salvatore school } { of proposals and meeting the students

[vampireboulevard]

Caroline: [Caroline Forbes has had better days. Sure, she's had to schmooze the snobbiest of witch families and dealt with a few baby vampires who have just broken her heart, but in her efforts to recruit more of the werewolf community, she's found herself in the most distasteful of situations: walking in the woods without appropriate footwear. She's been pointed to said woods by a werewolf she met in France named Isaac Lahey. He told her that if she was looking for werewolves with money who might see the value in a school for supernatural children, then she should probably talk to the Hales. He told her that if she wanted to avoid snobby assholes - they may have had a few drinks at this point - she should skip Peter, who likes to flash his wealth around, and go straight to either Derek or Cora. And Derek turned out to be the one who was easier to find. Mostly because Isaac could loan her something for a locator spell. Regardless! Caroline is now traipsing through the woods in the mountains, trying to find the werewolf needle in the wilderness haystack. And she honestly wishes that Emma had been able to draw her a better map. Because as far as the magic is concerned ... she's right on top of him] Mr. Hale? [she takes another couple steps forward] My name is Caroline Forbes? I was hoping I could speak with you?

Derek: [and she is right on top of him as he is in the root cellar that he now remembers the location of. It's the anniversary of Paige's death, and he's sitting there thinking, a bouquet of flowers placed at the roots that were still stained with her blood. When he hears someone calling for a Mister Hale, he takes a careful step to the rebuilt stairway, looking up and sniffing the air to see who was up there. It's a strange smell, one he hasn't smelled before, and that alone draws him out to sate his curiousity.] Ms. Forbes. [totally not appearing behind her out of nowhere]

Caroline: [hears him coming because vampire. She does spin around fairly quickly, all bright and sunny smiles and trying not to seem all that jumpy.] Hi. Caroline, please. [he is ... a lot younger than she expected. When Isaac said he was the alpha who turned him, she assumed that he was, you know ... more of an adult than the man standing in front of her seems to be] Isaac Lahey told me you might be someone interested in speaking with me about an investment opportunity.

Derek: [there is a flash of a smile at the mention of Isaac. He needed to check in with his beta soon. The smile faded as he crossed his arms, his grumpy cat face returning] What investment opportunity would I want to speak with you about?

Caroline: A school. [and then, taking a deep breath, because this is always the hardest part, coming out as a vampire when dealing with werewolves, but she likes putting all her cards on the table] A school for kids like us. [and then the veins under her eyes darken, and her eyes turn red, the typical vampire gaze]

Derek: [his eyes automatically flash back in response, but he doesn't shift or even get angry looking. He usually is a good judge of people, and he doesn't get any threatening vibe from her] It's been a long time since I met a vampire.

Caroline: Most werewolves I've met would probably envy you. They've had way too much of us. [she reaches into her bag for some paperwork] Usually I'm doing this in a much more expensive setting and in much higher heels but I don't want you to feel like you didn't get the Caroline Forbes special, so ... can I buy you lunch so you can hear my pitch?

Derek: [his eyes fade back to their beautiful hazel, and he nods] I think I can handle a business lunch. I'm not really dressed for the occasion. [there's dirt on his jeans]

Caroline: [she shrugs] For me, it's usually more about the quality of the food than the price on the menu, so if you know a good place, then I will follow your lead.

Derek: [he thinks a moment, then smirks] I know a place. You like sushi?

Caroline: Love it. My car's not far from here. I'll drive. [she turns and passes him the packet] In the meantime, you can get a look at our welcome packet.

Derek: [takes it] Alright. [and he will flip through it as she drives out toward downtown. There's a sushi food truck in the town center with a long line of people waiting]

Caroline: [and once they get on line, she'll start giving her pitch] It's called the Salvatore Boarding School from Gifted Students. We got a rather large seed money donation, but that's only going to get us so far as we gain more students. The idea behind it is giving kids like us a safe space to be themselves, have adults teach them how to manage their gifts so that they are prepared when they're out in the real world.

Derek: [nods, turning the page] And how does it teach them to deal with other humans if there is no interaction with kids their own age?

Caroline: We coordinate regular events with the local public high school. Flag football games, things like that. They're allowed to go to town on day trips - we don't sequester them from the rest of the world. But speaking as someone who was turned at seventeen, and has watched kids like us grow up in a world with no support systems, I didn't want that for my daughters. Also just because they're like us, doesn't mean they're not kids their own age.

Derek: No, I agree that a support system is necessary, especially if the kid doesn't have a family that is like them. I was born a werewolf, been one my whole life. We have a community here. My mother, however, felt it was important for us to have a normal childhood and learn to interact with humans as so not to hurt them or let our differences cause fear.

Caroline: Well, not all werewolves and vampires, or even witches for that matter are that lucky. Most werewolf students I meet turn as teenagers with no one to help them because they're in the foster system or adopted into another family. Or some parents don't even realize the curse they carry because they never triggered their own werewolf nature. Which, from what I understand from Isaac is different from your kind of wolf, but we intend to open our doors to supernatural students of all kinds.

Derek: [yeah, he was getting a bit lost on the whole 'triggering' talk.] Okay, but still, learning to deal with their powers around humans and keeping control?

