Gilbert House
"I need your help." Stefan said in greeting a second after closing the front door.
"Go away, Stefan." Alaric responded, seated on the couch with a half empty bottle of whiskey in hand.
"No. It's time for you to put the bottle down and get back into shape so that you can help me kill Rebekah and force Klaus and his pack to leave Mystic Falls."
"Why would I help you?" Alaric questioned with a sneer, and moved to stand up only to lose his balance because of his drunken state and decided against standing. "You and your brother ruin everything you touch! First, it was my wife, second, my girlfriend, and third, my stepdaughter.
Who is next? Me? Bonnie? Caroline? Tyler? Or maybe their parents or all of us on top of all the bodies and broken families you've left in your wake, directly and indirectly? It's a miracle we're still alive with you still around, but then again, you're barely a vampire now.
You've been brought down to the level of your prey and you can't compel me or anyone else to do your biding, so tell me, Stefan Salvatore. How does it feel to be the last one of your family left and to be powerless?
How does it feel to have what you hold dearest taken away from you and you can't do anything about it?"
Everything Alaric said hit home and hit home hard. Stefan was sure that those words would have broken him if he didn't have a plan in mind to secure the lives of all those people Alaric spoke about, but though they didn't break him they nearly did.
"It feels like my soul has been ripped out of my body and I am left hollow, lost." Stefan replied, stilling himself. "But I have a plan to kill the person who killed Elena and make Klaus and his pack leave Mystic Falls to avenge Elena's death and keep everyone you named safe."
"To avenge Elena's death? I wonder how many people are out to avenge the people you've killed."
"At least I'm doing something!" Stefan roared, unable to keep calm. "What about you, Ric? I might be powerless but at least I'm doing something. Do you think Jenna and Elena would have approved of the way you've been dealing with their deaths? Drinking yourself to an early death?
Here I am, giving you a reason to live for their sake and all you're doing is pushing me away! Liz has tried to help you pull yourself together but you've thrown the fact that she accidentally killed Jeremy into her face at every turn. Do you really want to be alone, Ric?
If that's what you want, fine! But you are going to help me avenge Elena's death and force Klaus and his pack to leave Mystic Falls and everyone Elena loved alone. It's the least you can do.
Maybe its best you stay alone, anyway, because Klaus will do anything and everything to get his sister's body back after I kill her and you steal and hide her body to force his hand.
Quit the bottle and get back into hunting shape, Ric. But make sure no one finds out. This will only be between you and me."
Transition
Niklaus' Mansion
"We're not getting any closer to getting my magic back, are we?" Greta asked, sitting on a chair in the kitchen with Klaus while the others were in their rooms minding their own businesses.
"No, we're not." Klaus replied, after sipping on blood from a glass.
"Maybe it's time we focus on something else."
"Like what, love?"
"Like you teaching me to fight. I've relied on magic too much like most witches and now that I don't have access to my magic I'm the weakest link here." Greta replied. "I don't want to be the weakest link and I don't want to feel weak. I hate feeling weak."
Klaus understood Greta more than most would ever know; hence he really considered training her.
Like he embraced being a vampire when his mother suppressed his werewolf nature, she was embracing another part of herself, the warrioress who didn't want to be limited by her father and brother.
The warrioress who sought him, the most hated Mikaelson, so that she could realize her magical full potential and do what no other witch has ever been able to do, break the one thousand years old curse cast by the Mother of Vampire Species, Esther.
That thought was all Klaus needed to decide to train Greta so that she could reach her physical full potential as well. Just as they were able to break his curse, Klaus was starting to be hopeful again that they would be able to get her magic back.
Combined with the physical training he was going to give her, Klaus was certain that she had the potential to surpass his mother and become the most powerful witch in history or at least in twenty-first century.
Yes, Bonnie was a powerful witch from a powerful coven with the power of one hundred witches behind her and on top of that she was still a teenager, but...
But she wasn't trained to properly handle that power with Greta's finesse nor was she receiving additional training for her body to match up with her raw power like Greta was, starting tomorrow morning.
