I'm sorry I haven't updated this in so, so long.

Chapter 21:

Claire's POV:

Sleep—or, rather, forced unconsciousness—didn't entirely bring Claire reprieve from the insanity that was her real life, but it gave her enough to get away from the situation and consider things logically. She was now what she had professed she would never become, not to mention the leader of a town which contained a rapidly growing Captain Obvious movement—a movement which not only existed, but had attempted to have her assassination as its first victory under the new regime.

All too soon for Claire, however, her brain began to bring her back around to consciousness, something which felt very different to how she did before. Her body felt…strange; it was as though she was extremely strong at the same time as being weak, as though she hadn't eaten in days. Noises emanating from outside the window were now audible to Claire, and smells were that bit more noticeable than she could ever remember them being before.

She could also hear the conversation between the two others in the room, even though they were speaking quietly and at an extremely fast pace. "She needs to wake up and mark her authority over the rest of the town, otherwise all may be lost." Claire recognised Myrnin's voice, his tone harsher and colder than it normally was; it was more…authoritative. That was what it was, authoritative; it was exactly what she was supposed to become, what she had become, to a certain degree.

"She's just changed species, Myrnin; do you really think that that's something the mind can accept easily?" Sam retaliated. "Give her all the time she needs, she can take over the control of the town then. Speaking of power, however…" he trailed off, spiking Claire's interest in what he wanted to say, yet was unwilling to.

"Go on," Myrnin said, equally as interested; Claire could hear it in his voice.

"I...what do I do about this power bond between us?" Sam asked, a note of uncertainty present in his tone. "I don't want it, of course, but it already feels weird and I don't know how it's going to play out in the future."

Now he had mentioned it, Claire did realise the existence of some sort of tenuous connection between herself and Sam; she knew it wasn't a physical manifestation of power, and that it was entirely in her mind, but she was aware that he was stronger than her—and that if he really wanted her to do something, she would do it. She wouldn't have a choice. That was possibly the weirdest thing about the entire conversion process. Sure, she didn't have a heartbeat and she was certain if something angered her she'd try and kill it, but…before she had always been her own person.

Now, if Sam wanted her to force her to do something, he could.

"Well, I suppose it means if she's annoying you or you want her to start playing the drums outside Common Grounds, she'll have to do it." Myrnin's response was far too light-hearted for the situation, and it left Claire indignant.

Before she thought it through, Claire lifted her head and replied. "I am not playing the drums anywhere near Common Grounds ever! I have about as much musical talent as a rat does."

Both Myrnin and Sam turned around to face Claire, worry evident on both of their faces. Within a second they were standing in front of her, Sam's hands tapping on the desk with an irregular pattern.

"How do you feel?" Myrnin questioned immediately. "Do you require Theo?"

It took Claire a moment or two to remember who Theo was, before she placed him as the friendly Jewish doctor, Theo Goldman.

In the meanwhile, Claire noticed Myrnin and Sam exchanging a glance, almost as if to say they would call him no matter what her response was.

"I'm fine!" Claire protested, running a hand through her hair. Absent-mindedly, she wondered if her hair would continue to grow now she was…dead, or if she'd be stuck with hair this length for the rest of her days. That was probably a question to ask after she got over the shock of being a vampire, however.

Myrnin raised a quizzical eyebrow as he sat down in one of the seats in front of her desk. "Claire, it took you a full ten seconds to recall who Theo was: your brain ought to work much faster than that now you are one of us." He glanced sideways at Sam before continuing. "I want the doctor to consider your situation, considering the youth of your sire and the…slightly lower quantity of blood passed to you from him."

Claire stared at Myrnin, hoping her eyes looked like they were boring into his soul. She had always wondered how people did that; she would have to learn, especially now if she had power over this town for the rest of its existence.

"I'm fine," she protested once again, though she wasn't quite as sure as she had been five seconds ago. Her brain processing speed did seem to have sped up…but it wasn't making the leaps Myrnin's did. She hoped she wasn't being bratty or obnoxious, but she had to be as clever as Myrnin was when he was turned: why couldn't she think things through as fast as he could?

"Sam, if you would please fetch Theo," Myrnin said, sounding as though he was giving an order. "Also, it may be an idea to fetch Gérard; I cannot imagine he will be impressed to discover we have not informed him of these turn of events."

Sam, to Claire's amusement, didn't move an inch from his seat. "I don't mean to be rude, Myrnin, but I think Claire and I have a few things to discuss—things that you don't have in common with her."

The look of perplexity on Myrnin's face further amused Claire—far more than she thought it should, yet it did anyway. "I presume you're referring to the fact you sired her and so wish to discuss what this means and your feelings?" He scoffed slightly, as though feelings and emotions were nothing to be concerned with—something rich coming from Myrnin. "I have sired many offspring: I know what to inform her."

Claire decided to intervene before the situation escalated to the point that the two men forgot that they were here to discuss her feelings and future rather than which of their ideas was the best.

"How about we remember that I make the decisions around here?" Claire said, raising her voice ever so slightly so that she was speaking louder than both Sam and Myrnin had been. "Now, don't take this personally, Myrnin, but I want a chat with Sam. So if you're insisting on fetching Theo, you can go. Though I do agree that it would be a decent idea if Gérard found out before I go home and tell him that I drink blood now and would he please get me a pint of o neg."

The look on Myrnin's face suggested he thought he was better than a lapdog sent to do what was asked of him, yet after a second or two he stood up. "I do think that we should have a discussion upon my return, yet I shall do as you bid," Myrnin commented, looking as though he wanted to lean forwards and hug her. That would be weird. "Yet…before I go I must say…it is good to see you alive, Claire."

