Angelica squatted, placing a smiling baby Victoria in a pink stroller.
"There!" She smiled back and kissed her daughter's head, which was covered by a hat with a bunny on top. This made Victoria giggle, something that always warmed her heart. "We're going shopping, yes we are!"
"Well, look at this," Klaus grinned as he strolled into the room. "Where are we going, Angel?"
"We're going to Central shopping Mall," Angelica told him after standing up.
"Why are you going there?" Klaus asked curiously. "You usually liked the boutiques more."
"Aunt Selina insisted I meet her there," Angelica explained. "She wants to buy Victoria a dress. And for her to hang out with Elise, perhaps. It probably wouldn't hurt for her to start getting used to people. And Victoria could use a proper wardrobe. She needs more than those rocker t-shirts her father and my boyfriend bought for her." She winced and gave Klaus a look.
"Oh, come on," Klaus protested. I've barely stared Victoria's rock 'n' roll t-shirt collection. I can't stop now!" He gave her a playful wink. "You know, I really like it when you call me your boyfriend."
"Yes you can stop. And you can stop it forever!" Angelica snapped and filled up a tote bag with Victoria's things before grabbing the stroller. "If I see her wearing any more I'm going to throw them all into a special fiery pit in hell!"
"Oh, I'm really hurt, Angel!" He placed a hand on his heart and gave her a wounded look. "Luckily you don't go to hell anymore. And would you feel better about the shirts if I got you some to match?"
"Hell, no!" Angelica shook her head. "My father has (or I should probably say 'had' because he hates me now,) a whole album of him and me wearing matching outfits and it's an absolute nightmare. I won't do the same to Victoria." She paused. "And even if I don't go to hell anymore, I could still set them on fire!" An evil grin curved her lips. "And I wasn't talking about the t-shirts. I was talking about the members of all the bands on the t-shirts!"
"You would do that to your baby daughter who is just discovering life and all its perks? I mean, think about Bon Jovi, and Motley Crue, Guns 'n' Roses, and all the others will think if you make them disappear?" He tilted his head and pouted adorably.
"Okay, okay," Angelica conceded. "Maybe I'd spare Bon Jovi because he's cute, but all the others, yes. Straight into a pit without hesitation!" She said decisively and bit her bottom lip.
"Sadly, I just ordered a jacket with the Scorpions logo on the back." He heaved a big sigh and shook his head.
Angelica's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? Why don't you ever consult me before you do all these things? Victoria won't wear something like that! What's next? An earring in her nose?"
"That's not a bad idea, now that you mention it," Klaus remarked thoughtfully. "You think they would do that to her when she's so young?"
Angelica's eyes narrowed. "You know what, Klaus Mikaelson? I love you, but I'm this close to killing you!" She lashed out.
"Relax, would you?" He chuckled. "That jacket is for me."
"Oh," She nodded and bit her lip, relaxing just a little. "Is this your midlife crisis? What's next? Biker boots, chains, and a Harley?"
"I could never have a midlife crisis, Angel," Klaus smirked. "I'm eternal. But don't put ideas in my head." He waved a finger at her. "Nothing is impossible when you're Klaus Mikaelson. And there's enough room in the garage for two motorcycles."
"You don't need two motorcycles," Angelica shook her head.
"Well, you don't need a Jaguar and a hearse to ride in all Halloween and yet you have it," Klaus pointed out. "So, I deserve a motorcycle."
"Fine," Angelica rolled her eyes. "Do whatever you want, as long as you don't put Victoria in the middle of all your craziness. I don't care! Can I go now?"
"Be careful of Selina," Klaus warned. "She has a wild side like me. She could very easily find Victoria a dress like Morticia Addams and buy it for her."
"That would never happen," Angelica shook her head, even though the image of her older daughter in purple and red shirts and dresses with bell sleeves and a choker was definitely not a bad one at all. "For now, she gets pink and frilly or nothing at all!"
"All right, all right, go have fun," he kissed her lips "What about Milo though?"
"Don't worry about him," Angelica waved a hand. "He told me he was seeing a girl."
