Beca and Chloe's rekindled relationship seemed to be the very last piece that was needed to unite Vampire Hunters Incorporated into the seamless unit they once were. Despite the ongoing threat of Gail's daughters, all four of them were happy, content with each other and the bonds that they shared and that made them an invaluable asset in the field. Which just made the last few days even weirder.
"Alright." Beca grunted in exasperation, looking down at her now ruined t-shirt that she had managed to spill yet another cup of coffee down as the handle snapped off her mug, "That's it. What the hell is going on?! Because I am not this clumsy."
"Normally I'd argue with you." Aubrey raised her eyebrow, Beca shooting her a glare as she dabbed at her t-shirt in vain, "But you're not the only one who seems to be having bad luck lately." She glanced over at Stacie who was wiping soot from her face, glaring into the depths of the pot she had been trying to make another batch of healing potions in for the last three hours.
"This is ridiculous!" She threw her hands into the air, Aubrey and Beca ducking as the action caused several books fly from the shelves around them, "Sorry…"
"It's okay…" Aubrey smiled softly, gently taking Stacie's hands in hers and lowering them slowly, "Let's just… not make any sudden movements until we figure this out-"
There was loud thudding from the direction of the stairs, everyone's attention turning towards the noise as an irritated "OW!" came from the other side of the door. Beca had moved quickly, opening the door to find Chloe in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.
"Chlo! Are you okay?" Beca helped Chloe to her feet, Chloe wincing a little as she nodded, rubbing the back of her head.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine… thank God for vampire healing I guess." Chloe smiled softly at Beca as Beca's hands ran over her searching for a serious injury, "And considering that's like the third time I've fallen down them this week I should be used it by now."
"There's definitely something going on." Aubrey shook her head as Beca sat Chloe down and slowly slid her cup of coffee across the table in the hopes that she wouldn't spill it, "There's too many coincidences here. Did someone break a mirror?"
All eyes turned to Beca who held up her hands defensively, "Hey! Why are you all looking at me?"
"You are a little clumsy Becs…" Chloe wrinkled her nose as she giggled at the outrage in Beca's expression, "Especially for a vampire."
"Alright, alright…" Beca grumbled, "But I swear I didn't, this isn't on me! Whatever's going here is nothing to do with me."
"Is it just us?" Stacie frowned, "Have you heard anything from the Council?"
Aubrey opened her mouth to answer but was cut off as her phone rang, eyebrow raising as she looked at the caller ID.
"Hey Thea, what's up?" Aubrey put her phone on speaker and set it between them, an amused look on her face at the timing of it.
"Have you guys noticed anything odd happening lately? Has everyone been a little Beca-like?"
"Hey!" Beca scoffed.
"Yeah, we were just talking about that." Aubrey chuckled, shaking her head fondly, "You guys too?"
"Yes! By all accounts it seems to be a citywide problem, there's something weird happening…"
"We're on it." Stacie got to her feet and started to pull books from the shelves, "Is it just a run of bad luck?"
"Kind of." They could hear the frown in Thea's expression, "There's a serious of accidents and weird occurrences happening all over the city, and as of this morning whatever it is has led to three deaths. I don't want that number to climb if we can help it."
"Got it." Aubrey nodded, "We'll keep you in the loop."
"The files will be with you in the next few minutes. Be careful gang. The last thing I need is my best vampire hunting team out of commission because of this."
"You got it." Beca smirked as she took one of the books Stacie handed her, opening it, "Ah dammit! Papercut!"
Thea could be heard laughing as she ended the call, Beca scowling as she glared at the tiny cut on her finger that was already almost gone.
"The sooner we figure this thing out the better…" Beca growled, Chloe kissing the top of her head as she giggled softly.
"I know baby, you can go back to being your normal clumsy self." Chloe smiled sweetly as Beca continued to scowl, pouting as she did.
About an hour later, after a dozen paper cuts and heavy tomes dropped on people's fingers, Stacie dragged a box out from a lower shelf, rifling through it.
"What are you looking for?" Aubrey watched Stacie quizzically, head tilted.
"Something to try and counteract this a little…" Stacie mumbled, "A-ha!"
Stacie pulled a series of objects from the box, Beca's eyebrow raising sceptically.
"Seriously? This kind of shit actually works?"
