Klaus didn't respond. For several minutes, the other line was silent. "Hello?" Selina finally said. "Nicky, are you still there?"

"Yes," he said. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Selina asked. "If you're thinking about taking Mikael on, don't. I've already lost Elijah. I don't want to lose you as well."

"Well, love, I won't let what Mikael did to my brother stand," Klaus said. "He won't get away with it. I will avenge Elijah somehow. But I suppose I should plan something out before going off to action, shouldn't I?"

"Maybe," Selina agreed. "I don't know how much it would help, but plans are good. And when you actually take vengeance, I'm coming too. You aren't gonna leave me behind."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," Klaus told her. "You always were a good fighting partner. I'd have to be a fool to leave you behind."

"Good," Selina nodded. "We'll do this together. Not that it will get Elijah back or anything, but at least we'll feel better."

"In the meantime," Klaus asked, "What is it that you plan to do with yourself? Are you staying at the house? Do the children know?"

"Yeah," Selina said. "Well, Laura and Gregory do. With Colin it doesn't matter yet. It hit Laura so hard. She cried as much as me. But yeah, I think we'll stay at the house. I don't want to uproot the kids' lives any more than they've already been by moving somewhere else."

"Sounds reasonable," Klaus said. "And remember that if you ever feel like you need to talk, I'm just a phone call away."

Selina nodded, feeling herself start to tear up again. "Thank you, Nicky. I'll remember that."

Klaus hung up the phone and sighed. He was glad Selina was calling him Nicky again. That always led to good things. It was a shame that it had to happen along with Elijah being daggered, which was most unfortunate.

He got up from his desk chair and paced around the morning room. Plots to kill Mikael weren't easy coming, and finally, he decided the best thing to do was to go break the news of what had happened to Anna. He put on his coat, got in his car, and drove to her and Stefan's.

When he got there, he stood on the front step, deciding how best to phrase what had happened to Elijah for his sister. He stood there so long that Anna opened the door before he even had a chance to knock. "Hi, Nik," she said. "If you're gonna come in, come in. You don't want the neighbors to think you're a creeper or a pervert or something."

Klaus nodded. "Sorry," he said. His voice was subdued. He was quiet as he followed Anna into the house and sat down opposite her and Stefan in the living room. "So," she said. "What brings you here?"

Klaus cleared his throat. "I have to tell you something and you won't want to hear it, but...Mikael staked Elijah. Then his witch made Elijah's body disappear."

Anna's jaw dropped and she stood up quickly. "What? How did this happen? When did this happen? Does Selina know?"

Klaus nodded. "I'm afraid so. She was the one who called to tell me about it. Said it happened earlier today. She sounded like a real mess on the phone."

"No wonder," Anna said through tears. "Elijah is gone! You can't expect her to just get over that, especially when it hasn't even been twenty-four hours! And don't you go using this as an opportunity to make a move on her either. I know how much you like her!"

"I would never!" Klaus said, standing up quickly. "At least not this soon. I can't believe you would accuse me of such a thing."

"It crossed your mind!" Anna sniffed, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. "Admit it!"

"I don't think I need to," Klaus said. "It's no secret. But she's lost her husband and we've lost a brother and we need to do everything we can to support each other. No matter how difficult it will be, I won't even entertain thinking of Selina romantically. At least not until she's made it clear that's okay. I don't know when it will be. It could be years. But it's the right thing to do."

"Yes, it is!" Anna nodded. "And don't you forget that, brother."

His promise to stay away from Selina was still fresh in his mind when he went back home a couple hours later, so it was very surprising to see Selina's car in the driveway when he pulled in.

"Hi," he said. "Did you try to call? I was at Anna and Stefan's. That's why I didn't answer." He leaned against the car door. "How long have you been sitting in the driveway?"

Selina sniffled and looked at the car clock. "I dropped the kids off at your mom's two hours ago, and let's just say she wasn't too happy about what happened to Elijah either. Said there's a reason why you have a different father." She tried to smile at that, but failed. "I came over here because I was lonely," she said. "I know I have the kids and all, but I can only comfort them for so long and eat so many cookies before things get depressing and I realize that there's no one around to comfort me."

