Elena has been murdered along with her boyfriend.
Given her connection with Christian and thus a possible connection with the situation with Jack Hyde, the local police is ordered to seal the crime scene. Ana is summoned to take a sniff.
There is a scent of a vampire, as suspected. However, it doesn't belong to Jack Hyde and definitely not to a newly changed vampire. Moreover, there is something off about the scent.
She shares the memory with John later. He confirms that the vampire was an ordinary wild one but of a very old generation. Possibly changed by a semi-ancient vampire.
While John discusses this with others, Ana meets with Christian and Taylor in Escala. Taylor has finished a round of calls to his people stationed with the rest of the family. Mrs. Jones is away, thankfully. Taylor lets her know to stay away. Ana takes a small bottle of deer blood from a fridge and puts it in a microwave. She started craving blood recently.
"Who could have possibly wanted to kill Elena?" she poses a question.
"Yeah, I can't believe she's gone," admits Christian, misunderstanding Ana.
Ana closes her eyes for a moment before responding. "I'm sorry for your loss, Christian, but there's no time for mourning now. Think, who else besides Jack Hyde had a reason for this?"
Taylor sighs, almost inaudibly. Christian doesn't hear it but Ana does.
"I mean, it couldn't have been somebody changed by Jack Hyde," continues Ana when Christian doesn't answer. "But it can't be a coincidence so the killer could be Jack's creator. Or somebody connected to Jack's creator. The question is, what's going on if such an experienced vampire makes such a reckless public move? So please, think."
Christian nods and makes a gesture with his hand signaling "I'm working on it." However, an incoming call interrupts his train of thoughts first. It is Grace. She is all frantic and disturbed by the news about Elena.
"Yes, it's true," confirms Christian.
Grace starts asking questions.
"Sorry, mom. Can't talk now. Get ready to move on a moment's notice."
He hangs up. Ana has an errant thought that maybe Grace wouldn't be so distraught if she knew the truth about Christian and Elena. Then again, maybe she would freak out even more.
"Well?" she asks.
Christian runs his hand through his hair.
"The only one who comes to mind is her ex-husband." He tells Ana how Lincoln put Elena in a hospital after finding about her affair.
"Sounds like a candidate," comments Ana, nodding. "We need to be quick about this. Could you share everything you know about him with me? I should warn you though, I may need to relay this to my brother."
The rest of it is hardly private so Christian concentrates and brings it to the forefront of his mind. How Elena didn't press charges because she would have been in trouble herself. How he planned to avenge Elena by covertly buying a majority share in Lincoln's company only to find out that Lincoln was no longer interested in it.
"We've got the winner, I think," he hears when it is over. "The others need to know about him."
Christian nods. While Ana connects with her siblings again, Christian and Taylor put everyone on standby.
John checks their information about Mr. Lincoln and it all fits. A failing businessman with a chip on his shoulder and a score to settle - exactly the kind of people Feller's enemies are recruiting. Disappeared from public life a few years ago. Eventually reappeared but only for private meetings and only with people who had never met him before.
"Too bad we didn't know this sooner," regrets John. "They must be making their move against Feller already if he's willing to expose himself in such a way. Well, better late than never. We'll deal with this. We hoped to reach an understanding with Stefan first but this is too close to home now. I need you and the Greys to lie low somewhere until this is over. Your new house, for example. We'll send someone over."
Ana doesn't argue about the last bit. Being pregnant, maybe she shouldn't change into a wolf. Jack Hyde doesn't need to be mentioned. It is clear to both of them that he is the instrument of the second part of Lincoln's revenge. For all they know, he is already preparing to strike. One might even call it curious that he hasn't yet.
"We need to move quickly," she tells Taylor and Christian. "Jack Hyde has been unchained and may attack any moment. Maybe he's attacking right now."
She tells them her plan. Christian isn't sure but seeing that Taylor is, he doesn't argue. After all, the magical house is more defensible than his parents' property. Plus, it has magical wards. The only problem he sees is in getting everybody there safely.
