Thursday was interesting. Paul and I sat on the border looking out into the wilderness leaning against the Audi as it was a partially sunny day. We looked into the trees, and I turned to face him and watch. Paul was thoughtful, his face smiling and then frowning continuously, like he was thinking of many things at once. Maybe his mind worked like mine, jumping from subject to subject until I finally landed on a realization.

I took this moment while we leaned against the car and looked at the space between us. For once, I let myself inch a little closer to him. Paul's eyes flickered to his peripheral vision, wary of my movements.

"So.. How has it been stalking Bella?" I asked. Paul suddenly snorted.

"Not that interesting," Paul said. I smiled a little bit. He shrugged. "And Jacob. I can't imagine him being my brother, you know. Like Sam, Jared, and Embry. Jacob's little group... well, they've never really gotten along with Jared and me. Embry's tolerable. He's a nice guy." I smiled at that.

Embry, from what I knew anyway, seemed to be a total sweetheart. He'd been concerned about me with my own little freak out about Laurent and he didn't even know me.

I patted Paul's knee comfortingly.

"I think you'll be fine," I said. "If you guys live in each other's head, you'll probably get a little perspective." Paul shook his head.

"And Quil..." he went on. His voice trailed off. I guess he didn't really need to say anymore for me to understand what his frustration was. He shook his head. Then Paul turned to face me.

"I don't get what's so important about Bella Swan. I understand why she's so important to the bloodsuckers, but why do we need her?" Paul looked at me. I stayed silent, only allowing myself to shrug indifferently. Paul looked impatient. "I mean, I know Jacob's got a crush on her, but come on..." He paused. "Is Jacob going to imprint?"

I smiled weakly.

"I already gave you all of the Pack information. You know that he won't," I said. Paul rolled his eyes.

"Then I fail to see her importance," Paul said. His jaw clenched at the end of his sentence. I sighed heavily. "Speaking of which. She nearly killed me the other day." I looked up frowning at him. Paul was half smiling at the forest before us.

"How, pray tell, did Bella Swan nearly kill a werewolf?" I asked him. Paul gave me a look.

"Okay, I'm exaggerating. But she was out of control on the bike, and I may not know much about motorcycles, but I've seen people lose control. I took off running to go catch her. She was about to hit a tree and kill herself. Then she went flying unexpectedly and nearly hit me. I had to take off running before she saw me. She might have heard me though." I looked at him a moment, my brows furrowing.

"Hmph," I said mildly interested.

Then I started to snicker. Paul began laughing too.

"That girl should be locked away. She's a danger to herself and others. That qualifies her for involuntary lock up in an asylum, doesn't it?" he asked. I giggled, snickering with him. I sighed heavily, still smiling. I remembered what Emily said, seeing that the un-imprint theory was losing its hold. Like someone who'd gotten bored of being on a certain diet when they saw it wasn't working.

I hope Paul saw the light soon. I looked down and saw the distance between us. I really hoped so. Preferably before I went off marching to the lion's den, wherever it was. I frowned thoughtfully at that reminder. Laurent was starting to become an annoying thought that kept on popping up in my head.

I looked at Paul again. He was staring at me, so I met his gaze. He sighed. His full lips smiling a little.

"So..." Paul said forcing his eyes away to look at the damp dirt. "What's on Bella's agenda?" I shrugged a little bit.

"Hiking." Paul looked up.

"Hiking?" he repeated. His face twisted in confusion. He jerked his thumb in the direction of Forks. "Her?"

"Yeah, I know she doesn't seem like the type, but she's looking for something specific. I think I might be able to follow them. Its not in La Push," I said, mostly just thinking out loud.

"Where is it?" Paul asked.

"Up the 101 to the 110. There's a trail at the end of the road," I said. Paul's brown-black eyes suddenly widened. His muscles tensed underneath his shirt. I tried not to ogle, and pay attention to his sudden intensity.

"You are not following Bella there," he ordered. I froze.

"Why not?"

"That's out of our territory," Paul said. I looked at him.

