Eleanor pushed the stroller into Astrid and Alistair's home, dropped her tote bag on a table and her keys in a nearby bowl.

"There you go, sweetheart," she cooed. "Back home safe." She leaned down and slipped Diana's hat from her head. "We had fun with Aunt Selina, didn't we? It gave you a chance to meet all your cousins." She smiled and picked the baby up. "Don't worry about the mean horrible man who scared you. You'll never have to see him again. " She smiled and softly kissed the little girl's forehead, then turned to face Astrid and Alistair, along with Julian another man she'd never seen before, all standing in the living room and staring at her.

"Who's that?" She asked Astrid nervously. "What's going on here?" She clutched Diana to her chest nervously. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Hello, Eleanor," Alistair greeted her gently. "This is Counselor Julian Brown. He's Julian's lawyer.

"I don't understand," she said, her voice shaking. "What's going on?"

She gave Julian a pleading look, hoping he'd give her an answer, but he stayed silent, his expression closed off, and his body tense with his hands crossed in front of his body.

"Don't do this, Julian, please," she pleaded. "We were supposed to talk today. You promised!" Tears began to fill her eyes.

"There isn't much we could say to each other that would change my mind, Ms. Mikaelson," he told her tonelessly. His gaze than landed on the baby girl, his eyes lighting up, a grin spreading over his manly face.

Seeing that she was in distress, Astrid did her best to help Eleanor's case. "Take a deep breath and we'll get you a drink of water or something. I'm sure Counselor Brown wouldn't mind if you and Mr. Johnson had a quick word in the kitchen."

"Well, of course not," Mr. Brown agreed. "If that's all right with Mr. Johnson."

"And it's not," Julian shook his head. "Like I said, I would just like to do what we need to do and not say a word to this woman. Let's just get this process over with."

"What process would that be?" Eleanor spat, her temper rising.

"Eleanor," Alistair tried to calm her down. "Counselor Brown has prepared the papers to give Julian full custody of your baby girl. You will be allowed visitation, of course." His tone was gentle. "I swear to you that this is just temporary. We'll sort out your parental rights later."

Ellie's jaw dropped. "Since when do human lawyers do business in the supernatural world?"

"Over time, Ms. Mikaelson, it has to become necessary for us to work together in certain legal situations," Counselor Brown explained. "Like ones such as this where the child is half human."

"I know it's not ideal, especially considering everything you're going through, but I promise you that it's legal," Alistair confirmed. "I wouldn't let it happen if it wasn't."

"No, no, no!" Eleanor took a step back, shaking her head. "No one will take my daughter away from me! Not even her father! Diana Dove is mine!"

Julian was startled, eyes widening. "What did you just call her?"

"Diana Dove…" Eleanor repeated, locking eyes with him. "I know you said that's what you would call your daughter. Her name wouldn't be anything else."

Julian took several deep breaths as memories of their time at the lake came flooding over him.

"But if you don't like it," she sniffled and wiped her eyes. "We can always choose something else. I know I'm not the only one who can decide."

"It's fine," he said, trying to keep all the emotion he was feeling from spilling out of him in front of the woman who'd broken his heart.

"So, we all agree that the infant will be named Diana Dove Johnson?" Counselor Brown clarified as he looked back and forth between her parents.

"Just a minute, what about the rest of her heritage? If she goes and lives with him, she'll never know about being a Mikaelson?" Eleanor asked worryingly.

"Tale a deep breath," Astrid tried to reassure her. "That won't be forgotten. This is just the first step in a long legal procedure." She took her hand and squeezed. "I know it's hard, but you'll need to be patient."

"Thank you for your time," Counselor Brown shook Alistair's hand and gave Julian a nod before he left.

"I can't…this isn't right," Ellie protested once he was gone. "She needs to keep the Mikaelson name, Julian."

"You should have thought about my daughter's needs before you did what you did!" He lashed out. "Before you had an affair with me! Before your husband murdered my grandmother in cold blood and got me turned into a vampire!" He took a deep breath and gave her a look. "Maybe our little girl needs more than anything you could ever offer her." He took a deep breath and strode over to Ellie, taking Diana Dove from her mother's arms. "I've got you, my baby girl," he cooed. "Daddy's got you." He held her close and kissed her forehead gently.

