Nice Town
"Thank you, darling. You can fly home now." Rebekah told the pilot she compelled to fly her and Tara to Nice Town, before she turned to Tara. "Are you ready to see if this town lives up to its name?"
"I'm ready to get the job done so I can get paid." Tara replied.
"There's more to life than work and I'm about to show you that, Tara." Rebekah said, leading the way from the landing pad they were dropped at to ground level. "The witch who has my necklace is probably on high alert and expecting us right now.
We need to let things cool down so that they let their guard down. They're not going anywhere. You witches are too sentimental to places you reside in and this witch is probably no different.
Let's find ourselves a nice hotel, eat breakfast and rest for a few hours. You must be tired from the trip."
TRANSITION
Niklaus' Mansion
"Come on, love! You can do better than that!" Klaus coached, watching and timing Greta who was tasked with running around the house until she couldn't. "Pick up your pace and show me that you truly want to become a true fighter!"
"How does running help me become a true fighter?" Greta inquired, coming to a halt, lungs burning from running and very much regretting ever asking for training.
"I'll tell you once you've exhausted yourself. Now get going. You can ask questions while running." Klaus replied.
TRANSITION
Gilbert House
Morning found Alaric forcing himself to get out of bed and prepare for his return to fighting shape. He was a bit slow but he was determined to do what he had to do, even though his body was protesting.
TRANSITION
Nice Town
"Huh, I can't believe this hotel is still around." Rebekah commented as she and Tara walked through the entrance.
"When last were you here?" Tara inquired.
"Some time ago." Rebekah answered, purposely unspecific.
"Good morning, ladies. Welcome to Nice Hotel." Receptionist greeted once the two reached the reception.
"Good morning." Rebekah returned the greeting with a smile. "Is your uppermost suite occupied?"
"Let me check." Receptionist said, and typed away on the keyboard until he found what he was looking for. "The presidential suite is currently unavailable..."
"Make it available." Rebekah responded.
"I apologize, ma'am. But I can't. It's been booked..."
"Make it avai..." Rebekah began to compel the receptionist.
"Are you really doing this?" Tara interrupted, unimpressed. "My father lost his job because of something like this and I'm not going to be a part of it. I'll find somewhere else to stay. Call me when you're ready to do what we came here to do."
With that, Tara moved to leave but Rebekah swallowed her pride and stopped her from leaving. Although Rebekah brought Tara to Nice Town with her to personally help her retrieve her necklace, she had other reasons.
The last few weeks were like a breath of fresh air without her brothers around but after some time loneliness set in and Rebekah sought company, and since she saw Tara's living conditions, which weren't the best, and Tara looked out for Rebekah by advising her against going after the necklace, she made her an offer.
It was rare that a witch go the extra mile free of charge when consulted by a vampire, so Rebekah wanted to return the favor without being obvious and maybe gain another true friend, like Greta.
"Fine. We'll get another suite." Rebekah said, breaking the compulsion. "Which is the next best suite available?"
"There's an available suite on the second uppermost level, ma'am." Receptionist replied.
"We'll take it." Rebekah said, taking out the card she received upon transferring the money Klaus had put at her disposal into a new bank account of her purse, and then looked at Tara. "Happy?"
"That you did the right thing and showed restrain? Yes. Although I wonder if you compelled the pilot to bring us here." Tara responded.
"Keep wondering." Rebekah replied.
TRANSITION
Presidential Suite
"Good morning." Cora greeted her fellow pack members in the conference room.
"Good morning." They returned the greeting.
"We're eating breakfast downstairs, right?"
"Of course. We're just waiting for Malia and Scott." Lydia replied.
"We're here." Malia said, entering the room with Scott and they exchanged their own greetings before settling down.
"You're looking surprisingly energetic." Lydia commented, looking at Malia and Scott and not missing the fact that they were closer to each other and holding hands. "I thought you'd be a little tired."
"We're alphas, Lydia." Malia answered with a smile.
"And we have things to take care of." Scott added. "Like taking care of the witch that's after my necklace."
"I have an idea." SPG3 said, and earned everyone's attention and was acknowledged so she continued. "But it requires that you know a spell that can trap a witch in a specific area and prevent them from performing magic."
