Chapter 27:

Ok, so I know this pairing is just straight off creepy – even creepier than AmelieOliver, since Claire is so young – and I've written some things for them, but even I have a limit. This chapter would contain something further, but I couldn't face writing it, so just…either skip it out, or imagine it, if that's the way you want to roll!

Oliver's POV:

Things have worked perfectly thus far…well, with a few minor adjustments. Whilst the original plan may not always have been wholly successful, the edits have completed the job just as well, and we are completely on target for me to be in power within the next week. Things are heating up now; everything has been leading up to this mission, and now Claire is here. She hasn't been caught in any of the other stages of the plan, and I doubt that she will be caught here before she has executed it exactly; she is much too good at this job for that. If the situation was different, I would offer her a job as an assassin any day. Unfortunately, she being the assassin of the Founder will compel me to put her to death.

Or I could, perhaps, swing her away from death and into a lifetime of work with me, because I feel as though destroying her wouldn't do me any favours. It would leave me like Amelie is now Sam is dead, though perhaps not as bad, as I don't think I love her that much, not like Amelie evidently loved Sam. But whatever my feelings, we are close to the end; soon, Amelie will be dead and the town will be mine. I will have the most power in the world, will control everything to do with every single vampire that exists, and nothing will stand in my way of getting what I want. My power will be unmatched, stronger and greater than any other who dare try to take it from me – because there will be no other person to attempt to take over Morganville. When I have absolute power, there shall be no more fighting. I will rule. And Amelie will be dead.

Everything is ready now. All I require is for Claire to come here tomorrow, for her to be given her mission and for her then to execute it with the same result as all the others: achieved and done so in a manner that means the fallen have no chance of coming back and the number of those who have perished is so crippling that the community may not be able to bounce back.

But, for tonight, I can relax and save all my energy for tomorrow. I shall need it to ensure I bring Claire under my control.

Claire's POV:

Exactly at ten am, I knock on the door to Oliver's office, waiting to hear what I'm to do now, or what to adjust because of events that have happened, and know that I would rather be anywhere but here. Anyplace besides here, with Oliver, in a place which has been filled with so much sorrow, so much anger, would be preferable, because all it could do is remind me of the fact that I am owned by a vampire, and I will be for the rest of my life. Only when I die, like Sam, will I be free from Oliver's control, though I wouldn't be surprised if he had managed to find a way to discover what does happen after death, just to be able to control me there.

"Enter." His voice sounds as disinterested as usual, telling me to enter the room of doom. Spending time with this man – vampire – is pure torture most of the time, and then the rest…I don't know. I just don't remember most of the time I spend with him, for some reason; it's strange, and if I had the time or the inclination, I would look into it. For now, though, all I care about is making sure he doesn't give me a death mission or something of the sort, and just allows me to go home to Michael and help him with the guilt over not accepting his Grandfather for his entire life, just because he was a vampire. And now he wants to take it back, it's too late; it's far too late.

Slowly, I push the door open, expecting to see Oliver sitting in his chair, as per usual. Instead, he's standing by the place where there would be a window, if the office hadn't have been designed for the comfort of a vampire owner. There are about three places in town that aren't vampire owned, I think, and they don't make the economy of this town. No, Common Grounds was built for vampires, and in the control of vampires it will remain, I believe.

"Um, hi…" I trail off, not entirely sure what to say; what do you say to the person who owns you? I don't know why I've not had this problem before: do you call someone like Oliver a sir, or are you impolite and call him by his name?

He smiles ever so slightly as the silence grows, and motions for me to take a seat, though I close the door first. Something tells me that if the college students hear anything about vampires, Oliver will blame me for it and Amelie will order my head chopped off, or something as equally barbaric. He may have saved Shane, but that was only because he wanted me to sign with him, and that was the only way. At least, I think so…I can't really remember those events, even though they were only a few weeks ago.

"Well, Claire, I trust that you are feeling better, after your…ordeal." Something about his tone scares me, but I try not to let it show; it's better to be distant with Oliver – or any vampire – isn't it? "And that witnessing such a tragic event has not mentally impaired you, or left you unfit for working." This is probably code for, if you're not able to work, expect your neck to be ripped apart by fangs in the next fifteen seconds.

"Yes, perfectly well, given the circumstances," I reply, as coolly as I feel I can get away with, moving to take a seat opposite Oliver as I do so. "Um…what do you want me for?"

"Questions, questions," he comments, though not in his usual tone; it's more…dark than usual – dark for Oliver is positively dangerous by normal standards – and as though he's preparing for something bad. "Did anyone ever inform you that it is a sin to be too inquisitive, Claire?" as soon as he has finished talking, I notice a wave of anger pass over his face…but not anger at me. No, it is anger at himself, if I can read it correctly, as well as almost guilt and shame. Now, why would Oliver be feeling these things, when all he has done is insult me?

