"Scylla can't know about this," Raelle entreated. "I don't want her to feel bad about it."
"Why not? She should feel bad about it," Abigail said. She ignored Tally's unspoken request to give Raelle what she asked for.
"Would you tell Adil that he missed your birthday?" Raelle challenged.
"He wouldn't miss it because he knows when it is," Abigail explained. "And I didn't have to tell him; he found out on his own. Your Spree shitbird messed up."
Before Tally could calm them down, Raelle had already knocked down Abigail to the ground and yelling at her to take it back.
"What happened?" Quinn asked, hurrying towards them.
"Abigail is being a pain," Tally said.
"What's new?" Quinn wondered. She first doused the two with rain but when that didn't cool them off, she dropped hail on them.
Raelle stormed off to be alone but Tally drew her back.
"We won't make her feel bad," Tally said, signaling Abigail to comply. "Raelle deserves that much, don't you agree?"
"Fine, I won't say anything," Abigail reluctantly agreed.
"Good, then maybe it's time to go get some ice cream to seal the pact," Quinn suggested.
"If it's alright, I'd rather just go back to the house," Raelle said.
The other three witches gave in to her request and the ride back was eerily quiet.
Raelle heard whispers behind her but decided to just shut the voices out as she tried to cheer herself up so as not to sound upset when Scylla called. She didn't notice that Quinn had let Tally and Abigail off a block away and certainly just went on autopilot to get to her room.
"Abigail means well," Quinn said, following her to her room.
"I know," Raelle agreed, having calmed down since. "I don't know how Scylla does it; she never lets Abigail get to her."
"I've watched you the past few days, you've been calmer than usual," Quinn observed. "Is that Scylla's influence on you?"
Raelle smiled in acknowledgement. "Abigail only sees the bad in her or anyone for that matter."
"I'm sure she'll eventually see what you see in Scylla."
.
Raelle climbed out to her perch on the roof. She saw her bodyguard crow settle next to her. She gave it a piece of bread. "You wouldn't happen to know where Scylla is right now would you?"
"Talking to birds now?" Abigail asked climbing out carefully to sit next to her.
"At least they're not mean," Raelle said indifferently, looking at the crow instead of Abigail. "I just want to be alone, please."
"Look, I'm sorry," Abigail apologized. "It is your birthday and you deserve better. We got you cupcakes."
Raelle turned around and saw a box full of cupcakes being offered to her as a peace offering. "This was Tally's idea, wasn't it?"
Abigail nodded and beckoned Tally to join them.
"We got you one for each year you've been alive," Tally said.
Raelle pulled three cupcakes out of the box and gave one to each of them to share and enjoy with her. The trio hugged and reconnected.
"Have you ever been to D.C.?" Raelle asked, picking out another cupcake.
"A few times," Abigail confirmed. "You're not planning to go there to find her, are you?"
"No," Raelle replied. "I just wondered if people were easier to talk to so she can finish and come back soon."
"I'm sure she's thinking about you," Tally said, seeing Abigail hesitate knowing how things worked in D.C. "And doing everything she can to be back."
"Thanks for the cupcakes, guys," Raelle said, preferring to be alone and wait for Scylla's promised call.
"Yeah, we should go," Tally said, pulling Abigail along with her.
Raelle gave the last bite of her cupcake to the crow. "There's more if you want some." She laid back when it flew away to give her time alone. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what she would do with Scylla as soon as she returned.
.
Scylla hurried to her room and looked around before heading back out. She had a singular objective in mind and thankfully found two familiar faces coming towards her to help her with that.
"You're here," Tally said happily. She turned to find Abigail glaring at Scylla.
"Is she up there?" Scylla asked, knowing even before she got a response. "Do you mind?" She tried to get past the two who stood shoulder to shoulder in the narrow hallway.
Tally moved to let her pass but Abigail shifted and blocked Scylla's path.
"I don't have time for this Abigail," Scylla said, trying to get around her obstacle.
"I just want to say, I'm glad you came," Abigail said before stepping aside.
