Open Wounds
a/n – Ok so I've only read up to book nine so far so if any of this clashes with any later books – Sorry, however I doubt it will as I have said in the summary – Shane didn't, doesn't and won't move into the Glass House, Clair doesn't come to Morganville there for Shane never meets her.
I do not own anything but the idea and the character of Elizabeth all other Morganville vampire characters and locations belong to Rachael Cane
This is my first published fan fiction ~ please R&R ~ thanks peeps
~Chapter One~
Shane sat at the bus stop with the hood of his jacket shielding his face from the glairing summer sun, his wrist in plaster again his bus was the 76, this would take him back to his father and the group of drunken bikers that he chose as his family since the death of his wife and daughter, Shane's mother and sister.
Shane had tried to explain that Morganville didn't have a thing to do with his mother's death, she was depressed and that hadn't been her first suicide attempt, she had tried when they were living in Morganville, that was why the vampires had let them go. But in Frank Collins mine everything that ever went wrong was the vampires fault, even Shane's broken wrist, although Shane knew full well his broken wrist was thanks to his father's foul temper and drunken state, but as Frank had said as Shane left on his own to the hospital
"We'll get the basted Vamps that did that to you"
Shane didn't argue, since that would have been more trouble than it was worth.
Shane's attention was drawn back to the present when a bus pulled into the stop
"Last Train to Morganville Border" the driver announced. Shane looked up, and in those few seconds he had made his mind up, he would rather face the vamps than his father, she stood quickly, receiving strange looks from the driver,
"One way" Shane said quietly, he paid the fair and headed up the almost empty bus; Shane had thought it to be completely empty at first but sat quietly at the back of the bus was a tall teenaged girl.
She wasn't the type of girl that would usually catch the eye of Shane Collins, but after being with a bunch of hairy, drunk assed Bikers for nearly four years a pretty face was a welcome sight. She had golden blond hair that fell in ringlets down her back, which complemented her silver blue eyes; her skin was pail, so pail that if she hadn't been sitting on the bus in broad daylight Shane would have thought her to be a Vampire.
Shane took the seat on the left of the bus directly next to where she was sat, straight backed hands rested in her lap. Shane stared for a few moments, before looking forward,
"Hey Driver how long will it take?" Shane called, the driver didn't answer, "That's rude" Shane sighed kicking his feet up onto the space beside him, resting one leg straight and the other bent where he rested an arm, his head leaning back against the window.
"It should take about an hour" came a female voice, clear as day with a strong old English accent.
"I'm sorry?" Shane said lifting his head to look around, feeling stupid since there was only one female on the bus.
"I said the trip to Morganville should take about an hour" the girl opposite said seeming quite irritated at the fact she was made to repeat herself.
"Oh, yeah thanks." Shane said a blush rising in his cheeks.
The bus was silent for thirty minutes before there was a loud clattering and the bus jolted to a stop, causing Shane to fall of off his seat. He pulled him self up quickly and turned to check on the mysterious girl to find she hadn't moved an inch, Shane blinked before shaking his head and making for the front of the bus.
"Hey mate what's…" The driver was sat up right with a long silver pole parading from his chest. "Hey Love, I don't mean to alarm you but we…" he turned to find himself nose to nose with the girl.
"It appears as we have a slight predicament" she sighed walking towards the door.
"What are you doing, you can't go out there!" Shane yelled
"I would appreciate it if you didn't yell…I can go prosily what I want to go" She snapped
"Someone had impaled our driver, they could still be outside…we should at least grab something to defend ourselves with or…or call the police." Shane said, the sun was beginning to set in the distance, Shane feared for what may be lurking out in the darkness,
"Perhaps you are right, but I do not see how remaining on the bus would be beneficial, personally I do not wish to be like sardines in a can." She looked at Shane, inches from the bus' closed doors.
"Ok, that makes sense, but we should get some makeshift weapons so that we can defend ourselves." Shane said, "I'm Shane" he held out his hand, she looked at it before walking back into the body of the bus
"So Sane what could be a weapon?" she asked, Shane looked at his hand and dropped it before making his way to her side.
Shane looked around the bus there was nothing that was loose of that could be detached to make a weapon, he passed the girl and tugged at each chair on the left of the bus, hoping that a frame would be loose enough to break of a poke to use as a blunt object, his head shot up when he heard a crack, he turned ready to fight off an intruder but found the blond holding a bar from one of the chairs,
"It was loose she said simply" passing him the bar,
"No you keep it…"
"No need I have a pistol in my handbag." She interrupted. Shane stared at her "You never asked" she said simply "No can we get going, I doubt that there is anything out there since it's been a good ten minutes and they haven't attacked us."
