Chapter 22 – Reasons

Claire's POV

As we travelled up and down different corridors, we silently chatted amongst ourselves – though Amelie stayed quiet as she strolled in front of us. I couldn't help wondering if I had annoyed her, because I hadn't meant to. Although, if annoying Amelie was what it took to save my baby, then that would be exactly what I would do; but it wasn't.

I walked slightly faster to reach her as she strolled quickly and gracefully through the hall. She didn't seem to notice me, or if she did she did well to ignore me, so I breathed a heavy sigh, meanwhile, keeping my eyes focused on the darkness ahead. I could see Amelie glance quickly at me from the corner of my eye and then face forward again.

"Yes?" she asked. The tone of her voice didn't hold any emotion.

"I just wanted to apologise for making you annoyed," I said simply, keeping my eyes glued to the darkness ahead. I didn't allow any emotion in my voice, just like Amelie, who stopped abruptly.

I turned to see if the others had noticed, but they were farther behind – along with our source of light.

"You have not made me annoyed," she told me, and her expression seemed genuinely surprised. "If anything, it would be me who made you annoyed. I never told you about our family connection on my own terms, so finding out this way – by watching me being forced to tell you – must annoy you drastically – and that is an understatement."

I had honestly thought she was annoyed at me, so now I was very confused and extremely glad. I shrugged and said, "I'm not annoyed, just slightly overwhelmed. I understand why you didn't want to tell me because I know how hard a situation it must have been."

"But I did want to tell you, Claire. For so long now, I've wanted to tell you of your ancestors, of the bloodline that has recently led to you. You must know that I did not believe of the curse, so I did not believe that a non-existent thing would affect you in any way. And even if I had, I had been intent on leaving my bloodline alone for the rest of eternity to save them from the pain that a curse like that would bring to them."

"So why didn't you kick me out of Morganville when I first came if you knew that I wouldn't be able to have a child if you were in my life?"

"As I said, I did not believe in the curse. I didn't even have the power to believe that you were my descendant. I always thought that there were possibilities – my father had been a keen scientist, and you are also. But I pushed any possibilities aside and allowed myself to be selfish, yet again, and allow you into my life – a Danvers of all people – and I would not change that for the world." She then glanced toward the floor and then back up at me again. "You probably don't feel the same way."

I didn't know what to say, but I knew exactly what to do. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her and buried my head into her shoulder. "I wouldn't change any of it. If I hadn't come to Morganville and been 'welcomed into the vampire world' I wouldn't have met Eve, or Shane, or Michael. I wouldn't have been able to have the opportunity of a lifetime to work for a crazy psychotic vampire – whom I now call a friend. I wouldn't have met Oliver and helped to make him into the... better person he is today – although don't ask me to define better because I'm still not entirely sure what it truly means. And I wouldn't have met you. You are like a second mother to me, and I thought that even before I knew we were actually related. You are amazing and I am glad to call you my family." I turned my head to look for the others and found them all watching us. "I'm glad to call you all my family."

One clap. Two claps. Three claps. Silence.

"How heart-warming." It was Sam, which meant he had found us; which meant that I would be killing him very shortly.

"Well, that's ironic, because I'm pretty sure you don't have a heart," Shane retorted, but his voice was stone cold.

"You are mistaken, boy. Everyone has a heart, it just depends whether it beats or not that classifies exactly what species they belong to. Anyway, that is not why I came here. I was wondering how on earth you managed to find light in such darkness..." He trailed off, seemingly discovering the answer himself. Then he whispered, "Miranda."

"Hello, Samuel."

"You two know each other?" Shane, Eve, Michael and I asked simultaneously.

"You are supposed to be dead," Sam stated simply as if it was just a normal thing you said every day.

"Let's just say I was let off lucky with a very-near-death experience. Now, I glow."

"How do you know each other exactly? What are we missing?" It was Shane; he seemed to be the only one there that wasn't freaked out the way that stops your voice box from working.

"You're here to kill me," Sam said, and when he received the reply of silence he knew he was correct. "Did you really think that some random person would just come to help you kill me? Every person has a reason for doing what they do, and her's is that she still hates me for betraying her a few centuries back."

"You slept with another woman and then tried to kill me when I confronted you about it! Let's just say I held a slight grudge."

"You were together?" I asked, still as freaked out as I was before but I must have gotten to the stage where you are so freaked out that words just seem to spill out of your mouth.

"Yes."

We all turned to face Amelie – everyone except from Sam and Miranda. She didn't look how anybody had seemed to think she would have, she was smiling in a way that showed her amusement of the whole situation.

"Oh, Miranda. That's just the type of man that Sam is, and I am sorry that you didn't work it out sooner. But this doesn't stop us from wanting your help, you can plunge the stake into his heart if you wish to, I don't think anybody would protest." She seemed to have broken whatever it was that had been flying between Sam and Miranda, and now had both of their full attentions.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Miranda doesn't have the will power to kill her own creator."

I heard Amelie gasp at my side. Well, I certainly hadn't expected that.