Key:
"Words."
Thoughts / "emphasis" / Title of Books or spells used
~~Parseltongue~~
¬¬Foreign Language¬¬
"Magical language."
AN:
I've had a few people complaining how easy it would be for anyone to have taken John out the previous chapter. What seems to be missed is that 1) Dumbledore has just started the releasing of the Wizarding World's boogie men to hunt Arcturus and his family, 2) they're all being ultra cautious. It doesn't matter how true John's threat of "if anything happens to me..." is. What matters is that the group believe his threatened leaking of Arcturus' location to those hunting him.
John blew everyone's mental stability to pieces by knowing things he shouldn't. These characters aren't perfect. They'll make mistakes and do things they shouldn't do when rattled. John deliberately rattled them.
Hunters and Hunted
8th February 2010
It took three days before Damon had dragged Alaric to visit Peverell Manor to demand answers to what John had threatened Sirius about. They'd fudged him off with being warlocks and witches who saw no difference between human, magical, or being, and only cared about the person and their actions, along with subtle compulsion charms to not question anything too much. It knocked the far too inquisitive vampire back, at least until his brother's blood addiction and John Gilbert's manipulation of the Council distracted him.
Some weren't sure whether Gabrielle's creation of a fireball at the vampire's over-the-top flirting had chased him off, or made her more interesting to the Lothario. And then they looked to Sirius, remembered his days courting Amelia, and knew it was the latter.
What none had been aware of was the slow awakening of Arcturus from his healing coma. The tribrid had instinctively slipped his consciousness into the property's wards, effectively possessing the manor and grounds while his body recovered from the stress of healing Peter Hale, and so had been keeping fully abreast of everything going on during his convalescence. While the familiar and welcome presences of the Delacours and Viktor Krum were a balm to his worried soul, and he knew he needed to show his son that everything was okay, he had something else he needed to do first.
The wards shifted and twisted, making everyone unaware they had forgotten where he and the older Hale were sleeping. With that done, he dragged himself to his feet and got himself a much needed soak in a deep bath. His eyes were closed as he leant his head back on the marble tub, a soft pop announcing the arrival of one of the few people who knew he was awake.
"Winky so glad Master is awake, Winky bes knowing Little Master bes so happy toos!"
"Not yet, Winky," he quietly told her, the tension easing from his muscles. "I need to deal with my sleeping guest first. A good meal for both of us would do wonders, though. Lots of meat and blood, please."
"Winky bes knowing what Master needs eating when Master bes needing it," she admonished, causing him to chuckle.
Arcturus would throw on comfortable lounge wear and eat enough that Winky brought out her pre-prepared second and third helpings. His smile made sure the elf knew how much he appreciated her hard work.
With most of the household getting ready to attend the Miss Mystic Falls event, Arcturus had no fears of running into someone when he went to Peter's room and took a seat facing the bed. Winky had set the man's food up on the other side to allow the Fera wolf distance between them as he ate, and then waved his hand to wake Peter Hale.
The silence stretched on as the two men breathed. The natural born werewolf woke slowly, and Arcturus only spoke when he was sure the other was fully aware. "You're pretty good with your breathing. I caught the very slight hitch, but that was it. I'm impressed. It takes a long time to teach your body to wake up with so minimal physical changes. But I'm a tribrid, and I can smell the changes in your blood chemistry. Of course, you know that with the memories we shared."
"If I hadn't seen them, I would have thought it was impossible," Peter said in his smooth as silk baritone voice.
"Story of my life, really. And of course, I've seen yours."
"Well, that's unfortunate."
"Non compos mentis," Arcturus reminded the man. "Between the fire, the long recovery without a pack, and that Darach, you were barely running on instincts that night. Now get your arse up and eat the food that you're smelling. You know I haven't poisoned it."
"Technically, I don't," the Fera answered, rolling over to the side of the bed to shift into the ready chair and begin eating. "But I know enough about you to know you wouldn't kill me through poison after healing me."
Arcturus snorted at the remark. "You're healed as much as possible. As I'm not a Fera, I wasn't able to release memories that an Alpha locked away, but I could loosen them enough for you to find on your own. As long as you give yourself time to find them."
"Right," Peter gave a wry smile. "You're a man infected with all forms of lycanthropy. And took the Hale Alpha spark."
The tribrid shrugged. He'd been infected, bitten, and attacked by a wide variety of beings and beasts in his time as an Unspeakable field agent, along with his other, even more secret adventures down the years.
"Not completely and not by choice," Arcturus corrected, crossing one leg over the leg and folding his arms as he watched Peter eat. "My link to the Nemeton and healing both yourself and Derek may have made me a Fera Alpha, but I am still physically Loup Garou. You're the one with the capacity to pass your nature on with the bite."
"And you couldn't if you really wanted to?" A raised eyebrow came with the question, getting a shrugged reply.
"Probably. If I worked at it. Eventually. But right now you're an Alpha with one broken Beta link and only sane because of my healing. And I'm an Alpha who claimed this territory when your family and pack abandoned it. So, let's discuss how we're going to make this work."
"And the 'or else' you left out? A fight for dominance. With you having that nifty vampire superspeed to help you?"
"And control of wards stretching over a mile in every direction."
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OoOoO
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It took the rest of the day for the two men to hash out an agreement. Between knowing each other's secrets and being pigheadedly stubborn, they sometimes even argued over the letter of a sticking point – almost literally in one case – rather than its intended meaning. And at some point, it even turned into a game to see who could score the most imaginary points.
It was a draw.
Once the tit-for-tat was done with, Arcturus left the other man to freshen up. Those who had gone to the Mystic Falls event were just arriving back when the pair made their way downstairs talking like old friends.
"Papa!" Teddy's shout had everyone looking around, causing the two Alphas to grin. The younger one caught his son and spun him around, laughing at being able to do something they hadn't done in years.
"How's my Little Wolf?" He asked, doing the physically impossible by holding Teddy the way someone would a small child on his hip. The teen didn't seem to care. The Metamorphmagus had buried his nose against his father's neck to breathe in the familiar scent.
That broke the surprise, and everyone rushed to make sure Arcturus was healthy. Peter took a respectful step back, but those with enhanced senses didn't fail to pick up the scent of emotional pain coming from the man at the sight.
When the family was happy Arcturus wasn't about to fall flat on his face that very second, and the tribrid had welcomed the Delacours and Viktor, he turned to the watching Peter. "Everyone, Peter Hale. Our renegade Alpha that was being controlled by the Darach. And I mean that literally, Derek. Your uncle was the weapon used to kill Laura, but he wasn't controlling himself when he did it. I give you my word."
"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked, ever the one to question.
"Because in healing me, we were forced to share memories. I've seen a large portion of his life, and know each of you. Arcturus saw my life and how I was being controlled."