Scylla nodded an acknowledgement then headed to find Raelle. She found the blonde with her back to her feeding a group of crows near her. She softly joined them and wrapped her arms around Raelle's shoulders. "Happy Birthday."
Raelle turned in disbelief that she had to look deep into those blue eyes to ascertain it was really Scylla. "You're here! You're really here!"
"Yes," Scylla said happily. "Did you miss me?" She got her response in the form of a passionate kiss that took her breath away.
"I thought you said you couldn't swing by," Raelle wondered about the change.
"Well, technically I couldn't because this was my destination for today," Scylla explained with a sheepish grin. She watched Raelle's bemused look. "I head to D.C. tomorrow. But I wanted to surprise you today."
"Then what took you so long?"
"My flight got delayed because of weather twice," Scylla said. "I was beginning to think High Atlantic was stirring it up to prevent me from coming."
"She was busy getting hailed on," Raelle joked but not getting into details. "Why didn't you just work to get another flight?"
"I didn't want to draw attention and end up not getting here," Scylla explained.
"What matters is you're here," Raelle said pulling Scylla into her arms. "Do you want a cupcake?"
"Is there any left?" Scylla asked, having witnessed her spoil the birds with some of it.
"Yes, there's enough for all," Raelle assured her, opening the box to show her.
.
Raelle and Scylla climbed back inside and found Gregorio headed their way.
"Have you seen Tally?" he asked. "I need her opinion about what to get for dinner."
"She's probably with Abigail," Raelle supposed. "Oh, about that favor, can I have it tonight?"
Gregorio looked at Scylla and nodded. "Of course. I'm already getting something for Adil as well."
Raelle liked the idea of each of them having their respective partners and separate fancy dinners. She belatedly remembered to make introductions.
"So, you're Scylla," he said, shaking her hand.
"And you're Gregorio," Scylla acknowledged. "Why are you still here exactly?" She was skeptical of him and his intentions for staying after Anacostia had returned to base.
"I'm here to protect members of my coven," he asserted.
"Tally," Raelle called out to her, glad for the excuse to end the awkward conversation. "Gregorio was looking for you." She pulled Scylla by the hand behind her to get to their room.
Scylla picked up a shirt off the bed and set it aside. She was pretty sure it wasn't out of the bag the last time she was there.
"It helped me not miss you too much," Raelle confessed. "So, care to tell me why the hostility towards Gregorio? Or is that how you greet all High Atlantic's?"
"I just think Tally can do better," Scylla said, sitting on the edge of the bed and patting the space beside her.
"With Jin you mean?" Raelle thought aloud, sitting next to her and nuzzling Scylla's neck. "What makes him so special?"
"He'd die for her," Scylla reminded her.
"Gregorio took an arrow for her during Samhain," Raelle revealed, watching Scylla react to the revelation. "Why are you so interested in who Tally is with?"
"I want her to be happy like we are," Scylla said with her usual convincing smile.
"What about Abigail?"
Scylla took a deep breath. "And her, too. But perhaps not as happy as we are." She giggled when Raelle pushed her back on the bed to shower her with kisses.
.
Scylla answered the door when they heard a knock and Gregorio passed her a tray of food. It was plated indulgently that it looked like the restaurant came to them. "Thanks."
Raelle made space for them to enjoy dinner. "He pulled through for us." She picked up and studied the lobster tail still in its shell but ready to eat.
"This doesn't change my opinion of him," Scylla said, cutting a piece of abalone to taste before making Raelle try the other half.
Raelle was surprised that she liked it quite a lot. "Do you think we'd be able to have more of this when we live by the beach?" She took another bite when Scylla offered.
"Of course," Scylla promised, cracking the lobster tail and giving her a piece. "But you'll have to pick which one you like better because they live in opposite coasts."
Raelle was quite impressed with her knowledge of plants and animals. "How did you know that?"
"From my parents," Scylla replied. "And books."
Having never seen her with a book, Raelle wondered when she ever found the time. But a more pressing question came to her mind. "How did you know it was my birthday? Did my mom tell you?"
"No, it never came up," Scylla said. "I found out through admissions. I must say your folder was very slim."
