Chapter 7: New Orleans

*****A Week Later*****

Faith and Xander made it to New Orleans a week later, bringing a dozen of their most experienced slayers.

They went to the address Rebekah had text to them. "Wow. This is some digs," Faith said as they walked inside the courtyard.

Rebekah came out of her room at the sound of their voices. "Glad to see you made it," she said. They looked up and saw her on the balcony.

"Hey," Faith said. "I brought some of the girls. Can we crash here, or do I need to send them to a hotel?"

"They can stay here if they want. If they'd prefer a hotel, my family will pay the bill," Rebekah said, moving to the stairs. "It's the least we can do. Thanks for coming."

"Helping beautiful women is what we do," Xander said, winking at her.

Rebekah smiled. "Come on, and I'll give you a tour," she said. She smiled at the girls looking around.

They walked around the huge house, and the slayers picked rooms to stay in. The rooms all had a sofa and a huge bed, so three girls roomed together. Faith decided to stay in Klaus' room. When she went into the connecting room and saw all his paintings, she was stunned.

"Klaus is an artist?" she asked Rebekah.

"Yes, he's always painted," Rebekah said with a shrug.

"That's incredible. Some of these are really cool," Faith said. "I don't know much about art, but he's clearly gifted."

"Klaus has two ways to relieve his emotions, slaughter or painting," Rebekah said.

Faith snorted. "He's a complicated guy," she said. "Is his daughter okay?"

"Hope's room is across the hall, but right now, she's across the street with her mother," Rebekah said. "Did Klaus tell you much about Haley and the wolves?"

Faith shook her head, and Rebekah explained about the wolves, her status as a hybrid, and how Hayley's husband had been killed by the same group that turned Marcel into a superhybrid.

"Sounds like the woman has had it rough," Faith said.

"She has, but she's stayed with us, by our side like a real sister," Rebekah said.

"But she's not with Klaus?" Faith asked, telling herself that the answer didn't matter to her.

Rebekah shook her head. "Actually, she was in love with Elijah, our older brother, but she had to marry Jackson to combine the packs. He was a good guy, and she grew to love him," Rebekah shared.

Xander came in to the room. "The girls want to go see the sights? Is that okay?" Xander asked.

Rebekah nodded. "Yes. Marcel doesn't allow the vampires to kill tourists," she shared.

"He sounds like a good guy," Faith said. "Do you want me to kill him or just put him down?"

"No, don't kill him," Rebekah said quickly. "Marcel is our family, and I loved him once very deeply."

"Sounds like your family drama is worse than any family drama we'd had," Faith said.

"And that says a lot," Xander added with a grin.

"So how can we help your other brothers? What do you think the cure would be for Marcel's bite?" Faith asked.

"When my brother Nik bit a vampire, they were doomed to die unless he gave them his blood. Only his blood was a cure," Rebekah said.

"You think Marcel's blood is the cure for your two brothers?" Xander asked.

"Most likely," Rebekah said.

"And Marcel won't give you his blood?" Xander asked.

Rebekah shook her head. "No. He won't even speak to me, which is not something he's ever done since I've known him," she said.

"That's because he knows you're his weakness," Xander said with a knowing smirk.

"Me? Doubtful," Rebekah said dismissively.

"Why do you say that?" Xander asked. "Have you looked in the mirror lately? Can you see your image? The vamps we kill can't see their reflection."

Rebekah looked horrified. "I'd have found a way to off myself long ago if I couldn't look in the mirror!" she exclaimed.

Faith and Xander laughed. "I'm not much of a diva, but I don't think I could go without ever seeing my image either," Faith said.

"Your image is perfection," Xander said to Rebekah. "If this Marcel ever loved you, he knows he won't be able to resist you for long. That's why he's avoiding you."

Rebekah blushed, pleased by the compliment. Even after a thousand years, she still felt like a young girl whenever she was complimented.

"So where can we find this Marcel? Do you know where he's keeping your brother?" Faith asked.

"Josh told me that he bricked him up inside one of his properties," Rebekah said.

"You're shitting me?" Faith asked, surprised.

"Nope," Rebekah said. "My brother is slowly starving until he is desiccated. It's a horrible existence. He's alive but unable to move. He's got Nik mobilized with this mystical dagger in his heart. It traps him in his body."

"How long does he plan on keeping Klaus like that?" Faith asked, angry at the thought.

"As long as he can," Rebekah said. "Normally, the sentence is a year to fifty, depends on what the vampire has done. Marcel has several vamps he's punished this way. It keeps them in line."