Before them lay a rabbit's foot, a pot of something that looked like fish scales, a small collection of acorns, a dried scarab beetle, three dried and pressed four leaf clovers, and two horseshoes. Stacie handed each of them a silver band set with an "evil eye" bead, shrugging as she slipped the one she had kept for herself onto her thumb.
"Can't hurt to try right?" Stacie settled herself back down again, "Besides some of this stuff is rooted deep in magical origins. The scarab beetle is an ancient Egyptian thing, four leaf clovers are Celtic, and the ladybug on Chloe's wrist is Germanic. Sure, some of it might be superstition, but there's no way it's going to make the whole thing worse."
"Yeah I suppose." Beca nodded, "I didn't realise ladybugs were good luck symbols."
"Uh huh!" Chloe nodded, grinning as she rolled her sleeve up a little to look at her tattoo, "My mom told me that when I was a kid, that's why I got it!"
"You're so cute." Beca shook her head a little as she kissed Chloe softly, the tops of Chloe's ears going red as she did.
"You're pretty adorable yourself." Chloe nudged her nose against Beca's.
"Are we this gross?" Stacie whispered loudly to Aubrey as Beca flipped her off.
"No." Aubrey shook her head, letting it rest on Stacie's shoulder, "We're sweet when we do it."
"Sure Posen." Beca smirked, "You keep telling yourself that."
Several hours later and with significantly fewer accidents (that left Beca begrudgingly having to admit that the good luck charms were actually working), Vampire Hunters Incorporated were no closer to finding an answer than they had been earlier. It was frustrating to say the least, Aubrey sinking back in her seat with a huff as she set down the last file that had arrived in the bundle sent by Thea.
"There has to be something causing all of this, but everything we've found that can influence the balances of fortune can't do it on a scale this large…"
Stacie drummed her fingers against the table, looking deep in thought before getting suddenly to her feet and heading into the restricted area of their office without a word.
"Anyone else find it annoying when she does that?" Beca grumbled humorously, glancing over her shoulder at Stacie who was running her finger along the spines of the books in front of her, in search of a specific title, "You want to clue us in Stace, or are you going for a big dramatic reveal?"
Stacie either ignored Beca or was lost deep in thought as she pulled the book she needed from the shelf, flipping hastily through the pages. Her face paled a little as she stopped, finding whatever it was that she was looking for.
"Dammit…" She muttered, heading back to where the rest of her team sat waiting, increasingly concerned looks on their faces as Stacie dropped the open book on the centre of the table with a loud thud.
"I found it."
"Likho?" Chloe frowned, "What's that?"
"A Slavic goddess associated with bad luck. The tales change depending on the translation, but the long and short of it is that she's incredibly powerful and deadly. She was supposed to be lost to the ages, bound to a stone tablet with a forgotten language but…"
Stacie sighed heavily, shaking her head as her team turned back to look at her. They all knew what this meant, what the implications were if yet another spell that should have been lost to the ages had been released into the world.
"I don't like this." Stacie's jaw clenched, Aubrey getting up from her seat to put an arm around her waist, "There's something really sinister going on and it's starting to frighten me."
"I know." Aubrey rested her head on Stacie's shoulder, "Me too. We'll have a meeting with the Council once we've dealt with this Likho thing, see if everyone being together and using all our intel helps to shed some light on things."
"Yeah. We got this Stace." Beca gave her a reassuring smile, shrugging a little, "We got rid of one Gail, we can get rid of five more."
Stacie scoffed slightly, leaning into Aubrey as a smile started to grace her lips, "Sure. I guess you have a point… okay, let's see how we find this ancient goddess and bind her out of sight again."
"All in a day's work!" Chloe beamed, "What's an evil goddess to the best vampire hunting team in the realm after all?"
"She has a point…" Beca smirked, "We are kinda badass."
Stacie simply chuckled affectionately at this, pulling the tome back towards as her eyes scanned over the Slavic text in front of her, Aubrey giving her arm an affectionate squeeze as she settled next to her once more.
"Okay, so… it looks like it's not the goddess herself we have to deal with, but rather the warlock that freed her. She possesses a host and they use her magic to tip the balances of fortune until the world falls into complete chaos. If we can pull them apart then I can try and bind her back to the tablet, and then… I guess we bring it and the warlock to the Council and hope we can keep them both away from Alice and her sisters."