"Compared to yours?" Raelle wondered, gladly taking each morsel offered to her.
Scylla had to admit that theirs were probably comparable. "Compared to Abigail's. I think she took every extra credit class and activity she could possibly take." She laughed along with Raelle at the thought.
"She does take things very seriously," Raelle agreed. "What would you have done if she was your target?"
Scylla thanked the goddess that it didn't turn out that way. "I probably would've had to push her and ended up exhausted by it. I would've failed my mission miserably and hated every minute of it."
.
Raelle felt a lump in her throat. She knew they had reconciled but there was still the tiny detail that they have skirted around since getting back together. "I'm sorry I walked away from you."
Scylla had hoped Raelle had gotten over it since she had but understood the need to deal with it once and for all. "I would've done the same. Actually, I did."
"Only because you thought there was no more hope for us," Raelle explained more to herself than Scylla. "It was my fault; I started it."
"There's enough blame to go around," Scylla assured her, reaching for Raelle's hand. "Let it go, Raelle. I used to blame the army for my parents' death and that led me to kill innocent people. But you, you taught me how to feel and care again."
"So, you don't hate the army anymore?" Raelle asked.
"How can I when I'm in love with their most powerful cadet?" Scylla declared.
Raelle's smile deepened. "I thought it was because I was cute."
Scylla chuckled and tilted her head towards Raelle's hand that was reaching for the side of her face.
Raelle was leaning in for a kiss but was obstructed by an incoming serving of lobster that Scylla had decided to give her instead. She chuckled when sauce dripped down her chin. "I didn't think fancy dinner was messy."
"I think if you concentrated on eating, you wouldn't have messed it up," Scylla scolded, wiping the blonde's chin with her free hand.
"I like being messy with you," Raelle growled, catching Scylla's hand and licking it.
"The sooner we finish, the sooner we can clean up," Scylla suggested, trying her best to stay focused.
"God, I'm madly in love with this sexy weird necro Spree agent," Raelle said, pushing the tray away. "And right now, I'm hoping she finds me more appetizing than food."
"There's still dessert," Scylla reminded her.
"I have a different dessert in mind," Raelle persisted, watching Scylla lick her lips in anticipation which further excited her.
.
Scylla woke up before dawn the following morning and found herself tangled in Raelle's limbs. It made it difficult for her to get up without waking Raelle who was sound asleep.
"Is it time to go?" Raelle whispered, releasing Scylla from her embrace.
"I have time for breakfast with you," Scylla said, not wanting to part so soon.
Raelle was quite pleased and jumped out of bed to make them pancakes. She was soon joined by Scylla who helped make some with her.
"Good morning," Gregorio greeted the pair. "That smells and looks good."
"Why are you up so early?" Raelle asked curiously.
"I was hoping to make Tally some breakfast," he replied, eyeing the pair of pancakes already done.
Scylla pushed the plate towards him and silently offered them to him which he accepted and appreciated in mutual silence.
"That was generous of you," Raelle teased, wondering why she did that.
"It's either that or let him cook and possibly burn the house down," Scylla deadpanned.
Raelle burst into laughter which almost made her drop the pancake she had just finished making. "Well, I guess we'll have to share this one then. I think Jin forgot to replenish the pantry." She looked at the empty batter container disappointedly.
Scylla could guess what has Jin preoccupied to have forgotten but kept it to herself. "I don't mind sharing with you." She gave Raelle a quick kiss.
"Get a room," Abigail said, wandering in to find them kissing.
"A kitchen is a room," Scylla deadpanned again and getting the same reaction from Raelle. She ignored the glare thrown at her by Abigail and walked to the dining table.
Raelle followed and brought their coffee cups to the table.
"Is there any food left?" Abigail asked, finding slim pickings left in the pantry.
"I'm sure Jin is going to replenish it soon," Raelle guessed.
"He better or he'll have a very angry and hungry housemates," Abigail noted.
"I'll have breakfast ready in a bit," Jin announced as he carried bags full of supplies.
