AN: Had this idea for awhile and I knew I had to get it out before Kiss of Death comes out. I'm hoping the plots aren't too similar. Enjoy and review!


Vampire Vacation

Chapter 1

Seventeen-year-old Claire was standing in the doorway of the Glass House after getting back from her parents place. Eve was painting her nails a charcoal grey, her drying toes propped up on Michael's legs while he wrote on a half blank sheet of sheet music. Shane was absorbed in a handheld game, vigorously moving from side to side with each click of the button. Things had been quiet in Morganville since Bishop's reign had come to a halt two months ago. Even though eight weeks had passed, seeing so much normality after so much crazy was an odd sight for Claire.

She stood in the archway and watched the three people she had laughed beside and fought beside over the past few months. It wasn't that she hadn't had friends at her high school, it was that she had never felt so accepted before. The fact that Morganville, Home of the Vampire, was the place where she was accepted was beside the point. Her friends were wrapped up in their activities and hadn't seen or heard her walk in, but she was fine with the momentary invisibility, it let her relish the moment. After some time, she dropped her bag with a thud on the ground.

Eve jumped and glared at her for messing up the mani job. Michael smiled at her, he probably knew she was there the entire time with his vampire sense and all. Shane paused his game and tossed it on the table when he saw her standing there. She smiled at her friends. It was a sad smile, she didn't really know how to broach the topic.

Ever since Bishop took his vacation things had been light hearted and jovial at the Glass House, and even down right pleasant around all of Morganville. So, when her friends saw her broken smile they knew something was wrong.

Shane got up from his chair and placed his hands on her shoulders. His jaw was clenching shut, there was that controlled fear in his eyes that Claire hadn't seen in almost two months. "What's wrong?" He moved a hand up to cup her cheek, it felt so personal and intimate Claire was almost embarrassed to be in front of Eve and Michael right then, even so Claire leaned into the touch. It was so warm and comforting, like a fire when the power went out during a winter storm. Shane's eyes were deep and clear. Claire wasn't sure how but looking into them, looking at Shane, feeling his touch—it made her feel like things would be okay.

"Could we go sit down in the living room?"

"Claire, are you okay?" Michael and Eve both asked while getting up.

"I don't know," was all she could say at the moment.

Shane sat down on the couch and Claire sat down next to him, drawing her legs into her chest and wrapping her arms around them but not leaning into Shane. She appreciated his touch and his warmth, but her emotions were too crazy right now to invoke the ones Shane did when he held her in his arms.

"Um, is it all right if I stay here for the week?" Claire looked at Michael, everyone in the house had stressed that the empty room upstairs was still hers. Claire wasn't sure if things had changed, even though her parents house was mostly just the place where she slept and had the odd meal the school library had been her home for the past two weeks during her midterms.

"Of course, Claire. You're always welcome here, mi casa es su casa."

"Thanks. My parents are going out of town for the week, to California. I'll be following them on Friday. They already have permission."

Shane's face went blank and Eve's mouth went in to a fine, little black 'o'. "You're moving?"

"No! Amelie will probably never let me out of here; Myrnin wouldn't stand for it. Uhm…" Finally tired of beating around the bush, Claire just let the story spill out, not really caring out it came out.

Three hours earlier.

"Sweetie," Claire's mom called from the living room of their house. She had just finished her shift of working with Myrnin and was exhausted and desperate to get a shower to wash the grime off of herself. There was nothing like working in the lab to make her feel gross. Myrnin had done a fine job of cleaning up the damage his lab had sustained, but that didn't stop the dust and harmless (hopefully) chemicals from getting on her skin and clothes.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"You're father and I need to talk to you."

Claire walked into the living room to find her parents sitting on the couch. Her mother's eyes were red and puffy and there as a tissue in her hand and plenty of used ones on the table, her father's arm was around her mother's shoulder. Claire frowned, she didn't want any more turmoil for her parents right now. Really, she didn't even want them to stay in Morganville but Amelie refused to let them go. Claire knew that, along with her friends, her parents were great things to hold over her if or when Amelie needed something done.

"Your grand-nana, in California…" her father spoke for the first time and her mother leaned into his shoulder. Grand-nana was her mother's grandmother, she lived in California and Claire had only visited her once. She wasn't close to her at all, but her mother had been. "Grand-nana has been very sick for the past few days, she caught the flu and it turned in to pneumonia. She passed away last night."

Her mother started crying again and Claire moved over to her other side to console her.

"Oh, Mom! I'm so sorry!"

"No, Claire! I'm sorry! I wish that I had made sure you had seen her more. I wish that you had a relationship with her. You and her were so much alike, of course, she wasn't really allowed to get much of an education because her father was so conservative but—" she started wailing again.

Claire's father spoke up again, "Your mother and I will be flying out to California to help make arrangements. You'll follow next weekend, when the funeral will take place."

Claire nodded. She felt bad for her mom, she really did, but she didn't miss the key detail here. Claire would be out from under her parents' thumb for a whole week. But, did that mean…

"Wait, that means you have permission to leave? Leave Morganville… Mom, Dad," she turned towards each of them, "forget about me, just stay in California. You have the chance to leave, you should take it!"

"Claire," her father was stern when he spoke, "we couldn't do that to you. Besides, you can't live by yourself—or anywhere without us!—until you're 18. We are trusting you just this once by yourself. I know we had decided on dorms, but," he tried to edge around the word vampire, "circumstances are different now. I'll be talking with your friend Eve and that Michael, I trust them and I'm going to make sure they keep an eye on you. I don't need you making any rash decisions while I'm gone."

Claire wanted to argue. She wanted to stand up to what her father was implying. It wasn't the time, however, so she remained silent but nodded her head in agreement.

"You're mother needs to rest right now and I need to start on travel arrangements, perhaps you can have dinner at your friends' house tonight?"

Claire did her best to not sound excited when she agreed. It wasn't that she heartless, she barely knew the woman and of course she was sad for her mother… but alone time with Shane was few and far between these days that it would be unwise to not rejoice at the opportunity.

Present time…

"Oh, Claire Bear!" Eve was the first to get up and hug her, Shane tightened his grip on her and Michael sat on the coffee table in front of her.

"Thanks you guys. I'm actually… I'm actually kind of okay. I wasn't close to her. The last time I saw I was probably seven or so, she was really old then. She had to be close to ancient now. It's just… weird, ya know? In the midst of all this immortality and death by murder and revenge… it's so easy to think this is how it is everywhere. I know you forget about Morganville when you leave, but Morganville can make you forget about the outside world. At least until you sit down."

"I wouldn't wish immortality on anyone," Michael said as if he was consoling me.

"I know. It doesn't appear glamorous. I wouldn't want to live forever. I'm just surprised. We fight evil vampires and life goes on out there."

The four sat quietly for a while before Claire stood up, "I think I'm going to get some sleep." She went into the hallway and picked up her small duffle and headed to her room.

Before going to sleep, Claire hatched a plan.

AN: I haven't written third person in years. Please forgive me. Reviews are like cookies for me, feel free to share the love.

Peace and love, Sammie