"Sounds a little too easy but okay…" Beca nodded, "So how do we find this warlock and his evil goddess friend then?"
"Follow the pattern of bad luck." Stacie pulled over the wheel-mounted corkboard, "We've been having fairly benign occurrences which suggests we're not that close, but they have been frequent so they're definitely not miles away. The deadlier and more frequent the incident, the closer it is Likho."
Time passed as they sorted through each report that had come from the Council and pinpointed the location oof each on the map. By the time the sun was setting, the four of them had plotted every incident, standing back to admire their handiwork.
"The four cases that led to death are all within the same half mile radius." Chloe mumbled, looking closely at the four red pins that corresponded to the reports, "What's that in the middle of them?"
"Maliki's Joke Shop." Aubrey raised her eyebrow, an irritated expression on her face, "Of course it's that little twerp."
"You know him?" Beca looked bemused as she turned to Aubrey, "Or are you just not a practical joke fan?"
"Both." Aubrey muttered, "Maliki has been on the Council's watchlist for a few years now. I've responded to at least three different reports of him handing off cursed items to innocent mortals with no clue what they were buying, but we could never tie them to him because he 'doesn't keep receipts' and there's no items left behind because they always coincidentally disintegrate by the time they're discovered. He's had half a dozen warnings, verbal and written, but our hands are always tied without cold, hard proof."
"I bet the IRS hates him too." Chloe shook her head, "He must be a nightmare to audit."
"If he is responsible for this, there's no way he'll wriggle out of it this time." Stacie gave Aubrey's hand a reassuring squeeze, "And we can deal with two problems tonight."
"Let's pack up and move out then." Aubrey smiled easily, a determined look on her face, "I've been dying to slap some cuffs on his wrists."
Aubrey silently gestured at her team to be silent as they moved through the deserted looking joke shop. They moved in perfect synchronicity through the store, weapons in hand, on high alert for the warlock that owned it. There was no sign of him as they moved through the ground floor, but as they reached the back of the store there was a series of loud thuds underfoot. A look was shared as they all agreed that the basement was where they were headed next.
There were small cautious steps down into the basement, none of them quite sure what was waiting for them down there. Their caution was well warranted it seemed, as once they stepped into the basement room they found an older man surrounded by swirling trails of thick black smoke, eyes a bright red, teeth glinting and sharp.
"What kind of mess have you created now Malaki?" Aubrey growled, blade in hand as she eyed him cautiously.
"The Posen heir… of course…" Malaki sneered, voice whispery and chilling, "I hear they think the sun shines out of your ass these days."
"I wondered why it was always so warm when we stood downwind of you…" Beca smirked, her and Chloe flanking either side of Aubrey. Stacie had kept to the shadows, slipping quietly around the room as she looked for the stone tablet Likho had been summoned from.
"Give it up Malaki." Aubrey's hand tightened around the blade as Malaki's head swayed back and forth like a snake, "We know what you've done, it's over. Just surrender quietly and make it a little easier for all of us."
"Now why would I do that?" Malaki chuckled, cracking his neck as his hands flexed in a way that made all of them nervous, "I hold the balances of fortune in my hands, you should be the one that's surrendering…"
With a flick of his wrist a plume of smoke headed Beca's way, hitting her in the shoulder as she tried to dodge out of the way, the thing like a missile as it followed her movement. It knocked her off balance, Beca crying out as her whole arm twisted and snapped.
"Yes it would be very misfortunate for your arm to break now." Malaki grinned, Beca clutching her mangled arm as she glared at him.
"You really a twerp." She spat, jaw set against the pain as her arm throbbed and twisted itself back into position, "But you'll have to do better than that."
"A vampire?" Malaki looked bemused for a moment as he watched Beca's arms heal, "Interesting… the Council has really changed its tune since that hippy took over."
"Last chance Malaki." Aubrey narrowed her eyes, "Surrender Likho or we'll take you down with her."
"Surely not even your ego is big enough to think you can do that Posen?" Maliki laughed sinisterly wrists flicking again as more smoke spiralled for the three of them, hitting each of them square in the chest and sending them flying into the back wall.