Klaus raised an eyebrow and did his best not to tense up and get angry. "What do you mean he's seeing a girl?"
"A friend, I think," Angelica clarified. "Maybe some project for school." She paused and took Klaus's hand. "What? Don't tell me that you think Milo would cheat on Natalie. He wouldn't, Klaus! He's too crazy about her to do something so stupid!"
"I know he is," Klaus nodded. "But he's also his father's son," Klaus put his hands on his hips and gave Angelica a look.
"What does that mean?" Angelica went pale.
"I mean the apple didn't fall far from the tree," Klaus shrugged.
"That would mean…are you saying that I…" She raised her chin as tears pooled in her big brown eyes.
"Oh, no, no, no!" Klaus took Angelica's face in his hands. "Love, don't go there. Please don't ever think I'd believe you're like your father. But Milo is young and…he's not at the point where he knows he can be his own man yet."
"Well, I mean if you look at it that way, it took me a long time to mature, right?" Angelica pouted. "Am I pathetic or what?"
"No," Klaus shook his head and hugged her tight. "I think you just want to be loved and there's nothing wrong with that."
She stood in his arms for a bit, wiping tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, but…it still hurt to hear you talk about Milo that way."
"Angel, I don't mean to be hurtful," he tried to reassure her. "I'm just being realistic." He gently kissed her cheek. "I had Mikael as my father figure, and believe me, it took long enough for me to learn that it wasn't shameful to take my own path."
"Right," Angelica sighed. "I'll talk to Milo. No worries."
"Have fun with Selina, okay?" He kissed her one more time, and then squatted next to the stroller. "Goodbye, my sweet girl. Don't let your mummy only buy pink for you!"
"Whatever," Angelica rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she waved goodbye over her shoulder and pushed the stroller toward the front door of the rental house.
Selina Warren Mikaelson shifted from one foot to the other as she waited in line at Starbucks to get an iced mocha with whipped cream, which she would drink without shame because her husband wasn't around to remind her that such drinks were nothing but calories and sugar. But whatever it was, it was her weakness, and besides, it wasn't like she had to tell him what she was doing.
She had arrived early enough that she had enough time before she met Angelica to catch her breath and order her niece a coffee. Unfortunately, her usually very even-tempered daughter was in a very fussy mood. She held Elise in her arms, but the baby wouldn't stop crying and squirming.
"Elise Florence, what's wrong with you?" She asked and clicked her tongue. "You're being very difficult for your poor mother."
"Well, if it isn't Selina Warren Mikaelson and the latest of her thousands of offspring."
Selina froze as the voice met her ears. She rolled her eyes and turned around to face the man who was speaking. "John!" She greeted him with a wince. "I never thought I would see you at a Starbucks!"
"You're not wrong," John conceded. "Usually, I wouldn't waste my time at a place like this, but I'm an 'espresso' type of man and this was the closest place that was serving them." He grinned and buried his hands in his impeccably pressed trousers.
She rolled her eyes again at his words, rocking her daughter as Elise stared at the man over her shoulder.
"You know, it's very interesting how your daughter is looking at me now just like you do."
"Thank you for the compliment," Selina smirked perniciously. "You hear that, Elise? You're just as good at spotting assholes as your mother! Yes, I'm so proud of you!"
But the baby paid her mother no attention, continuing to glare at the man.
"I'm happy to be a source of amusement for you, Selina," John winced. "I can only imagine that being stuck at that farm with your husband the farmer, can be, for the lack of better words, boring, and therefore, when you meet a man with taste and class like me, you can't help but show that you lack it."
Selina scoffed, not offended. "You think you are the epitome of class, John? Thank you for making me laugh. Like you say, you're definitely a source of amusement for me."
He rolled his eyes and heaved a big sigh.
The line then suddenly moved forward, forcing Selina to juggle the stroller, bag of diapers, and Elise as she walked.
"Do you need some help?" John asked with a smirk.
"No, thank you!" Selina leaned away from him, hissing through her teeth. "I'll manage. I'd rather struggle and look like a fool than get help from you."
