Warning: The sex scene at the end is a bit intense so if that's something that bothers you, proceed with caution.

"I'm done!"

Roxie looked up as her mate approached the counter.

"So you took all the boxes out of the van?" She clarified. "It's all empty now?"

"Yep," Vince nodded. "We should have enough stored to get us through the weekend and the first couple of days next week." He gave her a smile and lowered the last box onto the bar counter."

"Thank you, honey," Roxie smiled back at him. "I really appreciate all the work you do around here, and I'm sure Noah does too."

"Did you just call me honey?" Vince came around and gave her a playful slap on the butt. "That's a first. "I don't remember you ever calling me that before." He then began empty the box and putting bottles on the shelves.

"Well, I like to keep you on your toes." She winked.

"I saw that last night," Vince nodded and winked back.

Roxie lowered her head, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. The passion was still burning brightly between them after all these years, even if she didn't quite understand why he was still with her. She knew she wasn't easy to live with. She'd inherited her father's temper and her mother's pretentions, but after so many years…here they were.

They then started as someone came in. Their boss, Noah Morningstar, stumbled toward the bar, then learned against the counter to regain his balance.

Without a word, Vince rolled his eyes and gave Roxie a look as she sighed.

Then Noah grabbed his cup and poured some rum into it.

"What's going on?" Roxie dared to press. "You're not usually up this early, Noah." She then tuned and looked at Vince who shook his head, clearly thinking she'd gone too far.

"I think it's my business more than yours what time I get up in the morning," Noah snapped at her and took a big gulp of his drink.

"But it's eight-thirty in the morning!" Roxie pressed. "That's early, even for you!"

"Roxie!" Vince chided. "No more! Just let him be!"

"No, it's fine, Vince," Noah raised a hand in the air. "It's not like Roxie has ever been able to hold her tongue."

"Seriously?" Roxie cried, her breath picking up. "Are you for real, Noah?"

"Roxie, how about we go back to the kitchen and get some clean glasses?" Vince urged and tried to gently pull her away before things got worse!"

"No!" She snapped and pulled her arm away.

"Am I for real?" Noah snapped. "What makes you think it's your business what I do or don't do? I'm your boss and I leave you alone!"

Vince rolled his eyes and gave up. When Noah and Roxie were fighting, it couldn't be stopped and the only way it ended was when it felt like it.

"I think it's my business because I care about your well-being!" Roxie snapped. "Maybe more than anyone else in your life right now!" Her voice was rising now, and was in danger of becoming shrill.

"I don't need you to care about me!" Noah cried. "Just mind your own damn business and we'll get along fine."

"It's hard to mind my own business when you've turned into a fucking asshole!" She cried, poking him in the chest.

"If you're unhappy here, no one is stopping you from leaving!" Noah barked, his face red with anger. "If I'm too much for you to handle, go ahead and go! I can find someone else!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Vince cried as he urged his boss and the love of his life into separate corners. "I know Roxie can be headstrong, stubborn, pushy, all that, sometimes, but she deserves your respect, Noah! We both do. We've worked our asses off to make this place what it is for years now. And I'm certain that if we left, there would be a change and not for the better!"

Noah raised his chin, his hands balled into fists on either side of his tense body. They all stared at one another for a few seconds and then he nodded, a faint pink flush coloring his cheeks. "You're right," he said. "I apologize. I know my father never acknowledged what you did before he gave this place over to me and I promised I would be different. Just a little blip, I promise."

"Oh we're fine," Vince told him, seeing he was sincere. "We accept your apology."

Roxie still stood arms crossed and body tense, saying nothing, so Noah felt like he needed to make some extra effort. "I'm truly sorry, Roxie," he said to her directly.

"This is good," Vince looked back and forth between them. "I think I'll leave you two alone and have a look at that light switch in the men's room that's a bit wonky."

Once he was gone, Roxie and Noah continued to glare at one another in silence. Finally, Roxie cleared her throat and reached out for him.

"Seriously," she said in a softer, more sympathetic voice. "What's wrong with you? Is it your father?"

"It's a start," Noah confessed, leaning against the counter. "Do you want the rest of the list?"

