She did believe him, mostly because she could hear all the heartbreak and sorrow in his voice. She took a breath, stepped forward, and hugged him. He was tall, the top of her head only brushed his chin. His arms felt strong and comforting, and she told herself that he wasn't warm because it was chilly in the kitchen. It wasn't really true, but that helped.
"I wouldn't hurt you, " he murmured. "But I've got to admit, I want to. I spent all my life hating vampires, and now -- now look at me. "
"You had to, " Claire said. "You didn't have a choice. "
She felt his sigh go through both of them. "Yeah, " he said, "Shane's right, I did have a choice. But this is the choice I made, and now I have to live with it. "
He let go when she stepped back. Neither of them knew what to say, so Claire busied herself by opening kitchen cabinets to get down the four mismatched cups they used in the morning. Michael's was plain chunky stoneware, oversized, like a diner cup on steroids. Eve's was a petite black thing with a yawning cartoon vampire on it. Shane's had a happy face with a bloody bullet hole in the center of its forehead. Claire had taken one with Goofy and Mickey on it.
"How's school?" Michael asked. Neutral subjects. He didn't want to talk it out, he wanted to keep it inside. She wasn't too surprised. Michael had always been too self-contained for his own good, as far as she could tell.
"Too easy, " she sighed, and poured coffee.
They were sitting down and sipping from their mugs when the kitchen door opened, and Shane -- wearing pajama bottoms and a ratty old faded t-shirt -- came into the kitchen. He avoided Michael, picked up his cup off the counter, and filled it to the brim. He left without a word.
Michael watched him go, face set and hard.
Claire felt the need to apologize. "He's just -- "
"I know, " Michael said. "Believe me. I know exactly how Shane is. Doesn't mean I have to like it right now. "
s and a ratty old faded t-shirt -- came into the kitchen. He avoided Michael, picked up his cup off the counter, and filled it to the brim. He left without a word.
Michael watched him go, face set and hard.
Claire felt the need to apologize. "He's just -- "
"I know, " Michael said. "Believe me. I know exactly how Shane is. Doesn't mean I have to like it right now. "
and a ratty old faded t-shirt -- came into the kitchen. He avoided Michael, picked up his cup off the counter, and filled it to the brim. He left without a word.
Michael watched him go, face set and hard.
Claire felt the need to apologize. "He's just -- "
"I know, " Michael said. "Believe me. I know exactly how Shane is. Doesn't mean I have to like it right now. "
s and a ratty old faded t-shirt -- came into the kitchen. He avoided Michael, picked up his cup off the counter, and filled it to the brim. He left without a word.
Michael watched him go, face set and hard.
Claire felt the need to apologize. "He's just -- "
"I know, " Michael said. "Believe me. I know exactly how Shane is. Doesn't mean I have to like it right now. "
I really need to stop being the Glass Goodwill Ambassador, Claire thought, but she knew she'd keep on doing it. Somebody had to, after all. So after she'd finished her coffee, she went to talk to Shane.