It was a few hours later from when she had met Satomi in the veterinarian clinic parking lot; and April was loading up her truck with anything that would be helpful for protecting not only Satomi's pack but Scott's mismatch pack as well. She was just about to leave her house when she received a phone call on her landline. It was Melissa she was worried about her son's well-being and that he told her they were about to make a stand against anyone who was trying to kill them. She tried to comfort Melissa saying she'd be there to make sure Scott was okay but soothing a mother's worry was no easy task. April did suggest however having a small medical kit ready so that if anyone needed help; which actually helped Melissa keep herself occupied and out of trouble while she gathered medical supplies from the hospital. April was headed towards the Argent warehouse, she was about to do the one thing Deaton had asked her not to; reveal why she was in Beacon hills.
April pulled up behind the warehouse building, she didn't really have a plan on how to break the news but she figured before she could scope out the neighborhood and make a useful game plan. She climbed up neighboring buildings and set up a few cheap digital video cameras she had bought on the way and placed them facing the building; she jumped roof top to roof top calculating an assassin's plan of attack. She used what she would have done to kill those in the Argent warehouse as a blueprint to know what to prepare for. She set up traps and trip wires so she'd know how to defend these people; she realised the odds would be against them especially if the one with tactical training was a human who hunted werewolves. April was almost done and was about to head into the Argent Arms International Warehouse, when she felt a gun near her head; apparently she was getting bad at letting people sneak up on her.
"Who sent you?!" A man growled out as he turned me around and pinned me against the brick wall. I grabbed my blades in reflex and flipped the man on his backside, he was obviously not experienced with guns for he let it fall out of his hand and skipped across the pavement; the man she held under her boot was the one and only Derek Hale.
"Well firstly no one sent me, and secondly…" I started to say but was interrupted with a shotgun reloading from behind me. I turned slowly and smiled standing there with a shotgun aimed at my chest was my old colleague (if you can call fellow mercenaries that) Braeden.
"Secondly get your foot off him Countess." She said her eyes saying that even though they had had a past together she'd shoot; good for her I thought she finally found someone. I slowly put my blades back into my vest sheaths and took my foot off of Derek Hale who immediately got his gun and aimed it at me.
"What no hug? I'm not here to kill anyone Braeden so put the bloody gun down eh? If I was he'd already be dead now wouldn't he? I said crossing my arms under my chest and smirking at her as I leaned back on one leg. It was funny how the world worked here I was standing in front of a gun held by a woman I helped years prior.
"Wait! Hold up, you know each other?" Derek said with such confusion that I almost laughed out right.
"Look we don't have much time so can we skip the walk down memory lane? I'm here to help; you can either take it or get yourselves killed. Your choice, now I'd like to speak to Satomi she's the one who told me where you were." I said looking him straight in the eye and daring him to question my word. Apparently he was smarter than he looked for he put the gun down as did Braeden who then led me inside without another word.
April walked in the middle of them; Derek led the way while Braden followed. They may have had history but neither of them wanted to rehash it nor did April think Braden would ever truly trust her since she knew exactly what April was capable of. They walked past kids and families without a second glance, Derek was leading them to where the alphas were and that's exactly what April wanted so she didn't object. They came to a room filled with hanging tarps and crates; she saw Scott and he seemed less than pleased to see his English teacher and April couldn't blame him for a second. His eyes glowed and Argent stood beside him with his finger on the trigger. Satomi was the only one who seemed genuinely happy to see her, April was in for a long night.
"Welcome, Ms. Managarm and thank you for coming." Satomi said as she stepped more into the light.
"Wait you know her?" Scott said his eyes going back to normal and looking at Satomi for answers.
"I'm guessing you know her as well; I knew her grandfather he was an ally to me in the Second World War." She said her eye glazing over as if she was remembering my grandfather Erik but she shook herself and came back to the present.
"However I was unaware that you knew her as well, Scott." She said looking between us with more questions than I could give her answers too at least in this small amount of time before sunset.
