Lucas hesitated as he walked up to Boelyn Manor. He hadn't planned on having to see Claire today or really any time soon. He told her he needed time but he really just meant no. Maybe that was the cowards way out but it was the only way he was going to do it. Lucas wouldn't be able to say it to her because he didn't want to. He wanted her. Even after all he learned, despite how he felt about Val and what Lucas learned about her recent dealings with his friend.

Lucas still wanted her. Deeply and damn near uncontrollably.

All of which hit him like a brick as he walked up to Boelyn Manor and Claire opened the door. She wasn't expecting him, her eyes were puffy and she had her suitcase in hand. Just moments ago she'd tried for the final time to connect with Val before she dried out and got nothing. Claire had finally built up the courage to leave and here he is. Part of her wanted to scream at him. Why was he here? To torture her? She didn't need that right now. Val had done enough.

"What is it" she whispered as she wiped her tears.

"Oh... I- you're leaving?" Lucas couldn't focus properly on what he came for. He was distracted in multiple ways.

"Yea. I just figured now was as good a time as any. I initially came to see Alba and she left as soon as she found out Val was here. And then there was you but I get the feeling that that's also over so it's high time I took my leave" Claire said as she headed over to her car. Lucas was conflicted now, what could he say to get her to stay? He shouldn't say anything. It'd be selfish for him to even ask.

"Do you have to go? There's other things here you know. I mean I know the town's small but you left city life for a reason" Claire gave him a look and chuckled a bit.

"I do prefer small towns. There's a lot of noise in cities. But I'll probably just go back to the French countryside. It's nice there. Is there something wrong? I didn't expect you today" she said. Claire knew the countryside would welcome her back with open arms. It always did. It's what made it home.

Defeated Lucas nodded and looked down "Umm yea. I was taking to Quentin, did you know that Val was... eating him" Claire paused and pursed her lips. She didn't really know how to break it to him.

"Yes. I knew the moment I saw them together. I don't drink human blood so it made me much weaker than her. Without anything as she's locked away at the moment I'm stronger but at the time there's nothing I could've done that would've saved him" Lucas sighed and despite his annoyance about the secrets she chose to keep, he nodded.

"Alright. Where is she now? I wanna make sure it's taken care of as you said." Claire wanted to say no. And as she narrowed her eyes at the boy she almost did. But instead Claire gestured for him to follow her leaving her suitcase at the door and taking him to the cellar. It didn't escape Lucas how scary it was. This would be the part in the scary movie that he got himself killed but he knew he was with Claire so he should be safe.

"Val is in here. Has been for the past few days. Drying out. When vampires don't feed they go into a dormant state. She's nowhere near dormant yet but close enough so you don't have to worry about her attacking you" Claire said as they approached her cell. Sure enough there Val was crumpled in a ball in the corner. Val looked up a bit just to see them and then put her head back down.

"Finally brought me a snack Claire?" Claire sighed and pulled Lucas back a bit.

"No he just wanted to make sure you were put away. Now that you have. We're done" Claire said as she started to walk away.

"Trouble in paradise Clarie? If he's more trouble than he's worth you should eat him. Save yourself the headache" Claire kept walking even though Lucas stayed behind.

"I know what you did to Quentin" Val laughed as she slowly turned over.

"Quentin? You barely scratched the surface of me Lucas. Why don't you ask your friend Opal where her brother is?" The color drained from Lucas' face as he ran up the stairs to Claire. Val laughed as she leaned back on the wall. Now all she had to do was wait. They'd be back to ask her more questions. And when they came she'd tell them nothing until they let her out. Val was many things but resourceful was always at the top of the list. Upstairs, Lucas caught Claire at the door waiting for him as she shook her head.

"Don't listen to her Lucas. She's trying to get out" Lucas growled.

"I don't really care. If she has or had Paulie that's really what matters" Claire couldn't deny the fact that Val even mentioning him made Claire rethink what she knew about where Val and she stood. Maybe Val had more power than Claire thought.

"Fine we can check on him. After that I'm gone" Claire said finally as Lucas walked by her. Paul was top on his list. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself or ever face Opal if something happened to her brother that he couldn't explain.

He called Opal as they got into Claire's car. Opal answered on the third ring.

"Lucas?" She began.

"Hey. Yea. Just calling to check up on you. Hadn't heard from you in a bit." Opal sighed when she heard that. At least he was attempting to seem like he cared.