"What a brilliant idea. Your training resumes early tomorrow morning." Klaus responded, and since he was inspired, invested and his mood improved, he intended to use the rest of his day and night planning Greta's training.
Greta was thinking along the same line Klaus was and was pleased with the new development. Although she couldn't practice magic she was keeping up with her magic practice by learning from her family's archive and she hoped to find a way to locate the witch who stole her magic and get it back.
Transition
Presidential Suite Elevator
"Why are you so nervous?" Malia inquired once she and Scott left the presidential suite and were in an elevator heading to the ground level.
Instead of answering right away Scott pressed the brake button and brought the elevator to a halt before he focused on Malia.
"I'm nervous because I'm about to do something selfish and I don't really care." He confessed, confusing her but he ignore her confusion and asked to link their hands then continued following a deep breath, eyes locked. "I like you, Malia Tate. A lot.
I don't know how it happened but I know that I've fallen in love with you and I can't go one more second without telling you how I feel about you. I never got the chance to deny my feelings for you because by the time I realized that I love you as more than a friend, it was already too late.
Even if it wasn't, I wouldn't want to deny how I feel about you, Malia. I..."
From that point on, Malia kind of zoned out although she could still see Scott's lips moving. The moment was surreal. Malia couldn't count the number of times she's dreamed of hearing Scott confess how he felt about her and guilt was absent from his chemosignals.
Now that that was happening she couldn't believe it, but the feel of his hands in hers and ten fingers she counted plus the overwhelming positive emotions like happiness, love and peace from his chemosignals told her that the moment was real and so was Scott's confession.
Malia didn't wait for him to finish, she couldn't. And so she silenced Scott with a long-awaited kiss that sent their senses overboard and soon enough one kiss gave birth to more and they forgot about where they were and tore each others shirts with their claws.
They paused for a moment to look at each others glowing red eyes, breathing heavily but with blinding smiles on their faces, the world all but forgotten.
"You love me?" Malia asked, breathlessly, and Scott confirmed that he did. "I love you."
Three simple words but they were like a shot of dopamine and epinephrine, and with dopamine leading, Malia and Scott only had one thought in mind.
Transition
Presidential Suite
"I knew you guys were awesome but defeating a pack of alphas and a darach takes you strafe to badass status. I didn't even know druids were real." MPG1 said, impressed with his alphas' original pack's past feats, considering their ages at the time.
"Um, am I the only one who heard that?" MPG2 asked, wondering if she was hearing things that weren't there, a blush forming.
"Nope." SPG2 replied, having pretended not to hear anything until now.
"What is it?" Lydia inquired, hoping that their peace wasn't about to be cut short.
"I thinkIs that...?" Cora tried to answer after focusing her hearing, only for her eyes to widen in shock at her discovery, a discovery she didn't know whether to continue listening to or not.
"What?" Lydia pressed, impatiently.
MPGs and SPGs remained silent and uncomfortable as they realized what was happening and who they were eavesdropping on.
"Malia wasn't kidding earlier." Cora answered, uncomfortably. "When she said that if she had her way they would be dating and having sex like crazy, well, the sex part is very much happening right now."
"What?" Lydia repeated, surprised.
"Yep. And I'm pretty sure you're going to regret registering with your name and using your card by the time they're done."
"Why?" Lydia questioned, dreading the answer.
"You don't want to know." Cora advised, shaking her head while she walked towards the room she chose for herself. "Uh, I think I'm going to take a shower. Don't disturb me."
"Ditto." MPG4 said, heading to her room as well.
"Ditto." MPGs and SPGs echoed, following Cora's lead although some exchanged looks.
"You're not going anywhere!" Lydia stopped them, her voice enhanced with a little bit of her banshee scream. "Selective override, where are Malia and Scott?"
"Did you really just use the override to know...?" SPG4 asked in disbelief.