"So you came to my house and sat in my driveway," Klaus said.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "This is gonna sound ridiculous, and I normally wouldn't ask, but seeing as how my reason for not asking has disappeared and no one knows where he went...Nicky, would you hug me?"

Klaus looked at her in surprise. "You came all the way over here and sat in my driveway for two hours cause you wanted me to hug you?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded, feeling like she was gonna start crying again. "Please?"

Klaus stared at her uncertainly for a few seconds, but as tears began streaming down her face, he snatched her out of the car and hugged her hard. As he held her, he felt her tense body start to relax. Where she had been racked with sobs, she began to calm down. Still, he held her, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo. They stood like this for several seconds, happily cuddling each other before she pulled back with a shocked look on her face. "Put me down!" She said insistently. "Put me down!"

"Yes," he nodded, putting her down in a standing position on the driveway. "That might be best."

"Cause you know that if we just kept being like that, things could happen, and it's much too soon for things to start happening. For heaven's sake, your brother just died. And I love him!" Selina proclaimed. "It's much too soon for me to start allowing myself to have feelings about you."

"Exactly," Klaus nodded, stepping away from her. "And I'll have you know that if you ever consider moving in with me, you will not bring any of that shampoo with you."

"Well, all right," Selina nodded. "As long as you agree to get rid of that cologne you're wearing."

"I thought you liked it!" Klaus said. She nodded. "And that's the problem. I like it as much as you like my shampoo."

"Do you feel better?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I think I do. Thank you so much for your help."

"No problem," Klaus said, trying to stay relaxed. "Any time."

"Bye!" Selina began pulling out of the driveway and when she reached the street and drove off, she let out a breath. "That was close," she said. "Elijah, don't worry," she called. "I promise I didn't do anything!"

Several months later, everyone was still grieving Elijah's loss, although it the pain wasn't as raw as it had been initially. There was a brief break in the mourning process when Helene finally went into labor with her and Adrian's second baby.

As her mother began screaming, Lenora shut her eyes and popped over to Enid's, appearing next to her father who was drinking a beer. He saw her and started. "Ladybug!" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom says you have to come back now!" Lenora began tugging on Adrian's arm. "She's gonna have the baby!"

"Wonderful," Adrian sighed. "Well, let's go then."

"What's the matter?" Lenora paused. "Aren't you happy the baby is coming?"

Adrian shut his eyes tight and then took Lenora in his arms. "You might have noticed that I wasn't around while your mother was pregnant," he said. "Did you notice that?"

"Well, duh!" Lenora said. "I called you every day! Sometimes you answered and sometimes you didn't!"

"I'm worried," Adrian confessed. "I'm worried that when the baby starts showing powers, your mother will insist on raising her like a witch."

"Well we are witches!" Lenora said.

"Yeah," Adrian nodded. "But you're other things too. You know that, right? Your mother likes to pretend you aren't, but you are. She never lets me teach you anything and I know she won't let me teach the new baby either. So really, what's the point in my coming home if the only thing I'm gonna be used for is magical target practice?"

Lenora frowned and put her hands on her hips. "You are coming home because I love you, I miss you and Mommy is driving me crazy! That's all. Now come on!" She grabbed his hand and nearly yanked him off the barstool before they disappeared and went home to Helene.

When Lenora and Adrian got back home, Adrian winced. "Yep, it sounds like the baby is coming. Did one of you call Grandma or Grandpa?"

"Yes, they did," Alistair said, giving Adrian a look. "We've been here for a while now. You're the only one who hasn't been."

"Did your daughter explain to you why I wasn't around?" Adrian asked. "I had a perfectly good reason!"

"You did?" Alistair asked. "Tell me, what was it?" He advanced on Adrian, who swallowed nervously and backed up.

"I was scared," Adrian said. "I didn't plan on this one. Neither of us did!"

"Well, that's no reason to leave," Alistair told him. "You should have stayed. It's what a real man would have done. Your father stayed for Roxanne, even though he was nervous about having her around because he and your mother were being hunted by Vanessa at the time. He was scared, but he stayed. Not once in my life would I have thought I'd say your father was better than you, but-"

"Grandpa?" Lenora interrupted. "Can I go to my room now?"