"You're sane now?" Derek asked, getting a snort from Arcturus, who finally dropped Teddy to his feet and then moved to drop into a chair.
"Sane? Depends on your definition. He's got the mentality of a Slytherin Black without the bigotry and twice the arrogance, but he isn't going to randomly kill people."
"Ah, a man who fits perfectly in this family then," Cissa answered, a look in her eyes that Arcturus wasn't touching with a ten-foot pole, despite being well aware of what it meant.
Fleur conjured a larger than usual drinking glass and the Veela sisters bled their palms into it without a word spoken between the pair. The group watched in morbid fascination while Arcturus gave them an indulgent smile and Teddy giggled. The young teen was well used to how the Veela was with his Papa.
Arcturus let the others catch him up on events, the recap allowing Peter to informed of information that wasn't passed over during the healing. The retelling was winding down when Kreacher popped Pearl and Anna into the room.
"Ladies," Arcturus nodded, taking a sip of his topped up drink. That he could taste the desire and worry in the sisters' blood told him all he needed to know about their actions and what his night would entail. "This is Peter Hale, my new second-in-command for werewolf matters."
The family gave a look at the announcement, but he knew they'd trust his judgement.
"It's good to see you up, my Lord," Pearl said, the pair giving an inch perfect curtsy. "Especially now. Damon confronted Annabelle at the Miss Mystic Falls event today. He's looking for a device I took from Johnathan Gilbert."
"Why would Damon be after that?" Remus asked, standing to conjure chairs for the two vampires.
"He isn't," Anna explained after thanking him. "But John Gilbert is, and he wanted Damon to get it from Mother."
Pearl drew a pouch from her jacket pocket and dropped it whole-cloth into Arcturus' waiting palm. "Johnathan was passionate about his inventions. He confided in me that he created a detection device meant to track down the town's vampire element."
"A pocket watch-cum-compass, yes," Arcturus said, spinning the similarly shaped object he had removed from the pouch. "I attempted to create a fake that would only give the appearance of working, but it wasn't as good as it should have been."
"That's what it turned out to be, yes. And I hadn't realised I had taken the wrong thing until he was standing there with its dial pointing at me. I don't know what it is, but you should have it given others want it."
Arcturus held the device in his hand and began speaking under his breath. The glow of his eyes was at it brightest given his lack of glamour use. The object glowed between his fingers, and then he stopped, throwing the object onto the table in disgust.
"How bad?" Hermione asked, fear lacing her words and features.
"You, Cissa, Viktor, Amelia, and Susan. This thing would hurt everyone else in this room. When the key is inserted, it'll create a citywide scream that would cause anyone with enhanced hearing to collapse in pain. The better their hearing, the more pain they'd feel."
A collection of hisses and snarls came at the revelation. Viktor's wand was in his hand and he was casting before he realised what he was doing, only for a shield to protect the weapon. The Bulgarian looked at his fellow Triwizard Champion and spoke only one word. "Why?"
"Because if John Gilbert is working with this Isobel and even Katherine," Peter answered instead, "Then they want that device. And I doubt they're the type of people who would accept it being destroyed."
"You mean, you wouldn't accept it being destroyed," Sirius offered, getting a smirk in reply. The Marauder sent his godson a glance. "I approve," before switching his gaze back to the Fera. A gaze that hardened to steel. "And if you betray us-"
"You'll make the fire seem like a picnic, I know."
"As long as we're clear."
"What are we going to do?" Susan asked what everyone was thinking.
"I'm going to destroy the enchantment," Arcturus said, finally pulling his gaze away from the innocuous item. His eyes swirled, crimson glowing with green flecks as his different sides rose at the threat to his family. "I'm going to enchant it with a little surprise of my own. I'm going to mask that with a bit of stolen Bennett magic in case they've got an Earth Witch hidden away, and then we're going to start being proactive. The time for hiding where we are and what we can do is over."
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OoOoO
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10th February 2010 – Western United States
Lexi Branson moved with determination and focus, making sure to never stop checking her surroundings. She wasn't afraid, but she knew well that the woman she was meeting would be. One of her closest friends had been on the run for over five-hundred-years from the most terrifying and dangerous of their kind, and she would hate herself if she brought death to the woman.
She walked into the cafe right on time, and the vampire named Rose stood from her table the moment she saw her. "Lex! You look good."
"Rose!" The friends hugged with all their supernatural strength before taking their seats. "You look exhausted. Are you sure I can't..."
"You know better than that," was the immediate reply, along with its standard shake of the head at the offer. "The Originals are not people you want looking in your direction."
"Well, it almost wouldn't have mattered," Lexi sighed, a sneer of disgust and anger forming from her full lips at the memory.
"What happened?"
"I went to visit Stefan for his birthday and -"
"No, Lex, I am not interested in being set up with one of the good ones."
Lexi threw her head back with a groan. "That wouldn't work now, anyway. He's completely smitten with this human girl. The freakiest thing ever. She's identical to Katherine Pierce. I had to drill Stefan for ages to make sure he wasn't projecting."
"Was he?" Rose asked, proud of the fact her voice didn't betray her shock. She knew what her friend was telling her meant. The Petrova Doppelgänger had reappeared and, with it, a chance at gaining her freedom.
"No, he really does love her. And she seems good for him too," Lexi sighed, lowering her gaze to look at her friend. She knew this was it. The thing she was here to talk about. "And then his rat of a brother tried setting me up to die to the town's Council."
Shock and horror spread across Rose's face, getting a nod from the other woman. "That's why I asked to meet you. The sheriff and her deputies had just shown up when this Hunter bursts out of the toilets with this raggedy vamp. I know they didn't enter the place and yet, there they were. A vampire put on the plate for those in the know to pin deaths on."
"An actual Hunter?"
"That's what I thought. He certainly moved like one. A washed-up Hunter looking to settle down who still had the moves to luckily save my life. A bit of a coincidence, but these things happen. That's until I heard that this Caspian Blackstone was living in a House Potter property."
The women locked eyes and Rose spoke slow to be sure the other understood her. "Lex, you need to be really careful what you say next."
The woman once known as Rose-Marie Porter, who was born from a family with a different name, and whose features would have her easily fit into British Magical High Society, still had many offers of sanctuary from the ones chasing her. But her loyalty wouldn't let her walk away from her friend Trevor, and the offer didn't stretch to the man who had raised the ire of the Originals. Despite this, her contacts kept her well informed about what was happening in that world, and she knew far more than most did or suspected.
Like she knew that only a Potter could live in a Potter property, and that the last Potter had vanished into the wind.
"It's bigger than that," Lexi said with a shake to her voice. Rose focused on her friend and saw actual fear in her baby faced features. "You know that I never really had an interested in that side of things."
