Freya brought Mayor Lockwood and Vanessa their meals the next few days and added a detox potion. They were occupying the lower level where Finn had been kept since much of the lower basement had been destroyed when Dahlia had come. The sooner they could be sure all vervain was out of their systems, the sooner they could compel them and let them leave.
Freya thought Vanessa lived alone, but everyone was pretty sure the Mayor would be missed. The cover story would be that she was visiting with her son for the weekend. Freya enacted a boundary spell so they could walk freely throughout that level of the basement, but just not leave.
"Is my son alright?" Carol asked anxiously after two days of being held.
"Yes, Mayor. He's fine. He was still sleeping. I'll send him down to see you later, okay?" Freya said kindly.
"No, I'm sure he hates me. I can't believe I got fooled by those murderous traitors," Carol trembled in shame.
"Carol, what are we doing here? I don't remember anything," Vanessa said looking around.
"Vanessa, is it? I'm Freya. We are going to help you. I think some very bad people wiped your memory. I'm not sure what they wanted with you, but it wasn't good. We're going to do everything we can to find out and get to the bottom of this," Freya asserted.
"They are a very powerful organization with ties that go up, way up. My son isn't even a werewolf. If supernatural aren't hurting anyone, why can't they leave them alone?" Carol quavered.
"That's what we think we found out the answer to," Elijah came in saying, with Klaus come behind.
"Those hunters were not just hunters, some were vampires and wolves. They might have been trying to recruit us to build an army, or just to capture supernaturals by force to add to their insane army cult," Klaus divulged.
"To what end?" Carol undertook.
"That's what we need to find out," Elijah declared.
It was clear that Carol and Vanessa knew very little. As soon as they could be compelled to forget everything, they would be free to go.
Marcel had spent a few hours the day after the battle, as they called it, with the boys. They were shaken, but holding it together. Klaus, Elijah, and Kol were busy trying to put some new security features in place. Rebekah busied herself with redecorating Seraphina's room into a neutral color scheme and get the patio repaired. The cost for the fast work and discretion was high. However, Rebekah thought the faster they could get rid of the blood stains and bullet holes, the faster they could get back to normal.
"Hey, I know it's kinda early for you guys, but I think it's time we talk," Marcel said coming in the boys's room and shutting the door.
"Yeah, it is 11: 45am. We could probably sleep a few more hours," Matt laughed groggily.
"And they call me the vampire? Unreal!" Marcel retorted.
"I was going to head down and see my mom. I think they are letting her go today after they compel her," Tyler said uncertainly as if he wasn't sure if Marcel wanted him there or not.
"That's fine, man. I'll catch you later," Marcel imparted with a wave.
"So?" Jeremy said hopping out of bed and leaning against it as Matt used the bathroom.
"Can I see that tattoo? Has it changed since yesterday?" Marcel said examining it closely.
"No one really told me what it means yet," Jeremy mumbled.
"Alaric is doing some research. He's going to get back to us about that soon, okay?" Marcel said as Matt came back in.
"Sure, can I brush my teeth?" Jeremy asked indicating the bathroom.
"Yeah. Matt, you feeling okay? Anything weird since?" Marcel questioned.
"Since I died. No, I feel fine. I did have this pretty real dream about my sister Vicky, but I've had those before," Matt revealed.
"So the night of the, you know, incident. Things got pretty crazy, quickly. I regret that we didn't have more emergency training, but in the little we did have. What was the rule?" Marcel started as Jeremy joined Matt, now on the couch. Marcel was now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Go to the safe room. Get to safety, Don't be a hero," Jeremy repeated by memory.
"And which ones did you two disobey?" Marcel asked sternly.
"All of them. We ignored Alaric and I got shot," Matt faltered.
"Yeah, and unlike Tyler, you didn't have vampire blood in your system to heal you. You would still be dead if not for Seraphina," Marcel continued.
"I know. I think I'm still in shock. It was so dumb, but we realized Ty and Caroline were missing and boom! I'm shot," Matt stressed.
"As Alaric told it, he told you to stay and you two knuckleheads still ran out," Marcel chided.