"Noah," she sighed, full of compassion. "I get it, you know. My father is Klaus Mikaelson, the most powerful hybrid in the supernatural world. He killed a bunch of people in the original werewolf bar, Enid's, when I was six, and I saw the whole thing. We didn't talk to each other for ten years after that. It's not easy to be in his shadow. Or my mother's for that matter, since she was Lonely Heart."

"He left me the mansion, Roxie," Noah fumed. "The fucking mansion! He just threw the keys and deed at me and left. I don't know where the hell he is now! What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Well, I mean, does it really matter?" Roxie shrugged. "If he wants to run away from his family and be an asshole, fine! Just let him. It makes it all the easier for you to follow your own path!"

Noah lowered his gaze shamefully. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Do you know how often my father has been an asshole?" Roxie asked with a smile. "Don't let your father's stupidity and foolishness make you hard and cold when you are a good, wonderful man! Don't let yourself fall down that rabbit hole."

"How can I be a good guy when there's no denying that I'm his son," Noah pointed out stubbornly. "I'm probably as bad as he is."

"Well, the fact is that no matter what anyone says, you're one of the good ones, Noah," Roxie assured him. "I've known you long enough to be sure of that."

He smiled shyly. "Well, thank you. It's nice to have someone in my corner."

"Always," Roxie smiled back and gave his hand a squeeze.

Celine Mikaelson entered the Inferno night club late in the afternoon, just before business began to pick up for the night, then marched directly to the bar where her aunt was filling out an inventory chart.

"I need to talk to you!" She cried, sitting down and getting right to the point, gripping the edge of the bar tightly.

Roxie slowly raised her head, eyes widening. "What?" She asked as she watched her niece. "What's the matter?"

"Whatever you want, it's a firm 'no'," Vince told the young woman before Roxie could say a word, since he was standing a few feet away and knew what would happen if he said nothing. He knew Roxie's nieces could be a lot to handle. "And hello to you too, Celine!"

"I'm so sorry, where are my manners?" Celine begged their pardon, hand on her chest as she heaved a big sigh. "Hello, Auntie Roxie, hello, Uncle Vince!"

"Make it quick if you've just come to talk," Roxie told her as she avoided her eyes. "We're busy, cause it's not long until we open for the night." She hoped her words would send her niece away because Vince had been right. Things with Noah were bad enough. She couldn't take anymore."

"I desperately need your help!" Celine begged, her hands put together as if in prayer.

"Find someone else," Vince snapped for Roxie's sake. "We're not interested!"

"It doesn't matter if you're interested!" Celine snapped at him. "I'm asking my aunt, not you!"

"Oh, believe me, young woman," Vince told her. "Even if you talk to your aunt, whatever you tell her will become my problem eventually!"

"Celine, please," Roxie said firmly. "I have enough on my hands with your sisters. Please don't add to it."

"I know," Celine heaved a big sigh. "Michelle is carrying Nico's baby, and that almost killed Daddy when he heard but…" she leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "To be frank, it was obvious that they were screwing each other with the way they were always fighting. It was just a way for her to hide how she felt about him."

"Screwing?" Roxie chided her niece. "Is that really how you're going to describe it?"

"Oh, come on, Aunt Roxie," her tall blonde niece chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You want me to be more descriptive? I can use words from a BDSM dictionary if you want me to."

"No!" Vince and Roxie cried out immediately.

"Fine, then!" She brushed her blonde curls out of her eyes. "But wait, did you say my sisters were giving you trouble? What's happened with Laurelle?"

Vince and Roxie said nothing, just stared at one another as Roxie blushed.

"What?" Celine cried. "I want to know. She never does anything but keep her nose in her books, so spill!"

"Nothing!" Roxie grabbed a rag and began scrubbing the bar counter. "You didn't hear me say anything."

"Uncle Vince?" She looked at her uncle curiously, a smile curving her lips.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Vince waved a finger at his niece. "I'm not going to get into this with you, Celine."

"But it's my sister we're talking about! I want to know if there's something wrong with her!" Celine stomped her foot.

"Nothing is wrong with her," Vince rolled his eyes. "She's in perfect health.

