'You're an asshole!' Harsh but true. The words left Claire's mouth and slapped Shane in the face.
'Wait, what? No I'm not!' he disagreed and put his hands in the air in pure frustration. His hands then went into his hair that once had been combed for the occasion, but now was once again a huge mess. With a face turning red with anger, he kicked the wall hard enough to leave a mark. All Claire could think of was how good it was Carrie would be sleeping over at the Glass House with Eve and Michael.
'Just leave me alone,' she said and rushed upstairs with tears in her eyes. Her sight got so blurry she didn't see where she walked, and she tripped. Before she could grab onto something she was already down at the floor with no power to stand up. Why didn't Shane come to comfort her? He had just been terrible to her and he must have heard that she tripped!
What was he? Running for the worst husband ever award? She crawled into their room and behind the closet. If he came searching for her, he definitely wouldn't see her. Not the way he looked for stuff.
An hour passed by and she got tired of all the crying. Shane still hadn't shown any sign of being alive. Maybe this time things wouldn't work out. What if they didn't? Who would take full responsibility for Carrie? How would she grow up? No, Claire didn't allow herself to think like that. Not on their five year's anniversary, or any other time. She loved him. That's why she had agreed to marry him after all! Also, she refused to get divorced after a barely two year long marriage. That would prove her parents right about Shane. Who knows? Maybe they were right.
Five hours earlier
'This place is so nice!' Claire hugged Shane's side as he guided her into Morganville's finest restaurant. It was all new and they had never eaten there before. What a great way to celebrate their anniversary!
'You deserve the best,' Shane smiled and kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him and pecked his lips.
'It goes for you, too. Especially since we have our house to ourselves tonight…' Carefully she ran her hand down his chest and bit her lip playfully. A new kiss was placed on her lips as a waiter came and asked if we had a table. Without a second glance, Claire knew he was a vampire. Shane pressed me closer to his side instinctively and said our last name. The waiter nodded and showed us off. A few weeks remained before she was a legal drinker, but that wouldn't hold Shane back from taking a glass of some kind of alcohol with the dinner. Honestly, it didn't bother Claire at all as long as he stayed sober. She'd seen him drunk before Carrie a bunch of times, but now he barely drank at all. A beer sometimes, but he didn't drink more.
'So, what does the missus want?' Shane gave her a footie flirt under the table and Claire took one last look at the menu.
'The flambéed chicken looks utter fantastic, Mr Collins,' she replied in a fake British accent.
'I must agree, Mrs Collins. Shall we take two of the chicken and coke for drinks?'
'Sounds good,' she gave him a sweet smile and took his hand that lay on the table. His fingers intertwined with hers and he sent butterflies to her stomach. It was weird how she still was so in love with him after all these years.
They sat there in a comfortable silence, just staring into each other's eyes. That changed when two women started gossiping about them on the table to the left. It was all so quiet that Clair could only make out a few words.
'I can't believe she still hasn't told him the baby isn't his,' the woman in green dress whispered. Claire didn't know if Shane had heard it, but she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. How could they even say that? Shane was the only man she had ever been with in bed. Of course the baby was his! Claire sneaked a small glance at the ladies. They were both old and had greyish hair. The woman with the green dress had a fancy hat and the other woman had a ruby red dress with her hair sat up in a shy crown.
'Uh, Claire, are you okay?' Shane squeezed her hand lightly and looked at her with dark and worried eyes.
'Look, there comes our food!' she sang. Waiter Mc. Fangy wished us a good evening and went off. 'It looks so yummy,' Claire smiled and straightened out her night blue dress. It was a beautiful dress that she had gotten from Shane/Eve earlier that day. She knew Eve must've picked it out, because Shane wouldn't – nor couldn't – pick out girl's clothes. In fact, he didn't even pick out his own clothes anymore. But, hey, that's what wives are for!
