A/N: Hello there. Been a while, hasn't it? Well, anyway. Finally, I have gotten around to this. I'll try to keep updating, but I don't know how often. I do want to finish this story, and I plan to. Eventually. Thank you to those who have hung in there with me; sorry to keep you waiting for so long. Also, this fic will probably be wrapping up soon. I hadn't really planned it to be a really long fic, maybe a couple more chapters till the end? Don't know for sure, though. Guess we'll find out.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter two
Myrnin was wearing glasses again today, to match with his infamous fanged bunny slippers. He certainly had an odd sense of fashion, but that's what made Myrnin, well, Myrnin. Claire thought it was cute, the bunny slippers, not Myrnin wearing them, or the glasses. Not that glasses looked bad on him. They were alright, if you liked that kind of thing; though, Claire had to admit, they did look good on him. Besides, they really put attention to his dark eyes; Claire couldn't help but be drawn to them this morning. In fact Claire never really paid attention to his eyes before, and she never realized how beautiful they were.
I never noticed this before, she thought, but his eyes have gold flecks around them. And there was, thinking about his eyes. Claire silently laughed at herself; she was doing it again. Okay calm down, he is just your boss, so what if he has gorgeous eyes? It doesn't mean you have feelings towards him. Right.
Claire shook that idea off and headed toward the lab table, where Myrnin was busy with some sort of contraption.
"Ah, Claire, perfect timing," he said, handing her a piece from whatever it was he was working on. It was rather small, metal, with several red and blue wires sticking out from it. She had never seen anything like it before, except maybe from that one time when she was younger and she'd dismantled her computer just to see how it worked. But even that was different from what she now held in her hands. This thing was oddly warm, and she could have sworn it was—dare she think it?—alive. She could feel a pulse of some kind, much like a heartbeat, and if she hadn't thought it was something important she would have thrown it away from her in immediate disgust.
"Myrnin, just what is this thing, anyway?" she asked, holding the thing away from her slightly.
"Hmm, oh, yes. This," he said, distracted. "I know you seem to have this notion in your head that having a computer run by a human brain is…immoral—though I still can't marvel at how you came up with such nonsense—I decided this may be something more acceptable."
Myrnin was taking into account how she felt about the whole brain in jar thing? Huh, that was a first. "Right. So what is it?"
"Oh, that? Nothing," he said, taking it back from her. "Just something I was working on. Over here." He moved across the lab, expecting her to follow. She did, as usual. "I was working on it all night. Some of the parts were still usable, but I was only able to cobble together the very basic elements."
"Elements of what?"
He'd moved in front of a table, obscuring her view of whatever it was that he didn't want her to see just yet. "Before you accuse me of murder, Claire, I assure you the agreement was mutual."
Agreement to what?"
He moved, and time as she knew stopped monetarily, before starting up again in a fury of emotions and sounds, before finally settling to nothing but the sound of her too fast heart-beat.
Because there was a brain. In a jar.
"What did you do?" Claire heard herself demand in a voice she couldn't identify as her own.
He didn't. He didn't…But he had. No, no, no. He said it was mutual, that he hadn't killed anyone. But then, how did he get a brain?
"It was necessary, Claire. It won't work any other way," Myrnin said somberly.
"But you…you killed someone!" she screeched.
"I most certainly did not," he said indignantly. "Were you not listening before? The agreement was mutual."
"What agreement?"
"That the bloodsucker would put me in a jar," said the voice of Frank Collins.
She couldn't breathe…the lab was slowly growing dim…and she couldn't—she couldn't—
"Breathe, Claire," Myrnin soothed, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Here, sit." He guided her to a chair in the corner, and she sat.
"I did what was necessary, Claire," he said, taking her small hand in his and giving it a pat. "And Frank agreed. It's better this way, really. A vampire's brain is far more effective anyway."
She sighed, his touch calming her. Typical Myrnin. "I guess you do have a point," she finally said.
"Just don't tell Shane about this, Claire," said Frank. From his jar. "This has to be our secret. I know how couples like you two are, always telling each other everything."
She let out a small laugh. "Yeah, well, you won't have to worry about that. Shane and I are broken up."
Frank scoffed. "Finally came to his sense, huh?"
And there she was, thinking back on their breakup and feeling the crushing weight of it against her chest again. It was for the best, she thought. It just…wasn't working out. Still, the self reassurance didn't do much to lift her spirits.
Myrnin frowned, hauling the young girl to her feet. "Come now, Claire. You're going to upset Bob with all your frowning. He's a sensitive creature."
Claire blinked. Was Myrnin trying to tell her he didn't like it when she was sad? Or was he just being Myrnin? It was hard to distinguish between the two—but she liked to think it was the former.
His cold hand left a contrasting blaze of fire as they trailed across her skin. The sheer sensation of it nearly brought the girl to the edge. As it was, she was already staring down the precipice and prepared to dive into absolute insanity. Shane's touch had never brought her such feelings—with him, it was new, exciting and while she would never forget their times together, this was bringing her to her knees.
He gave a dark chuckle; something that should have scared her—but it only brought a thrill of excitement coursing through her veins. "I've barely even begun, my dear, and already you're like this? My, my, we may have plenty of work ahead of us yet."
The tone of his voice—the outright pleasurable timbre—sent warmth pooling between her legs. Yes, Shane had certainly never had her coming this fast.
"Myrnin…please," she whimpered.
He grinned wickedly, his fangs flashing white in the darkness. Oh yes…yes, the—
A loud pounding against her door startled Claire from her dream.
"Hey, Claire! You up? Aren't you going to be late?" Eve called from the other side.
"Yeah, I'll be up in a minute," she said weakly, stilling feeling the effects of her dream.
Oh, my, god, she thought, face in her hands. I'm attractive to Myrnin. Like that.
The realization hit her with the force of a small hurricane.
What am I going to do?
Yes, what the hell is Claire going to do? I myself have no idea. Do any of you guys do? Really...should probably figure this out already...hmm. Oh, well. Don't forget to review! Have a nice day! :)