"What if my sister is in danger?" Celine cried, eyes wide. "What if someone kidnaps her or tortures her, or worse?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Roxie rolled her eyes and put a hand to her forehead, then threw the washcloth in the sink. "It's nothing so bad as that. Laurelle just slept with Baltazar, that's all. Happy?"

Celine was shocked into silence, her mouth opening and closing for several seconds before she could finally find words.

"Oh, my god! Daddy's gonna kill them both! But mostly him. What a dirty thing my sister did! And she didn't say a word abut it!" Her hands balled into fists, her body tense with rage. "I can't believe my sisters both got their cherries popped and I haven't! It's not fair!"

"See?" Vincent stabbed a finger in Roxie's direction. "I knew this would happen!"

"Well, between Baltazar and Noah, I think he'd kill Noah first! So, whatever you want to ask me to help you get Noah, who, may I remind you is your godfather as well as my boss…it's a firm no!"

"But Aunt Roxie, he's not answering my falls or returning any of my texts!" Celine said. "He's not being a good godfather! I think he's in bad shape and I want to help him!"

"Ever since the mess with his father, he hasn't been himself," Roxie replied.

"I know! He believes he's exactly like his father and it couldn't be further from the truth," Celine nodded. "That's why, if I could see him, I think I could be a big help."

"And you think you'll help him by sleeping with him, I assume?" Vince guessed, tapping his fingers on the bar counter.

"We belong together, Uncle Vince," Celine replied. "There's no one else for me." She raised her chin and tears filled her eyes "And if I have to, I'll be a virgin for the rest of my life until he realizes it. So be it!"

"Oh…" Roxie put a hand on her heart. "I know that you'd be together in a perfect world, you two would be together!"

"Do you really believe that, Aunt Roxie?" Celine clapped her hands excitedly. "Will you help me, then?"

"Well," Roxie bit her bottom lip, gazing at Vince for his approval.

"Damn it!" Vince swore, grabbing a box. "I'm not gonna take any part in this or it will make me mad!"

"Noah!" Roxie yelled through all the brouhaha at the club.

Her boss turned his head, nodding in her direction to show that he'd heard her before giving a nod to someone he'd run into as he made his way to the bar.

"What is it, Roxie?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…" Roxie began. "But the security company called." She knew she was lying but she was doing it for her niece. She had to tell herself that.

Vince, who had just finished serving someone, turned his head and narrowed his eyes at her. What was she up to now?

"The club's security company called you?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "Why would they call you instead of me?"

"Hmmm?" Roxie shook her head. "Not for the club. Why did they call you and not me? I'm the boss!"

"It wasn't for the club. It was for your mansion." She did her best to avoid his eyes.

"It's my father's mansion," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Well, whatever! Whoever's mansion it is, the security company called about it!" Roxie rolled her eyes.

Still confused, Noah grabbed the phone out of his pocket and went through his phone to see if he'd missed a message.

"I don't know," she shrugged nonchalantly, looking at Vince out of the corner of her eye.

He growled and mouthed "I won't help you out!"

"I don't see any texts or voicemails," Noah replied. "I mean I could see them calling you if they'd tried to call me first and missed me, but…"

"I can't tell you why they called me. Did you put me down as your emergency contact?" She tried not to show how nervous she was, but she was clearly jumping from one foot to the other.

"Okay, you're right about that," Noah nodded. "So since they called you and you know what I don't…what's going on?"

"Well, um…." Roxie hadn't thought this far. Both men were watching her, Noah with concern and Vince with amusement that he was barely hiding. "They called and told me the alarm had gone off. You should go and see about that. Maybe you've been robbed."

"That's strange," Noah said as he took his phone out again. "I have an app on my phone that tells me when the alarm goes off and it doesn't say anything." He shrugged, very confused.

"I don't know, maybe they're having trouble with the app." She swallowed nervously. It wasn't supposed to have been this hard to get him where she needed him to go.

"Sure, they do," Vince nodded with a grin.

"Shut up!" She mouthed.

"Did they tell you why the alarm went off?"

"They…" She coughed uncomfortably. "They said they needed to verify the box…"

"What box?" Noah cried. "Have you been drinking, Roxie? Vince, would you go over the inventory to see if anything is missing?"