Surprisingly, Diana Dove didn't cry out in protest, but relaxed in her father's grip, falling asleep in her father's arms.

"Julian, please don't take her!" Ellie pleaded desperately as tears rolled down her eyes. "She's everything to me!"

"Who was the man that scared our daughter?" He asked, staring her down without blinking.

"Well, I…what?..." She nervously rubbed her hands together, unable to meet his eyes.

"Just answer me!" He shouted.

"L-Lucifer," She admitted, biting her bottom lip. "But it's not what you think! I saw him at the mall, and-"

"I don't want to hear your lies anymore! That's why I'm taking our daughter to be with me," he replied dryly. Then he turned around and made his way to the front door of the house.

"No!" Ellie yelled desperately as she fell to her knees and sobbed profusely. "Don't take her from me! Please, no!"

Astrid put a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie, it'll be okay. You'll see her again. This isn't forever." She did her best to try and console her, kneeling by her side and taking her in her arms."

Alistair frowned and rushed outside to try and get Julian's attention. "Julian!" He called.

"What?" Julian turned at the sound of his name.

"I know you're pissed off and you have every right to be. I won't deny that. But I can see that you still have feelings for Eleanor."

"Whether I have feelings for Eleanor or not is none of your damn business," Julian replied through clenched teeth, hugging Diana closer to himself.

"I've been where you are with Astrid," Alistair continued. "I know how hard it can be to forgive someone when you're angry, but…think of your daughter."

"That's the thing, Alistair," Julian said. "Eleanor is not my wife." He raised his chin. "She's nothing to me."

"Somehow, I don't believe a word you're saying," Alistair told him.

Julian blushed, not saying another word as he turned to make his way to his car.

Angelica smiled as she took Victoria out of her car seat and put her in her stroller. "Did you have fun with Aunt Selina, your grandmother, and your cousins, sweetie?"

Victoria giggled and clapped her little hands, very pleased.

"Okay, now that you're all settled, I'll grab the bag with my red dress in it." She kissed the top of her daughter's head, then grabbed the dress out of the trunk.

As she shut the trunk, she saw Julian Johnson's car pull into his driveway. She continued to watch as he got out of the car and pulled a car seat out of the back. "What's happening here?" She muttered under her breath as she closed the trunk.

She made her way to Julian's driveway. "Why do you have Diana with you? Where's my mother?"

"This doesn't concern you, Angelica," he told her dryly. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"No, I will not excuse you, Julian Johnson!" She stopped, hands gripping the stroller handles so hard that her knuckles turned white. "What are you doing with my…" She stopped and closed her eyes tight.

"You can't even say out loud what she is to you, can you?" Julian asked. "Because she's mine and not fathered by same mad man who fathered you, Lucifer Morningstar."

"Of course I can say it!" Angelica stomped her foot. "She's my…my half-sister."

"Great, that's real progress coming from you," Julian smirked and lowered the car seat down so he could hold his daughter, who had started to cry. "It's all right," he tried to assure her. "I've got you, baby." He tenderly kissed her forehead and held her close."

Angelica narrowed her eyes at Julian. "I know you won't believe this, coming from me, but I am over the moon that you're Diana's father and not just another one in my father's long line of 'accidents'. She's going to be much happier because of that."

Julian eyed her in surprise. "That really is unexpected coming from you, considering how long you put your father on a pedestal. How you reacted when you found your mother and I together is something that's hard to forget."

"Well, I reacted like that because I still believed my father was somehow innocent," Angelica reminded him. "I was still under his influence. But I hope you remember also that I testified against him at his hearing. He fell from the pedestal when he kicked me out of his house and told me never to come back. Now he's just the man who's partially responsible for my being here. Nothing more than that."

"I hope that's the truth for your sister's sake," Julian replied, unwavering and unmoved.

