Chapter One: Forgiveness for some.

Claire stared at the ring as her breath hicthed in her throat and stopped her words she wanted- needed to get out. It was beautiful. Smaller than the one he had given her over a year ago, but better. Because whilst that one helped him forget the past, this one- this one meant the future. Her. Shane. Forever. "Please, Claire," Shane laughed nervously under his breath, "Say something before I pass out or something equally girly." So Claire dragged her eyes away from the amazingly beautiful, white-gold ring, with its small but beautifully formed diamond, and looked straight at him. "Of course I-"

-Claires POV-

Claire rushed to snap off the alarm, but it didnt matter- Shane was awake, she could feel it in the warmth his fingers brought as they pressed protectivly over her. Protecting her from the Draug, Magnus, The Vampires.

She really did love Shane. He was beautiful, and strong, and loyal, and loving, and once he caught her, Claire had held on for her lifes worth and never regretted it. Ever. Not even when snotty Kim came back into thier- his- life, or when he was so violent and haunted, or even when he was lost in the perfect visions of what he thought they couldn't have. (They could have it, Claire thought, if he would man up and propose.) And if the beauty brung on a string of lusting she-whores, and if his strength brought the English & American Armies, then Claire would fight them off with her book bag, if it came down to it.

And if he was loyal and loving to the point of jealous and overprotective, she'd take the workable with the perfect.

"Ready for school?" Shane asked, a deep growl in the bottom of his throat. Damn. That was sexy. Infuriatingly, she knew the offer he was proposing was off the menu. Damn.

"I would love to skive with you, but I cant."

"Really? You'd rather go to school than stay here wi-"

"I'm not going school, Shane."

There was a few moments of silence, awkward, tension filled silence, as his hopeful and loved filled expression became afraid, angry, and shocked.

"Don't do this Claire!" Suddenly, he was sat up- no top on, oooh, once again, DAYYYMN- and his hand caught her grip in a hold so tight, she wondered if he was even doing it. He was worried for her. Afraid Myrnin or Oliver or Amelie was going to eat her. She didn't blame him. She kinda felt the same.

"Shane, I have to. I have to work this out. With all of them. For everyone."

For Eve, mostly. Amelie was looking for an excuse to rip Eve's throat out, and Eve was already threatening to go down there to "Kick her cold, predatory, skanky ass". If Claire went, there would maybe be just the smallest hint of humanity in Amelie's eyes. Hopefully.

"Claire, things will get better without you getting killed."

"Maybe, Shane. But can we go through a few years like this past month? People are dying, people I know. I need to fix this."

"What makes you think you can?"

Ouch. Shane looked like he regretted that, but he had his chin jutted out, and she knew that he wasn't going to give in and let her go into the lions nest.

"Maybe I cant," She replied, coldly, "but I have to try." Claire grabbed her clothes and ran to the bathroom where she could get changed without either insulting her or trying to rip her clothes off.

-x-

10 minutes later, Claire was stepping through the portal with Eve & Michaels warning to be careful ringing in her ears. and the familar sight returning to her eyes for the first time in over a month. The messy tables, the books stacked everywhere, the man dropping- dropping- a beaker full of god-knows-what onto his shoes.

"Claire?"

"Myrnin." She replied cooly, still not having forgiven him.

"You're- you're here!" Myrnin replied, light filling his wide eyes, as he smiled.

"I am fully aware of that."

"Wh- I'v not seen you since-"

"Since you tied me up as bait days after trying to kill my boyfriend!" She snapped, and suddenly her eyes were full of tears, angry tears, as she stepped towards him, heart in her mouth. "And what the hell were you thinking, Myrnin? Coming to my house? Ringing me? Sending me letters through that damn portal? What makes you think I'd ever want to talk to you again, or even breathe the same air as you?" She screeched, then blinked, and finished rather lamely. "Well, not that you really breathe, but still. You get my drift."

"You are here, are you not?" Myrnin replied, the smile gone, but the light still in his eyes. "And I do breathe, just not out of nessicity. However, I do understand youre meaning. Claire, understand me now. I regret doing what I did to both you and... the boy. But I only commited those heinious acts to keep us all- you included in that sentiment- alive."

"I get the whole thing you did to me. It hurts that you didnt tell me. It hurts more that you didnt give me a chance to fight... Magnus." I mumble, relunctantly, knowing he'll understand anyway. Then my anger flares up again, viscious and untamed and wanting to hit him with something liquid and corrosive. "But I dont understand how pratically killing Shane would keep me alive! If he died I-"

"Theres more than just one type of death, Claire."

"Bullshit."