"It's hard to remember. We panicked, I guess. Is Dad really mad? We've barely seen them since it happened," Jeremy wondered.
"The attack on the compound was bad. Like really serious. It was coordinated. That was no little weak band of hunters. Klaus and Elijah are going to make sure that this place is like a fortress. Even Kol is stepping up and going above and beyond. I mean, if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I'm not sure I'd believe it. But we all care about you guys. Klaus is pretty torn up about it," Marcel started.
"He seems like he can't look at us, at me," Matt reported.
"Hey man, come here. It's not that," Marcel said hugging Matt,"he's freaking out about losing you guys."
"But we're here and fine," Jeremy said plainly.
"Yes, but what if we are in this situation again and y'all don't want to listen again. You could die or get hurt really bad. Guys, this isn't a joke. I know you tried to help, but you didn't. We're in a war now, you're soldiers. Soldiers have to obey," Marcel lectured.
"Did you used to use that speech on your guys?" Matt bantered.
"Hey, watch it, mister. That was one of my greatest speeches to new vampires. It's dangerous and when you don't obey, you can die or get someone killed," Marcel cautioned.
"I guess I already did," Matt admitted thinking of Seraphina.
"What's done is done. You can't take it back, but you should pay for your actions, right?" Marcel queried.
"Marcel, is this long lecture going to end with us getting our butts whupped because I'm really hungry," Jeremy smiled.
"Well, mister smart mouth, you can go down and have breakfast, actually lunch. I have a couple things to do and then we'll talk tonight. And y'all best behave yourselves today. Everyone is on edge. So mind your manners. It would not be a stretch for you two to get more than one spanking today. Be smart. Things are tense so act accordingly," Marcel warned.
"Yes, sir!" Matt saluted mockingly.
"That's going cost you extra tonight. Y'all are pushing it," Marcel smiled.
"We saw Tyler's ass after, you know, he got it bad from dad the other day. The bruises and welts... You're not going to do that to us, are you?" Jeremy pleaded.
Marcel's face fell.
"Hey, that was something that never should have happened. Klaus was trying to make a point and... he feels terrible. He would have healed him right away if he thought he left a single mark that lasted that long.
I can tell you in all the years I've been a part of this family, that never happened to me. If anything, they weren't too easy on me. I think I got a little spoiled and that made things harder for everyone. I needed more protection, more attention, more coddling. I don't ever want you to worry about that. If it does, come to one of us and we'll talk about it, okay?" Marcel insisted.
Jeremy looked at Matt and nodded. "Okay, thanks. Tyler didn't complain about it. It's just, I couldn't take it."
"It won't be anything you can't take okay. But I am postponing your punishment so you can think about obeying orders and your safety. I could make you write an essay, like Elijah used to do to me, but I'm going to spare you guys that. Now, go eat and be on your best behavior. And guys, it's going to be okay," Marcel said now hugging Jeremy.
When Tyler went down to say goodbye to his mom, Alaric and Freya were down there.
"Hey Tyler, how you doing? Feeling better?" Alaric asked with interest.
"Yeah, pretty much great. That vampire blood healed me so I really had no pain," Tyler shared.
"Getting ready for school? How's football going?" Alaric continued.
"I quit the team. It just made me too aggressive. You know, with my curse and all, I have to be careful," Tyler contended sadly.
Freya probed,"Why didn't you tell me you were considering quitting? I had no idea."
Tyler shrugged.
"Maybe we can talk about it later?" Freya pressed.
Tyler said, "Sure."
Alaric went on, "I'm going to see if I can catch Matt and Jeremy."
Alaric did find Matt and Jeremy eating cereal in the kitchen.
"Hey, Mr. Saltzman," Matt said, shoveling a bite of sugary cereal in his mouth.
"Hi Alaric, how are you?" Jeremy greeted his aunt's boyfriend.
"Well, I'm better than you would be if I told your aunt about the little stunt you two pulled the other night. Hell, if I told your sister, she would be furious. I try not to interfere in other people's business, but I hope you both got a good talking to. Like an ear splitting one," Alaric remarked firmly.
