A/N: YAY! I did it! You have no idea how proud I am for being able to write this chapter. I had a terrible case of writer's block. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I just couldn't write it down. It was awful. So, I apologise if this chapter is not all that great. The next chapter will be the Ball! Are you excited? I'm excited. Anyway. I talk too much! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I, Burning Tulip, do not own the 39 Clues.

Chapter thirteen: Dear Cousin Claire

It was about 3 o'clock and no one had heard from Claire again. It was impossible to pretend she wasn't there though. It seemed that the house's whole atmosphere had changed. They hadn't seen the twins, either. Of course, that was easily explained; Seraphine and Shaunee were very busy the last few days. However, nobody thought that that was the true reason, because the days prior to Claire's arrival the girls would actually exit their rooms from time to time. This time they hadn't left their rooms in 6 whole hours. As for the rest of the Cahills, they weren't sitting around, either. The mini-branch leaders said they needed help decorating the ballroom for the ball that was to be held in two days, so they were all working there. They were almost done with the golden balloons that had the Cahill emblem on them and were beginning to hang the white Christmas lights, when Shaunee entered the room.

"Hey guys! How's it going? Wow. You've done a really great job here! Seraphine and I apologize we weren't able to help, we have a lot of work, but we will try to hel-"

"Shaunee! Relax! We've got it." Eric said.

"Yeah, Shaunee, it's okay. We know you have tons of work!" Sinead added.

"That we have. Anyway, that's not why I'm here. Could you and your brothers come with me, please? There are a few things we should discuss. Oh, and you should take a break. Dinner will be served at 7 and since it will be the first dinner with the C-devil, we need you all to be there. Oh, Nellie's cooking."

"'Kay, see you there Shaun!"

"Bye!" she said and left with the Starlings.

"So, where are we going? What do you want to tell us? Is it about the surgery?"

Ned and Ted were asking questions so fast, it was impossible to tell who was saying what and what exactly they were saying.

"Whoa! Take a breath!"

"Sorry."

"It's okay. We're going to the conference room. There is Ser waiting for us with a couple of our best neurologists. We think we might be on to something."

They walked in silence after that, but there was this feeling of excitement in the air. Could this really be it? Would they actually make it this time? The Starling triplets had tried to find ways to solve their problem, but none of these ways was efficient. They kept trying, but they were not sure whether they would actually find a solution. That was until they met Seraphine and Shaunee. The sisters gave them hope again. Two more brilliant minds working on their case, with a fresh perspective and new ideas. They had no idea what kind of equipment the two had, but based on what they had seen, it would be logical for them to have access to technology they had only seen in dreams. So it was possible that they would make it this time. They were hopeful. They reached the room, took a deep breath and entered.

"Hey guys!" Seraphine's voice greeted them when they walked in. they were also greeted by two men and a woman, who they had never seen before. One of them, a man about forty years old rose from his seat to introduce himself and the other two.

"Hello, I am doctor Jonathan Martin, this-" he pointed at the second man who smiled and nodded- " is doctor Ashton Richards and this-" the woman smiled at them-" is doctor Anna Mauers. We are all neurologists and Ekaterinas, like you. The Mayors asked us to take a look at your tests, to see if we could do something to help with your conditions and we think we have found a solution. Please take a seat while we explain this to you."

They did as they were told and the meeting begun.

Claire woke up at around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. She looked around her room and sighed. Her room was a very nice room, yes, it was certainly a big one and had a lot of space, not to mention a beautiful view from the balcony, but it was just not good enough. She had to have the best. She was not a spoiled kid, well, at least not in the classical sense. Her parents did not spoil her, and raised her telling her that she had to be content with what she had, that she shouldn't want it all, that money wasn't everything and she shouldn't make it the centre of her world. Well, too bad, because she had spoiled herself. She was a girl who liked sparkly tings, especially when they were worth a lot. However, the room she could stand. She could make whatever changes she wished anyway. No, it was not the room that bothered her. It was her cousins.

They were her grandmother's sister's grandchildren and Claire hated them. No, that was a lie. She hated Seraphine and just disliked Shaunee for being her sister and her twin sister at that. Why, you ask? Well, it was rather simple, really. Seraphine had it all. She was beautiful, talented, and smart. She was good at everything and nobody ever found a single flaw on her. While Claire had to work hard to look half as good as Seraphine, who wasn't even trying! No more. She had a plan and she was going to put it to action immediately. Seraphine had taken everything away from her and everything to Claire was the spot light. It was in her nature, she couldn't help it. She was a Janus after all. But even though she had no problem being in the centre of attention when she was anywhere else, with anyone else, the moment Seraphine appeared this was taken from her and she was reduced to being a mere beautiful girl in a room filled with other beautiful girls. And that she couldn't take couldn't swallow. She was determined to take her spot light back and she had a whole week to do so. But first, she would take everything away form her cousin. The way Seraphine looked at that boy, Ted, hadn't gone unnoticed by her and that made him ideal for she had in mind. Be prepared, my dear cousin. You have no idea what you will be facing. Smiling to herself, Claire made her way downstairs.

