"Rae, she's awake," Abigail informed her telepathically. Raelle didn't need to be told twice as she rushed back to her room. She found Abigail handing Scylla a glass of water.
Raelle stood by the door in disbelief giving Tally the opportunity to give Scylla a hug first.
"I'm so glad you're alright," Tally whispered in Scylla's ear. "You gave us all a fright."
Raelle cleared her throat to remind Tally that she was in the room.
Abigail and Tally got the hint and left the pair alone.
"How are you feeling?" Raelle asked tentatively. She was glad when Scylla smiled and slid into her arm to rest her head on her shoulder.
"Better, thanks to you," Scylla said gratefully. She turned her face and gave Raelle a quick kiss on the cheek.
"For a minute I thought I lost you," Raelle admitted sadly.
"But you didn't; I'm still here," Scylla said, reaching for her hand to hold.
Raelle kissed Scylla's hand so the brunette felt her damp face. "I saw what he did to you and I hated him for it."
Scylla turned to face Raelle and wiped the blonde's tears away. "I'll take care of him." She gave Raelle a hug to show that she was ok.
"I also saw what happened to your parents," Raelle admitted. She felt Scylla pull away from her so she moved to maintain their connection by hugging her from behind and waited patiently for what she'd do next.
"My parents made me promise to stay hidden no matter what happened," Scylla began after a long silence. "I think they even worked to prevent me from attacking their killers."
Raelle silently thanked them for keeping her safe. It explained her vision of Scylla in the garage.
"I stayed with Porter's family after that," Scylla continued, reliving the pain of her loss but remaining eerily calm. "Until the day I found out what he did."
"To your parents?" Raelle prompted, slowly piecing the visions together to understand what happened on her own.
.
Scylla drew strength from Raelle through their entwined fingers as she continued to reveal more about her past.
"How did you find out?" Raelle asked.
"We were packing his room for our next move," Scylla said. "He spent the reward money but kept the letter."
"Is that when you joined the Spree?" Raelle saw her confirm with a nod. "Then how did you end up in the Army?"
"My Spree mentor saw my unique skills," Scylla said. "So, when my turn came up, I joined the Army."
"Are there other Spree agents in the Army?" Raelle wondered but already knew she was the only one before Scylla shook her head. "Did you like being in it?"
"What do you think?" Scylla asked playfully, finding her mood improving recalling their time together in Fort Salem.
"I don't know, tell me," Raelle coaxed her. She got her response in the form of a kiss.
"I need to tell you something," Scylla said, mustering enough courage to come clean about Porter.
"Scyl, you don't have to," Raelle mumbled as Scylla pressed her lips with a finger.
"I want to; I hated Porter for what he did," Scylla admitted. "But I chose to direct my anger at the Army instead of him until he came to Fort Salem looking for me. I panicked; I didn't want him to scare you away or get you killed. Then you tried to save him and almost died …"
"I don't scare away easily if you tell me what's going on," Raelle assured her. "And apparently I don't die easily either. But you're right, I can be impulsive." She extended her left hand towards her waiting for her to do her work.
Scylla hesitated.
"I miss it," Raelle said, looking very repentant. "I want it back. I want you in my life; always."
Scylla eyes watered while she did as Raelle asked. She knew she felt the same way.
.
Raelle jogged into the kitchen where she found Abigail, Tally and Adil going over the documents that Scylla had smuggled out for them. "Anything interesting?"
"They have facilities everywhere in the world," Abigail revealed while Adil looked at the site maps.
"Well, we have Army and Spree everywhere, too," Raelle said, making a sandwich piled as high as she could keep it vertical.
"What are you doing?" Abigail wondered more on the how than why.
"Making the best sandwich for my girlfriend," Raelle answered the why. She pulled out more things from the fridge when Scylla joined them. "I told you I'd bring it to you." She was clearly disappointed Scylla chose to leave the privacy of their room.
"I need to move around a bit," Scylla said, cutting a piece of the sandwich to fit into her mouth then another for Raelle. "Is that what was trying to kill me?" She looked at the dead worm locked in a glass jar.
"How is that not ruining your appetite?" Abigail wondered aloud.