Vince almost burst out laughing. "I can assure you that she hasn't drunk anything," he said. "I've been watching her the whole time. She's just crazy."

"Anyway, what box?" Noah turned back to Roxie.

"Who the hell knows?" Roxie cried. "I'm not an expert in alarms!"

This made Vince look down at his lap to hide his laughter.

"Shit, now I need to leave here and go check things out at the mansion!" Noah groaned unhappily. "Did you at least tell them where the spare key was?"

"Yep," Roxie nodded. "I definitely did that!"

"Okay, good. Will the two of you be okay holding down the fort while I'm out?" Noah asked worryingly.

"Yeah, we'll take good care of the place like we always do," Roxie waved her hand dismissively. "Go!"

Noah nodded and made his way out of the night club.

"Okay, spill it! What did you do now?" Vince demanded, putting both hands on either side of her body to trap her.

"I didn't do anything!" Roxie insisted, shaking her head so that her dark curls bounced wildly. "Nothing bad anyway. I just told Celine where the spare key to the mansion was so she could go and then he could come too, and they could talk!" Even so, she was blushing and avoiding his eyes. "You know he's been avoiding her for weeks now. It's not gonna go away so it's time to rip the band-aid off and have a conversation!"

"You don't want them to talk!" Vince cried. "And even if you did, that's not what's gonna happen! You know what I think?" He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "I think they'll be overcome by feelings or whatever, fuck each other for hours, and then your brother Adrian will find out and kill you slowly and painfully!"

Roxie coughed uncomfortably, sliding her hands over his upper arms. "Have you worked out lately? You're so muscular and I like it!"

"Oh, don't you change the fucking subject!" He chided her and gripped her chin.

"Fine! She pushed his hand away and freed herself from his grip. "I'll die a painful death at the hands of my brother. But I won't be sorry to have helped my niece when she needed it."

Then she turned and headed around the bar and busied herself moving bottles around.

"Oh, my god," Vince sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back. "What the hell is going on here? Whatever it is, may Steve have mercy on our souls!"

Noah slowly made his way up the front stairs of his family's mansion…or, more accurately, his mansion, since his father had dumped it on him and run off. He still couldn't believe it.

Then he made his way to the front door, then turned to face the street. It was strange. The security company's truck didn't seem to be anywhere. He bent over and lifted up a potted plant, seeing that the spare key to the mansion was still in its usual hiding place. It was strange, but he shrugged it off, thinking that there had to be a logical reason for it.

He opened the door and went inside, making his way across the marble floor and shutting the front door behind him.

"Hello?" He called. "It's Noah Morningstar. I heard that there was a phone call about the alarm. Is anyone here?"

He waited but was still met with silence.

Finally realizing that he was alone, he threw his keys on the table and then made his way to the main staircase.

Considering that the key was still in it's place and that the alarm wasn't blaring, either the alarm company had fixed things and gone, or they hadn't arrived yet and it was a different problem with it than had previously been thought.

And even though everything seemed to have been settled, he was here, so there was no point in rushing back to the club. There were no emergencies there, and Roxie and Vince had everything under control. He could take a nice hot shower and then have some peace and quiet with a good book.

He walked through the east wing of the mansion, his heels clicking on the floor as he made his way to his bedroom suite, pausing by his sister Angelica's bedroom door (which was just a few doors down from his) because he was curious to see the state it was in based on how much she and his father were fighting. He peeked in for just a moment and saw that it had been, while not absolutely trashed, definitely messed up, with Angelica's things all over the floor, the mirror on her vanity broken, and a hole or two in the walls.

Shaking his head and turning away from the sight, he then continued on his way to his own room, pushing his door open, placing his hat on a table in the living room area of the suite, along with his watch and leather bracelets.

He then headed to his bedroom, standing open mouthed in the doorway as he saw an unexpected scene playing out in his bed. What the fuck was she doing here?

His goddaughter was lying in his bed on what seemed to be a cloud of white tulle, almost naked except for a see-through white bra.

"Hello, Godfather," She welcomed him. "Or would you prefer God-daddy or Master?"

His chest rose and fell as he took several deep breaths to keep himself calm. He closed his fists, lowered his head, and shut his eyes tight, but regardless, all he could see were her long, silky bare legs behind his eyes.

