Unaware

D A M A G E D

"What did you want to show me?" Laurent whispered slowly shutting the door behind him.

"I have so many issues, so many problems that still remain unsolved. I want you to see me fro what I really am." Claire turned her back to him as she lifted her shirt.

"Wait, Claire." She ignore his hushed plead and continued to free her from her sweater exposing her back to him. Laurent's eyes widened in shock as he eased closer, his heart aching for what he was witnessing at the moment.

"What did he do to you?" Laurent pained gliding his hands timidly along the permanent welts and scars on her back.

"He did terrible things, most I don't remember, but I wake up knowing these are here for a reason. Sometimes I wonder if I really deserve these scars....."

"Belle, nobody deserves this. This man hurt you for no apparent reason and that isn't right Claire, understand that nothing here is your fault." Laurent pressed, hugging her exposed upper half of her body.

"I never really felt safer around anyone, but you. Laurent I get so scared when I don't see you in the house or when you're next to me, you're so nice to me when you really don't have to be, you don't even have to help me at all but you do it anyway." Claire turned around to face him and he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter in his chest.

"Claire you know I'm not going anywhere."

"I know and I thank you but you must look after your family first I'm nobody of importance to you like Larry is and I feel like I'm in the way."

"Claire stop it."

"You must think I'm clingy for expecting all of your attention."

"No, not at all, Claire you have my undivided attention. you said you had something to tell me but do you mind if I get this off of my chest first?"

"Sure what's on your mi-" Laurent was gently silenced by kiss he wasn't expecting, not that he minded it but it shocked him. She clawed him closer as he tugged and at her small waist. She tenderly broke away from the kiss blushing intensely.

"I-I'm sorry I just, I really like you, I like having you around for the first time I'm happy.... With you."

"I like you too, I like you a lot, all that stuff you said about you not being important to me is not true, these past few days have been really unsettling for me, I almost caused my brother to be crushed in a steel casket, there's notes coming from left and right, you almost drowned in a glass box and then tried to jump from my window. Even though all of that has happened I never want you to say you're a burden to me, to Larry either we're in this together, like I promised I'll protect you, with my life." Laurent kissed Claire tenderly one good time before he heard a faint knock from downstairs and advised Claire to wait in the room. He rushed down and opened it. A man that looked similar to him, tall, lean, but instead of having only one arm sleeve, he had two along with many other the covered his neck. The man stared at Laurent almost in disbelief, like he wasn't expecting to see Laurent standing in the door.

"Lau...."

"Uh yes who are you?" Laurent quizzed obviously confused.

"I'm your father....."

***

{Larry}

"Hey, Larry please wake up!" Sudden tiny taps to my face had awakened me when I caught a glimpse of pink hair floating so dangerously close to my face, I yelp out and roll out of bed as Claire sat in the bed, obviously something bothering her.

"Claire, how did you get in here?!"

"I came in through the door."

"Why?!" I howl, still aggravated about being scared from my sleep.

"Lau's gone. He told me to wait in my room because there was a knock on the door but I had fallen asleep shortly after when I woke up he still wasn't here. Where is he, why did he leave me?" Claire had broken down completely and I felt like an asshole for shouting at her. She was lost without Lau and to be honest so was I. I get up from the ground and hold her hugging her to comfort her.

"It's Ok, Lau will be back, You know he can't stay away from you before too long."

***

{Laurent}

"Let me get this straight you expect me to believe that you're my father and the person that is claiming to be my dad and harming the people I care about is not you?!" I shouted in the darkness at the man by the name of Lumen, who claimed to be my father. With all my shouting and cursing he remained calm and collect and that cause my temper to diffuse just a tad.

"That's correct."

"Why should I believe you?!" I huffed sitting on the bench opposite side of the running path from him.

"Because Claire has seen the man that's has been harming her, Laurent I am not the man you think I am."

"How do you know Claire?"

"I was an art professor for a short time in the United States, Claire used to be a student of mine. She was really smart and her art was fantastic however she was terribly unstable and paranoid, thus causing her to feel unsafe. One day I didn't see her come to class. Days and days went by and I still hadn't seen her around, then I started getting notes about her whereabouts saying if I don't come looking for her she would die along with two others that were close to me."

"How I'd I end up in that mans hands why is he after us!?"

"When you were born two nurses took you an Larry separately, however when Larry's nurse had returned and yours hadn't I went searching for you. When I found the nurse she had your face covered with a towel. She was trying to kill you. Once I took you away from her I ran, and didn't look back. I called you mother and told her you were with me and I wasn't returning, but it wasnt o keep her away from you I was only trying to keep you safe."

"But why was I in foster care if you wanted to help me why di-"

"I did it because the man that was after you was after me and I couldn't risk you being around a dangerous situation and you end up dead because I wanted to keep you around, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened but that was my mistake he found you and used you to find Larry."

"If all of this that you're saying is true and Claire does know who you are, who the fuck is the man that's trying to hurt us?!" Lumen didn't answer right away andI knew something was wrong he cleared his throat and stood to his feet. Something tells me I'm not going to like his answer.

"It's your uncle, my twin brother, Locale........."