Stefan POV-

The lights of the television studio were blinding and he could almost feel the heat produced by them as they heated up the body under his tuxedo.

He always got nervous being in front of a camera, or a person, or just any kind of interaction with something that could see through him and poke around for information.

Thats why his lab was his natural habitat in which he could spend the rest of his days in.

Nevertheless, things were different somehow.

Unlike last time Stefan had been in front of the world, this time he felt rather calm despite that fact.

By this point in time, the world already knew almost everything about him so there was no need to be nervous about keeping things hidden.

There was also the fact that most of the world had already drawn up their conclusions of him, most of them being hatred, and nothing he said would likely change that.

There was a serenity in knowing that he didn't have to strive for the world to love him, at the end of the day it didn't much matter what strangers though. What mattered was to bring Claire back.

He didn't need the world's approval to do that.

As an added bonus, having the rest of the Mianite crew with him made it seem less like a police interrogation and more like a couple of friends talking to one another.

They had all arrived a bit early, well, all except for Tucker. No matter, he would arrive soon enough.

Stefan and the rest were sitting on the dark blue couch before the cameras waiting patiently for all to arrive and for the practice runs to begin. In the meantime, they had been brought a few snacks and make up specialist came by them every now and then to pester them about touching up their make up.

Like Stefan would care what he looked like.

Still, he let the petite blond powder his face and fix the lose strands of his hair without any complaint to everyone's bewilderment.

"There, you're very handsome" the make up artist said giving him big bright smile

He heard Tom holler from his seat next to him but didn't dare looks his direction and the girl blushed and waited expectantly.

For what?

Stefan nodded his thanks to her and turned back to his phone. Good, Claire was still ok.

When he was no longer being attacked by make up powder that went up his nose, he ended up talking with Thomas, whom he had the great 'honor' of sitting next to thanks to Tucker's tardiness.

So far, the conversation had been easy to follow, Thomas had asked about mundane facts such as the weather or places to eat at. He also did most of the talking, Stefan only added a few nods or two word sentence replies every now and then.

Until they had an hour left before the show aired.

"Yo mate! What did you think about Claire's break up. That was intense stuff and a reality tv gold mine" Thomas said in between bites of his strawberry jam covered croissant.

What a messy eater he was...

In regards to his question, he was very pleased with that turn of events but not how they had gone about.

The world never got to see the betrayal, they never noticed that it was Dianite who had chased them to that cliff. Even if they had known, how could they have warned her. It was a situation in which the world was equally as shocked as her.

Even those who seemed to favor the relationship were silenced by that course of action the god took.

When she was locked up....he wanted to phase through his phone and get her out. He wanted to rip Dianite apart for putting her in another cage just as his followers had before.

That day, Stefan had been driving to the studio when it happened and almost crashed his car when he saw the feed on his phone.

He pulled over to the side of the freeway and just stared at her suffer in that cell for what seemed like hours.

Claire's mom and sister had been driving to the studio as well and were near his location then, so they pulled over and joined him in the car and just watched Claire process everything.

Claire was crying for a while but Stefan didn't think she noticed, they could have been tears of anger given her screaming and destruction of furniture but Stefan knew better. She was hurt. She was blaming herself for not doing things differently, for not being able to see what that would become.

He could see the pain of losing the pirates weighing on her as well, the fact that she failed to protect people that weren't hers to protect.

He knew because thats how he felt about her, the blame and the pain.

Every time she smashed wood against the wall or tore up that red and gold carpet, Claire's mom flinched next to him as she cried for her daughter.

"What did they do to my baby!?" her mom would scream every now and then

It wasn't the first time he saw her suffer, but he couldn't stand seeing the poor woman cry helplessly. He did his best to comfort her, but it wasn't an area he was particularly skilled in.

So he awkwardly dried her tears with his tie and gave her his suit jacket to keep her warm from the rainy cool weather outside. Eventually he watched the live footage from a distance away from both of the girls.

There was no use in having them see their daughter suffer. But he had to see it, he was partially to blame for Claire's state.

As the hours went by, his worry increased.

Dianite hadn't gone to get her out....

That bastard hadn't figured out his mistake yet, and no one had gone to rescue her.

He saw her refuse her meals and focus on her anger to ignore the pain. He observed as she looked for a way out, he knew there was none because he had looked frantically as well.

Jordan and Sonja had called at some point but Stefan never dared take his eyes of the screen. Claire's sister had answered with a calm and composed voice. Unlike her mom, she was calm, upset at her sister's state of course, but she never flinched or shed a single tear.

After her call with Jordan and Sonja, he asked her why she was so composed.

"Because she will be fine. In the streams, Jordan was never captured, he still met the pirates and did all this other crazy stuff." the girl had said with a determined smile.

Stefan wanted to correct her then, he wanted to tell her that things weren't like the streams at all. The chain of events were different and there was a chance that with the pirates gone, things would take a different turn. But he had grown very fond of the girl, he cared for her like an younger sister. Breaking her hope would do no good to anyone.