Ana and Taylor grab their weapons. Taylor gives his people instructions.
They roll out in two cars. Taylor and another bodyguard head to the house. The other guy is going to drop him there and drive away. The same will be done with all others, who are going to be lead in by Taylor.
Ana and Christian will come in last, in case others get in trouble on the way. They hope that Jack's new employers have a tight enough leash on him to prevent him from making a spectacle on a freeway. After all, they stand much to loose if their existence is revealed given their presumed plans.
What feels like an eternity later, Ana puts a phone down.
"Taylor reports Elliot and Kate safe at the house," she relays.
"Thank God," responds Christian from behind the wheel. Elliot's stubbornness could have been a problem in their security plan but it seems Kate has negated that wrinkle out.
Soon afterwards, Taylor calls again and asks to be put on speaker. It is a three-way call. He added them after Mia's driver called.
"We are being followed," repeats the driver. "Looks like Hyde's car."
"Why the hell does he let himself to be seen?" thinks Ana to Christian. "And why has he allowed us all this extra time to prepare?"
There is no time to discuss it over the phone now. Taylor directs both cars to meet each other as soon as possible. Ana has to admit that she is impressed by his knowledge of the city and ability to do this instantly and without thinking. She wouldn't do a better job herself.
"He's trying to ram us from behind!" shouts Mia's driver.
"I get why he uses a car," thinks Ana (referring to the daylight). "But why does he play with them?"
"He wants them to move to a less populated area first," thinks Christian back. "He wants to take her alive. Beats me." As far as he is concerned, he is just glad that Jack hasn't ripped Mia's throat out yet.
"OK, I've got an idea," says Ana. "You'll get to a long stretch of road now. I need you to gun it there. You'll be faster than his car." And probably as fast as Jack can run but she doesn't mention that - the driver doesn't know about vampires. "We'll approach from opposite direction. We need to make sure that our car is obscured by yours. When Christian says, I'll need you to move aside."
"What?" exclaims the driver.
"It's a good plan. Do as she says," commands Taylor.
"Yes sir," grumbles the driver.
Both cars reach the segment of the road and drive against each other. Jack follows.
"When he moves, do the same in opposite direction," requests Ana and leans out of her window, her battle rifle at the ready. Christian sees what is she planning. He wonders whether his maneuver won't throw her aim off but at least she isn't climbing any further out.
Mia's car is in the middle of the road at the moment.
"Prepare him to move to his left," sends Ana.
Christian does so.
"Now."
"Now!" repeats Christian and moves to the right side of the road at the same time.
Ana fires a shot. Just one shot. She hits the pursuing car's front tire. Only then she looks at the driver and as the car swerves out of the road, she catches a sight of Jack. As he tries to compensate, he forgets his vampire strength and rips the wheel off. He drives into a bush and comes to a stop.
Ana sits down in her seat. "Let's get out of here!" This is not the place to confront him.
"What a hell?!" yells Mia's driver. "That was an impossible shot!"
No one reacts to his exclamation.
"Don't slow down!" shouts Christian and does a 180 turn. The other car passes by them before they can accelerate again.
"Is he pursuing you?" asks Taylor.
Ana looks over her shoulder. The door of the crashed car is open. She doesn't have a line of sight on Jack though and there is no time to look for signs of his passage among bushes.
"He may be following us on foot."
If Mia's driver is confused, he doesn't voice it. The road ends in a T form intersection not so far ahead. They have to decide quickly.
"Very well," responds Taylor. "Have Mia transfer to your car, then get here."
"It will have to be quick," emphasizes Christian. "A second, no more."
"OK," they hear Mia's timid voice.
Ana climbs to the backseat and prepares to open door for Mia. Taylor is still instructing the other driver when both cars reach the intersection and stop abruptly. Mia bursts out of one car and almost stumbles into the other. Ana catches her arm and helps her in. Both cars speed off in opposite directions.
