A/N:
Hello, new or the old reader.
And yes, this is exactly the same story I had published first time in 2010 and which I had started to re-write in 2013. As some might have had the opportunity to read my last post on my previous account, I am re-posting this fic on my new account. I also mentioned that I am mainly focusing on my Harry Potter Next Gen fic Winter's Sorrow, but I am also planning (and I hope I will stick to it) to pick up this fic.
I'm not gonna post all I had previously written, because as I went through the first chapter, I noticed typos and other mistakes and just how much some parts sucked. So I kinda started to re-writing this again. Not changing contents this time, just improving the writing. Oh, and I also used to divide chapters in two, but I think that won't be the case this time. Well, see.
OH! I almost forgot! (Thank god I still had my old author's notes!) When I originally started to write this book, I had read up to book 8. After starting re-reading books, I stopped at book 7 (have to pick up again!). But this fic takes place after 6th book. So that's where this will go separate way from the books. And now finally, enjoy!
OLD READERS, even if you don't feel like reading again, please, check the end of the chapter, I'll have a message there.
I DO NOT OWN MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES!
Chapter 1: Beginning of The End
"Commitment is Circumstances"
― Leju Thomas
Claire's POV
I finished my coke and looked at Eve, who was still eating her spaghetti. She wasn't exactly avoiding looking at me, but I could tell that something was bothering her. Not that it was that hard to figure out what it was. There was a chance that I was wrong, and it was something completely different, so I decided to bring it up, even if that meant to risk bringing that up. In the end, Eve was still my best friend, and nothing that was happening in my life right now could change that.
"Eve?" I asked her as normally as I could and met her eyes. "Is something bothering you?"
"Is something bothering me?" she looked at me like she had just heard a language she had never heard before. She put her fork down and closed her eyes. After a deep breath she opened her eyes again and looked at me. "Why are you asking that? Isn't it obvious, what is bothering me? Isn't it bothering you? I mean Shane, your boyfriend, isn't home yet. It's already dark! There are vampires outside!"
"Eve", I sighed. So, in the end I wasn't wrong. It was that. "Vampires don't touch humans that much anymore. With Amelie making all these changes after Bishop, you know."
"Okay. What about the fact that your boyfriend left somewhere without saying anything and still haven't returned? And, this isn't exactly the first time?" she shot raising her eyebrow.
That left me speechless, as always. I never felt like talking about it in the past, and I didn't feel like talking about it now. I just stared at my empty plate and didn't dare to look at Eve. She would so see everything in my eyes. The pain, the fear. She would ask questions. And I still didn't feel like talking about that. Talking about it would make it all real and I still had hope that maybe, just maybe this all was in my head. In order to avoid further discussion of this topic, I took my plate and went to kitchen.
I don't really know when it started. Wait no, that's a lie. I guess it started around two months ago. Shane just started to take off without saying anything. First, it was just during the day. When I visited him at his work, he never was there. His co-workers always told me that he was running errands, but they had those weird looks on his face, so I didn't really believe them. He also left too early to work and came late from work. I had some errands to run, was his answer always when I asked bout it. And when I asked if he really had so many errands every day, he just nodded and walked away, making me understand that the discussion end there.
Then he slowly started to become distant. We didn't kiss or have sex that much anymore and when we finally had a moment, it was mostly because I kind of pushed him. And when it happened, it felt wrong. I can't really explain how or what was wrong, but it didn't feel the same way as it used to. With time I gave up, not because I stopped loving him, but because something inside me told me that he was the one who didn't love me anymore.
After a while he started to disappear even during the dark. That was when Eve and Michael started to notice that something was wrong between me and Shane. I tried to dismiss it, like it was nothing and they didn't really bring it up that often, I just could see the worry in their eyes and in the glances they exchanged whenever I and Shane were in the same room. The longer this went on, the more it really felt like he didn't love me anymore, like there was someone else.
I was deep in my thoughts so I didn't notice Eve walking into the kitchen. It was only when she put her plate into the sink that I noticed her. Without looking at her I took the plate started to wash it, happy to have something to do so I didn't need to look at Eve. I just wanted to finish in the kitchen fast and go up in my room, but Eve seemed to have other plans.
"I know you don't want to talk about this, but I have this theory and I want to share it with you. I'm warning you, you won't like it", I could feel her eyes on me while she spoke.
"Is that so?" I asked without looking at her. I really didn't want to know the answer or hear her theory.
"Yeah, wanna hear it?" there was challenge in her voice.
"Not really", I told truthfully knowing very well that she will anyway tell me her theory.
