Word Count: 6453

Celie and Porter sprinted up to the house, Porter grabbed a cooler and filled it with beer and soda, and Celie popped two bags of popcorn, grabbed some chips and other snacks, two buckets of shrimp, then they ran back down to the dock warehouse after dropping a bucket with the guards to take to the spring pool. Celie waved toward Moira who was standing outside the warehouse door on her cell phone. She quickly ended her call and followed Celie and Porter back into the building.

"Oh, good, you brought some chips," Harper said, as they came back in. "I'm starving."

"You're always starving these days," Celie laughed, handing the bag over. "Any developments while we were gone?"

"Nope, hasn't said a word, or even struggled really," Lorelai said, popping open a soda.

"So she didn't take the news of her mate cheating on her well, huh?" Celie asked, peering into the tank.

"Would you take that news well?" Lorelai asked.

"My mate would never cheat on me, would you, Babe?" Celie said to Eden, who shook his head.

"Never, my love," Eden replied with a smile, pushing a lock of hair back from her face. "I have the most beautiful mate in the world, no one else could compare."

"Awwww," Harper and Luna Sophia cooed at them.

Celie tapped on the tank and the triton slowly rose to the surface.

"So, are you ready to talk to us yet?" Celie asked, leaning over the edge of the tank, surprising everyone.

The triton looked up at her solemnly but said nothing.

"What's your name?" Celie asked.

"Su," the triton replied softly.

"Cool, pretty name," Celie said, causing the triton to look up at her with a surprised expression. "Do you understand the situation you're in right now, Su?"

"Yes," Su replied

"Will you answer our questions?" Celie asked.

"Yes," Su said.

"Awesome, that makes this much easier," Celie said. "And that's a wise decision on your part, Lorelai here was really looking forward to torturing the information out of you, so you being cool about it makes this more comfortable for everyone. Do you want something to eat? Here, I brought a bucket of shrimp, I'm going to lower it down."

The triton looked up at Celie again, her brows drawn together and an expression of complete bafflement on her face, as though she were looking at something she'd never seen before. She reached through the net and grabbed the bucket and sniffed the contents before she began stuffing the shrimp in her mouth by the handful.

"I don't think anyone has ever been nice to her," Celie said sadly, shaking her head.

"They're not a nice race," Matt said.

"But we are," Celie said.

"No, we're not," Lorelai muttered.

They all sat around and ate their snacks, watching as Su stuffed handful after handful of shrimp into her mouth, often looking up at them in anger, fear, and confusion.

"Ok, now that everyone has had a snack," Celie said, wiping the popcorn butter on her shorts. "I think we can get started. Who wants to go first?"

"I will speak first," Eden said. "How long have you known Cole?"

"I know Kul since first season," Su said.

"And you are his mate?" Matt asked.

"Yes, my mate," Su answered.

"He taught you to speak?" Eva asked.

"Yes," Su nodded.

"When did he start teaching you?" Eden asked.

"Seasons," Su held up two fingers.

"So he started teaching her as soon as he learned, that's why she understands more than Bo," Harper said, then turned. "When did he start teaching others?"

"After season," Su answered.

"How did he find others to teach?" Eden asked. "Do you often meet with others of your kind?"

Su looked confused for a second, then shook her head, "we find, Kul fight them, but no kill, teach talk."

"So he spared their lives and in return they learned to talk and followed him?" Porter asked.

"Yes," Su replied.

"Are there others?" Ara asked suddenly, pointing toward the ocean. "Out there, are their others who have learned, that you know of?"

Su just looked away at the question.

Celie twitched unconsciously, something nagging at the edge of her mind, but she was quickly distracted when Matt spoke.

"How many did Cole having fighting with him?" Matt asked.

"Sixty-five," Su answered after a few minutes of thinking.

"Total?" Harper asked. "Including you and Cole?"

"Yes," Su nodded.

"That means there are only four remaining, we got almost all of them," Harper said, relieved.

Su's eyes grew wide, and they flew from person to person.

"You wrong! You say lies!" Su shouted at them, clearly upset.

"Hopefully she can count better than Bo, otherwise we still have no idea," Celie whispered to Lorelai, causing Harper to stare at her.