"That is a good way to keep vampires from slaughtering humans," Xander said, impressed. "

"My brother hasn't been slaughtering humans. He's just slaughtered other vampires loyal to Marcel, mostly," Rebekah said.

"So basically, this was a coup," Xander said. "Marcel was running this city for a long time, and then your brother came back to claim the power. Marcel couldn't do anything about it until he was made into this superhybrid. Now he's got the mojo to keep your brother in line."

"More or less," Rebekah acknowledged.

"You know, I'm not sure our girls should get in the middle of a vampire war like this," Xander said.

"It's a bit late, Xan. We're here," Faith said, annoyed. "Besides, I'm not going to let Klaus stay locked up like that, and I'll kill any vampire that gets in my way."

"You won't be able to kill Marcel," Rebekah said. She gave Xander a beseeching look. "My family is very powerful. If you save Klaus and get the blood to cure my brothers, we could aid your slayers any time you need extra firepower in your demon wars."

"Well, we don't really call them demon wars," Xander said. "Normally, they're apocalypses—demons trying to destroy the world."

"The girls we brought came of their own free will," Faith said. "We'll tell them what's the what. They can make their own choices. If they don't want to be involved, they don't have to."

Xander nodded. "Okay," he said.

"Where can I find your ex?" Faith asked.

"At this time of day, probably Rousseau's," Rebekah said. "I'll give you the address or take there."

"No need. We'll google it," Xander said, holding up his phone. "It's probably best if we go on our own and try to meet him without you coloring his attitude toward us."

"Okay," Rebekah said. "Probably for the best. However, I can offer a distraction while you get his blood."

"Let's do a meet and greet and see how he responds," Faith suggested. "Maybe, he'll be persuaded."

"You are pretty, and he does have a weakness for pretty girls," Rebekah said with a smile.

"So I'll play nice, and see if he's open to negotiations," Faith said with a wink.

Rebekah watched the duo leave after they spoke to their girls, warning them not to slay any vampires they sensed. The girls all left them, eager to seem more of the city. She was really hopeful that the group would be able to help her brothers. Then her older sister, Freya, came into the room.

"Why are there strangers in our house?" she asked. "Strangers who have immense power but aren't witches."

"Those are the slayers I told you about," Rebekah reminded her. "They're here to help. I offered to let them stay here. Do you mind?"

"Not if they help us get our family back," Freya said.

"The girls went to do some sight-seeing while Xander and Faith go scope out Rousseau's," Rebekah shared.

"I'm just so glad Klaus was able to get that cure for you. I'm not sure how Hayley and I would've managed without you here."

"I think you would've managed, but it's good that Klaus met Faith. She and her friends are very powerful," Rebekah said. "Marcel will probably be at Rousseau's when they get there."

"Do you think they'll be able to convince him to restore our brothers?" Freya asked.

"Well, Xander isn't sure that they should involve themselves in vampire politics," Rebekah said, rolling her eyes. "Faith pointed out that the slayers who came were here voluntarily, but she'd tell them that Marcel wasn't really an evil demon they could slay out of hand."

"The witch who came up with your cure is very powerful," Freya said. "Maybe she could help?"

"Maybe," Rebekah. "I told them that in exchange for their help, we'd help them the next time they're in a fight. That's kind of what they do. Fight demons and those soulless vampires that are forever causing global problems."

Freya nodded. "That's fine. I'm sure Elijah will be okay with that, and Kol is always willing to make new friends with pretty girls," she said.

That was very true, but Rebekah was more worried that their new friends would fail, and she would once again have to live without anyone to oppose Marcel and aid her brothers.

*****Rousseau's*****

Xander and Faith decided that he would go in first and make contact. Faith would go around the block and then enter the place.

Marcel was talking to Josh at the bar when they saw a guy with an eye patch walk in.

"Is there a pirate theme parade or festival this week?" Josh asked Marcel.

"No," Marcel said with a grin. He glanced at the guy. "He's human, and he carries himself like someone used to fighting. Probably was in a war or something."

Josh winced in sympathy. "I'd hate to think of what happened to have to wear one of those," Josh said.

Xander smiled companionably as he sat at the bar, two stools down from Marcel. "Hey. Can I have a beer? Whatever you got on tap," Xander said.

"Sure," Josh said. He turned to get it while Marcel eyed the stranger with interest.

"Hello," Xander said, knowing the attractive black man must be Marcel.

"Hello," Marcel said, giving him a friendly smile. "New in town?"

"Yep. My first time in New Orleans," Xander said.

"You should've come during Madi Gras. The town is insane then," Marcel told him.