"Not the greatest. Paul's missing. Nothing new but still. I'm getting really sick of him just up and leaving Luc. I get it's been hard but like I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Claire listened and closed her eyes for a bit. Val knew how to ruin lives.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Look I'll see what I can do about finding him. Ask Nadine look around a bit. You'll get him back O" Opal sighed and said OK but she wouldn't get her hopes up. She knew her brother Paul didn't have anything left to give her but trouble and Opal just didn't know if she could deal anymore.

"Alright come on let's go get Val" Claire grabbed his arm.

"Wait. Let's try something else first. Just trust me" Lucas frowned and almost ignored her to go get Val anyways but instead he sat back and closed the door. This better be good.

Claire pulled up to Terrance's house and Lucas gave her a look. Claire didn't say anything just simply got out and knocked lightly. Terrance came to the door raising his eyebrows at them. He wasn't expecting to see them together today. Especially not after what happened this morning. Lucas made it seem like the goal was to avoid the girl. Terrance stepped aside and as Lucas walked in. Claire stood at the door, she couldn't go without an explicit invitation. Terrance raised an eyebrow at the girl but gestured dramatically regardless. "Come in Claire damn. Don't make us wait all day." Lucas chuckled a bit and Claire walked in. Not the first time that's happened won't be the last.

"What's up? You've got that I need a favor look" Lucas didn't know. He didn't know what they were looking for here. Paulie was cool but he and Terrance were barely friends. Paul wouldn't be here.

"We need you to do a locator spell. It'll be in your family's grimoire. Quickly we don't know how much time we have to find Paul" Terrance turned to Lucas with a glare. He felt betrayed. Lucas didn't tell Claire's secret but apparently Terrance's was open season. "He didn't say anything. I'm a vampire. I've known about your kind for a long time.  They made the ring that helps me walk in the sun. Lucas didn't have to tell me. I've known for a while now, probably before you did" Terrance froze as he took in the information. He read about them. They were in the grimoire but to see one in front of him. That was different.

"How do I know I'm not your next meal?" Claire wanted to roll her eyes.

"If I wanted to kill either of you I'd have done it a long time ago Terrance. I don't even drink human blood" this is true. She'd been a around for quite a while to suddenly murder him in his home seemed kind of spur of the moment. So Terrance nodded and closed his eyes. The book flew from the highest shelf into his hands then Terrance began to look for the spell.

•••

Meanwhile, Val focused in all the strength she had to push through to Quentin. Quentin was hanging out in the grill when he heard it.

"Quentin" she whispered to him. He frowned looking around the room unable to see her. Val growled but tried again "Quentin. I need you" this time Quentin was sure of what he'd heard and stood up walking away from his friends. Val smirked a bit and refocused her energy. If she could bring him to her that'd be everything she needed. Especially if Quentin could reach her at or a bit before sunset.

•••

With Terrance he'd had success locating Paul. A warehouse on the edge of town that'd been abandoned for years. Claire and Lucas rushed over hoping that the boy was still alive. Val was cruel for this. Leaving them to find Paul, Claire knew she'd only done it so she could get out but she didn't count on Terrance. When they got there the place was eerily quiet. You could tell a lot had happened here and none of it good. Claire could feel it. Claire grabbed Lucas and gave him a look warning him to stay back. She approached the building carefully before rushing inside. The coast was clear mostly she couldn't even hear a heartbeat. That unsettled her because it meant that Paul was dead. Because the spell led them here so Paul had to be here. If she couldn't hear him. He was definitely dead.

Lucas ran in shortly after her and Claire rolled her eyes. She put her hands on her hips and spun to face him "Really 5 minutes is that too much to ask?" Lucas shrugged.

"Yes. Now what do we got? It doesn't seem like anybody's here" Lucas said as he looked around. But their blood froze as Paul appeared behind him and grabbed his neck.

"You're just not looking hard enough bro" Paul said as he tightened his grip slightly. Claire's eyes darkened as she sneered.

"She turned you? How original" Claire said sarcastically.

"Val doesn't like to be ignored. Quentin wasn't useful so she had to switch to more... effective tactics. I'm kidding, actually she just got bored and I asked nicely" Claire had bite the inside of her cheek to stop her face from contorting into disgust.

"You deserved way more than this Paul" Claire said softly no longer angry. Now she was just filled with a great deal of pity.

"More than to live forever? To drink. To be stronger and more powerful than everything?" Val must've sold him a story about how great the life was. He didn't even know the half.