"She's my English teacher! Apparently that position is always filled with someone wanting to kill people I love." He said with venom and anger; apparently he was thinking of the previous teacher who had turned out to be a dark druid.
"Okay, well first of all I didn't lie to you, I am a teacher and a fairly good one if I don't say so myself." I said with a little ego boost to me but apparently that wasn't helping my cause. That's when Isaac came in to the room, this just couldn't be easy.
"You! Seriously come on I liked you…okay not like that…just you gave me my first A!" Isaac groaned and I couldn't help myself but laugh.
"Enough! Who the hell are you and why are you here?!" Argent said coming into my personal space and putting the gun to my forehead.
"Chris, don't!" Scott said in a tone I recognised as an alpha; this kid was most definitely a true alpha and I wondered if Deaton ever truly told him what that entailed.
"Scott it's fine, he wants answer and he's right to put the gun to my head under the circumstances. However it's also very stupid seeing as I'm here to help you stay alive." I said calmly and tilting my head to look Scott in the eye and show him I was being honest. Despite my honesty I didn't like the feel of an overly stressed out hunter having a gun pressed against my skin so I used a technique I had learned with my family to not only move the gun away but pull it apart within seconds; I may not have werewolf speed but I was still faster than the average human. I let the gun fall to the floor and then grabbed Isaac with a blade at his throat; I wasn't going to hurt anyone but I was going to show them that they were unprepared and unaware what was about to come their way.
"Sorry Isaac, didn't mean to scare you but I did need to prove to you if I wanted to hurt anyone I would have already done it by now. " I said releasing Isaac from my grasp and giving him a hand getting up from the ground, he seemed irritated but not about to get all werewolf angry at me either, which was why I had picked him over Scott.
"Scott I'm here to help you; and anyone else on that dead pool. I came to Beacon Hills to help, Deaton called me a few months ago saying there was a teacher's position opening up and that it would be perfect for me; he asked me to help him protect you and your family. I was to be a secret weapon against the dead pool, a last defense that no one knew about to save those on the hit list, to save innocent lives. I know it's hard to believe especially since I wasn't openly honest but I also never lied either; I'd tell you to call Deaton for proof but he's not answering his phone, but if you still don't believe me call your mother." I said as slowly as possible since everyone seemed to be antsy on the trigger finger.
"Why would his mother know the truth, if you were supposed to be such a secret?" Isaac said crossing his arms and leaning on a crate, looking ready to pounce at any moment.
"He's right, but you're also telling the truth if you wanted them dead they'd be dead." Braeden said coming up behind me and putting out her hand for me to shake.
"They might not like the idea of you joining us but I'd rather you as a friend than an enemy. I know if you give me your word I can trust you, so do I have it?" she said as my hand went to meet hers and I nodded in appreciation.
"I give you all my word; I'll protect you with my life. Oh and Isaac, that question about his mom; that's why I gave you an A, you're smart." I said as I shook her head and grinned at the uneasy alliance I had made.
"You didn't answer him though; why does my mom know about you? She would have told me…" Scott said his hands curling into fists and his distress coming off him in waves.
"Your mom knowing about me was completely unplanned; it was the night at the hospital with the Berserkers. I tried to help keep your body safe while you were basically dead but I was cornered by three of them and I escaped but only to see Melissa and Mrs. Yukimura being attacked. I was the one who killed the Berserker before it could kill yours and Kira's mother. Actually I guess you could call Noshiko as well since she knew I was protecting too." I said tying my hair up in a high ponytail while most of them were either staring at me in disbelief or fear.
"Prove it, Scott call your mother. I need to make a few calls." Chris Argent said looking at me then at my blade which I still had in my hand; I quickly put it back into its sheath.
"Well he's a bucket full of sunshine, eh?" I said hoping up on one of the crates and sitting there as Satomi came towards me with interest.
"You should have told me you were under secrecy." Satomi said with disappointment and in her own alpha voice, as she crossed her arms and stared up at me while I crossed my legs on the crate.
