After a few more kisses, Kristofer grudgingly broke off their interaction and excused himself to the privy. Upon emerging, he returned to the bar to finish his drink. This did leave Claire a little perplexed by the fact that his apparent nervousness about any sort of intimacy with her was somehow outweighing all that desire which was the other prominent emotion in his aura for as long as she had even known him. Though she just gave him a small smile as he left The Loft shortly before three that night, rather than pressing the issue.

Claire’s next intimate moment of the night was after she had gone home to her and Sean’s bed. In the afterglow of their mutual Kiss, Claire curled against him with a slight sigh. Sean had to respond to that, “why the sigh?”

Claire just allowed a little laugh at his question, “that sigh was a remnant of the beginning of my evening; not this part” she assured as the clock struck four a.m.

“Something at the tavern perplexed you?” he questioned with a smile down at the woman in his arms.

“Mortals are so strange” Claire stated simply.

“Yes. Why can’t they be normal like us?” Sean teased.

“Funny” she smirked as she turned her eyes up to his face, “but yes, that young man who we helped with his schooling; he finally returned tonight.”

“Oh yes, I recall something about us helping him” Sean returned with a wry sarcasm, though his smile remained.

“He is a fully licensed doctor now. So yes, we did a good thing by helping him” Claire chided.

“So how did that lead to you being so perplexed my darling?” Sean continued.

“Ever since I first met him, it was obvious that he…” she looked up at Sean one more time, “obvious that he wanted me” she stated with only a slight decrease in volume.

“As most mortals do when they are near any of us” Sean assured with another grin, “and you giving him quite a bit of our money probably didn’t do much to turn him off either, I’m sure” he teased.

Claire just shook her head and smirked before continuing, “so, to celebrate him getting his degree, I gave him a kiss tonight; the human variety” she clarified.

“How sweet of you” Sean returned in the same wry manner.

“But that’s the weird thing; every time I see his aura I know he wants me, so I figured a kiss would be eagerly received” Claire attempted.

“And he didn’t want you to kiss him?” Sean asked her, while looking equally perplexed then.

“At first I thought he was just worried because he knew I was a married woman” Claire attempted.

“What a gentleman” Sean smirked.

“Would you let me finish?” Claire teased, “anyway, I assured him that my husband was not likely to fly into a jealous rage and murder him over a kiss.”

“Good to know; let me cross that off of my list of things to do” Sean teased.

“Sean” she laughed again as she gently nipped at his neck once more.

“Wait, what were we talking about?” Sean asked through a slight moan at the feel of her fangs just barely tearing at his pale skin.

“Anyway” Claire interrupted him pointedly through her smile, “after I assured him that you weren’t the jealous type, he still seemed really almost afraid to let the kiss go on for very long at all; let alone let it turn into anything else.”

“So is that why you were so eager to jump into my arms? Did the good mortal doctor leave you frustrated this evening?” Sean teased.

Claire just shook her head, “more like confused; very confused” she replied with a pensive expression.

“Maybe he only likes men? It’s possible” Sean offered on an only slightly more serious note.

“His aura doesn’t seem to know that” Claire returned with a bit of her own wryness to her tone.

“Maybe I should meet him” Sean stated thoughtfully.

“You?” Claire asked as she lifted her head, only looking more perplexed by her husband’s suggestion, “why? To see if he wants you more than me?” she teased a moment later.

“No, because if I met him, I could tell you why exactly he balked at your affections, even though he apparently wants you.”

“Just like that; you’re first solution is to read his thoughts?” Claire asked as she sat up in the bed, averting her eyes then.

Sean sighed heavily as he also pushed himself into a sitting position then, “I promised not to read your thoughts. I still have to use that on others. You know that” he added quietly.

“Other Kindred or their servants; Kristofer is neither. He’s just a mortal. You can’t possibly think he’s some kind of threat” she replied defensively.

“But he is acting strangely” Sean attempted; only to receive a dark look from her, “it was only a suggestion” he added more quietly.

“Absolute power” Claire mumbled as she moved to lie down on her side facing away from him, hugging the pillow tightly to her cheek.

“Did you just infer that I’m becoming corrupted by this ability?” Sean had to ask, to which he received only a scoff from her as an answer. Sean then sighed again as his hands instinctively moved to those long blonde locks again. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been Prince for over a decade now and we’re still no closer to knowing for a fact that Awsha was behind Haven’s death; and if she was…” he shook his head, “then I can’t help my rampant worries and fears about every single person you ever come into contact with. I’m terrified of losing you, remember?” Sean assured as he moved to wrap her in his arms again and place a soft kiss upon her neck.

It wasn’t long after opening the tavern the next night that Claire and Finn found a puddle of water in the corner of the upper story and determined that the roof had somehow developed a leak during one of the ever so rare rainstorms that had happened earlier that day. Finn went outside to attend to the patching of the roof as Claire went about all the other duties of opening each night. It was nearing nine-thirty when she looked up from taking stock of the bottom shelf of alcohol bottles at the sound of her first customer of the night.

She couldn’t help her smile as Kristofer entered with an awkward smile of his own, “first one through the doors again?” he attempted a greeting despite a nearly tangible nervousness.

“We’re still not all that busy ‘til later” Claire assured him as he slowly moved to take a seat.

He sighed slightly as she moved to get him his drink, “Finn’s out on the roof?” he attempted another piece of innocent conversation to avoid the question hanging in the air between them.

