Do I still have readers out there? Here's another short chapter for you.

Chapter 26

My nails were bitten to nubs and my shoe kept an insistent tapping noise on the floor. I noticed the constant noise started to annoy Officer Torres, so I kept it up even though my leg got tired of bouncing.

On the other side of the room the stench from the burning coffee was so bad I finally had to walk over and turn the burner off. One of the policemen asked me to "make another pot, would ya sweetie?" I glared at him, did not make another pot, and returned to my uncomfortable bench in the police station lobby to wait for my dad to show up.

According to the clock, I had been waiting for two hours and twenty four minutes. It seemed much longer, like I had been on that uncomfortable bench the entire night. Of course Officer Torres didn't call my Dad as soon as we got to the station. The drive from La Push would take Dad about an hour and forty minutes. My hair was still damp and I was still chilled from getting wet at the outdoor concert. The police department was as cold as a refrigerator. What'stakingDadsolong? To top it all off they wouldn't let me see Quil. I wasn't exactly sure where they kept him. Did they put him in a "holding cell" or whatever it is they called it? Back with the drunks and common criminal who caused trouble on the streets? When I asked Torres where Quil went he just pointed to the bench and told me to "sit tight." What the hell does that mean anyway? Sittight.

I was so eager to get out of that place, but anxious to see my dad's reaction to what had happened. Would getting a phone call from the cops be a major set-back to how Jack felt towards Quil? It really did seem like Dad was coming around. Would he believe Quil and me over Officer Torres?

Just when I thought I might doze off on the hard bench, I heard the main doors open and watched as my dad stomped towards me. First, I was relieved to see him so he could take Quil and me home, but the look on his face made me shrink back to the bench.

"Where is he?" Dad growled.

"Dad, it's not what you think…" I started to defend Quil, but Dad continued.

"Where's this Torres character? What the hell does he think he's doing bringing my daughter into a police station?"

Waitaminute.He'sangrywiththepoliceman?I was shocked and in awe of how my dad was defending me even though he didn't know what was going on.

"Mr. Cooper, I'm Officer Torres. I spoke with you on the phone." He offered his hand to my dad with a smirk on his face, but Dad didn't take it. With a cough Torres's smirk fell from his face, maybe realizing Dad wasn't quite on his side.

"Please, have a seat." Officer Torres gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Dad sat with a huff and I quickly moved to the chair beside him.

With an impatient growl Dad didn't wait for Torres to start. "I want you to tell me why you are holding my daughter and Quil in custody and making me drive all the way from the rez to get them out of jail."

"Mr. Cooper, Mr. Ateara has not been arrested. We are holding him here for questioning because he was found with a minor in a compromising position…"

"We weren't doing anything wrong, Dad, I swear!" I interrupted, pleading with my dad to understand.

"Ms. Cooper, please," Torres started with a condescending grin. "I know what I saw and I'm just relaying the facts. Why don't you take a seat over there while I talk to your dad." He pointed to the uncomfortable bench.

"She stays here and I want to hear her side of the story too." Dad said to Officer Torres. "You first."

"Listen Mr. Cooper, I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. I just don't want a poor young lady to be taken advantage of by a man twice her age." Torres continued. I started to interrupt, but Dad cut me off with a look.

"I'm listening." Dad said as he relaxed in his chair, resting his left ankle over his right knee.

Torres imitated Dad's position on his side of the desk. If I hadn't known any better it would have looked like two friends talking about sports or their favorite fishing spot, except Dad's glare didn't fit with his casual tone. Torres' grinned my way again as if he were saying "gotcha."

"I was working the concert and noticed your daughter and Mr. Ateara being very…cozy." Torres started, emphasizing the word cozy like it was a dirty word or something. I looked at him in shock, not remembering ever seeing him at the concert. "I noticed she seemed much younger than him so I decided to follow them."

"You followed us?" I asked in shock. Frickin' creeper.

"What do you mean by cozy?" Dad asked as he put his hand on my arm, silently asking me to be patient.

"They were dancing together and hugging at times." Torres said.

"Any kissing involved?" Dad asked. I gave him a quick look and hid my face from embarrassment. Two men talking about Quil's and my actions was just too much.

"No, not really. I just saw Mr. Ateara kiss the top of her head a couple of times." Gross…howlongwashegawkingatus?

"So, that was reason to follow them?"