"Well, I'm sure you can do it, since you're so used to hard labor," John agreed. "All the work you do on that farm of yours," he laughed. "Mow the lawn, milk the cow, clean up after the horses…"
"What's your damn problem, John?" Selina spat, turning around angrily to face him.
"Moi? I don't have a problem, Selina," John corrected her. "I was merely asking if you needed a helping hand, no more, no less." Then he grinned.
"Oh, of course that's what you were doing," Selina nodded. "Cause you've always been so helpful to the supernatural community that they threw you out!"
"An error on their part, to be sure," John told her. "Not that I've met many supernaturals who are worthy of my time." He paused and cleared his throat. "Because you know when your intelligence is superior to others', sometimes you get pushed aside so that other, more stupid people won't feel threatened." He grinned proudly.
Elise giggled and clapped her little hands. "Yes, it's funny what the silly man is saying, isn't it?" Selina agreed with her daughter.
"Selina Warren, your order is ready!" called the barista, holding out two large cups of iced coffee.
"Oh, you don't have one of those cardboard carrier thingies do you?" Selina asked worryingly. "Cause I can't exactly…"
"No, sorry," the young woman told her, gaze full of sympathy. "We didn't receive any today."
"Damn!" Selina swore, doing her best to try and get Elise in her stroller and juggle everything else at the same time, then promptly losing her balance as things fell to the floor.
"Oh, dear. Give me a break!" John heaved a sigh and put some money on the counter. "I'll pay for her drinks. And would you also give me an espresso?"
"Of course, sir," the woman nodded, getting busy.
"You don't need to take his money," Selina said stubbornly, even as she continued to struggle with a fussy Elise.
"Oh, just give me the child," John snapped and took Elise from her mothers arms. But he held her out as far away from him as he possibly could. The movement from her mother's arms startled her so much that Elise stopped crying and studied John just intensely as he studied her.
"I would thank you…but it would be like spitting poison," Selina told him as she got all her bags in place and looked for her wallet.
"She's kind of cute," John admitted, giving the baby a smile and cuddling her against his left shoulder. "Is that better?"
Unfortunately for him, the calm was short lived, as Elise quickly spit up all over his designer blazer.
"Oh, Elise!" Selina cried, biting her lip on a smile as John swore loudly. "What did you do to that poor man? It's not very polite!"
"Take her away from me!" John ordered through gritted teeth. "She's a menace!"
"No, she's not, she's a baby," Selina corrected as she took Elise back. "Come back to your mother, sweetie. I'm so sorry about this. I suppose I should offer to pay for the dry cleaner." She paused and took some money from her wallet. "And here's what I owe you for the coffees."
John, who was dabbing at himself with napkins, just growled. "No, thank you." he shook his head and snatched up his espresso. "Do me a favor, Selina Warren Mikaelson: You and your offspring stay away from me! Never cross my path again!" He then turned on his heel without another word and stormed off.
This made Selina grin as she kissed her baby girl's head. "You've been a very good girl, Elise."
Angelica pushed Victoria in her stroller around the shopping center promenade, looking in all the store windows to see if there was anything worth buying. It didn't take long before a beautiful red dress caught her eye and she eagerly pushed the stroller toward it, biting her bottom lip on a smile. The sexy, flowing dress with the red neckline would make Klaus happy. She knew it would. She made a note to come back for it after she was done shopping with Aunt Selina.
"What do you think, Victoria?" She asked her daughter as she squatted and grabbed her out of the stroller to show her the dress. "Isn't this pretty? Do you think Daddy would like it?"
The baby clapped her hands in approval, then turned around and grinned at her mother.
"It's nice that you agree with me," Angelica told her. "I mean, I know it's no rock band t-shirt but I promise you that your father likes other things too." She kissed Victoria's forehead.
Looking at the dress made her miss the sports car parking just in front of the boutique, and the tall man getting out of it, then adjusting the cuffs of his designer blazer as he walked away from the car, the heels of his expensive shoes clacking on the sidewalk.