"It's a tapeworm, Abigail," Scylla said indifferently. She earned a quick kiss on the cheek from Raelle who found the exchange funny.
"Anacostia is coming," Tally declared, preemptively answering the door for them.
"I came as soon as I heard," Anacostia addressed Scylla, showing relief that the latter was back on her feet. "I'm glad to see you are doing better."
"Thanks to Raelle," Scylla said, giving her credit.
"So, this is the culprit?" Anacostia asked, looking at the dead tapeworm trapped in the jar. "Have you learned how it works?"
"We found nothing," Tally replied.
"I know someone who might have the answers," Scylla suggested.
"You're not going back in there," Raelle discouraged her. Her voice change made Abigail and Tally exchange looks.
"I don't have to," Scylla said, trying to calm her down. "He has to go home at some point."
.
Scylla sat next to Anacostia waiting for their target to leave the facility. Thanks to the Camarilla's meticulous records, they knew what vehicle to look for and what time the research scientist left for the day.
"What if he decided to work late?" Anacostia asked, watching the cars streaming out carefully through binoculars.
"Then we'll wait longer," Scylla said.
"And you're ok with that?" Anacostia wondered, sensing Scylla was avoiding something. "How are you, really?"
Scylla turned when there was a break in the exiting traffic. "I was so scared I would die and fail my mission. The only thing that kept me going was the need to see Raelle one last time."
"She has always been your reason for living," Anacostia observed. "You fought very hard to be able to see her again. Even when you thought she abandoned you, you still loved her."
"Thought?" Scylla wondered, trying to comprehend Anacostia's veiled meaning.
"She still loved you all that time," Anacostia revealed.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Scylla asked, having asked about Raelle during their time together.
"I needed you to focus on our mission," Anacostia explained but really not wanting to get involved.
"There he is," Scylla said, proving that she was capable of keeping to the mission while thinking of Raelle.
"You just got lucky," Anacostia said, starting their car.
They followed at a safe distance then Scylla began to do work to speed things up by changing the traffic lights.
"We can't do work out here," Anacostia warned.
"You can't; I'm not you," Scylla said with a mischievous smile. "Do you really want to wait for the lights to turn?" She smiled when Anacostia relented.
"Where is he going?" Anacostia wondered as the vehicle turned the opposite direction from where they expected it to.
"He's made us," Scylla concluded when the vehicle sped up ahead of them. She continued her work to try and slow him down.
.
Raelle jumped out of the truck in full run after the research scientist abandoned his vehicle and took off running with Tally right behind her. She passed Scylla who was also about to give chase.
Scylla was surprised to see Raelle pass by and confirmed it was her when she saw Tally pass by next. She looked behind and saw Abigail at the wheel of a truck and knew Raelle must've convinced them to tail her and Anacostia.
"Go after them," Anacostia ordered, seeing who was driving behind her and figured who the runners were.
Scylla ran after the two and when Tally signaled for them to split up, she took left while Raelle took right.
"He's got to be here somewhere," Raelle said, trying to catch her breath when they regrouped.
"What are you doing here?" Scylla asked with concern.
"Shh," Tally hushed them, trying to find the man. "There!" She found him climbing up the fire escape of a building.
The trio caught up to him with ease up to the roof and faced off with him.
"We just want to ask some questions," Scylla tried to persuade him.
"You're witches!" the man shouted and pulled out a vial from his pocket with what they all recognized as witch plague. "You will all die!" He threw the vial towards them but Raelle quickly dove to catch it.
"Go!" Raelle yelled at Tally and Scylla, showing them the vial was intact in her hands.
Tally and Scylla caught up with the man again but this time he was cornered at the ledge of the building. Scylla tried one more time to persuade him to yield but was unsuccessful when he decided the only alternative was to step off the ledge to his death.
Raelle looked over the ledge with Tally and saw the man's sprawled body on the ground. She turned and found Scylla already heading down the fire escape. She and Tally followed and was at ground level just as Anacostia and Abigail arrived.
.
Scylla started windchill work to preserve the body as soon as she could while others gathered around her.
"What is she doing?" Abigail asked, disappointed that they failed to catch him alive.