They landed with a thud, Aubrey wincing as she dragged herself to her feet again, glancing back at Beca and Chloe to find the latter helping the former up. Malaki seemed to watch them curiously for a moment before twisting his wrist. Aubrey gasped sharply as it felt like her lungs constricted, dropping to her knees again as she fought for breath.
"How unfortunate. Seems like the oxygen you need has run out."
"Now- Stacie-" Aubrey gasped out, Chloe and Beca by her side.
Stacie's eyes blazed angrily as she flicked her hands towards Malaki, red lightning shooting forward and hitting Malaki's side, knocking him off his feet. Aubrey gasped and spluttered as air flooded back into her lungs again, Chloe leaving her side and darting forward, barrelling into Malaki, and pinning him to the ground, fangs bared.
"Go help her." Aubrey mumbled to Beca, giving her a reassuring smile as she got back to her feet, "I'm good."
Beca nodded and raced to help Chloe drag Malaki's wrists into the magic-binding handcuffs that they'd brought with them. Once they were snapped into place, Malaki roared and his back arched, plumes of smoke billowing from him. Chloe pressed close to Beca as memories flashed briefly in her mind, Beca sheltering her underneath her as her hand gently stroked her back. Stacie began to chant in Slavic, the smoke swirling more furiously as she did. It seemed to home in on Stacie, shooting forward at a frightening speed. Stacie was knocked to the ground with an oomph, chanting cut short as the air left her lungs, hands above her head as the smoke seemed to screech at her, clawed hand like shapes reaching for her.
Aubrey was quickly between them, a small portion of Stacie's magic channelled as she waved her hand towards the mass, enough to send it flying across the room. Aubrey turned slightly to Stacie to check on her, but before she could utter a word the smoke hit her from behind, Stacie watching in horror as it enveloped her. Aubrey twisted and writhed in the grip of the smoke but ultimately was unsuccessful as she dropped to the ground on all fours, panting heavily.
"Bree?" Stacie whispered, "Are you okay?"
"Now this a far better form for a goddess…" Aubrey hummed, her head lifting as Stacie's heart sank upon seeing the red eyes of the woman in front of her, "So what now hm? Are you really going to hurt your love to end me?"
"If that's what it takes." Stacie set her jaw, "She knows that."
"I do." The red in Aubrey's eyes faltered as a small smile tugged at her lips, "I can fight her just-" Aubrey grunted as her fists clenched, "Bind her."
"I got this." Stacie nodded, "Just hang on Aubrey."
"My my…" She hissed, "Strong little thing isn't she? I see why you like her."
Beca nodded her head towards Chloe as she tied Malaki tightly with rope, tossing the magic-binding handcuffs to her. Chloe caught them, turning on her heel and shooting forward towards Aubrey. Likho was ready for her this time, catching her by the throat as she turned on her heel.
"Now really. Are we that predictable little vampire?" She hummed, head tilting as Chloe struggled in her grip, "And when you still have my little friend inside you. Let's see…"
Chloe shrieked as her chest seemed to explode in pain, her ribs caving inwards as the handcuffs fell from her grasp.
"Such bad luck… your ribcage just so happens to be brittle and vulnerable to snapping at any moment…" Aubrey's face was contorted in a cruel way that Chloe didn't recognise, tears in the corner of her eyes as she clawed at the hand around her throat.
Beca felt her heart twist as she saw Chloe in pain, a lump in her throat as she tried to push it to one side long enough to help all of her team. She scrambled forward, grabbing the cuffs, and managing to wrestle one of them onto the wrist of the hand that wasn't wrapped around Chloe's throat before she was batted away like a bothersome fly. Beca grunted as she hit the ground, Aubrey's attention on her as Chloe was dropped to the ground. Chloe winced, clutching at her chest as she dragged herself to her feet.
"Cute." Aubrey sneered, "But now what?" Aubrey reached out and tore the cuff from her wrist, crumbling them in her hand, "Now your cute little toy is broken?"
"We'll find a way." Beca narrowed her eyes, "It's kind of our thing."
Beca saw the red falter again. Aubrey really was strong enough to fight her, what a badass…
"That's right Posen. Keep her on the ropes." Beca smirked, Chloe launching onto Aubrey's back and pulling her arms behind her. The pain in her chest was still intense but she was slowly healing, and nothing would stop her from helping her family.
Stacie was starting to chant again, Aubrey trying to snatch herself from Chloe's grip as Beca pulled another pair of cuffs from her pocket and moved behind her.