Then the distinctive noise finally hit her, and she turned her head to see where it was coming from. The sight of the man made her freeze and go pale as she held little Victoria close, shielding her from the sight of her grandfather, Lucifer Morningstar. Then, as he caught her eye, she stared back without blinking.
They looked at each other for a minute or so, their hearts pounding in their chests. All their troubles seemed to be forgotten for an instant, and they were just a father and daughter seeing each other at the mall. Angelica held her breath as he approached, not trusting herself to speak.
"Is she…?" He asked as he reached them, staring at Victoria.
"Yes, this is your granddaughter, Victoria," Angelica responded dryly. "Who else would it be?"
The blunt words broke the spell they'd both been under and he winced as he buried his hands in his trouser pockets, raising his chin just a little.
"It actually doesn't matter one bit to me who she is," he shrugged. "I was just being polite. Now, if you'll excuse me An-gel-i-ca." He spoke her name as if it were some sort of horrible thing he needed to get out of his system.
Then he turned on his heels, walking away without another word from the woman who'd not only been his daughter once upon a time, but the most precious presence in his life.
"I know what you've been up to, Father," she said, not knowing why she was using that term with him, even after she'd sworn that she wouldn't. "I know how cruel you've become, not just toward me, but toward my brothers and sisters as well. Mother too. But the fact that you're such a coward is even worse!"
He startled at her words, heaving a big sigh and then slowly turning back to face her. "If that's truly what you think of me, I would rather not hear the word 'Father' from your lips ever again. Just as I never intend to call you 'daughter'. And if I'm such a coward, at least I live honestly, rather than sneaking around and sleeping with a nobody like Klaus Mikaelson, then giving birth to a bastard child." He narrowed his eyes. "But it shouldn't surprise me. You're your mother's daughter, after all."
As Lucifer's voice rose, Victoria began to cry and squirm in her mother's arms, not liking the tension in the air one bit. This made Angelia pale, growling at the devil, full of rage and protectiveness.
"How dare you?!" She cried. "Go after me and Klaus all you want, if that's what you need, even though what I've done is exactly what you did with Grandpa, you hypocrite! We don't give a flying fuck what you say about us! But you will never go after my daughter like that again! And as for being like Mom, it's funny how you see that as such a negative now, considering how it used to be the only reason I was worth anything to you. You never saw me. You never loved me. And you know it, you monster!"
Lucifer's gaze landed on the baby sobbing in her mother's arms for a moment, feeling just a flash of shame. "Oh, I suppose you're right," he conceded, his lip curling. "It might take some time, but I'm sure that as a grown young woman, your daughter will be a prime example of why you and…that…that…" his voice shook and he couldn't come up with a bad enough word. "Well, you and that shouldn't have children! Even as a cruel coward, I can wait until I have evidence to throw all this foolishness in your face."
Angelica snorted. "How generous! Do you want me to get on my knees and kiss the ground you walk on for not hurting your own granddaughter?"
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "If I said I did, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, fuck off," Angelica shook her head.
"I will, but I'm not quite done yet," he said. "I don't think you understand what you've done. How you hurt me. It's to the point where I don't think of this child as connected to me. Not when she was fathered by a lowlife hybrid."
"Fine, that's music to my ears, Lucifer Morningstar," she spat, enjoying his reaction to hearing his full name coming from her mouth. "You won't have to worry about being troubled by Victoria because I don't want her having anything to do with you!"
"Victoria…" Lucifer repeated the name in a low whisper, doing his best to hide the strong feelings the name elicited. No one would ever see them, especially not the daughter who had abandoned him in the cruelest way possible. "What about Shane? Did you forget your other child? But then again, you never thought much of him, did you? At least that's what he told me. So, if you abandon this one too, it won't be so bad. You can always have another, right? She'll be fine without you."
"You can just go rot in hell forever!" Angelica spat, rocking Victoria back and forth and rubbing her back to calm her down.
"What a silly thing for you to say," Lucifer returned, a twinkle in his eye. "I'm already king there. And this little experiment of my father's means I can come and go as I please. No chance I'll go back to the way things used to be."