"What are you doing here, Celine?" Noah mumbled without looking at her.

"Isn't it obvious, Master?" She purred. "I've been a bad girl and I need you to teach me good manners."

He growled and opened his eyes, starting to pace back and forth in front of the large bed. "Get out of my bed and out of my room, Celine. Put your clothes on and I'll…" he gestured with his right hand. "I'll drive you home after. We'll never speak of this again. That's for the best."

"But I don't want to go home, Daddy!" she cried perniciously. "I had an accident, and my panties are all wet! Look…"

Noah stopped pacing and closed his eyes, then felt brave enough to look in her direction.

A guttural growl escaped him, as he stared at her shaved privates and realized just how wet she was. She was dripping.

"I'm soaking your bed," Celine told him. "Dripping everywhere. I should be punished…don't you think?" She grinned insolently.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked dryly as a vein pumped on the right side of his neck.

"You could dry me off," she suggested. "Wipe me off. Make me scream your name. You'd like it, wouldn't you?" She licked her bottom lip suggestively. "I'd be eternally grateful, and it wouldn't bother me if you gave me a good, hard slap for my bad behavior. I deserve it."

"Get out of my bed, Celine," Noah lashed out angrily!

"I don't think so, Daddy," she shook her head, eyes twinkling as she raised her chin. "How about you make me?"

He breathed heavily, hands on his waist. Fuck it! He was so aroused right now that his jeans were beginning to get tight. He wanted to free what was now a very prominent bulge and he couldn't think of anything but being buried deep inside her. She was his goddaughter!

And she knew exactly what she was doing, that conniving little bitch!

"So, your aunt was in on this with you?" He growled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Un-fucking believable!"

She just tilted her head, spread her legs, and rolled her hips in a suggestive way. "I'm the one who's been bad, Daddy," she murmured. "Did you ever think how hard you would be when you took my virginity, and my blood was all over this pure white tulle?"

"Damn it!" Noah started pulling at the tulle, but to his complete surprise, she pulled handcuffs out from what seemed like thin air and cuffed her left wrist to the bed, throwing the key so that it landed on the floor on the other side of the room.

"What the fuck, Celine?" He cried, grabbing his head with both hands.

"Oops! Is that hurting your self-control, Master," she grinned and winked before beginning to slowly and deliberately stroke herself, keeping her eyes on him the whole time.

Fuck! Fuck her, fuck it, fuck everything!

He'd had enough. He couldn't hold her off anymore. He pulled his t-shirt off, revealing tattoos on his upper arms and chest. He grabbed her legs and forcefully pulled her forward so that she was lying on her back on the bed as a cry of surprise escaped her.

He turned her on her stomach, slapping her bare bottom hard. "You want red, bitch? I'll give you red!"

To his complete and utter surprise, Celine began to giggle. He slapped her harder and finally, she let out a cry of pain.

"Yeah," he was breathing hard, his eyes narrowed. "Now that's more like it!"

Keeping his eyes on her after turning her back around, he unzipped his jeans, then leaned forward and slid a hand between her thighs.

"My god, you're so wet!", he whispered, burying his head in her neck to bite her as she whimpered and strained.

"Now!" She cried out. "Please. I can't take it anymore!"

He nibbled on her earlobe. "Whatever you say, baby." Then he fingered her in a rough way that made her cry out.

"Oh, Master!" she yelled, her back arching.

"Noah, please, baby," he reminded her before nibbling her ears. "Noah."

He removed his fingers from her and cupped her beautiful, round breasts.

"Oh, baby," she murmured, turning her head to stare into his dark eyes.

He cupped her face, pulling her closer to kiss her hard. The kiss quickly turned passionate between bites and moans. "I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk tomorrow," he promised as he pulled down his jeans and then threw them on the floor nearby, then with a good, hard thrust finally buried himself deep inside her.

She cried out in pain for a second but then quickly began grinding her hips to meet his rapid pace. "Don't disappoint me with lies…" She said between moans of pleasure.

"Oh, Celine," he murmured, kissing her neck, his arms going around her waist as he buried himself deeper and deeper inside of her.