The other driver has been briefed by Taylor about the seriousness of the situation but he still stops some distance away to reach over and close the door left open by Mia. As he starts driving again, he glances in his rear-view mirror. Jack is standing there in a shadow of a tree at the moment. He makes a decision and dives into bushes on the other side of the road.
"I think I just saw a guy," reports the driver. "I think he's following Mr. Grey. On foot."
"Good," comments Ana.
"What are you still doing there?" tells him Taylor. "Leave."
He removes him from the call.
Ana scans the terrain behind them through rear window.
"With a bit of luck, he'll follow us all the way. Then we can deal with him."
"Are you sure this is the best idea?" worries Christian.
"Better than having to watch for his return another day. I'm sure the temptation will be too much for him and he'll follow us."
"I'll see you here," concludes Taylor. "I'll go talk to Mrs. Morrison now."
Later on, Christian has to slow down for a moment. As they pick up speed again, Ana spots Jack jumping over someone's backyard fence. She doesn't see him again before they drive out of sight. She wonders whether he has run into someone and is feeding at the moment. He probably fed before the operation but he is still young. She sinks into her seat.
"What is it?" asks Mia in a flat, dreamy voice. She is shook up and slightly disjointed after her adrenaline rush. Perhaps it is not so surprising that she noticed Ana's brief change of mood.
"Nothing," answers Ana after giving Mia a glance.
They can't worry about that now. They can't protect every non-magical human in United States - save by killing Jack. If he is going to have his stomach full, they'll have an advantage. She sends a message from her phone, the crime scene will need to be taken care of.
The sun is almost setting when they approach their property.
"Don't stop the car," advises Ana. "Gun it and keep going to the house."
Christian grunts in agreement.
"Brace yourself," Ana tells Mia.
The car lurches as it leaves the road. As the magical ward starts impairing the spark-plugs, Christian turns the ignition off and coasts a little bit further by inertia. They jump out of the car and run to the house. Taylor is waiting for them already.
"He's on our heels," warns Ana as she strides inside with Mia and Christian, her rifle in her hands.
Taylor, his own weapon ready, nods in acknowledgment. Like Ana, he has prepared both incendiary armor piercing and ordinary armor piercing ammo. Elliot and Carrick are holding small extinguishers. Ana isn't sure whether that's going to be any help - if Taylor misses indoors, the fire will be behind Jack and thus out of their reach. Still, it is better to be prepared. All doors are fixed in open position.
"If you don't mind," proposes Taylor. "Could you make Mrs. Morrison visible? Feels silly to talk to someone others can't see."
Why not? It could prove useful in moments to come. Ana raises her hand towards the ghost and releases a sparking discharge of her energy. A faint outline of the elderly woman becomes visible even to muggles. Grace gives a barely concealed start. She is getting overloaded by the events of the day, which is far from over. The others aren't feeling much better.
Ana takes a position in the middle of the house. Both she and Mrs. Morrison are attuned to the wards. She hopes that when Jack breaches the perimeter, she'll be able to get to a window and shoot him before he reaches the house.
"Don't forget to cover your ears," she tells the others.
They don't have to wait for long, Jack doesn't want to give them any more time to prepare than he already has when he stopped for a snack. He approaches the house from downwind on a vector which he believes will give him the most concealment for most possible time. Unbeknownst to him, the wards give Ana his exact position. She rushes to a window and the interior of the house booms with gunfire as she empties her magazine.
"Nailed him!" she rejoices at the same time as Jack roars in pain and rolls on the ground to stop the fire.
Taylor, directed by Mrs. Morrison, moves to another window but there is no time to fire. Jack leaps in the air and crashes through a window on the second floor. Ana has a fleeting thought that they'll need to replace it. She tosses her empty rifle to Christian and changes. Taylor moves behind her and makes a quick gesture to direct the others.