"Shane has someone else, doesn't he?" her words made me freeze. I didn't dare to look at Eve. I didn't dare to move. How did she..? "You are wondering how I did come up with that theory, right? It's easy, Claire. You used to be so close, always together, making out, hugging. And now, now you barely talk to each other. Please, Claire, look at me."
In that instant I knew that this was it. This is a far as I can go hiding and pretending that everything was fine. So when I finally looked at Eve, I didn't try to hide anything. Pain, fear, terror. I let it all be in my eyes. I let her see everything I tried so hard to hide these past two months.
"Claire", she whispered and pulled me into tight hug. I wasn't capable of hugging her back as I was able to only stand there in her arms and feel as the tears had finally found their way down my cheeks. She was whispering something in my ear and stroked my hair, but I didn't really pay attention to her words. I just stood there and cried.
After a while, I don't really know how long, we heard front door open and close. I gently pushed her away I wiped my tears, trying to pretend that I didn't just cry my eyes out. As we both looked at the door, we saw Michael appearing in the kitchen. There was wide smile on his face, but as soon as he saw me, it was gone. He looked at Eve question in his eyes, but she just shook her head. Don't ask, was what she told him and he didn't. I took a deep breath before speaking.
"I am tired. I'm going to bed. Goodnight", and after those words I fled from the kitchen into safety of my room.
Michael's POV
My eyes followed Clair as she basically fled from the kitchen. It had taken me only one look and I could see that she had been crying. I had a feeling I knew what this was about, but I prayed to God that I was wrong. But if I was right, that asshole is a dead man. I have ignored this shit for far too long and only because Claire was avoiding talking about this. But if she had cried, it meant that she had finally broken down.
"We have spaghetti for dinner", I heard Eve say and I turned my head just in time to have Eve's lips land on mine. I wrapped my hands around her waist and kissed her back. I kept the kiss really short as I had to find out what had really happened here.
"Why was she crying?" I asked Eve while I took plate from cupboard and proceeded to put some food on it. "Did something happen?"
"What do you think?" she asked quietly and that was all the confirmation needed. He was officially dead man.
I had noticed it and even if I didn't know the reason why, they weren't so close anymore and that meant they weren't okay. Neither I nor Eve really brought it up because of how Claire acted, but deep inside I had also hoped that this was just one of those moments that everyone had in their relationships, moments that will pass by fast. They were bound to reach a point where they would have a crisis. In the end, they happened really fast, which is not really healthy for a relationship. But I was wrong and this wasn't passing by fast.
I put my plate on dinner table and looked at Eve, who sat next to me behind the table. She looked sad, pained and a bit angry. It wasn't really a big surprise as Claire was her best friend. I had lied to myself all this time, trying to convince I didn't know what was happening with Shane. I doubted Claire, or especially Eve, knew about it, so I really needed to be careful in how I would bring it all up.
"So, what exactly did he do now?" I asked while eating my dinner. Eve looked at me for a quite long while before speaking. And while she was looking at me, I saw how she was debating with herself if she should tell me or not. And that was when I realized that she had figured it all out.
"I think he has someone else and by the reaction I got from Claire, she thinks the same thing," she said quietly. Shit, they both knew. Now I needed to find out if they had actually proof for it as I myself didn't have any concrete proof.
I put down my fork and looked at the stairs, making sure that Claire wasn't there. Last thing I needed was to let her hear something that would hurt her even more.
"Are you sure?" I asked looking back at Eve. "I mean they love each other. Why would Shane do that? After all they have been thorough?"
"How should I know?" she snapped angrily. "I have no idea! But it looks that way! It all adds up! Shane is... he is... so distant! Don't you remember how they used to be? And how they are now? And him being away almost all the time?"
"I guess you have a point," I sighed. So, in the end even they didn't have concrete proof. I would have to proceed with no proof and hope it won't explode in my hands. "I am so going to talk to him about this. This shit will end. One way or another."
"Michael..." Eve was about to say something, but I gave her a look that told her to give up as I wasn't going to change my mind.
OOOOO
Claire's POV
Next morning I woke up pretty late. I stayed in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I didn't feel like getting up. I really didn't like being like this, but I was used to it already. For the last month this has been my normal behavior, stay in my room hiding from everyone and everything. And today, today the urge was even stronger, as I recalled last night's conversation with Eve and the fact that Michael walked on us like that. Eve wasn't good at hiding things from Michael, especially things that bothered her a lot. This thing with I and Shane was exactly like that, so I was willing to bed everything that Michael knew.
Finally, after about half an hour, I forced myself to get up and head to the bathroom, which turned out to be empty, luckily for me. I took quick shower and then walked back into my room where I changed into sweatpants and lose t-shirt. Right now I couldn't care less how I looked. I can't hide forever, I thought as I left my room and headed downstairs, but still part of me hoped that no one would be home.