"What do territories mean to you anymore? The Cullens are gone. And how is that not your territory? It used to belong to them, but they're not there anymore," I said suddenly confused. Paul gave me a meaningful look.

"We're having a hard enough time watching La Push and Forks. We can't go watching out for every straggler that goes into the boonies. Its too far in Cullen turf. Too close to that crypt of their's," Paul said, his voice was hard and he shuddered at the mentioning of their home. I shuddered too.

"Isn't that part of Forks?" I questioned. Paul looked confused.

"Not really," Paul said leaning back against the Audi. I mimicked his stance and thought for a moment. I had been neglecting Bella for a while, which made me anxious. I looked at Paul.

"Well, if I can't watch her, will you?"

"Cammy, we're really busy..." he said. My eyes widened in disbelief. How could he just let someone walk into danger like that? He sighed at my expression. "I'll see what we can do. But if nothing is supposed to happen to her, what's to worry about?"

"I'd like you to make sure that nothing happens to her," I said making my point. This made me thoughtful. The meadow was a place that the wolves didn't patrol? I groaned to myself, feeling my bottom lip pout in a way that may have looked exaggerated.

That settled it, I guess. Laurent really was unavoidable. Someone had to set up the scenario.

"You okay?" Paul asked. I smiled at him, unwillingly.

"Just dandy," I said sarcastically. I sighed heavily. I was going to need that plan after all. "So what do you think my chances are of talking to Quil again?" Paul stretched out his legs before him.

"Not good. Maybe he'll be less of an ignorant idiot after he phases," he answered bitterly. I cursed and looked at my purse where I knew my phone was. I bit my lip.

Great.

Paul looked at the time on his phone. We'd already ignored Sam's phone calls twice, even though Paul didn't think I could hear the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. He groaned.

"I've got to go," he said picking himself up. He offered his hand, and I rested my own hand in his so he could pull me up. I sighed heavily. Yeah. So did I. I had a phone call to make.

"Hi Quil! It's Cammy... Um, Darlene. You know what, you can still call me Darlene if you want. It's a pretty name. Um... I know things are weird but can you please call me back? It's an emergency. Thanks!"


BEEP!

Three hours later...

"Hey, Quil its Cammy again. I mean... Well, you know. Listen I know that we left off things really, really weird, but I swear to you had a good reason for lying to you. I mean maybe... Well, yeah! I did! Now please, please, please, just give me a minute to talk to you. It's really important and that is no reason to for you to be acting immatur-..."

BEEP!

One minute later...

"I'm sorry, Quil. You're not immature. I just really need to talk to you and you're acting childish by not talking to me when I really need you! Wait... I didn't mean that. Anyway, please, please, call me. It's about that dream I've been having. Thanks."

BEEP!

One day later...

"Quil! I am cutting it very close. There are lives at stake here! Sam and his friends are not a cult, and I am not a cult member either. In fact they don't even know I'm trying to get a hold of you. I promise this isn't a trick or a prank or whatever. I just need to talk to you. We're friends. You lied, I lied. Let's just forget about what happened. Please."

BEEP!


I was trying to be discrete when I followed Bella to work. I walked into a used bookstore beside the place. Bella went into the Newton's place. I browsed harmlessly in the store. She came back to the truck with a pair of hiking boots in her hand. I picked my head up from the old classic in my hand and watched as she backed the old truck out into the street.

I sighed helplessly and took out my phone to text Paul. He had said that Embry was going to follow them. His scent would be enough to keep Laurent away. Embry was more than happy to sacrifice his day protecting his friend as they wandered around nearly aimless in search of Edward and Bella's meadow.

That left me stuck in Forks. Again. My shoulders sagged as I watched Bella venture where I was not allowed. The nagging in my brain was louder when I had nothing to do like this, which was great incentive to get myself caught up on homework, but I had none left. Except for Calculus again.

Curse Edward for forcing me to be in that class. I couldn't even pass Geometry. What was I doing in Calculus? However, that did not drop my standing from my solid A- in that class. And now I was certain that I had nothing to do with that A.

Thank you, Mr. Randall.