Rose-Marie snorted at the statement that put her friend's situation mildly. Despite being from a squib line of an American branch of one of Britain's big players, the distance meant Lexi had complete disinterest and apathy towards that world after her turning. Despite that, she hadn't failed to pick up information over the centuries.
"I got Carter to look into Blackstone. He hit a wall. No one wants to talk about this guy," Lexi explained, drawing a USB drive from her pocket and sliding it across the table. "He even got threats from some powerful people, but you know Carter. He can't let things go. I don't know what's on this drive, Rose, and I don't want to know. But if anyone had a right to it, it's you."
"What are you so afraid of, Lex?"
Lexi Branson stood, visibly shaking at just the idea of what she was passing over. The woman who had seen so much and dealt with even more clenched her fists to keep control. "I didn't put it together until later that night. Blackstone said something when he killed the vamp. He said; 'Memento mori.'"
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OoOoO
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12h February 2010 – Mystic Falls Animal Clinic
The first 'proactive' move was forced upon the pack by the Argents. With the threat of the rampaging Alpha over with because of Peter's healing, Derek had lured McCall to the former Hale home to convince him to give up the amulet they knew had been dampening the boy's wolf, only for the Argents to ambush them both and kidnap Derek. Even with the amulet's effects, Peter felt the pain of his Beta while Arcturus felt those of Derek.
A scrying spell akin to what Jeremy had done to check on Elena using 'borrowed' blood from the younger Hale told the family everything. The fact a family like the Argents hadn't just killed Derek meant they wanted to use him to draw out the Alpha, something that played into Arcturus and Peter's hands. Despite both men wanting to rescue Derek, they knew getting to McCall and destroying the amulet was a critical move. An Alpha Fera without at least three pack bonds would eventually lose their mind, and McCall's dulling of his link to Peter would soon begin dragging on the man's mental state.
While the rest of the family wanted to help, the two men decided they would be the emergency backup or in case the machinations of John and the Gilbert's vampire friends took another turn. This left the two furious Alphas to hunt two birds with one stone.
The pair were dressed to kill. Peter was in an all black ensemble of boots, pants, silk shirt, and a leather jacket to the man's knees, while Arcturus' clothes differed only by their dark red colouring and his usual dragonhide jacket. They had tracked the wounded McCall to the very man they had planned on speaking to. Alan Deaton.
Arcturus hid himself through magic as they stepped through the door, ignoring the 'Closed' sign. The scent of Fera blood was obvious even with all the other scents of the veterinary. It didn't take long for the hidden warlock to appear.
"I'm sorry, but we're..." Deaton started to say as he came out from the back, only to pause at the sight of a healed and healthy Peter Hale. Recognition flashed in the man's eyes before he buried it with a fake smile. "We're closed."
"Hi there," Peter said in perfect politeness, arms clasped behind his back. "I'm here to pick up."
"I'm not sure I remember you dropping off," Deaton replied, slipping his hands into his pocket as though having not a care in the world.
"This one wondered in on its own."
"Even if it did, I can't help you. We're closed."
Arcturus wanted to snort at the smooth reply. The man's brown eyes hardened as Peter stepped closer. The tribrid had to give the warlock credit. The man's vital signs were as steady as a rock.
"Oh, I think you can make an exception this one time. Don't you?"
"That's not going to be possible. Perhaps you should come back during regular hours?"
It amazed Arcturus at the ease the two were playing off each other. Threats and dismissals were in every sentence and body twitch, despite the bland words being spoken. The mage could hear and smell the fear pouring from the hidden McCall. He readied a DMLE standard quick-and-dirty invasion sequence of charms that would not only keep any outgoing magical travel from happening, but also to keep anyone from being attracted by the commotion.
"You have something of mine," Peter pushed, the friendly tone leaving his voice at the continuous denial. Deaton just stepped closer until only the small barrier with its waist-high closed gate was between the two men.
"Like I said, we're closed."
Peter went to push open the small swing door, only for the sound of static to fill the air, and a barely visible barrier push his hand away. "Mountain ash, that's an old one."
Mountain ash. The ash of a rowan tree. A natural material that can form a barrier to keep Fera from crossing. The Kindred's most private and protected buildings were effectively swimming in the stuff, with it hidden in the walls to provide constant barriers. The only way a Fera could entire such a property was through permission and a break in the line. While it couldn't stop other werewolf species from crossing, the effects would have a cumulative weakening effect in the same way as Arcturus did when entering a property without invitation and staying too long. Another version of mountain ash existed, this one born from the magic that created the Aptrgangr-kyn and the one wood that could kill an Original. Very few knew of its properties that affected Arcturus' kind of vampirism.
The tribrid let the spells hiding him fall away, throwing up the others simultaneously. Deaton jumped at his sudden appearance and the wave of magic. Arcturus was already at the barrier and reached out, feeling the familiar magic.
"And oak ash," he said, careful to not name which type of oak was used to the listening McCall. "Mixed with blood wards, too. Well, well, you do know your stuff, Mr Deaton. Or is it Bennett?"
"I don't know what you mean," the warlock tried.
"I can smell the Bennett scent. She's been staying here since the old woman's death, hasn't she?" Arcturus caught the flash of pain that Deaton wasn't able to hide, all the while running his fingertips against the static barrier. "Regardless, it seems you don't know all the tricks."
Arcturus called up his magic and channelled it through his arm as he slammed his palm down on the resisting wooden gate. The two opposing forces connected with a bright blue flash of energy that burned his skin, and he snarled, fangs and eyes shifting to his unique vampire face. The man had the good sense to step back. That's if Arcturus' silent petrification spell hadn't taken hold first.
He ripped the counter out of the ground with a mighty pull, breaking the circuit and rendering the man's key protections obsolete. Deaton's eyes narrowed and the two Alphas felt the stabbing pain of a psychic attack, but both had been through too much in their decades of life.
The problem with Earth Witches was that they could neither be compelled by vampire powers nor by Core magic. And while Arcturus would love to find out the man's secrets, he didn't have the time nor the urge to torture it from him. A fast and deep slash of his hand ripped Deaton's throat to the spine, the spell holding him in place dropping less than a heartbeat before Arcturus' claws made contact.
"Come on out, McCall," he ordered, using his Alpha voice. To his credit, the kid did. He came fast and swinging. But the men were experienced fighters, and it was easy for Peter to trap McCall in a full-nelson that let Arcturus rip the amulet off the Beta. Only for it to be not as simple.
The protective magic lashed out, and Arcturus realised too late what the Earth Magic protection was. It would only allow the person wearing it to take it off, and only if they did so of their own free will. He snarled. The magic and the pain it caused only fuelling his anger and strength. The protective magic and his stubbornness engaged in a battle of wills. And one had to snap.
The magic broke first. The amulet exploding in his hand and causing all three to be thrown apart and to the floor with the newly released Beta instincts drove McCall to be the first to his feet and out of the building. Peter moved next, looking over at the shuddering tribrid. "You okay?"
