Chapter 8: Shade

Clara seemed overly fidgety as she and Judith laid down a quilt over the cold ground. She wiped her hands on her jeans when she completed the task, and thanked Judith as the housemaid smiled and bid her farewell. The woman paused next to Will on her way to the mansion, touched his arm with a soothing pressure, and left to get the food for the impromptu picnic.

"It's been so long," Clara said to her father, her voice almost incoherent. She walked over to where he sat in the grass and wrapped her arms around his neck him. "Will she even like me, Daddy? Does she even love me anymore?"

"Of course she does," Will assured her.

Clara blinked, eyes watery. "Then why did she leave, Daddy?"

Will opened his mouth to answer, and he faltered. Shut his mouth. Looked away. What he wanted to say was I don't know, honey. But he did know. And he knew that she would only hate him for telling her why Katherine had really left them.

Left him.

Clara fell into silence with her father, staring at the frost-ridden ground with misty eyes. It was honestly too cold for a picnic, but Katherine had insisted. Her boys needed some fresh air while they talked, she said. It would do them all some good.

Will didn't like the cold. It bit at his cheeks and made him shiver against the wind. It made him yearn for the night before, with the fireplace crackling and a sleeping wolf pressed against his leg.

Ghosty had disappeared again before Clara's friends had left. Clara was worried that he might not come back, and even Will couldn't help but miss him, if only for the fact he was solid and warm and there.

Plus, there was the whole ordeal with Nico di Angelo.

Though Will was becoming sadly infatuated with the man, he wanted to start out slow. Not to push things. Perhaps he could become friends with the man first? After about a year of that, then maybe it could be more. What were the chances, though? Nico was in a whole other league from him—so strong and full of mysterious determination that Will had no chance of matching.

Maybe years ago, when things had been right with the world, he could have stood a chance. He was different back then—full of wit and charm that could calm even the angriest of people, and soothe that child mourning their brother or sister. With that kind of personality, he would have fit right into Nico's devilish attitude that was hidden under his worry and compassion. He would have been able to pick his way through Nico's layers, figure out what made him tic, and fall in love with him gradually, naturally. Not immediate. Not the stupid crush he suddenly had.

"I trust you're going to sit on the ground all day?" a voice made Will freeze. "Instead of the quilt you have out?"

Clara looked up. "Momma."

There was no excitement in her voice. Only nervousness. Worry.

Will grabbed his crutches and let Clara help him to his feet. He turned to the door. "Hello, Katherine. Travis. You're both looking well."

The Stoll couple walked into the yard, their two boys dashing out with a yapping greyhound on a leash and roughhousing near the edge of the woods. One was a year younger than Clara, one was a year older.

Travis, a handsome man with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a crooked smile that screamed trouble, raised an eyebrow down at Will's leg. "We are, but you sure aren't. What happened?"

Katherine turned to her husband. "I told you, dummy," she huffed affectionately. The sound made Will's stomach churn, but he kept his mouth clamped shut. "He was in a car accident a couple weeks ago. How's recovery going, William?"

Will counted to ten. "Fine," he said, voice level.

Katherine smiled tightly and nodded.

Travis whistled. "Trouble driving on the ice, bud? Did the car have to go to the shop?"

"I wasn't driving," Will snapped. He breathed deeply. How was he going to make it through this torture? "There was an accident on my way home that day, so I got out to help the victims. I got hit in the crossfire."

Travis nodded. "Cool, dude. So, where's the food? I'm starved."

"Food will be here shortly," Judith said from behind the Stolls, the maid standing in the doorway. Her arms were crossed and her back was slightly hunched: body language for I hate this.

"Cool," Travis said, plopping down on the quilt.

"Be polite, darling. Remember that we're guests here," Katherine said, sitting gracefully beside the man. She gestured to Will. "Don't be a stranger, William. Come sit with us. Clara, why don't you go and play with Danny and Matthew? I'm sure they'd adore the attention."

Clara shot her father a look as he eased himself down onto the quilt, his cast making him stick out one leg awkwardly. He didn't want her to do it, but he nodded anyway. "Go on, Clare," he murmured. "Let us grownups talk for a bit, okay?"

Clara nodded and ran off. Her eyes had lit up with understanding, but she was still upset. At least Will knew that she wouldn't be angry at him after everything died down.

Please let things die down soon, Will prayed.