Alistair sighed. "Yes, dear. Go to your room. We'll tell you when it's okay for you to come out." Lenora scampered off to her room and Adrian shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know it looks bad for me and I know I should have stayed, but when I put all the events leading up to this second pregnancy together, I just...I feel taken advantage of. Helene knew that I was hesitant about having another child and then she dragged me off to the magic convention where we get hopped up on magic love juice and next thing you know, she's pregnant again. I just wish we would have talked more about it before it happened. Sometimes, I feel like Helene gets an idea in her head and decides that that's what we're gonna do regardless of what I think. I feel like I have no purpose. She doesn't let me teach Lenora about being a vampire or a werewolf or anything. I mean, sometimes if Helene is feeling particularly charitable, she'll let me take Lenora out hunting, but other than that, nothing. I asked her why once and she said it was because she thought that being taught about her vampire side, and learning to feed from people would scar Lenora for life. She'll probably say the same thing about this kid." Adrian looked at Alistair. "You probably don't believe me, but it's true."

"Oh, I know how Helene keeps control of Lenora," Alistair said. "I would have to be a fool to miss it. It doesn't excuse you leaving, though."

"I won't leave again," Adrian said. "I promise."

Alistair nodded. "All right. I will speak to Helene about relaxing her rules and allowing you more influence with Lenora and the new baby."

"Okay," Adrian nodded and took a deep breath. "Where's Helene? I should probably be with her, shouldn't I?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "You should. Come with me." They headed to the bedroom, where Helene was in bed, sweating, screaming and swearing while Astrid tried to calm her.

"Wow, Helene," Adrian said, trying to keep his tone light. "I didn't know you knew those words."

"How could you not?" Helene panted. "I learned them from you!" She let out a yell.

This went on for quite some time until, with one final grunt, Helene pushed the baby out.

"It's a little girl," Astrid said.

"You hear that?" Adrian said to Helene as he eased his hand out of hers, praying with all his might he'd be able to get the circulation back in it.

"Yeah, I heard," Helene said. "It means you're the only guy."

Adrian nodded. "And I get to live with three beautiful girls. Well, two beautiful girls and one beautiful woman, if you want to be precise."

"Yep," Helene nodded. "If you don't leave again, that is."

"I promise I won't," Adrian said. "And I'm sorry I did in the first place."

"So," Astrid asked as she put the baby in Adrian's arms. "What are you gonna name her?"

"Alice," Helene said immediately. "Alice Susan. I've known that forever."

"Well, that's one option," Alistair said quickly, as he watched Adrian trying really hard to keep hold of his temper. "Adrian, what do you think she should be named?"

"What are you asking him for, Daddy?" Helene asked angrily. "He wasn't even here!"

"You picked Lenora's name," Alistair said gently. "Now it's his turn."

Helene eyed Adrian resentfully and lay back against the pillows.

Adrian looked down at the little girl for a long moment. Her face was red and puffy and sprouting from her head were a few wisps of what seemed to be blonde hair. "Felicity," he said. "Felicity Joy."

"What do you think of that?" Alistair asked Helene, who scowled. "I suppose that's a nice name too," she said.

Alistair grinned. "Felicity Joy it is, then."

Helene shut her eyes. "Goody. Can everyone just go away? I'm tired."

"Do you want me to stay in here with you?" Adrian offered.

Helene shook her head. "No, thank you. You could go introduce Lenora to her little sister if you wanted."

"Okay," Adrian nodded. "I'll do that. You have a nice rest."

"It would probably be better if you slept in another room while I put your sheets and blankets in the wash," Astrid said.

"Okay," Helene nodded and got out of bed. Alistair took her hand to keep her stable and led her into another bedroom, tucking her in just as he had when she was a child. "You rest now," he said. "And I know its hard, but do you suppose you could be a little nicer to Adrian? I know he left, but he has expressed to me that one of the reasons why he did it was because you make him feel like he has no purpose in your family, since you won't let him teach Lenora about vampire and werewolf things."

"I'm just trying to protect her," Helene said. "I don't want her to be scarred for life because she has to kill someone."