"Uh yeah" Shane grunted leading the way to the front of the bus
"Elizabeth"
"What?" Shane stopped and turned,
"My name it's Elizabeth, I didn't mean to be rude earlier but I don't trust men…but for the moment I guess I have no choice but to trust you.
"Yeah ok, thanks Liz…"
"Please I was named Elizabeth; I would prefer to be called as such." She said holding out her hand
"Yeah, Sure Sorry 'lizabeth" Shane shook her hand shocked at the coldness of them but she didn't voice the shock he just let her hand go and continued to the front of the bus where he lent over the driver to pull the door release leaver.
Shane took the lead pole in hand his senses in overdrive as he looked and listened for any sign of their attacker. Elizabeth walked silently behind him; his eyes scanned the wide open space, nothing but desert for as far as the eye could see.
"What's the plan?" Elizabeth asked smoothly "Morganville is an hour that way by foot and I believe the closest town that way would be another hours walk.
"You were heading to Morganville? Did you know anyone who could collect us?" Shane asked
"There may be someone but…it's complicated" she said biting her rose red lips,
"Well they have to be better than my father, he would kill me if he found out I was heading to Morganville." Shane sighed
"Then why would you come?" Elizabeth asked her eyes looking around the darkening landscape; Shane looked at her before letting out a sigh
"As you said it's…Complicated." He looked back at the bus, "Maybe…possible" he mumbled
"Care to share?" Elizabeth asked her eyes continuing to scan her surroundings.
"The Bus, if it's still working I could drive it…I mean…no that's stupid if I drive a bus into town with a dead man onboard they'll kill me…" he looked round to Elizabeth "You… I mean…are you a Morganville Native?"
"Sort off." Elizabeth said biting her lip again.
"Sort off? What is that supposed to mean…never mind do you know the town secret?" Shane asked as he began walking to the bus
"Shane Stop!" Elizabeth voice was suddenly cold, her pistol was drawn, Shane spun around
"What the hell?" Shane came face to barrel with the pistol
"Duck!" Elizabeth growled Shane didn't argue he fell to the floor and Elizabeth pulled the trigger. Shane turned to look at what she had shot and found a body screaming in pain on the ground, he turned to look at Elizabeth who took the barrel of the gun and blew over the top.
"Silver bullets, she won't be getting up anytime soon, so I suggest we get to the bus and get to Morganville, if they have questions about the driver I'll deal with it." Elizabeth offered a now gloved hand to Shane, who after a quick thought of…'when did she put those on?' took the hand and pulled himself up…she was stronger than she looked. The two headed to the bus at a sprint.
It took a good five minutes to dislodge the pole from the driver's chest and the bus windshield. Shane pulled the driver away from his seat and laid him in the foot well of the first set of seats, Elizabeth took the seat directly diagonal from the driver's seat were Shane sat, he looked down at the giant steering wheel
"Um, 'lizabeth…just so you know I've never driven something of this size before so hold on" the bust moved with a jolt forward.
Elizabeth sat in silence for the first few minutes, before she sighed and pulled out her small mobile.
"Shane what's your last name?" she asked,
"What?" Shane asked concentrating on the road
"You family name Shane…what?" She asked a little short tempered
"Oh Sorry Collins" he said taking the right turn onto the main road into Morganville.
"I need to make a phone call" she sighed getting up and making her way to the back of the bus where she had a hushed conversation after a few seconds she hung up and made her way to the front, "We have safe passage into town we need to go to Common Grounds, do you know where that is."
"Yeah it's a bad place to go a night." Shane said as if she were a simpleton
"Hey, I'm not stupid, I said we have save passage and protection, just…trust me" she said she was standing beside him now; he turned quickly to look at her then back at the road.
"Fine but if I get bitten I'm coming after you." He sighed his attention now back on the road. Elizabeth returned to her seat.
Shane drove down the darkened roads of Morganville taking each turn without obeying the road signals refusing to stop anywhere but their final destination he was sure the vamps could already smell the blood of the dead driver on the floor of the bus, he was sure the gaping hole in the windshield was making sure of that. The bus was coming up to common grounds where Shane could see a small group waiting for them, much to his dismay they consisted of three vamps and chief of police Richard Morrell, the Morrell family in Shane's eyes where just as bad as vamps, even more so as it was Richard's baby sister Monica who had started the fire that had killed his sister.
"These your friends?" he said a little more bitter than he had meant to.
"They're who my mother sent" She sighed looking at the group, with Richard stood Oliver, Brandon and Sam Glass. "Stop here, we'll be ok" she said standing beside him, "And Shane no matter what happens next…I owe you" she said and placed her unloved hand on Shane's hand.
