“It’s stalking,” Michael said as he held his guitar. He had been practising his songs, but his hand had frozen in place when Shane had gathered everyone in the Glass House to discuss Claire’s so called, ‘admirer.’
“Have you not read what he has written on those creepy ass notes?” Shane raised an eyebrow and his head turned in the direction of the front door. “I call it sexual assault.”
Claire sighed and shook her head as she tried to get comfortable on the couch. It was obvious that she would be sitting there for a long while, and she was starting to wonder how long it would take before she could actually leave the house.
“He hasn’t actually touched me, Shane,” Claire picked at her nails and didn’t dare to meet her boyfriend’s eyes. “So, it’s not really sexual assault.”
“Well, actually, it really is sexual assault,” Eve spoke up and placed her hands on her hips as she raised a dramatic eyebrow. Okay, what was up with all the eyebrow raising? “So what? It’s not physical assault, but it’s still verbal and I have eyes that read perfectly fine. Therefore, back to the sexual assault.”
Claire rolled her eyes and folded her arms as she sank back into the couch. She stared out the window and clenched her teeth as she listened to her best friends debate and argue about something that wasn’t a big deal at all.
“Okay, idea,” Shane said suddenly and raised his hand to prove his point. “We find him, beat his ass and then deliver it in a silver dish to the first blood-sucker we see on the street. Not counting Michael.”
“That’s your idea?” Eve asked as she tied her thick, dark hair into a ponytail.
Shane pouted and nodded. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Nice,” Eve grinned and held her hand up for a high-five, to which Shane slapped.
“We’re not beating him up,” Michael sighed and finally placed his guitar back into its case.
“Why?” Eve frowned. “I can find his address, and then we can get these awesome weapons and teach him not to mess with our Claire Bear.”
“Good plan,” Shane nodded and gestured to both him and Eve.
“Bad plan,” Michael said. “Worst possible scenario is Shane ends up hurting him real bad or worse, killing him and your ass goes downtown to jail. Eve, well. You might break a nail.”
“Bite me!” Eve shot back.
“That’s the whole point,” Shane said, ignoring Eve and the last of Michael’s sentence. “He’s supposed to be hurt real bad.”
“Did you hear that part about you going to jail?” Claire said softly, and yet everyone’s eyes moved to her like she was in the spotlight. “Again.”
“Hey!” Shane exclaimed as he defended himself. “That was the fault of the bloodsuckers, not mine!”
“You’re not kicking anybody’s ass,” Michael stated. “End of discussion.”
Shane sighed and slumped into the spare spot next to Claire. Her side of the cushion rose, and she smiled a little as Shane winked at her. “So lame,” Shane sighed. “I haven’t kicked anybody’s ass for ages. I need my dose of ass kick!”
“Is ass the only word in your vocabulary?” Michael frowned.
“Don’t get smart with me,” Shane raised an eyebrow. “Blood-sucking ass.”
“Seriously, dude,” Eve said. “You’re obsession with the word ass makes you sound gay. And you can’t be gay, for Claire’s sake.”
Shane looked at Claire and sighed as he stared at the rise of Claire’s chest. Before she realized what Shane was doing, he waggled his eyebrows at her and winked.
“Pervert,” Claire exclaimed and threw a pillow at him.
“You’re eighteen now,” Shane grinned. “It’s perfectly legal.”
“You’re an ass,” Eve shook her head.
Shane puckered his lips in what was supposed to be deep thought. He raised an eyebrow at Eve and fiddled with the hem of Claire’s shirt. “So you get to use the work ass and I don’t?”
“Drifting off the subject, here?” Michael sighed.
“What subject? If there is no ass kicking, then there is no subject at all.”
“Okay, cool,” Eve shrugged and dropped into one of the armchairs and picked up her latest Cosmo magazine. “We’ll just drop it until Dylan decides that he wants to show his love to Claire, which could result in miniature, evil Dylan’s.”
“Ew,” Claire crinkled her nose.
“Aren’t you supposed to be getting my mind off the ass kicking topic? Because that story deserves an ass kick," Shane said dryly.
“Oh, bite me Collins.”
“Later,” Shane waved it off and turned to Michael. “So, what do you want to do about it Michael?”
Michael looked at Claire, and she got the odd feeling that he was glamouring her. But he wasn’t, he was thinking because he was seriously worried about Claire.
“I think we should go to Amelie,” He said.
“No. Next,” Shane said almost immediately and turned back to Claire. He gave her a large and funny grin as he tried to brighten the mood. “We have a crate full of weapons in the attic. Let’s use them.”
“He’s not a vampire, Shane,” Claire said. “He’s human.”
“Stake will do a pretty damn good job on him too?”
“You’re not killing him, beating him or handing him over to the vampires!” Claire raised her voice at him, and everyone in the room seemed to grow silent. “Just drop it. It’s no big deal!”
“No big deal?” Shane laughed cynically and shook his head. “Because he’s human that makes him safe? Bullshit.”
“Drop it Shane,” Michael sighed. But Shane didn’t drop it.