"That would have killed anyone else," Arcturus groaned, forcing himself to his feet and scooping up his dropped fedora. He was unsteady on his feet, the death curse still fighting against his nature, but being Master of Death dwarfed anything some random Earth Warlock's protections could do to him. "He'll be running on instinct now."
"He'll need to make sure his little love is safe."
"The weekly formal dance."
"And once he's done that, he'll seek the one thing he knows might protect him from the big bad Alphas."
"Derek," Peter finished with a knowing smirk. "And we already know where that is."
"Let's go get our wayward pup."
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OoOoO
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It all came full circle at the Hale house.
Over the years, Arcturus had found moments where he knew his actions or thoughts would have shocked, even horrified, his younger, magically bound self. That night became another when his monitoring of Derek's health through the Fera pack bonds forged through the blood healing told him of every torturous moment the man spent with the Argents. He'd experienced his own moments at the hands of enemies and had recognised the feel of being beaten with fists, objects, and even a a bout of electrocution. Yet at no time did he waver from leaving Derek where he was, and the best the Beta got was pulses through their bond to tell him they were on their way.
As Peter pointed out to the family. Born wolves were raised with knowing the pack/family came before the individual. Always.
The two Alphas watched the unsuspecting McCall. Arcturus was proud of Stiles as his boy decided once and for all to open himself up to his long-time crush. Although effectively calling her a fraud was a unique twist.. But revealing he was well aware of how smart Lydia Martin actually was won her over. Whatever works, I guess, Arcturus thought after listening in on the quirky conversation.
The Argents attempted to make a McCall sandwich between two cars, forcing the teen to reveal himself to his girlfriend. The two men coldly watched the events unfold. They would have stepped if the kid was in trouble, but both were playing a longer game. And forcing McCall to wake up and smell the truth of how dangerous the Argents were was a part of that.
It took a while, but all the players were in position. McCall had been desperate and sent a howl throughout Mystic Falls, a howl that Derek had replied with one of his own, letting the high school teen know where to find the other. The duo went ahead to the Hale property and waited inside the burnt-out house for Scott to drag Derek out of the hidden tunnels beneath.
"Hold on, hold on," Derek huffed, weak from the torture as McCall dragged him towards the building. "Something doesn't feel right."
"What do you mean?" The clueless idiot asked, looking around the dark woods that surrounded the property.
The two men shared a look beneath the heavy masking charms. They both thought the same thing. Trap.
"I mean," Derek emphases as he gave McCall a dirty look before turning to look around. "That something doesn't feel right. It's kinda like getting out of there. I don't know... It was... It was kind of like it was -"
"No, don't say 'too easy,'" McCall snapped. "People say 'too easy' and bad things happen. What, do you think finding you was easy?"
Yes, the Alphas thought.
"Getting away from Allison's dad? None of this has been easy. So, if things are going right for, like, two seconds, can we just not question it? Can we just shut up and thank God that we finally have the tiniest bit of luck for once?"
"Impressive speech," Peter mused, getting a nod. "Worthless, but impressive."
Derek didn't have time to reply. An arrow smacked into his shoulder from behind, sending him spinning. The fool McCall stood there gaping, even when a second arrow slammed into Derek's thigh to send the man to the ground. The moron continued to stare in the direction the arrows came from, even when Derek screamed.
"Scott, your eyes!"
A third arrow sent by the teen's sweetheart exploded as a flash-bang, stunning the teen who hadn't listened to the command. Derek wasn't idle, snapping the arrows to make it easier to move, and dragged himself to his feet. He pulled McCall along as far as his weakened body could go and threw the teen almost to the doorway, where the two men continued watching.
"Stay here," Arcturus ordered Peter, who nodded. The tribrid called upon the Cloak to vanish and silently Apparated besides the wounded Derek. He slid his wrist under the wounded wolf's nose, allowing his scent to calm the Beta while watching the drama.
"I was going to tell you the truth at the formal," McCall pleaded with his approaching girlfriend. "I was gonna tell you everything. Because everything that I said, everything that I did -"
"Was to protect me?" Allison Argent scoffed.
"Yes."
"I don't believe you."
"Thank God!" Kate Argent groaned as she approached Derek and the invisible Arcturus, and only the mage's magic kept his growls from being heard. "Now, shoot him before I have to shoot myself."
"You..." Allison stammered, showing those watching that her aunt had manipulated her. "You said we were gonna catch them?"
"We did that. Now we're going to kill them," the woman told her, shooting at Derek. Despite her close range, Arcturus was closer. His vampire speed allowed him to stab Derek in the side with a claw while taking the bullet himself, with his magic keeping any disturbance of the winter leaves from being noticed. Not that Kate Argent bothered turning to look as she continued walking towards McCall and her niece. "See? Not that hard."
Kate took one look at Allison's reluctant face and pushed the girl aside, pointing the gun at McCall. Arcturus was about to reveal himself when another voice shouted from the shadows, putting the last piece of the puzzle together for the Unspeakable.
"Kate!" Chris Argent called out. "I know what you did. Put the gun down."
"I did what I was told to do," the psychotic woman declared.
"No one asked you to murder innocent people. There were children in that house, ones who were human. Look what you're doing now! You're holding a gun at a sixteen-year-old boy. No proof he spilt human blood. We go by the code, Kate. Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent."
We hunt those who hunt us.
Before they could say any more, Arcturus made his move. "Back where it all started. Fitting."
"He's an Alpha!" Scott shouted. The adult Argents turned their guns only for magic to wrench them from their grasps. The incident allowed Peter to walk out of the Hale house and over to the tribrid.
"Alright there, Derek?" He asked, sparing the wolf a look.
"Yeah, thanks for stopping the bullet," the Beta replied, his uncle moving to help him up.
"I thought I'd only be saving an innocent wolf and show a stupid kid the reality of your family, but now I see the truth." He said to the woman, never taking his eyes off the person who had ended so many lives. "I have twelve case files, Kate Argent. Thirteen family massacres with fire as the weapon, starting with this one. You might have hidden your name, but you got your hands dirty too often for people not to remember your face."
In the absence of witnesses, he'd violated his own rule and called spirits outside of Halloween to hear their stories. Yet even the dead weren't omniscient and none had known the real name of their killer.
"He's the oldest you like, isn't he?" The tribrid continued with a nod of the chin towards McCall. "Sixteen. The youngest you slept with was a thirteen-year-old boy who'd gone through an early and brutal puberty."
"Kate, what's he talking about?" Her brother demanded, horror etched on everyone's face, bar the woman in question.
"You're a smart man, Chris Argent. You know who I am, don't you? Maybe even what society I'm from?"
"I do."
"That part of the government has a kill order out on her and anyone protecting her, or who aided her."
