Claire watched as Amelie swayed for a second before falling, graceful even in that. One surprise after another, Oliver caught her before lying her on the desk gently. He looked up and locked eyes with Claire before smiling triumphantly.

"This war is over."

Claire struggled to stand but but braced herself up against the wall. "Wh-Wh-What are you going to do now?" She asked shakily.

He made his way over to her and she cowered back. There was nothing stopping him from killing her now.

He smirked. Leaning in close, he spoke in her ear as his hand found her naked legs. "I'm thinking that I might have you again."

Claire's eyes widened. "B-B-But Amelie is right there-"

"The thought of having you while my fallen enemy is right there is overpowering. Such so," He trailed off as his hand slipped under the jacket, "that I think I must." He leaned in even closer and she held her breath only to have his laughter feel her ears. "But I won't." Claire was shaken as he walked back over to Amelie. She struggled to gain her composure as she contemplated how to get out of the room without riling his anger or his...anything else.

Remembering the portal she came through, she tried to remember where it was. Clinging to the wall, she searched quietly. Oliver's back was to her so she moved slowly. She spotted a familiar looking picture and started to move that way. Oliver's eyes drifted to her and she froze.

"What are you going to do to her?"

"Lock her up, keep her weak with small feedings or bits of silver. The possibilities are endless."

"You're going to let her live?"

Oliver shrugged. "There is much Bitter Blood between us but I want her to want to watch as I demolish everything she has built and rebuild and re-mold her town in my image." He smiled down at Amelie cooly.

"H-How are you going to do-to do that?"

"First, I will announce my victory and then I shall punish those who fought against me." At this point, he had turned to stare at her and Claire panicked. Ignoring his eyes, she made her way to where she thought the portal was as fast as she could.

He beat her to it.

"Ah. Don't be scared. I'm not going to kill you here." She felt relief for just a second before she felt the sensation of the portal at her back. "But your punishment will come swiftly." She had a second to look into his eyes in fear before he shoved her through the portal. She stumbled back into the Glass House living room. Next, she was falling.

She wasn't sure if she was knocked unconscious when her head hit the floor or if she passed out on the way down.

Michael was pacing the kitchen. He was very worried. He had been on the phone with Claire when he heard the phone drop followed by Eve shouting.

"Claire? Eve?"

There had been nothing but dead silence.

He made it to the house in record time. Running to the living room, he found Eve sobbing into her hands on the couch. "Eve?" She looked up and spotted him and rushed over to him.

"O-Oh, Michael!"

"What's wrong?"

"I-I tried but he said he'd kill me! I-I tried to help but she told me to leave so I did! I left her there!" She started to go hysteric.

"Eve. Eve! Slow down!" She took a deep shaky breath and nodded.

"Oliver took Claire."

Had his heart beat, it would have stopped. "How?"

"He grabbed her through the portals." She told him the story and he was in a panic now but there was nothing he could do. He didn't know how to work the portals, did not know where all they led, he didn't even know where to start. It felt that time was passing slowly for him. Oliver had the girl he loved and he was powerless.

It had only been an hour and a half he'd been waiting, panicking, when he heard a crash from the living room. He sped there and was surprised to find Claire sprawled out on the floor. Fear gripped him when she didn't move at all but he calmed when he heard her heart even as slow as it was. He rushed to her side and was shocked by her state of dress...or lack there of. He wrapped the jacket around her and pulled her closer to him.

"Claire? Claire, baby, are you okay? Can you hear me?" He tried but didn't receive an answer. Knowing that Eve would be back from getting Shane from work soon and that Claire wouldn't want them to see her like this, Michael took her up to his room and gently laid her on his bed. He went to his bathroom and got a glass of water and a warm, wet towel. He sat the water on the nightstand and started to wipe away the blood dried on her neck. He'd just finished treating her neck, and the sizable bump on her head, when her eyes cracked open.

"Michael?" She whispered.

"Claire!"

"Michael!" There were tears in her eyes as he gently took her in his arms and held her close.

"I'm so happy you're okay."

"Me too." He pulled back and kissed her forehead.

