Hi everyone, I enjoyed writing this chapter and it is long, so I hope you like it :) Thanks for all the nice reviews on the previous chapters.

Claire's P.O.V -

With quick movements, I slid the locks out of place and pulled the door open slightly, to see a cloaked figure standing on the porch, as still as a statue. He slowly lifted his head, lips forming a smile and I noticed the gleaming of fangs. His eyes were black, with sparks of red and filled with fury and hatred. A growl formed, deep in my throat, as he continued to stare at me from underneath his hat. After a moment, he raised his arms and carefully pulled off his leather gloves, before placing them inside the pockets of his black, leather coat, which billowed out around him.

"Greetings, Claire. I'm sure you were expecting me..", The man spoke, his voice low and deep, thick with an accent.

"Who are you?", I questioned, fear prickling at my body.

He chuckled. "I am Victor. Brother of Francois".

A gasp escaped my lips as the memories crashed down on my body and consumed me. My body shook and I mumbled incoherent words under my breath. I could feel the pain that had been inflicted on me. The torture. Why was this happening? I had learned to control myself and to cope with what happened. Why did it feel as if I was back in that room, with Francois and Ysandre. I blinked through my tears and lifted my head to see Victor, crimson eyes glowing and fangs bared. He flashed towards me, his hat drifting towards the ground in the process and I slammed the door shut and stumbled backwards, body shaking uncontrollably.

"Claire!".

I turned my head to see Myrnin and Amelie hurry down the hallway, towards the front door, which burst open and hit the wall with a loud bang, that echoed around the house. Victor stood in the doorway, eyes burning with anger and a growl erupted from him. He stepped over the threshold, eyes locked on me and began to stalk in my direction. I collapsed onto my knees, the painful memories becoming too much for me to handle. Tears slid down my cheeks, in thin rivulets and I could feel every ounce of my control slipping away from my grasp. A warm hand touched my shoulder and I jerked away, a whimper escaping my lips.

"Claire, look at me", A voice spoke.

I lifted my head to see Shane, who glanced over at Victor and returned his gaze to me. He slowly reached his arms out and I sagged against his chest, as sobs racked my body. Myrnin's voice pulled me from my thoughts and allowed me to fight the memories away.

"Victor, it's been years. What brings you to Morganville?".

"Ah..Myrnin, you old fool. How have you been, still fawning over that woman? What was her name...Ada?", Victor replied, an evil glint in his eye and lips pulled into a smirk.

Myrnin's shoulders sagged and he turned away, head bowed, brown curls hiding his face. Amelie glanced at him, her expression worried and that was all Victor needed. One simple distraction. He pulled a wooden stake from a hidden pocket inside his leather coat and embedded it inside Amelie's chest. Her eyes widened and a choked sound left her lips. Myrnin snapped out of his daze and cried out as he caught Amelie's falling body. He gently lowered her to the floor and snarled at Victor, who merely chuckled and returned his attention to me. I rose to my feet, along with Shane and I noticed Michael in the doorway of the living room. He stood in front of Eve, in a protective stance, fangs bared and eyes flashing red.

"Claire!", Myrnin screamed.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Victor coming in my direction and noticed a flash of silver in his hand. I turned towards Shane and placed my hands on his chest, pushing him away from me and into Michael. They stumbled backwards into the living room and Shane screamed my name. Before I could turn to face Victor, pain shot through my body, emanating in my abdomen. The screams of Shane, Eve and Michael echoed in my ears. I lowered my gaze to see the blade of a silver knife protruding from my stomach, the handle pressed against my back, held by Victor. After a moment, he twisted the knife and pulled it from my body. I screamed and clutched my stomach, the thick scent of my blood filling my nostrils.

"You're young. Your body will heal slowly. All the better for me...I can kill you quickly", Victor spoke, twirling the silver, blood covered knife in his fingers, oblivious to the burn marks on his skin.

I gritted my teeth as the wound healed, the muscle and skin growing back together and slowly lifted my head, meeting his gaze. With a deep breath, I staggered to my feet, much to the shock of Victor. Myrnin gazed at me worriedly but I simply nodded my head, as a sign that I was ok. I had suffered much worse pain and as a human. I could handle the pain. It was the memories and losing my self-control that was killing me.

"Why..do you..want to kill..me?", I asked.

Victor's eyes narrowed and his eyes flared crimson red. He dropped the knife onto the wooden floor and I watched as drops of blood, my blood, splashed outwards from the blade. I met his eyes, his red, anger consumed eyes. He pulled one leather glove from his coat pocket and carefully placed it on his right hand. With a chuckle, he reached down and lifted the bottom of his black pants upwards, revealing his pale leg. A black strap was tied around his leg and he released an object from it, dropping the fabric of his pants.

"Claire, run! I need to care for Amelie", Myrnin yelled.

I ignored his words and focused on Victor, who pointed a gun at me, his finger lightly touching the trigger. My body was frozen in place and I felt no fear for my own safety, only fear that the people I loved would be hurt. But I needed to hear his answer.

"Francois and Ysandre, they wanted revenge for the death of Bishop. I knew of their plans to capture and kill you, knowing that you are of importance to Amelie. It is your fault that my dear brother ceases to exist. When I learned of his death, I swore I would get my own revenge!".

His finger tightened on the trigger and Shane's scream echoed in my ears. Suddenly, my body was falling towards the floor and two gun shots were fired. My eyes closed as I waited for the pain of the wounds. But I felt nothing, apart from the pain of my earlier wound, inflicted on my stomach. The smell of blood entered my nostrils and my eyes slowly opened, fear consuming me. I pushed myself off the floor and turned to see Shane, collapse.

I crawled over to his shaking body and gasped, tears sliding down my face. The bullets had embedded themselves inside his chest and blood pumped from both wounds. His eyes fluttered open and he gazed up at me, a small smile tugging at his blood covered lips. I placed my hand on his cheek and winced at how cold he felt. We were the same temperature.

"Shane..", I whispered.

Once again, my mind has produced this sad and cruel writing...heh..review please :P