Jack reaches them in no time and he is a terrible sight to behold. He is still soiled by the blood of his latest victim which creates an illusion that he has bled profoundly from his wounds. The craters left by the projectiles have not started regenerating yet because of the burns. Mrs. Morrison flies at Jack to distract him. It is the first time they have seen her feet leave the ground. Taylor fires through her but Jack evades the bullets and slashes with his hand through the ghost. His vampire skin clad arm disrupts Ana's energy field partially and Mrs. Morrison becomes less visible. It also seems she was staggered a little.
Ana tries to nip at Jack's leg while he is off balance but he steps back at the last moment. He hopes for a moment that Ana will overextend but she sees that in his mind in time and retreats. Only then she finds out that his plan was to slash her with a kitchen knife. Yes, an ordinary stainless steel kitchen knife. He must have grabbed it in the house he invaded.
A thought flashes through Ana's mind. How much has he been told about her abilities? And why hasn't he received a rifle and armor piercing ammo? True, he is probably too young to wield a firearm. Then again, he was able to drive a car. She sends a request to Christian and Taylor.
"You were turned by Lincoln, right?" Christian calls at Jack. "What exactly was your plan?"
Taylor fires a single shot which Jack evades. He is looking out for Ana's teeth at the same time but she isn't attacking.
Distraction. That's what she gets from his mind. He was meant to be a distraction. It is what he believes and what is also most probably true. But he did not wish to be a distraction, he wanted the authorities to go after Lincoln and the others instead which he hoped to give him enough time and space to kill Christian and every other member of the Grey family. Including Ana, if an opportunity presented itself. So he moved into position but he delayed his attack.
There is no time to think about that now. The important matter is the improbability of Jack receiving any help. Alas, that proves irrelevant soon.
Ana and Mrs. Morrison detect a new incomer. The ghost gives Taylor a worried look but Ana alleviates both his and Christian's worries.
"Carlisle is here."
Taylor gives Mrs. Morrison a little wink. Jack catches it but he considers it another attempt to distract him. He prepares a new plan: dive out of a window, run around the house, and reenter from another direction before the humans can get behind Ana again. He forgets all about it when he smells another vampire and hears his quick footsteps.
"Professor Cullen!" exclaims Grace, forgetting that there is no need to be formal.
"Dr. Trevelyan," replies Carlisle, mirroring Grace's formality but very little of her tone. His eyes never leave Jack who returns his attention - because Carlisle is aiming a plasma cannon at him. This contrasts in a slightly comical way with a medical bag he has slung over his shoulder.
Taylor, while being glad for the doctor's timely arrival, is rather disconcerted by his choice of a weapon. If he discharges the BFG indoors and misses, he is going to create one hell of a mess which may be potentially dangerous to all humans inside.
"Stand down, Mr. Hyde," continues Carlisle, dropping his bag on the floor. "You can't win this."
Jack growls angrily and, forgetting Ana's teeth and Taylor's rifle, rushes the other vampire. Carlisle changes his grab on his weapon and uses it to smash Jack.
Taylor doesn't even have time to realize what is Carlisle doing before it is done. Jack, however, is momentarily confused by the unexpectedness of the move but he is far from being stupefied like someone who expects the whole house and everything inside to be incinerated by the ruptured cell. Either he has been given limited information again or such details are simply not as widespread as they think.
Ana is the only one who knows Carlisle's game and she is moving already when the gun shatters to a hundred pieces. She bites into Jack's leg and it is all over. As Taylor lets out a sound resembling "gah" over the fact that he expected the weapon to blow up, Carlisle decapitates Jack and proceeds to sever his remaining limbs and to detach his hands from his arms. On one hand, he works methodically. At the same time, his distaste for such a thing is obvious.
"It was a fake!" exclaims Taylor, pointing at the pieces on the floor.
"Not a fake, just missing the cell and all internal parts. All the functioning weapons were requisitioned by the others already."
