"You don't know how relieved we are that you're back safe and sound!" Amy cried as she hugged Mary after Liam brought her in and then went to see Adrian and Helene. "We were worried sick about you when you were out there running around."

"I know you were," Mary replied. "Thanks for that. I bet I scared the life out of Mom and Dad too."

"They knew you were okay," Amy replied. "I mean, they were probably still worried, but it wasn't maddening and uncertain for them."

"When are you going to go see Astrid and ask if she'll give you back your powers?" Klaus wanted to know.

"Oh, I forgot about that!" Mary said. "You think she'd give them back to me?"

"Of course she would!" Amy assured her. "It's not like you did anything illegal that made you lose them. That's the only time she doesn't give powers back."

"I don't know," Mary replied. "I mean, I've never had them, so it's not like I'm missing out on anything. But at the same time, it would be kind of fun." She looked at Klaus. "What do you think, Grandpa?" She asked him.

"Honestly? I say, 'Take whatever power you can get and have your mother teach you to use it'," Klaus replied with a wink. "Since you asked and all."

"Well, all right," Mary said. "I don't know how good I'll be, but I'll give it a shot. As a 'Screw you' to Edele more than anything else." She sat down next to Klaus and he gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're all right," he said. "Now that you're home safe, we can rain hell down on whoever did this to you."

"We can't, actually," Mary told him. "Edele's already dead. Liam killed her."

"That is a damn shame," Klaus said. "You were the one she was victimizing. You should have been allowed to end her life."

"I'm not really bothered," Mary shrugged. "The important thing is that she's dead and we know how to get the spell taken off of me. It's gonna take some time, though." She paused. "I think I should visit Mom and Dad now, don't you?" She asked.

"I think you're right," Amy nodded. "Rosalie's out with Amanda right now, but I'm sure she'll be glad to know you're all right."

Mary nodded and then they stood in silence for a moment before she said to Amy, "I think you'll need to zap me home. Adrian brought me and then he took the car to see his parents."

"I'll just drive you, if that's all right," Amy replied. "Then you and I can talk some more."

"All right," Mary nodded and then went to give Klaus one last hug. "Bye, Grandpa."

"Goodbye, sweetheart," Klaus told her. "When you're powerful and want to use it, just let me know."

When Amy brought Mary into her parents' house, Savannah pounced on her and squeezed her tight. "Oh, my god!" She cried. "I'm so glad you're okay! What the hell were you thinking, running off like that?"

"I just wanted to keep everyone safe from me," Mary explained. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Savannah sighed. "I know this whole curse thing was really stressful for you and all, and I understand your motivation, but I just…it really scared me, knowing you were running around out there with that spell on you."

"You were still worried even after you knew Liam was following me?" Mary asked.

"Of course," Savannah nodded. "I'm your mother. Worrying is a given."

"Was someone at the door?" Jonathan said a few minutes later. Then he noticed Mary and had much the same reaction as his wife. He grabbed Mary and hugged her tight as he kissed her hair, and, unlike his more self-contained wife, a few tears slid down Jonathan's face. "I'm so glad you're home safe," he said.

"Let me guess," Mary said while crying too. "You were worried about me too?"

"Yes," Jonathan admitted. "But I could never out-worry your mother."

Then Mary asked him, "What do you think about me going to the Council and asking for my powers back?"

"If you want them, that's fine," Jonathan replied. "Your mother and I would be more than happy to teach you how to use them."

"Yeah," Savannah nodded. "I think it could be fun."

Mary turned to her mother then. "Will you come with me when I got to see Astrid?"

"Of course!" Savannah nodded. "Just tell me when you wanna go, and we will."

"Well, look who's back?" Adrian smiled and embraced his son. "Glad you got home safe."

"Me too," Liam replied. "Sometimes, I wondered if I would. And thank you for answering the door instead of Mom. I don't think I'm ready to be lovingly attacked by her yet."

"I heard that!" Helene replied with a smile as she came to join them. She hugged Liam gently and then said, "I have a surprise for you."

"What kind of a surprise?" Liam asked nervously, being very well-acquainted with his mother's "surprises".

"It's nothing bad," Helene assured him. "Don't worry." She brought him to the kitchen, where he was surprised to see his sister Lenora and her husband James sitting at the kitchen table and nuzzling each other. He cleared his throat and they turned to stare at him.

