When Lucian made the determination that there was no real physical reason why Eliot should have lost consciousness a week earlier, he and Claire somberly returned to the main hall once again. Claire took a forlorn seat on one of the couches, still not sure whether she was angry at Eliot or terrified for him. But the longer he was gone, the more and more that opinion did tend to lean toward the latter.

Lucian muffled a sigh before moving to the nearby bar and pouring himself a glass of red. Noting him pouring that drink, Claire spoke up, “I could call a servant for you if you want.”

“I’ll manage,” was his only response as he took a long sip.

Claire finally remembered what little etiquette she could then and made herself speak again. “Judging by how little time it took you to get here, I’m guessing you didn’t actually go all the way back to England after all?”

“Nothing left for me there” was his crisp yet quiet response.

Claire swallowed and made herself ask, “so, you did find out what happened to Lenore then?”

Lucian turned back to her quickly, his dark eyes somehow growing even darker for the briefest of moments. “Would you like to talk about your dead daughter, Claire?”

Claire quickly looked down, “I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to ask.” Her words were barely a whisper then. She tried to regain her composure and rushed on to a less painful question. “So, where have you been these last few years then?”

Lucian just shook his head and took another drink, but allowed the subject change. “Santa Maria.”

Claire's eyes snapped back to him, “Isn’t that where Baron and Awsha were running things after we forced them out of the city?”

“Well the Camarilla has plans to claim it now” was the only answer he offered.

“I know but...” she shook her head. “Do you have any idea if they're still there, or where they went if they're not?”

“Do you honestly think that I would ever want to keep in touch with that woman? How would I know where the fuck she is these days?” he stated, his anger only ever breaking past that inherent charm of his when the woman who had taken both he and his daughter’s lives was mentioned. And it was an understandable reaction and one Claire shared, even though Awsha had taken much less from her than she had taken from Lucian even.

After a long moment, Claire spoke again. “I’m sorry, again. I should know better than to bring her up. I just... I’m sorry” she repeated softly.

Lucian sighed in what almost sounded like resignation then. “Well she is, as you said, family. An unwanted member though she may be, her name is bound to come up once or twice a century.”

“I just can’t help wondering where you would be right now if I had never gone to England and she had never seen me there somehow” Claire stated softly.

Lucian gave her a rather mournful look before speaking again. “I may have been wrong about our kind having no need of doctors. Unfortunately I don’t think I’m the proper sort in this case.”

“In what case?” Claire asked worriedly.

“Never mind,” he mumbled and simply took another sip of his drink.

There was another long moment of silence then. Claire continued to be lost in her own mind, as was usual for her, especially in the nights since she very nearly brought herself to the point of true death at last. Lucian continued to try his best to get lost in his drink. And intoxicating as any kind of blood was for them, the glass full of animal blood he was making his way through had no real ability to dull his thoughts the way a variety of human drinks could do for the mortals they both used to be.

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When he reached the bottom of the glass and set it back upon the bar with a sigh, he looked back toward Claire, who was still lost inside that pretty head of hers. “Since I’m here now and all...” he began as he moved to take a seat next to her on the rich red upholstery.

“Pardon?” she looked quickly back up at him as he took the seat, making it obvious she likely hadn’t even heard his words.

“Since I’m here now,” he repeated with more volume and continued, “I suppose we should address the fact that the way I left wasn’t really ideal for any involved.”

“Pardon?” Claire repeated, not sure where he was going with this particular subject.

Lucian shook his head again, “I had a bit of a row with your lovely Prince over your lovely mage pet?”

“Why does everyone keep calling him that?” Claire mumbled, more to herself as she looked away.

But Lucian moved on, “and the way I left things with you wasn’t exactly ideal either” he made himself admit.

“Lucian...”

“I did get one last jab in, about that one good night when I spoke to Sean. But it was mainly just to get one more rise out of him. Punishment for not taking any of my worries seriously. Childish I suppose, but alas, we all have our moments, even after our deaths it seems.”

“It’s been years, Lucian, I doubt Sean even remembers his conversation with you. Or cares about it if he does. He’s got way too many other things to worry about here and now, and in the future, to spend much time worrying over a fight he had with his nephew years ago” Claire attempted to assure.

Lucian couldn’t help a smirk, “well, dear cousin, as much as I probably should care what my Princely uncle thinks, I was more concerned with trying to smooth over things between you and I.”

Claire almost allowed a shadow of a smile, “I suppose I would be your cousin, in vampiric terms. We have very strange lives. Or rather, unlives I suppose.”

“Well you have been shagging your daddy for three hundred years now, haven’t you?” he couldn’t help teasing.

“Oh stop” Claire shook her head as if to push the thought away.

“Does he ever actually make you call him daddy? I’ve always wondered.”

“I said stop!” she had to actually force down the tiniest giggle then. She then retaliated, “and tell me, exactly how did your lovely mother manage to embrace you again? What tactic did she use exactly?” Claire asked knowingly.

“God, you just had to bring up that night, didn’t you?”

“But that’s how she did it, isn’t it?” Claire asked.

Lucian shook his head once more, “actually as loathe as I am to discuss the circumstances of my murder, it does tie in to what I was talking about earlier.”

Claire narrowed her eyes then. “Lost me.”

Lucian sighed and considered reaching for another drink, only to then remember that it wouldn’t help much anyway. “The night you and I spent together, it was the first time I’d been with anyone, like that, since my death.” He took another moment then. “And it honestly was, as much as I probably shouldn’t admit it, mostly a blur.

“The moment things finally started happening between us, I wanted so badly to be there enjoying every moment of it. But my bloody mind couldn’t help straying back to the last time I had made love to anyone; another beautiful female vampire at that. I believe she would be your auntie.” He let out another sigh. “And believe me I hate myself for thinking of that monster when I should have been enjoying what was happening there with you, in that moment.

“And because it was mostly just a blur, is probably why it was so easy for me to walk away back then. But I’ve had a few years to rethink my actions, and regret them. I wouldn’t blame you for not giving me another chance, ever. But I sincerely hope that you will; at least someday.”

Claire seemed a bit dumbfounded for a moment before responding. “Did you just proposition me? In some very, very strange way?”

Lucian looked down as though to blush, “I haven’t had to court a woman since about fifteen years before my death. I may be a little rusty, I admit.”

Claire then closed her eyes and turned away a moment. “Lucian, right now, I just....”

“I didn’t mean right this very moment, honest Claire.”

Claire tried to form a nervous smile, though it didn’t get far. “You’ve just come at a time when I’m really rethinking ever getting involved with anyone else, ever again. It just leads to too much pain on both sides, most of the time. I mean, look at the reason you came here tonight. Eliot is pushing his brain past its limits to try and save me from some dark fate. I don’t want to be responsible for any more pain or death. I really, really can’t take that anymore.”

Lucian looked a bit perplexed by this mention of some dark fate, as he wasn’t really one of the ones who had been made privy to much information about that damn prophecy at all. But he had to let himself address the portion of her words that he could make sense of. “Lucky for you I’m a bit less mortal than your... Eliot. Pain and death aren’t a problem for me on most nights.”

“Everyone feels pain, Lucian. Even if it’s not physical,” she told him softly.

“I suppose that’s true enough. But if we don’t risk the sort of pain you’re referring to, then are we really still even alive at all?”