Claire's Pov:

"Michael…" I started

"No Claire, don't tell me a load of shit to try and worm your way out of this and for once tell the bloody truth" I was shocked at his harshness

"I...I'm sorry"

"Yeh well sometimes sorry doesn't cut it, were you even going to tell us? or were you just going leave us to find out when we got an invitation to your funeral!" he yelled

"Please just…"

"I can't believe you CB, we're you're family! We've helped you through everything, we even lied to our best friend for you and now we find out that you've been lying to us for months!" Eve cried out, black mascara running down her face

"Eve…I..." I kept trying to explain it to them but they wouldn't even let me finish my sentence!

"How could you not tell us? You know how much we love you, why are you being such a heartless bitch!" she screamed and burst into tears, Michael pulled her into his chest and glared at me

"Now hang on a minute!" Maxi said coming closer and placing his arm around my shoulders. "You're out of line, Claire loves you guys so much and that is why she didn't tell you, because she didn't want to worry you so stop being the self-centred bastards you're acting like right now and let her fucking explain" the fury and coldness in his voice made them silent.

"Fine" Michael whispered

"I found out I had stomach cancer the night Ryan phoned you to tell you I hadn't come home, you know when I said I knew he still loved Amber?" I said and she gasped

"You've known for that long?"

"Yeh, I was told that there was a very little chance that I would survive the full 9 months of pregnancy and an even smaller chance giving birth but he said that even if I went through with the termination there was still a huge chance I'd die because the cancer had spread. So I decided that if I was going to die I might as well bring two new lives into the world"

"But why didn't you tell us?"

"There's many reasons, one being that I was receiving and was going to receive so much sympathy and people telling be to have an abortion that I needed you guys to be normal, I needed to be able to phone or skype you guys and not be reminded that in a couple of months I was going to die, I needed you guys to keep me sane. Another reason was that I'd never be able to bring myself to kill my children; I'd never forgive myself if I had. Yes I was scared about dying and about not seeing or saying goodbye to you guys or even making up with Shane, I still am but I've already caused so many problems for you guys, I didn't want everything to revolve around me. But the main reason is because I couldn't put myself first, saving myself before my children knowing that I was killing the only family Shane had left. He'd already lost everyone, I couldn't let him lose them as well, especially when I saw how excited he was" I finished, when I looked up from my lap I could see their expressions had changed from anger and betrayal to sympathetic and apologetic.

"Oh god CB, I feel so bad for calling you a heartless bitch, I know that I was wrong and you were only trying to protect us and the twins and even though I can see where you're coming from, I'm still hurt you couldn't trust us enough to tell us"

"It's not that I didn't trust you, it's that I didn't trust myself; I knew that if I had told you, you would've all told me to have a termination like the rest of them because you didn't want me to die. But I knew that I would've listened to you guys because you're opinions and views mean so much to me, not that my families don't; I just know that if Shane had asked me to have an abortion I would've done it, because I would do anything for him"

"I'm sorry I was so harsh Claire" Michael whispered

"I understand; I never took into consideration how you guys would feel about me not telling you because as bad as this is going to sound, I expected you to find out when you were told by my parents that I had died. But now I realise that some of the choices I've made were wrong and that you all had a right to know"

"Even though I agree with what you just said about making to wrong choices and even though I understand why you did what you did, is still haven't forgiven you CB, it still hurts and I'm still upset. I'm gunna need time, we all are but I don't hate you" Eve said

"Thank you, that's all I ask" I replied and she pulled me into a hug, when I pulled back I looked at Michael to see what he was going to say

"I agree with Eve, it's going to take some time but right now I think you need to worry about telling Shane" I gulped, I knew Michael wouldn't have been like Eve but I guess one can only hope right?

"I'm going to tell him after the concert, I was going to tell you all after the concert and let you all enjoy tonight so that we had some happy memories in case…in case I die but I guess my plan failed just like the rest of them"

"Why wait until after the concert?" Michael asked

"Look, I know you don't agree with the way I'm handling things but please, don't say anything to Shane, let me tell him after the concert; I've already put him through so much please just let him have a fun night" I begged them and after a few long silent minutes they both nodded their heads.

"Thank you so much" I said and silence fell once again

"I can't believe this is actually happening! My CB has cancer!" Eve cried

"I know, it was surreal to me to, I even collapsed" I cringed at the memory

"Is it definite?" Michael asked

"Is what definite?" I replied

"Ate you definitely going to die?"

"I don't know, there's an extremely high chance I'm not going to survive this and the same goes for the twins, but stranger things have happened" he just nodded and fell silent again. His silence though, was cut short by being interrupted by Maxi

"Clairey, we need to get you over to the club so you can get ready for the concert"

"Ok…will you guys be…err…ok?"

"Yeh we'll be fine CB, you just go and get pretty; we'll meet you down there"

"Ok thank you, I put your outfits in my wardrobe so I hope you like them; oh and could you give Shane's his please?"

"Yeh sure, thanks CB"

"No problem, I guess I'll see you later on tonight?"

"You sure will"

"Thank you" I murmured

"For what?" Michael asked

"For not hating me, you don't know how much that means to me" I whispered and before they could reply walked out of the house and got into the limo. As soon as the door was closed I sucked in a deep breath, my whole body shaking.

"I'm proud of you Clairey"

"Thank you; and thank you for having my back in there"

"I always said I would" he smiled and kissed my head

"I feel better, like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders"

"I told you you'd feel better"

"I'm glad they don't hate me and that they understand but Shane's a whole other story, he's not going to be as forgiving as them"

"He'll understand in the end"

"I hope so…I really hope so" I mumbled before looking out of the window into the Morganville night.