"I can learn them while we eat breakfast." Scott replied, and earned himself questioning looks from everyone except Malia. "My connection with Belasko has strengthened since the ritual, so I'll have Raven3 study the spells and learn from him.
If there are ingredients required, Raven2 will collect them and bring them to the suite. They're already on it."
What Scott didn't say was that he also had Raven6 looking over Lucien's, now his, collection of grimoires for the spells in New Orleans.
"That's cheating." MPG1 commented.
"It's called life." Cora said.
"With that taken care of, once you (Scott) know the spells you'll need to acquire an apartment and cast the spells before leaving the necklace there for the witch to find." SPG3 continued "One of the ravens can keep watch and inform you once the witch is trapped.
In the meantime we can actually enjoy our time here."
"But what if the witch is working with someone?" MPG3 inquired. "While she would be trapped she could call her partner and throw the necklace to said possible partner when they get there and the necklace would be gone."
"It seems more spells will be needed but good idea, SPG3. And thanks for noticing its weakness, MPG3." Scott acknowledged. "We might not have to directly involve ourselves until we have the witch trapped but no one is allowed to go anywhere alone and that includes staying in the suite alone."
"We have that covered, Scott." SPG4 said. "MPG1 and MPG2 will watch over Cora, SPG1 and SPG2 will watch over Lydia, MPG3 and MPG4 will continue watching over Malia and SPG3 and I will continue watching over you."
"I don't want any of you going anywhere alone either. You're as much members of the pack as all of us and I don't want anything happening to you as well." Scott told MPGs and SPGs, surprising them. "I don't know what Beacon Council told you but we watch out for each other in this pack."
"You got that right." Lydia concurred. "I didn't have Jordan train me just to be a damsel in distress."
"And we..." Cora and Malia said in unison, and protracted their claws in unison as well, eyes glowing their respective colors, yellow and red. "Can take care of ourselves."
"Since we can watch over ourselves just fine, we will watch over you as well as pack members." Scott added, hoping to close the matter.
"The Council found it strange that you agreed to allow us to accompany you so easily, now I understand why." MPG4 said. "Your plan was to convince us that you don't need personal guards. But we already knew that. You've defeated a darach and a pack full of alphas, after all.
The thing is an alpha never walks alone, regardless of whether they want to or not in the same manner members of a royal family don't have a choice but to accept being watched over day and night.
It just so happens that you're not just an alpha but a king too, hence every member of your original pack and council and their families and yours have been assigned a PGT, Personal Guard Team.
MPGs and SPGs were created because heavy is the head that wears the crown and as such it should be attended to and kept satisfied, lest the crown becomes too heavy a burden and the head falters.
You are Bayou and New Orleans royalty; your desires, safety, security and ability to continue your duties without a hitch are our priorities. If you have any questions Miss Marin Morrell will answer them, she's Head of PGTs."
Malia and Scott exchanged unreadable looks before the former took out her phone to call Marin and the latter closed his eyes to focus on Belasko's memories while Cora and Lydia's surprised expressions were obvious to see.
TRANSITION
Nice Hotel Restaurant
After settling in their suite Rebekah and Tara went to the ground level where there was a restaurant for their breakfast and Tara couldn't help but ask a question she has been curious about.
"Can vampires eat ordinary food like fruits and vegetables?"
"Of course, we can." Rebekah answered as they sat and waited to be attended to. "But it doesn't sustain us like blood does."
"What about alcohol? Can it affect you like it affects beings without accelerated healing?" Tara followed up. "Like, can you get drunk?"
"Kind of. We get a little buzzed and that buzz probably feels a lot more than it is because of our enhanced emotions." Rebekah replied, glad that Tara was showing her curiosity. "While witches and other species produce their own blood to help clean up their systems, vampires can't produce their own.
We require fresh blood to help the process go along. Like you need food and water to function properly, vampires need blood. If you think about it, we're not that different from each other.
You cut down all kinds of plants and kill animals for food and we, vampires, get our food from you. It's all part of an interesting food chain."
"Good morning, ladies." Waiter greeted, and placed menus before Rebekah and Tara. "Here are your menus. Shall I bring you refreshments while you go over the menus?"
