Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

22. home

1996

Anxiety was creeping through Claire's veins as they neared her old home. She felt guilty; guilty that she practically ran away from her past. The ghostly memories of a happier time were resurfacing, threatening to drown her in sadness. She thought being away from the place she lost her parents would help her heal, but it only seemed to have distracted her from the pain.

The three kings watched Claire's internal turbulence play out on her face. Her brows were scrunched together, her lower lip was quivering and she was rapidly blinking to fight off the tears that were glistening in her eyes. It hurt their souls to see her so upset, but they knew she needed this, she needed a chance to heal and move forward, properly this time. They were here to support her now, with whatever she needed.

The gentle rumbling of the car's engine cut off, leaving the vehicle in a strained silence, none willing to disrupt Claire. She continued to stare unseeingly out the window at her former home. It was dark now, the features of the home barely visible to her eyes but clear to her vampire companions. The Avery residence had a quaint wrap-around porch, complete with a white, wooden bench swing. The garden was full of flowers, the same flowers that thrived at the Malloy's; Layla must have replaced the plants that Claire had let die while she was mourning.

"Mio caro?" Aro coaxed her from her musings, his cold hand brushing delicately against the side of her neck as he pushed her hair over her shoulder. His touch sent a welcome chill up her spine. She hummed in response, turning slightly to look at him.

"We do not need to stay here if you don't want to, mio caro," he told her gently, not wanting to push her.

"No, it's alright. I just need a moment."

Aro nodded to his brothers and Demetri, all of them exiting the car to give her her privacy. While they unpacked their luggage, Claire was sucked back into her thoughts. Anchorage was full of bad memories for her; her parent's deaths, the heartbreak Edward caused and the rest of the Cullen's abandonment. This was already harder than she thought it would be, but she needed to confront those demons before she could truly live the life she now wanted. It wasn't fair on her kings. They needed her, completely and unhindered.

Outside of the car, Jane, Alec and Santiago returned to the group, bowing to their masters before looking around for Claire. Marcus caught Jane's uneasy gaze and gave her a reassuring smile.

"She's just in the car. She needed a moment to collect herself," he explained. Jane was aware of Claire's life before she stopped in Italy, so she understood her need to compose herself. Alec was also understanding, Jane had told him about Claire's past because the twins never kept anything from each other.

The opening of the car door caught their attention, Claire stepping out with a neutral expression. She was feeling better, more in control, but she was still rife with anxiety. Aro and Marcus were immediately at her side, both taking a hold of her hands. Aro was flooded with her thoughts, her grieving, and her memories.

"I'm alright," she assured them, freeing herself from their grip and fishing her house keys out of her pocket. The path to the front door felt like it stretched on forever, and the stairs felt like they were miles long, but with a steadying breath she managed to make the journey. Her key slipped into the lock, and with a twist and a click, it opened for her. She flipped the entryway light on then took a step inside, only for Caius to catch her hand to hold her back.

"Let them check it first," he suggested, motioning to the three guards standing alert behind them. She nodded silently and let his arm wind around her waist. The guards darted past them and began searching the house for any signs of intruders, vampire or otherwise. Demetri entered after them, lugging multiple suitcases with him before placing them in the entryway.

It only took seconds, but Jane, Alec and Santiago were back in front of them, heads bowed.

"All clear, master," Jane said flatly.

"Thank you," Claire spoke, smiling softly at them and squeezing Caius' hand, letting him know that the thanks was for him as well. It was nice having someone worry about her safety, even if the threat of danger in her almost abandoned home was rather low.

She finally took a moment to look around her, her eyes diligently taking in any changes. Layla had kept it clean, there wasn't the thick layer of dust on everything like she expected. Her old sneakers were still next to the door, neatly tucked into the corner, and her floral-patterned umbrella still hung next to her father's black one.

Mindlessly, she walked forward, down the hallway that led to the living room, kitchen and dining room. There was a new frame, beside the multiple photos of her in ballet gear at different ages, her parents always beside her with large and proud grins on their faces. It was a large, pressed and dried sunflower, with a small note under it. She stepped closer, reading it with strained eyes, the only light source from the space she just left.

"It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone."

She inhaled sharply, the elegant writing was familiar, belonging to Jasper Hale, and the quote was from the first book she had lent him, The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck. She assumed that the note had accompanied one of the bouquets of sunflowers she knew they were sending her, a note offering her comfort. Layla must have pressed it and framed it, sensing how meaningful it was.

Marcus had made his way slowly to her side, while the two other kings watched her carefully.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked her softly as not to startle her. She hummed, her eyes fluttering as she chewed her lip.

"This is from Jasper," she said in a whisper. The kings stiffened but otherwise didn't react. They knew she was good friends with at least two members of the Cullen coven, much to their displeasure. At least this boy didn't abandon her like his brother did. They were grateful that he at least still thought of her, but they would never admit that to her.

"Sorry," she finally managed to brush off her trance, turning to face the brothers while purposely avoiding looking at the other photographs on the wall. She couldn't deal with that just yet.

"My room is the first on the left, up the stairs," she told Demetri, who was awkwardly standing behind the kings, holding her luggage. He nodded and disappeared to put it away for her. Alec, Jane and Santiago had managed to vanish too, presumably back to scouting the area and keeping their masters safe.

"Are you hungry?" Caius voiced, moving closer to her. She was clearly still uneasy being in her home, and he didn't want to upset her further.

"No. No, I think I'll head to bed early, thank you," she stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Marcus' cheek, then on her way towards the stairs, kissed his brothers the same.

They could all feel her trepidation about being in this house. They had offered to stay in a hotel instead, but she insisted it was a waste of money because she had a perfectly good place to stay. It's not like they needed to sleep, she'd be the only one using the bed so her two-bedroom home was more than enough for all eight of them.

Now she was distancing herself from them to cope, and they were not okay with that.