Caroline: That's the thing about them. They don't have a lot of control options. [she pauses long enough for them to order their sushi and head back to a table before she sits down to talk this through] Most of the werewolves we deal with are from the bloodlines that were created by a curse, about two thousand years ago. The curse was created by a very powerful, very evil witch as a punishment for killing her. All the families who were complicit were cursed, and as their bloodlines grew, their descendants trigger the curse when they kill someone either intentionally or accidentally. And the curse wants to be triggered so these kids have anger issues, aggression and often times traumatic histories. We have a full counselling program in place to help with that, but at the same time, they don't get the luxury of not turning on a full moon. We have the facilities to contain them, but unfortunately there's no way we can avoid that. And a good majority of our student population is witches who are just as fragile as your average human.

Derek: Sounds like if you identify the families, you can start counseling for the kids even before their teens. Teach them ways to control their anger. [he shrugs, closing the pamphlet] Lacrosse and meditation worked wonders for me. I had a lot of anger issues that kept me from gaining control when I was younger.

Caroline: We've tried. But unfortunately, a lot of the families have been murdered or decimated, or their kids have wound up in the system or adopted out. There are very few actual packs left. And the kids that are with their own families might not even realize that there's a curse there to trigger. I knew a wolf who's father was abusive, but he never triggered his own curse, but his son did. There are a lot of kids falling through the cracks, and the spell that we have to find them doesn't pick them up until after they've turned. [she reaches over and flips a few pages] But to that point we have a robust athletic program for the wolves and vampires, and the witches have been trying to convince us to let them play Quidditch, but that seems like a recipe for a lot of broken bones, even if they do heal.

Derek: [and he will smirk at that because he is a closet nerd] So how much money are you needing?

Caroline: However much you feel comfortable with donating. You don't really seem like the type to want a wing named after you so I'm not really sure what to sell here.

Derek: [the smirk grows] You can name the Quidditch field after my family.

Caroline: [she laughs] I think the athletic field donations are on the second to last page. [and there's all the perks for donating stupid amounts of money that I'm not educated enough to make up right now]

Derek: [and he will flip to the page and read it over, but his head is doing mental math.] How's your teaching staff?

Caroline: We are slowly accumulating a wide range of accredited teachers. [a beat] Right now, we have most subjects covered, but teachers are pulling double duty in some areas. Triple in the case of our headmaster who also handles history and civics.

Derek: Ouch.

Caroline: He's really good at it. He taught history to me when I was in high school and he loves the actual teaching part. The administrator side of things is what he's getting used to. Plus it means he gets to spend more time with our daughters. [a long beat when she realizes how that sounds] Which, for the record, were not a result of a creepy student/teacher relationship in any sense of the word.

Derek: [chuckling] Good to know.

Caroline: Anyway. If you want to come by the school and see where your money is going, you're more than welcome. The wolves could probably use a few more adult role models.

Derek: While I'd like to, my presence might upset them.

Caroline: Why would it?

Derek: I'm an alpha. It can have weird effects depending on the wolf.

Caroline: Have you run into any of the cursed wolves I mentioned before?

Derek: Back when I lived in New York, but I wasn't an alpha then.

Caroline: Well, we could do a test run. Before you meet the actual kids.

Derek: We could.

Caroline: Well, let me know when you're free to come to Mystic Falls, and we'll do a test run. [and she hands him her business card] You can reach me here, anytime.

Derek: [takes the card, nodding] I don't really have much going on lately.

Caroline: I have a few other appointments so I'm not going back to town right away, but I should be there in a week or so?

Derek: Okay. [playing it cool, the math and ideas still going in his head]

Caroline: Great. [she smiles as she gets to her feet] Again, use that number anytime, and we'll be in touch.

Derek: Talk to you soon then. [and he will think about it, probably going to chat with Scott and Cora about what they think. He not only has his money, but he was the sole beneficiary for Laura's, and this might be a good way to honor his older sister]

Cora: [well she is available for phone calls or in person visitation depending on what her history is in this AU]

Derek: [that is totally on you. And it can also just be handwaved. Scott is like "much better use for money than a hit list"]

Cora: [I have a feeling she's still pretty nomad-y and not really sticking around anywhere too long, and while she thinks that he should check it out and make sure there's an actual school before he makes a commitment, she doesn't think it's a terrible idea]

Derek: [he was planning on doing that anyway, so he will figure out plans to visit with Caroline via text]

Caroline: [and she will meet him either at the airport or bus station, depending how he's coming in, with a curly haired werewolf in the passenger's seat]

Derek: [pssh, plane, obviously. Private with lots of space.]

Keelin: [is actually waiting outside the car because she's about to hop a plane on a doctors without borders mission and is doing this favor for Caroline in exchange for a ride to the airport. She turns when she senses another wolf coming and then nods to Caroline] That your guy?

Caroline: [leans forward and nods] Yep, that's him.

Derek: [and he will jog down the steps, sunglasses on and backpack slung over his back. He was only planning on staying the weekend so he didn't need a lot of things that he couldn't buy here. He sees Caroline and smiles, nodding his head as he heads towards them]

Keelin: [straightens as she extends a hand to him with a smile] Keelin Malraux.