As a precaution, Scott created an override phrase, selective override, to override his compulsion for a limited time when people he trusted needed to know information only MPGs and SPGs knew in his and Malia's absence and it only worked when people Scott specified said it.
"Yes. I did." Lydia cut him off. "Where are Malia and Scott? Don't make me ask again or I'll ruin your eardrums until you answer my question."
"The presidential suite elevator." MPG3 answered, not wanting to lose his hearing after hearing a little of the dangerous voice.
"Oh my God. Do they have any idea the history that elevator carries? Presidents and royalty has used this suite!"
"I don't think they'd care even if they did know." SPG4 responded honestly, and a quarter of a moment before they all, including Lydia, heard the elevator cables groan.
"Yeah, they wouldn't and don't care at all." SPG1 concurred, before she turned around and proceeded to head to her room.
"I heavily advise against stopping them at this point and for you to instead focus on coming up with a sound explanation for the aftermath." SPG3 advised.
"What she said." MPG3 supported, about to follow Cora and SPG1's example.
"Good thing you're here, isn't it?" Lydia said, a sweet smile on her lips that proved anything but sweet if they thought of ditching her.
"Did they just stop?" SPG3 asked, not hearing Malia and Scott anymore nor their heart beats.
"I doubt it." Lydia answered. "Their silence probably means more money to be paid for damages."
Transition
Tara's House
"Oh, come on!" Kimberley cried out in frustration when she didn't find Rebekah or Tara.
She found a lead pointing her in Rebekah's direction two days before and followed it from Kentucky, without much rest, and she was really starting to hate her assignment.
The only reason she was able to find Rebekah was because Rebekah used the card Klaus gave her to withdraw a large sum of money and because of CCTV cameras, the latter a method Kimberley only thought of using when she was starting to lose hope of ever finding her after watching a spy movie.
But it seemed even though Rebekah wasn't well informed of modern ways people could be found she smart.
Transition
Forbes House
"I'm just going to ask Tyler if he knows if Scott and Liam have killed anyone when they were in town, Bonnie." Caroline said to Bonnie over the phone.
"And you don't think he'll get suspicious or mention your inquiry to Scott or his cousin?" Bonnie asked.
"Not if I phrase it right and I will. I'll give you an update later."
Transition
Presidential Suite Elevator
"Wow. That was..." A breathless and sweaty Malia said, pinned against an elevator wall, legs wrapped loosely around Scott's waist and head on his shoulder, but she couldn't find the right word.
"Yeah." An equally breathless and sweaty Scott agreed. "Your room or mine?"
"Lydia's." Malia replied, and felt Scott's muscle flex.
"Wha... What?!" He asked, eyes wide, more than a little surprised.
"She took the presidential room and now I want it for us." Malia responded, a moment before Scott's reaction made sense and she pulled back so that she could look him in the eye. "Did you think...?"
"No!" Scott replied, brown eyes not meeting hers.
"Scott." Malia made him look at her with her hands.
"Yeah. But..."
"Were you going to agree if that was what I meant?"
"And ruin things with Jordan?" Scott replied, shaking his head. "No. They might not be dating but..."
"That didn't stop you from making out with Lydia before."
"I, uh... We weren't really friends back then and that was then, we were only using each other for stupid reasons and it was a onetime thing."
"What about Cora?" Malia inquired, and got another muscle reaction. "Would you mind if I asked her to join us?"
"Why are you asking these questions, Malia?" Scott asked, uneasy.
"I want to know." She replied as though that was obvious. "I know that Cora is attracted to you and you're attracted to her too, so I want to know."
"I love you, Malia. And I only want you, OK?"
"You know, I knew that Stiles liked Lydia. More than liked, actually. But I didn't confront him about it because I didn't think it mattered. He was with me and that was all that mattered." Malia told Scott. "That's what I thought until he didn't want my support and we kind of broke up.
While you were busy repairing your friendship and putting the pack back together and trying to reach out to me, Stiles didn't want anything to do with me, not even to help find a way to help his father.