"I'm sure Adrian wouldn't let her go that far," Alistair reasoned. "Could you try trusting him with this? I think it would really be good for both of you."

Helene sighed. "First I don't get to pick the baby's name when I did all the work carrying it and having it and now I have to give up Lenora too? Daddy, this isn't fair!"

"Well, how do you think Adrian feels when you allow Lenora to use him for magical target practice?" Alistair asked. "Helene, dear, these are his girls too. They aren't just yours."

Helene rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll let him show Lenora vampire stuff. But if something happens and she comes home crying, Adrian will have no one to blame but himself."

Meanwhile, Adrian walked to Lenora's bedroom door and called softly for her to let him in.

"I can't open the door myself," he said. "My arms are full of baby."

Lenora opened the door. "Mommy had the baby! Let me see it!"

Adrian grinned as he went inside and sat down on her bed. "You have a little sister," he said. "Her name is Felicity."

"Where did that come from?" Lenora asked. "Mom said her name was gonna be Alice!"

"Well, yeah. But then your grandfather decided that I should pick this baby's name since your mother picked yours and I chose for her to be called Felicity. It means 'happiness'."

Lenora grinned. "So you are happy the baby came!"

"Well, of course!" Adrian said. "I admit, I'll be nervous when she starts showing signs of having powers, but I'm very happy I have both of you."

And as the months passed, that didn't change. One day, six months after Felicity's birth, Helene said to Adrian, "Just to warn you, Lissy might start showing evidence of her powers any day now."

"What?" Adrian asked, tensing. "How? I mean, I know it happened with Lenora, but it's been so long that I forgot."

"Any sudden movement from her could send magic shooting out everywhere," Helene told him, her voice full of relish. "It could be a twitch or a sneeze or anything like that, that could make the walls change, or turn you into a frog, or whatever. You just never know."

"You're just saying that to scare me," Adrian said.

"No, I'm not," Helene told him. "I'm doing you a favor so you'll be prepared."

"No amount of talk could prepare me for magic," Adrian said. "But thanks for the warning, anyhow."

Things were quiet with Felicity for the rest of the day, but as Adrian was changing her diaper before putting her to bed, she sneezed and Adrian's eyes widened as a large spider scuttled around the changing table.

"Helene!" Adrian called. "Lissy sneezed! Help me!"

Helene came into the room, grabbing the spider before it went off the changing table and turning it back into a baby. "There we go," She said, taking a deep breath. "All better." Adrian looked down at Felicity, who looked at him innocently and then burst into giggles.

"That's enough fun for you, young lady," Adrian said and put her in her crib. She settled down to sleep almost immediately and then Adrian followed Helene to bed.

But he didn't sleep as easily as his daughter. Despite the vow Helene had made to let Adrian have more of a say with the kids, Adrian doubted she'd keep that promise. Visions of babies turning into spiders and worse things flew around his brain. Finally, he sat up, panting, realizing that there was only one thing he could do to make sure Lissy learned everything she was supposed to. He sneaked out of bed, dressed, then went to Felicity's room and put her in her carrier, thankful that both she and her mother were heavy sleepers. He took his daughter out to his car and drove her over to his father's, even though it had to be two or three in the morning. He parked the car in the street and carried Felicity to Klaus' front door, knocking and praying his father would answer.

When he finally did, Klaus looked at Adrian in surprise. "Well, this wasn't something I was expecting this early in the morning."

"Can we come in?" Adrian asked. "I need a favor."

"Sure," Klaus nodded. "It's not like I'm not up already. Come in."

Adrian brought Felicity inside and they all situated themselves in the living room.

"I don't mean to sound inquisitive, but what terrible emergency has brought you to my doorstep this early in the morning?" Klaus asked his son.

"You're gonna think I'm crazy, but just hear me out," Adrian said. "I want you and Alistair to raise Felicity. It's the only way she'll grow up knowing all the stuff she needs to know about herself. Helene says she'll let me teach Felicity about werewolf and vampire stuff, but I don't know if I trust her. For all I know, she'll break the promise at the last minute. She probably just made it in the first place to make Alistair happy. So will you do it?" He asked hopefully. "Will you raise my daughter?"