Derek: [takes it and shakes. He can smell the wolf on her, but if she's with Caroline, he's extending trust even if his eyes are totally judging her behind those dark shades] Derek Hale.

Keelin: [Her eyebrows go up, because she's one of those wolves who's been around so she knows the name] When Caroline mentioned old money donors, I thought she was going for witches.

Derek: [laughs] I think she's an equal opportunity money getter.

Keelin: I guess she is pretty good at finding needles in proverbial haystacks. [smiles and glances to Caroline] I hate to say hi and bye, but I have a plane to catch. It was nice meeting you, Derek.

Caroline: Wait! [she leans forward] So you're not feeling anything weird and ... wolfy?

Keelin: [stops, and then glances at Derek to explain]

Derek: [he takes off his sunglasses and flashes the red eyes at her] She's testing to make sure your kind of wolf doesn't react badly to me.

Keelin: Oh. No, I'm good. No offense, but my alpha's scarier than you. [and then she claps a hand on his shoulder] See you in a few months. Take care of my almost niece.

Caroline: Always! [and then she smiles at Derek] So hop in.

Derek: None taken. [he nods as she heads off, his eyes fading back to hazel, and he heads to the car] Thanks for picking me up.

Caroline: Least I could do. Keelin had to go to the airport anyway, so it all worked out. [and once he's in, she'll pull off and head back towards the school] How was your flight?

Derek: Good. The pilot is good and doesn't mind taking a job on the side for me when I need him.

Caroline: Good. I guess it's always handy to know a guy with a private plane.

Derek: He's an old friend of my uncle's. Plus commercial doesn't give me enough leg room.

Caroline: Commercial doesn't give anyone enough leg room.

Derek: True. But I don't fly a lot, so when I do I splurge. [shrugs as he watches out the window]

Caroline: Fair enough. [Mystic Falls is a lot like Beacon Hills in the sense that it's isolated and nestled away from the rest of the world. It doesn't take them long to drive through the hills to the town itself, and they don't quite drive all the way in, pulling off towards a large estate with a locked gate that Caroline will lean in to punch in her code] Welcome to the Salvatore School.

Derek: [there is a brief moment of sadness, seeing the old mansion and remembering how his own home looked similar to it before it burned down] Looks nice.

Caroline: It is. It was donated by the Salvatore family - they're one of the towns founding families and used to be local vampires.

Derek: Used to be?

Caroline: The Salvatores unfortunately passed away in a fight for the city. The school is named after them. But before that they had been cured.

Derek: [and his eyebrow goes up] There's a cure for vampirism?

Caroline: There is one cure, that is promised to a very cranky Original vampire who very much wants a human life.

Derek: Original... you mean a Mikaelson?

Caroline: I do. Klaus Mikaelson is actually one of the people who gave us our seed money, and his daughter goes to our school. [she glances to him] Is that a problem for you?

Derek: No. Actually, the Mikaelsons and the Hales have an agreement going back generations. Well, generations on my end. They're actually the only vampires I've ever known.

Caroline: Oh. So do you know Hope?

Derek: No. The last I saw Elijah, I was only ten.

Caroline: Well, you'll get the chance now. Keelin was part of the caravan that's dropped her off for the start of the new semester.

Derek: I didn't think vampires could have children. [and when the car stops, he will get out and look around] You've got a bit of distance from town. Good area to run around.

Caroline: They can't. Klaus is a hybrid though, so apparently there was a loophole? [she doesn't understand how any of that works] And in my case, I'm not the biomom. I was more of a surrogate.

Derek: Learn something new everyday.

Caroline: The supernatural is a weird and wacky place. [and she gestures for him to follow her as they head up to the school. and as the doors open, Derek is greeted with the sound of children running and talking, as well as the smell of magic, wolves, and maybe a little blood]

Derek: [yeah, that smell is overwhelming and he pauses for a moment, hand on the doorframe as his brain tries to take in the assault on his senses]

Caroline: [and she pauses] Are you okay?

Derek: I'm good. Senses are just a bit more sensitive than most.

Caroline: Gotcha. Let's move in a little then, it should be quieter. [and she'll lead the way towards the administrative offices and classrooms]

Derek: [nods, hitching his bag up on his shoulder again and follows]

Caroline: [and there will be a bit of a schpiel as she goes, talking about the classrooms and the teachers, and as they round the corner there's a tiny, seven-year-old girl with auburn hair who's sitting on one of the stairs with a sketchpad. As they come to a stop, Caroline is summoned by one of the teachers] Give me a minute?

Derek: [nods, leaning on the wall and looking around, but his ears are trained to listen in. Sorry Care]

Caroline: [it's boring school administrative stuff. nothing too interesting. funding and salaries and parent disputes]

Hope: [and she's just going to watch him out of the corner of her eye as she continues to sketch]

Derek: [yeah, not worth his attention. Instead he will go over to the girl and look down] You're pretty good.

Hope: Thanks. [her face is that "you're an uncertain adult" face, but she does stick her sketchpad out a little bit so he can see better]

Derek: [he crouches down, trying to get more to her level as he focuses on the sketch] What's the story behind it?

Hope: [she shrugs] I like butterflies. [and she was thinking about her dad] There are a lot of them by the house where I grew up.

Derek: Must have had a lot of flowers there for them to eat from.