"I told you all you needed to know Satomi Ito; I am not my grandfather who you were close with, as I recall once he died you never came back again so why would I entrust such information on one who wouldn't even return to see her best friend's grandchildren. What have you done to be prepared for the incoming attacks?" I said with an undertone of harshness, it wasn't that I disliked the woman but her tone was saying I should submit to her was unwelcomed as was the disappointment I heard; I was here to help not reminisce about a family I'd rather never had.
"I see. Well I appreciate the help none the less. We have stationed guards at every entrance and many of us are healing but we are ready to fight." She said clearly understanding it was all business between us from now on.
"We have four shotguns, two machine guns and a variety of pistols. Mostly from my own collection, Argent has his own weapons and well of course the werewolves have claws." Braeden said coming up beside me with the blue prints of the building and laying them out beside where I was sitting.
"Well if you were fighting the government officers or a pack of werewolves I'd be impressed with the layout you have here; unfortunately that's not what's coming for you. My contacts say there are rogue hunters, mercenaries, civilians and worse yet a half a dozen companies of contract killers; this isn't just a bunch of people out for money they are professionals worse yet they are the best of the professionals! Whoever this benefactor is he's contacted the best of the best to wipe you off the face of the earth…I mean no offence to this but we need more than a bunch of teenage werewolves to keep you safe!" I said sighing knowing that I had put a true fear into everyone who stood in this office.
"So what your saying is that we're doomed, well glad I came back then!" Isaac said making me smile at his attempt to lighten the mood up.
"Well I never said that. I've already improved your odds by setting up cameras on every surrounding building; not only that but putting traps on each building so that if anyone wants to sniper they'll be killed by me first. I also put trip wire in other spots I would have hunted you out which will give me a heads up knowing where they are coming from. In the event that someone is hurt, I also…" I was relayed to the group but was interrupted by Scott.
"You also got my mom to set up a triage at Deaton's office." Scott said as he re-entered the room from calling his mother; his eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at me. I could see he believed I had helped her but he was questioning who I truly was and I could see why he had stayed alive so long his intuition was like a sixth sense for him.
"Yes, I thought it would be smart especially with the humans here and more importantly with hunters who probably have wolfs bane. She confirmed my story I'm guessing since you're not trying to kill me" I said giving him a half smile which he thankfully returned.
"She said you saved her, but I still don't understand why you would help us in the first place, you don't even know me." Scott said plainly and I appreciated his honesty as I jumped down from the crate.
"Scott, you are here with a pack who you don't know; and yet you'd protect them with your life. I'm doing the same thing." I said putting my hand out to shake his. He took it and but I could tell it'd take more for him to truly trust me.
"I'm putting my trust in you; but if you're lying or you get these people hurt…I don't care how well trained you are, I'll do the same to you." Scott said crushing my hand till I couldn't hold back a yelp since I felt my bones creaking, did he not realise I didn't have werewolf strength; kind of figured his mother would tell him that one!
"Scott let go of her hand!" Chris Argent said as he entered the office making me sigh in relief and Scott's face to drop in not only confusion but surprise.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I just…you're not a werewolf are you?" Scott said bewildered at the fact that I couldn't handle his strength and yet also didn't break like a human either…I was really hoping to avoid the conversation of what I was till later.
"Of course she's not a werewolf, she's human. She's the Bloody Countess." Braeden said like it was the most obvious thing in the world; really wish she hadn't brought up my old moniker.
"Wait! You're the Bloody Countess?!" Chris Argent said in shock and disgust; great apparently Braeden wouldn't be the only one who knew my not so pleasant past.
"Well no I'm not the Bloody Countess; she was a rich Hungarian countess from the 16th century. Honestly I really did hate that moniker, look we really don't have time to be talking about my past so here's the summary I grew up in an ancient family of werewolves, one coming from Vikings line but I am not one. In my family every 50 years or so a Runt is born, that is what I am making me neither human nor a werewolf. That moniker was something I was in the past I gave it up ten years ago and I'd like to leave it where it belongs; in the past." I said glaring at Braeden and Argent for bringing up my past.
