You've read so many apologies for slow updates that I'm not even going to bother boring you with another:D Thanks for reading so far and not losing patience with me!

Myrnin

I slowly turn the wheel to move the objective closer to the lens, deliberately using my old, "stone age" (according to Claire) microscope. The barely alive microorganisms squirm uncomfortably under the harsh light that Claire has insisted on installing in the mechanism, even though I can see perfectly well without it, thank you very much.

Just by thinking her name, I let her invade my thoughts. Her smell, her soft skin, her silky smooth hair that sends wafts of gentle strawberry scent into the air every time she moves, her pink lips, her hypnotizing deep brown eyes.

Her soft voice calling my name...I drift out of my reverie and hear her at the door, banging it every few seconds and shouting me.

"Myrnin! Hello? Are you there? It's me...um...Claire! Can I come in?"

She's come to see me? There are no windows in the lab but I can smell that it's close to nightfall. I run up the stairs to open the door and drag her in, carrying her into the lab and setting her down on one of the numerous tables that form a maze in my lab.

She squeals and wriggles to get off the table; I had set her down next to Bob the spider. She never has liked him...Maybe he has too many legs? Ada was the same, squeamish about any bug that had more than six legs...

"Claire! What are you doing here?"

I am so distracted by my thoughts that I greet her in the traditional "old-school" way: kissing her hand. She smiles awkwardly, obviously wondering whether or not to give me a shot of the serum we made together.

"Um...I was wondering if I could...um...stay here for a while with you? Please?"

My emotions are too strong to hide and she sees the evident surprise on my face.

"I...please? We could get some real work done with the blood analysis and do some proper checkups on Frank, Amelie told me that she thought the tracking mechanism was a bit low but I reckon if we just add a little more power and channel it through..."

I let her babble on, caught in the melodic quality of her voice, over the moon that the first place she thought of to come was here, to my falling-down, half-destroyed lab. She is amazing, completely and utterly hypnotizing.

I'm in love with her. I have been since the day she first came into my lab, so timid and scared, but shining so brightly. I remember the desire I felt for her blood but also for her, to have her close to me.

She tamed the monster in me, even when the disease was driving me crazy, I managed not to kill her, even though that could have been only pure luck.

"Of course you can stay, little Claire, you can sleep in my bedroom, I'll get a bed sorted for myself in here."

"No, Myrnin, I'll sleep on the couch..."

I cut her off: "Claire, you're human, you have to sleep. I only sleep when I get bored of the world; I'm old enough now to be able to go a week or two without resting."

She bites her lip, making her already pink lips turn an even darker shade.

"Okay, but when you do want to sleep, tell me and I'll sleep on the couch."

"Very well, I shall do so."

She laughs at my words and thanks me for letting her stay, refusing to answer the unspoken question that hung in the air: What's wrong and why are you not at your home?

Sam

As soon as I pull up outside the Glass house, Michael barges out the door wrapped in three thick coats and a rug.

Even though the sun is going down and is weak, when he gets in, I smell burning flesh.

"You okay?" I ask, passing him a bottle of blood from the stash I keep in the glove compartment.

He gulps the blood down gratefully and I hear his breathing return to normal as he starts to heal.

"Never better. Can we go to Founder's Square?"

"I don't think Claire'll be there, Michael, it's nearly nightfall."

"Good, we'll be able to run soon. I want to see Amelie."

My heart jumps at the mention of her name, I know my grandson hears it and try to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.

"Okay..."

We sit in silence as we drive though the empty streets, the setting sun dying the world blood red.

Eve

Shane and I walk around the deserted town; I'm freaking myself out, seriously. We've got the cool frat pins, silver choker necklaces (it looks totally hot on Shane!), the Super Soaker full of silver nitrate, and a bag full of wooden stakes and two silver-coated ones each.

But we're out at night in Morganville and I can't help thinking we're not armed enough.

Claire's not stupid, she emptied out her weapon stash that she keeps in her underwear drawer (Shane wanted to check it, the perv, all of this is his fault). She's got the crossbow, the arrows, her Bedazzled stakes that I gave her and a few wooden stakes I guess.

She left her silver cross necklace on the floor. Ouch. I can't pretend that Shane's face when he saw it didn't hurt.

We really shouldn't worry about her, she's got her gold bracelet and that funky dart gun she takes everywhere with her.

Yeah right, this is Claire we're talking about. As in, child genius and all, but nil self-preservation instinct.

Something moves in the shadows as the sun finally sinks low beneath the horizon. Shane points the Super Soaker into the alleyway as I grip my stake hard. He fishes a torch from the bag and aims the light into the shadows.

I try to hold in a scream.