So he watched and watched until Claire's mom couldn't take it any longer and decided to drive back home to see her husband. With a hug and kiss to both, he drove back to his place as well since the interview had thankfully been cancelled.

On his way back he witnessed news on billboards about the current events of Claire's life as well as radio news on the matter. What finally made him lose his cool and pull over once again was that people thought Claire had gone crazy when her behavior was not justifiable.

People raved about the events and actions without taking into account the feelings inside her. They didn't look for the things they couldn't see. Most didn't bother looking past her anger.

He saw other flinch when she ripped apart furniture or screamed Dianite's name to the heavens as loud as she could.

People on the street said things like "She did that to herself" or "Thats what she gets". That made him step on the gas pedal and head as far away from others as he possibly could.

Once home, he spent the rest of the night watching as she calmed down, speaking to his phone as if she could hear him.

"Just breathe"

"It's ok, I'm right here"

"You'll be alright, no one can hurt you"

"You're not alone"

He repeated that over and over in the hopes that she could listen. All throughout the night he never left her side, same for the rest of the nights of her imprisonment. He knew how dangerous being left alone to your thoughts could be, he just wished she wasn't like that.

Going back to Tom's question, he wasn't sure how to answer. He HAD been happy that they had broken up, but he had been worried sick for days until her escape. He had cried and begged the other gods to help her, to get her out.

He had kept in touch with her family and had them over at the lab for those days (well all except her dad of course, he still hated him) just to keep them company. During those days he also worked like crazy on the machines to get her back, that is until he collapsed from exhaustion.

"Im glad she escaped that monster" he replied simply, it would do no good to tell Tom just how much it had recked him to see her like that and not be able to do anything.

"Honestly, I thought their relationship would work out just fine but your right Stef, its good that she's out. I was worried Claire's parents would lose their minds. At least we get to see them today" Tom replied, once again feasting on his free food and nudging Stefan with his free elbow.

The world stopped as he realized a fact he had been ignoring all day....

They would be there.....her father would be there.

The one man in the world that wanted him dead more than anything.

As if being able to decipher the inner panic Stefan was suffering from, Jordan spoke up from the other side of the room.

"It's fine dude, we got your back. Her father wont lay a finger on you" Jordan said confidently.

Stefan nodded his thanks and turned back to his phone just in time to see his double receiving a drink.

"Ohhh!!!!! I wonder what you're gonna say!!!" Tom said as he scooted closer to him.

"That's not me Thomas" he replied angrily

Luckily for him, the feed was projected onto the screen before them for all to see, and Thomas returned back to his spot a few inches away from Stefan's personal space.

"Would she actually forgive him after letting get locked up?" Sonja said from her side of the couch.

"Of course, don't you think she would have killed him by now if she had him? Or maybe she hates him so much that she wants him to live and suffer!" Tom said

Though he wasn't Furia, Tom's words stung, as if Claire's anger was towards him.

He didn't want to hear any of that conversation, he didn't want to know how far that anger went. Instead of listening, he took out his phone and checked up on Claire's mom.

She texted back almost immediately saying they were almost there.

Just as he was about to text back he heard screaming

Thomas......

"The pirates!!!! It's him!!! Capsize's brother!!!!!" Tom screamed out loud

Looked like Claire's sister had been correct after all. All should stay on course now that at least one fo the pirates lives.

Sure enough, there he was....in her home...with a weapon?

All stopped what they were doing and watched as the man approached her.

"Oh! Is he there to set her up with his sister?! Do you think she's into that?" Sonja asked no one in particular "I for one already ship them"

Before anyone could comment, their atmosphere changed. It was as if Claire and the pirate knew each other, as if they had a connection and pre established trust.

With Claire's experiences on Mianite she would have not responded the way she did...how odd.

Once he got close and they began to... touch ...each other, something went off inside his head.

"Wow he's good looking!" Tom exclaimed to bother Stefan

The pirate HAD to be good looking huh.......the gods were definitely out for Stefan.

As if the world didn't want to disturb him enough, everything got crazy....

The pirate was the prisoner Claire had spoken to! AND AS IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, HE WAS CAPSIZE!!!!

The one and only Capsize, the one whom Jordan from the streams had apparently almost married.

Thomas screamed so loud he fell of the couch, the rest were just immobilized with disbelief.

"Well then. The news crew want to do a report on this so instead of having the interview in a few hours we'll have it in the afternoon. Feel free to rest up till then" The guy uncharge said casually as he nervously reattached the buttons of his tuxedo.

Good, because Stefan wasn't sure he was breathing.

Luckily, other Thomas showed up and interrupted any further developments the pirate could have made.

Then it hit him...

Did he just meet Claire's future husband?

Tucker arrived shortly after that, once Claire was on her way back from the priest's house.

That had been an interesting ordeal. The gods and their games...

And that plan...

Tucker came in with phone in hand, watching his old streams to see what kind of stuff would happen in Claire's future with Capsize.

As he and the others refreshed their memories, Stefan just stared at the giant screen in disbelief.