"You can't stop me!" Aubrey snarled, teeth bared as she thrashed against them, Chloe's grip slipping a little, "You really think some two-bit vampires and their little witch sidekick can bring me down? I'm older than all of you, more powerful than you can ever-"
Aubrey growled and grunted, knees dropping under Chloe who pressed her to the ground, trying her best not to hurt Aubrey more than she had to.
"Quickly." Aubrey mumbled, the red faltering once more as Aubrey looked pale and shaky, "I can't hold her for long…"
"We got her." Chloe reassured her, Beca snapping the cuffs to Aubrey's wrists, "Nicely done Bree."
Aubrey arched under them as the smoke flooded from her, slumping against the ground as Stacie held the tablet in front of her, chanting fast and determinedly as the smoke shrieked. It seemed to be trying to struggle away from it, but as Stacie's chanting grew louder the smoke was drawn into it. With a flash of blinding light and a deafening roar, the smoke drew into the tablet. The writing on it glowed gold and now satisfied that Likho was contained once more, Stacie set it down and ran to Aubrey.
"Are you okay?!"
"Yeah." Aubrey gave her a tired smile, head resting on her shoulder, "Yeah I'm okay. Someone want to take these cuffs off me?"
"Oh yeah." Beca chuckled, "Sorry, hang on…"
Aubrey rubbed her wrists as Beca unlocked them, sinking into Stacie's embrace as Chloe beamed at her.
"You were awesome Aubrey! You fought off an ancient Slavic goddess, that's so cool!"
"It was weird." Aubrey shook her head a little, "Like I was sharing my body with something else… is it always like that?"
"Sounds right." Beca nodded, Chloe's fingers intertwining with hers, "Like a really bad headache, almost like you're watching yourself from the outside."
"It is the worst." Chloe grumbled, "You'll probably feel a little out of sorts for a couple of days, like when you're shaking off the last of a bad cold."
"Wait…" Stacie smiled softly as she frowned, "Am I the only one of us that's not been possessed?"
"Weird brag, but okay…" Beca smirked, Stacie rolling her eyes at her, "Sit the hell down Malaki before I break your ankles." She growled, turning to the warlock who was trying to slip away.
"You wouldn't…" Malaki smirked, "You're bound by Council la-"
Malaki was cut off mid-sentence as Beca moved swiftly and threw him up against a wall, refastening the magic restricting cuffs around his wrists, growling lowly at him.
"I'm on the Council man, don't test me." Beca's eyes were narrow, "You're not wriggling out of this one you little bastard."
"Let's take him in, the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can sleep off this possession hangover." Aubrey grumbled, Stacie supporting her gently against her as she held the tablet close.
Aubrey had wanted to do a trial and call a meeting with the Council there and then, but one look at her told Thea and the rest of them that she needed time to recover first. Stacie had whisked them straight off to bed, Aubrey half asleep before they had even gotten into the apartment. It left Beca and Chloe to themselves, Chloe's hand running slowly through Beca's hair as her head rested in her lap, the two of them relaxed on the sofa, their bedroom a little too far away right now.
"You okay?" Chloe mumbled, "How's your arm?"
"I'm good." Beca nodded, a soft smile on her lips, "It's fine, all healed up. How're your ribs?"
"All patched up." Chloe grinned, "Are you sure you're okay Becs? You've been really quiet since we got back."
"Yeah." Beca nodded, rolling onto her back as she looked up at Chloe, "Yeah I was just worried about you. I know that must have brought a lot of shit memories back for you…"
"It did." Chloe sighed softly, fingers intertwining with Beca's, "But… I don't know, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I think it's because you were there. I knew nothing bad was going to happen while you were by my side, while you were there to protect me."
Beca felt her smile growing as she raised their clasped hand to press a soft kiss to Chloe's, "Never. I'll never let anyone hurt you Chloe, not like Gail did, never again."
"I love you." Chloe hummed softly, stroking Beca's hair as tears welled in her eyes.
"I love you too." Beca gently pulled Chloe down into a kiss, still revelling in the fact that she got to do this again, "You're my whole world Chlo. And I'm so proud of you for today and for being able to deal with it so well and so calmly. I'm just in awe of you all the time…"
"The feeling's mutual Becs." Chloe brushed her hair from her eyes, thumb stroking Beca's cheek, "I love you so much… we should go to bed, otherwise we'll fall asleep here."