Hope: We were on the bayou.

Derek: New Orleans?

Hope: Yeah. My mom's the Crescent Alpha.

Derek: [smiles] Is that so? I guess I'll have to go meet her one day and say hello. [he sits down more properly on the stair next to her] I'm Derek, the Hale alpha.

Hope: Hope Marshall. [she shifts over to give him more room, since he's much bigger than she is] The Hales are in California, right? Grandma Mary told me about them. [then a beat] I thought the Hale alpha was a woman. [which she will follow up with a dubious squint]

Derek: That was my mother. [there's a bit of sadness in the tone, but he covers it quickly with redirection] And we are, but Miss Caroline asked me to come out and take a look at the school.

Hope: [ahhh that dubious look remains] Are you one of her donors?

Derek: She's trying to get me to be. I like to know what I'm donating to personally before I make a choice.

Hope: That's probably smart.

Derek: I have my moments.

Hope: Do you think you're going to donate?

Derek: At least a little. [little being a few million] From what I've heard, they are trying to make this a safe place for kids. Do you like it here?

Hope: Yeah, it's okay. [actually, she loves being around a bunch of kids her own age, but the kids don't ... seem to like her much, so she's struggling. and she misses her mom and dad.] But I've only been here a few months.

Derek: I'm sure it will get better. Sometimes it takes awhile to fit in.

Hope: That's what my mom says.

Derek: So is this where I point out you should listen to your mother? [smirking]

Hope: [she makes a face] That's what she says too.

Derek: [laughs] So did mine. Usually she was right.

Hope: I guess. [she loves her mom but she's still a little sad that she only got a few months with her dad before he had to leave because of her]

Derek: [he can smell the sadness from her] Did I say something wrong?

Hope: [glances up and squints and then she realizes ... duh. werewolf] No. I just miss my family.

Derek: [he just nods] I know how that feels. Do you at least get to talk to them on the phone or by email?

Hope: Sometimes. [her dad doesn't always answer her calls] My Aunt Keelin was just here, though, on her way to Madagascar.

Derek: Oh, that's your aunt. [laughs softly] I met her at the airport. She's nice.

Hope: [she rolls her eyes] Technically it's "almost" but I'm pretty sure her and Aunt Freya are gonna get married. [and they will! ... seven years from now]

Derek: Family isn't always blood. If you see her as your aunt, then she's your aunt. All that matters.

Hope: I guess so. Aunt Freya probably wouldn't agree with you.

Derek: Well, I should probably rejoin the tour. I'm sure I'll see you later.

Hope: Nice to meet you. [and she's going to dart back up the stairs to her room]

Derek: [smiles after her, and then gets up and goes to find Caroline]

Caroline: [and she turns and gives him an apologetic smile] Sorry about that. Hope you weren't too bored on your own.

Derek: Not at all. I got to meet Keelin's niece.

Caroline: Oh, you found Hope. She's a sweet kid.

Derek: She is. Misses her family though.

Caroline: Yeah. She went through a lot before she came here.

Derek: Has it helped her being here?

Caroline: We're still figuring that out. She's had a hard time making friends, but she doesn't really have a lot of experience with kids her own age to begin with.

Derek: Hmm. [thinking]

Caroline: [glances over curiously] What are you thinking?

Derek: How many her age are here?

Caroline: About fifteen? All witches, though Hope is a potential wolf too. She hasn't activated her curse yet, but her parents are both werewolves. [among ... other things.]

Derek: And the others have better social skills I take it?

Caroline: They had covens. Hope mostly had her mother.

Derek: Is there a local coven here in town that could maybe take her in? Like an exchange program.

Caroline: [presses her lips together and shakes her head] She ... it's complicated but trying to find a coven to accept her would require explaining her lineage and ... I don't think the right covens would take her.

Derek: [and he stops to look out a window, thinking. Hope sounds like a witches' version of an omega. It's a hard life. He's known it] And that makes it hard for the other witches here to accept her as well.

Caroline: It's hard for a kid when your father's the boogeyman. Even worse when your magic comes from a powerful witch line that's responsible for some of the more terrible curses that have happened over the millenia. I mean, vampires on one side, werewolves on the other - the poor girl had her work cut out for her before she even started.

Derek: Do you have anyone here who knows how to handle that kind of lifestyle?

Caroline: Being the first of her kind makes her fairly unique in that respect. But Ric's been making headway with her. She's smart kid, so she's easily wooed by history and positive reinforcement.

Derek: [chuckles, because of course history] Good. I like hearing that. [and he will reach into his inner jacket pocket and pull out a cashier's check, already made out to the school for 17 million dollars.] Perhaps this can help a bit more.

Caroline: [takes the check from him with her polite businesswoman smile, but then she turns it and looks at the number, and her eyes bug at all those zeros] Isaac was not kidding.

Derek: And that's just a down-payment. [he smiles and pulls out an envelope. In it is a high-yield CD with another 20 million in it, made out to the school with Derek as executor.] If you just let this gather interest, you'll get just a million dollars a year from it. If you roll the interest back into it each year, it'll increase its yield every year.

Caroline: [takes the CD as well, before looking up to him and looking actively concerned at this point] This is ... incredibly generous. [and her tone reads "this is too much."]