He doesn't need to elaborate that those "others" are participants of the raid which is going on at the moment. Some of the present people know about that and the rest is not interested in hearing the details.
"Ana, don't change back just yet, I need to take a look at you first," continues Carlisle. "Mr. Taylor, would you please make a small fire outside? Just enough for his hands and head, I'll take the rest away for proper disposal."
It is night but neighbors could still notice a column of thick black smoke rising above the wards - especially when accompanied by noxious fumes.
Carlisle sets Jack's head aside and opens his bag.
"Ana, would you please lie on your side?"
He takes a stethoscope and asks everybody to be real quiet. He listens for a while.
"Well, judging by the heartbeat, there's no reason to think anything's wrong."
Christian, even though he is still apprehensive about his upcoming role of a father, smiles briefly and asks, "You can hear the heartbeat?"
Carlisle turns at him.
"Indeed. Though you wouldn't be able to just yet."
Grace is joyful over becoming a grandmother but her doctor side makes her speak up.
"That's it? Isn't there something more you can do to make sure everything is alright?"
"There's not much I can do in this case. Ultrasound won't pass through the amniotic sac. Or Ana's body for that matter. However, it wouldn't hurt to take a urine sample later on."
He turns to Ana and makes a point with his index in the air.
"Now, I'll need to take a look at you again after you change back but let's deal with Mr. Hyde now. Before he burns, he deserves to tell his story and this family deserves to know what his grief was."
Taylor returns. Carlisle gives him one of the hands. Its fingers are still curling and uncurling in an attempt to grab something so they are handling it like a crab or a big spider. Taylor rushes out to burn it. Grace and Mia feel a little lightheaded from the morbidity of the whole thing. Jack watches angrily. His mouth is open in a silent yell.
"Mr. Hyde, we can't hear you because you've got no lungs," Carlisle reminds him. "However, if you focus on what you wish to say, Ana will hear you and relay the information to me."
He waits for Jack to react. He doesn't need to wait long.
"Mr. Hyde, hurling mental expletives at us won't help anybody. Let's try this a different way. What's your connection to Christian? Or to the Grey family for that matter?"
Jack doesn't answer but Ana manages to glimpse something. Christian, when he was little. She relays it to him this time around.
"I don't understand," he says.
Carlisle raises his eyebrows. Christian describes what Ana has seen.
"That must be the foster home," observes Grace.
"What are you talking about? I haven't been in any."
Carrick explains. They didn't know about this gap in Christian's memory but they aren't surprised. Unlike Christian.
"I don't understand. I can't remember any of that. I remember my mother's death. Then cops and hospital and you, mom. Then being home with you."
It is perfectly understandable for Grace. Christian was on edge when he arrived to the hospital but then he calmed down and withdrew into himself. It took some time before he came out. Moreover, it wasn't really the foster parents' job to bond with Christian or make a lasting impression when there was a new family waiting for the boy. Alas, they don't have time to discuss that now. Taylor returns again and takes away the second hand.
"So that's why you couldn't remember Mr. Hyde here," concludes Carlisle. He turns to the severed head and points at it. "And so this was your grief with this family. They adopted him instead of you. Have you actually thought that they came to shop to the foster home and picked him because he was the cutest? Like a puppy from a pet center? No. As you have surely gathered by now, the good doctor here is a pediatrician and she was on duty when they brought Christian in. They adopted him because he needed it the most. On the other hand, your mother was alive. It wouldn't make any sense to take you away from her. So as you see..."
Carlisle pauses and listens to Ana for a moment. He sighs and looks back at Jack.
"No, I see that this is getting nowhere. You are not interested in making your peace before you burn."
The Greys could tell that much from the expression on Jack's face.
"Well, there are still some minor details to clarify about the events of today."
Carlisle turns to Christian.
