Sorrow

Hey everyone! This is my first fanfiction piece. I submitted this story to Rachel Caine to add to her fanfiction gallery on her site but since there are not that many morganville pieces here I decided to submit this story here as well. I love the morganville vampire series and am currently working on a new story based on the ending of the sixth book. Feel free to comment! Thank you. :D

Claire stared at herself in the mirror. She noticed the puffiness of her eyes. They were swollen red from all the crying she had done recently. Black smudges from lack of sleep shadowed her eyes. Claire made no attempt to cover them up or reduce the puffiness. Leaving the bathroom she stared silently at the black dress lying on the bed. Her body moving on its own accord she got dressed. Claire sat heavily on the bed as if all her strength suddenly left her. A wave of pain and fatigue came over her and she remembered...

It was a normal day in Morganville or atleast what was considered a normal day in Morganville. They were watching a movie. It was some horror flick but Claire sat dozing curled up against her boyfriend Shane. A character screamed but Claire was already asleep. Sometime later Claire woke up to the sound of low voices coming from the kitchen. She sat up, stretched and listened closely. The voices were to soft to make out but the tone suggested something was up. Curious she was just about to get up when Eve, Shane and Michael walked into the room, all wearing worried expressions.

"Claire this just came for you. Its from Bishop." Michael said slowly. She nodded and grabbed the white envelop from his hand. Claire stared at the envelop suddenly fearful. Shane laid a hand on her shoulder silently offering support. Ripping the seal, she took out the crisp neat handwritten letter.

"Claire. Due to your recent involvement in the freeing of your boyfriend Shane I am sorry to inform you that you will have to be punished. I do not like people disobeying me and that is exactly what you have done little one. The punishment has already been choosen. Likely in few minutes or so you will hear of the results. Bishop." Claire read. Horrified she stared at the letter in her hands. Quickly dropping it as if it was on fire she jumped up and reached for the phone. Michael, Eve and Shane were here so that only left her parents as unprotected. Holding her breath Claire waited as the phone rang.

"Hello." Claire's mom answered on the sixth ring. The breath left her with a whoosh.

"Mom its me Claire. I... I just wanted to call and make sure you and dad were ok." Claire said trying to keep the tension out of her voice.

"Hi sweety. We are fine. Dinners ready. I love you sweetheart. Be safe." Her mother said.

"Ok love you mom." Claire said and was about to hang up when her mother said,

"Oh wait honey your father wants to say hi."

"Hi honey. How are you?" Her father said.

"Hi Dad I am fine. We were just watching a movie." Claire said.

"Be careful Claire and know we love you and are so proud of you." Her father said.

"I love you too daddy." She managed to get out.

"Your mother says dinners ready.. Talk to you soon.." Her father started when suddenly... Boom! Claire heard static and the line went dead.

"Mom?! Dad!?" She screamed into the phone. Horrified she now felt the floor under her feet shaking and could hear people shouting outside. Claire took off on a run and flew out the door ignoring her housemates calls. The house didn't want her to leave but she managed to get through. From the direction of her parents house was a huge cloud of smoke. Running everything passed in a blur. Reaching the block her parent's house stood she froze in shock. Her parent's house was up in flames. Dimly she heard people shouting and an ambulance siren wailing. She started towards the house but another boom sounded and the impact drove her to her knees.

"NO!" Claire screamed.

"Claire! Omg Claire!" She heard Eve shout but she didn't respond. Still on her knees Claire watched silently as her parents house burned. There would be no survivers. Her parents were dead. Slowly getting to her feet she began to block everything out. Shane reached her than and pulled her into the safety of his embrace. Claire fell into it. The horror taking its toll she began to sob uncontrollably. Sobs that tore up your gut and shatters your heart.

"Its all my fault. I killed my parents." Claire got out between sobs. The world faded away...

A knock sounded on her bedroom door bringing Claire out of the vivid flashback. Shakily she opened the door. Shane stepped in and pulled her into his arms. They held each other for a few minutes.

"Claire sweetheart, its time to go." Shane said gently keeping her close and giving her a gentle kiss. Claire nodded and Shane guided her out of the room. Its time for the funeral.. her parents funeral.

The end.