Derek: My sister was killed by a hunter a few years back. I inherited her portion of our family money. I've been looking for something to invest it in.

Caroline: And you're picking us?

Derek: One of them. [nods at the check and bank packet] That's only a portion of what she left me.

Caroline: Well ... thank you. I'll see that it's put to good use.

Derek: You're welcome. I do have one other thing. [and he will pull out a folded piece of paper, which when she opens it, it will be a resume. Yes, it may not have a lot of experience, but the additional skills section is pretty amazing between sports, athletics, history, english, and fluent languages]

Caroline: [and this ... makes her smile softly] You want to teach?

Derek: You said you needed teachers. I may not have finished my college degree, but I do have skills I can offer.

Caroline: Unfortunately this is not my purview, but I will run it by our headmaster and you'll probably hear from Ric very soon. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find supernaturally friendly teachers.

Derek: Well, I'll be around for a few days. I figured I would also see a bit of Virginia while here. I've never been this far south when I lived on the east coast.

Caroline: [nods] Then I can give you a ride back to where you're staying and I'm sure Ric will be in touch.

Derek: I'm staying in Mystic Falls tonight. Some bed and breakfast.

Caroline: I am very familiar with the place. [and with that she will take him back to his b&b and tell him to call her if he needs anything, and will head back to the headmaster's office to deliver the resume to Ric and baffle at the amount of money they just received]

Ric: [so much money.] Is he trying to seduce you or something?

Caroline: [.... well, she wouldn't mind but ...] No. [then after a second beat, because Derek is a little hard to read] I don't think so?

Ric: And he's not asking to run anything or have things named after him.

Caroline: [hesitates, before turning to hand over the resume he gave her] I don't think this is contingent on the donation but he does want to teach.

Ric: [takes it and reads] Does he have any experience?

Caroline: Actual in a school experience? Not really. But he did have a bunch of teenage betas that he kept somewhat in line, and he's ... clearly educated. It could be good for the wolves to have a teacher who's like them around.

Ric: Would the other packs have a problem with an alpha, and the Hale one at that, being here?

Caroline: That I don't know. The only pack we're actually regularly pulling students in from is the Crescent wolves, and I don't think Hayley would care, but she might want an introduction.

Ric: Let's check with her before we make a decision.

Caroline: Do you want to make that call, or should I?

Ric: I should probably make it.

Caroline: [nods] Then let me know what she says. Either way, Derek's going to be in town for a few days, so we have time to contact whoever we need to contact.

Ric: And if Hayley wants a meeting, he can be here for it.

Caroline: Yep. And I feel like she might, given she's still kind of finding her footing as the head of the Crescent wolves.

Ric: Alright, I'll give her a call in a bit. [pauses] Should we contact Klaus as well? Perhaps arrange a meeting somewhere upstate they can meet?

Caroline: [she's quiet as she considers, before shaking her head] He won't come. It's probably for the best if we don't.

Ric: I just don't want to cause any issues with the Mikaelsons by keeping them in the dark.

Caroline: They won't be. Hayley and Freya are in close contact so I have a feeling that whatever Hayley learns, Freya will eventually too. And Derek's already met Keelin, and she seemed fine with him, so that should be a boon too.

Ric: [nods] Good.

Caroline: Let me know when she's set to arrive and I'll schedule it with Derek.

Ric: Will do.

Caroline: [she nods, and with that, off she will go to handle her other administrator business]

Ric: [and he will go and close his door, then lights up the candle of silence he had made for him that soundproofed the room, and then picks up the phone to call Hayley]

Hayley: [glances at the name and puts the phone to her ear, worried it might be an emergency] Alaric, hi. Is everything okay?

Ric: Yes, everything is fine. Hope is adjusting well.

Hayley: That's good. [she's been so nervous about Hope being away from her and on her own, she keeps expecting the shoe to drop and for the dangers lurking around every corner to follow her away] Then ... what can I do for you?

Ric: Well, we recently got a new donor to the school, someone that you may have heard of. He's also interested in becoming a member of the staff.

Hayley: Oh? [she tries not to sound too concerned, as most of the people she's heard of are dickwads] Who's that?

Ric: [deep breath] Derek Hale.

Hayley: [there's a pause] ... Actually, I haven't heard of him, but that might be through no fault of his own and just my half-assed supernatural education. The Mikaelsons reading me in tended to come on a need-to-know basis. But ... hold on. [she puts him on speaker and moves to find Mary in the other side of the house] Ric say that name again?

Ric: Derek Hale. He's an alpha from Beacon Hills, California.

Mary: Sorry, did you say Hale?

Hayley: So you know him?

Mary: I know his family by reputation. Talia Hale was a very well respected alpha for many years, but she died almost a decade ago. I'm guessing Derek is one of her kids?

Ric: Correct.

Mary: You know they're a rare species these days right? Only maybe three of them left? Where the hell did you find one?

Hayley: Apparently he's donating to the school. I'm guessing a lot if you're making personal phone calls to let me know he exists?

Ric: It's enough to get all the building renovations done and there's a secondary source that will help carry a good portion of the day to day expenses. It's not conditional on the job, but Caroline and I think it would be beneficial having a werewolf of his type on staff.

