1996
Alice was reeling. She had been forced into a vision; a vision of Claire wandering around a city somewhere in Europe, most likely Italy, as happy as ever, with her arm wrapped around the waist of a tall, dark haired man. The scene quickly changed, and she was faced with three sets of intense red eyes, staring her down. With that, she was thrown from the vision as a sense of dread filled her.
She tried to find Claire again, force a vision, even just a glimpse of her, but she couldn't see her anymore. She was gone. Alice could only image the worst. Claire was most likely dead, dead at the hands of the vampires with the red eyes that looked like they were staring straight into her soul. Was this all their fault? Italy was home to the Volturi, perhaps someone had found out Claire knew about vampires.
"What was that?" the tense voice of Edward questioned from her bedroom doorway. He had seen the vision, he had seen Claire with someone else, and he had seen that Alice could no longer see her future. He knew what that meant. She was gone.
"I'm sorry, Edward," she whispered.
He was engulfed in guilt and remorse. If he didn't leave her, she'd still be safe. She'd be alive. With one devastated roar, Edward ran from the house and into the deep dark of the surrounding forest. He needed to be alone.
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The Volturi brothers spent all afternoon explaining their bond to Claire. At first, she was apprehensive. She couldn't quite believe that she was destined to be with three vampires for eternity. She didn't like the thought that their attachment to her was predetermined, that they had no choice in loving her. It took the magic out of it, but after a lot of patience and explanation they managed to assure her that the bond had to be built, like any other relationship, and if she ever decided she wanted out, they'd let her go.
She was also unsure about begin mated to three people. She never put any thought into having multiple partners, it wasn't something people talked openly about around her. Edward had sheltered her from her friend's talk of sex and relationships, saying that it was inappropriate for her to listen to. His mind-reading always helped him usher her away before anyone could ask them about their own sex life or lack thereof.
Marcus, Aro and Caius assured her that they would take things slow, at her pace. They would never pressure or persuade her into anything she wasn't comfortable with, it went against every instinct they had as her mates. Her happiness meant everything to them. If she wasn't happy with them, they were failing her.
Eventually, Claire opened up to the idea of giving them a chance. She was already head-over-heels for Marcus, and the feelings that were quickly growing for his brothers only encouraged her now that she didn't feel guilty for them.
She agreed to allow them to see her individually and together, Caius being fastest to snap up the first date. She gentle reminded them that she wasn't promising anything, much to their disappointment, and if it felt like too much, she would have to stop seeing them. Though that thought caused a pulsating pain in her chest. So, with a kiss to each of their cheeks, they left her apartment to give her space to process and think.
She immediately went to the kitchen cupboard and pulling out a full bottle of red wine, twisted off the cap and drunk a mouthful straight from the bottle. Eventually she found a wine glass and made her way back into the living room, dropping down on the couch with an exaggerated sigh. Why was her life so complicated?
She kept getting thrown deeper and deeper into the world of the supernatural and she felt she was in way over her head. Despite their willingness to help her navigate their world, she wasn't about to let her protective mates dictate what she learnt.
Edward has clearly kept her oblivious on purpose. He never told her about a vampire hierarchy, the only mention of the rule of secrecy was fleeting. The realization that Edward knew that she would die if she was caught with knowledge of vampires struck her.
He put his own desires and wants ahead of her own safety, and his coven leader just let him. So much for being righteous vegetarians. She felt betrayed. Aro had explained that Carlisle had spent a few years with them, so he was well aware of the laws and punishment. But he let his 'son' break them anyway, at her expense.
Why did they think they were above the law? Maybe it was the mating bond, but she was wracked with the strong dislike of the Cullen's clan leader because he simply disregarded the Volturi's directives. The brothers had worked hard to gain the respect of the vampire race, and Carlisle simply ignored their efforts. Why? Because he knew better? She didn't think he did.
In her slightly drunken haze, she decided she needed to call Layla. She needed advice, motherly advice. Layla was as close as she was going to get.
After a few rings, someone finally picked up the Malloy's home phone.
"Hello?" the gruff voice of Ryan traveled down the line, slightly sobering her up. Because he was a police officer, her instinctive reaction was to appear sober.
"Hi Ryan, it's Claire. Is Layla there?"
"Oh! Hi Claire! How's Italy?"
"Wonderful! As always."
"That's great! I'll just grab Layla for you," there was shuffling on the other end of the line and the faint sound of Ryan yelling for his wife.
"Claire!" Layla screamed in excitement when she took the phone from her husband.
"Hey Layla," she replied, a grin growing on her face. "I just wanted to talk."
"Uh-huh, sure you did. What's up?"
"I think... I think I want to stay in Italy," it felt like a revelation to her, but it made sense. She loved it here, she felt at home, and she just found out her future was here. Her soulmates.
Everything that had ever happened in her life had led her to this point. Every heartache, every joyous moment. It all brought her to where she was meant to be. All of her doubts left her and she was filled with a new sense of determination.
"No, I definitely want to stay in Italy," her voice was strong and clear.
"Well, as long as you visit, we will support you," Layla said after a beat of silence. The fact that Claire would never be close again hurt, but she couldn't blame her. Anchorage held nothing but bad memories for her now.
"Thank you," Claire responded, tears welling up in her eyes. Though they weren't her parents, their support till meant to world to her.
They spoke for over an hour, Claire gushing over Marcus and mentioning his handsome brothers in passing. Layla was quick to pick up on her obvious attraction to the three men and made a few jokes at Claire's expense, not that she minded the playful banter. It reminded her very much of her mother.
Claire had explained the opportunities available to her in Italy, the chance to further her education and the connections her newly found love interests had to fast forward her career. Though she knew it was partially a lie; she didn't think that the kings would allow her to stay human for much longer, her very existence broke their rules and brought into question their effectiveness.
No, she wouldn't let all of their hard work go to waste.
a/n: kinda filler, kinda important to her relationship with edward/the cullens.
my finger is all better so everything is back on track!