everyonelives | there's something due any day

[He smirks. He also definitely doesn't reach for the check because why use his fake hunter money when your boyfriend is super rich.]

Coop is good.

( boyfriend, brackets?

he sets a card inside and drops the check back down. )

Look, I - really like you. But, when we do go back, when you call Allison, Isaac will be listening in. I want to be transparent.

[It was shorter to type than "guy who I banged that one time after we survived a witch siege."]

I get it. I don't blame you all for being suspicious. I would be too.

( likely. )

Reading heartbeats, it's one of the good things about having a werewolf on the payroll. Or, I guess I'm on the payroll now and he runs things. I want this to work.

Definitely less creepy than sitting with someone's fingers on your pulse, worried if they're going to snap your neck if you fuck up.

[Because that definitely might have been Monroe's approach that she learned from Gerard.]

That's how hunters do it? And, there are people that don't survive two fingers on the pulse.

( Someone like Monroe, her followers, they'd snap someone's neck. They wouldn't hesitate. )

If the person acting as the lie detector thinks you're lying and the lie is egregious enough, you don't.

[It does vary, depending on the situation.]

Were you ever the person whose fingers...

( His dad has carried that darkness and he shouldn't be asking, but the words come tumbling out. He can't put them back. )

[He shakes his head. Not like that. If he's going to take you out, it's going to be a fair fight with weapons in both hands.]

No. That's not really my style.

( And from talk of fingers to his intertwining with Coop's. They were there, sitting and he wanted to. )

It's not. I'm - sorry I asked. I - well, you know who my dad is. And you met my sister.

[He shakes his head. But he doesn't pull his hand away. That's kind of nice.]

No, I get it. It's a valid question.

Maybe, but it's also crossing. It's crossing lines. And, it feels like that's what we're doing and I am good with it. I want it. I just - want to make sure you want it, too. And, you can also save your answer for after meeting Allison.

( There he goes again, trying to let someone make their own decisions because all his dad does is make decisions without asking anyone. )

[He nods in agreement because...]

I might do that.

[Not that the answer is no. But if Allison says no, it might not be safe.]

( He pulls his hand away again. )

We only have a few hours. Do you want to do this? I'll be right there.

Yeah.

[He glances around.]

Should we do this here? Or should we ... find somewhere more private?

[Where they can speak freely.]

Private.

( In fact, there is a pub next door where Isaac should be waiting in a booth toward the back. It's early and empty and William's influence has definitely closed this particular pub for the duration of this call. )

Isaac, you may remember Coop-er.

[Isaac nods and lifts his drink in Cooper's direction. Coop nods as well.]

Nice to meet you, officially.

["You too. Have a seat."]

( William sits between them at a chair as Cooper slides into the opposite side of the booth. He presents Cooper with the number he'd jotted down pushing it across the table's surface with two fingers. )

Dial that number with your camera on, it won't do you any good after as it shuffles through a series of numbers every hour, and the IP bounces off of several others, so it is impenetrably untraceable. Unless you have me. Isaac is only here to listen to your heartbeat and I am here because you'd be my asset. And well, you know why you're here. When you're ready, she's ready.

[He nods.]

Sounds good.

[And with that, he'll do as instructed, dialing the number and waiting for Allison to respond.]

( It was the professional spiel, also for Isaac's benefit. Isaac is not aware of - well, he actually might be considering werewolf scent but William's not aware... anyway, William believes Isaac knows that this is all professional.

Anyway, Allison is not in any headquarters, but a familiar bar in a familiar town, again, tucked in the back with her AirPods in. Damon was nice enough to oblige. Scott and Stiles are devouring food and playing pool, and if Lydia wants, she can be sitting right there, or maybe she's at the bar with Damon. Allison's been waiting for this.

When the call goes through she pushes her laptop away to center herself in the window. )

Cooper Sullivan. ( This is about worst case scenario, defection, or best, getting a real double agent who isn't a conditioned hunter-vampire. Thanks Damon. ) What do you want to know?

[Lydia is at the bar, to give Allison some privacy and to take the opportunity to flirt with Damon. She still hasn't granted him his date yet, but that doesn't mean they can't flirt.

Cooper, on the other hand, seems a bit surprised at the question because:]

I thought that was going to be my line.

[But that being said, he'll move on.]

I just ... I don't want another London. And I definitely don't want another Mystic Falls. I know your people were doing what they had to do but ... a lot of the worker bees - they don't really understand what Monroe is doing. They can't see behind the curtain.

[They just think they're doing the right thing.]

( She knows why you asked for this meet, you wanted to talk to the source. You wanted to wade through the lies. )

Mystic Falls was a direct assault. And, not one of your hunters was killed on my order. An unaffiliated witch and then unaffiliated vampires took rescuing people into their own hands. And I admit they took it far. I arrived too late to call any of the direct shots. But, I take full responsibly. And I agree. London shouldn't have happened and neither should Mystic Falls.

But, I disagree, because amidst those worker bees, you have people that really believe in what Monroe says. They are the cause. And that is dangerous.

But, you came to me. Why.

Of course they do. Because they're not seeing it as the bigger picture.

[He pauses as he tries to figure out how to phrase this.]

I'm not saying there aren't zealots out there. But look, what hunters like me do - we take things one case at a time. We see the bodies and we act. I'm sure most of them aren't really looking for a lot of nuance in a rougarou that's taken out half a town.

So then someone like Monroe comes around, talking about making things more organized. Helping us better manage cases, and find the monsters faster. Most of us aren't thinking about the implications. And most of them haven't seen what I did in London.

[He wants to believe that people are still good. That his father might be misguided rather than a monster.]

You might not believe me, but I've had the wake up call. I want to help you. There are good people, and if we keep ramping up, and they finally hone in on places like New Orleans, they're all going to get slaughtered thinking that they're doing actual good. I'd really like to stop that from happening if I can.

What Monroe did, she started by giving more resources, by organizing everyone, but she stoked fear and she stoked hatred, so that when you're told to act, you do.

( Just so he can see her side and she sees his. )

I believe you, Cooper. But, deprogramming that many hunters... I'm going to need help - with ideas. Now, I can order hunters to not be killed. Disarm, not kill. But, how do I know what hunters I should disarm and what hunters are really out for blood.

What do you know about Prague, Cooper?

There, I can help.

[He's been making note, finding the ones who are whole-heartedly on Monroe's team versus those who are going along with the tide. But that's not what she asked for. She asked about Prague.]

I haven't been let in on the specifics, but I know that there's a high priority target coming to town that they're looking to take out. Someone they don't want to leave Europe because if they do they'll lose their shot.

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