Chapter 2

I'm sorry for the update; I promised myself I'd update every other story first, and then I sort of wrote some more oneshots and such.

if you happen to get ClaireMyrnin withdrawl symptoms & want some more from me, I have just started a new one called "Opposing Forces" and still continue to update "Fragile Web"

I don't own anything.

Claire's POV:

How can she be so selfish? How can she not want to come back to this world, or at least fight as damned hard as she can to get back?

I feel myself returning back to the world of the living, the world in which my Myrnin is, where Sam is and the baby Amelie is leaving behind. But surely I can do something; I can prove that science wins out over 'fate' and bring her back to the world of the living – so that she can be with her baby and Sam.

But what could be wrong with her? As I return, I desperately think of anything which could have caused her to collapse and be close to death, wondering whether or not the entire thing with her back could have any influence on this. After all, she did seem in pain – perhaps there is something there that is sort of suctioning on her power? I don't know… but I'm about to wake up…

My eyes flutter open as I realise I am in Myrnin's arms, his face frantic with worry for me. I struggle to sit upright, his arms helping me all the way, and I look at the clock – I've been gone less than a minute in standard time; it felt like hours I was sat with Amelie. But maybe time is different, wherever we were. I can't say we were in heaven because she is still technically here – she must still be alive. There can't be a chance that she is dead and I'm alive once again…it isn't possible.

"Turn her over," I whisper before Myrnin says anything, the relief that I have woken up already appearing on his face. Slowly, I get out of his arms and stand up to face Sam who looks more desolate and vexed than I could even begin to put into words. Something about his face reminds me of me and my face when I realised Amelie wasn't coming back, but a million times worse.

"What?" Sam says, evidently confused as to why I want her on her back when, hello, she is still in labour with her baby.

"Look, where I have been is pretty complicated… but Amelie was there," I say and his head snaps up from Amelie's face to look at me sharply. "I can't explain what went on, not yet anyway because we don't have the time, but I remember that she was definitely in pain from her back so I think that that could be the possible way that we could find a way to bring her back," I continue, and before I have even finished, Sam and Myrnin are turning her over – carefully and quickly, since the baby is still in there and we need to get it out. But Sam and Myrnin could do that whilst I work on the way to bring back Amelie.

I lift her top up and gasp as I see something I never expected to see: her back is blackened and dead looking, evidently painful. How she only winced when she has this is absolutely amazing, but… could it be something maybe about the power she has being drained from her? I don't know what has caused it, but I can already think of a possible solution. It is stupid and completely idiotic, the likelihood of it working almost zero, because it doesn't make sense, even to me, but maybe it could work.

"Dear me, what is that?" Myrnin whispers as he spots what I am touching gently, pus coming out. Sam looks absolutely horrified and he helps Myrnin turn Amelie back over before just staring into space.

"Claire, tell me now, is she coming back?" he suddenly asks me, tears in his eyes. Slowly, I shake my head and he lets out a gasp of horror.

"She named me Founder, Sam, she said that she wanted me in charge – but I am fighting so hard to get her back here," I say, moving across the room to look at the cures we made. I don't think any of them have what I need – I know they don't, but I need to try.

"Sam, we need to deliver the baby," Myrnin tells gently, making Sam's attention turn back to a still Amelie. I realise abstractly that the heartbeat is back – but there is definitely an echo. "In fact, is that?" he murmurs, evidently hearing the same thing I am.

I ignore him and Sam as they get a knife and prepare to cut Amelie open in order to get the baby out, a natural birth now impossible since Amelie is wandering around a field at the minute, revelling in the sunlight she hasn't been in for centuries. Of course…because that's what everyone who has always wanted a child does – give up as easily as she has. So, just what can I do? I have a feeling that I need my blood to bring her back, since I now apparently have the power of the Founder – I don't, actually. She is still alive and I don't believe that she is going to die, but let's just say for all intense and purpose that I am the Founder. I think that my blood is going to be needed, especially if my theory about Amelie losing power through that black hole thing that I cannot even begin to explain is true.

But what else can be used? I doubt that lavender or anything else we used to calm her down will help… but maybe the strengthening stuff we have in the lab that got put into one of the cures can help, or even the vitamins since the black thing doesn't seem to be too healthy. I doubt that it's to do with nutrition, though; carrying her flesh and blood, even as the strongest vampire in the world, has left her near dead, closer to a human than she ever has been since she was turned. Power isn't within her anymore; she needs to be given it, given it to ensure that she doesn't perish.

But more power will be needed – much more than I potentially have – and I think I know just where I can get it. Oliver. He has to help – he needs Amelie here, as I am no way going to be as lenient towards him if I have to be the Founder. No, I would come down on him like a tonne of bricks.

"Be right back," I whisper, but they don't seem to notice, more absorbed with cutting into Amelie's stomach. I wince as I hear the sound of metal cutting into her flesh, hoping that it will have healed by the time I am back, showing how she is actually still here with us. If it hasn't, then it just shows that there's even less chance that I'll be able to save her.

.

"Claire, is everything ok? Something feels… different," Oliver says, evidently confused with everything that is going on as I burst through the portal into his office. There's a look on his face that reminds me of someone being worried for their grandchildren, which doesn't make that much sense, but perhaps it does…he's close to all of us, and he can tell there's something wrong. Either by the "air" or the "power" or whatever, or probably just by the expression on my face, but he can tell that things aren't going to plan.