"Ana has relayed to me that Mr. Lincoln has been destroyed. Now, Mr. Hyde, Ana tells me that you are aware that that you were meant to be just a distraction. However, were you aware that Mr. Lincoln was planning to murder his ex-wife?"
Jack is genuinely surprised. He believed that his purpose was to drive attention away from the attack on Feller - and to get the entire Black family to gang up on him. Carlisle nods as he listens to Ana.
"Well, that makes two of you who decided to carry out unsanctioned vendettas before the main event. Only, you ended up backstabbing each other and your entire coven."
Neither Christian nor his parents say it out loud. They were very lucky - Jack could have assassinated a random family member. Mia, for example. On the other hand, that luck was paid for by Elena's life.
Taylor returns for the third time. Carlisle turns to him.
"Well, let's get to it. However, I don't approve much of burning people alive. Would you mind retrieving a can of gunpowder from Ana's supply to expedite the process?"
Ana sends Taylor an image of which can to take and from where. Carlisle takes Jack's head and walks outside. Ana turns to Christian. He gives her a hug and scratches her behind her ears. She has to remind herself not to lick his face - there might be still some trace amounts of vampire venom in her mouth.
"Yeah, sure, I'll fetch you some clothes there," he replies to her mental request. "Mia, could you go open the door to the bathroom for her please? She wants to wash up before getting dressed."
Outside, Carlisle holds the head upside down and Taylor pours gunpowder into it. Then he grabs a dry stick and sets its end aflame in the fire. When he ignites the powder, it burns up quickly in a bright flame. They hope the wards will prevent anybody around from seeing it. Carlisle tosses the head into the fire.
He retrieves two steel suitcases from his car. He puts Jack's limbs in one of them and his torso in the other. He listens to Ana's baby's heartbeat again. He advises her to lie down and take it easy for a while.
"Is this going to cause any complications?" Grace asks him.
"Frankly, we don't know but there's no reason to think so. Ana is the first Quileute to transform while pregnant - at least to our knowledge. Luckily, she didn't exert herself and, more importantly, she wasn't injured and hence didn't need to heal rapidly. No matter how special Ana's kind is, they are still mammals so there would be a risk of fetal resorption in such case."
Ana and the others shudder at the thought of a mother involuntarily cannibalizing a fetus for what little raw material it could provide while closing a wound.
"But given the circumstances, I'm sure the baby will be alright," continues Carlisle. "By the way, congratulations. Being a grandparent is great. I speak from experience."
Grace grins.
Carlisle asks everybody (with the exception of Ana and Christian) to gather up.
"Now, I should get going. If anybody insists, I can give you a lift. However, I would be much calmer if you stayed here tonight and I'm sure all of you would sleep easier as well. I admit there's not much space here, though."
"I've brought sleeping bags," reveals Taylor.
They all decide to stay.
After Carlisle leaves, police arrives, prompted by a call of one of the neighbors. They ask the neighbors on the other side whether they've heard gunfire and they admit that they may have heard something like that - from the direction of the ones who called in the first place! The cops conclude in the end that it must have been an engine of a passing car.
In the meantime, Christian and his parents finally discuss Elena. Her next of kin have been notified by now probably but it might take a few days before they arrive to identify the body and make funeral arrangements. Maybe they should call them and offer to take care of it. After all, Grace and Christian were closer to Elena than anybody else. Christian doesn't know much about her sub but he suspects that his family will want to make their own arrangements in their home town rather than having him buried with some Mrs. Robinson by complete strangers.
Grace and Christian also talk about how they feel about Elena's death on personal level. Truth to be told, both of them are quite jaded by the subsequent events. The fact that Elena was murdered seems rather distant in comparison.
Taylor appraises Christian about the coming and going of the cops. Christian isn't surprised that he was spying on them.
Later that night, Christian walks down to the ground floor. Taylor is playing chess with Mrs. Morrison (he is moving her pieces for her).
"I don't get how Ana can fall asleep so easily after what happened," he remarks as he sits down.