"But I'm comfy…" Beca pouted a little, frowning a little as Chloe giggled at her, "I'm so glad that we're here again y'know?" Beca's voice got softer as she reached up to caress Chloe's cheek, "It just feels right."
"It does." Chloe nodded, pressing her cheek into Beca's hand, kissing her palm, "It almost makes all of that pain worth it, because at the end of all of it I still have you."
"You'd always have me." Beca sighed softly, fingers gently caressing the scars on Chloe's neck, "I wish you didn't have to go through all this Chlo…"
"I know." Chloe rested her hand over Beca's, "But I'm okay now, and so are you."
"I just worry…" Beca sniffed softly, "With Gail's kids running around, I- I don't want you to get hurt again, I want to protect you this time…"
"Becs…" Chloe gently coaxed Beca into a sitting position, cupping her face in her hands, "You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened. You did everything you could, and you never gave up on me, even when I'd given up on myself. I love you, and I promise I'll be careful, but there's always a risk I'm going to get hurt when we do this job. Look at today…"
"I guess." Beca mumbled, forehead resting against Chloe's, "I don't have to like it though."
"No, you don't." Chloe giggled softly, "Just like how I don't have to like the fact that you get hurt sometimes. But I can live with it because I know that you're coming home to me."
"I like that." Beca grinned, pressing a soft kiss to Chloe's lips, "And I love you…"
"Come on." Chloe prompted her gently, "Bedtime. I'm exhausted…"
"Me too…" Beca yawned softly, burying her face in Chloe's neck as she slumped against her, "So tired… maybe you could carry me to bed?"
Chloe rolled her eyes a little as she laughed at Beca, wrapping her arms around her, "You really are a soft vampire aren't you Becs?"
"Shut up…" Beca grumbled, Chloe able to feel her smirking against her neck as she lifted her into her arms, "Nobody would believe you if you told them, everyone thinks I'm a badass."
"Sure they do baby." Chloe kissed the crown of her head, "Sure they do."
"We sentenced Malaki this morning." Thea joined the group assembled at the large oak table, a tray of coffee's set between them, "He's never getting out again, and we stripped him of his powers. He's not causing any more trouble."
"Good." Aubrey mumbled, running a hand through her hair, "Did he have anything to say for himself?"
"He tried to worm his way out of it." Helena rolled her eyes a little, "Claimed it wasn't his fault, but it was a woman's fault instead."
"Let me guess." Stacie pinched the bridge of her nose, "His description matched Alice to a T?"
"Yes." Warren sighed heavily, "You've noticed the recurring pattern then?"
"Hard to miss it." Beca snorted, "Old magic turns up and it links back to Gail's kids. The question isn't who, it's why."
"Yeah, we thought you guys might have more insight into what's going on." Chloe smiled softly, sipping at her coffee, "It's gotten us all really worried."
"Understandably." Thea grimaced, "And we've not got great news for you. If anything we're about to make things worse."
"Great." Beca mumbled, "So meeting adjourned then?"
"Nice try." Thea chuckled as Beca sighed dramatically, smirking a little, "There's been a series of abductions lately. Witches have been going missing for days at a time, it's been… awful honestly."
"What?" Stacie's face fell, "Why only a few days? Are they okay?"
"No." Thea shook her head, flashing Stacie a sad smile, "They were all found thousands of miles from home, with no memories… and no magic."
"Oh my god…" Tears had sprung to Stacie's eyes as Aubrey reached over a gave her hand a tight squeeze, "Wh- what happened to them?"
"They were reunited with their families but… there's nothing else we can do right now. Nothing we've tried reverses the damage, they're just- stuck."
"How many?" Chloe pressed gently, Stacie pale and shaking a little as Aubrey moved closer to her.
"As of yesterday, fifteen." Thea ran her hand through her hair.
"Fifteen?!" Stacie exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell us?!"
"Because until yesterday we didn't know for certain that it was linked to the problem of Gail's daughters." Helena explained, shifting in her seat as Thea's jaw clenched, looking away from her daughter, "A witness saw a woman with dark hair and a heavily tattooed accomplice in an altercation with Meg Stanford yesterday. She's been missing ever since."