"And as for me and Shane," Angelica continued, although she was blushing bright red. "Our relationship, whatever that might be, is none of your damn business. If you want to yell at someone for being a shitty parent, yell at yourself! At least I never threatened to kill my son, like you did with poor Milo!"
Lucifer tensed, his hands balling into fists as he faced her assault.
"Furthermore," Angelica continued, feeling so good to get all this off her chest. "I want you to stop sticking your nose in my relationship with Klaus. How dare you bring in poor Sammy to try and disrupt things? He's in my past. I don't love him anymore. I love Klaus now and that's not going to change!"
Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Oh, my dear, please, don't be ridiculous. He's the flavor of the month. You know there's a part of you that'll never be able to let go of me. So, you'll tire of Klaus eventually, and who knows? Sammy will still be there to pick up right where the two of you left off. I don't understand why. And I don't know why you think I would waste my time with the life of someone I don't consider a daughter anymore."
"Because just like you said about me, there's a part of you that'll never be able to let go of me," Angelica returned, tit for tat. "I think it's even truer for you. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place." She then set Victoria back in her stroller and strapped her in.
"Just so you know, I'll never get tired of Klaus. I'll never leave the man who accepts me as I am and encourages me to be the person I want to be. I don't understand why yet, but he does. Unlike you, who only accepts your children when they act the way you want, or they fulfill the purpose you lay out for them. You did it with Mom too. And that's why you'll be alone for the rest of your sad, pathetic eternity." The tirade finished, she took a deep breath and pushed the stroller past him, leaving him alone on the sidewalk as a mad smile curved his lips.
Eleanor Mikaelson (she was going by her maiden name these days cause no way in hell, no pun intended, would she walk around using her soon-to-be ex husband's name,) got out of her car and grabbed the stroller, then took her baby daughter out of the back seat and set her down in it.
"There, sweetheart. You'll be safe for a few minutes while I get the rest of the stuff out of the car." She kissed her. "We're gonna meet with Aunt Selina later and it will be so fun!"
She turned back to the trunk and began moving things around to make more room. "Your daddy is gonna come by Astrid and Alistair's later and we'll talk about what name we're going to give you. I already have one in mind, though. I'm not sure your father will like it, but I hope he will."
Not expecting a response, she continued to make space for a bassinet she was going to buy later. Then she realized how quiet it was. "Sweetheart? Are you okay?"
Still hearing nothing, Eleanor turned around, then almost screamed when she saw the stroller was empty. Panicked, she began looking wildly around for her daughter until, to her shock, she found her tucked in the arms of…Lucifer Morningstar!
"What are you doing with my daughter?" She demanded, eyes narrowed, and breath picking up. "Give her back to me!"
A sadistic smile curved Lucifer's lips. "Oh, come on, Eleanor! Can't I meet this beautiful baby girl of yours?" He gave the baby a glance as she pushed her tiny, closed fists against his chest. "You're a real fighter like your mother, aren't you?" He cooed, grabbing her tiny little fists to softly kiss them. "And to think, you could have been mine."
"True, but whose fault is it that she isn't?" Ellie spat. "You're the one who chose to ignore me and stick your nose in Angelica's business instead. Now give me back my daughter!" She held her arms out impatiently.
"Tsk, tsk, Eleanor," He backed away from her a few steps. "That's not very nice. I just met…what's her name again?" He smirked.
"None of your damn business!" Ellie lashed out. "That's her name!"
"Are you telling me that you have yet to name this beautiful girl?" Lucifer scolded his wife perniciously as he tried to keep a firm grip on the squirming, fighting infant in his arms as she kicked him with her tiny feet to keep him at arms' length.
"Her name is…" Ellie let out a breath. "Diana Dove Johnson. Now give her back to me!" She ordered once more.
"Diana Dove! What a human name for a human girl." He grinned. "Nice to meet you, Diana Dove. I'm Lucifer Morningstar!"
"She's not just human," Ellie reminded him. "She's half supernatural too."
"That won't do her a lot of good," Lucifer shrugged. "She's still going to be weak compared to the children I fathered." He smirked.