Whether being a vampire was considered alive or not, Claire couldn't say, yet it was better than being dead and not being able to converse with the people she loved. "Thanks, Myrnin. We'll talk later, promise. At least this means I can use those dangerous chemicals now!"

He left without replying, and so Claire's attention turned to Sam.

There was an awkward silence for over five minutes after Myrnin left, Claire wringing her hands during it whilst Sam merely stared at the far corner of the office. She didn't know what to say to him: did she thank him for saving her life, or did she try and stay away from that realm of thought? After all, he had managed to save her—something he hadn't managed to do for Amelie.

Sam broke the silence, allowing Claire to avoid broaching any particular subject. "I'm sorry for doing it, you know," he said, causing all activity in Claire's brain to stop. He regretted saving her life? "I don't mean that I didn't want you to live. I just meant that…I took away all power over your life from you. Noone should have the power of life or death, and I didn't even ask you; I just acted. So I'm sorry."

Slowly, Claire counted to ten in her head before she looked across at Sam, just to see him still staring at the wall of the office.

"Sam," she began hesitantly, feeling the need to clear her throat. "You didn't do anything wrong. I obviously didn't want this, it wasn't on my to-do list, but…you were in a difficult situation, and what you did is what I wanted. I could have resisted if I wanted to, but I didn't. I wanted this. So please don't beat yourself up about it; let's just forget how it happened, yeah?"

For the first time since Myrnin left, Sam looked across at Claire, his expression blank. With great solemnity, he nodded, the corner of his mouth turning up. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea," he said, running a hand through his hair. "It's just so weird, you know? I can feel you—not what you're doing or what you're feeling, just…you're there, and I can't shake the feeling away."

A wry smile appeared on Claire's lips as she nodded in understanding. "I have the same—it's weird, like I'm not my own person anymore. I never expected to feel that way. Michael hasn't ever said anything about it—or he never did, anyway."

All of a sudden, Sam jumped backwards onto the dresser below the window, the wood creaking slightly from his weight. "I don't know how she did it," he said softly, his eyes once again focused on the corner furthest away from the pair of them. "She sired so many people, and yet she never once complained about this. She never complained about anything."

Whilst Claire quite liked that finally Sam was beginning to open up to talking about Amelie, she didn't want it to be right at that very moment: she had millions of questions that she wanted answering, and she had just been turned. They had new problems—she had to convert all her vampires to be loyal to her, and she had to find the person who shot her and deal with them justly. Obviously Amelie hung over them and her death would continue to cast a shadow on their lives—she would curse Amelie for dying every day and leaving her with the job of Founder—but in that moment, she wasn't Claire's priority.

Claire's slightly pointed silence seemed to hint something to Sam, because he turned his focus back upon her rapidly. "I suppose talking about Amelie isn't really useful for you right now, huh?"

"Not really," Claire admitted, stretching out her back. It didn't give her the same sense of relief it used to, but it was a familiar habit that she wanted to carry on with. Her routine wouldn't change just because she wasn't human anymore, she would make sure of it.

"We should make some sort of manual for this whole process," Sam mused.

"Like a How to Come Out brochure, but for vampires?" Claire added, barely suppressing a laugh. "I doubt we'll have many new vampires in the coming years, but it's definitely something to think about."

Before Claire had the opportunity to ask the first question she had in her mind—would their bond affect their status as friends?—Gérard sprinted through the door to Claire's office, a positively murderous expression upon his face.

"You gave me permission to express my mind, and so I am going to take full advantage of this right now," he half-shouted, lowering his voice as he spoke. "You swore that you would be safe, that you would keep the connection open, that you would check in with me. Because you would not let me, I could not be there to protect you when you actually needed protection from an assassination attempt—a success, if you consider the fact that you are no longer human. You should have let me help you, if you wanted to continue as a human."

His words were harsh, yet it was obvious that he felt strongly about this. The expression on his face, in his eyes, in the hard way he held his mouth—they all indicated to Claire that he was bitter towards himself for not saving his second Founder from the fate she wanted to avoid the most.

"I'm sorry," Claire said, taking a step towards Gérard, noting how he shifted positions slightly to become almost deferential towards her. "You are completely right. I did not accept the dangers which come with this position; I thought that they were exaggerations. It is quite clear that they are not. I apologise profusely for not allowing you to do your job, and for you to find out about this change in such a manner. How did Myrnin break it?"

Her bodyguard huffed, the harsh expression upon his face fragmenting. "He didn't exactly announce it, per se. He simply stormed into your home, stated that you had turned thanks to an assassination attempt, and then left the same way he came. The portals were closed off, so I had to come by foot—I travelled as quickly as possible."

Sam cleared his throat, causing the other two to turn their focus to him. "I hate to disrupt Claire finally accepting that she needs a bodyguard, but I think that there's a slightly more pressing matter at hand," he said, indicating the window behind him—the one which was broken, thanks to the assassin. "We need to find this guy and bring him to justice harshly."

"More than that, we need to bring him to justice the old way—the way that shows that our Founder is not going to accept such acts." Gérard spoke forcefully, as if he expected his authority to be accepted without question.

However, Claire shook her head vehemently, unable to believe that despite everything, her closest associates wanted to return to the old ways. Even Sam, the man who protested for fifty years for fairer rights between the humans and vampires, didn't seem to be disagreeing with a return to the old ways—not openly, at least.

"Not a chance," Claire stated clearly, enunciating every word separately. "I refuse to condone anything which has happened before—I certainly won't be seen to be continuing the old ways by burning this man alive. No, he will go to trial and he will be found guilty. We will then try and gather every piece of information he has about this underground organisation which threatens us—and we will arrest them. They can rot in jail for the rest of their lives—which will not be cut by the state, also known as us. Is this clear?"

The shocked expression on both Sam and Gérard's faces indicated to Claire that she may have a long night ahead of her.