Raelle and Scylla shared a look of relief that a crisis was averted.
.
Raelle did everything by the book the next few days so she had no resistance when she asked for an early end from training from Abigail.
"Scylla's coming home, isn't she?" Tally guessed correctly.
Raelle's smile widened and she pulled Tally aside to tell her what she planned to do.
"Why don't you just plan a surprise for her here?" Tally suggested. "I'm sure Gregorio wouldn't mind helping."
"I want something different, something she's not expecting," Raelle insisted.
"But is it worth the risk?" Tally cautioned. "We're still fugitives."
"I promise to be very careful," Raelle assured her before taking off. "I have to go; I don't want to miss her."
Tally wished she could dissuade Raelle but admitted that she, too, would do the same in her shoes.
Raelle pulled her hoodie tight and managed to stay inconspicuous while she waited for Scylla to arrive. She immediately singled her out in the crowd and approached to welcome her. "Hey beautiful, did you miss me?"
Scylla despite her concern that Raelle was taking needless risk was glad to see her and gave her a hug. "Does Abigail know you're here?"
"Tally knows but didn't stop me," Raelle revealed. "Ok, she may have said it was risky." She came clean when Scylla gave her a look of disbelief.
Scylla looked around to be sure there was no imminent danger to them. "We should go."
"Isn't Nicte with you?" Raelle asked looking at passengers still exiting the plane before following her to the parking garage.
"She's heading to the base to make final preparations," Scylla explained. "It won't be long now."
Raelle felt a sudden unease that put her on edge. She remembered Alder's words to her about her making history.
"I'm with you," Scylla reminded her, taking her hand. "We all are. You won't be alone."
"Is Larry going to be part of it?" Raelle joked flatly, unlocking the car.
"Yes; we managed to convince them to do it for their families," Scylla said, getting into the passenger side.
"Was it hard convincing them?" Raelle asked curiously.
"I didn't share intimate details if that's what you're asking," Scylla assured her, offering her hand for a link to confirm.
Raelle smiled in appreciation and gave her a kiss instead.
.
Scylla watched the last glimmer of light in the sky fade while she waited for Raelle to bring them dinner. She preoccupied herself with communicating to nocturnal birds nearby and made them fly in formation for a little bit.
"Aren't they supposed to be sleeping?" Raelle asked, joining her on the roof with food and drinks.
"Nocturnal birds are just waking up," Scylla replied before letting the group disband. She looked at the pizza box that Raelle placed between them. "Jin is still not cooking?"
"Well, he had been busy tagging along with us to training," Raelle explained, pulling a pizza out of the box. "I think Gregorio and he have called a truce and are just waiting for Tally to choose between them."
"So, you have an audience when you train now?" Scylla wondered, reaching for her drink.
"Something like that," Raelle said sheepishly. "I don't know how it started but Adil, Gregorio and Jin just came with us one day."
"The Three Musketeers," Scylla joked.
"You can be D'Artagnan," Raelle teased. "What? I've read the book." She feigned offense when Scylla looked surprised by the reference.
"I don't think Abigail would want me distracting you from training," Scylla noted, touching Raelle's face. "Besides, I already know you're very powerful." She leaned in to kiss her.
Raelle pulled Scylla closer to deepen their kiss and show how much she had missed her.
"I hate to interrupt," Tally announced herself. "But Anacostia is here and wants to talk to us."
Scylla pulled away abruptly and giggled when Raelle groaned. "Time to get to work." She offered a hand to get them back inside.
"Glad you could join us," Anacostia said, turning on the television and to the news that showed their arrest.
"Nicte?" Raelle guessed correctly as they watched the reporter claim that their doppelgangers have been captured and being taken to Fort Salem.
"Why the base?" Abigail wondered.
"To lure the head of the Camarilla and cut him off," Anacostia explained. "There was a reason he wanted the four of you transferred so we'll give him another shot at it."
"Will the base be safe?" Raelle asked, knowing how terrible the previous attack was. She appreciated the comforting touch from Scylla on her back.
"Thanks to you, the Army will be ready this time," Anacostia assured her.