Dialogue comes from the episode in many places.
Chapter 6: Party Crasher
Marcel found a garment bag hanging at his place. He was examining the tuxedo and found another one of the Strix's business cards in the inner jacket pocket. On the back was a message: "7041 ST. CHARLES AVE. MIDNIGHT." There had been a glass at the bar with lipstick on it, so he had expected to see Aya. His phone rang. Knowing it was the Strix, he answered.
"This your way of asking me nicely? Didn't think I have my own clothes?" Marcel asked.
"It's an invitation. I believe Aya told you a bit about The Strix—who we are, what we're capable of. Every few years, we gather to celebrate our status as the most elite creatures in the world. And, in the rare instance we feel we've identified someone worthy of our attention, we open our doors," Tristan said.
"What makes you so sure I'm interested in you?" Marcel replied, arching an eyebrow. This must be the head honcho Aya mentioned—Tristan.
"You're still talking to me," Tristan said. "I understand you've fostered quite a community here in New Orleans. We can offer you a global network—resources, access, power. You're a born leader, Marcel. Why stop at just one city?"
"Maybe I'm happy with what I've got," Marcel said. Clever of them to appeal to his pride. No matter what happens a part of him was always seeking to outshine the only father he ever knew. For better or for worse, Klaus was his role model in all ways. Luckily, he'd also had Elijah to polish off his rough edges.
"Somehow, I doubt that. But, if I've failed to pique your interest, by all means disregard this call. If, on the other hand, you feel you'd be a worthy addition to our ranks... Join us. Tonight. And don't be late," Tristan said, disconnecting.
Marcel wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, he was intrigued by the entire group—Aya in particular. However, he wasn't stupid. He knew that all the sire lines descending on New Orleans with prophecies of doom wasn't a good thing. Did he really want to get into the middle of this? Tristan had no idea that new allies the Mikaelsons had. Buffy could well decide to battle the entire group if they pissed her off. Although Marcel hadn't spent much time with her, he knew that she had influence over both brothers, not just Elijah. Marcel had seen her with Klaus. They were genuinely friends; something Marcel had never seen before. Although Klaus was friends with Cami, Marcel knew that his sire was half in love with the human. His fear for her safety kept him away from her. With Buffy, though, they were equals.
Pulling out his phone, he made a call. "Buffy? You gotta a minute?" he asked. Time to do the unexpected.
*****St. Anne's Church*****
Elijah was in the middle of his own workout at the new gym Marcel had set up at St. Anne's church. As he kept vigorously punching and kicking a punching bag, he kept thinking of the threats to his family, how Lucien foolishly drew Willow into his plotting, which meant Buffy was now involved. Elijah had just found Buffy. The thought of anything or anyone threatening his future with her enraged him. He wanted centuries with her. Thinking about it, he got so heated in his exercise that he punched the bag clear across the room, where it knocked over a bench press and hand-weights. When he turned around, he saw that Hayley had entered the room with a small card in her hands. She addressed him with a mocking tone.
"Something the matter, Elijah? There's nothing you want to talk about? Like... The Strix? Rebekah filled me in," she said. "You also got an invitation from them."
Elijah pulled out a towel and used it to blot the sweat from his face. When he didn't respond, Hayley read the black invitation in her hands aloud to him: "I do hope that you can come, old chum. Signed, Tristan."
She waved the invitation in the air and Elijah walked over to pluck the invite out of her hands to read it for himself. "I was picking up Hope when some vampire dropped it off," she told him.
When Elijah remained silent, looking at the invitation, she got annoyed. "You care to fill me in?" she asked him.
"This isn't your concern," he said quietly.
Buffy came into the room. "It is just as much her concern as it is yours because she's a member of your family," Buffy said, giving him a pointed look.
"That's right," Hayley said, smiling at Buffy. "So, why don't you cut the protective macho crap and tell me what's going on. I'm part of this family too, Elijah. I thought you of all people would act like it."
Looking between the two, he said in resignation. "So, what do you want to know?" he asked.
"I just got a very interesting call from Marcel," Buffy said excitedly. "He's invited me to a party!"
Hayley smirked. "I bet it's the same party Elijah was invited to," she said.
Buffy looked at the invitation that Elijah was holding and nodded. "Yep," she said.