"It is," Angelica assured him. Whether he believed her or not was up to him.

"I want him far away from my daughter," Julian continued as if Angelica could assure him of such a thing. "He approached her today. I don't want that to happen again!"

"Mom was there, and I was too," Angelica tried to explain. "And Selina and Amy. Nothing could have happened to Diana. We wouldn't have let it." She took a deep breath. "Now that we've all had a chance to express how much we hate my father, Lucifer Morningstar, can I ask what you're doing with my half-sister?"

"She's my daughter and I don't have to explain anything to you, Angelica," he pointed out, chin raised.

"And yet, I'm asking," Angelica pushed. "I will continue to push until you tell me."

"I've hired a lawyer who has filed papers allowing me to get full custody of my daughter. After we get things worked out, I'll be sure that your mother gets visitation rights."

Angelica's eyes widened, but she looked away from him. "Mom must be devastated. She adores my sister." She narrowed her eyes at Julian. "This isn't to punish her, is it? Cause I know that Mom hurt you, but she's been through so much! I'm not going to let you treat her cruelly!"

"Do you really realize what your mother has done?" Julian shot back. "After going through that, I have every right in the world to have custody of my daughter."

Angelica nodded, agreeing with him, even though part of her really didn't want to. He was right and there was no way around it.

"We're talking a lot about my sister, your right to her, and your legal fight with my mother, but how do you feel about her? Is there a part of you that still cares for my mother?" She buried her dark eyes in Julian's and didn't blink.

Julian averted his gaze and blushed a little. "She's the mother of my daughter, nothing more. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get Diana settled in her new home." He gave her a nod, then turned and made his way to the front door, opened it, then went inside and shut it behind him.

Angelica closed her eyes and breathed deeply, hugging Victoria close to her and kissing her hair as her daughter whimpered. "It's fine, sweetie. Your Aunt Diana will be fine with her father. What do you say we go home? It's been a long day for both of us."

Angelica pushed Victoria's stroller inside the rental house, closing the door gently behind her back. Then she scooped up a sleepy Victoria and made her way to the living room.

"Klaus!" She called out, hoping he would hear her without her shouting too loudly. "We needed to talk about Julian!" Then she stopped, coming to an abrupt halt.

"Hey, Angel. Sure we can, but can it wait? We have visitors." He grinned.

She turned and looked at the sofa, where two grim people sat, arms crossed over their chests. It was Michelle and Nico.

"Oh, I see…" She frowned and stared at Klaus. "Hello, Michelle. Hello, Nico."

They both briefly acknowledged her presence, remaining stoic and silent.

"We have a tiny, little problem on our hands," Klaus winced. "How about you put Victoria for a nap and come back to the living room. "I think you'll want to hear this."

"Okay, I will," Angelica nodded, whispering to Klaus as she passed by him. 'What the heck is going on here?"

"Don't worry yet," Klaus smirked. "Just put Victoria down and come back."

Angelica nodded and made her way to the nursery, settling her down. "Okay, sweetheart, it seems like we have a crisis on our hands. Since you're the only one who can, take a good nap for your mommy and daddy, okay?"

It didn't take long for Victoria's eyes to close, and she fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

Smiling with satisfaction, then bent down and kissed her daughter's forehead gently, then made her way to the door and shut it behind her before hurrying back to the living room, where she found Klaus sitting in an armchair and waiting for her as he watched their two young guests.

"What's going on here, Klaus? Have you offered our guests any refreshments? Or did you give in to your urge to act like a werewolf in the wilderness?"

"With all due respect, werewolves can act with class too," Nico snapped at her.

This made Michelle snort. "Class? You?" She burst out laughing. "Next thing you'll say is that you treated me with class and civility too."

"Did you really have to go there, Angel?" Klaus shook his head and heaved a big sigh. "And of course, I offered them snacks. They declined them."

"So, what's the problem?" Angelica asked, dumbfounded.

The problem is that my granddaughter is mad at Nico for something that he did to her," Klaus explained. But he was avoiding her gaze, so she sensed there was more to the story.

