Claire woke up when she heard chatter coming from downstairs. She was almost tempted to walk down stairs, but she stayed in her room for a few moments, listening in. Claire didn't want to barge in downstairs if it was a private conversation.

"Oh, so she just up and left, for no reason?" Claire was pretty sure that was Meghan voice. Claire was also pretty sure Meghan was asking about her, too, and Claire didn't like that. She preferred to stay away from attention, but what else could she expect? Claire had left for three months, and here she was again, arriving totally unexpected. There was no way to avoid the spotlight.

"She left letters, but no clear explanation. I guess she just needed a break from Morganville. That's understandable." Claire knew that was Michael. She thought it was nice that he was so calm about her departure, but after all, he was Michael, the most understanding person Claire knew. "Hey look, Eve and Shane are back. Heads up, though, I wouldn't really mention anything to them about Claire. It's a sensitive subject."

Claire strained her ears and she heard the faint noise of two car doors shutting. Claire remembered Eve's big, black car and she smiled at the image. Claire couldn't wait to ride in it again. "Hey, we're back and we got cake. I had to threaten Shane to get him to pick out which one he wanted, though. Jeez, he won't even let anyone throw a fit for his damn birthday. Any words from Claire?" That was Eve who spoke and Claire gave a tiny smile. It was nice to know that Eve was concerned for her well being, especially after she had ditched her, leaving a simple letter as an excuse. Claire was also amused that Shane hadn't changed one bit.

"Nope, she's still asleep. I guess we should just let her get some rest for now. She's probably not in the mood for some loud and noisy music tonight, anyways." Michael was right about that. Claire had a terrible headache and she didn't want to set foot in public today. After being gone for so long, Claire knew she would attract a large amount of attention.

Claire waited for a few moments and then she heard the group leave, shutting the door behind them. Claire realized that she wasn't really sleepy anymore, and apparently, neither was her stomach. She heard a loud growl erupt from within and she decided to go search for some food. Claire climbed out of bed, and when she finally reached the kitchen, she sighed as she caught a glance at what remained in the fridge. Beer and chili, as usual. Great, I can either get drunk or eat a poor cow.

Claire shut the fridge back and sighed. Claire was absolutely starving, so bad that she almost considered quitting her vegetarian lifestyle, but decided against it. She had been meat-free for the past two months, and Claire wasn't going to give in for a moment of weakness. Claire was stronger than that.

But Claire realized that she, to her chagrin, was going to have to go out in public tonight if she wanted to soothe her aching belly. Claire knew that there was no way she could go another hour without food, maybe not even another minute. She was so hungry that her belly hadn't even ceased growling for a second, and that was never a good sign. Claire checked in the mirror, and concluded she looked decent enough to go out. Her skirt and shirt were slightly wrinkled, but for once, Claire didn't mind.

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Claire was relieved that she only had to walk fifteen minutes before she reached a McDonalds, and even more joyful that it was virtually empty. Thank God, no long lines. Claire went up to the cashier and quickly ordered a large fry and Oreo McFlurry. It only took about a minute for her to receive her order, and she sat down at a corner table, staring out the window while she ate. She realized that Common Grounds had quite the crowd tonight, and glancing around at the parking lot, she noticed Eve's big, black vehicle.

Claire was reaching for another fry when she felt her hand reach the bottom of the box. She was a little disappointed that she was done with her meal so quickly, but Claire wasn't going to order anything else. Stuffing herself would only cause her to puke up her food later, and then her stomach would be empty again. Claire left McDonalds, before she changed her mind about ordering more, and headed towards Common Grounds. She wasn't too sure why, but Claire was suddenly over her bashfulness of being seen in public. Claire had a newfound feeling of curiosity.

Claire wanted to see all of Morganville's residents, and judging by the looks of Common Grounds, that's where just about everyone was. Maybe Claire would just walk in for a second, catch a glance at the crowd, and then leave. When Claire pushed open the door of Common Grounds, she was hit with a blast of loud cheers and music. Claire glanced up at the stage and realized Michael was playing. Wow, he's got even better since the last time I left. I never even thought that was possible.