"I'll have a glass of red wine, with a few drops of your blood." Rebekah responded, and said the last part while compelling him.
"Rebekah!" Tara admonished.
"I'm a vampire, Tara. I need blood to survive and fuel me for our shopping spree."
"If you need blood, I'll give you blood, Rebekah. Just-Wait. What shopping spree?"
"You heard the lady, bring my red wine as it is and forget my blood request." Rebekah finished her compulsion, and then replied with a question of her own. "Didn't you notice that I didn't bring a bag?"
"Why didn't you?" Tara inquired.
"I was in a hurry to get here." Rebekah answered. "The waiter is waiting for your order."
TRANSITION
Presidential Suite
"Marin." Malia greeted once Marin answered the call.
"You know." Marin assumed by Malia's tone.
"We know." Malia concurred.
"Not all of us have super hearing." Lydia said, knowing the others were listening in and wanted to hear as well.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Malia asked after activating loudspeaker and placing the phone on the table.
"Beacon Council is taking Scott's position as a King of New Orleans seriously and knowing Scott, he would have shut down any ideas proposed to promote that mindset to the rest of the pack." Marin responded. "But the thing is most already took Scott's status as alpha and king just as seriously.
Human Faction has its own monarch in the form of Orleans Parish led by Priest Kieran O'Connell, Witch Faction has its own in the form of the Ancestors with Josephine LaRue as Regent and Vampire Faction had its own in the form of two kings; Marcel Gerard and Lucien Castle, until Scott killed one of them to claim his kingship, leaving it with one king.
Adding that fact and the fact that Scott defeated the leader of a leading werewolf royal bloodline pack in an official challenge and united nine packs to form New Beacon Pack, New Beacon Pack saw its own worthy monarch in him and Beacon Council voted to officially crown him King Alpha with respect to his official and earned rank.
As a result, McCall Pack, as Scott's original pack, was declared Bayou and New Orleans royalty. Personal Guard Teams were created to ensure McCall Pack and Beacon Council are protected as a royal pack and New Beacon Pack's governing body, respectively.
SPGs and MPGs are collectively and officially the Royal Guard for King Alpha Scott McCall and his chosen successor Crown Princess Alpha Malia Tate, respectively."
"So, while I was busy negotiating our coexistence with the Faction and seeing if kingship could be removed from New Orleans hierarchy, you were busy solidifying my status as king and you didn't tell me?" Scott asked, done analyzing Belasko's memories. "And you recruited Belasko to help?"
"Yes." Marin answered.
"OK. Keep me posted and don't keep things from me again." Scott said, letting go of the issue to everyone's surprise.
"Just like that?" Marin inquired.
"I'm happy and in a good mood, so... Just like that." Scott replied, shrugging. "Just don't be surprised when members of the Council and their Gammas are demoted to Omega rank next time, with at least four years before they can work their way up."
"You sound happy and in a good mood, even with the threat." Marin commented, curious.
"I wonder why." Cora said in a telltale tone.
"I don't mind telling you why." Malia offered. "And then you can tell the Council that we're good and their 'head' is being attended to and kept satisfied, by me, and that it's not about to falter and even if it did, they should mind their own sex lives. If they have sex lives, if not..."
"Oh, God. Have a good day, Miss Morrell." Scott said, and promptly ended the call and gave Malia a look.
"What?" She asked.
"Yeah. What's that about?" Lydia inquired.
"Nothing." Scott replied, and quickly covered Malia's mouth to prevent her from responding and then looked at the Royal Guard. "I stand by what I said, we watch out for each other in this pack."
"And we stand by our vows to serve and protect you." SPG4 said. "We may have lost some of our loved ones during the coup d'etat but they died for a cause they believed in so that we could have a better future.
A future we have only dreamed of for the last two decades until you came, united us, Alpha led us to a successful rescue of our people and you killed the man behind our pain.
Like MPG4 said; you are Bayou and New Orleans royalty; your desires, safety and security are our priorities. We are aware you never really intended to overthrow Jackson and become Alpha of every Bayou and New Orleans pack.
Mary used her influence and your victory over Jackson to convince all of our packs to unite and have you as our alpha and Jackson used what makes you the alpha that you are to get you to accept our submission, unite the packs and become our alpha.