Seeing Michael playing his guitar in the living room was a big disappointment, but I couldn't let him see that.
"Good morning, Claire," he said not looking at me. He always knew when someone entered the same room he was in.
"Hey," I tried to smile at him and sat on the couch looking at him.
"How are you?" he asked me quietly, not stopping playing.
"I am fine. Why are you asking?" I knew it was a lie and I knew that Michael knew that too, but still, I told that lie.
"No need to lie to me, Claire. I know that you think Shane…" he started, but I interrupted him by standing up.
"I don't want to talk about that, Michael. And you know it." I hissed and headed to the kitchen, trying to escape him.
Michael walked into the kitchen just as I was finishing making second sandwich for myself. For a while I just could feel his eyes on me but then finally he spoke.
"Claire. You can't be like that. You just can't", his voice was quiet and full of sadness and worry.
"Like what?" I turned around and stared at Michael. I was getting angry and I really hated for being this moody lately.
"You need to talk to Shane", he didn't look away and neither did I. "You need to get this shit sorted out. I hate to see you like this."
"Well, don't you think it's mine and Shane's business, not yours?" I finally snapped at Michael. Without letting him say anything more, I grabbed my breakfast and escaped back into my room slamming the door behind me.
I didn't feel like eating anymore, so I just put the plate on my nightstand and fell on the bed, burying my face into the pillow. I wasn't exactly fair to Michael back in the kitchen. He and Eve were my friends, they were Shane's friends, but more importantly, we lived in Michael's house. Taking all these facts into consideration, it kind of was his business and I could really see why they would want me to sort this out. But the truth was simple, I just wasn't ready to face Shane and the truth.
I don't know how much time had exactly passed, but suddenly the silence was broken by pretty loud voices from downstairs. Shane is back, I thought as I got up from the bed and then went to the door. I tried to make my way downstairs as quietly as I could. I didn't really have any reason or need to be sneaking around, but for some reason I just had this sudden feeling that I should. Michael and Shane were standing in the middle of the living room, just looking at each other. For a moment I thought that whatever they were arguing about, it had passed. But I was proven wrong when Shane finally broke the silence.
"It's none of your business where I was," Shane's voice was distant and ice cold. He was about to leave, but Michael grabbed his hand. "Let me go!"
"No, I'm not. You are going to tell me where the hell you were for whole night", Michael's voice was deadly calm. You couldn't tell by his expression or voice if he was angry or not. You just have to know Michael to know. And right now? He was furious and it was scary to see him like that.
"I told you, it's none of your business!" Shane hissed.
"This is my house and you are living here. So yeah, it is my business", Michael pointed out, but instead of answer there was silence again.
As I watched those two stare each other, I decided that maybe it was time to make my presence known. But as I was about to open my mouth, was stunned my Michael's next question.
"Tell me Shane, are you cheating on Claire?" his voice was even calmer and more quiet, which made this whole situation scarier.
"Why do you think so?" Shane didn't confirm our suspicion, but he didn't really deny it.
"I can smell it," was Michael's answer and it left me cold. So, the truth was finally out. And as much as I wasn't ready for it, after these words from Michael there was no doubt. He had someone else.
Shane was quiet and he looked kind of pained and scared. Michael was waiting for an answer and I was afraid to even breathe. I didn't really need any more confirmation, but I had to hear it from Shane. The silence was broken by Eve, who came home.
"I'm home!" she shouted and walked in the living room, stopping next to me as she saw the scene in front of her. She looked at guys and then at me. "Okay, what is going on here?"
"Hush", I hushed, but it was already too late. Shane had turned around and our eyes had locked. The fear and pain that had been in his eyes just a moment ago, it was all gone now. His face went blank as he turned his attention back to Michael.
"If you, freak of nature, can smell it, then why in the hell are you even asking?" Shane's voice was as cold as ice. His question was all that Michael needed to snap.
"You son of a bitch!" Michael shouted and punched Shane right in the face, sending him flying on the floor. This action made Eve screamed and I... I turned around and left the house.
A/N:
So, as I promised, one little note more.
New readers: I hope to see some of those & I'd love your opinion.
Old readers: Depending on how much you want to read new stuff, I would love to see your presence, that is if there is someone who wants to read more. I also need inspiration. You can either follow as I re-post and leave your comments, wishes and ideas or you can just leave them straight in one review, if you remember what I had written before I stopped in 2013, that is. But of course, this is just my wish, nothing more. If you don't wanna leave any reviews, then no need! Not forcing anyone or anything! Hahah! :)
Everyone - until next chapter! :)
Asta B