"We just got a lecture from Marcel," Matt groaned.
"I guess we do owe you an apology though," Jeremy said eating chips out of a bag.
Marcel came down to get some blood out of the fridge.
"Jeremy, that's not what I meant when I said breakfast. And yes, you both owe Alaric a huge apology. If that was your idea of a decent apology, you will be giving the next one with a stinging butt. Alaric, coffee?" Marcel asked pulling out a blood bag.
"No, thanks, Marcel. I'm not trying to interfere but as their teacher, Jeremy's aunt's boyfriend, and a former hunter, the more I think about them running out there, the more my blood boils," Alaric admitted.
"You know, I told Klaus I would deal with them as their big brother. I thought that I would make them wait for the good butt warming they are going to get, but maybe I have a better idea," Marcel grinned.
Matt's eye's fell to the 'drawer' that seemed to have a variety of weapons in it for their backsides.
Marcel glanced back at the drawer and vamped over and opened it.
Matt said, "Oh no, come on, Marcel. Mr. Saltzman, you wouldn't spank us, too would you?"
"Well, since I'm the one you disobeyed multiple times in addition to your father, don't you think that is just?" Alaric said seriously.
Matt had to admit he had a point.
"I'm sorry. We're really sorry. We just didn't want Ty and Caroline to die!" Matt blurted.
"How would you think you were going to get through that barrage of gunfire and crossbow bolts?" Marcel prodded.
The boys had no responses.
Matt pushed his cereal away, he had lost his appetite.
"Done. Good. If you can cooperate, we'll forget about the spankings you were going to get after dinner. If not, you're getting two. Now pants down and over the island, you can keep your underwear up in case any of the ladies walk through," Marcel instructed.
Both boys flushed and looked at each other. They had thought they were maybe off the hook, but they should have known better. They pulled off their shorts and left them at their ankles.
"What if some one walks in?" Jeremy whined.
"Well, they see you getting your butt popped with the paddle," Marcel quipped, pulling out the paddle from the drawer.
"Alaric, pick your poison. Maybe we can trade off?" Marcel suggested.
Alaric dug through the drawer and chose a heavy wooden spoon.
"I sadly have some experience with this, but on the other end," Alaric admitted.
"Please, can we hurry this up. This is really embarrassing," Jeremy moaned.
Alaric bemusedly asked Marcel, "Do you think it would be more embarrassing to be spanked on the bare backside in public? Hmm, I think that could be arranged. It also hurts a lot more, doesn't it?"
"No, I'm sorry. It's fine. Please," Jeremy begged.
The island was at hip level, they dropped their shorts and bent over. Alaric was surprised at them both wearing white briefs. He glanced at Marcel who mouthed, "Elijah." That explained the old fashioned underwear.
"Grip the other side of the island and do not move," Marcel cautioned.
Marcel lined up behind Jeremy with his paddle while Alaric got behind Matt.
"Again, you need to keep still. I'll hold you the best I can, but if you are moving too much, I'm going to finish with you over my knee. Understand?" Alaric asked Matt.
"Yes, sir," Matt barked out. Marcel was amused to see that he was not mocking anyone this time.
Marcel and Alaric both started swatting their miscreants at the same time. Marcel took a few seconds to rest the paddle on Jeremy's behind in between whacks. He was swatting firmly and decided on 15 as a ball park number. Jeremy was squirming and having trouble staying bend over and keeping still after eight. Marcel held him steady with his left hand on the small of Jeremy's back. He decided to make the last seven blistering.
After 15, Marcel glanced at Alaric to switch boys. He could see that Alaric had concentrated on Matt's sit spots and he was spanking hard and fast. The spoon danced over Matt's upper thighs until they were red and he was shifting and breathing hard.
During the second round, both boys were teary eyed and having more trouble not getting out of position. Both needed help staying down. As with Jeremy, Marcel brought the round paddleball racquet down 15 times firmly. He swatted mostly from cheek to cheek. Alaric continued to swat faster and harder with the spoon. This continued until both boys were stomping and kicking and fighting to rise up and stop the punishments. Red areas peeked out from the legs of their white cotton underpants.