Once she was out of earshot, Katherine met Will's gaze. "She looks well," she said, voice stiff.

So things weren't just awkward for him, then. "Healthy as can be," Will replied. "Your boys look well, as well. Will they be doing sports in the future?"

"They're already in prime condition," Travis said proudly. "I wasn't much of a sports man myself, but I can see them at least running track and leaving all of those other boys and girls in the dust. What about your girl, Will? Will she be doing any sports?"

Will couldn't believe he was actually having small talk with his ex-wife's husband. It was honestly a first. "I have no clue," Will answered honestly. "She doesn't seem to be too interested in sports, but she could change if she wanted. Whatever she does, though, I'll support her along the way."

"How sweet," Katherine said. "Sounds like you've changed a lot, then."

Will tensed. "I wouldn't say that."

Travis looked between the two of them like he was watching a soap opera. "How was he before, Katie?" he wondered, grinning.

Judith and Fenwick came holding trays of food and left quickly as though they sensed the thick atmosphere surrounding the trio on the quilt. Travis dived on the food at once, stuffing his face with a pleased moan.

"He was never home," Katherine answered once the housekeepers had left, to Will's dismay. "Always stuck up in his cubical in the hospital withering away as though there wasn't a world outside of it. So you say she doesn't like sports, William? What about games? Toys? What does she like?"

"Why would you want to know?" Will snapped.

Katherine's eyes flashed. "I am her mother," she said slowly. "And her birthday is coming up in a few months. I wanted to give her something nice this year, rather than those old board games that she never thanked me for. I guess she hated them."

Will's memory flashed to the games Clara and her friends had been giggling over last night, and a hot flash of anger built up in him. He gritted his teeth and glanced to where his daughter and Travis' sons were playing tag. Clara looked like she wanted to go back inside and sleep, a feeling that was mutual with her father.

After he had regained his composure he told her, "She loved the board games."

"Did she?" Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't she ever call me, then?"

"Can't say that I know," Will muttered.

Katherine rolled her eyes and moved on. "What else would she want, then? A puppy, perhaps? I remember you were going to get her one before we ended. Maybe a kitten?"

Will exhaled. "She doesn't need a cat or a dog."

Travis frowned, his face covered in bread crumbs and sauce. He swallowed and went for another sandwich. "Will, let me be blunt with you. Every kid wants a pet. It's in their nature. See the kids with Rosy over there? Hell, I didn't want to get them a dog, but they wouldn't shut up about it. So now they have Rosy. End of story. And they don't bother us with begging anymore! It's glorious!"

"That's not what I meant, Travis," Will said, borderline growling. "We have our friend of the family, thank you very much. We don't need another."

Katherine looked surprised. "You got her a pet? Really?"

Will snorted. "Hell no, I didn't."

The couple looked at each other and looked at Will in unison, confusion pouring from them in waves. "Then what, William?" Katherine wondered.

Will opened his mouth and Clara's delighted squeal answered his call.

"Ghosty!"

Will glanced over at the wolf trotting out of the woods. "Well, he's as punctual as always," he said under his breath. Inside, he was relieved. They—Clara didn't have to worry about the wolf running away so soon after he'd returned.

The couple's eyes were bulging out of their sockets. "The fuck," Travis breathed. "Is that a goddamned wolf?" He made to stand, realizing that said wolf was right next to the children. "Honey, you need to—"

"Chill," Will snapped. Suddenly famished, he reached over and grabbed a sandwich for himself. "You can sit down, Travis. That's just Ghosty."

Travis looked from Will to the wolf and back. "Is that—is that an actual wolf? Like, full-blooded wild beast wolf?"

"Yes," Will said. He almost laughed at their comical looks of horror. "He's from a pack around here, probably. But he's been with us for a while now. He's fine."

As he spoke, Ghosty licked Clara's hand when she came to greet him, standing still so she could hug him around the neck. He had little tufts of white in his fur around the muzzle, which Clara picked off as she spoke to him. They were too far away for Will to hear what they were saying.

Ghosty seemed to nod, nudging Clara's arm with his nose. He gently extracted himself from her embrace and headed straight for Will and the aghast couple in front of him.

"You're late," Will said, laughter in his voice.

Ghosty huffed and plopped down next to Will, one foreleg pressed flush against the man's cast. He kept his head slightly turned to where the children were quickly forgetting their shock and returning to their games. To the boys, he was probably just another dog. Clara also seemed more willing to play with them now that Ghosty was in the area.