"You want to go to the party with Marcellus?" Elijah asked, frowning.
"He did ask me," Buffy said. "He figured taking a slayer as a date would keep them all on their toes."
"I bet," Hayley said with a smirk. Then she looked at Elijah and grinned. "If it's okay with Buffy, I'll go as your date." She looked at Buffy, who nodded.
"We will definitely keep them guessing!" she said excitedly.
Elijah smiled, suddenly looking forward to his seeing his old friends.
*****Rousseau's*****
Night had fallen, and a Halloween party was in full swing in the French Quarter, where people were in costumes and drinking both in the streets and inside the various bars and clubs in the neighborhood. Eventually, Klaus found Lucien in a booth at Rousseau's, where he was partying hard with three girls: one was a "sexy" cat, one was a "sexy" nurse, and the other was dressed up as a skeleton bride. They all held up their shot glasses in toasts. It was clear that Lucien was having a good time, and he still hadn't explained what this secret weapon was that could kill them. Klaus worked hard to control his anger.
Lucien grinned up at him. "Glad you could join us. Have a seat," he said.
Klaus glared at the tall, muscular man leaning against the bar. He'd seen that particular vampire too many times to be coincidence. Lucien noticed him staring at the man.
"Ah ha! I see you've noticed Gregory. Former Navy SEAL. I turned him personally to head my security team," Lucien bragged.
Klaus gave him an annoyed look. "Yes, I've noticed a lot of new faces at my favorite haunts," he said.
"It's strictly for your protection!" Lucien exclaimed with a grin. Then he picked up a shot of tequila and held it out to Klaus, who sighed in exasperation before sitting next to him and taking the shot from him. Lucien picked up another shot for himself.
"Your resources are extensive," Klaus observed.
Lucien chuckled. "And you don't even know the half of it."
They clinked their shots together before drinking them.
"You see, Nik, I have spent several lifetimes building a company devoted to shattering the very limits of what is possible. I have some of the most brilliant minds in the world developing technologies that you couldn't imagine," Lucien told him.
"With Alexis as your crowning achievement, no doubt," Klaus said.
Lucien shrugged. "Well, she's amazing. But you seemed to have acquired two powerful women of your own," he said.
"Willow and Buffy are extraordinary," he admitted. He drank another shot.
"I did some research on your slayer. She's got quite a reputation," Lucien said. "Has she really died a few times and came back?"
Now it was Klaus who shrugged. "I'm not privy to all her secrets. Elijah probably is. I do know that she is immortal now with none of the weaknesses that vampires have," he said. Let Lucien chew on that. He was planning things, but Klaus was not without his own resources. Lucien had no idea what the slayer and her best friend were capable of.
"Really? She cannot be killed?" Lucien asked in surprise.
Klaus emptied another shot and felt like doing some boasting of his own. "She died a few years ago and was buried for months. Willow resurrected her," he said with a smirk.
Lucien's hand paused on the way to his mouth. He sat the drink down. "You have a witch that can raise the dead?" He asked.
"She's got some power," Klaus said easily. "But she's no seer. The single cure to the most terrifying threat of all—the unknown."
"I'm not following," Lucien said, looking confused.
Klaus chuckled happily at Lucien's confusion. "Clarifying the unknown? Perhaps, we should go pay your seer another visit? See if anything has snapped into focus in regards to that mysterious threat against us."
Lucien looked slightly uncomfortable, and Klaus worked to cajole him. "If, that is, you're prepared to share your resources..."
"Of course! Her visions are our greatest chance for survival," he assured Klaus quickly.
They both drank another drink, but Klaus got the feeling that Lucien was hiding something. He gave Lucien a look that the younger vampire knew well. Klaus would not be put off any longer.
"Alexis. She is my best weapon. She can tell us where the threat is coming from, what this weapon is," he said. He pulled out his cell phone to call her. "She's not answering."
Klaus wasn't concerned. "Maybe she went out. It is a holiday," he said.
"No, Alexis never leaves unescorted. Maybe she's sleeping," he said. He got up. "We need to go check on her."
Klaus followed Lucien to his penthouse, but Alexis wasn't there. Lucien paced in his living room as he called someone. "I don't want your excuses, I simply want her found! Do you understand?" Lucien hung up the phone.