Just then, he swore loudly. Diana Dove had managed to get one of his fingers and bite down on it hard. Luckily for her, her supernatural genes had made her grow faster than usual, so she wasn't completely powerless.
"Damn you, child!" He winced.
"And what was it you were saying about her not being strong?" Ellie smirked.
Lucifer winced, grabbing both her arms in a firm grip. "You know how easily I could crush her, don't you?" He asked Ellie as her eyes widened with fear. "As small as she is, it wouldn't take much. It would be as easy as it was with her father. Wouldn't it be fun to see what happens?"
Diana Dove began to cry, and Ellie did too, tears pooling in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks.
"Give the baby back to Eleanor, Lucifer!" Came a sharp voice that seemed like an answered prayer. "Or we promise it won't be one, but three women who will come after you and kick your ass like it has never been kicked before!"
Lucifer slowly looked up and met the furious gazes of Selina, Angelica, and Amy. He chuckled and shook his head. "It seems, Diana Dove, that the universe doesn't want you and I to be friends."
The baby girl stopped crying and just stared at him.
"Give her back to Eleanor, or tomorrow, first thing I'll do is tell the Council that you ignored the restrictions placed on you as part of your punishment by approaching Eleanor," Amy threatened. "And believe me, it won't be fun for you to be stuck with your ankle monitor for longer than was originally planned. Not for me either, but I'll do it in a heartbeat, believe you me!"
"Well, well, well, Lucifer Morningstar," Angelica watched him, chin raised. "Beaten at your own game by all the women who probably know you better than you know yourself. That must be very hard for you to swallow. Isn't it?"
Lucifer shook his head, a smirk on his lips. "You're very mistaken, my dear. There's not a single woman on this earth who can beat me at my own game. And Angelica, since you're not my daughter anymore, I wonder what I should call you. Do you go by Mikaelson, like your mother? That'll certainly make things easier for you. You won't even need to marry that hybrid of yours, since you'll already have his name." He smirked. "Does he know that you're not the marrying type? Or will he have to find that out the hard way, like Sammy did?"
When she heard that Lucifer didn't consider Angelica his daughter anymore, Ellie gave her a look, blushing at her questioning gaze. It was a hard but necessary thing for her to hear.
"Go to hell," Angelica spat. "And stay there!"
"I'm not going to say it again," Selina pressed. "Give Eleanor her baby back."
Without another word, he stepped forward and gave Diana Dove back to her mother.
"Oh, my baby!" Eleanor cried and hugged her little girl close. "Are you okay?"
"Of course, she's okay," Lucifer scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I just held on to her. I didn't strangle her or anything!"
"It's funny that you mention that," Amy said. "It seems like killing innocent people is a specialty of yours now. Something that we'll be talking about in therapy for sure."
"You're never going to touch her, hold her, breathe on her ever again!" Eleanor spat. "You mark my words!"
"Why would I want to, my dear?" Lucifer asked with a smile. "A half human who's named after some small, scummy body of water? I'm not interested in being near her ever again. I'm done here, ladies. Good day." He turned on his heel and walked away, whistling under his breath as he headed to the other side of the promenade.
"Are you all right?" Amy asked Ellie as she pushed Froy's stroller toward her.
"Yes," Ellie nodded and hugged her baby again. "Thank you for your help. Thank you, all of you."
"Don't mention it," Selina grinned wickedly. "Anytime I can kick that man's ass is a good day!" She winked.
"Angelica…" Ellie glanced in her daughter's direction, keenly aware that Angie's eyes were still locked on her father as he walked away.
"Don't," she snapped, squeezing the handles of Victoria's stroller. "I've had enough of that man to last me my entire life and I don't want to see any more of him!" She pushed Victoria's stroller toward the doors of the mall. "Are we going shopping or what?"
But as she strode off, trying to keep her head high, the others stayed behind to talk. "I think she's still hurting from him," Amy observed. "Poor girl."
"I wouldn't worry," Selina reassured her. "It might be hard for her now, but I know Angie. She'll get stronger. Anything else would just be…not her."