So it was off to spend another day alone watching reruns of Get Smart. I was officially useless today.

I got back into the Audi that I had parked on the far end of the parking lot. I dropped my purse by my side and opened it up to reach for my phone. I checked the messages. It was only a text from Paul assuring that Embry was on his way.

I smiled a little. My reliable imprint.

But nothing else. No response from Quil. Not even a weird number that I didn't recognize. Jasper was gone as quickly as he'd reentered my life. Saturday. How much time did I have now? I looked at the date, that was on the digital clock in my car.

February twelfth.

Geez! Was Forks some kind of vortex that sucked time away?

I groaned to myself and leaned back in my seat to cover my eyes with my hands. I needed to act. I needed to act now. I picked up the phone. But before I could open it to call Quil, the phone began to ring again.

It was another weird number, but one with a Fork's area code. Definitely not Manhattan. It wasn't the Cullens. I sighed and waited for it the person to give up calling. When the phone blipped the noise that indicated a missed call, I opened the phone and attempted to call Quil again.

It rang once. Twice. And again. Finally it was sent to voicemail.

"Hey, this is Quil. I'm not here so leave a message," said his unenthusiastic message played. I waited for the generic voice to tell instructions of leaving the voicemail and the call back options. Finally the beep came.

"Quil, its me again," I said. I looked out the window at the Newton's store. Then east in the direction of the perilous meadow. "I really wish you would talk to me and just give me a chance to explain myself. I'm not as creepy as you think I am... despite my track record of stalking and leaving a million messages on your voicemail." I paused to think about that. Hm... Then again maybe that was kind of weird. No wonder he didn't want to talk to me. "I just wanted to formally say I'm sorry for what happened, and I would really appreciate it if you would talk to me. Thanks. Bye."

I hung up and watched the blinking numbers signifying the end of the call.

Now what?

I drove home and watched TV. About halfway through the second marathon, I got another call. I picked up the phone. The same strange number from Forks. I stared at the strange phone number again. It was dark outside. About nine in the evening.

I stood up and paced, staring at my phone.

Time was running out. Between episodes I saw previews to the movie Jacob, Bella, and Mike were due to see, Crosshairs. The way it slipped away so quickly was a sign. Time never slows down or speeds up when you need it to. My phone never rang again. Quil wasn't answering. I bet he wasn't even checking his messages.

How was I supposed to do this when the only ally I had made had turned against me? In defeat I fell against the couch slumping into it. I was hyper and worried. This was going to be difficult. My knee bounced anxiously. I closed my eyes and thought for a moment.

My thoughts immediately turned to self pity.

I was so bad at keeping the books in order. There had to be someone better for the job. Maybe it was just coincidence that I landed in a fictional world. Maybe I hadn't been chosen by some unseen force to do this because it was my destiny.

All I ended up doing was screwing things up even more.

"I miss the Cullens," I moaned aloud. It would have been safer if I hadn't been selfish. No Laurent, no depression, no loneliness, no fear, no heartache. I stared at the TV until the late hours of the night. I couldn't focus on the redundant plots of the episodes though.

My eyes narrowed. I looked at the time to see if maybe I could distract myself with some sleep. Maybe I could have that dream, and be lucid enough to discover where I was supposed to be on my own. Maybe there would be some clue, a date I was missing.

I had to be missing something.

Finally it was late enough that I could go to sleep. I readied myself for bed, sneaking around quietly so as not to wake Aunt Debbie or Uncle Bob. Then I lay in my bed and stared at the canopy. My mind was hardly quiet enough to do any sleeping. Jasper's corner and the chair that was there was a reminder of his absence. My room that had been decorated by Alice also made me think, and the purse that I had grown accustomed to cuddling with at night out of sheer paranoia made me think of Edward, feeling the blocky shape of the books inside.

What was I going to do?

Then it hit me. I sat up in bed with suddenly as the idea had struck me so quickly that it had made me light headed.

I jumped out of bed, as per usual, not stopping to wonder if my idea might be just a tad bit too proactive, or that what I was doing might be a little insane. I was unlocking the door to the Audi. The digital clock said it was one in the morning.

