When Victoria came in for work several days later, she gasped and dropped her purse. "What in the hell is going on here?" She cried as she noticed that Kai had Luke tied to a chair. "How in the hell did this happen?"
Kai was laughing as he broke a bottle and held it very close to Luke's face. "You've been telling me stories about him, have you, Victoria?" He asked her. "Cause he called me up, you know. It was nice to see the competition. And I discovered that I can pull someone in her with me if I want to. They don't just have to call me out." He was about to cut Luke's face with the bottle, but Victoria grabbed it and hit him with it instead. "Just stay put," she warned Luke as she and Kai began throwing punches. But when he tried to run from her and she grabbed hold of his shirt, accidentally tearing it off, he froze, turned to face, her, grabbed her, and then, as his hand ran over her bottom, she sank her fangs into his neck, dropping him to the floor after and going to free her cousin.
"Are you okay?" She asked when he was untied.
"I'll live," Luke replied. "But what the hell is going on, Victoria? What sort of people are your parents letting you associate with these days?"
"It's a long story," she said. "Let's just get you home and then you have to promise me you'll never talk to Kai again."
"Well, you don't have to tell me twice," Luke nodded, his eyes wide.
They then heard a groan as Kai started to get up. When Victoria saw that he was looking at her and Luke, she pulled Luke to her and gave him a long kiss.
"What in the world was that?" Luke asked. "Victoria, I'm your cousin. You remember that, right?"
"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "It was just to make Kai jealous."
Kai, despite the fact that Regina's bite was still bleeding, got to his feet, looking very angry. As he advanced on Luke and Victoria, he picked up the bottle again, intent on hurting his rival.
"Don't you dare!" Victoria cried and shielded her cousin.
"Why not?" Kai asked. "What's stopping me?"
"I am," Victoria said.
"You are?" Kai asked and burst out laughing. "You're funny. I like it when you're funny."
Victoria zapped up some chips and then told Kai, "Look behind you. There's something you might like there!"
"What do you think I am, stupid?" Kai asked, pushing her against the wall and slowly squeezing her windpipie. "I'm not."
Then, to his surprise, he was blasted away from Victoria and sent flying into the opposite wall.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Victoria said and gave a cough. "He does stuff like that all the time. It's nothing I can't handle."
"Well, okay," Luke said, his dark eyes concerned. "Whatever you say." He then turned to face Kai, who was approaching them again. "Don't you touch her," he said in a shaky voice.
Kai just scoffed and pushed him out of the way. "I think it would be best if you left now," he said as he pulled Victoria to him. "You don't belong here."
"Victoria doesn't either," Luke replied.
"Well, actually I do," Victoria told him from Kai's arms. "I work here. It's my job to make sure he doesn't do crazy stuff and endanger people. I failed in this instance, obviously. But it's not a common occurrence. Why don't I call James to come get you and take you home?"
"Sure," Luke nodded. "I would like that."
When James arrived, Victoria asked if she was in trouble for Luke's kidnapping.
"No, it's not your fault," James told her. "It happened after you left, so we just need to watch him more closely and maybe make some adjustments to your double."
"All right," Victoria nodded. "See you later."
He left and Victoria advanced on Kai, "As for you, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Kai laughed. "I have to say I'm very proud of what I did. I can't believe I got away with it."
"But my cousin?" Victoria asked. "Why him? He never did anything to you." She paused. "Or are you just jealous and this was a pathetic attempt to get attention? There are better ways to get it if you want it, you know."
Kai picked up the bag of chips that Victoria had zapped on the floor, opened the bag, and began eating them. When he had swallowed his first mouthful, he said, "Pray tell me what these ways are. Not that I'm going to listen to them, but…I like to hear you talk."
"No," Victoria shook her head and cuffed him before pushing him face first against the cell wall. "Talking doesn't work with you, does it? I need something that will stick a little more in your memory." She zapped off his shirt and began whipping his bare back while saying, "Don't you kidnap my cousin or hurt any of my family ever again! Do you understand me?"
She finally stopped when his back was covered in blood and he'd fallen to the floor. She uncuffed him and turned him on his back before getting down on her knees and looking into his eyes. "I hope you learned something today," she said.
"Yes," Kai nodded and, even through the pain, pulled her down to kiss him. "What I learned is that even when I'm being a very bad boy, you'll still give me exactly what I want."
Victoria resisted for a moment, but then relaxed and kissed him back. After a short time, he turned her over so that he was on top and slipped his hands under her shirt, slowly pushing it over her head. Then he whispered in Victoria's ear for her to reach a knife that was on the floor near her head. She did so and he cut her arm, drinking enough to make the wounds on his back heal.
"You just like drinking my blood don't you, you crazy person?" She asked in surprise.
"In this case, I wanted to stop myself from bleeding all over the floor," Kai replied. "It's only fun bleeding in places where your lips can go."
"Do you want me to bite you again?" Victoria asked.
"Yes," Kai nodded as she began kissing his neck. "Please do."
She did, and instead of crying out from the pain, he just laughed, a sparkle showing in his eyes. "Does it hurt?" She asked.
"No," Kai told her as he played with her hair. "No, it doesn't."
"Here you go," Liam said as he brought Mary soup and clear soda. She'd been ill for a few days and, oddly enough, hadn't turned into a monster despite Liam's decision not to sleep with her.
"Thank you," Mary said. "My head hurts less now."
"Good," Liam replied. "But I still want you to stay in bed."
"Oh, you don't have to tell me that," Mary said. "I'll do it gladly."
"Why do you think you haven't turned lately?" Liam asked. "Not that I'm overly concerned about that, but I just think it's odd."