To the older Stolls, however, he seemed to be a ticking time bomb. They eyed him warily.

As a show of Ghosty's dolice behavor, Will reached over and plucked a tuft of white fur that Clara had missed off of the wolf. "I'm guessing you had a good hunt."

Ghosty licked his lips, keeping his eyes on the children.

Will chuckled and scratched him behind the ear. "I'm glad to hear it."

A beat passed. "You're talking to a wolf," Travis mentioned dumbly.

Will smiled. "I know."

Katherine stared at the wolf for a moment longer before shaking her head dismissively. "Whatever. He seems tame enough. He hasn't tried to attack Clara, has he?"

"Not once," Will said in stride. He moved his attention to grabbing another sandwich. "He's never had any of those sorts of troubles. He's a little territorial, but nothing bad."

Katherine nodded and seemed to decide that the wolf wasn't worth worrying about. "Anyway, moving on. Is there nothing you can think of for Clara? I don't want to accidentally send her something she won't like, William."

Ghosty sniffed at the sandwich in Will's hand and turned up his nose as Will contemplated Katherine's question. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Not that I haven't been home enough to tell you what sorts of things she likes, but because she's never asked me for anything in particular." Besides to keep the wolf, he added as an afterthought.

Katherine looked disappointed. "Is that so. Well, I'd rather not ask her directly, but if I can't find anything from you…"

Will nibbled on the end of his sandwich, thinking. He glanced down at Ghosty. "I'm sorry, Katherine," Will muttered, and he meant it. He honestly couldn't think of anything to give Clara that didn't involve the wolf in some way. "I just don't know."

The wolf's dark eyes met Will's. Ghosty tilted his head.

Will exhaled and petted the wolf's back fur. It wasn't an area the wolf was too keen on letting people touch, but he allowed it for the moment. He seemed to sense Will's tension. "I'll call you if I hear anything that she'd like, Katherine."

"Thank you." Katherine's voice softened. "When will you be able to go back to work?"

"In a couple more weeks I'll head back," Will replied. "It'll take me a while to get back into the usual routine—and even more time to catch up on all of the stuff that I missed—but I'll manage."

Katherine nodded. It might have been a figment of Will's imagination, but he thought she seemed saddened by his words. "I wish you the best of luck with that, William."

"Thanks, Katherine."

Awkward silence built up between them.

Ghosty groaned at Will's side, pawing the quilt in an impatient movement. Rosy the greyhound had come over out of curiosity, her leash dragging along behind her as she edged closer to the reclining wolf. She was a pretty thing, grey and spotted with white splotches and the brightest green eyes Will had ever seen, but Ghosty didn't seem interested whatsoever. His ears even flattened when he noticed her, and he bared his teeth in warning when she stooped down to sniff at him.

Rosy whimpered, her tail tucking between her legs at the wolf's aggressive behavior. She trotted away sullenly, and only then did Ghosty relax again.

Katherine was frowning at the scene with a thoughtful expression etched into her brow, and Travis just laughed at the spectacle. "Just not your type, eh wolfy?" He laughed some more, like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Ghosty's ears were still flattened against his head. He seemed to press just a little bit closer to Will's side and grumbled deep in his throat.

Travis chuckled again. He snatched the last sandwich off of the plate and stood with a sharp huff. "Well, it's getting late. It's about time to get back home, isn't it Katie? It was nice seeing you again, Will. Even with you broken up like this."

Will stayed on the ground. "Of course, Travis. You take care."

Ghosty grunted indifferently, his head tilted towards the children still.

Katherine stood as well, dusting herself off. She hadn't even taken a bite out of the food. "Go on and get the boys, Travis. Before they ruin William's yard with their roughhousing. I'll stay here with William for just a moment longer."

A stone of dread dropped into Will's stomach.

Travis smiled. "Sure, Katie. I'll be right back."

And then they were alone.

Will, never one to take awkward silences well, cleared his throat and spoke up before he could lose his nerve. "You wanted to say something, I suppose?"

Katherine smiled, but it was only a weak attempt. She let it drop a moment later and kneeled in front of Will. "I wanted to say, Will… About your work—don't make your life solely on your career. Like you did with me. Clara deserves more than that, and you know it."

A flash of anger engulfed Will. "You say that when you could have easily won full custody over her. And you didn't."