Perfect. The Audi purred beneath me as I revved the engine. I drove so fast that I could hear the tires squeal loudly against the soaked asphalt. The music was blaring from my trip home from the store earlier today. I narrowed my eyes and pressed my foot on the gas pedal, also accidentally blowing through a stop sign in my haste.

I didn't care. And I didn't hesitate at the border as I crossed into La Push.

Quil was going to talk to me whether he wanted to or not. I didn't have time to worry about what he would think of me. I saw the familiar store rise up on the right side of the road. Behind it was a very small house.

I yanked the gear shift into park and ran around the car, purse swinging noisily by my side. I picked up my cell phone and made sure it was off. Then I ran around the house near the trash cans. I didn't see any beware of dog sign, and that was enough for me to jump the fence.

The chain link fence swayed as I put the toe of my shoes in the little gaps between the wire. I swung my leg over and jumped down in the dirt. I swore under my breath as the shock of the landing made me stumble to my knees. I'd never been one of those girls who could do this sort of stuff.

I walked to the nearest bedroom window and poked my head up. I saw a tiny room, and bed that was too large to belong to a sixteen year old boy's, even if that teenager was a werewolf. I moved to the next window that was too high and small to belong to another bedroom. It was probably a bathroom.

Next window.

Jackpot.

The Underworld poster on the other side of the room with an oversexed airbrushed picture of Kate Beckinsale holding a gun at the edge of a rooftop was a dead giveaway. I observed the window, noticing the screen in it. I may not be very good at jumping fences, but I'd lost my house keys enough times to know how to get in a window.

I wedged my fingers underneath it and popped out the screen. The window slid open. I pressed my fingers against the glass and pushed it sideways. The sweat from my nervousness made my fingers slide a little, but the protesting window started to glide open.

When I had enough room to slide my fingers inside, I pushed it open the rest of the way with ease. I smiled a little bit in self pride, feeling smug that I'd managed to break into a werewolf's house successfully. The room was dark. The only light in the room came in through the crack in the door on Kate Beckinsale's face.

I snickered triumphantly as I lightly tossed in the big ugly purse first.

Then I swung my leg inside and accidentally kicked Quil in the face.

I stared in horror as I heard a scrambling against bedsprings. Of course. Quil's bed had been right under the window. Because sneaking in and gently waking him up would have been too convenient, wouldn't it?

"What the hell?" I'd come too far to be sent home this early.

Before I could get kicked out I pulled my body inside, stumbling on the floor and tripping over a pile of something in the middle of the room. I struggled to get my feet when suddenly a massive weight dropped painfully on my back. I coughed out the air that was in my lungs under the pressure.

My arms were locked behind my back as I was pulled up and slammed into the opposite wall. I didn't hit it too hard, but the tip of my nose got bumped. Then the hands that held me let go and the light turned on.

I spun around and faced Quil. He had a wooden bat in his hand. His room was a mess. There was dirty laundry all over the room. I mussed have tripped over the pile that was now splayed across the floor.

Quil looked just as surprised to see me as anyone could be. His grip on the bat loosened. His stare was incredulous. I felt something drip into my mouth. I reached up and touched the nostril that had a slow stream of blood dripping over my lip.

"Darlene?" he asked. I looked at the blood on my fingers.

"I'm really sorry, Quil, but I had to talk to-"

"So now you're stalking me? I knew it! I knew there was something wrong with you!" Quil said pointing at me. I was surprised that he was whispering. I was afraid he was going to call his parents or worse, his grandfather who happened to have a place on the council.

He dropped the bat on the floor completely. It clunked softly on the carpet.

My hands had flown up to my face in defense. They relaxed as soon as the bat was out of his hand.

"I need your help," I said, still shaking with adrenaline. Quil glared. I swallowed hard. "Quil. I have to talk to you about my dream," I said. Quil's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why?"

"Because I think you're right. I think there's some underlying message to it and you're the only I know who can help me out with that," I said hoping the plea of a damsel in distress would make it more appealing. Quil stared at me. Then his brow furrowed.