"Nah," Xander said. "That's not the real city. That's the show you guys put on for the tourist. I like to know the heartbeat of a city without the bells and whistles."

Marcel gave him a considering look. "That's unusual but appreciated," he said. He held out his hand. "I'm Marcel Gerard."

"Xander Harris," he said, shaking Marcel's hand. He could tell that the man was not evil, and this situation was very complicated.

"This is Josh," Marcel introduced.

"Nice to meet you both," Xander said.

"So are you here by yourself?" Marcel asked.

"No, I'm rarely by myself," Xander said with a grin. "I'm an instructor of sorts at an all-girls school in Cleveland. I brought about a dozen girls with me, and one other instructor. She should be here soon."

Marcel chuckled. "I see you came in here to escape," he said knowingly.

"I love them," Xander said. "But there's only so much giggling a man can take and stay sane."

Josh smiled, liking the man instantly. "So is the patch an affectation or do you need it?" he asked.

Marcel winced. "Josh, that isn't polite," he said. The danger of turning guys before they were twenty was they didn't always learn tact.

"That's okay," Xander said easily. "I know I should get a glass eye or something, and I might one day," he said. "But, yea, I lost my eye a few years ago."

"An accident?" Josh asked.

Marcel glared. "Seriously, Josh," he warned.

"Sorry," Josh muttered.

"Morbid curiosity," Xander said. "I have girls new coming yearly to our schools, so I'm immune to offense. They always ask even though anyone already at the school could've told them. But to answer your question, I got it poked out by a psychotic priest, who was trying to murder my best friend."

"Oh God," Josh said, feeling sick.

Marcel began wondering if he turned the man would his eye grow back? Of course, he'd never turn a tourist, but he was curious. "I'm sorry that happened. Did your friend survive?" he asked.

Xander nodded. "Yep. She managed to get the best of him," Xander said. "The guy had killed a lot of girls, but Buffy wasn't one of them."

"Your best friend is named Buffy?" Josh asked.

Xander grinned. "Don't let her hear you make fun of her name. She's tiny but deadly," Xander said.

"I love strong women," Marcel said.

"I bet," Xander said, thinking about Rebekah, Marcel's ex. "I'm surrounded by them, so it can be disconcerting sometimes. My best friend from kindergarten, Willow, is this bad ass Wiccan."

"Is she here?" Josh asked. "We have a very rich Voodoo culture here in the French Quarter. She'd probably enjoy herself."

"Not this time," Xander said. "But if you give me the name of some shops, I'll stop by and buy her something."

"So your'e comfortable with magic?" Marcel asked. "That's not usual in our tourists."

Xander shrugged. "Well, I was born in Sunnydale, California—that town that fell into the giant sinkhole a while back. Hear about it?" he asked.

"You lived there?" Josh asked. "That had to suck. I hope you didn't lose anyone."

"My fiancée," Xander said grimly. "Most people, though, knew something bad was going to happen and left before the quake hit. The town was on top of a hellmouth."

"A hellmouth?" Marcel asked, frowning. "What exactly is that?"

"What it sounds like," Xander replied. "The doorway to hell was under my high school's library, and demons and other idiots were always trying to open it."

"Man, that sounds like an insane place to live," Josh said, shaking his head. And he thought New Orleans was bad. It was comforting to know there were worse places to live.

"It had its moments," Xander acknowledged. "Now we're in Cleveland. That town has a smaller hellmouth, but it's pretty tame compared to Sunnydale. We try to keep a lid on things."

"That's what you do? Keep demons from opening hellmouths?" Josh asked.

"Someone's gotta," Xander said, sipping his beer.

"You're a demon hunter," Marcel said, realizing he wasn't a soldier in the traditional sense.

"You could call me that," Xander said, nodding.

"Why are you being so open with us?" Josh wondered.

"Well, since you're both vampires, I figured you'd believe me," Xander said, matter-of-factly.

Josh straightened, and Marcel went on the alert. Before they could speak, Faith walked into the bar.

Marcel eyed the incredibly sexy woman, knowing instinctively that she was a predator. Her sultry grin had him on guard as much as it attracted him.

The woman was trouble—he just knew it.

*****To Be Continued*****

Sorry it took me so long to update. My brain wouldn't work with this story. I was at a wall—something that rarely happens with me. Luckily, I think I've got a handle on it. Review and tell me how you like it and what you want. I'm toying with a Xander/Rebekah hook up, but I LOVE Marcel a lot. I'm torn, so review and tell me what you'd like. Thanks so much!