Chapter Text
A few months later
Claudia had been acting odd, it was barely noticeable but ever present nonetheless.
He wasn’t sure if Louis noticed it, the gazes that lasted a little too long, the want to hunt by herself, or even when they did hunt too she walked ahead, spending more time outside, he didn’t think his companion noticed until one night they were tangled in each other's embrace in their coffin and Louis asked “is Claudia alright?”
“I… I’m not sure, she’s been acting odd, hasn’t she?”
Louis nodded and sighed “I know she doesn’t want to be our daughter anymore but I can’t help but worry about her like one”
He knew that “Ever the sentimental man, my love, but yes I am worried too. She’s been-“ he cut himself off, they had just woken, his mind was cloudy.
He saw worry flare in Louis' eyes “What?”
He pursed his lips, choosing his words carefully “…you know how I wake up after a nightmare of any variety and go downstairs?-“ his husband was about to cut in but he continued “-and I know I could wake you up but I don’t want to because- because Claudia has some nightmares too and we just… smoke a cigarette and sit downstairs sometimes”
“Oh, that’s why the living room smells like smoke… is that why she’s been weird?” Louis brushed his hair away from his face.
“Maybe, we don’t talk about the nightmares,” he admitted, they didn’t really, didn’t need to.
“Right… you probably don’t want to tell her about… Magnus and what he did” Louis spoke more slowly as he went on, he never used the word even though it clearly took some effort Lestat appreciated it but he didn’t want to talk about it.
And he lied and said “no, I don’t”
“Louis! Lestat! I’m going on a hunt!” Claudia called from outside the coffin, slightly muffled.
They both turned towards the other, exchanging a look “uh- wait one second, Claudia!” Louis scrambled to open the coffin.
Claudia was standing by the doorway when they emerged “did y’all wanna come with me?”
“No we… Are you alright?” Louis asked without much tact.
She narrowed her eyes “Yes, fine. Why?”
“It’s just that-“
He cut his lover off once again “we’ve noticed you’ve been acting odd and are worried, dear sister” he vaguely hoped calling her sister would be subduing.
She looked around the room, anywhere but them “…I’m fine”
“You said that” Lestat said, did he do the same? Constantly? Yes, but this wasn’t about that.
“I just…-“ she sighed “-I just can’t be around you two right now”
“What?”
“What?” They said in unison.
“See! Happy sweet couple stuff like that. I’m happy for ya’ll, really, but I can’t-… I want a companion, I want a lover but I can't. I'm just…-“ she crossed her arms and turned away, tears welling in her eyes “-why didn’t you take me to the hospital or just- just let me die?”
The mere thought made his throat tight; let her die?
“It was… you were hurt. really hurt, barely alive, I told you that before” Louis stressed.
“I’d rather that than this! I’m a grown woman, a fierce vampire, a killer trapped in a little doll body! Do you know what that’s like? And there aren’t any other vampires around here they aren’t- they!-“ she buried her face in her hands “-I just hate it! I’m the eternal third wheel, I- I want to go and explore and learn and find more of us!” She was crying, yelling, gesturing wildly, theatrically much like himself.
He took a step forward, not exactly sure what to do here “The other vampires out there are vicious, Claudia, you don’t want that”
“I know they are! I know! But maybe there are some good ones, like us, somewhere!” her voice broke. He knew she didn’t mean good in the actual sense but not a- not like Magnus or Bruce, a vampire who would hurt or take.
“Every vampire I have met is not-… they are not- you will not like them, or covens” ‘or their leader’ he didn’t say out loud.
“Why not?” Her head snapped over to him, fangs bared, likely instinctual but maybe not and if it was on purpose? Well… fair enough.
“Because I know!” He snapped the same.
“No, don’t do that again! Don’t give me half answers! I want to know about our kind, I want to know why you think other vampires are so vicious!” She yelled, pleading, begging.
And Louis looked to him with an imploring look to match hers and he broke, he told them all he could about Magnus, Nicki, Gabriella, the Paris coven, Armand and everything in between, even the great laws he had so neglected to mention for he didn’t care until-…
And Louis seemed to have the same thought, devastation wrought across his face.
“I still want to go” Claudia, who had sat down on the bed, said, determined despite her tears.
“Claudia-“
“No, listen! I want to go but… I want you two to come and- and it’ll be, it’ll be fun, maybe? Just… someday, not now but I can’t stay here forever and we can’t either, people are suspicious” she explained clumsily, so much like Louis in that moment, a Louis who was crying.
Something they both noticed simultaneously “what’s wrong, Louis?”
“What’s wrong Louis?” They said at the same time.
“I- I just… I’m so sorry, baby girl-” he choked out. “-we… I am so sorry you’re stuck like this. It’s all my fault” he wiped his eyes and Lestat felt their heart racing.
“…you didn’t turn me” she squared her shoulders and spoke shortly, looking away.
“No. I didn’t but I-… I ask- begged him to turn you-“ and so Louis divulged the events of Claudia’s turning, guilt and pain bloomed In his chest, Louis was a wreck as he explained, tried to justify before changing his tune and saying the truth it was… impressive. The last thing he expected from his husband. To admit the part he played in Claudia’s turning, to admit it even happened that way, To admit it happened at all.