"Amelie is dying," I say bluntly, and his face pales to beyond the colour of bone, the pallor it usually has. "I need your blood in a way that can possibly bring her back, but I'm not sure. I need to just try this first… please, don't mess with me Oliver and give me the blood now," I continue, tears in my eyes as I process just how desperate I am. I need this – I need him to give me one thing that Amelie needs without an argument.

"Amelie cannot die – I couldn't cope with you being the ruler," he shrugs, his fangs already sinking down in order to rip open his wrist. "Claire, have you a box or something to put this in? As it would be preferable for me not to have my own blood over my office floor," he asks, but I don't laugh at his attempt at humour. He doesn't seem to want to laugh either, and I get the idea that he's only doing this to try and alleviate a little of the tension and pressure that the situation has brought about. It really doesn't seem right that he didn't argue whatsoever; normally, I would have expected he wouldn't allow me his blood without a good hour long argument. I don't have the inclination to laugh at his joke, though; it's too stressful – I don't know what is going on but it isn't good, I can tell you that. Anything where Amelie is possibly dying and leaving her town to me isn't good!

"Sure, put it in this," I say, handing over one of the boxes that I picked up from the side as I ran out of Amelie's room. He obliges, and I tap my foot impatiently as he waits for it to fill halfway up – to need more than that would be a slightly bigger problem than we're already facing. "Thanks," I gesture to the box as he hands it to me before running back to the portal.

"Claire." Oliver's voice makes me stop and turn back; it seems so full of worry for Amelie. "There are things in motion that must be continued. Please do everything you can to bring her back," he almost seems as if he… no, that's ridiculous, right? It can't be that he…and her…no…that's absurd. He must mean some stupid, little council thing, I bet.

"I already am," I reply with a tight smile before dashing through the portal and back to Amelie and Sam's house. Here, I go as fast as I can back to Amelie and Sam and Myrnin, to find a shocking sight, something I would never, not in one million years, have expected to see. "Whoa… am I seeing double?"

Sam turns to look at me from Amelie, a look of amazed incredulity but also delight on his face. "No, one of each… she had twins!" he exclaims, holding the girl in his arms. Myrnin is still delivering the other baby, the boy I presume, so I don't stop to appreciate the beauty of the baby in his arms. But…that makes sense…the echo, the way that I thought I could hear an echo before; she must have known, and Myrnin must have presumed, but nobody bothered to tell me. That makes sense…but it's too happy a situation now to be angry at information being withheld; there's a chance that Amelie could survive.

"That's great… well, give me a minute," I mutter, moving across the room back to the portal to dart into the lab and get the things I was going to use in another cure thing for Amelie but going to use to bring her back. Nothing is impossible, nothing. I will manage this and she will be back with her babies, not baby, (I guess that that was the echo thing, another heartbeat… but how did Amelie, Sam, Myrnin and Oliver miss that?) before she knows it. No more moping in no man's land for Amelie, no she will be back here and biting our heads off, the Amelie we know and love.

I return and use the unit which contains Sam's clothes to set everything out on. Myrnin seems to be having a little of a problem with getting the baby out, or maybe he is stalling so that we can insert the thing I'm making right now right into her bloodstream above her heart; it will get it around faster, even though her heart doesn't beat, and give her a better chance to fight.

I get a clean pot and pour about half of Oliver's blood into it, adding every vitamin possible to the mix. Then I add all of the strengthening stuff before ripping open my own wrist and adding blood until the pot is almost entirely full. This is all I can do: this is our only shot – she is still here, barely, and if I give her this now, she should come back.

If she doesn't, she isn't coming back.

"Here!" I cry, carefully running across the room just as Myrnin gets the baby out – a boy, smaller than the girl: he was probably the weaker of the two in there. I don't say anything though, as Sam looks amazed at the sight of his second son, his third child, whilst Myrnin turns to look at me with a worried expression.

"She is barely here, we need to act quickly and this is our only chance – what is in it?" he motions to the pot and I quickly explain exactly what I put in. "Good, there is a great deal of power in there. Give it to her, now," he says, and I pour half of it into her stomach, which heals up instantly: this has to be working! "And I shall turn her slightly, so you can apply it to her back with your fingers – don't be sparing, we can always make more if we have to. This is working, Claire, you are a genius!" he exclaims in delight, already rolling Amelie onto her side.

Something about her already seems less fragile, less breakable as if she is returning to being Amelie pre-pregnancy. I dab the tonic thing onto her back, whilst Myrnin fills a syringe with it and plunges it directly into her heart, watching in marvel as it heals up as I watch it. I turn to look at Sam whilst Myrnin returns Amelie to her back and see he is entirely focused on Amelie. He may be holding two babies – both of which are crying, I believe though I can't hear it – but he is entirely focused on his wife. Whilst a part of his face is still overjoyed at having the children, he is explicitly worried for Amelie.

Myrnin takes the remnants of the tonic thing from me and pours it into Amelie's mouth. He then shuts her jaw and we hear the sound of her swallowing, a thankful sound to us all – it shows she is definitely still here. She hasn't left.

For an agonisingly long minute, we all stand still, unable to move as we wait. Even the babies are quiet, which is a miracle for them to understand – or it could just be coincidence.

Amelie takes a deep breath inwards and slowly… slowly, her eyelids flutter open.

She didn't leave.

an2: I'd appreciate it if you didn't favourite/alert/read without reviewing; it does get a little irritating.

Did you really think I'd kill Amelie? Of course she was always coming back!

Vicky xx