"Did he hurt you?"

She started to shake her head before stopping herself. "He did what he usually does when he gets me alone." She hid her face in his chest. "I'm so sorry!"

He stroked her hair. "It's fine. It's not your fault. It's all gonna be okay."

"No it won't." He heard her murmur. "Because he won."

Michael hoped, no, prayed he had heard her wrong. "What?"

She pulled away from him and her face was tear-strained. "Oliver won."

"But...how?"

"He grabbed me to lure her to him and it worked. They fought. Amelie almost had him but he staked her. He staked her! That's how he won. He won." With hopelessness and fear setting in, she started to cry in earnest and he stroked her back.

"Oh no." He breathed and they sat in silence for a long time.

"What are we gonna do?" She murmured through her tears.

"I'm not sure. I was so sure that she'd win: that we were going to win."

Claire nodded before freezing. "He's going to kill us! He's going to kill us!" She said in a sudden rush of panic. Sitting on her knees she grabbed his shirt and looked him in the face, eye to eye. "We have to get out. We need to leave this town: we have to. We have to. All of us!"

"I wish we could, but how?"

"I -I don't know! We could...Myrnin could let down the barrier, but how would he get out? We can't leave him behind." Claire sat back on her legs, deep in contemplation and MIchael let her, lost in his own thoughts.

Oliver's winning changed so much.

He was bad enough when he was undermining the Founder on the down low but now that he was in power? Awful in the worse ways. Everything for the humans and the vampires who stood with Amelie was about to go to hell.

"We'll think of something." Michael said with certainty he did not really feel. "We will."

They sat there for a while thinking and when she could think of nothing else to help their situation she cried: she cried so much. Michael held her and tried not to worry too much.

Michael head Eve and Shane came in the front door an hour later. By this time, Claire had cried herself to sleep, although he was worried about her doing so due to her blood lost, so he called them upstairs quietly. He didn't want to leave her alone so he told them to come to his room. Making sure she was covered by a blanket since she was still clad in nothing but the suit jacket, he let them into the room.

Eve rushed to Claire's side. "I'm so glad that she's okay." She whispered. "I thought Oliver was going to kill her."

"Thankfully he didn't." Michael said in a dull voice that had Shane frowning.

"You don't sound too excited that that dick didn't kill your girlfriend."

"Because that dick won." Both heads snapped up and toward him.

"What?"

"Oliver took her there to lure Amelie out and witness him beat her, and she did. Amelie almost got him but he staked her."

"Did he kill her?"

"I don't think so. She's very old so it would take a lot more to kill her than a stake."

"And he wants her to suffer." Claire croaked, startling Eve. She jumped before stroking Claire's hair.

"What was that, Claire-Bear?"

"Oliver wants Amelie to suffer. He wants her to watch as he remakes the town and destroys everything she's worked for." She sniffed and sat up, holding the blanket to her chest. Eve put an arm around her and hugged her.

"Sorry: didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine. Couldn't sleep much knowing that Oliver will rule."

"Don't worry: we'll survive. We'll survive and find a way to make it through like always. I mean, Oliver can't be much worse than Bishop and we survive, outlived, him."

"I guess I didn't think of it that way."

"Nevermind that you sorta kinda helped him win the war. That should give you some kind of protection, right?"

Claire shrugged and looked around. "But what about you guys? He may grant me some weird kind of pass but what about you?"

They looked around at each other before Eve shrugged. "What happens will happen. Now that he runs the town there isn't much we can do but wait to know our fates." CLaire knew it to be the truth but it didn't make her feel any better. Eve took her hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry, Claire-Bear. It'll just make the wait worse." Claire nodded.

Eventually, they all decided to wait downstairs and spend time together. They didn't know what was to come and just wanted to be together. Regardless of the dark cloud hanging over them, there were laughs and enjoyment. They all knew just how quickly everything could change but none knew when. They waited a little past midnight but nothing happened so they decided to try to go to bed.

a/n: Sorry. I accidentally replaced this chapter with the one after it so forgive me! Sorry.