Shane woke to the incessant beeping of his alarm clock. He blinked several times before he lifted his head off the pillow. It was 9:00 pm, well after dark. He had slept through a whole day. He let his head drop back onto his pillow, somehow still feeling like he hadn't slept in days. He yawned and rolled over, getting ready to sleep again, when he suddenly remembered. Claire was a prisoner of the psycho vamps of Morganville. He bolted up in his bed, and felt the headphones he had been wearing when he had fallen asleep slip off. The CD had long since stopped playing, so he punched the power button on the player, and ran into Eve's room, where he had left Eve and Michael last night. He was only slightly surprised to find Eve was the only one there. Girl knew how to hold a grudge. He shook her awake, and left her, mumbling, to get dressed. Next he went into Michael's room. Before he could open the door, Michael came out, fully dressed and ready to go. He had heard Shane's alarm clock. They nodded at each other and Michael said, "Let's go."

Eve burst out of her room, pulling on her boot. She hadn't bothered with makeup, and so she still retained some of her normalness from the night before. Looking only at Shane, she said, "Not without me, you don't. I drive." Shane grabbed a pair of flip flops and the three of them raced downstairs together. Eve grabbed her keys and they were out the door and in the car in ten seconds flat. Shane, in the passenger seat, realized he had forgotten to change from his undershirt and flannel pants, not that the cold bothered him much, he just felt uncovered. Michael seemed to read his thoughts and took off his own jacket and gave it to him from the backseat. Shane smiled his thanks, and they remained silent for the rest of the ride, which was happening at a blinding speed. Eve was really flooring it. As a result, the car screeched to a halt in front of the Elders' Council Building in record time. They all flew out of the car and into Founder's Circle.

Suddenly, the severity and stupidity of Shane's situation hit him. His girlfriend, whom he loved, was given two days until her execution, one of which he had already wasted. He had no plan, no sprout of a plan, and he was going to have to watch her die because he had wanted to sleep. Worst of all, he had no clue what he was going to say. What did you say to the condemned? In the midst of his fretting thoughts, a voice reminded him, Claire did it for you. She thought of something to say when you were in a cage, and she saved your life. Now repay her the favor. Of course, Shane hadn't really committed the crime, whereas Claire had, but he had to try. He loved her. She couldn't die.

Determined, he began to race to the solitary cage in the center of Founder's Circle, but he was stopped by Michael's hand, which had wrapped itself around his upper arm. "What?" he hissed.

Michael nodded towards Claire's cage. Taking a second look, Shane saw what he was looking at. There was already someone standing in front of Claire's cage, and Shane could hear the rumble of his voice from where he stood. If he listened closer, he could probably hear every word. He heard Michael gasp, and his grip on Shane's arm tightened.

"What is it?" Shane asked.

"That's him." Michael breathed. "That's Myrnin." Now Shane did try to listen closer.

"Claire," he heard Myrnin say. "I must leave. I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I wish that this didn't have to be. You were special. Your brains…never have I met a human with such a passion for knowledge that has been able to retain it as quickly. But I can't help. You knew the consequences when you staked young Sam. And nor do I disagree with your young friend, the blonde one. You robbed him of his only family." Shane heard Claire sob. "Crying will not help, child. You must face the consequences of your actions. In this instance, that is death. I will miss your knowledge, but you are nothing but a mere human to me, so don't look to me for sympathy." He took Claire's hand and kissed it suavely before walking away from her cage, and toward the three of them. He smiled as Shane and Michael glared at him. Eve was running toward Claire's cage. She had no grudge against Myrnin. She hadn't heard his departing speech to Claire.

"Claire Bear!" she shrieked. Claire was curled up in a corner of her cage, head on her arms. "Oh my God! Are you okay? Sorry, stupid question." As soon as Myrnin was out of Founder's Circle, Michael and Shane ran up to Claire's cage as well. "Claire Bear," Eve was saying. "What did that creep say?" Why are you so upset? Sorry, another stupid question. I'll shut up now." She stepped back a bit.

Michael took her place. "Claire, don't listen to a thing that guy said." She didn't look up. In fact, she cried even harder. "Claire," Michael pleaded. His eyes betrayed his pain to them. "Please don't be mad at me. I sided with them without thinking. It's just…he was my grandpa, you know? I don't hate you or anything though. If I had known who it was that did this to Shane, I might've done the same thing. Maybe. Just—"

Eve lost it. "Don't you dare ask for her forgiveness you creepy little---"

"Mad at you?" Claire had lifted her head off of her arms and looked at Michael in disbelief. Her face was red, puffy, and soaked, but underneath all that, her expression was incredulous. "Why would I be mad at you?" She sniffed. "I killed your grandpa! Myrnin's right. He was your last family member. And I killed him." She looked broken.

Eve was lost. "Who's Myrnin?" Everyone ignored her.

"I'm sorry, Michael." Claire began to cry again, but silently this time. "I deserve everything I'm about to get."

"No." Shane, who had been silent the whole time, pushed past Michael and Eve. He, too, was crying, but his expression was murderous. "No, you don't." Michael and Eve exchanged a look behind Shane's head and backed up together, giving Shane and Claire much needed alone time.

"Shane?"

"What you did…you did it to save me. And I don't even have a plan on how to get you out of here." Shane choked on a sob.

Claire tentatively reached one of her hands through the bars of her cage and cupped the side of Shane's face. He couldn't stop himself. Tears overflowed and chased each other down his cheeks. He turned his face and kissed her palm. Strangely, Claire was very calm, and she had stopped crying. "Shane, there is no way. Don't beat yourself up about it. I was just trying to help. But…I didn't think. I knew the consequences. I just knew what he had done to you, and I guess I had enough anger for the two of us. It was too much. I'm—"

"Don't you dare tell me that you're sorry." Shane's voice was so dark, it made her remove her hand from his cheek and recoil in her corner of the cage. Suddenly, he looked up, no longer crying, and wrapped his hands around the bars of her cage, breathing hard. "I love you, Claire." She gasped. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you out of here, even if it kills me." He said nothing more, just let go of the bars he had been holding, and stalked past Michael and Eve and out of Founder's Circle. He had thought of a way to get Claire out of her execution, and when she was free, they would go away together. They would get out and never come back. They would leave Morganville in ruins, and all the vampires buried beneath its remains.