"Perhaps you should place your special lady friend on a shorter leash?" Klaus said.
Lucien shook his head. "You don't understand—Alexis doesn't go outside unless she has to. She's too sensitive. If she's gone, then someone took her," he said, his concern obvious.
Klaus smirked. "All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't find one prognosticating witch," he said. "Ah, well. Takes one to find one, I always say." He pulled out his phone to call Freya. No sense in involving Willow this soon.
*****Strix Party*****
Hayley linked her arm through Elijah's and walked into the midnight party. "So... What exactly am I walking into tonight?" Elijah handed the man his invitation.
The Strix's party was in full swing, complete with formally dressed members wearing masquerade masks and burlesque dancers dressed in the style of the flappers of the 1920s. There were humans in attendance as well, most of whom were being fed on by the various members of The Strix.
"Only the most dangerous and influential congregation of vampires the world has ever known," he replied grimly. Too many things could go wrong. There was no predicting how Buffy would react in a room full of vampires. Instinct could be stronger than reason. At her core, Buffy was a predator.
It'd been too long since Hayley had spent any alone time with Elijah. She was wearing a beautiful red dress borrowed from Rebekah. Jackson might've been more bothered by the outing if it wasn't abundantly clear that Elijah had moved on from Hayley. He only had eyes for the slayer these days. Although it irked Hayley a bit, she was happy for him—mostly.
"This is the first time we've hung out in a while," she said as she stared at all the masked vampires.
"Yes," Elijah acknowledged. He wasn't sure how he felt about the events that were transpiring. Buffy with Marcel was not going to go smoothly—he just knew it. His slayer didn't do tact well. Dealing with the Strix required a subtle hand, and Buffy didn't do subtle.
"Why are they all staring at you?" Hayley asked him.
"I'm kind of a big deal around here," he said with a shrug.
Hayley's eyes widen in realization as they head toward the bar across the room. "They're all part of your sireline."
"Most of them, tragically, yes. You see, Hayley, I wanted to assemble minds curious about the world and eager to improve it, along with the time and circumstance to do so. My desire was to create an elite brotherhood devoted to a new, better civilization. It was naive. Eventually, I was forced to abandon them once I realized I'd cultivated a legion of ego-maniacal sociopaths," he said in disgust.
Music continued to play as and the voices that dimmed on Elijah's appearance picked back up. However, the music came to a complete stop when Marcel entered the room with Buffy on his arms. Elijah, like everyone else in the room was riveted by her appearance. She had on a shimmering green dress that plunged low in both the front and the back. Her hair was up, exposing her neck—something she knew Elijah liked. Their eyes met from across the room, and she smirked at him. The Strix were shocked that Marcel had brought a human to their party—an insult never done by any member. Humans were prey, not guests.
Marcel knew that Aya and her boss were trying to use in him their power play with the Mikaelsons. Although the idea of joining an elite group that hated Klaus intrigued him, he knew something Tristan and the Strix didn't know. The woman on his arm wouldn't let a single one of the Mikaelsons die. He didn't need Tristan or the Strix.
Aya, dressed in a silver gown, saw Marcel entering the ballroom and put on her mask as she headed over to greet him.
"Marcel! Welcome," she said. She glanced at the woman on his arm in surprise. "I didn't realize that you'd bring a date."
Marcel grinned. "Well, it's a formal party. I thought a date would be a good idea," he said easily.
"Of course, your date is welcome—even if she is human," she said coolly.
Buffy bit back a grin as the attractive black woman worked to keep her mask of indifference on her face. Even with the face mask obscuring her eyes, Buffy could tell Aya was annoyed, so she held out her hand.
"I'm Buffy," she said with a bright smile.
"Buffy, this is Aya. From what I hear, she's almost as old as Elijah. She's been around since the Strix was started by him, right?" Marcel said, looking at Aya for confirmation.
Aya nodded, not pleased that a stranger she knew little about knew so much about her.
"Come. I'll introduce you around," Aya said, gesturing for them to follow. Aya led Marcel to a serious-looking man standing on the outskirts of the ballroom, who was wearing an all-black suit.
"Marcel, I'd like you to meet my mentor, Mohinder. He taught me everything I know about combat," she introduced.