You didn't have to accept but you did and two weeks later werewolves are back in New Orleans and no longer have to hide, families have beautiful houses to call home, adults have jobs that pay well and kids have all the support they want and need to understand and accept what and who they are and are able to freely attend school.
It's only right that we appreciate what you've done and risked for us, what you've been and are doing for us and give you the respect you earned by acknowledging you and McCall Pack with the highest status in werewolf community; royalty."
"Humans have Hunters, vampires have the Originals, witches have the Ancestors and we have Royalty." MPG4 continued. "But unlike Crescent Wolf Pack and Paxon Pack, McCall Pack wasn't born royalty; it earned its royal status.
Body, mind and soul, we have vowed to serve and protect you. Allow us to honor our vows, King Alpha."
With that, the Royal Guard kneeled down and bowed in respect and submission.
Lydia remembered a time when she didn't think much of Scott McCall, a time when he wasn't on her radar. It amazed her how far he has come, probably as much as her own transformation from the day she met Allison for the first time to now.
Lydia was proud of whom they became and wished Aiden, Allison, Boyd, Erica and Stiles were still alive to see how far they have come. And she wished Ethan, Isaac, Jackson and Kira were around.
"Only if you address me by my name like we agreed before we left New Orleans." Scott responded, visibly shaken by the devotion he was showed.
It was about the same level as Belasko's and it scared him more than he would like to admit because he knew the lengths Belasko would go for him, but a part of Scott wasn't scared by the devotion.
"Your wish is our command." SPG4 said.
"My wish is to eat breakfast downstairs with my pack." Scott replied, to diffuse the serious atmosphere, and just like that everyone was reminded of breakfast. "But I have to make a phone call, so I'll catch up with you."
"Don't take too long, I already booked us a table." Lydia said.
"He won't." Malia responded for Scott, before they shared a short kiss and then left with the pack, except SPG3 and SPG4, who excused Scott, and Scott, who called his mother after they left.
"Mom."
"Hey, honey. How's the road trip going?" Melissa greeted her son and inquired over the phone, sounding as though she just woke up.
"It's going fine, but not without surprises." Scott replied, glad to hear his mother's voice but hearing her voice was not the only reason he called her. "I just found out that we're royalty and that you are one of the people who voted for our royal status and PGTs and the Royal Guard."
Melissa went silent for a few moments before Scott heard her sigh.
"I did." She finally said.
"Why? And why didn't you tell me?"
"To protect you." Melissa answered, sounding her age.
"From what?" Scott asked, confused.
"From your biological father."
Scott's heart skipped a few beats as he tried to process Melissa's answer.
"What do you mean?" He inquired.
"The first time you died was for me, Scott. You sacrificed yourself for me." Melissa responded with a heavy heart. "Because of that, you will forever have a darkness around your heart. I don't know how that feels like or what it even truly means but it's because you wanted to save me.
Since then I've seen your dead body twice. You might not have been truly dead the second time but the third time you were dead without a chance of ever coming back. It's a miracle I was able to revive you but the image has stuck with me and I'll never forget it.
After everything you've done to protect people you care about and those you don't even know and everything I've heard about your biological father... According to Francesca, you're the talk of the supernatural world right now, more than you have ever been.
Vampire Faction is doing all it can to keep its humiliating defeat from spreading across the vampire community but it is bleeding into it from all the other communities, especially the werewolf community. Sooner or later, your name and feats are going to reach your biological father.
You've done everything you can to help people and because of that, as we speak, you're the living symbol of hope and a better life for them.
Everyone voted for your ascension to werewolf kinghood and for us to be werewolf royalty to show their appreciation for everything you've done and are doing for them.
I voted for that because you're my son and it was the only way I could ensure that while you're busy helping and protecting everyone, you're protected too. I know that we don't know if you can be killed or not but I've seen you dead too many times already and I don't want to anymore."
"You won't." Scott assured, tears falling down his cheeks.
"I know, because anyone who tries to kill or hurt you by using anyone you love and care about will have nine packs and Kara Nguyen's Coven to deal with and go through." Melissa replied.