Shane continued to send her worried glances and Claire kept on trying to hear what the women were talking about. They kept on mentioning her name and Carrie's. Sometimes a person called Marius. Suddenly it spread. From the right table people were whispering and giggling. Claire felt like she and Shane were in the middle of a school playground and they had been in the locker-room and kissed. All she could beg for was that Shane didn't hear them.
'Hi, Claire,' a man said and came up to their table. Claire didn't know the man but he seemed a little older than Shane, maybe 25. He was tall and handsome with a vest that bragged about his wealth. 'Remember me? Marius?'
'Erh, no? Should I?' she replied weakly. Shane looked at the man suspiciously. The whole room had gone silent and no one was eating. Everyone's attention was at Claire, Shane and this mysterious Marius.
'Oh, I see. You are with this young man here. Why don't I come to your house and discuss Carrie later? I want to meet her.'
'Why?' Shane shot in and Marius turned to him. 'You have no reason to see my kid and Claire doesn't know you, so fuck off.'
'I'm Carrie's father,' Marius alleged. Claire almost choked on her drink. Had he really, just now, claimed to be Carrie's father? People started whispering again, but stopped brutally when Shane stood up from his table. Claire hesitated before walking up next to him, putting a hand on his tensed arm.
'Shane, honey, calm down, okay?' she told him calmly.
'Fucking liar. Carrie is my daughter and you can go hang yourself. You sick bastard!' Shane yelled. Claire took hold of his arm and tried holding him back.
'I'm no liar. Just ask her yourself! Every time she comes late home from Myrnin, she has been with me. Isn't that true, darling?' Marius nodded to a speechless Claire. He lied so calmly that he could have convinced Claire herself. 'And relax. I'm not here to take her away from you. I just want to give you money for her to grow up to be just as beautiful and perfect as Claire here.'
Shane threw a punch, but Marius dodged it ever so easily. Then he looked over at her.
'Is it true?' he asked heartbroken. Like he was seeing his new family floating away already. Claire wanted to tell him it wasn't, but she couldn't. She was in shock. 'Is it true? Hell, Claire, answer me!'
'No! But don't hit him!' she said. He ignored it and threw Marius down and started punching him. People in the restaurant came over and it took four men to drag Shane off the other guy. Claire handled him with expert care and checked him for damage. Marius hadn't been able to throw more than a few punches at him, so he was okay. Marius, himself, on the other hand… He looked terrible. Beaten, small and faint on the floor. Still alive, but so badly beaten that he would need surgery for his face, Claire could tell.
In a few seconds, the vampire waiter had literally thrown them out on the street in the dark. Shane just took off without waiting for her. She had to run to keep up with him, but he obviously didn't care.
He kept walking in the same tempo until they got to their own house. There he stopped at the porch and looked at her with furious eyes.
'Is it true what the guy said?' He breathed hard. 'Cause I didn't here you rejecting him until the very end in despair.
'Of course it isn't true! Carrie is ours, and I know because I've never cheated on you,' Claire yelled, not caring if the whole neighbourhood heard her.
'Yeah, right,' he spit and opened the door.
'I love you,' someone whispered into her ear from a place far away. The person scooped her up and firmly placed her under the warm and comfy sheets of her bed before crawling in underneath with her. 'And you're right. I am an asshole.'
She struggled to open her eyes and let Shane press her body against his.
'Sadly you're my asshole,' she sighed. He sighed as well and kissed her forehead.
'Carrie is my daughter. I know that. And it's true, right?' He tried to hide it, but Claire heard the doubt in his voice.
'Yup, she's all yours. And mine, of course. Wanna take a DNA test?' she groaned and pouted.
'If you're not very pissed at me, our anniversary isn't over just yet. There's still…' He looked at the clock on the bedside table. '37 minutes left 'till midnight.'
'And if I know you right, that's enough to do it at last 37 times.'
'Harsh!'
'You deserve it.'
'Yeah, kinda. So?'
'Happy anniversary.'
'I love you, okay? I love you very, very much.'