention of stopping by to see Caroline. You wouldn't mind dropping hints to her about his coming, would you? We wouldn't want her dropping dead at the sight of him. That would defeat the purpose of this whole thing."

"All right," Roxie said. "I'll go and let her know."

"Good news!" Roxie said when Caroline opened the door. "You know your former husband Tyler? The one you miss so much?"

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. "What about him?"

"Well, didn't you say you wished you could see him again?" Roxie asked. "And didn't I tell you that I could make that happen?"

Caroline frowned at her, but let her in. "That was months ago and I haven't seen anything or anyone. I think you're a terrible liar."

"Well he was dead, Caroline," Roxie said, sitting on a chair and filing her nails. "And bringing people back from the dead takes a lot of work."

"What?" Caroline asked, bursting into nervous giggles. "What are you talking about, bringing Tyler back from the dead? It can't be done!"

"Why not?" Roxie asked. "You were brought back from the dead."

"Well, that's different," Caroline snapped. "I am a vampire. Tyler was not. He was a werewolf and werewolves don't just come back from the dead! You are just so full of shit that I don't even believe it!" Just as she began to angrily stomp off, the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is," Roxie said with a grin. "Caroline, why don't you answer it?"

Caroline was reluctant. Finally, the gentle knocking turned into loud, insistent pounding. "Caroline! " A gruff male voice called. "Are you in there? Let me in!"

Caroline froze, her eyes widening. "I know that voice! But it can't be Tyler! It just can't be!"

"Well, why don't you let the poor guy in already?" Roxie asked. "He's been standing out there long enough!"

Caroline took one more short, hesitant pause and then strode toward the door with determination in every step. She closed her eyes, yanked the door open, and then opened them again. "Oh, my god," she said. "Tyler, is that you?"

A young man with dark hair and dark eyes stepped inside and embraced Caroline. "Yeah, Care. It's me." He kissed her deeply and then when the kiss was broken and they pulled apart, Caroline looked at Roxie, stupefied. "How did you-?"

Roxie grinned. "Don't ask questions. Just enjoy."

Selina checked her watch and went to put on a sweater. It was almost time to meet Elijah at the restaurant for her birthday lunch. He would have taken her himself, but he said he had a surprise for her and would meet her at the restaurant and that was that.

She put the kids in the car, dropped them off with her mother and Mikael and then began the drive to the restaurant. The car was a dream, a fast car. She decided that since it was her birthday, just this once, she'd throw caution to the wind and see just how fast the car could go. She looked out both windows, took a deep breath, and put her foot down on the gas. The speed was wonderful. Sadly, her euphoria didn't last long though. Out of nowhere, a cop car appeared, sirens blaring, and began pursuing her.

"Oh, fuck!" She muttered under her breath and did the best she could to try and get away. But the cop car kept pursuing her and finally, she realized that all she could do was stop and face the music. She didn't really feel up to compelling him. Maybe if she flashed him, he'd let her go on her way without punishment. If it was a female cop, she was screwed. The officer approached the car and she let down the window, but before he could open his mouth, she began talking in a rush. "I'm sorry, officer! This is a new car, and it goes fast. It's my birthday and I was just trying to have a little fun. I didn't hurt anyone. Please don't take me to jail!"

The officer leaned forward. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said. "But we can't allow behavior like that, even if it is your birthday. Step out of the car, please."

"Well okay," Selina told him. "But in regards to the jail thing, I have a counter offer that just might make things all better." She let him tug her out of the car and then she lifted up her shirt.

"Well," he said, his eyes as obscured by his hat as they had been when he picked her up. "I have to say they're…nice. Very nice." He reached out to stroke them.

"Thank you," she said. "They're so big because I just had a baby and I'm breastfeeding." At that, the officer removed his cap and backed her up against the cop car, grinning.

"Elijah!" Selina said in shock.

"Turn around," he said, his expression serious. "If you drive as wantonly as you do, who knows what other bad stuff you have up your sleeve? I'm gonna have to frisk you." Selina turned around and he slowly moved his hands over her body, squeezing her breasts, rubbing her, and running his hands over her bottom.

"All right," he said, letting her go and giving her a spank. "Get in the car."

"Why should I?" Selina asked with a grin. "You're just a big bully, aren't you?" Elijah grabbed a pair of handcuffs off his belt, pushed her into the car where she landed on her back with a bounce and then cuffed her to the door. "I can't abide by people who resist arrest," he said.

"Will I have to be punished?" Selina asked innocently.

Elijah grinned. "Oh, yes," he said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to use the little-known but very effective kissing torture," he said. "Every kiss will drive you more and more insane until you beg me to let you go!" He then began kissing her all over and pretty soon, they were furiously kissing each other, the heat they generated making the car warm enough for nakedness to be a necessity. As Selina came and let out a terrific shriek, she heard banging coming from somewhere in the car. "What's that?" She asked, sitting up. The mood was temporarily broken and Elijah looked ruffled. "Nothing," he said. "Just lunch."

"Why would lunch be making that much noise?" Selina asked. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Elijah said, twisting a strand of her hair around his finger. "Just the policeman I stole the car from. I thought it would be more fun than a stuffy restaurant."

"Oh, how unique!" Selina said. "You know, I find this recent bloodthirstiness of yours to be very intriguing. You never did like taking from people before, but over the last months, you've become a pro."

"And do you have a problem with that?" Elijah asked her.

"No!" Selina exclaimed. "Are you kidding? I have dreamed about you being this liberal! If there's anyone who will not judge you for feeding from people, it's me."

"So are you hungry then?" He asked her."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Sure. Just let me get what clothes on I can and then-"

"You can stay here and dress," Elijah said. "I'll go and get lunch." He pulled on his shirt and then exited the car, opening the trunk where the whimpering police officer was stuffed. he was a slim man in his late forties, graying and clad only in his boxers. He was so frightened, he couldn't speak, he just babbled. Elijah shoved him onto Selina's lap and she grinned at him. "Do I get the first taste?"

"Yes," Elijah grinned. "But not yet." He took out a small wax birthday candle, stuck it in the man's eye, and lit it. As liquid gushed forth, Elijah lit the candle and grinned at Selina. "Make a wish," he said.

Selina grinned, shut her eyes tight and then blew out the candle. "I won't tell you what I wished for, but I have no doubt I'll get what I want tonight." As she sank her fangs into the man's neck and sucked greedily, Elijah stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "Happy birthday, darling," he said.