"What? What does that mean" he asked, but Elizabeth pulled the switch, Sam Glass took a step onto the bus before Shane could react
"Beth, what are you doing here" Sam said in a stern voice, Sam was the only vamp that Shane had ever taken a liking too since he wasn't like the other vamps in the town
"Daddy we'll talk later" Elizabeth said Shane nearly choked on his own saliva she was the daughter of Sam Glass…She was a Vampire's Daughter.
"Fine both of you this way." Sam lead the way to Oliver coffee house, Shane followed with his mouth open like a fish.
Shane entered the coffee shop to find it was empty other than one table where the founder of Morganville was sat,
"Please take a seat" she said in the same unwavering voice Shane could recall her speaking in after the death of his sister "Mr Collins I wasn't expecting to hear your name again; I thought you and your family had opted to leave Morganville?"
"Yeah well, I missed you guys so much" Shane said sarcastically
"You realise Mr Collins, we won't allow you to leave again, you will have to find a protector…"
"Screw that shit I'm not being some vamps property!" Shane snapped
"Mother I will give him protection, I do owe him." Elizabeth piped up, Shane's mouth dropped open again, first her father was Sam Glass now her mother was Morganville founder Amelie.
"Fine, Mr. Morrell, escorts Mr Collins to my daughter's apartment I need to have a word with her in privet."
Shane didn't say a word on the way to the apartment, he didn't even thank Richard Morrell when they arrived, he just entered the designated house and slammed the door closed. He sat on the couch waiting.
It was almost three hours later when the door opened again and closed with as much force as he had done
"Bitch, arsehole, fucking …" she let out a scream and kicked something…hard, Shane was glad he hadn't waited by the door. "Fuck!" he heard her sigh, he waited a few minutes but she didn't come to the living room, he rose and headed to the entrance where he found Elizabeth sitting in the floor her head in her hands
"Um…you 'k?" he asked as only a bloke could ask,
"I'll be fine" she said standing up,
"Um what happened…?" Shane didn't finish the question, Elizabeth's hair was no longer in ringlets down her back it had been cut and not very neatly either, it looked as if someone and grabbed it and cut it with garden sheers. He had stopped midsentence when he saw the look on her face.
"I brought you dinner, hope you like Cheese Burgers." She said standing and handing Shane a bag
"I will go and sort a room for you." She walked away before Shane could respond, he sighed opened the bag, as the smell of the cheese burger hit him he realised how hungry he was, with a sigh he headed back to the couch and tucked into the burger.
Elizabeth came down five minutes later,
"Your room is the first on the left, has an ensuite bathroom but if you prefer a bath there is another bathroom down the hall third on the right." She said taking a seat on a giant bean bag; Shane looked at her she had changed from her dress into a pair of slacks and a tank top.
"Go ahead ask, you know you want to?" she sighed feeling his eyes on her
"Um, where to start…both of your parents are Vamps are you? Why would you protect me I just drove the bus? If you're a vamp is this some sick way of keeping a fresh meal around the house…"Shane reeled off the questions in one breath
"OK" she turned to face him, "Yes my mother is Amelie and yes my father is Sam Glass, best way to describe me would be an experiment." She sighed picking at her perfectly manicured nails,
"An experiment? How?" Shane asked
"My mother was curious, she wondered if a human and a vampire could have a child and well that experiment resulted in me…" she sighed
"So are you a" Shane mimed fangs with his fingers
"Sorta" she bit her lip
"You like sorta's don't you?" he said
"Well I am in some ways and not in others as you may have gathered sunlight, silver all that jazz doesn't affect me, I heal quicker than a human but slower than vampires, I do need blood to stay alive however I don't crave it so don't worry love, I have no intention in sucking you blood." She sighed stretching out on the beanbag causing her tank top to rise revealing a toned stomach
"So…" Shane swallowed "So um, do you age like a human?"
"Well up until the age of sixteen then I seemed to stop" she mumbled
"And…what about other human stuff?" he asked now more curious than disgusted as he had been when he found out
"Well, I'm a normal hormonal girl just don't suffer with a monthly…which I've been told is a blessing, however mother believes that I could get pregnant if I wanted to? Which would be why I left last time, I was only supposed to be visiting at the request of my mother." She sighed "look I don't mean to be rude I'm happy to answer questions but can the rest wait until the morning, I really just want to sleep right now" she sighed
"Sure, sorry, I guess it is late"
"Can I ask you one question before bed?" she asked as she stood up "What happened to your wrist?"
"Oh that…well, um had a disagreement with my father" he said simply, Elizabeth could tell by the tone of his voice that was as far as she would get with that conversation.
"Oh ok, well goodnight, I'm in the room second on the right if you need me." She said leaving before Shane could even stand; he was at the bottom of the stairs when he heard her door click shut.