"God…" Beca sat up a little straighter, sighing heavily, "Why are they taking witches?"
"We don't know." Warren shook his head, "We don't seem to know much of anything when it comes to these women."
"I'm sick of this." Stacie grumbled, hands clenching tightly in front of her, "We're supposed to be saving people, how can we do that if we don't what the hell is going on?!"
"We can figure it out." Aubrey nodded determinedly as she reached out and squeezed Stacie's arm again, "We have disappearing witches and ancient magic that's being released into the world…"
"And there's been a spate of Other Realm creatures killed off the books." Benji spoke up, a frown on his face, "All of them found completely drained of their magical essence."
"Wait…" Chloe's brow furrowed in concern, "Are you saying that they've been attacking their own side too? Why would they do that?"
"Like with everything else, we don't know." Thea's head was in her hands as she sighed heavily, "But it makes them all the more dangerous. They have no loyalty to anyone, whatever their endgame is it's their only focus."
"Did we ever figure out what Gail was up to?" Beca mused, "Obviously she was building an army of vampires, but for what? She might have been insane, but everything she did had a purpose, beyond just pissing us off."
"That's a good point." Aubrey's thumb was gently stroking Stacie's wrist as she turned to Beca, "When we first ran into Gail she was surprised to see Beca, remember? She wasn't looking for her, it was simply a coincidence."
"So… this still has something to do with us?" Stacie frowned, "Beyond the fact that we killed their mom I mean?"
"Or it means that Gail's intention was to kidnap you and wipe out your memories and your magic…" Aubrey shivered a little at the thought, "She wasn't expecting a team, and once she realised she could mess with Beca and then us, she got side-tracked."
"That sounds like her…" Beca nodded, a dark look clouding her face as Chloe laced their fingers together, "So whatever it was she was trying to do, her daughters are continuing with."
"Whatever it is, it's huge." Thea grimaced, "Gail created Alice and her sisters for a reason, we just need to figure out what that reason is…"
They spent hours bouncing ideas around, trying to connect flimsy dots together, but it was no use. There was no way to figure it out when each event didn't seem to connect to the others. It left all of them with intense headaches, and after five hours Thea finally called an end to it.
"We're not getting anywhere." Thea shook her head, "We're just going round and round in circles today. Everybody should go home, get some rest, and then we'll spend the next couple of days trying to piece things together."
"Sounds like a plan." Aubrey smiled tightly, gently coaxing Stacie out of her thoughts, "I could do with calling it a day, I think I'm still suffering from the after effects of being possessed by an ancient goddess."
"Yeah…" Stacie sighed heavily as she shook her head, "Yeah we're getting nowhere. I need an aspirin and my bed."
"Try not to drive yourselves insane with this okay?" Thea smiled gently as she got up to hug them goodbye in turn, "There's nothing you can do tonight."
"We'll try." Chloe grinned, "Same goes for you guys. We'll work it out though, we're good at this."
Thea cupped Chloe's cheek in her hand as she beamed at her, "Yes we are. Now go and rest, I'll call you tomorrow so we can work some more on this."
Thea watched everyone leave, her stomach twisting in knots. The whole situation was dire and everyone that she loved was going out into the unknown to fight it. It was her job to lead them through it and she had no idea what it was exactly that she should be leading them through or how to help them. She sighed heavily, grabbing her bag as she made her way through the corridors. As she reached the exit, a smile crept onto her face as Sam gave her a small wave.
"I thought I was meeting you at home?" Thea grinned as Sam wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek.
"I wanted to surprise you." Sam shrugged a little, "I know you've been working really hard lately, that everything is really tense, so I figured I'd drive you home and cook you a nice dinner, pour you a glass of wine or two…"
"God I love you…" Thea kissed him softly, sinking into his arms a little, "It has been a really long week…"
"I know." Sam held her close as he stroked her hair, "C'mon, let's get you off your feet and into a bubble bath."
"I do not deserve you Sam Conrad." Thea sighed happily, her head resting in the crook of his neck as they walked.
"It's the least I can do for you my love." Sam kissed the top of her head, "You carry a heavy burden on your shoulders, I just want to make it a little lighter."
