Bold italics are quotes from the book and regular italics are for effect.

… "Maybe play a game first? I've hardly seen you at all. We could spend some time together."

"Yeah, well, you're the one who runs off to High Wizard Crazy Pants every time he snaps his fingers. Don't blame if you never see me. I've got a life, too. It sucks, but I've got one." Shane's words were blunt, and his tone—it was almostmean. Claire felt it like a slap, and it shocked her—why, she didn't know. He'd been angry enough over the Myrnin incident, but she'd thought… Well, she'd thought he'd gotten over it, that it was safe to talk to him again.

"Oh," Claire stuttered, trying not to let the hurt into her voice, "Right." She finished lamely and spun on her heel to jog up the stairs into her room, leaving a wide-eyed Shane in her wake. She got to her room and shut the door, leaning against it. The words stung and she wanted the real Shane back. The one that was gentle and loving and lazy.

This Shane was scary and hurtful, but what had made him this way? Shane was fine until he came home from the gym that day he lost the video game—

He came home from the gym.

That's right! It almost seemed that he came home worse and worse every time he was at the gym. It was consuming most of his time.

"I mean, it's weird who's teaching," Michael said, "Being that this guy is a vampire."

Vassily. Vassily was teaching Shane to fight. When she'd snuck into the gym to see what Shane was up to, she'd seen the beat down…

…They bowed to each other formally and settled back into some kind of stance, almost mirroring each other.

Shane kicked, high and fast. The vampire ducked and let Shane's momentum spin him out of position, and with one, economically placed, almost gentle push, sent him tumbling to the mats. Shane rolled and came up with his hands out, ready to defend, but the vampire was just standing there watching him…

Shane was usually happy after a fight, not…angry.

He'd been even angrier and so…hard after that fight. Instead of letting him blow off steam, it only fueled his anger and hate that much more.

But how could beating up a vampire make him angrier?

"He's got good instincts, I must say. A good fighter. He'd be very valuable, in the right situation."…

Gloriana?

"Girls are definitely not her thing"…

Yes, she had to have a part in it. Shane had to get out of that gym, she was afraid to think of how much worse he would get if he didn't.

She heard a distinct knock on her door and walked across her room to hesitantly open it to find a guilty looking Shane, "Look, Claire, I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me, I think I'm just too wound up. I might head to the gym later to blow off energy."

Claire panicked, "Well, come in for a minute. I need to talk to you."

Shane sighed, "That's never a good sign,"

He sat down on her bed and she sat facing him, "I know what's gotten into you, and I don't like it. This isn't you Shane, and it's especially not the Shane I fell in love with."

She could see a little hurt form in his eyes and felt a moment of guilt, before feeling slight victory as she realized she was getting through to him, "What's gotten into me, Claire?" he asked softly.

"You're not going to like it," She warned, "but you need to hear me out."

Shane nodded and she took one of his big hands into both of her small ones, "Shane, I think it's that gym." A look of shock crossed his face with a tiny bit of anger and he opened his mouth, but Claire continued before he could speak, "You've never acted like this before and I know that you like to fight and be able to protect the people you love, but every day you come back to that place, you're angrier and more short tempered."

"No, the gym helps me cool off. It helps me not be so mad." He defended.

Claire shook her head, "Every time I've seen you after a fight, you're happy; lighter. Eve and I went to check out the place, that's where we were fencing, and I saw you fight there, you just looked madder then I've seen you, and you were being praised by a vampire."

Shane seemed taken aback by her observations, "That's not all," Claire continued sadly.

"It's Gloriana."

"How do you know her?" Shane asked.

"I…" she stopped. Shane didn't know about Bishop or that his own father was behind the interrogation.

"It was for some interview thing Myrnin wanted, she tried to glamour me, and I think she's glamouring you too."

"Where is this coming from, Claire?"

"I've had some time to think." She said simply.

Shane looked down at their clasped hands, "Why?" he asked, his voice sounded edgy already, "It's not the gym, Claire. The gym helps me."

"No, it doesn't, Shane," Claire spoke slowly, emphasizing each syllable, "You get worse every day, more irritable, you started trusting Michael again, realizing that he wasn't like all the other vampires, but that changed, he hasn't even done anything and suddenly you act like he went on massacre one night."

"Yeah, well, I shouldn't have trusted him in the first place," Shane's voice was dangerously low, his body began to shake and Claire wondered what was about to happen. She had to get him calm.

"Oh yeah? What about me, Shane? I work with them, does that make me the enemy, too? You going to, what? Throw me out? Yell at me? Or are you just going to treat me like you have Michael? The enemy; working with the enemy, practically the same thing, right? So what is it going to be, Shane?"

He visibly flinched at her words, "Oh, God, I'm turning into my father."

"No, you're not," Claire's voice was soft again, "And you never will, but that gym is a different story."

"You really think it's the gym?" he asked quietly.

"I really think it's the gym, Shane."

"I'm sorry for how I've been treating you." He still wasn't looking at her so she bent down to look at his face under his long hair.

"It's okay. We can work on this." Suddenly his hand was on the back of her head and his lips were pressed hard against hers in a desperate kiss, which she returned eagerly, missing the simple action.

When he pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes, "I have more apologizing to do." He whispered.

Claire nodded sadly, "Promise me something first,"

"Anything," Shane replied easily, "How can I make this up to you?"

Claire finally broke eye contact, looking down. Sure, Shane was okay now, but she was scared about how he'd react to her proposal as tears began to burn her eyes, "Don't ever go back," she whispered to keep her voice from breaking, "Please, I don't like seeing what that place does to you. I miss this side of you."

Even though she was careful to make sure Shane didn't hear her uncertainty and fear, he knew her too well and tipped her chin up so she would look at him and caught a stray tear Claire had so desperately tried to keep back with his thumb, "I promise, Claire. I won't ever go back. I'm going to clean up the mess I made, I swear." With that he wrapped her in his arms and stroked her hair, "I'm so sorry."

And Claire was absolutely content and happy where she was. Shane wasn't going back, they were going to be okay, and things could go back to the way they were. Eventually.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Shane pressed his lips to hers one more time, before taking her hand and walking with her downstairs to sit everyone down for a long talk, where Shane would begin to clean up his mess.