"The one with the vampire?"

"Yes!" I hissed. He looked confused.

"I don't know if I can help you. If you're afraid of vampires, its just your fears..."

"But I know this vampire in my dream!" I said. Quil stared at me. His confusion never left his face. He scratched the back of his short hair. He was wearing plaid pajama pants and a Planet Hollywood t-shirt. I stared hard at him, hoping he'd see my desperation.

He sighed heavily and then picked up a dirty shirt.

"You're bleeding," he informed uselessly. I caught it and held it against my nose. Quil sat at the edge of his bed. I moved away the wall, holding the dirty shirt against my face. Quil looked up from where he sat. I saw a bean bag chair on the opposite side of the wall. Slowly, I moved over to it, Quil watching me with suspicion the whole time.

I sat down slowly.

"So does this have something to do with those body snatchers?" Quil asked. I felt the confusion on my face.

"Body snatchers?" I repeated.

"Yeah. Sam and the others. The ones who take people who absolutely hate their guts and turn them into their own personal slaves? Am I next on their list?" Quil sneered sarcastically. I stared at him in disbelief, to reinforce the idea that he was being ridiculous.

"I think you're in the wrong book," I commented.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said waving away his concern. I inhaled deeply thinking of how I was going to explain this. "Sam, Paul, Jared, and I guess now Embry too, aren't part of a cult and they're not brain stealing aliens. They're..." Quil snorted, rolling his eyes and interrupting me.

"Protectors? Right. Because La Push is really dangerous," Quil said. I cocked a brow at him. I shook my head to resist saying anything to that.

"Look. The point is, my dream is trying to tell me something. The guy in it, the vampire, is real and he's looking for me," I said. Quil's look was blank with disbelief.

"There is a vampire looking for you?" he questioned. I stared at him. What was I supposed to say to that? He wouldn't believe me. He would think I was lying... again. I sighed looking at the mountain of dirty laundry. So how was I supposed to make him believe me? By lying?

I opened my mouth, slowly formulating my next words.

"I think him being a vampire, in my dream, represents something. His dangerousness," I said. Quil was suddenly more intrigued.

"So this is someone you know, but in your dream he's a vampire," he said. I smiled suddenly. What a perfect brand of selective truth. No need to mention the fact that he's a vampire everywhere, not just in my dream.

"That's right," I said confidently. Quil sighed.

"Okay," Quil said. "And why do you have to meet him?" I shrugged looking away.

"I think that's what my dream is trying to tell me. The problem is I don't know where to find him. I know he's around Forks, but not in Forks. In my dream I can see it, sort of. I think maybe on some subconscious level, I might know where to find him," I said. Quil cocked a brow. He looked at the window I'd come through at the clouds, illuminated by the moon behind them.

"Alright," Quil said. "What's your dream?"

And so for the first time ever, I told someone else my dream with complete honesty. I talked about Laurent, happy to see me so that he could have me join his coven. I talked about the blinding fear I felt. I talked about how I could hear Paul and Jasper talking sometimes, but I could never see them. And I described the place I was in.

Quil listened, surprisingly quiet as I went into detail describing Laurent. I even ended up telling him all about vampires, the way that his eyes were red and dark with thirst. I told him about how I would be in danger if he did bite me. That no matter how quiet I was, he'd be able to hear my heart and smell my scent.

I told him everything. Quil was a very good listener. He waited for me to stop, where I confessed that I woke up screaming and crying from this dream almost nightly.

Then he leaned forward.

"Darlene, I'm not a dream expert," Quil said gently. I felt my heart drop to my stomach. I sat up, bloody shirt still in my hands. I let my desperation show.

"Quil. He's here. Paul saw him. I need to see him to make him go away," I said making my eyes big. He stared at them for a while. I could see his reluctance breaking down. He wanted to look at me like a friend again, the same way I did. Quil looked at me sighing and continued.