Claire glanced around at the crowd and saw quite a few people she recognized. Shane, Eve, and Meghan were sitting together at a table. Eve was completely lost in Michael's music, and Shane and Meghan were completely lost in each other. That made Claire's stomach flip a little, but she ignored it. Next Claire noticed Monica with some boy, probably her boy toy for the night. Then, in the corner of the room, Claire saw Oliver. He didn't exactly look happy, but he didn't appear to be pissed, either. He seemed content.

It took a few moments before Claire noticed Sam sitting at the bar, with a coffee in hand. He was alone, so Claire decided to approach him, and offer her company. "Hey, Sam." Claire bit her lip as Sam glanced at her, and a confused look spread across his face, before it smoothed out a second later. Did Claire really look so different that it took Sam a few moments to recognize her? No, he's probably just having a hard time believing I'm back, Claire told herself.

"Claire? Wow, I wasn't really expecting seeing you any time soon." Claire saw Sam's eyes travel up and down her body, but not in a perverted way, just taking in all the changes. Still, Claire felt her cheeks turn a slight red, and Sam instantly realized he was making her uncomfortable. "Oh, sorry, it's just that you look really different."

"Oh, um, it's okay. And, yeah, I've been hearing that a lot lately." Claire realized she wanted to change the subject. "So, uh, how have you been?" Claire sat down on a stool next to Sam and ordered herself a cup of coffee. Sam was about to answer, because his mouth had opened, but he froze and was focused on something behind Claire. She followed his gaze and realized that Oliver was headed over.

It only took about a second before Oliver approached Claire, draping his arm over Claire's shoulder, sending a chill down Claire's spine. She didn't like being in such a close proximity to Oliver. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. And, amazingly, she's still alive."

Claire almost shook off Oliver's arm, but she would play nice for now. Tonight was her first night back, and she couldn't really go around pissing off any big vampires, yet. "Aw, I missed you too, Oliver." She shot Oliver an innocent face, and he looked disgusted and annoyed. That was exactly what Claire had been expecting. Suddenly, Claire found herself wondering if anything or anyone in Morganville had changed. Yeah, your bastard of a boyfriend got a new girl, Claire's mind scoffed.

"Oliver, is there a particular reason you're here?" Oliver didn't bother to glance over at Sam, he kept his eyes on Claire, and Claire was fighting to not blush or cower. It would only encourage Oliver.

"Is this not my coffee shop?" Sam didn't even bother to answer Oliver's smart ass reply; instead he waited for a decent answer. "I just came over to see if it was actually Claire. I was having trouble believing that she escaped death after fleeing from Morganville without permission. You do know, child, you should be dead right now?"

"I kinda knew that, captain obvious." Claire sighed. Of course she knew that, and even if she hadn't known it, her protection bracelet slitting her wrists seemed to be a pretty good warning. Focusing back on the music, Claire heard Michael playing Happy Birthday for Shane, and the whole crowd was singing along. Claire caught a glance at Shane, and as she expected, he was embarrassed.

Claire considered staying longer, but decided against it. After all, the only reason she came into Common Grounds was to see everyone she knew. Now that she had accomplished that, there wasn't really a reason to stay. Claire excused herself from Sam and Oliver, and left. She knew it wasn't exactly safe to walk the dark streets of Morganville alone, especially not without protection, but how else was she going to get home?

Claire was walking at a fast pace when she heard someone calling after her. She didn't dare to turn around, because she knew that in Morganville, it was a death wish. She listened to the footsteps behind her and noticed that the follower was walking extremely fast, so Claire began running. It was useless, though, because the person chasing Claire passed by, and stood dead in front of her.