"Why is there a big fuss?" Angelica shrugged. "It's probably just a quarrel between a boyfriend and girlfriend. It's nothing to get-" She then stopped rather abruptly.

"Something I did to her?" Nico interrupted immediately. "Are you kidding me?" He rose to his feet, his whole body shaking. "She wanted it! She wanted me! She begged me for it!"

"I will never beg you for anything, Nico Fale! Never!" Michelle was livid and shaking as she rose to her feet, poking his chest with her finger. "What could possibly make you think that I would beg you to fuck me? Your ego? You think that I needed you inside me so desperately? That I needed you to get me pregnant? What could make you so delusional?"

"Oh, my grandpa!" Angelica cried, jaw dropping.

"And there you have it, Angel," Klaus grinned and gave her a wink, enjoying the shock on her face.

Meanwhile, Nico was finding his voice again. "You think I wanted this to happen? Newsflash, I didn't! Well, at least not yet, anyway. Or not ever!"

"Good," Michelle shot back. "Then you'll have no problem with me getting rid of it!"

"Oh, I dare you to get rid of my baby!" Nico challenged.

"Okay," Angie cried, making everyone jump. "You two shut the fuck up and sit down!"

"What she said," Klaus smirked and pointed at Angelica.

They both sat down in a huff, arms crossed over their chests.

"Adrian's gonna kill him," Angelica remarked to Klaus, putting a hand on his arm as she shook her head.

"Probably," Klaus agreed. "I bet he'll gut him."

"What do you mean he'll gut me?" Nico cried as he went pale and swallowed hard. "This isn't all my fault! She's as responsible for what happened as I am!"

"Well, of course, but Adrian won't see it that way." Klaus winced, trying hard not to laugh at the poor boy.

"I came here to get support from my grandfather, not for him to stick his nose in my business." She was very unhappy.

"And if it concerns my baby, I'll always be part of it," Nico added dryly.

"Grandpa, there's no reason for you to worry," Michelle said, anything to get Klaus to back off.

"Here's what we're gonna do," Klaus began calmly.

"Your grandfather will talk to your father about your…condition," Angelica said, barely giving Klaus a chance to open his mouth. "It's probably just a matter of time before you start showing. Then you'll come and live with us until the baby is born. Nico, you'll have visitation rights until a suitable custody situation can be figured out."

"Right," Klaus grinned. "What she said."

"What? No? I don't want this baby," Michelle protested.

"I knew that with all your children, you would understand my position, thank you," Nico told Klaus.

"The difference between you and I, Nico," Klaus told him, "is that I've taken responsibility for my children. Something to think about." He paused. "Now both of you get your asses off my sofa and I'll let you know how this little arrangement will work it out."

Nico and Michelle stared at one another, taken aback, before standing up and heading to the door.

"Are you sure about this, Angel?" Klaus asked her, pulling her into his arms as he looked into her eyes.

"When I was their age and with Sammy, I would have loved to have someone to guide me when I got pregnant with Shane," She confessed. "I know we're not the best for this job, but…"

"We'll do our best," Klaus promised her, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"Right," she smiled and kissed him back.

"Did you have fun with your aunt?" Klaus asked, pushing some hair out of her eyes.

"It was a day of surprises, that's for sure," Angelica replied, heaving a big sigh as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "I'll tell you more later. But the most important thing I can tell you is that Julian has taken my half-sister away from my mother and getting a lawyer to have full custody of her."

"Well, it's not unexpected, love," Klaus told her. "Julian isn't a needlessly cruel man. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

"I guess," Angie nodded, sadness plastered all over her face. "But it's still making me very sad for my mother. I can't believe all this happened, and thanks to my stupid father, Lucifer Morningstar, too!" Her hands balled into fists and she looked like she wanted to murder someone.

"Don't you think of him anymore, okay?" Klaus rubbed her back to calm her down and caressed her cheeks.

She averted her eyes, blushing a little. He was right. No need to mention that she'd run into her father at the mall.

"What else did you do?" Klaus asked, a smile on his lips.

