Sorry for being a little late in posting! I've been in so much trouble, you wouldn't believe it. I hope you accept my apologies, but if not, you can form an angry mob and get my mom. She's the one who grounded me, haha xD

Well, without further ado…

Claire slowly descended the stairs, unsure of what to expect when she reached the bottom. Would Myrnin be stable? Would anyone have taken the place of being Myrnin's assistant to help with finding a cure for the disease? Surely someone had. Amelie wouldn't let the departure of Claire cause the death of her kind. She would do everything in her power to find someone good enough to take Claire's place.

But, what if she hadn't? What if there was no one who could take Claire's place? Guilt began to wash over Claire, but she simply brushed it off. If Amelie hadn't found a replacement, then it would be her own fault for the death of her kind. She was a powerful vampire, and it would have been an easy task for her to find someone else smart enough to help Myrnin. But, it wasn't only an intelligent person Amelie needed. She needed someone she could trust.

Well, I threw that little bit of trust out of the window, Claire scoffed. She had finally reached the bottom of the stairs and she began to cautiously look around for any signs of Myrnin. Please, let him be sane. Then, her eyes finally found the crazy vampire pretending to read a book. After a few more moments, Myrnin glanced away from his book, and smiled at Claire. "Claire, my child, where have you been these past ninety days?"

He didn't seem to be mad, and that made Claire's heart slow to a normal pace. "I, um, had some stuff back home to deal with." She scratched the back of her head, and decided to change the subject, before furthering questioning came. "So, how have you been?"

Myrnin laughed his manic laugh, shut his book, and then focused all his attention on Claire. "I've been fair, considering the conditions. I've got a new assistant now, but he isn't nearly half as intelligent as you. And his scent, don't get me started on that, he always smells of nicotine and whiskey. It's no wonder he seems to get dumber every day, he's killing his brain cells." Myrnin inhaled through his nose. "Speaking of scent, you don't smell like that boy of yours. I would expect that after your return from such a long absence, every inch of your body would smell like him."

Claire felt her mouth drop open, and heat begin to pool in her cheeks. She wanted to tell Myrnin about Shane, but why would an ancient vampire have any care over Claire's guy troubles? "Um, I don't really think you'll smell his scent on me anymore. We, um, aren't…" She couldn't finish, because the tears began to pool in her eyes. Damn it! I'm not supposed to cry in front of a vampire; that makes me seem even weaker than what I already am.

Myrnin sighed and gently shook his head. "So I take it you already found out he moved on to the new girl in town. It's such a pity, you know? You did a lot of good for that boy."

In spite of herself, Claire let out a laugh. It sounded foreign to her ears, but it was nice to finally hear it again. "Myrnin, I never took you as one to keep up on town gossip."

"Ah, I wouldn't call it gossip, just stuff I couldn't escape from hearing." Claire waited for Myrnin to continue, seeing as how she was at a lack of words. "The glass residents are quite frequently a topic brought into conversations, and seeing as how my new assistant likes to pass time with mindless chatter, I hear my fair share of 'gossip'."

Claire bit her lip. Everyone in Morganville probably knew by now that Shane had ditched her for Meghan, and that made the situation even more awkward. "So, who is this new assistant of yours, anyways?"

Myrnin seemed to be hesitant, and it only took Clare a second to realize why. The whole disease subject was supposed to be a secret. Now that Claire was no longer a part of the cure, she probably wasn't supposed to be told anything else pertaining to the illness. "It's okay, Myrnin, you don't have to tell me. I shouldn't have asked, anyways." Then, a question plagued her mind, and the only person she could ask, and get the truth, was Myrnin. "Is Amelie angry that I left?"

Claire could see the slight frown that formed on Myrnin's lips, and he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Angry? I would say that she was at first, furious actually, but then it turned into disappointment and hopelessness. It kind of resembled her attitude before you came to Morganville the first time. She knew that her kind would eventually die out due to the disease, but when you came, you could see some kind of newfound hope fill her. Our kind actually had a chance to survive, but when you left, that chance was gone."

Claire let her head drop. She killed Amelie's hope, and that made her feel like dirt. It didn't matter that Amelie was sometimes a selfish vampire who only worried about herself and her kind. Or that sometimes she didn't give a damn about the humans, except for the fact that she had to preserve some for dinner. All that mattered was that Claire had let so many people down. Amelie, Myrnin, Oliver, Sam, Michael, and every other vampire in Morganville were going to die because of Claire. And that thought caused Claire to explode.

"I'm so stupid! I never wanted to hurt anyone; not you, not Amelie, not Shane, not anybody, but that's exactly what I did. I screwed over the whole entire vampire population, I crossed Amelie, and I ditched Shane." Claire's emotions finally boiled over, and the tears cascaded down her cheeks. She wasn't supposed to be crying, but she couldn't keep it bottled up anymore, she needed a release. Claire just wished she had exploded in private, instead of in front of Myrnin.

He seemed taken aback by her sudden outburst, and puzzled as to what he should do. "Claire, I hope you don't take me to be emotionless, but I'm not really sure how to console you in this current state. As you can imagine, I haven't seen anyone cry in at least a decade. But, ah, the smell of salt water does remind me of beaches."

Claire knew the perfect way for Myrnin to console her, but she wasn't sure he would approve. She would ask, though. "I could use a hug."

Myrnin chuckled, and at first Claire thought he was laughing at her request, but then he took a step forward. It wasn't long before the space between Myrnin and Claire was closed, and he wrapped his arms around her. The coldness didn't bother Claire, either, seeing as how she was use to the brotherly hugs of Michael. She missed those hugs.

All too quickly, Myrnin pulled away. "Alright, you should be on your way now. My sanity is due to expire soon, and it's getting dark, too. Seeing as how your protection is gone, your journey home needs to be made in daylight."

Claire was shocked. He knew she had lost protection, but how? Your bracelet isn't around your wrist, that's how. Claire began to walk to the stairs, but managed to hear Myrnin speak to her. "Oh, nice change of wardrobe, by the way."

Claire paused for a moment, and then looked down at her clothing. She was wearing a low-cut camisole and an extremely short skirt. Claire felt foolish now. Jeans and tees were more her thing, and she was questioning why she ever bought the outfit in the first place. Because I wanted to change. I was tired of being mediocre and average Claire. As she was climbing the stairs, Claire began to reflect on the new her. Playing dress up for a while was nice, but it wasn't who she was. Claire was never supposed to be hot. She was meant to be a good friend and someone with brains. So, would Claire be the brains or the beauty? Screw beauty. Claire was ready to go back to the way she was and to the way everything else was. She was ready to go back to Shane.

So, how was the Myrnin and Claire moment? I hope you liked it, seeing as how it was a fairly positive conversation, unlike the Shane and Claire confrontation. Once again, I'd like to apologize for being late in posting, but I'll try to make it up to my lovely readers :D Well, reviews are always appreciated. Let me know what you think.