"Preserving him for a death current," Anacostia revealed, recognizing what Scylla was doing. "Bring the truck over here."
Raelle watched in amazement as Scylla did her work. When she was done, Raelle and the other three lifted the body onto the truck bed.
"Take him back to the house," Anacostia ordered.
Raelle got out of the truck bed and expected Anacostia to scold her for disobeying orders to stay put. She was ready to take full responsibility for it to spare Abigail and Tally but was surprised when Anacostia walked away without giving a reprimand.
"Are you alright?" Scylla asked, doing a quick visual check before hugging her. "See you back at the house."
"We should go," Tally said, covering the back of the truck.
Raelle gave Scylla a quick kiss before parting with her.
"We need to get rid of his vehicle," Scylla told Anacostia when she got into the car.
Anacostia drove next to the vehicle and let Scylla off for her to take possession of it. She decided to drive around the block to make sure Scylla was ok.
Scylla got into the car and started to drive off when a cop drove up behind her. She hoped it was just coincidence but saw the lights so pulled over.
"Is this vehicle yours?" the officer asked, looking at her suspiciously.
"It's my uncle's" Scylla lied. "Is there a problem officer?"
"You didn't signal when you pulled out," the officer warned. But before he could do more, a nearby car's alarm was triggered distracting him enough to let her go with only a warning.
Scylla saw Anacostia drive by and smiled in appreciation for having her back. "I thought you were by the book?" she asked while they watched the vehicle sink into a nearby lake.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Anacostia feigned innocence.
.
Raelle helped Abigail and Tally bring the body into the house. They got help from Ash and Jin who had returned as well.
"Who's this?" Nicte asked, watching them lay the body on the floor.
"Someone who has the answers," Tally explained. "Except he's not talking anymore."
"What's taking necro so long?" Abigail wondered, somehow knowing time was of the essence.
"Right behind you, High Atlantic," Scylla announced her arrival. She quickly checked on the body and asked those near her to move it to a long table.
"Will it work?" Anacostia asked, watching her strap the body to the table securely.
"It may not be Beltane but whatever energies you all can give me," Scylla said.
"You heard her, get your partners and get to work," Nicte commanded the agents around them after they helped Scylla tilt the table to a semi-upright position.
"You're kidding," Abigail objected.
"It's what she needs to get answers," Anacostia reminded her, eyeing a suitable partner for the night.
Tally was enthusiastic about it and tried to cheer Abigail up with a happy hug. "Adil won't mind; he misses you."
Scylla was too preoccupied to notice the pair-ups but when she was done, she wondered who Raelle went with when she didn't see her in the room. She was surprised when Raelle returned with a bottle of water.
"What?" Raelle asked, plopping on a sofa nearby. "There was a lot of running."
Scylla took a sip from the bottle when offered then started to go out.
"Where are you going?" Raelle asked, getting up to join her.
"I need to get one more thing; a canary," Scylla said. She allowed Raelle to go instead when the blonde insisted.
Raelle walked over to the fence and wasn't sure how to ask her bodyguard crow for help finding a canary that Scylla tasked her to do. "I don't know if you understand but do you have a canary friend?" She waited but the crow merely looked at her.
.
"Scyl, you won't believe what just happened," Raelle said excitedly. She found her observing the body and making adjustments.
"Where is it?" Scylla asked, knowing that it was time.
Raelle gently handed her the canary that willingly hopped into her hands from outside. "What do I do now?"
"You can ask the questions," Scylla suggested. She began the seed sounds as she learned it and prompted Raelle to begin.
Raelle did an amazing job with the interrogation and was pleased with the information she gathered but hadn't noticed that the effort was straining on Scylla. When she finally turned around, she saw Scylla crumple to the floor. "Scylla!"
"I guess I'm not as strong as I thought," Scylla apologized before losing consciousness.
Raelle cradled and tended to her until she heard footsteps come towards them.
"What happened?" Anacostia asked, hearing her call out.
"She's drained," Raelle said sadly, trying to revive her.
"Let's get her to bed," Anacostia suggested, helping her carry Scylla to their room.
"Does this usually happen?" Raelle asked, tucking Scylla into bed.