Mary: [and Hayley glance at each other for a moment, and Hayley hesitates because what she supposed to do here. Say no? Hope and the other crescent werewolves may not need an alpha but some of those wolves might. And she knows that she could have benefited from having more people like her close when she first turned. Mary shrugs] Hales are a good family, but that's all I really know. I've never actually met one.

Hayley: Does he want to? Meet that is.

Ric: Care said she would arrange it.

Hayley: Okay. I have something I need to handle tomorrow, but I could probably make dinner the day after that?

Ric: That'll be fine. He's here for a few days on vacation. Do you want me to let Hope know you're coming to visit?

Hayley: Yeah, but not until after dinner. Taking care of business first means I can spend more time with her after.

Ric: Alright. See you in two days.

Hayley: See you then. [and she will prepare to take care of business and be up in Mystic Falls by dinner the day after tomorrow as promised. Caroline would probably set them up to meet at the Grill, so Hayley will head there first, making her way in and looking around to see if she can spot the alpha herself]

Derek: [and he will be in a corner booth in just a t-shirt and jeans, leaning back and reading a book as he waits, beer on the table in front of him.]

Hayley: [and she will make her way over, stopping in front of the table] Derek Hale? [she does smell like werewolf, but there's an undercurrent of vampire to it too. the benefits of being a hybrid]

Derek: [and he will tilt his head up then give her a grin] Yes. And you must be Hayley.

Hayley: That's me. [she goes to slide into the booth across from him] Nice to meet you.

Derek: [he will close his book and tuck it away in his messenger bag] Same here.

Hayley: My grandmother tells me good things about your mom. Sorry for your loss.

Derek: [and that will draw his eyes down, nodding] Thanks.

Hayley: [yeah, loss sucks. she's just going to keep breezing forward] So why the Salvatore School?

Derek: My family, it was big enough that we could live in solitary and never be alone. But my mom was adamant that we learn to control ourselves and live with the humans in town. We were their guardians.

Hayley: So are you transferring that to the kids?

Derek: No, I'm still a protector of Beacon Hills, but they have a true alpha watching over it right now. I've spent the last few years trying to find my own place. [shrugs]

Hayley: Taking on Mystic Falls is a big ask. This town has it's own set of problems.

Derek: I'm a pretty good problem solver.

Hayley: Good. You're going to need it. I'm sure if you buy Caroline a bottle of whiskey she will tell you all about it.

Derek: [smiles] I will keep that in mind. Anything else I should know about her?

Hayley: She's a go-getter, she knows what she wants and how she wants it and while I think she's a little less type-A than she was when I first met her, she still can be kind of her way or the highway. [a pause] Why do you want to know? Worried about your professional relationship?

Derek: I just like doing research before I jump into something.

Hayley: Gotcha. Well, I lived in Mystic Falls for a little while so I know a lot of the major players. [even if they aren't her biggest fan]

Derek: How about I buy us a round and you educate me? [playful grin]

Hayley: [she laughs before nodding] Sure. I will never say no to free booze.

Derek: [and he will order them rounds as they chat]

Hayley: [and once the drinks arrive she will begin with:] So take all of these opinions with a grain of salt as I was not the greatest person in my younger years, so we didn't always get off on the right foot.

Derek: [laughs and takes a sip from his bottle] Yeah, pretty sure I fell into that whole jock category in high school.

Hayley: I was more ... the out of town asshole? I didn't grow up here, but I made friends with one of the local wolves and followed him back one summer. But yeah, Caroline and I have a pretty rocky history, but we're better now. The sheriff, however, still doesn't like me much. His name is Matt Donovan and he's human but he was basically the token human in a gang of supernaturally afflicted kids.

Derek: Okay, this is getting too weird. Our sheriff was the father of the packs token human.

Hayley: [she huffs a laugh] Guess there's always a type. Only here, Caroline was actually the Sheriff's kid. She and Matt just grew up together.

Derek: Ah. And it's good to have a sheriff in the know. Makes it easier to alter paperwork.

Hayley: That is very true. Anyway, Lockwood family, which were the wolves here, is gone. Tyler was the last one and he died a couple years ago. He was the wolf I knew. The Bennett witches, however, are not. Bonnie is on the road a lot, but she still drops in every once in a while. And then there's the local Petrova doppelganger who works as your friendly neighborhood family doctor.

Derek: I've heard of the Lockwoods. Mason, I think.

Hayley: Mason was before my time. He died before I got here. But Mason was Tyler's uncle.

Derek: [nods] Caroline said most of the wolves in the school are your betas.

Hayley: Most is a stretch. The Crescent wolves had a hard few years a while back and we lost a lot of our ... breeding stock, let's call it? But there are a couple, and one potential - my daughter, Hope.

Derek: You're Hope's mom?

Hope: The one and only.

Derek: I met her the other day at the school. She's a good kid. Really talented artist.

Hayley: [smiles softly] Yeah, she gets that from her dad.

Derek: She seemed really sad.

Hayley: [and her face falls a bit] Yeah, well. She had a rough year before she got there. I was hoping that the change of scene and getting her around some kids her own age would help, but ... everything takes time.

Derek: She'll get there.

Hayley: I hope so. Her whole life has been a horror show. I hope that while she's at school she can have a little normal.