Marcel smiled and held out his right hand, the hand on which he wore his daylight ring, to Mohinder. "Oh, if that's the case, then I am impressed!" he said.
Buffy, unlike Marcel, wasn't distracted by the beautiful Aya and noticed when Mohinder slipped Marcel's daylight ring off his hand. She moved quickly, grabbing the man's arm and twisting it back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked coldly.
Marcel looked down and realized that the vampire had his daylight ring in the hand Buffy had immobilized.
Mohinder snarled at Buffy and tried to pull her hand away. However, Buffy wasn't easily swayed and held on tight. "I asked you a question," she said, snapping his wrist with ease. "What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing?" she asked, biting each word out slowly.
"This is part of the test," Aya explained to Marel. "As part of his discipline, Mohinder drinks only the blood of vampires he's vanquished in combat. He can go weeks without feeding, yet suffer no effects of hunger, such is his control over body and mind. Taking your ring was supposed to be the first step in your challenge. Uncovering who had it would've been the test. Then you would fight him for it. " She gave Buffy a sour look—the human had ruined everything.
"I'm not going to apologize for protecting my date," Buffy said coldly.
Marcel took back his ring. "Sorry my date spoiled your plans," he said. Buffy released the vampire's hand.
Just then, a row of caterers with trays of champagne flutes walked into the room and tapped their glasses with butter knives to get the attention of the party as Tristan, dressed in a fine suit, made his arrival to the gathering known. He missed Buffy's interaction with Mohinder.
"Distinguished friends, welcome. It's so rare that we're able to come together like this to revel for one night in the company of true equals. Now, I'd like to take a moment to welcome a very special guest—Marcel Gerard."
Marcel took a step forward and nodded in acknowledgement as the crowd clapped their hands in applause. "Thank you. I'm honored. Thank you," he said.
Tristan smiled. "Of course, before we tell Marcel all of our secrets, there's one small piece of business to which we must first attend. We must determine his worth," he declared.
Marcel frowned in confusion. "That's funny... I seem to recall you being the one knocking on my door," he said.
Aya moved forward and whispered in Tristan's ear. Buffy could tell she was being told on, and she glanced at Marcel. "Do you really want to be a part of this, or can I take over from here?" she asked.
Marcel sighed. "It would've annoyed Klaus greatly if I was a Strix," he said.
"I'm really good at annoying Klaus," she told him. "In fact, I had to break his jaw this morning."
Marcel looked at her in surprise. However, her smug look of satisfaction made it clear that she wasn't joking. He laughed. "I like your style. Fine. Do your thing," he said, gesturing to Tristan who was now looking at Buffy with open curiosity.
"Marcel, your guest is a surprise. I have heard that she is Elijah's lover, yet Elijah is here with Klaus's ex. It's odd for a human to keep such illustrious company. It's quite unexpected," he said in amusement.
Buffy stepped forwarded and smiled at the room. "Yes, I am Elijah's lover. Or he is mine," she said, waving at her lover, who smiled at her in amusement. "Marcel decided that it'd be fun to bring a vampire slayer to the party since he knew that he couldn't possibly trust your invitation."
Tristan looked alarmed for a moment and then laughed. "Elijah, what game is this? We invited Marcel here because he is an extraordinary example of what a vampire can accomplish—a perfect Strix candidate. Yet you allow your human lover to be entangled in this. Why?" he asked.
Elijah stepped forward with Hayley, shaking his head. "Not wise, Tristan," he said in admonishment.
Buffy, stepping forward, pulled her stake out of her purse and slammed it in Aya's heart. "First of all, Elijah doesn't allow me to do anything," she said. As the life drained from Aya, Marcel felt a twinge of guilt. She had been enticing.
"Secondly, I am no mere human and will kill any vampire I want if only to make a point."
Tristan's fist clenched in rage. However, the look of amusement and adoration on Elijah's face, held him in check. The same thing, though, could not be said of Mohinder, whose anger at Buffy's action broke through his normally calm facade.
He charged Buffy.
Marcel braced himself for the battle he knew was about to start.
*****To Be Continued*****
Buffy and Willow's presence in town is seriously going to derail all the events of season 3. I hope you are enjoying this take that deviated only slightly from the episode. However, things will definitely go away from the script from here. Thanks for reading. Reviews are so appreciated!