"Well, I bought a new dress," she confessed, biting her bottom lip.

"Is that so?" Klaus smiled, then moaned a little before pulling her close and kissing her deeply.

Klaus checked on his soundly sleeping daughter, then kissed her forehead, then headed to the nursery door and shut off the light, then gently closed the door behind him.

Angelica was in the shower, so he was able to pour himself a strong pre-dinner drink, bringing the glass to his lips, having enough time for a quick swig before the doorbell rang. He raised an eyebrow, curious about who would be calling at this time of night.

He grabbed the door handle, and opened the door, very surprised to see a sobbing Eleanor on the other side.

"Hi…hi, Klaus," she got out. "I know it's late, but I had a horrible day and I need to see Angelica," Eleanor begged, rubbing her hands together nervously.

"Of course, come in," he told her. "You don't have to ask. You're always welcome here." He took her arm and pulled her inside, closing the door gently behind her back.

"I don't want to be a bother for you and Angie, but…" She stammered through her tears.

"Hey, you're no bother to me, or your daughter," Klaus assured her with what he hoped was a gentle smile.

"Oh, Klaus!" Angelica wailed, throwing herself into his arms. "Julian took my daughter from me!"

"Oh!" his eyes widened, unprepared for this display of emotion before he gently patted her on the back to soothe her. "There, there. Dry your tears." He gently detached her and gave her a gentle push toward the sofa, then headed back to the bar to pour her a scotch, placing it in her hands. "Drink that. It might help calm you down."

"Thank you," Ellie sniffled and brought the glass to her lips. "I miss her so much!"

"I know you do," Klaus nodded. "But she's not lost! She's with her father who's a good man!"

Ellie gave him a look and shrugged. "I know he's a good man, Klaus. You don't have to tell me. I know Diana will be loved and taken care of, but…she's so little and she needs me. But I'm so weak…"

"My dear Eleanor M-Mikaelson," Klaus winked. "You're anything but weak.

"If you would have called me Eleanor Morningstar, I would have had no choice but to throw my drink in your face," she replied with a wicked twinkle in her eyes and a laugh on her lips. "And thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome," Klaus told her earnestly. "And believe me when I say that I'm overjoyed that you're taking your own name back. You're a kick-ass woman, Eleanor. We have more in common than you think, you and I."

"No offense, Klaus, but I really have no idea what you and I could have in common," she smirked.

"Well, we don't take any shit from others, do we?" Klaus asked. "And we kick anyone's ass who is hurting our children or standing in our way." He grinned back.

"Yeah," Ellie nodded. "Maybe you're right." She looked down at the glass in her hands as she turned it around. "But I couldn't kick Julian's ass to get my daughter back."

"That's smart," Klaus nodded. "Julian's been through enough."

"Yeah," Ellie agreed and bit her lip so she wouldn't cry anymore.

"I don't think it's all your fault, Eleanor," Klaus tried to reassure her. "I think the universe has a strange sense of humor sometimes," he shrugged. "But remember, Julian is crazy about you, in spite of everything. He just needs a chance to cool down, take a deep breath, and spend time with your daughter to realize how important you both are to him."

"I think you're wrong," she shook her head stubbornly. "I don't think he can stand me anymore, and I don't blame him."

"Oh, I've seen the way he looks at you," Klaus told her. "And it doesn't scream 'I hate that woman', to me." He winked.

"Mom."

Eleanor blushed and raised her head to see Angelica standing at the edge of the living room, holding a sleepy Victoria in her arms.

"You have an amazing man by your side, Angelica," She remarked.

"Oh, I know," Angelica agreed, making her way to the couch before handing Victoria to her mother. "After everything, I thought seeing your granddaughter would put a smile on your face." She then sat next to her and put her head on her mother's shoulder, smiling with contentment as her mother cooed over her daughter.

"Hello, sweetheart, how are you?" Ellie asked Victoria as she rocked her, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so happy to see you! I love you so much!"

"Thank you," Angelica mouthed at Klaus from her place on the couch.

"You're welcome, Angel," Klaus mouthed back with a wink.