“Apparently we have a leak” Claire smiled and poured, “who knows how long it’s been there, considering how often we even get rain.”

“It did rain a bit more in Pennsylvania” Kristofer offered as he took his drink.

“I seem to recall that from my time there” Claire agreed as she continued to watch him with those questioning green eyes.

“You lived in Pennsylvania?”

“Mostly passed through” Claire offered as she cast her eyes downwards, “but I’ve lived there, Ohio, Massachusetts, and London, to name a few” she smiled again.

“Woman of the world” Kristofer smiled, “amazing since you don’t seem that much older than me, and you and your husband have obviously been living here for a long while” he added more quietly as he cast his eyes toward the window nearest the huge wall surrounding the Beringer estate.

“We’ve had an interesting life” she smiled as she looked down once more. She then let her eyes move over him another moment before she had to ask, “and you mentioning my husband again? Can’t help wondering if you’re still worried about his possible jealousy” she dared.

“That’s not why I…” Kristofer began to excuse his self-imposed distance of the night before, and then thought better of it.

“Why you ran after I kissed you?” Claire dared, her own curiosity failing to check her words.

“I didn’t exactly run” Kristofer stated under his breath, as a blush crept over his cheeks once more.

“No, not exactly I suppose” Claire teased, though gently.

Kristofer took another breath to try and allow time to come up with an explanation for her. His eyes moved to the door once more, as though afraid of anyone overhearing whatever he was about to tell her. Another breath as he finally spoke, “I just have never been that comfortable letting anyone get very close… physically I mean” he added more quietly.

Claire only looked further perplexed by that, considering how very attractive he was, she was sure many women would have been willing to provide him with that closeness. “I can’t help wondering why” Claire smiled as she tried to keep any kind of judgment out of her voice as she spoke.

Kristofer allowed another deep, shaky breath as well as another glance at the door, “I guess I’ve just always worried about the consequences of… physical intimacy” he finished, nearly swallowing the last two words before they passed his lips.

“Consequences?” Claire asked, speaking a little louder than she meant to, mainly due to her surprise at such an answer.

“I just mean I’ve always worried that if I got close to a woman, in that way, then…” though he immediately cut his words short as the front door did open behind them.

Claire looked more than a bit shocked by their new arrivals as she was at a loss for words for more than a moment as Emilia entered with Sean trailing behind her. Kristofer was apparently too embarrassed by whatever confession he was about to make to even turn to see who the new arrivals were, but Claire’s eyes were full of questions upon seeing them.

After another moment as they made their way toward the bar Claire was behind, she finally found her voice, “what are you doing here?” she asked shakily.

“Wasn’t I supposed to help out tonight?” Emilia asked warily as she was one of the many servants who Claire put on rotating schedules there to help with the nightly duties.

“Yes, but I didn’t mean you” Claire stated distractedly as both Sean and Emilia made their way behind the bar, causing Kristofer to finally look up from his drink long enough to acknowledge Claire’s surprise at their presence. Of course as Sean moved closer, Kristofer couldn’t help being more than a little frozen by the majesty that Sean emanated and which he hadn’t felt the likes of since his first time meeting Claire. Though even this seemed to shake him more than how he felt in Claire’s or Eliza’s presence the previous evening.

“I figured after five years, I should at least come see the place once” Sean greeted her with a smile.

“Uh huh” Claire swallowed again as she cast a glance at where Kristofer looked more than a little impacted by Sean’s presence, even without having any way of knowing for sure who exactly Sean was.

“Got your first customer of the night already?” Sean smiled over at Kristofer as his eyes moved over him.

Claire sighed slightly as she looked between the two men while Emilia busied herself wiping down the bar and then moving to the tables as well. Claire then managed a response, “this is actually Kristofer. The new doctor in town” Claire stated with a forced smile as she watched Sean suspiciously.

“The one whose schooling was so generously paid for?” Sean returned as he continued to watch the young man.

“Nice to meet you, uh…” Kristofer finally spoke, though with a tremble to his voice as he offered a hand to Sean.

“Sean” he supplied as he took the other man’s hand as Claire tried to swallow another sigh at how pale Kristofer had then become.

“Claire’s husband, Sean?” Kristofer swallowed hard as Sean’s cold hand closed over his in greeting.

“That would be me” Sean smiled as he tried to ignore how uncomfortable both Claire and Kristofer looked right then.

“Yes, I’m sure you’d like to see my office” Claire interrupted as she placed a hand on Sean’s chest to nudge him away from the man who looked patently terrified by his presence.

“No hurry” Sean assured as he continued watching Kristofer closely, his expression as blank as possible.

“Nevertheless” Claire muttered as she urged him away from the bar to follow her up the stairs. Once Sean allowed her to lead him to the office where she tossed the door shut a little more forcefully than was necessary, Claire turned her eyes up at him, “what on earth are you doing here?”

“I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to step foot in the building that I actually bought for you” Sean stated with a curious look over at her, though his expression was also marred by another emotion then.

“That’s not why I’m so suspicious of your sudden appearance here… after five years” Claire added pointedly.

“I told you I worry about you” Sean reminded.

“But you didn’t worry enough to come here before?” Claire scoffed.

Sean just shook his head, “well maybe I should have” Sean told her with a little more volume.

“Meaning?” Claire asked, a little thrown by his words and his tone.

“Meaning…” Sean sighed as he looked toward the office door, “I think you should really find a way to get this man out of your life, and as soon as possible.”