“Jason was human,” Shane didn’t take his eyes off Claire, and she dared herself not to shake in his hold. “Hell, he’s Eve’s brother, and you saw what he did to me. But because he’s human, that makes him innocent. Am I wrong?”
“That’s not what I’m saying, Shane –” Claire began, but Shane wasn’t prepared to let his point slip away. When he spoke again, his voice was louder.
“Am I wrong?”
“No!” Claire yelled and pushed herself off the couch and she continued to yell at him. “If you want me to sit there and tell you that you’re right about everything, then fine. Shane, you’re right. Congratulations, but I am not going to sit there and listen to you make a big deal out of something that is nothing!”
This time, Shane pushed himself off the couch, and Claire no longer had the satisfaction of being taller than him. She glared up at him, and his expression was equally angry as he looked down at her.
“This isn’t nothing, Claire!” His voice wasn’t as loud as Claire’s had been, but he was still technically yelling. “You could get hurt, or worse.”
“I’m eighteen, right? I can look after myself.”
“Clearly not. How many times have you needed to be saved this year?”
Claire’s jaw dropped open and she felt her blood boil inside of her. She had never been so angry in her life! This was nothing, why couldn’t they see that? He hadn’t touched her, just a few notes and texts, and that was it.
“Because I get caught in this vampire business!” Claire yelled. “It has nothing to do with whether or not I can protect myself!”
“Well maybe if you didn’t dump yourself in the middle of the vamps, none of this shit would have happened!”
Claire shrieked in his face out of pure frustration, and she raised her hand to slap him hard across the side of the face. A dry snap echoed in the Glass House as Claire’s hand came into contact with Shane’s cheek, and she heard Eve take in a short breath. Claire shoved past him and ran out of the lounge room and into her bedroom. The door slammed shut with a loud bang, and Claire kicked it in irritation. She heard heavy footdrops sound up the stairs and down the hall towards Claire’s room, followed by Eve and Michael’s voices telling him to drop it. The doorknob rattled, and then a fist pounded hard on the door.
“Open the door!” Shane yelled which was followed by another hard blow on Claire’s bedroom door. She winced and silently apologized to the door, then realized what she was doing and pulled a face at herself.
“No!” Claire shouted back. “Go away, I don’t want to talk to you!”
“Claire, open the goddamned door before I kick it down!”
“Kick it down!” Claire yelled. “You’ll be paying for the repairs!”
Shane hit the door again, and a loud bang came from the other side of the door. Oh, he was actually serious. Claire flicked the switch on the lock and yanked open the door. She stepped back as Shane stepped in and slammed the door shut, locking it again behind him in only a few seconds.
He walked up to her, and grabbed the back of her neck as he pressed his lips to hers. It hadn’t been what Claire was expecting, but she didn’t protest.
She kissed him back, and gripped onto his shirt as one of Shane’s hands grabbed onto the waistband of Claire’s shorts. She gasped as Shane pushed her up against the dresser, and Claire swept everything off it as she was lifted onto it. Her legs linked around Shane’s waist as she pulled off his shirt and ran her hands over his bare chest. Claire’s tounge traced the bottom of Shane’s lip, causing him to growl into her mouth and pull her closer. Out of all the things Claire had experienced, she’d never imagined that being angry and aggravated with Shane could cause so much arousal between them. Shane’s tounge connected with hers, and she felt herself moan into Shane’s mouth. His hands spread out under her shirt, and Claire couldn’t stand the tickling feeling anymore. She reached for the hem of her shirt, and she pulled it up and over her head, chucking it to a heap on the bedroom floor.
“It’s not a big deal anymore,” Claire murmured into Shane’s lips as her hands moved down to the zip of Shane’s jeans. “Right?”
Shane’s hands stopped her, and she looked up at him uncertainly. “It is, Claire,” Shane said softly. “I know that you don’t make a big deal out of it, but I do. I’m worried for you, Claire.”
He moved back a little, and Claire sighed as she crossed her legs and sat on top of the dresser. If she hadn’t of said anything, things would be a lot different at the moment. She looked down and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Shane picked up Claire’s shirt from the ground and handed it over to her. She put it on hastily without meeting his eyes.
“Can we not talk about this again?” Claire asked softly and slid off the dresser. Shane tried to steady her, but she pushed his hands away. “You’re making it out to be something so much bigger than it really is.”
“If there was some chick stalking me, and sending me love letters would you be doing the exact same thing as what I’m doing now?”
“Yes, but,” Claire tried not to smile and she shook her head. “That’s a completely different thing.”
“No it’s not,” Shane said playfully and rubbed her arms. “Just the thought of someone else having their hands on my girl makes me sick. And I can only imagine what Dylan has in mind.”
“Whatever he has in his mind is never going to happen.” Claire smiled and took Shane’s hands in hers. “I’m going to be fine, okay? If it makes you feel better, I’ll carry around one of Eve’s tasers.”
Shane grinned evilly and he kissed Claire’s forehead. “I’m sorry I’m a jerk,” Shane said softly.
“You’re an ass actually,” Claire smiled and gently punched him in the chest. “Now put a top on. You don’t have the right to sit there and tease me.”