Katherine gritted her teeth. "Only because I thought you might be able to change for her. I couldn't just leave you with nothing, even though you basically ignored the two of us for years."

Will flinched. "I didn't—"

"Don't try to argue, William. You did. You abandoned us to your work. And even though you meant well for the people you were helping, it was still no excuse to ignore your own family. But now, now you have a chance to change that for our girl. Don't mess it up. For her sake, don't mess it up."

Will was practically seething under his stoical mask. "I'll worry about our girl," he said, borderline spitting the words at his ex-wife. "So why don't you just worry about your boy."

Katherine went pale. She narrowed her eyes. "William Solace," she growled. "You will not—" She caught herself, cooling her expression. "I'll take care of my boys, thank you very much. You, though. You need to work on more than I thought. Considering that I hear you haven't tried to start a relationship with anyone since I decided for a divorce. Perhaps I'll have to take up a case to recommend you for counselling."

Ghosty growled, breaking the two from their glaring contest. His ears were flat as a board, and his nose was scrunched up in a way that reminded Will of when Michael had come over to check up on the wolf's recovery. Like he was holding back from biting someone.

The woman stood and backed up a couple steps, looking down at Will. Though she seemed at ease with arguing with Will, the aggressive wolf at his side was more than she could apparently handle. "Take care of her, William," she said, glancing over at the wolf to make sure he stayed beside Will. "She deserves to be happy. Don't forget that."

"I'm fully aware," Will replied. He scratched Ghosty behind the ear, where he liked it. "Just don't go and mess up your happiness while you're counselling Clare's. Travis is a good man for you, under all of his trickery and joking. Focus on that for now. I can handle things on this side. We can, I mean."

Katherine nodded. "I'll be seeing you, William. Remember to call."

Will nodded back. "I will. Take care."

Clara returned to Will and Ghosty as the Stoll family made their leave. "I never even got to talk to her," his daughter muttered, sweaty and out of breath from playing with the boys.

Perhaps that's a good thing, Will thought. "Maybe next time, Clare."

The girl plopped down on the quilt next to Ghosty and hugged the wolf around the neck. "Were they here to check on you, Daddy?"

"Partly," Will answered.

"They could have at least said hi to me…" Clara mumbled, crestfallen. "Momma hardly even noticed me, Daddy. I thought you said she still loved me."

Ghosty touched his nose to the girl's cheek like a comforting kiss. He hummed.

Clara blinked away tears and buried her face in the wolf's fur as Will laid his hand on her shoulder. He couldn't find the words to speak, so he didn't try.

Katherine still loved their daughter, Will was certain of it. It was just him that she didn't love—but she had come all that way to wish Clara happiness. To drill it into Will that the only way she could find happiness was if he could find means to be a good father for her.

It was like Nico had said, now that Will thought about it. Will had to move on from his past to find happiness, and in doing that Clara too would be happy—even if Will couldn't be home every second of every day to spend time with her.

The two people had given the same advice, but it was also very different advice.

One wanted Clara to be happy.

The other wanted Clara and Will to be happy. Together.

Will rubbed Clara's back, a smile coming to his lips. "We don't need her approval, do we?" he asked her suddenly.

The girl looked up from the wolf's fur, sniffling. "W-What?"

"We don't need her approval to be happy."

Whatever expression that was on the man's face made his daughter's eyes brighten. She giggled, curling her fingers in Ghosty's midnight colored fur. "Nope!"

Will's smile widened. "Exactly. Come on, let's go inside. It's getting a bit too chilly out here for my tastes."

Clara helped her father to his feet and the man propped a crutch under one arm, using the other to collect the sandwich plate on the quilt. Ghosty hopped up and followed Will off as his daughter shook out the blanket and threw it around her shoulders like an oversized cape, beaming up at her father with tears cutting through the grit on her face. She looked beat up and exhausted, but she was also looked proud. Of herself—of Will.

The wolf pressed his flank against Will's uninjured leg. His head and tail were high, also proud. He seemed just as pleased as Clara was.

Despite everything that was said that day, even Will seemed happier. Or at least contented. He turned to his daughter, took her hand with his free one, and smiled down at her.

"Let's go, then. It's about time to work on being happy."

~ΨΩΨ~

A lot of you figured out the story behind Katherine before this chapter, which I'm thoroughly impressed about. Good job you guys!

Please feel free to review!