"Did she really do those things?" Chris asked, unable to look at his sister.
"Without a doubt."
"Then do it."
The spell hit Kate's chest before she could react to the words, and she fell like a puppet with its strings cut. "She'll be in a coma until I get her to my bosses."
The elder wolves heard the jump of his heart at the lie. They would learn he'd used a similar curse to what had befallen the Longbottoms, locking the twisted monster in an eternal nightmare of burning alive. Arcturus would give her body to the Thirteen Families to store in case blood magic was ever required to be performed on the Argent family.
"Who the hell are you?" Allison demanded, scrambling to her feet.
"Caspian Blackstone, wizard, and monster hunter."
"You killed Mr Deaton!" Scott screamed, also rising. "You destroyed my pendant!"
"Deaton helped kill my family," Peter explained, drawing the attention to the Fera Alpha. "He knew what was going on and did nothing to help."
"And that pendant wasn't helping you control yourself," Arcturus said, staring the boy down. "When something like that is used on a wolf, it'll eventually send them insane. They'll kill their closest loved ones without thinking. Deaton hated werewolves."
Not quite the whole truth, but enough of it for the gun-happy Argents and temperamental teen. The truth was, neither Alpha knew much about the man for sure. Only that he was a Bennett, had been the Hale Pack's emissary according to Peter's earliest memories, and would have known exactly what the pendent did to the boy.
Arcturus scooped the prone body of Kate Argent up and unceremoniously slung her over his shoulder. He gave Chris Argent a penetrating stare. "My people are watching your family. The Campbells crossed the line, and I wiped them out. Make sure this one is the only rotten apple."
The 'or else' was obvious. Chris nodded, but an air of defeat hung over the man that made it obvious he was doubting his blood. The trio walked off into the shadows, safe in the knowledge McCall wouldn't be killed that night. They had a body to pass on and vampires to deal with.
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OoOoO
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The local and national papers were filled with nothing but the Argent scandal for the entire weekend. Detailed reports of Kate Argent's actions filled the airwaves, while the print and electronic media shared the chilling list of her victims that seemed to never end and included literal babes in arms. The reports only stated 'Federal Agents' without even going into which agency the one(s) that arrested her had even been a member of. It was a statement of intent from MACUSA to one of the longest running Hunter families.
They were being watched. And even all their money and mundane influence wouldn't save them should they step out of line.
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15th February 2010 – Mystic Falls High
"There's a war council in your fellow teacher's class," Damon announced from the doorway.
"Hello to you too, Damon."
"And given John has dirt on you and your family that you obviously don't want to get out," the vampire continued, as though Arcturus hadn't spoken. "And this is obviously about something John's done. I figured you'd want to come alone."
Arcturus looked up at the smirking vampire and hummed, lacing magic into the noise so that it rippled through the school. Damon blinked, the rumble passing before he was sure he even heard it. "Let's go then."
The two made their way through the silent corridors. The education of the students was being put on hold – again – for them to be engaged in yet another Founders' event, and it made Arcturus sighed.
"I thought I was free of badly run schools that had more death threats than exams years ago. At least I made sure to fit in as one of the faculty rather than the students."
"Wait, you can change how you look?" The vampire stopped in his tracks, his question proving there was a smart mind behind the violence, obsessions, and self-destructive tendencies.
"Let's say I have an issue with ageing and use magic to keep me from having problems," he shrugged, smirking lightly at the frown from his non-committal answer. "Don't we have a war council to get to?"
"So, how old do you really look? How old are you really?"
Arcturus chuckled and continued the walk to Alaric's class. The sound of running feet caught their attention before his boys turned the corner.
As much as he didn't like it, he was leaving Scott McCall to the Hales. The needs and training of the Fera, especially one fighting against their new nature, were best handled by their own kind. A book-trained man like himself would overlook too many nuances. Which meant Stiles was once again back with the other teens.
The tribrid wasn't sure he wanted to know how the boy explained that one to McCall.
"What are you kids doing here?" Damon asked, putting all his charm into not being a vampire.
"I called them. They know everything, and it's time Jeremy and Elena started working together about these things. Even if it is against her birth parents."
"Uncle John is Elena's father?" Jeremy blurted out in surprise, a feeling that Damon and Tyler mirrored.
"How'd you know that?"
"Seriously?" The eyebrow raised having them feel like idiots, only for Stiles to be the one to explain.
"Isobel has a teenage pregnancy and is taken to Jeremy's dad's clinic, the brother of John, and she then vanished to live her not-so-happy life with Alaric while searching for vampires, giving her nifty 'I won't be killed by supernatural beings' ring to Alaric, before she sweet talks Damon into turning her, and she only knew where Damon was from John who just so happened to have the same type of nifty resurrection ring she had. With Mr Saltzman's being John's and John's being Jeremy's dad's."
"He said that in only two sentences," Damon pointed out in horror, getting scoffs from the others and a giggle from Teddy.
"That makes so much sense," Jeremy sighed, dropping back against the wall for support and to smack his head against. "Damn."
"I'm pretty sure the others haven't worked it out yet," Arcturus offered, getting a shake of the head from the vampire.
"They haven't. Idiots."
"Come on boys," Arcturus told them. "We're about to try breaking one of John's plans in a way that won't result in us killing Elena's father. Happy days!"
"I think I preferred when we were keeping a low profile," Tyler mused, getting a grin from Teddy that said 'no you don't.'
Damon was the one who opened the door and was the first to saunter into the room.
"Thanks for coming," an exhausted Alaric said as soon as he saw the vampire, only to blink at the group following.
"Sorry, I'm late. The dog ate my, uh..."
"Teddy," Arcturus mused as they followed the smirking idiot in. "Remind me to protect your homework in cause your godfather gets into one of his silly moods."
Those who knew of the man's childish attitude and Animagus form chuckled at the joke. Arcturus looked around the depressed room and sighed. "We all know what's going on, and we mostly all know the other side knows and that they know we know they know. It's best to start working together to keep the peace for all of us, yeah?"
"I'm not sure that sentence makes sense," Stiles mused, only to back away when Arcturus turned to look at him.
"Then give me a four-page essay on whether it does or not, and the correct way I could have explained the same concept in the fewest words possible."
"Oh, come on!"
"And for that cheek, give it to me by Monday."
"I saw Isobel last night," Alaric spoke up before they could really get going.
"Isobel's here? In town?" Ric nodded twice to Damon's frowned questions, and the depressive mood deepened.
"Did you ask Isobel about uncle John?" Damon queried, pushing for more details. "Are they working together?"
"No," Alaric's one-word answer was so filled with pain that even those without an enhanced sense of smell knew he was in agony. Those who did, winced at the depth of his pain their noses were picking up.
"No, they aren't or no, you didn't ask?"