Jordan shook him out of his thoughts after a while, shoving food onto his hands until Jordan's mom arrived and she took over that particular job.

Claire's father was in another room, apparently he had a few questions about the broadcast.

Good, he could eat in peace for a while.

It remained that way until few hours later when they were doing the final preparations for the show to air. Claire had finally fallen asleep after...she had a moment.

Seeing her cry...

Everyone in the room had stopped and hugged her family and so had he, because they all knew how they felt or pretended they did.

Stefan knew that it was then that the world realized this wasn't really a game or just a 'reality tv show', this was a girl having to overcome all these issues and finally breaking down.

It was then that he saw it in people's eyes, unlike the other day when he saw citizens criticize her or when he heard on the news that it had all been on her, now they realized just how much weight this had.

After they heard her declarations with the priest of how she would fight her broken heart for the good of others, people failed to realize how much that must have hit her.

Stefan had known.

It took all his might not to cry along with her family because he knew he wasn't worthy of doing so.

Despite that turn of events, the make up artists began to fix everyone's make up and hide all trace of sadness.

Minutes before the broadcast started, he reached for the hands of Claire's mom and sister and squeezed them reassuringly for a brief moment. He knew they were nervous and would love nothing more than to return to their bakery, but they would speak up for their daughter... and so he would support them however he could.

Then, Claire's father arrived and sat on the chair behind the couch on the left side, placing a hand on both of his family member's shoulders not bothering to acknowledge Stefan.

Next to Claire's father was Tucker, then Sonja, and finally Jordan at the end. All sitting on the high chairs behind the couch.

On the couch, Claire's little sister sat just below her father followed by her mom and then himself and Tom sitting on the closest side to the table with the host.

Once the bright lights came on once more, music began to play, and the camera lights turned on.

"Welcome all back to the show! I have some very important guests with me today and we will be talking about everything thats been happening as of late" The host said with a bright smile

As Stefan listened to the host rant about his business he could feel a gaze from behind him piercing daggers into his soul.

What a day it will be...

*****

Claire POV-

Granted, she may have overreacted.

The initial shock of his appearance shook her to the core, but it was his words that tore into her.

Of course that guy wasn't her brother, but the dismissal and coldness of his actions reminded her of what their sibling relationship was like back on earth.

Perhaps that could be him, they acted the same way right?

Indifferent. Cold.

After his words she ran blind to wherever her legs would carry her, that place happened to be a closet on the third floor of her house.

All her mind gathered was the wood slabs of the floor as she ran with tears clouding most of her line of sight.

Then her hand reached for the cold metal handle and she collapsed inside the small closet, barely big enough for two of her.

There was no light in there, but every since she arrived in Mianite, mundane fears such as the dark had vanished almost completely.

It wasn't the darkness in the closet that was making her shiver, no...it was the guy two floors down who looked just like her brother.

That wasn't Mason!

Jordan pulled up her legs closer and hugged them tight, using her knees to cover the sounds of her sobs as best she could.

After a while of crying she calmed down enough to gather the scent of fresh wood from the closet, to be able to count the dent marks on the wooden wall before her, and to realize how silly she was.

A knock came from the door, it was so soft she almost missed it.

"I'm coming in" said a voice she was now familiar with, Ezra's voice.

A few rays of sunshine bleed through when he opened the door, temporarily blinding her swollen eyes. When the light hit them it was like she was being shot in the head, her temples were screaming in agony.

She must have shown it because suddenly the light was gone and darkness filled the small space once again.

Jordan assumed Ezra had taken one look at her and decided to leave, but she heard rustling in the closet, right next to where she was.

When she fully opened her eyes, she saw Ezra was awkwardly trying to sit down before her, but her legs were taking to much space for him to properly bend down.

Once she brought her legs closer to herself, Ezra sat across from her in the same position she was, it somehow made him seem younger.

He gathered his sword belt and placed it at the very end of the closet to their right, leaning against the far wall casually.

At first he was quiet, probably wondering if she would start sobbing again like a child.

To her surprise, he gathered her hands in his and held them tight between them.

"Rupert is...he's a good man you know? He is a very honorable member of Ian...I mean , of the naval vessel forces. he practically took us all in when our home was destroyed. I guess the reason I'm bringing this up is because I want you to know he meant no harm" Ezra said, almost mumbling

He was trying so hard to say the right thing, she could tell.

Capsize probably didn't have to deal with crying girls all the time, or he just didn't know how to handle it.

Jordan combed her hair back and straightened her back a bit, looking up at him.

She did her best attempt at a smile and noticed their hands were one again intertwined, and they were so close together in her little closet that their legs and feet were touching as well.

Suddenly she took in the whole picture, she was in a closet with a guy who had a friend that looked like her brother, was a pirate, and....and was supposed to be her betrothed if she remembered the streams correctly?

Yeah, she had had enough of relationships after Dianite, that last thought was not likely to happen.

Her body didn't seem to get the picture because she felt her cheeks and ears go blazing red with embarrassment. Thank goodness the closet was so dark...