"Wait if that was ten years ago, how old are you now; you look barely older than us?" Isaac said in shock looking me over then looking sheepish as if he realised what he just asked; the boy literally said the first thing on his mind it was kind of hilarious.
"I think there's a compliment in there somewhere; I'm older than I look Isaac because of the Runt gene. I'm 35 although I'm not sure that's any of your business Mr. Lahey." I said giving him my best annoyed teacher stare as possible. He sat a little opened jawed for a moment before firmly closing it and calculating something in his large brain, I figure it's his age versus my own; teenage boys never change.
"Well now that we've wasted time why don't you start preparing us. Because anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money, are going to be put on another list; our list. They get to be a name on our Dead Pool." Derek said pointing to the ground his eyes seething with anger and frustration.
That's when Scott's phone rang and Lydia was put on speaker to get us updated on the Meredith situation; and if she'd figured out how to put an end to dead pool. She had good news, bad news, and worse news; not necessarily in that order. She first told us that Meredith wasn't the benefactor and that she had learned the first idea for the dead pool because she and Peter were hospitalized together and his comatose mumbo jumbo was what had begun Meredith on her belief that everyone needed to be killed; her being a banshee only helped put the possible list together. She believes that Peter was the benefactor and it was he who was giving her instructions but Peter denied all of it including any knowledge of her. That's when Peter dug his claws into her neck to find the memory of their encounter for he truly did not know her; however Meredith and Peter were linked while he was in his coma and Lydia saw the entire thing due to her Banshee powers. That wasn't all Peter got from her though he saw flashes of her receiving instructions from another man, flashes of her being tortured into submission to him while she was hospitalized with Peter; according to Lydia she thought Peter would have helped her since she saw him daily but no help came (since Peter lay burned and comatose beside her). Lydia explained someone else was controlling Meredith; the worse news apparently this Benefactor also controlled Lydia's grandmother and it was Meredith's first prediction as a child, it's how the man found her and brought her to Eichan House. The only good news apparently was that Peter was not the psychotic bad guy leading this chaos; April didn't really think that could be considered good news but in this life it couldn't be considered bad either.
April and the two packs began making preparations, setting booby traps and trip wires all over the building. April and Chris Argent planned the entire prep work and got everyone else to put them together, April wirelessly hooked up the cameras to her laptop and configured all the trip wires to alert to her phone. It would have to be enough since she now had to get herself ready for the fight. The warehouse was filled with sounds of feet shuffling and anxious whispers of youngsters; April could feel the air around the room filled with unease and fear she had to get out for a moment and center herself. She went into a small closet with all of her stuff and plugged in some music, which she used to do before a kill in her assassin days. She began changing out of her jogging clothes and putting on more appropriate gear; that's when she heard a knock on the slightly ajar door and Isaac walked in with her lifting her shirt over her head.
"Scott wants to talk to you. Sooo were all those scars from the Berserkers or do they have something to do with your incredibly mysterious past?" Isaac said leaning on the door jamb and biting into an apple as he scanned my torso.
"You know it's unbelievably rude to stare Mr. Lahey." I simply said not wanting to reveal why my body was littered in scars.
"Yeah sorry teenage boy can't help but stare." Isaac said with a shit eating grin; it was time to teach the young man a lesson about respecting women. I sauntered up to him with my shirt back on and let my fingers slide down his chest his eyes grew wide and just as I was about to lean in more; I grabbed his ear so hard he went to his knees and whimpered.
"Yeah sorry assassin can't help it." I said as I let go of his ear and patted his curly hair with a smirk of my own and a wink; leaving him in awe on the floor and me leaving to find Scott.
"Scott you wanted to see me?" I asked looking around the office to see him and Kira hugging.
"Just wanted to let you know Kira came back to help us, figured you could place her somewhere with the most use for her skills." Scott said turning towards me but still holding Kira's hand.