When his father was OK Stiles tried to call me but unlike you he didn't come to my house when his calls didn't get through. You know how obsessive Stiles got when he really wanted something and if he really wanted to fix things with me he would have tried everything to, but he didn't.
He turned his attention to Lydia. I don't have anything against Lydia and I don't blame her for anything but I figured maybe Stiles had been looking for a way to break up with me so that he could go after her.
We know now that they probably weren't going to happen because of the supernatural connection between Jordan and Lydia but we didn't know that at the time, Stiles didn't know that.
The point is, if I had confronted Stiles about his feelings for Lydia, maybe we wouldn't have needed Theo to manipulate things to make us reach that point, that's why I'm asking these questions. I know that you and Lydia aren't attracted to each other but you and Cora are attracted to one other.
I also know that some of our personal guards like you and wouldn't mind having sex with you if given the chance and you asked, and they are not the only ones. Your will is strong, Scott. But temptation is temptation and even you can fall for it and you know it.
That's one of the reasons you pushed for coexistence negotiations to conclude as fast as they did and didn't hesitate to accompany Lydia to Mystic Falls. All the propositions you were getting were driving you crazy and..."
"I wasn't the only getting them." Scott said. "You did as well..."
"And I turned all of them down because you are the only one I want." Malia completed. "But what will happen once we go our separate ways and you go to Davis? We haven't really spent a long time separated since I joined the pack.
I know that I shouldn't be thinking about this right now but Eve, Mary, Mrs Ikooko and Mrs Okami advised me to get this sorted out as soon as possible once we confessed our feelings for each other and I've learned from my past mistake."
Before anything more could be said their stomachs made it known that food was needed and they decided to continue the conversation in the presidential room after ordering meals fit for two hungry alphas post-sex and pre-sex.
Transition
Presidential Suite
"The elevator is coming up." MPG3 warned. "And since my part is done here I'll see later."
And with that he disappeared to his room, followed by some of his fellow guards, not interested in witnessing his leaders' walk of shame.
A few moments later the elevator doors opened and revealed what Lydia and those left behind didn't expect; the elevator was still in the condition they last saw it in and so were Malia and Scott, nothing seemed amiss, except that was exactly what was amiss.
"We're taking over the presidential room, Lydia." Malia said to a confused Lydia.
She also told the remaining guards to deliver her things along with Scott's to the presidential room and to take Lydia's to Scott's previous room before Malia and Scott proceeded to their previous rooms to wear real clothes, leaving behind a group of confused pack members.
"Something is not right." SPG3 voiced everyone's thought.
"Nothing is out of place; not the elevator and not the alphas, except they were holding hands and closer than I've ever seen them before." MPG2 noted.
"If I was a powerful witch and just had sex in an elevator and knew that my friends would be waiting to witness my walk of shame, I would make sure that they are soundly disappointed." Lydia said thoughtfully.
"You think...?"
"I know so." She answered. "What I don't know is if Scott used an illusion spell or..."
"Or nothing." Scott interrupted, surprising everyone. "Don't you have orders to carry out?"
Nothing more had to be said and soon enough Lydia and Scott were the only ones left.
"Really, Scott?"
"Yes, really." Scott said. "Since it appears you've all been discussing my sex life and not ways to watch out for a witch looking for me, I figured that I should tell you that there's a witch looking for me. Well, my necklace.
I was able to make sure that she didn't discover my identity and tried to discover hers when I sensed her magic but I only identified her gender and I'm pretty sure she knows where we are. Not this hotel specifically but Nice Town.
I don't want to lead her to Mystic Falls, so we will wait and set a trap for her here."
"Good idea. We don't want her teaming up with Klaus or something." Lydia replied, before she noticed something amiss. "Did you change your clothes?"
"What? No, I didn't." Scott responded, and began to walk away and towards the presidential room.
"You did, didn't you? I wonder why."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Lydia."
"Whatever you say, Mr Elevator. Just know that you're paying me back for whatever damages you two cause, with interest for traumatizing my bank account and possibly getting me banned from this hotel."
