It was now the summer of 1838, and Sebastian had run Raven’s Loft during the daylight hours for Claire without any significant problems thus far. Although each night when she came in to take over for the closing hours, the questioning looks the attractive seventeen year old kept gracing her with were getting harder and harder to ignore. That warm July night Claire had just finished closing the tavern and tallying up any profit they had made that day, before leaving her office and preparing to head back to the estate for the night. As she exited the office, she moved past the still open door of the room Sebastian had claimed as his own when she had first offered him his position.

Moving past the doorway, she noted him sitting atop his bed in the dim light of a single candle, looking as though he were deep in thought. She smiled as she peered through the doorway and spoke, “having trouble sleeping?”

Sebastian looked up at her with that ever present combination of attraction and confusion before quietly responding “I guess so.”

“It’s nearing three. I was just about to head home. But it’s a good thing you are still awake; I forgot to tell you earlier that I’ll probably be coming in later tomorrow. It’s Sean’s birthday” she added with a small smile.

Sebastian swallowed a slight lump at the reminder that she was indeed married, considering all the thoughts her magnetism and his age kept allowing into his head about her each time he saw her. He then realized that he was awkwardly silent and quickly added, “really? How old will he be?” he asked as he watched her closely for her reaction to that question; as Claire’s apparent youth was just one of the mysteries that plagued him about her each night.

Claire allowed her own awkward smile as she tried to find the best answer to that, “four years older than me” she stated wryly.

“And how old might you be?” Sebastian couldn’t stop his curiosity from forcing him to press.

Claire let out a soft sigh as she realized that once again, spending time around mortals did always prove to be problematic sooner or later. She held her smile though as she replied, “how old do I look?”

Sebastian allowed an ever so slightly frustrated sigh of his own before answering, “a lot younger than you should look if you really knew my father back before he even got his medical degree; which was over twenty years ago. I somehow doubt that you had the means to help him when you were barely even ten years old, if that” he dared as he watched her warily.

That was when Claire let out a heavier sigh as she glanced at the clock, knowing Sean would worry if she weren’t home at her usual time; however, this was a question that Sebastian had obviously been pondering ever since the first time they had met, back when he was only thirteen himself.

“What all did your father explain to you about me?” Claire asked as she took a small step through the doorway.

“Like I said, not a lot. He said you helped him back when he was only a few years older than I am now. And he said that all the people like my sister were raised to hate people like you. But he never ever explained what ‘people like you’ even meant. And I can’t help wondering about that, considering I know what ‘people like Sophie’ means” he told her with desperation to make sense of it all.

Claire braced herself as she slowly moved forward, adopting that hypnotic tone on her first sentence, “the most important thing you need to remember about me, Sean and our friends is that we always try as best we can to never deliberately hurt others” she paused a moment before returning to her normal cadence, “and hurting others is what Sophie’s kind believe we do. And it’s not a very accurate belief about those of us living here at any rate. And that belief is the main reason your father never wanted to raise you with those who would try to teach you that way of thinking. It’s that sort of thinking that cost the lives of my friends, and even your own mother when she tried to kill me without ever meeting or knowing me at all” she finished sadly at the mention of what had happened to the boy’s mother, as well as at the fact of bringing up his now departed father as well.

“And what are people like you?” Sebastian forced himself to ask at last, though in a hesitant whisper.

“You nearly died, four years ago; but your father saved you” she paused as she braced herself further, “I did die, many years ago; but someone else saved me. And the way they saved me also made it so I wouldn’t age ever again either. Which is why I did know your father twenty-five years ago; and I was the same age then as I am now. At least in appearance anyway” she added with another faint though worried smile.

“You’re a vampire?” he whispered as he looked equal parts fearful and curious somehow.

“And you can’t ever tell anyone that” she told him in the same compulsory tone, and then moved on, “and remember how I started this conversation; I’ve never deliberately hurt anyone. None of us here ever try to hurt others if we don’t absolutely have to. If we did, then it would be pretty hard to keep our existence a secret at all” she attempted another smile, then added, “Sean’s job is actually to keep all of us who ever come to this town from ever endangering the mortals around us, and therefore endangering ourselves in the process. And that’s why I’m telling you that you can never let anyone know what we really are. They would think the worst, just like your sister’s people, without ever knowing the truth; which is what I’m telling you now.”

