The Stars Lie {Myrnin, Morganville Vampires}

Nothing Left To Come Home To

"Since it burned to the ground and Oliver rebuilt it as a nightclub."

"Burned down?!" Claire said in surprise. "When?" How? Nightclub?! What the hell?"

Eve scrunched her eyebrows. "Shortly after you left, I think. And nobody knows how." Eve shrugged. "One day it was there, and the next it was in ashes. They said it was some sort of faulty wiring. But since this is Morganville, which translates into any number of misfortunes may have happened to it."

"Okay, but a nightclub?"

"Oliver's way of reaching out to the 'new' generation, I guess," Eve said, rolling her eyes. "You should come down one night. Play a game of pool. Claire, you need to get out of this lab."

Rhysian coughed in agreement. Claire shot him a dirty look.

"See, even your bodyguard agrees," Eve started up again. "Just make sure you bring him along. It's not safe for a human alone. Alcohol seems to act like an accelerant, equals vamp bad behavior times the nth degree. Did you like my use of a science term?" Eve grinned.

Claire laughed, "Yeah...Very 'sciency'."

"Well, I've got to go." Eve breezed to the door. "I will see you tonight," she said pointedly.

After Eve left, Rhysian spoke gently, "She's right, Bebe'."

"Bebe'?" Claire tilted her head inquisitively.

"Oh. I'm sorry." He looked surprised the words had come out of his mouth. "It was a nickname I used for my daughter...Many years ago..." His voice trailed off.

Claire watched his eyes lose focus and knew he was somewhere in the distant past, reliving memories of his own. Rhysian seemed to shake himself out of his own reverie and looked over at Claire.

"No." She said, joining him on the couch. "I...like it." Her voice broke slightly. Rhysian's eyes widened, trying to understand the pain and emotion in her words. He stared silently; waiting for her to continue.

Claire hastily took a sip of hot coffee to relax the tightening in her throat. "It's just that...I have a father, but he is...gone...to me now."

"Gone?" Rhysian asked.

Claire sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep the tears at bay. "They...they think I'm...dead."

Concern and surprise flitted across his face. "Why?" he asked gently.

"When I disappeared - and Myrnin disappeared - everyone assumed he had....killed me."

"Oh..." Rhysian understood. "And you don't want to put them through it again...just in case?"

Claire nodded; a single tear escaping down her cheek. "It's nice...to have someone...think of me that way." She finished.

His face softened. "Bebe', I do think of you in that way. I can't help it. You remind me of how much I miss being a father..."

Claire reached over to hug him tightly.

"Now...back to work." Rhysian smiled, letting her go. He crossed the room to search the bookshelves.

"What are you looking for?"

"Anything. I can't believe there isn't more on the time portals, anywhere in this maze of books and manuscripts.

A familiar vibration interrupted their conversation. Claire tugged to extract her buzzing cell phone from her pocket. She looked at the caller ID, puzzled by the unfamiliar number. Bringing the phone to her ear, she spoke tentatively, "Hello?"