"I don't know," Mary replied. "I've just been too glad to question it." She ate her soup, drank some soda, and then a wave of sleepiness hit her. "Will you tuck me in?" She asked. "I'm sleepy."
"All right," Liam replied and put the blanket over her, kissing her goodnight and turning out the bedroom light before shutting the door behind him.
A few days later, Mary still wasn't feeling well so Liam decided to take her to the doctor. After they explained the symptoms, the doctor thought a moment and then she said, "How long has it been since your last period, Mary?"
Mary's eyes widened and she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "It's been a while," she said. "But I didn't think anything of it until you mentioned it right now."
"Are you saying that she's…pregnant?" Liam asked the doctor.
"Well, you won't know for sure, of course, until the test is done but I'm fairly certain she is," the doctor replied. "Would you like to do it here, or do it at home?"
"Oh, let's do it here!" Mary exclaimed, suddenly feeling very well. "I can't wait until I get home!"
"So they did the test and of course it came out positive. As Mary and Liam left the hospital and drove home, she said, "Well, that explains a hell of a lot. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."
"Oh, don't blame yourself," Liam told her. "I guess I'll go ask Grandma Astrid if I can do desk work for a while. I'm not comfortable running off on long expeditions while you're here by yourself."
"Thank you," Mary told him. "I appreciate that." She paused and said thoughtfully, "Do you think my being pregnant is why the curse isn't happening to me anymore?"
"Probably," Liam nodded. "Even though Edele neglected to mention that as a possible ending of the curse. When are you going to tell your parents?"
"I don't see why I shouldn't tell them now," Mary shrugged. "No sense in waiting."
When they got home, Mary called her parents and Savannah was the one who answered. "How are you feeling?" She asked her daughter. "Still sick?"
"A little ill, but at the same time, much better," Mary replied. "Liam decided I needed to go to the doctor and of course I wasn't gonna protest based on how horrible I've been feeling. So we went and after we told the doctor all my symptoms, she said it sounded like I was pregnant. And then we did the test, and it turned out her hunch was right. I'm gonna have a baby, Mom!"
"Oh, my god!" Savannah yelled so loudly and with such excitement that Mary winced and held the phone away from her ear. "Are you really? You're not just teasing me, are you?"
"No, it's true!" Mary told her. "Liam can tell you also."
"Well, I'm just so happy for you," Savannah replied. "I've been waiting to take care of a real little baby for…a long time."
"Could you not have any?" Mary asked. "Is that why you adopted me?"
"No, I adopted you because I wanted you," Savannah replied. "I'm perfectly capable of having children, it's just that your father is terrified of the result when a witch and a vampire blend together. I've never figured out why that is. He got through my childhood just fine."
"Maybe not as fine as you thought," Mary mused. "So will you tell him?"
"You can tell him yourself," Savannah replied, and a few seconds later, Mary was talking to her father.
"Your mother said you have good news," Jonathan told her cheerfully. "I can't wait to hear it."
"I'm pregnant," she got out. "Liam and I are gonna have a baby."
There was a long silence and then Jonathan finally said, "I'm very happy for you, dear."
"Are you sure?" Mary asked. "You kind of paused for a long time."
"Oh, that?" Jonathan chuckled a little. "Don't mind that. I was just a little surprised, that's all. I think you and Liam will make wonderful parents, and that your child is very lucky."
"They'll have wonderful grandparents too," Mary said. "I'm glad you and Mom are just as excited about this as Liam and I are."
"Of course we are," Jonathan replied. "Why wouldn't we be? You take care of yourself, all right? Make sure you rest and don't overexert yourself too much."
"All right," Mary replied and yawned. "I think I will go take a nap now. Goodbye."
The call ended and Savannah sneaked up behind her husband, scowling and arms crossed. "Well, look at you being all supportive now," she spat. "It's a shame you couldn't have done that for me."
"I'm sorry about what I did to you," Jonathan told her, trying not to think of when he'd aborted his and Savannah's first baby without her consent. "It was irresponsible and cruel and it hurt you. But I won't do it to Mary, and if you ever want to try again, I'll handle things differently."
"I don't know," Savannah told him. "I guess we'll have to see, won't we? If this kid of Mary and Liam's gets through their childhood alive without any interference from you, I might think about it."
"All right," Jonathan nodded. "Fair enough."
"Of course you can take a desk job for a while if Mary is pregnant!" Astrid told Liam and hugged him. "I'm just so happy for you. First my father gets engaged, then I find out I'm going to have another grandchild…I'm really on a winning streak!"
Liam chuckled. "I'm glad you're happy. And thanks for the help."
"No problem at all," Astrid replied and grinned widely. "Would you tell Mary 'Congratulations' from me when you see her?"
"Of course," Liam assured her. "Now, I know you have a meeting soon, but I have one more quick question."
"Okay," Astrid nodded. "What is it?"
"Well, now that Mary's pregnant, she doesn't seem to be cursed anymore," Liam said. "Do you think it was the pregnancy that did it? Is this just a temporary reprieve and then she'll go right back to being cursed when the baby is born?"
"Fortunately, no," Astrid replied as Liam let out a sigh of relief. "For the curses where their solution is to have sex a number of times, if it's proven that sex itself can stave off the curse because the partners are genuinely in love, then a resulting pregnancy is powerful enough to end the whole thing. That's something I bet Edele neglected to mention."
"Yeah," Liam nodded. "But it's good to know."
"Yeah," Astrid nodded. "You and she can breathe a sigh of relief now and enjoy your baby."
"Thank you," Liam told her before going back to his desk. "We really will."