"Well she can be our emergency escape, if you think you're up for it Kira? We need to blow this place up if things go south; the only way to do that is to be near the hub of circuits I set up on the west side of the building with your powers you'll be able to do it quickly and still make it out of the building in time." I said showing her the blueprints of the building and the exit where I set up the hub of circuits.
"I can do it." Kira said nodding her head towards Scott who looked sad that she had accepted but also knew how important it was too.
"Good, then stick with Scott and I'm going to get my gear." I said and turned to go back to the closet Isaac interrupted me in. I walked back to the janitor's closet and closed the door needing to get dressed; but apparently no one knew the art of knocking so I unsheathed my mother's thermal blade and pointed it at whoever was about to see me in nothing but my bra and underwear.
"Aren't blades a little old fashioned; honestly what century do you live in?" Peter said coming in and closing the door.
"I don't know but probably a few after you since there wasn't the common courtesy of knocking in your time." I said not lowering my blade as he put his finger on it.
"Touché, I see the meddling children have decided to trust you." Peter said leaning on the door as I finally lowered my weapon to the table and pulling on a pair of tight Kevlar jeans which looked more like leather jeans.
"I see they let the white old man under the villain costume help them too; must teach those kids better next class." I said smirking at his Scooby Doo reference of meddling kids and my own comeback. I tried to grab my shirt but Peter got there first and held it out of my reach while I stood in jeans and my purple lace bra.
"Didn't you hear? The banshee cleared me of all villainess; you on the other hand are purely sinful." Peter said as his gaze drank me up; I didn't even bother to cover up I just started to put my two gun holsters around my legs.
"Yes so if I were you I'd return me my shirt, unless of course you'd like to learn how sinful I can be." I said tightening the last holster to my thigh with a glare directed at him and my shirt.
"I think I'd like that but onto other matters; I'd like to know why you haven't told anyone about my little interaction in the sewers yet, not like you haven't blurted out your secret already." Peter said handing back my shirt with an open palm and I grabbed it hesitantly.
"I was there for a while before you smelt me, I knew why you did it and I know right now these two packs need to focus on the fight ahead of them; if they lose focus I don't know how many of them I can protect. I won't lose another kid on my watch." I said throwing on my tank top and then my Kevlar jacket.
"Seems you're the only one here that knows these are impossible odds." Peter said examining me closely and picking up one of my throwing knives and twirling it around his fingers.
"It seems to me you should be running by now, isn't that what you do run; just another alpha looking out for number one and his power." I said grabbing the knife out of his hand and placing it up my sleeve with the rest of the throwing knives.
"You don't know me well enough to judge me, so don't try; the last woman who did that had her throat slashed out and I'd hate to add another scar to your pretty little body." Peter growled out; apparently I hit a nerve.
"If you think that you could hurt me anymore than I already have; you're underestimating me. Peter I've been surrounded by men like you since the day I was born, the only reason you are here is for a possible opportunity for more power; Scott's power to be precise so cut the crap." I said grabbing my vest and blades and walking past him towards the door.
"If you truly believe that then why are you letting me stay here, if that were true you'd be killing me right now; I mean not like any one would care if I died." Peter said with the first glimpse of humanity I'd seen in him since the moment I met him; for once in his life, Peter Hale was actually being honest.
"Honestly I should, but the reality is I can't protect everyone, and half those people out there are scarred kids who shouldn't have to take a life in their young lives but they are about to do just that. I'm not killing you for a simple fact; I need your ability to kill merciless, I need the monster within." I said simply as I tapped his chest with my pointer finger.
"Well, that I can do." Peter said with a glower.
"Also if you go near Scott or Satomi for their power, I'll be true to my moniker Braeden so delightfully brought up earlier." I said with a glare that even he had to know to be afraid of. I walked out of the closet and towards the crowd of werewolves.
"We're ready as we'll ever be Countess." Argent said pumping his shotgun one final time, as I heard the first of many of my trip wire alarms being set off.