"Well, look who it is," James smiled. "It's the hero of the day. I would have loved to see Edele's body after you killed her."

"Actually," Liam said, pulling another copy of the picture from his pocket. It was a little bent, but still very much a picture of Edele's body. "You can see it now. Here it is."

"Oh, my god," James replied and gave an almost imperceptible shudder while sucking in his breath. "That's pretty ruthless."

Liam smiled and sat down. "Coming from you, that's a compliment, Mr. Black."

"Grandma Astrid sent us to congratulate you on what you did with Edele," Lenora told him after James gave him a wink. "She would have come herself, but she's busy."

"Yeah, I understand that," Liam nodded. "I wonder if I'll get a raise or something."

"Well, if you ever wanted to push for one, now is the perfect time," James urged. "You're in a wonderful bargaining position."

"You found out how to take the spell off Mary before you killed Edele, right?" Lenora wanted to know.

"Yes," Liam nodded. "I have to have sex with her five hundred times and still be devoted to her after it all, and then she'll be curse-free." He sighed. "It's a real burden, but I guess I can do it."

"Oh, shut up," Lenora smiled. "You love it. Don't lie."

"Yeah," Liam smiled. "I do."

"Just make sure you're not leading her on," Helene warned him. "You two have been very close of late, and this solution to the curse is just gonna get you even closer. If you're only doing this to help her, let her know so she can find someone else after, and isn't just waiting for you."

"Mom, I do like Mary that way," Liam assured his mother. "If this whole mess taught me anything, it's that."

"Well, good," Helene smiled. "I'm glad that out of all the girls in the world, Mary's the one you like."

Yeah," Liam nodded. "Me too."

"And you're gonna have to start bringing her to family dinners pretty soon," Helene continued. "I mean, since you're gonna be here for the next several of them until I've gotten past you being gone, you might as well bring her too."

"All right," Liam nodded. "I can do that. And if you meant it to sound like a punishment, it's not."

"Why would I make it sound like a punishment?" Helene asked, hands on her hips.

"Cause that's a skill you have," Adrian replied. "You can make anything sound like a punishment, even when you don't mean to."

"Ha, ha," Helene said dryly. "Very funny."

"Are you two staying for dinner too?" Liam asked James and Lenora.

"Yeah," Lenora nodded. "That's why we came. You showing up was the bonus."

"And I'll give you some leftovers for Mary," Helene told Liam. "It's probably been awhile since she's eaten well."

"Yeah," Liam replied. "I think you're right."

"You have a good day talking with your parents?" Mary asked Liam when they met up at the hotel room Liam had bought for the night. "Were they glad to see you?"

"Yeah," Liam replied. "As usual, Mom says I have lots of lost time to make up for, so I don't know how long the dinners will last. And she says she'd love to have you come one day. Oh, and she gave me this to give to you." He held a bag out. "It's leftovers. She wants to make sure you're eating. Does this scare you off, or will you still come see my parents with me?"

"Well, of course I'll come with you to see your parents," Mary said and kissed his cheek. "I'd love to."

"Good," Liam replied. He waited for her to finish her food and then took her in his arms to undress her. Then she watched him from the mattress, and when he was undressed, he went to join her, kissing her lightly again and again, and, as usual, running his fingers through her curly red hair while his other hand stroked the soft skin of her stomach.

Then he was surprised as she suddenly took control, kissing him deeper, and then, reaching down, she tried to stroke him. "I wonder," she asked after a few seconds, "Can I be on top this time? I have ideas in my head that can't be achieved when we're positioned like this."

"All right," Liam said without hesitation. He let her straddle him and just staring up at her grinning face made him feel immense ease. It was because of him that she looked like that. That she was happy and no longer wracked with worry over what Edele had done to her, or that she would hurt anyone by just being near them.

She leaned down to kiss him, but before she could kiss him, he was laughing.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"Your hair is tickling me," Liam replied.

"Ah," Mary smiled. "Okay." She kissed him then, and with some movement of her hips, he was inside her.

"It's much different on top, isn't it?" Mary asked him. "I bet you wanna be back here tomorrow night."

"Not necessarily," Liam smiled and reached up to cup her breasts. "I kind of like the view from down here."

"Yeah," Mary nodded and kissed him again. "I bet you do."