So here we are, with Godric driving down the road in the middle of the night towards that freakish church in search of a little boy. The silence in the car gave me to much time to think and I worried that maybe something happened to him or that the church members have him... I was nervously wringing my wrists as I waited to find him. It was nearly an hour later, when Thea leaned forward, her eyes locked on something I could not see.
"What is it?" I asked quietly as Godric got out of the car.
"Owen." She sobbed, Godric was gone. I got out of the car and opened her door, I leaned in and hugged her.
"It's going to be okay Thea." I didn't know that for sure but I really hoped as one sister who knew what it was like to miss a brother to another. I stood up and looked around, Godric reappeared by the drivers side door, he was holding an injured boy who appeared to be unconscious. I couldn't really see the extent of the damage but I was hoping it wasn't bad.
"Is he okay?" I mouthed feeling kinda stupid about it but I didn't know what else to do. When Godric shook his head a chill spread down my spine. Reacting quickly I reached into the backseat and picked up Thea and moved her into the front seat, I fastened her seatbelt tight. "I need you to be a big girl, okay? Owen needs help and I'm going to hold tight to him while Godric drives us to get help."
She nodded with tears in her eyes. I shut the door and hurried into the back seat. "Give him to me please." Wordlessly Godric was able to get Owen into the back seat and I helped the best I could, bringing the boy's upper body across my lap so I would have a easier time keeping him secure. It was as Godric shut the backseat door and was getting into the driver's seat that I saw them.
Multiple stab wounds, his arms... legs... abdomen. My sharp intake of breath caught Godric's attention as he started speeding down the road. I had to reassure myself that he was still breathing, my mind frantically going over every second we didn't have him in the car. It wasn't long, three minutes? This panic attack I could feel coming and I tried hard to fight it as I checked Owen's pulse, there. Good, reassuring.
My breathing was becoming erratic as my mind kept going back to that moment that mom drove Charlie away with the knife, the physical and emotional pain that it caused. A pained groan came from Owen and I realized that I was holding to tight. "Sorry!" Clara get it together! I tried internally screaming at myself, grasping at any details I could pull from outside to see where we were. It was hard to separate the real from my memories but I felt something warm dripping down my fingers and when I moved my hand to look it was blood. "How far?" I hope I wasn't as loud as I sounded to my own ears.
Whatever Godric's response was I couldn't hear past the sound of my frantic heartbeat. Charlie's face floated in my vision and I clenched my eyes closed, it didn't last long before I opened them again and tried to find the wound that was freshly bleeding. When I did find it I applied pressure to it. Clinging to the fact that Owen needed help, using him as a lifeline. It didn't stop the warped images my mind was producing, I kept reliving getting stabbed, seeing the horror on my brothers face. Over and over. I managed to keep my mouth shut though, I know that much.
It felt like ages passed before Godric took Owen from me, I struggled with the car door for a second, needing to get out. Though as soon as I got a few steps from the car, Thea launched herself into my arms, I hardly had enough time to process what was happening. Her gut wrenching sobs into my shoulder as I just barely managed to steady myself so we didn't fall. Eric appeared beside us. "Godric is protecting the boy, we have a doctor treating him. I'm to escort you to his study." I nodded and with unsteady legs I followed behind him as best as I could.
I could still feel shadows of the pain and faintly hear the sounds of my mother yelling at Charlie, but I was okay enough to know that it wasn't happening now. I wanted to break down, I could do that with Eric. He may judge but I didn't particularly care about that, I would not do that in front of Stan. Who I could see pacing in the living room as we came in, he stopped when he saw me. Sheer anger seemed to be coming off him in waves, however he didn't say anything. His glare spoke legions, I was not welcome here and neither are the kids. When his gazed moved to Thea, I maneuvered her to my hip.
"I'll die for these children Vampire, but rest assured I will see to it that I drag you to hell with me. Your quarrel is with me, leave the innocent out of your petty games." I kept my tone even, sounding as disinterested with him as I could bring myself too. I could see Eric smirked out of the corner of my eye. Thea quieted down, her grip tightening on my shirt.
"What is your business with our Sheriff?" Stan practically growled at me.
"You mean Godric?"
"I see your intelligence is sorely lacking." He remarked.
"You believe that because I am merely unfamiliar with the way you use the term that I am lacking in intelligence, I find that quite funny considering you do not know a thing about me. As far as answering your question, that matter is between Godric and I." I glanced at Eric briefly checking to see if I was overstepping any bounds when I did not appear to be doing so I added, "However, I feel the need to question why you thought I would even answer you in the first place. When I first met you it was while Godric had you pinned to the wall and was seconds away from tearing your throat out for trying to drain me in my sleep."
"You should watch your tongue."
"One would think that would be a acceptable question. Though I will respect your decision in not answering me, likely it's not something I'd be fond of hearing anyways. Now, if you'll excuse us..." Eric pressed his hand against my upper back, leading me forward.
When we got to Godric's study, Eric chuckled. "Your going to be a handful."