Something tells me that I really don't want to know.

"Um...no?" I answer as I realise he wants something to be said by me, and anything on his face fades away into a mask of neutrality. This is bad. Oliver is never neutral; he's always planning something, and he's probably been planning something for ages, just that the events of late have meant that it would be better to wait. It scares me that I'm owned by him, to be honest, and something tells me it's only going to get worse.

"Very well, Claire," he says, and I don't really understand why. To be honest, every vampire born outside of the 1900s haven't been the best people to speak to, since they use vocabulary and phrases I don't understand, and speak at times when I feel isn't appropriate to speak. "Due to Sam's demise, your English class has been cancelled. Your schedule is extensive enough to mean that you need not pick up another class until the autumn of next year, so it shall not make too much of an impact on your life." As he speaks, there's nothing to indicate that he's sad that Sam has died, or even that it has particularly bothered him – he doesn't care. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. But I can't help it. I really can't. Maybe it's because I was there when Sam died, maybe it's because I knew Sam, but the fact that Oliver doesn't give a toss surprises me, far more than it ought to.

"So I just do the other things, then?" I confirm and he nods slowly; if this is all he wanted me for, then this is great. It means that I could be out of here in about five minutes, if that, and that would definitely be something to be happy about; being in the same room as Oliver for too long a time gives me the creeps. It's like…almost as if we do stuff, and then I forget. That's impossible, though, so I'll put it down to the fact that he looks remarkably like portraits of Oliver Cromwell.

"Yes, that is what your schooling will entail," he confirms, and as he does so, I shuffle in my seat, expecting to be leaving soon. Instead, he merely levels me off with a glance so deadly that I stop moving instantly, knowing not to push my luck with leaving before he permits me to.

He stands up, and before I can even really register this fact, he has moved to be standing alongside me, his expression completely unreadable – to me, at least. "Stand up," he orders me, and I comply, confusion evidently on my face because he smiles ever so slightly. "Oh, Claire. You never remember, do you?" he murmurs, and it's the scariest thing he's done so far, because he sounds almost as if he cares. He almost sounds as though he's sad that I never remember – remember what, I want to know – and I should've expected his next move.

His lips press to mine, and it's the most disgusting and petrifying thing, because this is Oliver; he's a vampire, someone who looks over fifty, and he could kill me with one look, probably. He's also the person who owns me…and…oh God what if he's like Brandon was with Eve, and he wants to pimp me out?

I try to fight him off, but his hands move to my shoulders and grip them tightly, meaning I can't move away from him; he kisses me harder, and the strangest thing happens: I start to enjoy it. I start to think that it's maybe not so bad, and that makes me try to fight harder to get away, as this shouldn't be happening. Why is he doing this? Just why does he want to kiss me?

And then, just like that, everything snaps.

Just like that, I relinquish control of my body, my brain, and I just kiss him.

Oliver's POV:

Until I am sure she is under my control, I continue to kiss her, and in the meantime, try desperately to distance myself from her. This next act…it isn't for pleasure, no matter how much I want it to be. This is to get her completely, one hundred percent under my control, no matter how it works – who would have thought this would cause my mind control to work so much more? – and that is all.

I need her to be completely under my control, in order for this to work. She cannot be allowed to focus on anything other than the mission at hand, something so dangerous that it makes murdering Sam look like nothing.

Somehow, I realise that she's completely under my control and stop touching her, besides to lift her into one arm and walk into the room hidden at the back of my office; it's meant to just be a storeroom, but since I started this planning, it has been the epicentre of the shafts of paper containing plans on how to get this town from Amelie. Now, however, it has a purpose much more…human and yet also sinister – how many vampire/human relations are there, particularly when the human is under mind control?

And, technically, when you look at it, underage…

As I slam the door, I kiss her harder, with more passion, and she reciprocates it; I've no interest in whether or not this is what she really thinks or if she's just responding to my mood, because this is turning into far too much of a pleasure thing for me.

This is a feeling that doesn't change even as clothes are removed.

~x~

"I need you to do something, Claire," I whisper in her ear, pushing back the lock of brown hair that hangs in the way. "It's the most dangerous thing I've asked you to do so far."

She just nods, her eyes fixated on my face, nothing but near adoration in her expression.

"I need you to break into Amelie's house; you can work out the logistics for yourself," I continue, wondering whether I need to give her guidance. There isn't one part of her that isn't under my control; she is completely and utterly mine, a vessel that exists solely to do my bidding. "And then…then you need to kill Amelie. And she cannot have a hope of surviving. Do you understand?"

With the smile on her lips, I know that she does.

Soon, Amelie will be dead.

And I will be the sovereign of Morganville.

Honestly, this was the most difficult chapter to write; it was the content, definitely, and how to word things, as I really didn't like writing this.

The story is more focused on the planning to kill Amelie next chapter, though, as well as a hidden surprise!

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