"I didn't ask."
"What about the invention?"
"I didn't ask."
"Invention?" Arcturus butted in, as though not knowing what was going on.
"It's something of Johnathan Gilbert's that John's been searching for. He knows the tomb got opened and thinks one of us tomb raided it out of there. What does Isobel want?"
"She wants to see Elena," Stefan sigh from his perch on one of the student desks. "Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants."
"And if you didn't arrange the meeting?" Arcturus eyed Alaric, deciding to have one of his expensive bourbons sent over to help the guy get through the night.
"She's threatened to go on a killing spree."
"Oh," Damon blinked, smirking in the way Arcturus knew meant trouble. Or an inappropriate joke. "I take it that's not okay with you guys?"
Inappropriate joke it is, he mentally sighed, seeing the uncanny resemblances with his godfather the longer he spent around the vampire.
"I wanna do it," Elena spoke up, getting winces from Arcturus and Teddy at the verbiage. Cissa would have had their tongues for that slip. "I wanna meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it."
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"Are you sure no one is going to notice us?" Alaric asked.
The large group gathered on the grassy town square while Elena spoke with Isobel inside the Mystic Grill. Despite being told no one was to be there during the meeting, the girl in question had finagled Stefan to be her shadow.
"No one is seeing a thing, Alaric," Arcturus promised from where he knelt on the grass in front of the sitting teens. He was testing each of the boys' mental protections. While vampire compulsion could break through Occlumency – the core of the spell powering the race was a Peverell one, after all – it would still grant some resistance and the ability to fight any commands. "I could hide a full on orgy inside a monastery if I wanted to. And no one tells Sirius that. I don't want him getting any ideas."
"We should be in there," the pacing Damon demanded. Like Arcturus and the wolves, the vampire could hear the conversation going on inside the restaurant and Isobel's callous remarks.
"No," Alaric told him from where he was leaning against one of the benches. "Isobel made it clear we're not to step foot inside."
"I'm not going to kill her in a crowded restaurant."
"You're not going to kill her, period."
"She ruined your life," Damon pointed eye with an eyebrow raised. "You're still going to protect her?"
And Elena wouldn't be happy was the thought the pack had when they shared glances.
"She's my wife. Was. Was my wife," the history teacher corrected. "I looked for the woman I married, but she wasn't there. Whoever that is, is cold and detached."
"Yeah," the vampire scoffed. "She's given up her humanity."
"See, I don't get that," Alaric confessed. "Stefan has his humanity. He's a good guy. Hell, you're a dick and you kill people, but I still see something human in you. But with her, there was nothing."
"There's a switch," Arcturus spoke up, drawing their attention. Both seemed almost sheepish that they'd been so caught up in the conversation that they'd forgotten about the others. "It's not as simple as that sounds. It's more like a switch and a dial. The dial is a vampire's natural state. Some things register, some things don't. It's different for each, and they can somewhat adjust it over time. I assume your brother wants the entire human experience?"
"He wants to feel every episode of 'How I Met Your Mother,'" the vampire quipped, staring at the tribrid in surprise and with questions burning in his dark eyes. Arcturus nodded at the comment.
"His dial is as close to human as vampires can go. But the problem is, a vampire's natural instinct is to not be that intense. Not for anything except only what really matters to them. I'd say Isobel has gone the opposite extreme, dialled herself as close to the switch as she was willing to take herself."
"What happens with the switch?" Jeremy asked, knowing that the man was talking from personal experience.
"Vampires are hunters that like to toy and play with their food. Think sadistic cats more than dogs. But the humanity keeps them somewhat under control. But the switch? The switch takes that restraint off completely. There's a nuance that's often difficult to notice, but those who flipped the switch stop caring about even those they're close to."
Arcturus trailed off, tilting his head at Alaric. "You said Stefan's one of the good guys. If he used the switch, the only thing stopping him from killing Elena would be the enjoyment of toying with her emotions and breaking her first. Because he isn't the person who loves her anymore. He's nothing but the vampire at its most basic level. A sociopathic killer."
"Please don't talk about my sister's vampire boyfriend killing her," Jeremy asked.
"How do you know so much?" Damon demanded.
"You'll find out eventually, Damon," he answered, reaching into his pocket to pull something out and toss it the vampire's way. "That's probably what all this has been about. Pearl gave it to me after I helped her adjust to the new world."
"You knew what the invention was when you asked about it," Alaric accused, getting an unashamed nod back.
"Everyone keeps secrets, mate, and some secrets can get people killed. I wanted to know if these lot would share information before I shared back. This is me handing back the olive branch."
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18th February 2010
A sizable portion of the community was out helping put the floats together for the upcoming celebration of the town's 150th anniversary. Including Arcturus and the Marauders. So, when they saw a man jump onto one of the trucks and caused it to collapse onto Matt Donovan's arm before racing off, they reacted, helping lift the vehicle with the desperate Tyler.
"Get him to the hospital," Arcturus demanded as he helped Matt to his feet and secretly casting a low-powered pain relief spell on the teen. "And Tyler, be careful."
He heard the warning loud and clear, more so when they heard Elena's panicked calls for Jeremy. A quick glance had them seeing the vampire Isobel standing far too close to the scared Elena. Arcturus barely kept himself from growling. "Go to Jenna. Double check she's doubled-up with vervain protections, and then get back to the manor to use Jeremy's blood. Get him home. No matter what."
"On it, pup," Sirius promised, squeezing his angry godson's shoulder. Remus gave a sombre nod. Arcturus watched them leave and went to find Damon.
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"Absolutely not," Damon snapped, looking disgusted at the trio of Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie who had confronted them at the Salvatore Boarding house.
"Just hear me out," Elena pleaded, only to get cut off by the irate vampire.
"I'm not going to give the device to Isobel so she can give it to John, who's gonna turn around and kill me. I like being a living dead person."
"But it'll be useless. Bonnie can take her power away."
"I can remove the original spell," Bonnie threw out.
"I don't trust her!" Damon told his brother's girlfriend honestly. "Give the spell to Gandalf over here and he can break the spell."
"You're a warlock?" Bonnie asked, catching said mage's attention by using the correct term. "But I thought you were..."
"I was?" Arcturus asked, his glamoured gaze still intense enough to have her look away.
"Doesn't matter," she answered, her heart jumping at the lie.
"Undoing spells cast by someone else can be tricky," Arcturus explained from his place against a bookcase. "Especially if they're done by a different magical family. I'm not saying I can't do it, but it would be better if a Bennett undid what a Bennet had done."
Damon gave him a penetrating look before turning back to the others. "Then I'll get Jeremy my own way."
"Really?" Stefan scoffed. "How are you going to do that? Because Isobel is a vampire and Jeremy could be dead the second you walk in the door."