"Like I said, Mr. Cooper, I didn't want an older man taking advantage of a girl her age. And, I'm glad I did follow them because I found your daughter in the back seat of Mr. Ateara's car without her shirt on and Mr. Aetara standing right outside the door half dressed, getting ready to take off his pants."

OhGod,pleasestrikemedownrightnow.Howmuchmoreembarrassingcanthisget? I thought with a groan. I couldn't even look at my dad. I couldn't tell if he was falling for his bullshit story or not, which actually wasn't a bullshit story because so far he was telling the facts. Torres was just interpreting them incorrectly. I knew I would get my turn, so I let Torres continue.

"They both told me nothing was going on, but that's not what I saw." Torres continued.

"What do you think you saw?" Dad asked.

"It looked to me like she was about to perform fellatio on Mr. Ateara." Torres said flatly.

I covered my face with my hands. My face became hot; I'm sure it was beet red. God,where'sthatlightningboltIaskedfor?

Dad started to chuckle. It was a humorless chuckle, but it seemed so out of place with the conversation. It was more like a "I can't believe this is happening" chuckle. I looked up at him and he was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head slowly.

Dad drew in a deep breath and sighed. "Ok, Claire. It's your turn."

I cleared my throat, but still started with a squeak. "Yes, Quil and I were dancing together and may have been hugging a little, but I was not about to perform…do that to him." I said as I glared at Officer Torres.

Dad held up his hand to get my attention. "Ok, ok. Why was your shirt off?" he asked.

"It started to pour down rain as we were running back to the car and I got soaked. Even through my rain coat. Quil told me to get in the back and change while he stood guard. You know I took dry clothes, Dad. You were home when we left. You saw me bring my bag."

"Why didn't Mr. Ateara just shut the car door?" Torres interrupted. "Why did he stand there next to you with it open?"

"I needed the light from the dome to see. It was dark." I explained. The light was really dim, but it was better than nothing.

"Weren't you afraid someone could see in?" Torres interrogated.

"No, not with Quil there." I said. How would I explain that Quil could see clearly in the dark and would warn me ahead of time if someone was getting too close? Just as he warned me that Officer Torres was nearby with his beacon of a flashlight, but I was too slow to put a shirt on.

"Well I could see in and I saw you topless with your face in front of your boyfriend's waist." Torres countered. His voice started to rise and his face slowly turned red.

"I was handing him a dry shirt!"

"Hey!" Dad smacked his table on Torres' desk. "I would appreciate it if you would stop talking to my daughter like that. She's not the one being held. Besides, I've heard enough. I want to talk to Quil now."

"Very well, sir." Torres leered my way and led my dad towards the back of the station where I assumed Quil was being held.

I quickly moved from Torres' desk to the uncomfortable bench. I didn't want to be anywhere near Torres if he returned without my dad or Quil. I didn't know what that man's problem was, but he was obviously having a boring day and needed to cause a stir.

Being tired, stressed, and chilled to the bone was finally catching up to me. I could feel all my emotions from the last few hours building up but I didn't want them to burst through in the police station. I didn't want Torres to know he had gotten to me. But I couldn't help it. I pulled my knees up to my chest, curling into a ball. My eyes started to water and my nose started to run and I couldn't control the sob that broke through.

I knew nothing bad was going on between Quil and me, but I could see how it looked between us. I knew how others outside the pack perceived our situation. If they only knew what our relationship was really about. If they only knew that Quil and I would die for each other. We were mates in almost every meaning of the word. They wouldn't see a thirty year old man taking advantage of a seventeen year old girl. They would see that we had one of the strongest bonds only a few knew of.

I don't know how long I sat waiting on that bench curled up within myself. I think I may have fallen asleep, but all of a sudden I was aware of a pair of warm, familiar arms carefully wrapping around me, carrying me out of the police station. I could feel the chill I had been carrying seep away from me as Quil's body heat surrounded me. I felt comfortable and safe and somehow knew things were going to be ok for the time being.

A/N: Ok, I'm thinking about finishing up this little story. There's not a lot of loose ends, is there? Let me know if there is anything else you want me to clear up. Obviously, the big one is Quil's reluctance to move his relationship with Claire further so maybe I'll fast forward to when Claire is a little older.

I have a feeling you may want to hear what Quil and Jack had to say to each other in the police station before Torres released Quil. I'm going to work on that chapter as an outtake since it's not in Claire's POV.

Thanks so everyone who is still hanging in there! I know I'm slow at updating and I truly apologize. I know I hate waiting for updates on the stories I like.