"Well, seven, if we count Bo, Vall, and you," Harper said, then tilted her head. "But you're not going to live much longer, so six alive, but two of those are on our side, so that leaves four. If Cole survives, but from what I understand, that probably won't be for long, Lorelai tore him to shreds from what I understand."

"It's unlikely he'll survive," Eden smiled. "He was a bloody lump of meat when his friend dragged his body into the water."

"There wouldn't have been that much of him to drag back into the water if he hadn't tried to run away like a little bitch while he set seven of his buddies on me," Lorelai snorted. "He was a coward, only fighting girls, sending his friends to do the real work."

"NO!" Su shouted and hissed at Lorelai who simply smirked at her. "You lie!"

Su glared at them, struggling against the net for a while before sinking to the bottom of the tank and not resurfacing.

"Welp, I'm bored again," Celie said. "We got the gist of the sitch so I'm gonna head up to the house and have a martini, then put my feet up while you guys finish this. I just wanted to find out how many of them were left, let me know if anything interesting comes out."

"Gist of the sitch?" Reese asked, confused, and Adam chuckled.

"I got the gist of the situation," Celie said slowly, widening her eyes while she looked at him like he was an idiot. "Keep up with my lingo, pup."

Reese's eyes narrowed, but Luna Sophia and Alpha Lucas chuckled.

"I could go for a martini," Luna Sophia said, standing.

"Would you happen to have some red wine?" Silas asked, also standing.

"Sugar, we got booze for days," Celie said, and looped her arm through Silas' like they were longtime friends. Some around the tank were stunned that Celie would grab an elder's arm like that, others chuckled, others just shook their heads.

Many of the group followed behind them to the house, feeling much of the information they were looking for was provided. The sirens, siren elders, and alphas stayed for further questioning.

**

"Sweet, semi-sweet, or dry?" Celie asked as they entered the house.

"Semi-sweet dear," Moira answered with a smile.

"Gotcha, Matt has a small wine room, and Harper loaded it up a few days ago, so I'll get a few bottles," Celie said, heading down the hall past the kitchen.

"She is indeed moon blessed if she can so easily tame Silas," Atticus chuckled quietly to Isaac.

Celie returned with several bottles of wine, filled everyone's glass, then sat down on the sofa and put her bare feet up on the coffee table.

"Ah, yeah," Celie said, sipping her cocktail. "This is what I've been needing."

"Me too," Moira said, also reclining on the sofa.

"Definitely," Luna Sophia said, clinking her glass with Celie's.

They sat around the rec room chatting and laughing at Celie's quirky comments, everyone feeling relieved and relaxed for once since arriving. Celie felt like this would finally be coming to an end soon, and she would be able to live her life again. A life that included a mate. The thought made her heart swell so big it felt like it could burst in her chest.

They were deciding what to have for a late dinner when a wave of dread and worry swept through Celie.

"Something's wrong," Celie said, sitting up and pressing a hand to her chest. She jumped to her feet and ran to the monitors to look at the cameras but saw nothing to be concerned about.

Celie immediately tried to link Harper.

Harper responded immediately.

Celie replied.

"What is it?" Luna Sophia asked, joining Celie at the monitors.

"I don't know," Celie said, rubbing the spot just over her heart. "I just got hit with this wave of worry and fear, and I don't know why."

"Was it through the mind link?" Moira asked, sharing a glance with Silas.

"I don't think so," Celie said, confused. "I can tell when it's from Harper, this felt different."

"Well, you are linked to the whole everglades pack now," Luna Sophia reminded her. "It could be from someone else."

"It didn't feel like it came from someone else, it didn't come from my head, more like my chest," Celie said, her face drawn in worry. "It felt like mine, like I was feeling it but it's not me. I don't know how to explain it. It's probably nothing, all just in my head. After everything that's happened this year, it wouldn't be surprising if I've lost a few marbles."

The wolf elders all exchanged glances and after a second, Moira stood.

"I'm a bit tired," Moira said. "Perhaps we might return to the hotel? We can order room service and save you the trouble of making food for everyone. You can always call us back over if you receive some additional information from the captive triton."

