I don't own anything

This basically follows on from the end of Last Breath, besides for the fact that the last 2 and a bit pages don't happen – Claire does not accept an unasked proposal from Shane…and the bit with Oliver is sort of covered here, some dialogue the same as the book.

Basically, I'm writing this because if everything in Black Dawn happens opposite to what I want, with Amelie and stuff, then at least I can reread this and pretend it's the book.

Other than that, we're all set to go!

They were, in a nutshell, pretty screwed, Claire decided as they watched the slow pink colour begin to control more of the sky than the previously ebony black colour that hung ominously there. Not only was Magnus in pretty much complete control of the town – and, the scary thing was, he was so much more powerful than even Bishop was – and they didn't even have Amelie to sort everything out. No, she had sacrificed herself to ensure that they could get out of the swimming pool, to ensure that Magnus had less chance of regrouping quickly, and she was pretty much dead now, according to Myrnin.

"We're going to sort this," Claire said defiantly to nobody in particular as her attention found itself moving across from the new dawn to hover on Amelie's face. She looked so much younger today, the youngest Claire had ever seen her appear, and it seemed with the way she was dressed that she was about the same age as Claire.

Yet, of course, she wasn't: she was almost 1500 years old, Claire thought, and as a human she must have been in her early twenties – not that debating how old Amelie looked would help them. Unless they were careful, they would all be dead. And that wasn't particularly the plans Claire had for that year.

Oliver turned to her, seeming almost human with the woman in his arms, and shook his head, a worn and tired expression on his face. "What makes you all continue to help us?" he asked, the same edge to his tone, an almost dreary disbelief that this was happening. "We have done nothing for you; what makes you fight for us?"

A quick glance between Claire and Shane had the answer form on her lips near instantly, yet Shane beat her to it. "We need to stop someone pulling the plug on Morganville, like Amelie would have done – was planning to do – if she was still around," he explained, an almost look of disbelief crossing Oliver's face now.

"And what makes you think I shall not?" he asked. "After all, Amelie and I are based on many of the same principles – it is merely our decision when the right time to fight is that changes between the pair of us," in those words, Claire could tell that he loved Amelie, that he would fight for her whether they were going to join him or not.

"You're a fighter – she was going to leave," Michael butted in before Shane could answer this time, shrugging despite the look of pure pain on his face what he had done to Eve. "And, let's face it; we're all going to be dead by morning if we don't get a move on, so I think that we've got more chance with you than we do without you," he continued, leaning his head back against the back of the Bloodmobile. It was the last proper place that they had complete control over – that, Claire supposed, and the lab, which was so far underground she doubted it had been discovered by Magnus. No, she knew they had at least one place safe…for a few days, at least.

Oliver smiled ever so slightly, continuing forwards with telling them that it would be a lot harder than it had been before.

"Yeah, we know; we're sort of not really doing that well at the minute and I'm sick of it," Shane shrugged, rolling his eyes as if it wasn't news that they were in a life or death situation to him. And it wasn't – they'd been in one, really, since the Morganville natives were born…it had just gotten a little dicier of late.

Oliver didn't say anything else for a long moment, walking out of the bloodmobile with Amelie in his arms, muttering something under his breath as he left. Claire turned to Michael for a translation at normal volume, yet he didn't seem to have heard, his expression worryingly vacant once again. So she turned to her second choice, Myrnin, who she still hated for the way that he had tried to kill Shane (even though it was on Amelie's misguided orders) and waited for him to tell her.

His eyes shut slowly and he sighed, pressing his forehead into the palm of his hands as he shook his head. "What is this coming too?" he murmured, almost to himself, as if the others weren't there. Then his head lifted and his eyes opened to reveal the near black irises that contained pain Claire couldn't even comprehend. "I shan't say what he said, Claire, for it is irrelevant to you," he copped out of telling her, yet she couldn't get mad with him. Somehow, she realised that he was even less stable today than he was normally – not because of whatever he felt for her, but about Amelie.

And, she had to admit, this was already one hell of a lot more dangerous than even she had thought: if Magnus had managed to lure Oliver into the pool and then attack Amelie as easily, what hope did even every human together have? He had snapped her neck easier than it would be for her to wring a towel out – his powers were unmatched around her, especially without the strongest team there was.

"Is this it then?" she demanded as he continued to stand there, a dejected and lost puppy who had no bite. "You fight before and then you just stand here, as if you've got nothing to do!"

He smiled ever so slightly, a movement filled with a bitter edge of melancholy, and shook his head once again. "I fought because I felt we had a chance to win and I was mistaken," he explained. "And all it got us was into a position where Amelie is now close to death, when she could have regrouped and fought once again with the others she sent away. We have no hope, Claire, not if Amelie has gone."

His self deprecating stance had her angry with him instantly, making her want to punch and slap him, not only because of her previous standing issues with him but because he was giving up without fighting.

"You're a vampire – surely you can fight!" she snapped back at him. "You did it before, in the first fight against Bishop and then you killed him!"

He smiled once again, taking a step back from her and leaning against the side, shutting his eyes from the dawn that was beginning to set in fully. "I am a scientist, Claire, not a fighting mad vampire like Oliver," he sighed. "He can lead the battle; I can only advise on what to do, to attempt to emulate the decisions Amelie may have made…" he trailed off, his thoughts taking a route that Claire presumed would be the most dangerous path to take – after all, when had any of his last plans worked out properly?

"So your decision is to give up?" she confirmed, taking that step back between them to get in his face, to try and rile him into making a move against just giving up. "You're going to betray her. She's not dead yet, Myrnin, as you said. She's got a short time, maybe…I don't know how long, obviously, yet you have to try and fight for her!"

His eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had confirmed an idea in his brain that he felt could work, that he could do something to help. And all Claire wanted to do was groan as she saw the flicker in him, the thing that she knew set him apart from every other scientist worldwide, simply because he wanted to test the boundaries. Just, sometimes, he didn't know which the right boundaries to test were.

"I know what we can do, Claire, but I need your help," his speed of speech picked up dramatically as he stood up straight, stepping around her with the fluidness that had always startled her – but after being taken by Oliver on that run, she sort of saw how fast they actually moved.

"With…?" she trailed off, automatically looking back at Shane in almost permission to do this.

Myrnin smiled ever so widely, leaning out of the bloodmobile to look out for where Oliver had taken Amelie, Claire presumed. "I need you to help me run tests like before, with the Bishop disease, yet for a reason much more important," he said gravely, yet not actually telling her what the tests were for. She had a feeling he was waiting for a big moment, to announce dramatically what he was doing.

She was right.

"Either tell me now, Myrnin, or I'll walk and just do what Oliver says," she threatened.

His eyes narrowed a little, yet didn't loose any of the sparkle in them that marked out to her that he was confident he had a chance. "I don't believe you," he muttered gloomily, yet he didn't press it further. Instead, all he did was lean forwards in a conspirative manner, blocking Shane, Eve and Michael out of the conversation as much as possible.

"We're going to bring Amelie back."

Dun-dun-dun.

Or was it obvious?

Either way, don't alert/fav/read without reviewing please & thanks.

And I'll update whenever I've gotten 10 reviews.

Vicky xx