Chapter 16

"What are you talking about?" Shane shouted. The secret room door opened again. Amelie and Myrnin stepped out. "Jesus, about time!"

"We were trying to plan the best attack without Claire getting hurt or you and your friends being shot as soon as you open the doors." Amelie said calmly. "Myrnin's set up a way to get blood back into Claire's system."

"I wish she'd stay as a vampire." Myrnin thought out loud. "It can be quite fun."

As Claire's vision began to fade, she saw Dean's hand move behind his back, where his gun was. "Shane!" She tried to shout but it came out as a whisper.

"I'm here, Claire." Shane told her. He didn't understand. She couldn't tell him, her voice wasn't working properly.

Dean aimed it at Shane's head. Then he pulled the trigger. Eve screamed out of shock and Michael turned to see what was going on. Shane froze in alarm... Amelie pounced like a tiger and bit Dean so viciously that he died instantly. Claire guessed if she had enough time, Amelie would have slowly tortured him to death.

Myrnin fell to his knees beside Shane and then he fell on his back. There was a hole burning through his head. "I hope it isn't silver." He laughed and then went as still as ice.

"Quickly," Amelie ordered, "get Claire into the secret room, whilst I deal with this mess. Jason, are you hungry?"

"Very." That was a simple answer enough.

"Please," Claire choked, "... broken ankle... leave." She hoped they got the message and Claire passed out as Shane carried her into the secret room.

When Claire woke up, she wasn't a vampire. She could feel her human heart beating and she didn't crave blood. No she craved hotdogs and chilli. She felt the bandage pull at the skin on her neck. Her head was on Shane's lap. When he noticed she was awake, he helped her sit up right.

"I feel sick..." Claire couldn't exactly run to throw up.

"Thought you might," Eve handed her a bin.

Claire looked around the room. Amelie was sitting up straight in a chair, watching her. Myrnin was sitting next to her with a circular wound in the middle of his forehead. "What happened to you?" Claire asked, not being able to guess.

"I got shot in the head." Myrnin shrugged. "The head is the best place to get shot in... It's more fun." Myrnin was definitely crazy. "Turns out that Dean did not use silver bullets as his friend Jason Rosser was a vampire."

"Everyone else?" Claire asked with a hoarse voice. "Coffee Bar Vampire Jerk? Ian? Dean? The boy?"

"Claire, take a drink first." Michael handed her a glass of water, which she gulped down the moment it touched her lips.

"Coffee Bar Vampire Jerk and Dean have been... taken care of. Ian is cleaning up the mess that was left in the hallway." Amelie said with an undertone of relief. "The boy you asked me to leave - the one with the broken ankle - has been arrested and is ordered to tell us every victim and then is being banished back to his home town. If he ever returns to Morganville, every vampire and police officer has the right to use force to stop him." At least he's not dead, Claire thought.

Claire hadn't noticed Jason standing in the corner of the room, so she jumped when he said, "I'm sorry, Claire."

"Jason, what happened?"

"I tried to warn you in the janitor's closet. I saw you awake on the couch and tried to stall Dean so you could arm yourself. Then you changed the game plan. Instead of letting me take him out when he was just about to shoot you; he made me turn you into a vamp. I tried to stop before you turned into one but the hunger was too strong. When I let go, you were turning. Amelie had to suck all the blood in your body except from a small amount that'd keep you alive until we got some fresh blood in you." Jason explained. "That's why she brought her own blood. I made her get your blood."

"What about the baby part?" Shane asked as his arms wrapped around Claire tensed up.

"She was pregnant. And I had to risk killing the baby to save Claire." Jason sighed. "I'll help Ian clean up the mess."

Myrnin's wound was almost completely healed. He perked up, walked over to Eve and whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened and she scurried out of the room.

Michael shrugged and then asked, "but I thought the doctor said you had lost the baby, Claire?"

"He did."

"Yes, he did." Amelie spoke gently, "I made him tell her that. I knew what the threat was and needed her full concentration. I made the doctor lie."

They all stared at her. But Claire asked, "so why did I bleed?"

"Claire," Amelie crossed her legs, "that can happen when a woman is pregnant. In the early signs of pregnancy, due to the change of hormones - especially when the woman is... - what's the term - due on her period, she can experience bleeding. It's very natural to experience bleeding during the early stages of pregnancy."

Myrnin shook his head. "And you call yourself a scientist, Claire."

"Actually, I don't. And I know more about Physics than Biology." Claire pointed out. Then tried to tell herself the situation out loud, "so I was pregnant, even when I had the 'miscarriage' but now I am not because I nearly got turned into a vampire and all my blood was drained?"

"Exactly." Michael smiled at how their lives were still complicated about something that should be simple.

An hour later, Claire felt a little better and was able to walk. Ian said thank you and went home; Jason disappeared, but they knew he'd back to visit the next time they were in trouble. Michael was playing Shane at zombies, when Eve came home.

"Where did you disappear to?" Michael asked as he paused the game.

"Just popped into town." She threw a bag in Claire's lap. Claire looked inside and opened her mouth but Eve cut her off, "just try it; trust me."

Claire took the bag with her and went into the bathroom upstairs. She took the box out of the bag and opened it up. She read the instructions and followed them. As she waited for her results, Claire wondered why Eve went out and had bought her a pregnancy test.