It was a long drive back to their home, but Thea was thankful for it. It gave her a chance to try and clear her head, to organise the swirling mess of thoughts as she rested her throbbing head against the cold window. Sam's hand rested on her thigh, gently pulling her from her thoughts.
"Are you okay? You're not usually this quiet…"
"Yeah." Thea nodded as she turned to him with a soft smile, "Yeah it's just… this whole mess, none of it makes any sense, and the girls are going out there without a clue what they're up against, nevermind the rest of the magical population that's under siege... how can I lead them when I don't know what's out there waiting to hurt them?"
Sam didn't take his eyes off the road but did take Thea's hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze, "You're doing an incredible job. But sometimes not even you are capable of predicting what's going to happen. Give yourself a break Thea, you'll figure this out. We all have faith in you, we trust you with our lives for good reason. Just give yourself a break okay? You're the most amazing witch I know, the best mother, wife, Council leader, human being… everything will work out with you at the helm, I know it will."
Thea squeezed his hand back, tears welling in her eyes, "I couldn't do it without you. Any of it. I don't where I would be without you Sam, everything I have, that I love so much is because of you."
Sam lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, "I love you too. You've given me everything I could ever want, I just want to return the favour in kind."
They continued to drive in comfortable silence for a few moments, Thea comforted by the knowledge that Sam always had her back. It had been that way for the last thirty seven years, Sam was her soulmate and it was never more obvious then it was in times like this, when Thea was doubting herself or they had to work through something awful like the losing a daughter. She really would be lost without him.
"Do you think this thing has something to do with Stacie?" Sam broke the silence, Thea tensing as she closed her eyes.
"She said something today, something about how maybe this is all to do with them and I-" She shook her head, "It can't be. After Iz died, she should have been freed from it."
"You know it doesn't work like that." Sam frowned a little, "We have to tell her Thea, she has to know that-"
"No." Thea shook her head, "No she doesn't need to carry that on her shoulders. She's already carrying so much Sam, I can't… I can't put that on her."
"Thea I know you want to protect her." Sam sighed heavily, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter, "Of course you do, I want to as well… but is it right to do that at the expense of everyone else? She needs to know, she'll never forgive us if she finds out on her own. And if this is linked to it, she will find out…"
"I know." Thea slumped in her seat, pinching the bridge of her nose, "God… I don't want to put her in harms way. Because the second we tell her you know she'll go running in to save the world and she'll-" Tears ran down her cheeks as she bit her lip, "I don't want to lose her too. I can't go through that again."
"Me neither." They had arrived at home, Sam turning to Thea as he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, "That's the last thing I want. But Stacie isn't on her own, she has Aubrey and Beca and Chloe, they'll keep her safe like they've always done. She saved the world once, she can do it again."
"That's true…" Thea smiled softly as she looked up at Sam, "I hate it when you're right y'know…"
"Let me have it, it happens so rarely…" Sam chuckled, resting his forehead against Thea's, "So we're going to tell her?"
"I guess…" Thea sighed softly, "But tomorrow morning right? Because I am exhausted, I don't think I can handle this tonight as well."
"Tomorrow morning." Sam agreed, kissing her softly as he smiled at her, "I made manicotti for dinner, how does that sound?"
"Incredible." Thea groaned a little, grinning, "Just what I needed today Sam. Thank you my love."
Sam simply kissed her again before they got out of the car and headed into the home they had shared since Michael had been born. There was something about the place that seemed to instantly calm them both, the happy memories that lived in these walls that provided them with an escape from the stress and the fear that lay outside the door.
"Well it's about time, we were getting hungry."
Thea froze to the spot, heart in her mouth as her eyes fell upon a woman that she heard described many a time but had never had the horror of meeting herself. A woman that had hurt her daughter and the women she considered her surrogate daughters too. A woman born of pure evil.
"Get out." Thea growled, fingers flexing as she glared Alice down, "Get out of my home."
"Now why would I do that?" Alice hummed, relaxed into the sofa with the air of someone who belonged there, "That food smells so good and you have such a lovely place…"
Sam had started to back out of the door again, only to come face-to-face with Calamity who smirked nastily at him.
"Where do you think you're going Pops?"
"What do you want?" Thea felt Sam press into her back, his fingers brushing briefly over the back of her hand. He was here, he had her back, just like always.
"An incentive." Alice grinned, "And I think you'll do just nicely Althea."