Claire let out a sigh of relief when she realized he wasn't a vampire, but instead, just a teenage boy. He looked like he might have been in his sophomore year of college. "Whoa, I wasn't trying to scare you or anything. I just saw you leaving alone, and didn't really think it was safe. It's not very smart, either."

"So you're calling me stupid?" Claire laughed and the boy chuckled with her. Claire noticed he had a lot of muscle, almost as much as Shane, and he was cute too, but not as much as Shane. Claire scolded herself for comparing the boy to Shane. That's not healthy, her mind stated. He ditched you, remember? "I'm Claire." Claire extended her hand.

The boy grabbed and shook Claire's hand, smiling wide. "Nice to meet you, I'm Chase. Do you want some company on your walk?" Claire thought about it for a moment, and then she glanced down at Chase's wrist, noticing he was wearing a bracelet.

Claire quickly concluded that walking with Chase might have lowered the risk of being a vampire's snack, so she accepted the offer, and began walking towards the glass house. Claire and Chase was less than a minute away from the house when Claire began thinking. Tonight was Shane's birthday, and she was pretty sure Meghan would be spending the night. That meant birthday sex, and Claire could not stand to hear or imagine that. She stopped dead in her tracks.

Chase glanced over at her with concerned eyes and Claire glanced at the ground. She felt embarrassed that she couldn't go home, because hearing Shane with another girl would crush her. Claire thought she was strong enough to handle the turns that life took, but apparently not this turn. "I'm sorry, but I, um, I just remembered I'm staying at a motel tonight. My house is…being repainted, and I can't stand paint fumes." Claire bit her lip and knew that was a pathetic attempt at lying.

Chase shot Claire a look. "I think even the most ditzy person in Morganville can tell you're lying. What gives?" Claire wasn't really sure she could tell Chase. Would he think she was stupid and naïve? Would he think she had some childish schoolgirl crush and that was no reason for her to not want to sleep in her own bed tonight?

Claire decided she would give some variation of the truth. "It's just that my boyfriend and I aren't on the greatest terms right now. Actually, I think he's my ex-boyfriend now, and I really don't want to face him tonight." Claire felt her eyes stinging and she bit her tongue. She was not going to cry over Shane. He was a dick for leaving her.

Chase nodded, apparently content with the excuse. "That's understandable. But I wouldn't really recommend staying at a motel in Morganville." Chase paused and allowed Claire to let his warning sink in, and then he continued on. "It's where Vampires do most of there, um, activities with humans. Plus, it's the weekend, so that means every motel in Morganville is swarming with vamps."

Claire thought for a moment, and realized that Chase was probably right, but she didn't have any where else to go. "That's true, but I don't exactly have any relatives or friends I could stay with. So, it's either a motel or the streets, and the streets are definitely a lot worse than a motel."

"You could stay with me." Chase didn't even hesitate to offer, which made Claire weary. Who went around Morganville offering shelter to strangers? It was bad enough when strangers in a normal town offered for you to stay in their house, but in Morganville? Claire knew that was a red flag, but Chase continued on. "I know, you don't know me, and you're right to have your doubts about my intentions, but I promise, no funny business." Chase held his hands up in surrender and Claire let out a laugh.

Claire reviewed her three options. She could just stay at the Glass house and do her best to ignore what Shane and Meghan would be doing. No way in hell I'm doing that. I actually think I would prefer being bitten by a vamp. So, Claire could either spend the night in a motel or spend it with Chase. In a motel, she was sure to face some sort of trouble, but with Chase, there was the slight possibility that maybe she could have a peaceful night. Claire sighed in defeat and looked up at Chase. "Lead the way."

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So, yeah, thanks once again to all my reviewers! :D Oh, & for those who are curious, my story takes place before Claire's parents moved to Morganville or Bishop came to town.

P.S. I apologize for the randomness of turning Claire into a vegetarian. I just kinda wanted to put an emphasis on how much Claire has changed. & I'm sorry for any errors in this chapter. I'm extremely tired & it's been a long week. Reviews are appreciated!