"Are you even up for this?" Damon demanded of the judgemental teen witch. "I mean, no offence, but you're no Emily Bennett. Emily knew what she was doing."
"I've been practising," the girl replied, going on to perform a parlour trick of having a random book the disbelieving vampire named shoot off the shelves and into his hand.
"We're doing this my way, Damon," Elena announced, shocking Arcturus with her brazen attitude in bossing around a vampire. "Give me the device."
"I don't trust you," Damon told the witch, ignoring his brother's girlfriend. "I tried to kill you."
"You're right," Bonnie hummed. "You can't trust me."
And there it is, Arcturus thought, eyes narrowing. He realised the girl's attitude would be what had him killer her sooner rather than later. Typical Bennett arrogance.
"But you can trust me," Elena pushed, completely ignoring that it wasn't her they would have to trust in breaking the spell.
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While Bonnie Bennett was showing her true colours, a beaten up and ring-less John Gilbert was attempting to convince his nephew of his views.
"No one thought the monsters would return to Mystic Falls, not in modern times. And we have to destroy them."
"Not all of them," Jeremy refused, glaring at the man that echoed all the worst parts of his father that he had faced the previous Halloween. "No. There are some good ones out there."
"There's no such thing as a good monster."
"I don't believe that."
"Well, your dad did. And as his son, that should mean something to you."
A series of flashing beams that knocked their guards unconscious cut off their painful conversation. Sirius and Remus cancelled their cloaking magic, each glaring at the hunter while holding their wands with white-knuckle grips.
"As a son who grew up in a family that would have happily killed you both, believe me when I tell you that that type of family legacy deserves to die."
"And that it's one of those monsters that has rescued you," Remus added, eyes fully amber at the situation. He knelt in front of the sagging Jeremy and cast enough diagnostic charms to work out the boy was just losing all the stress from being kidnapped. "You okay, Jeremy?"
"I am now," Jeremy nodded, eyes closed from exhaustion. "I didn't know playing victim could be this bad."
"Whether or not you have a way free, being a prisoner is never a happy time," Sirius told the teen in a voice Remus hadn't heard since the mid-nineties.
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Arcturus watched the witch work. He had to admit, the intense magical pressure was a little surprisingly. The girl had some punch behind her.
"It's done," Bonnie said, eyes cutting to him as though waiting for him to argue. "It's completely useless now. You can give it to the bad guys if you want."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. All bar the staring Damon. The group made their way to their cars, the elder vampire getting into Arcturus' Mustang without a word being spoken.
"Ask your questions," Arcturus told him, starting the magically enhanced vehicle. "Even vampires can't hear us in here."
"I've known a lot of witches in my time. Most of them not able to do the stuff I've seen you do. But every one could have undone that spell if they had enough oomph and the spell to follow."
Arcturus drove out of the Salvatore grounds and decided to open up, rather than give the limited information the vampire needed. "Have you ever heard of the name Peverell?"
"Old witch family. A myth by almost everything I've heard."
"The Peverells were the family among the covens. Powerful, to the point of being untouchable, and utterly neutral. They treated everyone the same, regardless of if they were plain old human or something else. A long time ago, the Bennetts were the up-and-comers. More rigid in their beliefs and what they considered natural or unnatural. A marriage was agreed between the two families.
"And then shit happened," Arcturus sighed, not getting into the actual events. "And the Bennetts not only ran off with the daughter of the union, but had somehow found a way to tap into the Peverell magic without the Peverells having a means of cutting them off. This allowed the Bennetts to grow in status among the covens until the world was split."
"Either pro Bennett or pro Peverell," Damon put together, getting a nod back.
"The Peverells were hunting their missing bloodline. They'd let the Bennetts live, but they wanted that connection to their magic broken. The Bennetts wanted to rule, and so they set about unleashing everything and anything they could upon the Peverells. Working with even those they hated."
"Like vampires."
"Like vampires. It was an incredibly dangerous one that gathered some allies and all but slaughtered the Peverell clan. Only one girl survived, and she did so because a vampire ally spirited Iolanthe to a close family. A family that should be familiar to you. The Potters."
"There were Potters here in 1864," Damon pointed out. "I remember they didn't do much. They never got munched on, but they weren't working against the vampires either."
"As was their way. They didn't like what the vampires were doing, but there were others in the area who should have stepped forward to do something and didn't. Anyway, the Bennetts eventually found out about the Peverell line merging with the Potters. They weren't able to decimate the family as they had the Peverells, but they did a great deal of damage. They wiped out the branch that lived here to the child less than five years after you and your brother left town."
While Arcturus couldn't pin that on the Bennetts, he couldn't disprove it either. Emily and her coven of witches had survived for several years after the Fell Church fire, and it was the family journals were firm in their belief that a Bennett had taken Robert Potter's place as Hale emissary.
"The Potters eventually faded until there was only a single couple, and then a son," Arcturus finished up, turning to glance at Damon without worrying about the road. "My real name is Arcturus Peverell, but I was born Harry Potter. And if you think I was trusting a Bennett to do the right thing for people not named Bennett, you're nuttier than squirrel shit."
"You'd already broken the spell before you gave it to me."
"And put my own in place for when John or whoever else tries to use it. I was there that night at the church. I collected some of the juice the pair were throwing off when doing their spells and used it to make it appear as though the weapon was still working as intended."
"And the light show we just saw? You were testing the witch."
"She failed. She didn't do a damn thing but levitate the device and flex her power to screw with the lights."
Damon's eyes darkened until they were almost pitch black pools of fury. The pair turned to stare at the road, each lost in their own thoughts, and each knowing they had an ally against judge-y little witches.
"And Jeremy?" Damon couldn't help but ask after a while. "I know your son is buddy-buddy with him. I'm surprised you were okay with the hand-off being how we got him back after what I saw when you rescued Stefan."
Arcturus snorted. "My uncles rescued him ages ago. The only reason I'm letting Isobel walk away from this is because she specifically made sure Jeremy wasn't hurt."
"I do believe I'm going to like working with you."
And that was it. Jenna did the worst Florence Nightmare impression she could get away with on John while still helping clean a nasty head wound, and Isobel continued to prove herself one of the worst mothers in the world. Everyone bar Elena and Stefan waited for the other shoe to drop.
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25th February 2010 – Peverell/Potter Manor
It was the day of the celebration of the founding of Mystic Falls that Allison Argent finally brought herself to confront Arcturus. With all the chaos of getting ready for the period clothing event, it made it easier for the girl to slip away from her overprotective family and boyfriend.
"Miss Argent," he nodded at the girl from behind his office desk as Cissa escorted her in. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I needed to ask you some questions," she explained, taking in the room filled with dark wood and the unique paraphernalia of his travels. "The way dad reacted to you, the stuff in the news, you really do work for the government, don't you?"