Scott couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at that. He didn't know what to say but...
"I love you, mom."
"And I love you too, honey." Melissa responded, smiling as well.
TRANSITION
Nice Hotel Restaurant
"Don't be a spoilsport, Tara. It's shopping for new clothes and shoes and jewelry, and I will pay for all of it." Rebekah said, on their way out of the restaurant, having spent the breakfast trying to convince Tara to go shopping with her.
"I have enough..." Tara responded.
"A girl can never have enough clothes, shoes or jewelry, sweetheart." Lydia commented, as she passed by Rebekah and Tara with the pack.
Rebekah and Tara paused and looked at Lydia and the former saw an opportunity and took it.
"Hi." Rebekah greeted, stopping the pack. "Would you like to join us?"
"What are you doing, Rebekah?" Tara questioned, feeling like Rebekah was using the girl to get her to agree to go shopping.
Aside from that, Tara got the sensed that the group was not human.
"Inviting someone with a fashion sense to join us..." Rebekah replied, but trailed off when she saw six pairs of glowing beta werewolf blue and yellow eyes focused on her, confirming Tara's intuition.
That caused Cora, Lydia and Malia to look at the Royal Guard and though Lydia was surprised to find the Royal Guard revealing its nature to 'humans', Cora and Malia knew why as they caught Rebekah's vampire scent like them.
But unlike the Royal Guard, they weren't oppressed by vampires, so Cora and Malia didn't react like they did to Rebekah.
"Put those away." Lydia instructed with a commanding tone. "There are..."
"She's a vampire." SPG2 revealed, motioning to Rebekah, to Lydia's surprise.
"And she's a witch." MPG2 added, motioning to Tara, but the Royal Guard heeded Lydia's command and shifted their eyes to their human ones.
"And you're werewolves." Rebekah responded, rolling her eyes. "So what? Can't a girl go shopping?"
"They don't like you." Malia said honestly. "And since they're our guards..."
"Are you going to go shopping with me?" Lydia interrupted, asking Malia.
"SPG1 and SPG2 will go with you." Malia replied smartly.
"They'll go everywhere with me."
"That's the point. And it seems it's a good thing too." Malia responded. "But you haven't answered the vampire and I'm hungry."
Lydia found herself wishing she had a way of telling what species people she met were like the rest of her pack, not for the first time, but since she was a banshee and not a werecoyote or a werewolf, she thought about returning to Eichen House to visit Meredith for a way to and more banshee lessons.
"My name is Rebekah." Rebekah said, and resisted the urge to add her surname.
"We know. Your friend Tara called you by name." Cora replied.
"I'm Lydia." Lydia introduced herself, and then the others. "Malia, Cora and our overprotective bodyguards. Um, I haven't had breakfast yet but if you can wait for me I'll join you. I planned to go shopping after breakfast, anyway."
"We'll wait for you." Rebekah said, willing to ignore the werewolves in hopes of an improvement on her shopping experience from her last one with Klaus.
At that moment, Waitress, one of the waiters who came to the presidential suite last night to deliver the pack's meals, approached the group.
"Miss Martin, your table is ready." She informed.
"Lead the way." Lydia responded, and then added as the waitress led them to the table Lydia booked. "We have two guests, please accommodate for them."
With Waitress acknowledging that and signaling her coworker to add two more chairs to the table, Lydia realized that she never consulted the pack or Rebekah and Tara but since the latter two followed them she figured they didn't mind. The Royal Guard, however, did mind but didn't say anything.
They arrived at their rectangle table made of six square tables with six pairs of chairs facing each other to accommodate the pack. The two inner tables were for Cora, Lydia, Malia and Scott and the outer ones were for the Royal Guard.
The seating arrangement pleased the Royal Guard because the two chairs Lydia asked for were put at the two ends of the table, effectively separating Rebekah and Tara from Cora, Lydia, Malia and Scott.
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you have werewolf bodyguards, bodyguards at all?" Rebekah inquired once orders of refreshments were taken, with Malia ordering two, and Waitress left.
She guessed Cora, Lydia and Malia had werewolf bodyguards because Cora was a werewolf and probably an alpha's daughter or sister out with friends, one of which (Malia) Rebekah couldn't place her scent and the other (Lydia) she identified as human, but she wanted to verify.