Transition
Lockwood House
"I don't know how your father did it. Being mayor is a lot of work." Carol said to her son, having just arrived home.
"You knew him longer than I did, so if you don't know I wouldn't know either." Tyler replied, sitting in the television room and playing a video game.
Carol withheld a sigh and instead headed for her bedroom.
A few moments later Tyler head a car stop in the drive way and soon there was a knock at the door.
"Tyler."
He heard Caroline's voice and a smile came upon his face. After Matt left he found that he was short on friends, hence he has been playing video games a lot lately, aside from going out to clubs to sate an urge that came with being a werewolf.
"Come in." Tyler said, pausing the video game.
It didn't take long before Caroline appeared in the room.
"Hey." She greeted, taking a seat.
"Hi. What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm visiting you. We haven't seen much of each other these past weeks, so here I am. Mind if I play with you?" Caroline responded, pointing at the video game console.
"Nope." Tyler replied.
Transition
Presidential Room
"How long do you think we'll have to wait for the witch to get here?" Malia asked Scott in between bites.
"I don't know. But since she knows that I know she's looking for my necklace I think she'll try to get here as fast as she can." Scott replied, in between bites as well.
They'd ordered meals fit for their appetite while their belongings were delivered to the room and once the food arrived Scott sealed the room and cast privacy spells before they started eating.
"When did you speak with Eve, Mary, Mrs Ikooko and Mrs Okami?" Scott inquired.
"A few days after you officially formed Beacon Council. There are a few things female alphas are supposed to know, so they came by our house while you were meeting with the Faction and that's the only thing I'm telling you."
"You know, my connection with Belasko has strengthened since the pack expanded, I have access to his memories now and could easily search through them."
"But you're not going to. I'm sure you were also filled in on what male alphas are supposed to know." Malia said, and paused to drink some juice. "What are we now that we're here?"
"What do you want us to be?"
"Boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Then we're officially dating and we're boyfriend and girlfriend." Scott replied, a big smile on his face that was shared by Malia before they briefly kissed and then went back to their food.
"I've been thinking about what I want to do with my life and Marin helped me find something." Malia revealed, drawing an even bigger smile from Scott. "Beacon Hills Preserve management is looking for people who are interested in becoming rangers and has a program set up."
"You want to be a ranger?"
"I want to be a ranger."
"A ranger and a veterinarian." Scott said to himself, liking how their chosen professions were kind of in the same field. "Since you're easily going to top your class, I'll have to up my game."
"Please, we're all well aware that Deaton has been preparing you to become a veterinarian for ages and I'm pretty sure you're his chosen successor."
"There's a chance I'm not the only one who has been prepared."
"Fine." Malia said, before she decided it was time. "So, what are we going to do about our time apart, Scott?"
"Focus on doing well on our..."
"I mean concerning what we spoke about in the elevator." Malia interrupted.
"We love each other and only want one another; I'm not planning on cheating on you, Malia." Scott responded.
"I'm not planning on cheating on you either." Malia replied. "But we both know how hard it was not to give in and have sex with our propositioners these past months, especially after we arrived in New Orleans."
"Tell me about. You'd think people wouldn't want anything to do with us after we practically took over their city and power."
"It's a survival instinct. Pleasing conquers almost guarantees one's survival and increases the chances of a better life." Malia said, surprising Scott. "What? Lydia was going on and on about it after she arrived in New Orleans and got her own fair share of propositions.
Although she still got mad at Jordan for the attention he received."
"Does that also apply to our personal guards?"
"I don't think so, and neither does Lydia. She thinks that some of them were purposefully chosen for specific reasons on top of their qualifying attributes. And she pressed 'specific reasons'."
"Mr Phiri said something about our personal guard teams being created to see to our every desire while protecting us." Scott said slowly. "I didn't think much about it at the time but now."