“You need blood to live though?” Sebastian swallowed a slight lump in his throat after a long silence before he even made himself ask the question.

“Yes. But I don’t need to kill for blood. I don’t even need human blood, honestly” she assured him.

“You’ve never killed anyone then?” Sebastian had to ask for the sake of his own peace of mind.

Claire looked down a long moment, “only accidentally; and that was a long time ago” she added with obvious regret.

“And the Garou believe you’re all evil?” Sebastian added with another shaky breath.

“Garou?” Claire repeated, as unfamiliar with that word as most non-vampires were with the word Kindred, which is how the Camarilla vampires had always preferred to refer to themselves.

“Werewolves” Sebastian supplied quietly as he looked down again.

Claire allowed a slight smile, “so the werewolves call themselves Garou, like we call ourselves Kindred” she returned. She then continued, “yes, from what I understand, all were—Garou, believe every vampire, or Kindred, is an evil monster before ever even meeting any of us.”

“You know how I feel about them, but have you met any Garou either?” he had to return.

“No” she admitted, and then added, “but I don’t know any Kindred who have. Any of us that have ever met any werewolf were killed by them immediately as far as I know; like my friends when your uncle saw them” she added sadly.

“Did my dad tell you it was my uncle?” Sebastian had to know.

“My husband can see what happened in a place by touching something that was there; that’s how we knew what happened to our friends. Only later did we find out that the werewolf who did it was Kristofer’s brother” she stated sadly.

“Your husband’s a seer of some kind?” he swallowed another lump.

“We both have the ability to sense or see certain things; but it doesn’t work in exactly the same ways for both of us” she informed with another attempt at a smile, despite the sticking points between her and Sean over certain of those abilities; but those were not a story for this precise moment.

“Can all vampires do that?”

“The ones in our clan can” she smiled.

“Clan?” Sebastian repeated.

“The reason you hear so many different tales about what we can and can’t do is because there are different types of Kindred. The ones that have the same type of traits and abilities are called a clan. Sean and I are from the same clan” she added with another slight smile.

“Are other clans worse? Do other clans kill?” Sebastian made himself ask after hearing that bit of information.

Claire sighed again, “just like humans there are good and bad vampires; after all, we all started as humans. And I think the reason people assume we are evil is because it is easier to kill when you have our abilities. But there are just as many of us who want to live in peace with the humans, and not hunt them for pleasure or any other reason. That’s the kind of Kindred that all of us here try to be” she then added for further weight, “and my husband’s job is actually to enforce that. A long time ago there was a vampire here who wanted to kill humans just because he could. We worked together to get rid of him and any of those who may have agreed with him. We police ourselves to keep all of us safe and able to live in peace among humans” she assured once more.

Sebastian was quiet another long moment before he spoke again, “but if there are good and bad vampires, then I guess there has to be good and bad Garou too?”

“Just like there are good and bad humans” she repeated, then moved on “we just don’t want to be judged by the bad ones; which is why I’m explaining that we aren’t all bad or good, just like humans aren’t either, and I suppose different Garou must be both good and evil too” she forced herself to allow the possibility.

“But Sean’s job is like the law keeper for your kind; the one who keeps them from hurting humans?” Sebastian had to ask for that final clarification.

“Exactly” she smiled.

“And that’s why he wanted my family gone; to protect the good vampires who live here?” Sebastian added, seeming to be slowly understanding what she was telling him. Of course, the fact that most humans were drawn to and wanted to please someone with Claire’s sort of presence and magnetism may have been helping her argument a great deal as well.

“Exactly” she repeated with an only slightly sadder smile at the further mention of his now lost family.

There was another long moment of quiet between them as Sebastian sighed softly, “it’s hard to accept all you say just because you’re saying it. But I know you helped me and my dad, and never tried to hurt me or anyone else that I’ve seen; which is more than I can say for certain members of my own family” he added in a broken whisper.

“All I can do is try to spend every night proving the truth of what I’ve told you” Claire stated softly, “all you have to do is keep my existence a secret and allow me that chance to prove it at all” she smiled again as she gently touched his shoulder before giving him another smile and heading back home, hoping that she had been convincing enough to keep them all safe after all.

“Happy 274th birthday” Claire greeted Sean with a smile as she entered their bedroom that night.

