Return ➵ McCall [DISC.]

10; Charmingly Heartbreaking

"Yeah, hold on." Claire said into the phone as she pulled open her dresser drawer and rummaged through it, pausing when she felt cold metal. Her eyebrows furrowed as she pulled it out, a tiny charm bracelet twinkling between her fingertips.

"Claire?" Scott asked, breaking her confusion.

"Nothing. I just uh, found my charm bracelet from when I was little." She said slowly, examining the tiny charms. She cleared her throat and shoved it in her pocket absentmindedly. "I lost it during the move. But I'm about to leave I'll see you at the hospital."

"Okay." He said, dial tone following shortly after. She put her phone in her back pocket and opened her bedroom door.

She stopped in her tracks as she realized that the hallway was different, the floor carpet instead of hardwood, the walls a white instead of their usual beige. She turned around at the sound of metal clinking quietly behind her.

A six year old Claire in a pink night gown and a braid in her long black hair walked sleepily down the hallway while she rubbed her eye, charm bracelet jingling on her wrist. She seemed to walk right past her, stopping at the end and peering around the corner.

It was then that Claire heard her parents arguing loudly in the kitchen, causing her to stand next to the tiny girl.

"You're being irrational." Her mother scolded, crossing her arms.

"Gale, she's a mistake. An abomination." This time it was her father, pacing angrily in the kitchen.

"She's our daughter."

"She disrupts the balance." He spat. "And it's my job to keep the balance."

"Steven-" Gale started, only to be cut off by her husband.

"You've read the passage." He growled, stepping closer to her. "Two identical girls, born on the same day, same time, only a hospital floor apart. Doppelgängers. And one of those doppelgängers will reawaken the Nemeton, attracting supernatural creatures and causing havoc."

"We moved from Beacon Hills. So have the Argents." She pleaded, putting a hand on his arm, only to have him rip it away.

"I'm not taking that chance." He pulled away staring towards the hallway.

"You do this," She said, her voice steady and eyes cold. "You lose me. Forever."

"Then I guess I've lost you."

"What are you gonna do?" Her voice raised, startling her six year old daughter. "Take a pillow to her? Say she had an asthma attack in her sleep!"

"Mommy?" The little girl stepped into the kitchen, trembling visibly. "I heard yelling."

"It's okay baby." Gale shoved past her husband and walked over to her daughter, kneeling down so she was face to face with her."Go get your shoes, we're gonna go to grandma's for a little bit."

"Is daddy coming?" Her brown eyes were wide, long eyelashes brushing her cheeks as she blinked.

"No sweetie. Go on now." The chubby six year old nodded and walked down the hall as she grabbed her purse and keys and turning towards Steven angrily. "You have three days to get over yourself, or get out."

Claire jumped when the front door slammed, eyes blinking wildly as she took in her surroundings.

"Claire, honey?" Her mom called out from downstairs. "Your father and I got off earlier for once, we got some take out for dinner if you'll join us."

"Uh, yeah." She yelled, wiping at her face harshly. "Just a minute." She sent a quick text to Scott that she couldn't make it and jogged downstairs where her mom had already put the boxes on kitchen table.

"We got your favorite." Her father grinned, eyes crinkling at the edges.

"Thanks." Claire tucked a hair behind her ear and sat down, picking up her fork. They sat in silence for a few moments until Gale spoke up.

"So Melissa tells me you've been getting along with her son and his friends."

"They're really nice." She nodded, giving her a tiny smile before clearing her throat. "Actually, my friend Malia found this really cool book and lent it to me to read. It's actually pretty eye opening."

"What's it about?" Her dad asked, picking at his rice.

"It's kinda sci-fi, which I don't usually read, but it's pretty cool." She shrugged before looking up and giving her father a fake smile. "It got me thinking, maybe I'd like to go down dad's career path."

"I don't know hun." He chuckled, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "A coroner's job is pretty morbid."

"Hmm. You're right. Maybe I'd be better suited at your old career." She crossed her hands in her lap.

"And what's that?" Her mom asked, giving her a wide smile before taking a bite of her pork.

"Oh, y'know. Druidic." She looks down at her food nonchalantly, her dad's eyes widening while her mom choked a bit. "Oh, and by the way. I found my old charm bracelet and I was wondering..." She pulled it out of her pocket and clenched it tightly in her fist.

"Do you give everyone you try to kill a charm bracelet, or was I a special case?" With those last words she threw the bracelet at her father and stood up, grabbing her keys from the dish by the door and walking out, leaving her parents with shocked and guilty expressions.

● ● ●

Scott nearly had a heart attack when he walked out of the bathroom and saw Claire sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Oh my god." She yelped, her cheeks reddening as she got up and turned the other way when she saw he was only in a towel. "I'm sorry. Your mom let me in and said to wait in your room and I'm so sorry."

"I-it's fine." He said slowly, grabbing clothes from his dresser. "I'm uh, I'm gonna get dressed real quick."

She let out the breath she had been holding when the bathroom door shut again, taking her original seat on his bed. The door opened a few minutes later, revealing him wear sweatpants and a tank top. "Um, hi."

"Hey." He nodded, walking over and sitting next to her, taking in her messy hair and smudged makeup paired with bloodshot eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry for not helping at the hospital." She sniffed, playing with her fingers. "I uh, I was busy reliving a memory."

"What happened?" He asked softly, shifting closer.

"I was six years old, and my parents were arguing. My dad was yelling about Allison and I, about how he needed to restore the balance." Her bottom lip trembled, a stray tear falling down her cheek. "He said I was a mistake-an abomination. Scott, he was gonna kill me."

She looked up at him with wide eyes, tears falling rapidly. He shook his head and pulled her closer, feeling hot tears soak through his shirt. "Shh, it's okay." He whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair as he rubbed her back.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

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Not edited.

So, how did y'all feel about Claire's repressed memory?

And Sclaire at the end?

I have homework for Chemistry and AP World history and Advanced Comp and I want to die.

Vote, comment, and prepare yourself because the next few chapters are gonna be intetesting.

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