Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

05. loss and life

1995

Claire sat alone in the corner of her living room, still dressed in black, as people mulled around, talking softly to each other and occasionally offering her their condolences. She simple stared ahead at a photo of her parents sitting on the bookshelf, never offering them a response. Claire wasn't good with negative emotions, they tended to send her into a spiral of gloom that she struggled to dig herself out from. Normally, her parents were there to help her, to comfort her. But they weren't there anymore.

Their wake was full of their friends, Claire's friends and even some of their students. Everyone had been exchanging stories about the couple, sharing the adventures they had when they were younger. Claire wasn't really listening, everyone's voices sounded like she was underwater. She really just wanted them to go home so she could cry in peace. She wanted to mourn peacefully.

A delicate hand on her arm pulled her out of her melancholy. It was Layla, Detective Ryan Malloy's wife. They had taken to looking out for; bringing her hot meals when they knew she wouldn't eat, making sure she got herself out of bed every day, stemming the seemingly infinite flow of "sorry for your loss" cards and gifts. Layla was lovely middle-aged woman; her soft face and warm aura was softening the loss of maternal warmth for Claire. She was grateful for the pair; they had made it easier. Although she couldn't help but feel like she was taking advantage of them, despite them constantly telling her differently.

"Let's get you a warm drink, yeah?" Layla softly grasped her arm, lifting her from the chair. She led her to the empty kitchen, sat her on a bar stool and proceeded to start making her a cup of tea. Claire was thankful for the silence. A few minutes later the hot drink was sitting in front of her and Layla was leaning against the counted.

"Thank you," she said softly, wrapping her hands around the mug while relishing in the burning heat. "For everything."

"You're welcome, sweetie. I know this is hard," Layla offered her a kind smile.

"Does it ever stop hurting?" Claire asked, her voice breaking slightly as she tried to stop herself from breaking down in tears. She was so overwhelmed. She could physically feel her heart breaking every time she thought about her parents. She knew some of her friends had lost their parents, they weren't as broken up about it as she was, and even though none of them voiced it, she could feel the looks they gave her as she sat in silence. They didn't understand, her parents didn't just pass away.

They were taken, ripped from this earth so violently and she had to look at their broken bodies, she had to witness the gory aftermath. It was still vivid in her mind whenever she closed her eyes, she'd never be able to forget it.

"It doesn't stop hurting, it just starts hurting less," Layla told her, "You're meant for great things, Claire. I can feel it. It'll get easier, you'll keep going forward and making them proud of you. I know we haven't known each other long, but Ryan and I will be here for you. If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to call."

Claire was left with her thoughts as Layla returned to the wake. Eventually, all of the guests left, as did Layla and Ryan after they made her promise she'd join them for dinner tomorrow night. 

﹌﹌﹌

Claire had joined the Malloy's for dinner the next night, and once a week after that. The routine helped her, gave her something to look forward to. It had been three months since her parent's funeral, it felt like the longest three months of her life.

Eventually the cards and sympathy notes stopped, people checking up on her had become less frequent and the obnoxious bouquets of flowers no longer arrived. Well, mostly. Twice a month since the day after her parent's funeral, she received a lush bunch of bright sunflowers. There was never a note, but she knew who they were from. Jasper and Rose. She was grateful that her friends still thought of her. Losing her parents put her heartbreak into perspective. She no longer ached for Edward. Sure, she still was angry about how he left her, so suddenly and unexpectedly, but she didn't hold any feelings for him anymore.

Sometimes the reality of her loss would swallow her like an ocean of grief, drowning her in her misery. Some nights she would not sleep, the memory of her parent's faces would haunt her. The guilt of not being with her parents in their final moments sometimes creeped up on her, eating away her at her happy moments. It was getting easier, those moments becoming less frequent but when they did hit her, she was a mess. 

Her teachers had been incredibly understanding of her loss, delivering her worksheets to her home, and postponing the due date for her assignments and tests. She had managed to get back on track, with much encouragement from her teachers and Layla. She had graduated last week and had decided to put off college for a year. Her parents had left her a healthy sum of money, "for college and adventures" as they worded it in their will. Even though they valued an education, they also strongly believed in making memories.

Claire wanted to live for her parent's, she wanted to create memories and be able to share stories with her future children. She supposes that's what lead her here, to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. She was traveling to London after a layover in Seattle.

"You've got everything? You have your passport? You've got our phone number? You packed your toothbrush, right?" Layla was being quite overbearing, it was quite entertaining to watch.

"Sweetheart, I think she's got this handled. Don't you, Claire?" Mr Malloy was trying to rein in his wife. They were seeing her off, albeit a little reluctantly. Layla was circling Claire, dusting off her already straight red tartan skirt and black turtleneck sweater, and brushing her hair into place with her fingers.

"I'm fine, Mrs Malloy," she chuckled, warmed by the woman's caring touch. The couple were the only people that didn't end up distancing themselves from the girl. Everyone left her to mourn alone, but the Malloy's insisted on making sure she stayed healthy while she did so. They even managed to get her to a grief councilor a few times.

Layla simply huffed and returned to her husband's side, his arm instinctively wrapping around her waist. They were going to miss Claire, despite how unfortunate she had been the last year, she still radiated positivity a majority of the time.

"Here," Ryan passed Claire her denim jacket and her leather shoulder bag. He wasn't too sure about letting her go off on her own, traveling the world as a single woman, but she insisted. She said if she didn't take risks, she'd never do anything worthwhile. He had made sure to teach her a few self-defense moves, much to her amusement. Her ballet had paid off and she used her agility and speed to put him on his ass a few times. Claire had immediately told Layla and they both had a laugh at his expense.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, "thank you both, for everything." The tears welled up in her eyes as the couple pulled her into a tight embrace. She would miss them, she owed them a lot. Being away from them would be hard to begin with, but she needed to do this for herself.

"I'll call you as soon as I get to the hotel. I promise," she told them as she pulled away from them. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and began walking towards her gate. Layla called out after her with another goodbye and well wishes, jumping up and down while waving erratically. Ryan simply gave her a nod of his head, his eyes conveying his emotions for him. 

Claire was off to travel the world, her adventures would lead her to where she was meant to be.

a/n:
and now we're off, the next chapter will be the first appearance from one of our fave vampire kings.