Derek: Or as normal as she can have in a school full of supernatural creatures.

Hayley: [she shrugs] That is her normal. She's a supernatural creature, after all.

Derek: That is true.

Hayley: I never had anything like this. I didn't even know about my werewolf potential. My parents were killed when I was a baby and my adopted parents knew nothing about the supernatural. I want things to be better for her - for her to have a world where she knows that what she is is okay.

Derek: That's something I agree with. When I was forming my own pack, I wanted to help the teens in town who didn't have control of their lives. Give them the power to better themselves while also gaining a family.

Hayley: Our power comes with bigger consequences, unfortunately. At least my kind of wolf does. Mary says that you aren't part of the Hollow's curse?

Derek: No. We had a nematon. It helped keep things like the Hollow away.

Hayley: Well, for us, we have to kill to turn - it's something you have to learn to live with. And something I hope that my daughter never has to, even though I know it will.

Derek: We don't know if we carry the gene until we're about nine. We find out by having our first shift.

Hayley: That must be hard. Having to go through that so young.

Derek: It is. Takes years to learn control. Even then, it's still hard to resist the moon. It took me about eight years to be able to resist the moon shift. Another two to feel I actually had control.

Hayley: My pack only has it because of me. Because I was a hybrid and I married another alpha in some kind of mystical werewolf ritual.

Derek: That's... different than what I'm used to. Did you turn them all into hybrids in that ritual?

Hayley: [she shakes her head] I just gave them my ability to control it.

Derek: I'm sure they are appreciative for it.

Hayley: They are. They still have to go through their first turn, but after that they're not bound to the full moon. So they cannot turn at all, or they can turn whenever they want.

Derek: Now do you have levels of shifting? How does it work for you?

Hayley: Not really. Just human and wolf. [a beat] Full on fur and tail wolf.

Derek: [smiles] I figured. Most of us can't do the full wolf. It's a rare power, something only the wisest of wolves can obtain.

Hayley: Lucky us.

Derek: Well, instead of wolf, we have a shift that distorts our face and hands. [snorts] Imagine the wolfman from the movies, but thankfully with less fur.

Hayley: That sounds far less painful than our shifts.

Derek: Not when I was little. At this point, though, I barely notice it.

Hayley: Our curse was designed to be a punishment. Every bone in your body breaks over and over again.

Derek: [winces] I can see why you call it a curse then. Ours is just something we have had for as long as life existed.

Hayley: Did Caroline tell you the story of how it happened?

Derek: [shakes his head] She hasn't.

Hayley: So ... about two thousand years ago, there was a witch born out of two powerful bloodlines. She herself was very powerful, but she was pretty much void of any real human qualities - all she craved was more power and she didn't care who she hurt. Eventually, the seven prominent families in the town decided the had to do what was best for everyone - they had to end her. They had the element of surprise, and the numbers, but before they could kill her, she cast a curse of her own, bound to the full moon and triggered upon her death. Ever since then, whenever anyone from those families kills someone, they trigger the curse in themselves, turning them into wolves on the full moon.

Derek: [just nods, taking that in] Caroline mentioned something about family lines. I met a Lockwood once when I was a kid.

Hayley: Yeah, the Lockwoods were part of it. So is my pack, the Crescent wolves, and the Malrauxes. You met Keelin?

Derek: Yes. She helped Caroline and I deduce whether an alpha like me would cause problems with your style of betas. Thankfully, it wasn't a problem, or I wouldn't have stayed.

Hayley: She's the last of the Malrauxes.

Derek: Ah. [thinks] She wasn't an alpha though, that I felt.

Hayley: [she shakes her head] I'm her alpha.

Derek: So each family line doesn't have their own here?

Hayley: I'm sure they did, once upon a time. But vampires have hunted us so far into the ground that there aren't really a lot of us left.

Derek: [and his mind goes into trying to science the cross mating of the two werewolf species] I'd offer you guys a vacation in California. The vampires stay in LA mostly, so we're in a vampire free zone.

Hayley: We're doing okay in New Orleans for now. We have a truce with both the witches and the local vampires.

Derek: That's good then.

Hayley: Yeah. Hope was a big motivator for that, actually. She has to live in all three worlds - I wanted to make sure all of them would support her.

Derek: [smiles a bit] She really is a special kind then, huh?

Hayley: [she laughs] Part-werewolf, part-witch, part-vampire. She isn't supposed to exist and yet she does.

Derek: I think this is where someone would say that god works in mysterious ways.

Hayley: Don't think it was God. I think it was lots and lots of bourbon and a young werewolf making bad life choices that the universe's obsessive need to balance itself out decided to take advantage of.

Derek: Or that. [smiles as he downs the rest of his beer]

Hayley: [she shrugs] Best bad life choice I ever made, but still a terrible one. At least on paper.

Derek: [nods] So, we've talked a lot about you. I think it's your turn to ask me questions.

Hayley: Alaric says you want to teach?

Derek: I do.

Hayley: I guess my one concern is whether or not you're going to judge these kids for the things they did to wind up at the school. Vampires and werewolves both. I know that you can't live in this world and keep your hands clean, so I'm sure you've had your own struggles, but some still manage not to kill anyone.