And Claudia sat stock still, every word sinking into her as tears fell down her face, something she seemed unaware of, and then, something he recognized rose on her face and she stood, grabbing the pillow behind her and threw it at Louis “you asshole! How could you!?! How could you do that to me!? To us?! I could’ve had a whole life! I could be a wife and have a bunch of fat babies or- or been a- anything! You monster! How could you!?!” She threw every pillow on that bed at him and Louis just took it, nothing she threw moved him but it was clear on his face how the words hurt.
And she folded in on herself, gasping sobs wracking through her as she continued her refrain, variations of the same phrases and anger.
She grabbed at her hair as she fell to the floor and Lestat walked over to her, offering his handkerchief which she swatted away.
“Claudia… we are so sorry” he spoke softly.
“That doesn’t mean shit and you know it! Why, Lestat, why!? You know what it’s like! You get it better than anyone and you still do this to me!?” She wailed.
He gulped “I do. I understand… I- I love Louis and I wanted, want to make him happy… I want you to be happy too, Claudia i-…. That night I felt a million emotions and I saw your life and I understood it…. It’s so much like mine-“ she looked up at him like that child from so long ago had, the one who hung on his every word “-and then… and then things I’ve never wished for you happened, that reminded me of myself. I am sorry, but there’s nothing we can do now except walk into the sun so… so we can go somewhere, go find what you want, learn what you want because…”
And wiped her eyes futilely “because what?”
He didn’t speak for a long time, his heart sped up to something he was sure would kill a human, his throat burned as he felt the words forming, he thought he might vomit instead of say it but he did “…Because we are a family… because you are my daughter, whether we like it or not that’s what you are-“ and he was crying now too “-and I love you Claudia, my infant death, the best of my vampiric self, strong and witty, wild and curious…” he forced out.
“You aren’t lying?” Claudia looked at him like a scared animal.
“No, No I am not, I- I love you very much, you are my child, you are my blood…-“ and at that moment the feeling he felt that night so long ago was something tangible, with a description specific and as foreign and familiar “-you are my fledgling, I am your maker but it’s… our relationship is not typical of that in the slightest, you are my daughter who I bore into this life, I-“
Claudia cut him off, voice wavering and finally taking the handkerchief “You’re my father, my mother, my maker, my uncle, the one who turned me and gave me your blood… who taught me to hunt and drive and- and how to be a vampire”
He laughed shocked but amused “yes, I think that fits”
“…the sun is rising” Louis, who had most definitely started crying again, said with a soft smile.
“Can I-… you’re my father’s, yes, I’m your daughter but I’m… you can’t treat me like a kid even if I start to call y’all daddy Lou and Uncle Les again” Claudia spoke softly, her voice raw.
He flinched, involuntarily, and they looked to him imploring “I would prefer not to be called uncle Les… it’s… it is cruel”
Louis walked over to them now and kneeled down to their level, placing a hand on his shoulder “it’s just… all of this is complicated, you know that…”
“I know but at home? here in the safety of our own house? i cannot stand it” he groaned.
“Alright then-“ Claudia nodded “-you’ll be-… we’ll change it. It’s decided you can’t complain anymore” she teased but he could tell she was sincere.
Lestat was crying again.
“What’s the matter, love?”
“I-… I am overwhelmed, I have a companion, a husband in my heart and a daughter by my blood and it's just… surreal-” he tried to wipe his eyes, he laughed, perhaps maniacally.
Claudia offered him his handkerchief back and Louis sighed, taking it wiping his husbands eyes “I- can we try and not keep secrets anymore? Please, we all hate seeing each other in pain I- I can’t stand it”
And he felt Claudia freeze before he saw it, he saw that same painfully familiar look in her eyes “…I- I lied. When I came back I lied. I… I did fuck up in Texas but it was more than that I… Louis i- I got…-“ she cut herself off, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, and Louis didn’t seem to understand what she was trying to say.
Lestat didn’t like the word, it wasn’t right, was it? Magnus loved him.
The word made it something dirty and wrong, lacking love, something he didn’t want to admit, he knew it and hated it. But now his daughter needed him to admit it no matter how his beloved Saint would look at him when he said it so he turned towards Claudia and tried to block Louis out of his mind so he could force these whispered words out “it’s alright… he will not be angry… he was not angry with me when I told him about- about Magnus and how he- when he- raped me” he was crying harder now and she nodded, tears welling in her eyes again.
And Louis looked so horrified and angry and devastated as it seemed to dawn on him, he spoke softly to Claudia as if any volume would shatter her resolve “can I hug you? Is that ok?”
She nodded wordlessly, probably afraid she’d sob like he was as Louis hugged her and held her as she whispered her story to him and he didn’t waiver, not once, he listened and let her speak just as he had done with Lestat.
The critical difference? She used the word. Had she done that before? He surely hadn’t.
He’d told Louis all of it, told Claudia, they knew… they knew it was… cruel and violent and wrong. He knew it was cruel and violent and wrong when it happened to Claudia, to others but-… no. It wasn’t love, was it? It was just… cruel and violent and wrong and rape. That did, in fact, make him cry harder but in a way that wasn’t inherently painful…?
Eventually Louis released her from his arms and Claudia stood and brushed her skirt off “I’m about to pass out, I’m going to get ready for coffin” she explained and they nodded. They were all so drained.
But he looked to her and felt pride, what a woman, what a vampire she was,
And when she turned to look at them at the door, smiling despite all of their faces being stained with tears and the horrifying truths revealed and saying “good night daddy Lou… good night papa Les, I love you”
What a daughter they had… what a daughter he had.
The end.