Chapter One
Claire's POV:
I wake up warm, safe, and happy with Shane's arms wrapped around my waist. I turn carefully in his arms, tracing my thumb down the side of his face.
Shane stirs but doesn't open his eyes. I stroke his hair gently, leaning my forehead against his. He opens his eyes and smiles at me.
"Good morning," Shane murmurs, laying a gentle kiss on my lips.
"Hey," I say, softly, laying my head on his chest. Shane's fingers stroke up and down my side lightly, causing me to shiver.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Shane asks as I kiss his shoulder softly.
"Eve asked us to come over for lunch at like noon, other than that, nothing," I say, nuzzling his neck. Shane kisses my hair.
"No work to do with your crazy boss today?" Shane asks, his face still buried in my hair.
"No. I have to day off and, as it so happens, so do you," I whisper in his ear, smiling at him. Shane moves in an instant, pinning me to the bed, his lips just barely touching mine.
"Then we should probably make the most of it," he says, kissing me deeply, his lips searing into mine. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His lips trail down my neck, nipping lightly. My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him closer.
A little while later, I glance at the clock and jump up. Shane grumbles and stares up at me with puppy dog eyes, not getting out of bed.
"We're running late. We're supposed to be there in ten minutes," I say, grabbing clothes out of the closet, getting dressed quickly. Shane sighs and gets up, pulling on his clothes. He pulls me in for a long kiss before grabbing his keys. I pull on my shoes and walk we lock up, walking the few blocks to the Glass House.
It's been a few months since Shane and I got married. We had moved out and gotten a discount on a house of our own. It's a great little house very similar to the Glass House. It's lonely not living in the same house as Michael and Eve but we still go over there whenever we can.
I knock on the door. Eve opens it with a flourish and rolls her eyes.
"You know you don't have to knock right? You still have a key," Michael says, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around his waist. Shane shrugs and walks past them, collapsing on the couch.
"What's for lunch?" I glare at him.
"Shane, that's rude," I say, sitting on the couch next to him. Shane pulls me into his side, kissing the top of my head.
"I love you," he murmurs in my ear.
"I love you too," I whisper back, taking his hand and squeezing it.
"We have hot dogs in here, if you guys ever decide to stop making out on my couch," Michael says pointedly. Shane laughs.
"If we were making out, I promise you that you would know," Shane says, getting up and turning to help me up. I follow him into the kitchen.
"Don't worry, I didn't try to make chili because I knew that you would just make fun of me," Eve says, aiming a pointed look at Shane.
"Oh, bite me," Shane says, grabbing a few hot dogs. I grab one and take a bite, leaning my head on his shoulder.
"So, we have something to tell you," Eve says, her voice excited. I raise an eyebrow at her, confused.
"Eve and I..." Michael trails off, leaving it up in the air.
"Eve and you... what? You can't just end a sentence like that man," Shane says impatiently.
"I'm pregnant," Eve says, looking between the two of us. My mouth hangs open, my eyes wide.
"Eve, that's amazing!" I get up and hug her, laughing. Shane claps Michael on the back.
"Nice job, man. You're going to be great," Shane says, smiling widely at them both," Both of you."
"I wanted you both to be the first ones to know," Eve says, her smile quickly becoming contagious.
"I'm so happy for you guys. Who would have thought any of this would have happened a year ago?" Shane says, sitting back in his chair and pulling me to sit beside him.
And he's right. So many things have happened in the past year alone. I used to be angry with my parents for sending me here but now, I'm glad I came. I would never have met my best friends, or Shane. Sure, I almost died a few times along the way but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Ever since everything had calmed down in Morganville and we defeated the Daylighters, everything has been better than I ever dreamed of. Everything is calm and peaceful, relaxed, even. None of us knew that this would be what you call the calm before the storm.