"For a secret and deadly part of it, yes," he answered truthfully, waving her into a chair. "Were you in law enforcement, I could even give you a private number to get a non-security level required breakdown of my history."
"What happened that night and-"
"I don't know what you've been told," Arcturus interrupted the girl, using a soft yet commanding voice. "So, I will tell you things as they are and it will be up to you to fit the information into what others have said."
She stared at him for a moment before nodding, showing the maturity that was being forced to grow within her.
"The world is filled with strange and unique things, most of which are capable of policing themselves. But sometimes they don't, can't, or choose not to. It's times like those when people like your families step in. There are hunters – small 'h' – who get a glimpse of the truth of the world and try to kill anything they don't like, and then there are Hunters – big 'H' – who have the talent, training, equipment, and contacts to do the dirty job. The non-mundane world knows about the Argents and all the other Hunters. They step in when the supernatural world hasn't. But there is always the worry that one of them will step over the line."
"My aunt. Did she... what you said..."
"I have the case files," he told her with a nod, pausing to let her grieve at the shattering of the image she had of Kate Argent. "Werewolves and vampires – yes, vampires – don't need to kill, Miss Argent. They don't. Being a monster isn't what someone is, it's who they are. That's what the Hales have been trying to explain to your boyfriend."
"Scott... he said you killed the vet and destroyed a necklace he gave him to help with the instincts."
"Alan Deaton knew magic, knew what McCall is, and knew what he was doing when he gave that to your boyfriend. It wasn't what he told Scott," Arcturus could tell the girl was listening, but he didn't know how much she was believing. "What that amulet did was put a cork in a volcano. Rather than the pressure escaping in controlled lava flows, it was building deep beneath the surface. I'm sure you know enough to work out what would have happened eventually."
"Scott would have exploded?"
"It would have destroyed his mind and turned him into the very thing your family hunt. The real monsters. Why Deaton wanted to do that to McCall, I don't know. But he was using magic to harm another." Here Arcturus leant forward, elbows resting on the dark surface of his desk. "Werewolves make excellent weapons, Miss Argent. Wind them up, set them at a target, and let them do their damage. You then sit back and point to the destruction as proof why all werewolves must be destroyed. I don't know if that was Deaton's long-term goal, but your boyfriend is a stubborn kid who is fighting what he's become. Deaton preyed on that."
"Are you a werewolf?"
"I'm not like him or the Hales, no," Arcturus smiled.
The girl nodded, knowing it was the best she was going to get. She thanked him and left, leaving Arcturus to wonder if she would become an ally or enemy before everything was said and done.
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It all came to a head that night. Mayor Lockwood was getting ready to begin his speech when Tyler and Stiles came racing up to Arcturus' group from different angles.
"My dad just demanded I take Caroline and Matt out of here."
"I just found dad and Sheriff Forbes locked up in his office. John Gilbert's done a coup to take over."
"It'll be soon then. Tyler, do what your dad suggested and act like nothing's wrong," the werewolf nodded and gave them a 'be careful' look before racing off again. "Stiles, I hope you actually freed them."
"Of course!" The boy declared, ignoring how he was quite capable of forgetting to do so in order to pass on the news.
"I don't get it," Jenna said from her position under Alaric's arm. They had brought her up to date on everything and she was at the point of wanting her knowledge revealed to Elena to throw out the pretence. "Why not ambush the Salvatores with the device?"
"Because he isn't just targeting them," Cissa answered, eyes cutting across the crowd to pick out anyone important. She was furious at the threat to her Lord and his heir. "Gilbert knows about the wolves. He wants to catch everything not human in one quick attack."
The group started to move, just in time to be close to Grayson Gilbert's old property as a loud explosion rocked the building and John Gilbert was thrown out of the window. Arcturus was quickest to act, and was by the downed man as fast as he could get away with without drawing attention to himself. A quick illusion hid to the truth to those running over so that the tribrid could lean close, a sharp claw pressing against the frantically beating carotid.
"You ever think about hurting my family again, and I'll make you wish you that ring didn't work," he swore, making sure the man saw Death in his eyes. "You get this one shot for being Elena's father, and that's only so Jeremy and Jenna don't have to deal with her grieving."
A squeeze of the neck got his message across, and then he stood, ignoring the onrushing crowd until he intercepted Elena, Stefan, and Bonnie.
"What happened?" Elena demanded, but Arcturus only had eyes on the knowing witch.
"I lied," he bluntly told them. "Turns out it's not that difficult to break some enchantments. So, I thought to myself; 'What if someone still tried to use it as a weapon? Why, Caspian, old boy, let's set a trap! Something simply that's tied to the old spell. That way it'll be removed if someone does the right thing and stops it being a weapon.' Interesting thing about my spell, Bennett. It would have collapsed the second you began trying to nullify your ancestor's work."
"What do you mean? Bonnie did. Tell him, Bonnie!"
While Elena was staring in growing horror at the stone-faced Bennett, Stefan was assessing Arcturus. "It was a test. To see if Bonnie would actually do it."
"I've never met heard of a Bennett that didn't want to blame vampires for their ills in life."
"My grams died for vampires-"
"She died for you," Arcturus snarled, causing the girl to take a step back. "I was there that night to keep an eye on things. I heard your words, girl. 'You said it yourself 'Many things can fuel a witch's power.' Help me. Or I'll do it alone.' Your grandmother knew the price of bringing that seal down, and she took the brunt of it on her shoulders. You want a reason for her death? She made the choice to kill herself so that you could live."
He saw the slap coming and let it, never once taking his eyes off the girl who hit him. Perhaps it was a trick of the background noise, but those who heard it would swear it sounded less than slap and more like a prison door slamming shut on a prisoner. "That's a free one, Bennett. The next won't be."
Arcturus walked off, leaving the fallout to his words and actions to fall where they may.
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With the excitement over, Damon decided to make a good choice by chaperoning the Sommers-Gilbert trio back home. Despite the rather dramatic display, John had only suffered a few cracked ribs, and Jenna was not being very supportive of her brother-in-law. Especially now she was revealing she was in the know and had been fully behind the trick. The ultimate act of the night happened as Jeremy was seeing Damon out of the house. Elena was carrying her change of clothes from the period celebration earlier in the day and walking up the path when the wards activated, roughly throwing her away from the shocked vampire.
"What the hell?" Damon exclaimed, rushing to help the down girl.
"Artie put protections on the house when we heard Isobel was in town," Jeremy lied, staring at the woman with his sister's face. That was just when Jeremy and Arcturus had activated them. "They keep uninvited vampires away from the property so they can't trick their way inside. You must be Katherine."
The vampires reacted near instantly. Damon went to attack his former paramour, who immediately sped away. The two males looked at each and knew phone calls needed to be made.
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Last Edited – 13th September 2023
Word Count – 11,603
Previous Word Count - 10, 750