Derek: [thinks, then motions to the waitress] I'm gonna need something stronger for this story.

Hayley: By all means.

Derek: [and he orders them a bottle of whiskey with two glasses, and a basket of fries] When you learned about my kind, did you learn about the significance of eye color?

Hayley: [shakes her head] Didn't come up.

Derek: Our kind of wolf has three eye colors when we shift. An alpha has red eyes. [he flashes his and they are back to normal within three blinks] A normal wolf had yellow eyes.

Hayley: And the third?

Derek: Blue. It marks a wolf who's taken an innocent life. My uncle says that it's like a part of their soul leaves, taking away the light and leaving the wolf with a heart of ice.

Hayley: Do you think that's true?

Derek: For some. [their alcohol and fries arrive] It takes a long time to recover from the internal pain. Feelings become too raw, and it's easier to just shut it all out. So yeah, i can see why a lot would fit the profile.

Hayley: [reaches over to pour herself a glass] Do your eyes still change if it was an accident, or does it need to be intentional?

Derek: Doesn't matter. You could be ending someone's suffering, and it will still change.

Hayley: [she nods] Yeah. That's our deal too.

Derek: [takes a shot of whiskey] I got my blue eyes when I was fifteen.

Hayley: A friend?

Derek: My girlfriend. I was stupid. I thought she'd leave me if she found out I was a wolf. Another pack needed a new beta, so I thought if she was also a wolf, it wouldn't matter.

Hayley: So why kill her?

Derek: The bite didn't take. It was killing her from the inside. It's a horrible, painful death. I found her and held her through it, taking her pain so she wouldn't suffer. But I couldn't take it all, and I didn't want her to keep suffering. So I held her and made the pain stop.

Hayley: Sounds like you did the right thing.

Derek: I did. But I still had to live with the pain. And she was only the first person I ended up getting killed.

Hayley: As I said, this world is messy.

Derek: But to answer your question - no. I won't judge them harshly. I'll help them learn to deal with what has happened, and how to move past the anger and pain to find themselves again.

Hayley: The anger will be hard. It's part of the curse. But they could probably use someone who gets it.

Derek: [nods] I wish I had someone back then to help me. My mother tried, but some days it wasn't enough. And then she was gone.

Hayley: Most of these kids are alone when they get to the school and they'll probably be used to looking out for themselves and no one else.

Derek: I wasn't planning on making a pack here. But I know how to make a family out of a group of loners.

Hayley: You wouldn't be able to, just by showing up and claiming to be an alpha. For us, it's not a power. It's something you get by earning their trust and showing that you give a shit. [ she takes a breath] We don't have power to transfer or pass down. You don't get a pack by forcing one. So I would hope that you wouldn't try to make a pack of these kids just because you're the alpha who happens to be available.

Derek: Like I said, wasn't planning on it. I've got my own pack of annoying teenagers back in California.

Hayley: So why leave them to come out here?

Derek: Because one of the betas became a true alpha. He's got the city handled. I needed to just... figure out what I'm doing on this earth.

Hayley: [she hesitates, before leaning forward and curling her fingers around her glass] Then be careful with these kids. Because even if you don't call yourself their alpha, they're going to be in a place where they're putting that kind of trust in you.

Derek: Seeing that you're really their alpha, how do you want me to handle that. I don't want to put them in a place where they feel they have to choose.

Hayley: I'm not all of their alphas. I'm not worried about the Crescent wolves. [they're loyal to her, and they'll stay that way. she trusts them] The Crescent wolves aren't the only wolves you're going to have to deal with. You'll get a lot of ... I think you call them omegas? Kids who haven't had a whole lot of anything.

Derek: Yeah. Ones who need someone to be there for them.

Hayley: Yeah. [she curls her fingers around her glass again] Look, I'm not going to tell you what to do or how to handle these kids. But you're going to be their teacher. There's a position of authority and trust, whether you intend there to be or not. So ... make sure you manage expectations and set boundaries.

Derek: Understood.

Hayley: [nods] Speaking as someone who was one of those kids once - someone who didn't grow up with people who were aware of this kind of thing, and didn't even know what I was until I accidentally killed a friend - it can be really easy to get taken advantage of when you're trying to get answers. You seem like a good guy, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. But ... be careful.

Derek: I will. At least they have one positive thing in their favor if I'm offered a teaching job.

Hayley: Good. [and she smiles] Well, pressure off. I should let you go so I can get a little extra time in with my kid.

Derek: Go, have fun. Hope is going to be excited to see you. [smiles]

Hayley: Not as excited as I am to see her. [she puts down some cash for her half of the drinks, and holds out a hand] Nice meeting you, Derek.

Derek: [goes to shake it. He would tell her to put the money away, but he's learned in the last few years that women don't always like letting the guy pay for everything because they think the guy thinks they will owe them. Nothing he would ever think, but he'll also respect her choice. If she was low on cash, she'd have asked who was paying instead of just pulling money out. He hopes] Same here, Hayley. hopefully not the last time.

Hayley: Hopefully not. [and off she will go to head back to the Salvatore School, first stopping by the main office to check in with Ric and then find her daughter]

Derek: [and he is going to finish the fries and gift the rest of the whiskey to the group of 20-somethings having a party, and head off to take a walk around town]