Chapter Two

Eve made a break for him, fingers curled into claws. She had even managed to rip off all the implanted wires from her arms and face, probably during the time the boys had been insulting poor little Claire. Eve began screaming like a banshee, whilst she charged at her husband. Claire decided to stay, for a little longer, to see what would happened. All in the name of scientific curiosity, of course.

"YOU BUGGER!"

Michael and Shane turned towards the Goth girl simultaneously, making a grab for her.

"Calm down, love," Michael cooed, stroking her arm whilst Shane readied the covers of the hospital bed, for Eve, who immediately slapped the reaching vampire's hand away. Hard.

"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, MICHAEL GLASS!" she bellowed, her dyed black hair flaying around her face. Deep brown eyes ablaze like a mad woman. Basically the normal Morganville resident, then. Claire chuckled silently to herself, then sighed.

It was all pointless anyway. Oliver had somehow manipulated Amelie, the town's icy Original Founder, to do his evil and selfish wishes. Life in this town would be hell compared to what the two boys were struggling with...

"Eve, you need to get into bed, "Shane said calmly, ignoring the stream of cussed erupting from the girl's mouth, trying to be helpful for once, "We can sort out the Captain Obvious problem any day. And, Traitor One and Traitor Two here can be punished later, okay?" The girl nodded stiffly, still a bit outraged Claire suspected, but definitely more composed.

Ugh, it was all so sickly sweet. Claire decided that she (or:"Traitor Two") was wasting air just standing in that crappy room. Especially when there was a town to save. And there she was; in hospital. With her, now she actually admitted it, exceedingly messed-up friends. Seriously, what kind of friendship could she have with a bunch of predicable, transparent people anyway?

Oh, she smirked devilishly, don't forget the part were you receive death threats daily simply because your 'friends' had gotten married scandalously, upsetting about the whole town in the progress. Morganville was run by vampires, yeah, but humans lived here too. A human-vampire marriage had insulted both sectors of the town. A lot.

Turned purposely side-on to Claire (probably so she didn't have to see her 'best girlfriend'), Eve said veraciously to Michael, "I love you, Mickey. I don't care that you kissed Claire. I know you love me, I have the ring to prove it." Claire shuddered slightly, feeling surprisingly upset. Michael looked, had tasted, as though he felt something for her. Eve must be profoundly wrong about his feelings for Claire.

He was the mysterious vamp: who had told his ghost secret to her before his best friends; who had always trusted her to make the right decision; who only last year nearly died in her arms.. who had just kissed her way better than Shane had ever or would ever again. Michael's spontaneous kiss had been expertly executed, sexy. With tongue.

It was scientifically probable that their would be romantic chemistry between them now, after all these years of close proximity. Claire could clearly see that the same thing was happening with Myrnin, too, as well as Michael. Jeez, she was full of revelations today. Maybe unwanted insights were what occurred after you have to drag a raging, beating mob of teens off your best friend. Typical.

"I kissed Claire because I felt so angry.. You nearly got killed because you married me.. I wanted to hurt someone... I-I thought that.." Michael sobbed, sounding like a kicked puppy, broke Claire's inner monologue with a snap. Claire felt disgusted. Everything was untainted, now she could see clearly.

This weeping boy was not the Mickey she cared for. Her now ex-boyfriend Shane was just sat there on the bed like an gormless oaf, watching open mouthed at the scene happening at the foot of the bed. Not even glancing once at Claire, who was the pawn in Michael's little game of chess. Pathetic.

"..that I would leave you and be safer. You used kissing Claire as the way to make me hate you, didn't you?" Eve softly asked the tearful vampire, as she turned and slowly sunk to sit on the bed. Shane took her hand, Claire saw, though she could only see their backs. A nagging sensation in her brain made her think they both had a triumphant look on their faces. They had cracked the 'why-Michael-was-not-acting-in-their-usual-Disney-character-manner' quiz. It was just a hunch, however, Claire knew it was right. They were so predicable.

But Claire was hopeful. Now recent events had emphasised the (already existing) truth about her friends, she hoped for some more variety. Michael, sweet gorgeous Michael, had kissed the truth into her. He had lit a passionate flame within her she didn't even know she possessed. She wanted him. Badly.

Watching like a hawk, Claire observed . Michael's head was bent, awaiting judgement, as he gazed down on the stupid Gothic Clown that was Eve Glass.

Then he nodded in defeat. The three amigos laughed, and just like that it was back to freaking normal. Lovey-dovey, as always.

But this time was different. Claire was different.

Mike was facing Claire, and the door beyond her, but he only had eyes for Eve. Shocking betrayal ran through Claire's veins when she saw the love for his wife written clearly all over his face. Claire ran backwards out of the room, hand blindingly finding the cool metal of the door hospital door handle. She felt the pain in the back of her eyes that was a symptoms when holding back tears. Tears which, she knew, she didn't have a legit reason to have. She wasn't married to him.

She doubted the three of them even looked up when she slammed the wooden hospital door behind her.