"Yes, most of the others are still awake," divulges Mrs. Morrison.
"You keep tabs on that as well?"
"You may find that useful soon enough."
Christian gets that she is talking about the baby but he is in no mood to remind her that it won't be an ordinary child.
"Look," starts Christian after a pause. Taylor raises his eyes from the board. "I'm not good at this but I want you to know that I appreciate everything you did for my family today. You really came through."
Taylor's hand with a chess-piece stops in midair.
"Thank you but I recollect that it was your wife and Dr. Cullen who did the job."
"Yes. I mean your organization of evacuation of the others and the support you gave Ana. If she was forced to go toe to toe with Hyde it might have caused medical complications given her current state."
"Just doing my job," shrugs Taylor and puts the piece down. This is the second time he hears Christian talk like that.
There is a moment of silence. Mrs. Morrison is completely unaware of the uneasiness of both men.
"This is awkward, isn't it?" remarks Christian.
Taylor nods.
"I think I'll take a walk. I'm sorry, Mrs. Morrison, we'll have to finish the game later."
He grabs his rifle. The ghost doesn't react and studies the chessboard.
"Could you keep Mrs. Morrison company? In case the wards detect something."
"Sure."
Ana wakes up before sunrise. Taylor has dozed of in a recliner. Christian is outside, conversing with Mrs. Morrison. About parenthood, apparently.
Ana tiptoes around Taylor and steps outside. She waves at Christian. He knows that she doesn't need as much sleep as ordinary humans but he still wonders whether she shouldn't be taking it easy and get more rest. He bites down his remark though and asks her how she feels instead.
"Great, actually!" she replies with an energetic beam which feels out of place to Christian given the events of last day.
The door opens behind her. Taylor has awoken and he walks to the road, a small shielded box in his hand. He has got his cellphone there to protect it from the magical field.
"We should push the car back to the road," muses Ana. "See if we can salvage it."
"I'll take care of it with Elliot once he wakes up. You take it easy."
"Here it begins. Once you get pregnant, people start treating you like an invalid. OK, I'll go prepare a breakfast."
The house starts waking up. People start trickling to the kitchen. Ana welcomes each and every one of them with a wide smile and chirpy morning phrases but her beaming attitude only succeeds in increasing the feeling of surrealism in her in-laws.
Taylor tells everybody that he has arranged for one of his people to come in with a car. He himself needs to go back to Escala and he asks whether somebody doesn't wish to take a ride with him. Grace and Carrick join him. The others decide to stay for a few more hours.
John puts his phone down. He has just told Taylor that everything seems to be over and that the Greys can return to their regular lives. Of course, there will be always enemies lurking in shadows but they can't possibly expect every human connected to them to spend the rest of their lives in hiding.
People he meets during his day job are commenting on how relaxed and energetic he seems today. And why wouldn't he be, after spending the whole night hunting rogue vampires? Let them think that he and Sue had a nice night out. Truth to be told, he hasn't felt this alive since he became a politician.
He meets with Jasper later.
"I've talked with Stefan," reports Jasper. "Feller has everything back in hand."
"He has gotten this from us for free," rumbles John. "Is he trying to hide any of this from his people?"
"Not that I know of. Then again, it would be pointless to try to gaslight them. His best option is to pretend that he planned it this way. For all we know, maybe he did. For all we know, maybe he orchestrated it all to make us believe he needs us."
That is far-fetched but not too much. However, it isn't Feller's MO. He isn't alive and such a move would require imagination. His fledglings could concoct such a plan but would Feller agree to that? Maybe if Stefan proposed it but Stefan is too smart to defecate where he eats. Moreover, thoughts of the vampires John destroyed didn't suggest that the rebellion wasn't genuine.
"Are you going to brief the president yourself?" asks Jasper.
He knew about the situation and it was a military operation. It wouldn't make any sense not to do that.
"No, Smith and the brass can manage without me."