"Yes," Silas said, standing. "That's a wonderful idea, Moira. This week has been most taxing, it will be a relief to have a night to myself."

"Oh, no," Celie said. "I totally ruined the mood. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring everyone down."

"You certainly didn't, my dear," Atticus assured Celie. "It's been a tiring trip; we've also got council messages and business to catch up on. Things have fallen behind since this started."

"I can definitely understand that," Celie grimaced. "I haven't gotten anything done in over a month."

"Well, you absolutely need a break," Moira said, patting Celie on the shoulder. "The fewer people you have to watch over the better, we'll be in touch, call if you need us."

Celie walked the elders and their guards out and watched them drive out of the gate.

"Well, that was kinda weird," Celie said, glancing at Luna Sophia. "I wouldn't have expected them to just up and leave before the questioning was over."

"Honey, we routinely interrogate rogues for weeks," Luna Sophia chuckled. "If we waited for them to talk before doing anything, we'd never get anything done."

"True," Celie laughed. "I didn't think about that, we don't have a lot of interrogations around here usually, as a matter of fact, this is our first ever. Hopefully the last ever too."

**

"Anything new?" Celie asked as Harper and the others came in.

"No," Harper sighed, it was after midnight, and she was tired and hungry. "She pretty much stayed underwater this whole time. The only time she said a word was when you talked to her, she ignored the rest of us, so tomorrow you get to be present the whole time."

"Great," Celie deadpanned. "That's just what I get for being nice to her, why don't you guys try that next time? Give her some food, ask about her family, tell her she has pretty hair, see what she thinks of the weather, you know, small talk. Isn't that how you solve crimes and shit? By disarming them and making them think you're their friend?"

"Not happening," Lorelai snorted. "I can't make small talk with normal people; I definitely can't do it with a fish whose mate tried to kill me night before last."

"Me either," Porter said.

"I think you're the only one with the skill to talk to anyone, Cel," Matt chuckled.

"Or lie to anyone," Harper snickered.

"Hey, I'm not a liar!" Celie argued.

"Yes, you are," Harper disagreed. "You can schmooze like no one else; you could talk a homeless man out of his last dollar without even trying. Our charities donations almost doubled when you started hosting them."

"I'm just a good saleswoman," Celie said.

"Why yes, Mrs. Money Bags, I totally agree! Those minks wanted to get skinned to make you that stole, I'm sure the whole barn was fighting for the chance!" Harper mimicked a high-pitched voice and fake old money accent. "Just let me take that donation check to the cashier for you."

"Hey! I never told anyone minks wanted to get skinned to make a stole!" Celie retorted.

"No, but you did tell her it was stunning and that you wanted one just like it," Harper laughed.

"Bitch didn't have anything else I could complement her on, she looked like Cruella DeVille with even worse hair," Celie grumbled. "Who the shit wears fur in Florida anyway? It's at least ninety-five degrees every day even in winter! I got a hundred-thousand-dollar donation out of that old biddy, and a million-dollar bequest in her will."

"Yeah, by lying," Harper said.

"Oh, shut up," Celie snapped, causing everyone to laugh at her grumpy expression. "Giving someone a fake compliment is not the same thing as lying."

"Define the word: Lie," Harper smirked.

"Whatever," Celie sulked, arms crossed over her chest. "I don't lie about important things!"

"So," Adam cleared his throat, deciding to take pity on Celie. "We're heading out to the condo, and I won't be here in the morning, I have some errands to run tomorrow, but if you need me, you can always call my cell."

"What kind of errands?" Celie asked.

"Uh, just some running around to do," Adam hedged, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut.

"He's got a date," Reese informed everyone with a grin.

"What?!" Harper gasped. "You didn't tell me you had a date! What the hell? You're supposed to keep me updated on that!"

"I thought I'd see how it went, then tell you about it afterward," Adam sighed, running a hand over his face. "But thanks Reese, for spoiling the surprise."

"No problem," Reese smirked.

"Where are you going?" Celie asked, excitedly. "What time are you meeting? Did you make reservations anywhere? What are you going to wear? We can go shopping!"