"Mmm. And how about being alone forever. Eating your sister and living with that forever. How bout being alive so long no one recognizes you? How about the hunger  the burn you feel, and to never be satisfied? How about you never having kids? Or a family of any kind at all. Humans won't accept you they barely accept themselves. This is a dead life because that is the truth of what you are. Dead. And now that you are if you're only entertainment is going to be to torture the living then you should've stayed the miserable drug addict you were before" Paul sneered but he couldn't deny how some of it had hurt. He was in fact dead now and nothing he did to Lucas would change it. Val couldn't even change it. Val upended his life and the most she could say is that she was bored and upset so she did turned him and left.

Paul threw Lucas away from him and sneered one last time at Claire "You don't know me" he said finally before he turned to walk away.

"I don't need to. I don't need to know or understand you. I just need you to understand me. Lucas and Opal fight tooth and nail for you to come home. Nadine would bend over backwards for you. You are loved and cared for. I only ask that you give them 2% of that back. If you're going to disappear, your sister deserves to hear why from you. If you're going to straighten up and rejoin them then do that. And if you need it I'll help you but only if that's honestly what you want" Claire said looking down at her shoes. Opal didn't deserve to be left so that her brother could live out his dark world fantasy. Claire had been there. It sucked on both sides. No one walks away a better person in the end.

"I don't need your help or your advice if that's what you came for then you should just go home" Paul said walking back to the corner crawled out of.

"What if I could get you something to help you walk in the sun? That sounds like the kind of thing you'd need desperately at this moment" Paul perked up at that. He slowly turned to the two and narrowed his eyes at Claire.

"What would I have to do to get it?" Claire shrugged and looked over at Lucas who was trying to hide a smirk. They just wanted him to come home.

"Come back with us. From there you decide what you're doing. Human blood, bunny blood, death. It's all a choice. Your choice" Lucas watched the exchange and second guessed his decision. Here she was despite how shitty their current situation she managed to keep her cool. Claire held her head high as she spoke to him and Paul was actually listening. As Lucas thought about it he couldn't really imagine what he could've said that would've made Paul want to come home. Lucas was glad he brought her and he definitely didn't want her to leave. So he'd have to do whatever it took to keep her. As they drove back with Paul when he inevitably decided to come home he knew what he'd do.

When they stopped finally at the Boelyn Manor he prepared himself to say what he... at this point, needed to.

"Paul's staying with me for a bit. He can't go home until he learns to control his urges. The only reason he didn't kill you when we went to get him is because I was there. If we take him home now I don't know if he'll be able to control himself. He's not happy about it but for now it seems like he understands. I shouldn't need more than a day. After I help him he'll go home and then I'll go. So... that's it then" Claire said as she got out of the car and walked over to the front door. Paul had already gone inside when they initially stopped.

"Um... Claire? Wait. Listen-" Claire shook her head already sure of what she was about to hear.

"Look you don't have-" he cut her off.

"For once could you let me get out my romantic speech! You're always interrupting" Claire stared up at him in confusion but said nothing. Lucas had stunned her into silence "I thought I needed to protect myself from you. And Val. Push this to the back of my mind or just forget it ever even happened. Then I realized that there's no space in my mind safe from you. You're... everywhere. And I can't stop wondering, if letting you leave would be one of the biggest regrets of my life. Walking away from you the day you told me the truth about everything ate at me. Then the minute you told me that you were gonna leave I... I really just started to panic. I need you Claire. Here with me. So if I'm not too late will you stay?" Claire couldn't control the tears that welled up in her eyes. In that moment she knew she loved him. Claire didn't know if he'd ever feel the same or if it made sense for her to love him the way she did but she did. And when she pulled Lucas in for a heated kiss it cemented that feeling in her heart forever.

Claire wouldn't tell him. She'd wait until he felt it... if he ever did. Hopefully he would. Claire didn't know if she could bare Lucas never feeling the same about her. Looking at him now, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his warmth. How could she not? 

Lucas just felt complete like there was nothing that could happen that could ruin his moment. He had the girl he'd been fiendishly dreaming about. Lucas didn't think he'd ever need more. He didn't think too much about exactly what he felt and what it meant he just soaked it in and wrapped his arms tight around her burying himself in their kiss. Tonight he wouldn't let her go and he hoped she didn't ask him to.

•••

From a distance Val watched the two her blood boiling at the sight. Despite her efforts they still ended up together? She would have to fix that, she didn't want to have to but they've left her with no choice. Now she'd have to go all the way. Let's see them make it through what she had planned next.