"Mary said something along those lines to me." Malia revealed, as things starting to add up. "She also said 'heavy is the head that wears the crown and as such it should be attended to and kept satisfied, lest the crown become too heavy a burden and the head falters'."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It probably means that you were so obviously horny that Beacon Council decided to create a mixed harem for you before you exploded." Malia answered with a straight face, before laughter overtook her.
Scott tried to keep a straight and offended face but Malia's laughter was contagious and so he found himself joining her, spilling some of their hydrates in the process.
Transition
Lockwood House
"You've been kind of a loner since Matt left town. Why?" Caroline inquired, pausing the video game.
"I didn't realize just how much I appreciated my friendship with Matt until he left, and now that he's not around I'm more than a little aware that I'm short on friends, genuine friends." Tyler answered. "Friends that I can share things with and..."
"Aren't I a genuine friend?" Caroline asked, and ignored the irony in that question considering her reason for the visit.
"You know what I mean. You have Bonnie, Stefan and your mom to confide in. I, on the other hand, only have..."
"Liam, Scott and I?"
"Liam and Scott have been busy lately." Tyler replied. "Lydia as well. And I can't exactly join you, Bonnie and Stefan at the Grill for casual lunch since it seems Stefan is just comprehending that I killed his vampire brother Damon and gives me an eviler eye each time we cross paths."
"I'm sure Stefan doesn't mean it. He's probably just projecting his frustration onto you because you're an easy target."
"What's that supposed to me?" An offended Tyler questioned.
"Nothing. I didn't..."
"You know, Scott and Liam might have focused on teaching me to control my temper but they also taught me how to use it. If Stefan attacks me, I will kill him."
"Is that what Scott taught you? To kill whoever attacks you?" Caroline asked defensively, and just like that she realized that maybe Katherine tried to attack Scott and feed from him after they disappeared from the CCTV camera and he retaliated by killing her.
She didn't know why she hadn't thought about it before because that would explain Scott's lack of guilt towards killing Katherine after showing great concern over an injured raven. And since Katherine had been holding a vial of blood on her person during the possible attack...
"No. He taught me to defend myself. This is one of the reasons I've been a 'loner' lately." Tyler responded, standing up and motioning between him and Caroline. "I don't know who you would choose between Stefan and me if it came down to choosing sides.
Actually, from past experience, maybe I do know whose side you would choose. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.
And I'm the idiot who betrayed his own flock because he believed the life of the girl he knew his whole life mattered more than his entire flock. You can see yourself out, Caroline. If Stefan attacks me or my mom, I will kill him. The Salvatores killed one Lockwood, they won't kill another."
With that, Tyler left Caroline in the room and she watched him disappear with a heavy heart. She kind of had her purpose for the visit fulfilled but it was an empty fulfillment, one that she took home without any sense of accomplishment.
The moment she closed the Lockwood door behind her, Carol stepped out of her hiding spot, having eavesdropped on the teenagers and began connecting the dots.
Transition
Presidential Room
"You seem to forget that I'm not the only one with a personal guard team." Scott said once they settled down.
"You're the one with the crown, not me." Malia replied.
"I'm the one with the girlfriend and I don't need an intervention when it comes to my sex life. All I need is you." Scott responded, moving the trays from the bed.
"You have me." Malia said, lying on the bed. "And we have months of catching up to do."
Trays of the bed, well fed and...
"I almost forgot that I haven't..." Scott began, moving to take out his flask.
"Sated your vampire thirst since earlier." Malia finished, taking off her shirt. "You fought the urge to feed from me in the elevator, but I want you to feed from me now."
"I haven't feed directly since..."
"I know. Now shut up and come bite me."
Scott didn't need to be told twice.
Transition
Mystic Falls Hospital
"Caroline Forbes and Stefan Salvatore are vampires." Carol said over the phone.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Meredith Fell asked, sitting in her car.
"I overheard a conversation and connected the dots. Both of them have jewelry with a blue stone like the one Damon had and I'm beginning to suspect that stone plays an important role in the vampire community." Carol explained.
"Tell me more over dinner at my house." Meredith responded, pleased.