Seraphine had just finished explaining the details to the Starlings, with help from the doctors, of course. It was really simple, actually. Ted would have to undergo a brain operation, while Ned would have to take a pill treatment. It was simple, especially the pill part, but that did not mean it was going to be easy or 100% safe. That was something all of them were well aware of, but as far as they knew, there was no other way.

"Okay,-" Sinead said with a troubled voice-" I get the surgery. It was something we had thought ourselves, but hadn't figured out the details. But, pills? I mean, he has been taking pills and they did nothing. How do we know these will work? How did you even get the idea?"

"Well,-" Shaunee began-"the idea came from some hangover-fighting pills I had made a couple years ago. They work miracles, trust me. Then, since they were such a success, I decided to see if I could make similar pills to fight common headaches and mild migraines. It turned out great too. So, now, we thought that if these would work so well, why not make some pills for Ned? Of course, it is going to be much more difficult, since these are not common migraines. But I really think I can do it. There is no guarantee that it will work, and the first pills will not have permanent effect, but we can give it a shot. If they manage to stop one migraine at a time, I am positive that I can make their effects permanent and stop the headaches once and for all."

Sinead nodded. It sounded logical enough.

"So,-" Seraphine asked-"do you agree?"

"Yes." The Starlings answered in one voice.

Time flew by quickly and before they knew it, it was dinner time. They all went to the dining room, instead of the kitchen, where they usually ate, because, as Shaunee had said, whenever they had a guest, their first dinner in the building would be formal. It was five to seven, though and Claire wasn't there. The Cahills were all engaged in conversation, but they could feel the tension coming from Seraphine and Shaunee. Two to seven and Claire was nowhere to be seen, when the girls' parents entered the room and took their seats. One to seven. No one was pretending that they were deep in conversation and they were all looking around, as if they expected Claire to appear out of thin air, or through the walls. Seven o'clock. The door opened and she walked in. She was dressed in a nice dress, which looked more suitable for a glamorous book presentation than a family dinner. The twin Cahill girls had told them to expect something like that, though, and everyone was quite well dressed as well. Even the Tomas were dressed nicely. Seraphine was proud of them all. She knew that Claire would try something like that, try to make all the others feel that she was better than them, but she had no idea who she was dealing with. Seraphine smiled at the thought of Claire trying to intimidate Natalie Kabra or seduce Hamilton Holt. These people were the ones who had ended the Clue Hunt, the ones who had united the branches! Even Amy, who used to be shy and easily intimidated, was now a strong young woman, who would speak up for herself and protect her family. Did her cousin really think that she could break them with just a fancy dress?

The dinner began. They were all quiet at first, but soon they were all talking to each other again. Or, at least, they were trying to. What they were really doing is appear occupied, while glancing at Claire, Ted and Seraphine, who were seated next to each other in that exact order. Seraphine managed to ignite a conversation first. Sinead knew better, though. Her brother liked Seraphine, a lot. She could see the feeling was mutual and she liked that. She wanted him to be happy and she knew that he and Seraphine would make a wonderful couple. She was worried about Claire though. There was something about her that made Sinead think the worst. Besides, she had seen the way Claire had looked at Seraphine the night before. There was envy in her eyes and then, when she saw the way Ser looked at Ted, Claire's eyes had a glint that screamed trouble to Sinead. She was great at reading people and she could see that Claire wanted to make her cousin suffer and Sinead really doubted that she would hesitate if it came to hurting others. So, there was only one thing that could be done to protect her brother. He and Seraphine should become a couple. And fast. But how? Then, an idea came to her and she could swear that a light bulb appeared on top of her head. The ball! She could tell Ted to escort Seraphine! It was easy. She knew her brother and she knew that if she confronted him about his feelings for the Cahill twin he wouldn't lie. She could get Ned to talk to him too. Even if Ted wouldn't listen to her, he would listen to their brother. She smiled at that though. She would protect her brother and make him happy. She couldn't help but think that then he might trust her a little bit more. Just a tiny bit more. She really hoped so. She had regretted what she did, deeply. It was foolish, it was dangerous, and it was totally stupid. But she couldn't stand the thought of him being all alone, not being able to see, in a dungeon, as a Vesper hostage. She couldn't stand that. God, she had been so stupid. But she would make it up to them, no matter what. She would prove that she was worthy of their trust, even if it would be the last thing she would ever do.

Claire didn't dare do or say anything, of course, since Seraphine's and Shaunee's parents were present, so the dinner was over quickly. They bid each other good night and went to their rooms. Seraphine had trouble sleeping that night. There was one thought bothering her too much to relax and fall asleep. Tomorrow is the Ball. And Claire will be there.

A/N: Sooo? What do you think? Huh? Huh? You know what to do! COOKIE! I really want to see many cookies. Please? Your cookies are what keeps me going so please cookie. (For those who have forgotten, cookie = review) I love you all! Any kind of criticism is accepted, but please be polite.

Much love,
Burning Tulip.