"Okay, all done. Now I want you both to march over to the corner and think about how devastated everyone would be if you died the other night. No rubbing, hands on heads," Marcel directed.
"The paddle is staying out on the counter and you will get another spanking if I see your hands anywhere near those stinging behinds," Alaric threatened after seeing Jeremy's hand start to sneak down.
As though the boys had not been crying, the men heard both sniffing in the corner. They could handle the physical pain, but the embarrassment of being put in the corner in a public part of the house where anyone could walk in was too much.
Marcel did not want them to fear the physical pain, but the mental. He had seen vampires withstand great amounts of torture, but break after being treated like a small child.
Marcel smiled at Alaric indicating for him to walk to the other side of the kitchen a little ways, "We make a good team. I feel like those two are going to be tripping over each other to get to that safe room next time."
"True. Hey, I'm worried about Jeremy's hunter mark. If he is the next Brotherhood of the Five, he may need to move back home. I can move in with Jenna, if needed. It might be too dangerous for him to be around vampires for a while. Just tell Klaus, I'm here if you guys need me," Alaric offered.
Just then, Tyler came up from saying goodbye to his mom with Freya.
"Ah, I hope they aren't there because of me, " was all Tyler said in embarrassment. His face colored for his friends.
Freya patted his shoulder, "I should put you in the corner for not telling me about football. Tyler, we're your family. We need to talk about these things."
"What? You quit football, man?" Marcel said in surprise.
"I was afraid I couldn't control my aggression on the field. Can I go upstairs? I'm sorry. I just don't feel like talking about football when people died here and...," Tyler walked off.
Freya stopped Marcel from following him, "I'm going to keep working on his aggression with him. We just had a delay, but we'll get back to schedule. Did these young heroes learn their lessons? I could lecture them, too."
"I think we might have tortured them enough, but let's check," Marcel boomed out.
"Guys, pull up your shorts and you can come over here," Alaric said.
Jeremy and Matt both yanked up their shorts and turned around. Jeremy rubbed away his tears while Matt just let his stream down his face, which was red.
"Tell us why you both got punished," Marcel said softly.
"We didn't listen to Alaric or follow the plan," Jeremy started.
"I got hurt and Seraphina died trying to heal me. We should have gone to the safe room. Sorry," Matt said looking down.
"Guy, you made a mistake. You were punished and it's over. Forgiven. I'll talk to Dad and fill him in. Next time, you will do as you are told. Understood? Now I think Alaric here is owed another apology," Marcel gestured to the well-built history teacher and former hunter.
"Sorry, Mr. Saltzman," Matt said as Alaric hugged him.
"Hey buddy, I'm glad you are okay now. Hope I wasn't too stingy with that spoon. And now that I beat your butt too, you can call me 'Alaric'," Alaric said rubbing his back for a minute.
Marcel hugged Jeremy and said, "We'll get through this, no matter what."
Jeremy then apologized and again begged Alaric not to breath a word of this to Jenna or Elena. He promised he wouldn't.
Marcel reached out to Matt and said, "What happened was meant to happen, but remember we got enough heroes around here, okay?"
Freya hugged them all and got a little teary eyed thinking of Seraphina. Her sacrifice was unbelievable.
Tyler was waiting for them upstairs. He had felt terrible before. Now, he felt worse. Matt and Jeremy walked in hoping to not mention the little ordeal they had just been through.
"Guys, I know that was my fault, too. It's very like, humbling, that you were kind of mad at me and ran out to check on me and Car. I mean, if it was just checking on Caroline, that was...really something," Tyler said gruffly.
"Dude, it wasn't your fault. Tyler, I'm serious. You can't blame yourself for Jer and I running out like morons. That's on us. And no, we were worried about you and Caroline. I love you, man, even when you are being an asshole," Matt said pulling Tyler into a tight embrace. They pulled away and grabbed Jeremy into a three way hug.
"You, too, Jer. You turned out to be a pretty cool little bro. Love you guys, too," Tyler choked out.