Shane rolled his eyes and pulled his top on, watching Claire with a hopeful look. She shook her head, deciding that he deserved the punishment she had put on him and blew him an air kiss.
“You’ve been hanging out with Eve too much,” He said as they walked out of the room and down the hall. He bounced down the steps and caught Claire’s hand when they got to the bottom. “So, make me a sandwich?”
“Make your own damn sandwich,” Claire laughed. “I’m not your slave.”
Shane raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”
Claire blushed and dropped his hand to slap him playfully on the chest. She started off towards the kitchen, and heard Shane laugh from behind her.
“Ass!” She called and pulled the bread out of the freezer to make her own sandwich.
* * *
“Fang attack!” Eve yelled loudly as she jumped on the spot, her shoes creating a loud began on the wooden floor.
Shane let out a very large – and offensive – string of swear words as he tried jumping over Claire and landing on the floor next to the couch.
His attempt at that didn’t go so well. His leg got caught in the blanket they had draped over themselves and he collapsed onto Claire, causing her to burst out in hysteric laughter. Shane looked up at Eve, and let out a fake, girly scream.
“Oh wait. Sorry, Eve.” Shane moved himself over Claire and sat on the edge of the couch, making Claire roll the other way. “It’s just you.”
“Bite me Collins,” Eve placed her hands on her hips. “At least I didn’t go all Hulk last night and kick down doors.”
“Bitch please,” Both Claire and Eve raised their eyebrows at him. “You don’t want to see what I would be like if I was big and green.”
“You’re right,” Michael said and collapsed into his armchair. “You already look like an ogre.”
Shane laughed loudly and stood up with a large sigh. He scratched the back of his head, pretended to find something and flipped Michael off. “Thanks for that man,” Shane said and gently slapped Eve across the back of her head as he passed her to make his way upstairs.
“Ass!” Eve yelled up to him and took Shane’s old seat next to Claire. Eve turned to face Claire with a large grin. “So, you and Shane okay?”
Claire sat up and she couldn’t hide the slightly scared look on her face, but come on. Eve’s smiles could be creepy when she wanted them to be. “I didn’t know that we weren’t okay?” Claire frowned a little.
“Well, I never said that,” Eve fidgeted with the ring around her finger. “But you know, after last night I kind of assumed all hell broke loose.”
Claire started to slowly nod, and she sighed. “You thought Shane was going to hit me,” Claire said matter-of-factly and bit the inside of her cheek.
“No,” Eve defended herself, but both Claire and Michael could see the slight blush build up in her cheeks. “I know Shane would never hit you, I just… I... Oh come on. It looked bad, okay?”
Claire rolled her eyes, and her eyes moved to Michael. “Did you think he was going to hit me too?”
“No,” Michael said and picked up his guitar, more to keep him from looking at Claire rather than playing it.
“Liar,” Shane said as he leant against the wall. “Come on guys, hurtful.”
“I know,” Eve sighed and she looked downright miserable. “We’re sorry. I’m sorry.”
Shane raised an eyebrow and he laughed. Actually, laughed. “Eve Rosser? Apologizing?” Shane shook his head. “Wow, that’s a first.”
“It’s Eve Glass,” Eve corrected. “Get it right, unmarried man.”
Shane’s eyes glanced quickly at Claire, and their eyes locked for a few, brief seconds before Shane looked back at Eve, recovering his cockiness as if it had never left. “Sorry dude,” Shane shrugged. “Just wait a few more years, and who knows? I might still be alive?”
Michael shrugged, and the music he was playing seemed to grow darker. All heads turned in his direction. “You might be alive,” Michael said. “Who knows about Claire?”
“Really?” Claire asked exasperated. “This whole stalker thing again? Isn’t this getting a little old?”
“Listen, I’m just saying,” Michael set down his guitar. Oh God, things were getting serious now. “We’re all worried about you, Claire.”
“I can’t stay prisoner in this house forever, Michael. I still have school and work, and I like to be able to leave and get fresh air?”
“Then it’s settled,” Michael said and stood up. “You just need an escort until all of this blows over.”
“No!” Claire exclaimed as she shot up. She was so not going through this again. “I can take care of myself. I’ll carry a baseball bat, a knife. I’ll carry Eve’s taser! I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“It’s just for a while,” Eve said.
“You were in on this?” Claire yelled. “You don’t understand. I’m eighteen now, I can make my own decisions!”
“Claire,” Shane said softly, and when she turned to look at him, his hands moved to cup her face. “We’re only trying to protect you.”
“But if it was you they wouldn’t be going through all this,” Claire’s voice lowered too, and she felt like it was just her and Shane in the room. “It’s not fair.”
“I know. But, if we lost you, we would all fall apart. We need you Claire, and you’re too important to be left in harms way.”
Claire nodded and she let out a large sigh as Shane pulled her into his arms.
Michael had the power, Eve had the attitude and determination, and Shane was the one with the courage and bravery. And that left Claire, the one holding them all together.
Shane was right; If anything happened to Claire, they would all crumble to the ground.