"Overprotective adults." Lydia replied, rolling her eyes.
"I'm sure that they mean well." Tara commented.
"They do. That's why we aren't planning on ditching them." Lydia responded, and then inquired. "How are you two together?"
"Tara is helping me with something and I'm trying to get her to loosen up and..." Rebekah began to answer, but paused when she heard a phone ring and remembered that she left her phone in her and Tara's suite. "And live a little. Excuse me. I forgot my phone in my room."
With that, Rebekah left the table, leaving Tara, who said that she didn't need to loosen up, behind.
She couldn't help but think about her brothers, specifically her half brother Klaus, when Lydia spoke about overprotective adults and the reason Cora, Lydia and Malia weren't planning on ditching their bodyguards.
Rebekah envied them for they didn't know her brothers' kind of over protectiveness. If she had to describe it with one word, stifling would be her word of choice but Rebekah...
That thought never completed forming because Rebekah bumped into someone and because she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going and was wearing heels, she lost balance and soon found herself on the floor with a broken heel just outside the hotel restaurant.
Well, that would have been what happened if a steadier Scott's arms didn't reflexively reach out and catch Rebekah by her waist, but a heel still broke.
When Scott, SPG3 and SPG4 left the suite, Scott was at peace with his new status and he walked like the king he was.
That is until the ravens contacted him about his request and their findings and he entered autopilot to navigate his way to the restaurant while seeing through the ravens' eyes.
There were variations of the spells Scott requested and so he worked with Raven2, Raven3 and Raven6 to find the best ones for their situation and timeframe.
However, because Scott was on autopilot with his mind focused on something else, he bumped into and caught Rebekah, hence he found himself holding and steadying her.
Rebekah planned on giving whoever she bumped into a piece of her mind, and maybe teeth later, but upon raising her head, her eyes met a slightly uneven jaw and then warm dark brown eyes looking into her light blue ones.
"Hey, sorry." Scott apologized, a moment before he caught Rebekah's vampire scent, but he still asked, anyway. "Are you OK?"
And just like that, Rebekah lost sense of the world and like many times before, her undead heart skipped a beat. And then another. Before it proceeded to continue pumping blood throughout her body, only at a faster rate.
But words seemed to leave her the longer she locked eyes with the stranger she bumped into and who caught her tongue-tied.
"Are you OK?" Scott repeated his question, brushing Rebekah's hair away from her face and unintentionally caressed her cheek.
The physical touch finally got to Rebekah and she blinked a few times to get her mind straight.
"I am now." She responded, and took off her heels since one was broken.
With that, Scott released Rebekah to stand on her own feet and she recomposed herself.
"Great." Scott said, and smiled, happy to come across a friendly vampire in what felt like ages, the last one being Caroline. "I'm sorry for bumping into you."
"Are you?" Rebekah inquired.
"Yes."
"Good, because you owe me a new pair of heels, handsome." Rebekah replied, motioning to her broken heel next to her feet. "But since I'm in a hurry and you're heading for the restaurant, I'll see you soon for introductions and so that we can speak about replacements.
You can keep these for my shoe size."
With that, Rebekah departed, missing SPG3 and SPG4.
"Malia is not going to be happy about that." SPG3 commented.
"About what?" Scott asked.
"You flirting with the vampire."
"I didn't flirting with her." Scott denied.
"That smile you gave her says otherwise."
"What smile? I was just happy to meet a friendly vampire after New Orleans. You know that I have no shortage of vampire enemies there. It's refreshing to come across one that's not sneering at me or propositioning me with a hidden agenda."
"Whatever you say, Scott." SPG3 responded, and then advised. "But I suggest you get rid of that hoodie with the vampire's scent and tell Malia about what just happened."
"I second that." SPG4 agreed.
"Nothing happened." Scott insisted, but heeded their advice by taking off his hoodie before asking Raven1 to deliver the heels to the lost and found department and to get the hoodie washed.
He wasn't admitting anything but he knew having another woman's scent on him after a night of love confessions and passion with Malia would be a bad idea, and so would keeping secrets about things that never happened with the beautiful and friendly blonde vampire.