"No, usually there's more energies to draw from," Anacostia explained. "There isn't enough so Scylla augmented it with her own."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Raelle asked, upset with Anacostia for letting Scylla do it alone.
"She asked me not to interfere," Anacostia said. "She knew you'd try to stop her."
"She keeps putting herself in danger," Raelle noted sadly.
"She's Spree," Anacostia reminded her. "They'd die for what they believe in. And right now, she believes in giving us all the advantages to defeat our old enemy. If it helps, she also believes that she has someone to live for."
Scylla stirred in her sleep indicating that she was very much alive and just needed rest.
"Get some rest," Anacostia suggested, leaving the pair in their room.
Raelle reclined next to Scylla and matched her breathing before falling asleep.
.
Raelle greeted Scylla with her widest smile as the brunette finally opened her eyes. "Good morning."
"How did I get here?" Scylla managed to croak.
"Anacostia helped," Raelle explained. "You should've told me what it would do to you."
"I didn't want you to worry," Scylla explained the omission. "Or make you do something impulsive."
"I can't help it, I love you," Raelle admitted.
"I love you, too," Scylla reciprocated. She now fully understood Willa's dilemma especially with regards to Raelle. Knowing Raelle loved her made things complicated but also well worth the sacrifice.
"Promise me you won't choose to do what my mom did," Raelle said, guessing Scylla's thoughts from her facial expression. "We do this together."
"Of course," Scylla agreed. She didn't want to make the same mistake and live with regret. "I'm hungry."
"Pancakes?" Raelle suggested before jumping out of bed to make some. "Stay here." She wanted Scylla to stay put so she can have her all to herself for a little longer.
Scylla thought about going back to sleep but heard a resounding knock at the door and found Anacostia on the other side.
"Good morning," Anacostia greeted, offering her a cup of coffee before inviting herself into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Scylla replied, taking a sip from her cup. "I hope I got everything you needed."
"I must admit it was very thorough, better than I could've done," Anacostia admitted, having seen the result.
"There is no resistance from the dead," Scylla said confidently.
"You definitely resisted," Anacostia agreed, recalling their recent past. "Where's Raelle?"
"Making me pancakes," Scylla replied.
"When are you going to tell Raelle?" Anacostia still disapproved but knew there was no stopping Scylla.
"Tell me what?" Raelle asked, appearing suddenly and carrying a tray with several plates into the room.
Anacostia took her cue and left the couple alone with only a quick encouraging nod to Scylla to tell Raelle what they had discussed.
.
Scylla waited as Raelle carefully set down the tray on the bed. She didn't know what possessed Raelle to make so many pancakes but looked forward to hearing the explanation.
"I didn't know which one you wanted so I made as many as I could before Jin kicked me out of the kitchen," Raelle explained. "I made one with bananas, one with blueberries, one with chocolate chips, one with pineapple and that one has candied bacon."
"No plain one?" Scylla asked, giggling when Raelle gave her a dumbfounded look. "Which one should we start with?"
"You pick," Raelle said, handing her a fork.
Scylla cut into the one that most intrigued her and was pleasantly surprised that it worked. She tried the rest of them with equal marks.
"Which one did you like best?" Raelle asked, wondering because she seemed to like them all.
"Why do I have to choose just one?" Scylla asked playfully. "Can't I have them all?"
Raelle was willing to make them all if it pleased her and got a kiss for each one. She wasn't disappointed when Scylla did just that. "So, what was that all about with Anacostia?"
"Shouldn't you be training?" Scylla asked, changing the subject.
"Nope, I convinced Abigail to take the day off," Raelle said. "Or rather, take Adil around the city to give us a break."
"So, high and mighty has a soft spot," Scylla noted with amusement. "How is she going to explain Ash needing to tag along?"
"She doesn't; Adil can make them invisible," Raelle revealed.
"I'd like to learn that," Scylla mused.
"So you can hide from me?" Raelle asked sadly.
"I'd never hide from you," Scylla assured her. "I'd take you with me; always."
"So, what do you want to do today?" Raelle asked, hoping for something fun. "Is there like a beach we can go to?"
"There's a lake nearby," Scylla suggested.