"But that's the thing. Your dream doesn't make any sense. This guy is a vampire in your dream, but the answers you're looking for are too literal," he said. I stared at back him feeling desperation pump adrenaline through me. I was not going to give up on this now.

"Just try," I said. Quil sighed.

"Okay," he said. "Have you ever been in a house like that? The one with the big window wall and the curvy staircase?" I shook my head. Quil sighed. Then shrugged. "Okay then. Have you ever heard of a house like that? You don't get many three story houses around Forks."

"He wouldn't be in Forks," I assured.

"Makes sense. All the fancy houses are outside of Forks." Just then, like a sign from above, a line from Twilight popped into my head. Straight from the first book when Bella had to tell Charlie. The answer wasn't from New Moon at all.

"You said last night that you weren't interested in any of the boys in town."

"Well, Edward doesn't live in town, Dad."

"Oh my god!" I suddenly shouted grabbing the sides of the bean bag chair in horror. I stared in disbelief at Quil's question. Of course. Of course!

"We can't go watching out for every straggler that goes into the boonies. Its too far in Cullen turf. Too close to that crypt of their's," Paul had said.

Yes! That was it! The creepy feeling I got when I was trying to follow Bella to the Cullen's empty house! I had known that Laurent would be there. Bella had said in the books that it wasn't in Forks! It was three miles down a dirt road into the forest, the perfect hiding place for vampires! Especially when werewolves were already used to avoiding the place.

"What?" Quil said. I felt the horror and triumph all at the same time. It was everything I could do to not jump up and scream.

"Of course!" I said again. I grabbed my purse in excitement and yanked out Twilight right in front of Quil, happy to neglect the New Moon book for now. I flipped through the pages, passed the meadow, right to Bella's first visit to the Cullen house.

And there it was. A description of the house. I hadn't had to go there to know where it was. I'd seen it in my imagination the countless times I'd read the book.

"What is that?" Quil asked. I shushed him rudely, making Quil give me that look that questioned my sanity again.

"It was very bright, very open, and very large. This must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from the most of the first floor to create one wide space. The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and, beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wide river. A massive staircase dominated the west-side of the room. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets all varying shades of white," I read aloud to Quil. My brow furrowed. It seemed my imagination didn't quite have all the details right. He was still staring at me. My grin was so wide that I felt every tooth in my mouth was exposed.

"So," he said carefully, drawing out the word. "This place is fictional?"

"Yes!" I answered immediately. Quil raised a brow. I thought about that another moment and shook my head. There were a lot of fictional things around here, I remembered. Quil being one of them. "I mean, no... Well, kind of."

"So where is it?" he asked. I hesitated again leaning in even further.

"Its the Cullen house," I said. His eyes went wide.

"You mean the 'vampires'?" he asked making air quotes with his fingers. He thought on that for a moment, maybe realizing the correlation. But he surprised me with a different question. "Wait. The Cullens are in that book?" Quil's eyes fell on the book beside me. His gaze flickered back to me in confusion.

"Well..." I said. "Sort of. It's a long story. Trust me, you'll know all about it." Thank god Quil seemed satisfied with that answer. He continued.

"So... You're going to that house to meet him by yourself?" Quil asked. He laughed shortly. "You've got some balls, Darlene. I'll give you that."

My eyes widened suddenly as I realized was right. How was I going to be able to walk up to the house, knock on the door, hope my dream theory had been right and then face the monster of my nightmares?

"Or maybe..." Quil said. I perked, interested. He grinned. "Maybe your dream is telling you that you can't do this by yourself." I felt my posture straighten. Quil looked excited, like he was figuring out something mystical. My excitement died completely.

"I have to go by myself, Quil," I said sadly. "He's only expecting me." Quil looked somewhat disappointed, then he shook his head.

"No, not me! You said that you hear Paul and Jasper's voice when you're there. Maybe they're supposed to be there to guide you," he said. I frowned again.

"I can't have Paul there. That's for sure," I said. What would the Cullens say if they came home and found their living room torn to bits by an epic werewolf/vampire battle? Not to mention, Laurent would never make it to the meadow to deliver the news about Victoria to Bella. Bella would never see the wolves and know what happened to Jacob. She would never jump off the cliff if she wasn't hanging out at Billy's.