Myrnin flashed in front of me, and I was so mad I didnt even step back as he took up waaaay to much of my personal space for me to normally be happy with, before looking me diirectly in the eye. I lookied back, determined not to appear weak. "You have surely heard, even in this god-foresaken place, that it is now a proven scienctific fact that people die of a broken heart?" I nod, and raise an eyebrow, even as I realise where exactly he is going. "If I would allowed you to see his mutilated body, do you really think you shall have ever reached a normal state of mind?"

"No," I admit truthfully, and then I grin nastilly and use my lowest, scariest voice, not that Its that scary. "But I'm going to make one thing very clear, and then I'll drop it. For now. If we hadn't have gotten Shane back, I swear to God, I would have staked you. You understand?" Pain flashed across Myrnin's face, and for a second I felt bad. "Well, maybe not. But I never would have forgiven you." My voice shaked, and tears returned, but not of anger, of pain, at the fact that he would try to destroy her world so utterly, and of the pain that was inside of him. Its so hard to stay hard at Myrnin when he's in pain.

-Myrnins POV- (P.S, I know theres really long sentances in here, and he says "She" a hell of a lot, but I cant exactly imagine him having the most coherrant sentances ever, can you? )

I could see the exact moment in which she almost, almost forgave me. Her eyes- those beutiful, beautiful eyes- filled with tears, tears which I caused.

I had never meant to make my little bird hurt.

I wanted to protect her, always, but I couldn't whilst she made herself stay with that boy, that boy who pretended he was a man and she was his toy, a toy who would always forgive him, and she did, even after that ridiculous fighting club when he almost got all three- no, five, if you include that Shreve and Michael, which I know Claire did, even if I didn't- of us killed, and she still bloody forgave him. I wanted to kiss her, and our proximity made this a perfect time, and my mouth watered with the smell of her, both the blood which had tasted so rich and so right when I had attcked her and the smell of her being, the aftifical strawberry in her hair and the coffee she loves so much and the lingering remmants of the dohnut she had for breakfast- that was normally my job, buying her dohnuts, i'll do that again someday- and I was looking for something to say to make her anger at me dissapear, and for her to forget the boy and this month and every damn time I hurt her before she could step away.

Too late, she stepped away, seemingly having not noticed the electricity in the air coming off my skin, or my thoughts in the second I thought them, or the fact I just want her. I want her so bad.

She wipes the tears not yet cascading her face, and I want to grab her hands, I want her to trust me enough to let me wipe her tears for her, but its too late and she's moved more and I just stood there and why didnt I bloody move and now she's walking.

"Why did you come here?" That was stupid, it sounded like I didn't want her here.

"I want you to take me to the council meeting."

"No, Claire!"

Almost shouting, I reach for her and grab her arm and pull her back again, so close that her bodies touching mine and once again and it feels so good and I can feel the memory of shivers so why cant she? and I should kiss her but once again I dont. I hear her telling me to let go, to get off and to take me to the meeting but I dont do that either, so Im not a complete imbecile at least, too wrapped up in the feel of her warm skin and the overwelming entity of her, for a few seconds at least before reality brings me back and I remember that she doesnt know she loves me yet and her words, her enticing voice works into my brain, low and angry and scared and seductive.

"- Of me now, I will take the stake out of my bag and I will use it. Let go of me now. Myrnin-" her voice loses the low edge and I can hear the fear and she is beautiful scared. I need to kiss her, but I wont.

Reluctantly, I let go, sighing, and all I notice is the fire in her soul whilst the eyes of a queen stare at me with a cool, cold, calculating anger.

"Finished? Once again, if you do that again I'll stake you." No shouting, just an agitated calm which is how I know she means it.

I wince, and step away, just a little.

Theres a few moments of uneasy silence, before her mouth opens and demands something of me, something I have no intention of giving her, simply for fy Cariad's safety.

"Take me to the council meeting. I need to tell Amelie something."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!" I yell, and my eyes flash red.

-Claire's POV-

"No!" Myrnin yells, and I lose my breath as I step away. I shouldn't, weakness is seductive (he told me that whilst we were still friends, eons ago, before all this... anger.) Eyes flashing red, he grabs my chin and makes me look in them, and I really dont want to. "I will not risk you in there. As things are, politically, Oliver wouldn't blink before draining you, and Amelie might not try to defend you, depending on her mood." Working things out in my mind, in silence, I think.

"Can you tell them something from me, then?" He nods, jaw tense. "Tell them that this cant continue. People are dying, and soon there will be no-one left. And they cant live in the real world. We - people- are too damn powerful. We could kill them when we used pitchhforks and torches. We'd annihilate them with atom bombs and flamethrowers, would we not?"

"You would, and yes, I will tell them."

"Ta. Let go of me." He does. Feeling his eyes on my back, I re-open the portal, but no-ones there, and before I step through Myrnins voice floats after me.

"Thank you for visiting Claire. I missed you rather a lot."

Dryly, I snarl,"I noticed, what with the begging and all."

I can hear him laugh until I close the portal.

-x-