It had been a few weeks since Clara's blood scare, and life as a vampire was finally something she was used to. She had yet to meet the true leader of the New York Clan, but from the stories Chloe has been telling her, she wasn't a vampire she was eager to meet. Instead of locking herself in her room she basked in the moonlight, a weak replacement for the sunlight she missed so dearly on her skin. But the stars had never looked as beautiful as the did when her heart was still beating.

Clara threw her head back with her eyes closed, leaning back on her hands. Fingers pressed themselves against her eyes and Clara gave a startled gasp,

"Guess who?"

Clara rolled her eyes from beneath that skin,

"Hi Chloe."

Chloe removed her hands from Clara face and plopped herself down next to her.

"The girls and I are all going to the Pandemonium tonight, we got Raph's permission, you in?" Chloe beamed.

Clara hadn't been to the Pandemonium since the night she was turned, in fact she hadn't really left the Hotel. Only once to the blood supply warehouse and even then she was under Raphael's supervision.

"I don't know Chloe," Clara moved herself to sit Indian style, "I don't know if its such a good idea, I haven't really gotten the handle on the bloodlust problem yet, what if I got haywire?"

"That won't happen Clara, I promise," Chloe took Clara hand in hers, "and besides you're going to be with me and like six other people, you'll be fine."

Clara gave a reluctant nod, and Chloe squealed. With a sharp tug from the older vampire, Chloe was dragging Clara behind her, babbling incoherently about the dress she had in her closet that would fit her perfectly.

Half an hour later, Clara was wrapped in a skin tight black dress and was biting on her lips, painted with the ruby red lipstick Chloe had convinced her to put on. The dress shockingly similar to the one she wore all those weeks ago. Chloe was in front of the mirror, twirling her hair with a curling iron before pinning the strands behind her ears.

"All right, I'm ready," Chloe clapped her hands together, "come one Clara, Vi and Georgie are waiting for us in the lobby."

Clara followed Chloe out and down the stairs, she seemed oddly cautious about being caught, as where Violet and Georgina. Perhaps they hadn't gotten permission to go out as Chloe had told her.

The four of them slipped away into the night hopeful to have fun between the flashing lights and metallic scented bodies.

And Clara found herself in the same position she did months ago. Except she didn't have the can of coke, instead she took a Red Bloody Mary, Violet had taught her codes to get Downworlder food and drinks in the bar. She sat on the barstool with her legs crossed over at the knee, toes twitching in the low-top converse she insisted on wearing instead of heels.

Her eyes caught the sight of a boy roughly the same age she was, swaggering towards her. He had a mop full of multicoloured hair and dark eyes that trailed along the sight of her crossed legs, he had the same dangerous look in his eyes Charlie had when he turned her. But he was human, she could smell the thumping of hot blood rushing through his veins but at the same time she felt no attraction to it. He smelled to much like the alcohol she detested so much.

With two long strides the boy was leaning against the bar,

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing here all alone," he drawled out, the words foggy with intoxication.

"Not alone, my friends are at the dance floor," she took a nervous sip from her Bloody Mary, eyes searching out for Chloe's black hair or catching sight of Georgina's unique fuchsia dress.

"Not very good friends to leave you here alone are they," he moved forward and rested a hand on her thigh.

Clara jumped, startled at the uncalled for touching. She stood up from the barstool, and shoved past the boy.

She was moving much faster than she was before, it helped that she had superhuman speed and flat soled shoes on. But the boy caught up to her and shoved her against the wall in an alleyway.

"That was pretty rude don't you think? Teasing me then leaving," he pressed his palms against her wrists pinning her to the wall. Then the fear of the night she became the vampire she was today came back all at once. She was shaking and the primal urge to survive to break free was let loose. The boy let out a scream as flung him of her and dug the teeth into his jugular vein. The sounds of the boy struggling for his breath fell upon deaf ears.

She was pulled back and the blood rushed down her chin, staining her neck and dress. Clara pushed herself away from his haemorrhaging body. Two strong arms tugged her into their chest,

"Shh, it's ok, I'm here," the soothing voice called out to her,

She felt the hot blood run down her cheeks from her eyes,

"Raph," she gasped out, she felt him run a cold hand through her hair, at the moment it was the most comfort she had ever received in her life.

"Just breathe, you're ok," he hugged her tighter, eyes glancing over to the dead body of the boy who had been harassing Clara. "Everything's ok."

"I'm sorry Raphael," she mumbled into his black dress shirt, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Her words grew fainter and she felt Raphael swing her up into his arms, her eyes closing as the world faded around her.

Clara woke up the next morning wrapped tightly into her bed covers, she was changed out of the uncomfortable club dress and the blood had been washed of her skin. She heard voices arguing on the other side of her door,

"What the hell were you thinking Chloe!" it was Raph, "When you asked me to go to the Pandemonium, I never thought you were planning to take Clara with you! She's been through enough there!"

"I'm sorry Raph, I thought she'd be fine," Chloe softly replied, her answer unintelligible to human ears but Clara heard every word.

"You thinking she would be fine doesn't mean shit right now Chloe!" she heard a sharp frustrated growl, "get out of my sight."

Clara heard soft footsteps leading away from the door, then the door opened and Raphael stepped into the room. "You're awake, that's good."

"Was that Chloe?"

"Yes, she's on probation at the moment," Raph pulled a chair next to her bedside and sat down there, "I had no idea she was going to bring you to the Pandemonium, if I did I wouldn't have allowed it."

"Maybe thats why she did it," Clara sat up, the covers falling down into her lap.

"Excuse me?"

"I've been here for week and I haven't left, she just wanted me to have fun Raph," she reached a hand out to hold his hand but hesitated, until his hand clasped around hers.

"You looked so scared, I was really worried about you," his words made her dead heart flutter, but the feeling soon left as she remembered the colourful boy she had drained the life from.

Clara slipped her hand away from Raphael's and held it against her mouth, she felt like she was going to be sick. She killed someone, physically laid her fangs on someone and drained the life from their body.

"Clara it wasn't your fault, he tried to take advantage of you, " Raphael stood up and rested his palm on the top of her head, "you defended yourself that's all, don't worry about it."

But there was something to worry about, it didn't matter to the Nephilim if she killed him in self defence, they would want justice for the Accords being violated, and that meant Clara's persecution or death.