Therefore Edward would never return.

And the wolves and Cullens would never work together to stop Victoria. The story would go completely awry.

"What about Jasper?"

"I can't track him down," I said. Quil bit his lip. Then his brow furrowed.

"Maybe one or both of them have advice for you that would help you?" Quil suggested. "You know. Like the talking in your dream. You said they weren't actually there. They were just voices in your head, to help you through the danger." I hesitated.

Why did that sound familiar?

I couldn't just ask Paul for advice to confront a killer vampire. "Hey Paul, lets say, hypothetically speaking of course, that I were going to go meet Laurent so that I could set him up and you could corner him before he nearly kills Bella. What should I do?"

Because that wouldn't raise some concern.

I sighed in defeat. Quil shrugged.

"Look. If I were you, I would just keep my phone handy. Call the police or something if you need help," Quil said in defeat when he had no more ideas left. He yawned hugely and rubbed his sleepy eyes. I stared at him.

My phone. Well that would be one way to make sure the wolves reached Bella in time. If I could manage to text them when I was in the vampire lair.

It might just work. I bit my nail thoughtfully. Or it could go terribly wrong. I pressed my lips together thoughtfully. This was all I could do for now. I just needed to know where to meet him, and I got that. I would go the day before the meadow incident, just to give myself some time.

My heart started to hammer loudly and slowly, trying to break through my sternum. I had my answers. I had the plan. Now I just needed to pull this off.

"Breathe, Darlene," Quil said. I exhaled and forced a smile at him. He looked sleepy, but concerned.

"Thanks Quil. I think I got everything I need," I said to him. I was going to have to fill in the holes of the rest of my plan on my own. Quil shrugged his muscular shoulders. When I remembered, I quickly added, "And I'm sorry for breaking in. I didn't know how else to get you to talk to me." Quil stared at me and smiled grudgingly.

"That's okay. I'm glad you did," Quil said softly. I smiled a true smile now. He looked down at the floor uncomfortably and then up again. "Besides, I can tell you're doing this behind Sam's back. Otherwise you wouldn't be so secretive." I nodded.

"You caught me. Are you going to mention anything to them?" I asked. I hadn't thought of that until now. Quil snorted unattractively.

"Why on earth would I do that?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm not really sure why you're helping me," I confessed with a small laugh. We looked at each other a moment. Quil looked down at his hands that were fiddling as he slouched casually over his knees. He bit his lip.

"Embry is one of my best friends. You were one of my best friends," Quil said. I felt my heart pang painfully a little bit with his deep brown stare. He shrugged. "I guess I still want something to do with you, despite your backstabbing betrayal." I bit my tongue. Quil looked down at his hands again. "I mean, at least you're still willing to talk to me, unlike Embry."

That hurt me. I closed my eyes for a moment.

He would understand one day, I reminded myself. I opened them to see Quil looking at me. His cocky grin returned as he laughed a little. "Not to mention it was fun being your sidekick. I owe you that much for making things around here a lot less dull." I smiled wide.

"I'm always around if you need a little adventure," I reminded him. Quil rolled his eyes.

"If it has anything to do with the freaks count me out," Quil said. I shrugged.

"Suit yourself," I said. I put Twilight back in my purse and started back towards the window. I smiled at him. "Thanks again. I owe you big time." Quil nodded once.

"Yeah, you do," he said. I stepped on his bed and started toward the window again. I pushed it open, which was much easier to do with a handle and latch. "Uh, Darlene?"

"Yeah?"

"You can use the door if you want," Quil said. He stood up and opened his bedroom door for me, leading out into the dimly lit hallway.

I blushed.

"Oh," I said. That sounded much better than attempting the fence hop again. "Thanks."

"Sure thing," he said. He walked me to the door from there. I walked back to the Audi in the darkness, wary of any werewolves who were going to catch me on the other side, and in Quil's house no less. I made it home undisturbed. But I didn't get any sleep when I got there.