"I think I got it," Adam said, quickly. "We're doing really casual this time, just meeting briefly for coffee, but when we actually go on a date, I'll be happy to get all your advice."

"Oh," Celie frowned, disappointed.

"We'll start making plans for you tomorrow," Harper said with a smile, making Celie perk up again.

"Great," Adam fake smiled, then turned to glare at Reese and Callum who were snickering into their hands, but then he decided to distract them. "What have you decided to do for Porter and Lorelai's first date?"

Harper and Celie both gasped excitedly and turned to Porter, who just sighed heavily before shooting a glare at a now grinning Adam, who just waved as he headed out the door.

**

"Are you guys seriously going to make me do this?" Celie asked as they got ready to head back to the warehouse and talk to Su again. "I think we can all agree that I'm like, the least qualified person alive to do an effective interrogation."

"She liked you, she'll talk to you," Harper reasoned.

"She liked that I gave her food," Celie argued. "If you give her food, she'll talk to you, here, just take the bucket and give it to her."

Celie tried making Harper take the bucket of shrimp and fish she was carrying, but Harper put her hands behind her own back with a smirk.

"You're getting awfully cheeky these days, Harp," Celie planted a hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes at a grinning Harper. "What's gotten into you?"

"It's probably pregnancy hormones," Harper said, thinking about it. "Maybe this baby will be very cheeky and that's coming out."

"I hope so!" Celie grinned. "I can't imagine anything better than you having a kick ass little munchkin to run you around and give you an attitude."

"You just cursed me, didn't you?" Harper frowned.

"You bet your ass I did," Celie smirked and turned to head toward the dock warehouse.

Celie approached the tank with butterflies in her stomach from the tension, what the hell do you say to someone you're going to kill after she finishes answering your questions?

"Hello?" Celie said, as she peered down into the tank while tapping on the edge. After a few seconds the triton rose to the surface and stared up at Celie. "I brought you something to eat, I'm going to lower it down. If you don't like what I bring you can tell me, and I'll bring something else next time. Do you like cooked food? Have you ever had any before?"

Su reached through the netting and grabbed the bucket, sniffing the contents before beginning to eat.

"Are you doing ok in here?" Celie asked, when she'd slowed down eating. "How are your wounds? Are you in any pain or anything?"

"Why ask?" Su said, looking up at her.

"I worry," Celie said simply. "I don't want any living creature to suffer or be in pain, from the tiniest frog to the biggest shark."

"You hurt us," Su accused.

"I defended myself when I was attacked, I never initiated fighting with your people," Celie replied.

"You all!" Su shouted. "You others do, you kill all kind!"

"The sirens only kill tritons because they eat people and dolphins," Celie explained. "If you just ate fish and didn't bother anyone else, no one would be trying to stop you."

"You food," Su said.

"So food is not allowed to fight back?" Celie asked, annoyed. "If we decided you tasted good, would just lay down and let us eat you?"

Su glared at her without answering.

"I'm going to take your silence as meaning, you would fight back," Celie said. "Listen, we're obviously never going to agree. You think we're the bad ones, and we think you are. You think we're bad because we kill your kind, and that's reasonable, because we think you're bad for the same reason. The only difference is that you apparently didn't know why we were fighting you. Well, that's it, because you eat people and dolphins alive. We don't like that, to us, that is horrific."

"You say you to hurt me, if I no talk," Su said.

"Yes, and they will," Celie frowned. "I won't, I couldn't even if I tried, but we have to save lives, and the only way we can do that, is if you tell us what we need to know. We have to get the information you have, and if you won't tell us when we simply ask you, then something has to motivate you to."

Su stared up at her, partially confused, partially annoyed, and Celie knew she was trying to figure out some of the words Celie had just said. But she had no way of knowing what words Su knew or didn't know, so she was just going to talk and explain when she felt she needed to.

"I tell you no hurt?" Su asked, after a few minutes.

"Depends," Celie answered honestly. "If we feel like you're lying to us, or not telling us everything, then it may be determined that torture is needed to get all the information."

Su hissed and bared her teeth, but Celie just stared at her, and after a few minutes she calmed down again.