“274?” Sean shook his head; “should I be worried about gray hair by now?” he chuckled.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll have to check” Claire told him in a slightly sultry tone as she began removing her boots and moved closer to the bed where Sean was sitting with a wry smile in response to her words.

“So we’re starting the celebration two hours before dawn then?” Sean smirked as she finished with the boots and began removing the long light jacket she wore over her dress that night.

“Have something better to do?” she teased as she moved to the bed with him.

“Judging by the tone of your voice, I’d have to say no” Sean smiled back at her as she moved to begin unbuttoning his shirt.

“Good, just sit there and enjoy my attentions, birthday boy” she teased.

“I think boy stopped applying after the first couple hundred years” Sean smirked again as he watched her fingers reach the final button.

“Hush, you” she smiled again as she began pulling the shirt down his arms.

“Oh is this dominant Claire tonight?” he teased back.

“See last comment” Claire smiled as she dropped the shirt off the edge of the bed and gently ran her fingers back up his arms.

“If you’re just going to bite me, I think you could have done…” he began only to be shushed by her smiling lips again.

Having successfully piqued Sean’s interest enough to quiet him, Claire allowed her fingertips to complete their journey from his hands to his shoulders as she leaned in ever so slightly to gently run her mouth over his neck. Easily giving in to whatever she wished to do with him that night, Sean laid his head back, his smiling eyes just watching to see what exactly that would be.

Ever since the night Thomas had forced that intimacy with Kristofer upon her, the two had been distant for twelve long years. Then for the last five, they had at least been sharing their equally passionate Kiss with one another on most nights. However they had not made love in the manner they had during their mortal days since before her terrifying night under the dock that had ultimately led to Rose’s death.

Claire then moved to trail her fingers over his chest, ribcage and stomach, taking in every inch of his flawless beauty that she did still desire just as much as she had when she had been an eighteen year old mortal girl who had fallen in both love and lust for the first time in her life; and very well the last time, despite what Minna may have hinted at all those years ago.

Surprising Sean further, her lips soon followed the trail of her fingers over his alabaster skin. He slowly allowed himself to consider the possibility that maybe after seventeen long years; she was finally ready to be intimate in that more physical way with him once more. Though he forced himself to simply lie back and wait for her to make that completely apparent, not wanting to spoil the possibility by acting on it before he was sure that was indeed what she had in mind. It was true that he could pull that answer from her head, but he refused to let himself; instead settling for the hope that her aura and actions were continuing to give him.

His composure was shaken further when she finished the kisses she was placing over his flat stomach and let her fingers begin unbuttoning his trousers. He swallowed as his eyes continued to watch her, his hope continuing to grow at the idea that maybe, just maybe she was ready to trust again.

It was only a few more moments before his clothing had become a thing of the past, and Claire had eased him down to the mattress. She moved to lie down next to him, though she herself was still fully clothed. Claire then turned him to his side, causing a slightly questioning smile from Sean; but he made no protests, verbal or otherwise.

She then took many more long moments running her fingers down his back and over that perfect behind, her kisses following each of her caresses, savoring every inch of the body she had lusted after for nearly two and a half centuries. Even when they were in those occasional periods of physical distance, it was still Sean’s body in her mind each and every night, whether he was next to her or not.

At last, she guided him onto his back again as she let her fingers once more move over that nearly invisible trail of hair that led from his navel downward. Sean couldn’t help a small chuckle, but made no other move aside from smiling as he watched her take such enjoyment in his body. Again, her mouth followed after her fingers as she placed gentle kisses over his abdomen, all the while keeping all of her own clothing, as well as all of her power in this scenario.

Once she let her hand come down and wrap her fingers around him, Sean finally allowed some reaction of his own as he took that clear cue and hardened beneath her fingers. That was when Claire simply smiled up at him as she began caressing him with her hand as her kisses continued across his stomach.

It was only after Sean’s body began trembling ever so slightly at those continued caresses that Claire finally reached down, pulling her own undergarment free from underneath the long skirt. Sean smiled up at her, at last receiving his answer about whether she was now truly ready to re-open that chapter of their marriage once again. Returning his smile, Claire moved to a place atop his hips and did give him that answer definitively, as she slid him inside her for the first time in way too long.