Enigmatical

By wired2damoon

Chapter 17: Tears And Tenderness

A/N: WHY DO I HAVE TO LIVE IN IRELAND? BAH! I'm not going to see Twilight until the 12th of December!!!!! GRRRR!!!!! I was going to watch it online (shhh!!!) but I want the whole cinematic experience you know??? Anyone wanna tell me if they enjoyed/hated it? I'm dying to know what you all thought of it!!!

Oh…right…now, the chapter! Hehe:D enjoy!!

Dedicated To beautyXXbrilliancy For Her Sheer Genius! (She Knows Why...)

-wired2damoon- xx

-Embry's POV-

I've been standing in the garage for twenty minutes now, silently watching as Quil stood with half his body underneath the hood of a car. Folding my arms, I decided to make my presence known. "Quil man, I've been waiting for you to finish for the last twenty minutes, ya wanna hurry it up a bit?" I finished a little impatiently. But hey, I had places to go and people to see, very important people…well, person actually.

Quil sighed and without turning around, grabbed a cloth, slammed the hood down and began wiping his hands. "I dunno why you just don't go Embry, I already told you, I've got stuff to do…"

"Since when have you ever not collected Claire from her first day of school? Seriously Quil, I know you're mad at her and all but-"

"-I'm not mad at her!" he spat, effectively interrupting me. He gritted his teeth before muttering lower, "I'm mad at myself…"

I frowned as I heard this, "what do you mean you're mad at yourself?" I asked, although I know I probably shouldn't have, we'll more than likely end up being here all day and I'd never get to see Erin…sigh…the downfall that is being a good friend…

"I'm mad at myself because I completely lost my cool! I should of just pretended that it wasn't a big deal, at least that way I wouldn't of been so horrible to Claire. I can't even bear to face her now…" he trailed off and I gotta say, I felt really bad for the guy. I know I sure as hell wouldn't be able to keep my cool if I saw Erin kiss some random guy and hell I've only known her a little over two weeks, I'd hate to think how Quil feels…

"Listen man, its completely understandable how you felt…she's your imprint after all. I mean, yeah, sure Claire was a little upset but, I'm sure she feels more bad at being the reason why you got so upset. She's probably really confused now, I mean, you didn't really act like an over-protective brother, hell you were more like-"

"-A jealous ex-boyfriend? Yeah, I know," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, in all fairness Em, you would of done the same thing if you and Erin were in mine and Claire's position so don't even try to argue with me."

Well, he had me there.

Rolling my eyes I grumbled in agreement with him, anything to make him stop ranting. I glanced at my watch hurriedly, noticing that it was already four o clock. Erin would be back from school now, probably having a snack with Claire and Nessie. I was itching to see her, almost bobbing up and down on the spot. Quil must of noticed this because he rolled his eyes at me.

"Em, just go and see her before you explode…" he murmured, a hint of a laugh in his tone. I frowned at him, "sorry Quil, I just can't help it, you know how it is…"

"More than anyone…" he replied in a monotone. Again, I felt terrible for the guy, I mean, I'm finding it hard keeping my secret from Erin for two weeks and yet Quil has hid his imprinting from Claire for almost fifteen years, geez, that guy has some awesome self-control!

"Are you sure you're not coming Quil? You haven't once missed Claire's first day back at school," I reminded him, knowing fully well that I didn't need to. I saw him stiffen at my words. I could tell it was killing him to keep away from her, but I also understood that he needed his space. He probably spent all last night torturing himself and didn't get any sleep at all.

"Yeah Em, I'm sure…" he mumbled, turning away from me again. I shrugged, knowing that no one could convince him otherwise, (well, maybe one person could) and sighed to myself.

"Alright, later man," I called, turning and walking out of the garage, head held high. I felt a little bad for leaving him, but I was just so antsy to see Erin and her adorable accent.

Humm…I wonder if Claire's as down in the dumps as Quil?

- Claire's POV-

It has been a week now. A week, since I've seen Quil. I was really disappointed when Embry had come up on our first day of school and Quil wasn't with him. I remember asking Embry specifically where Quil was and he just stood there and shrugged, saying that Quil 'had to work'. Had to work my ass! Every time I've called him in the last week I've either gotten his machine, or one of the other guys have answered. I'm really starting to worry now, just what exactly is his problem?

He didn't like seeing you kissing Cody, said my mind-Nessie smugly.

I rolled my eyes, why the hell would that bother him? Yeah sure, it was a little awkward, but it wasn't so bad that he has to avoid me like the plague! I just couldn't understand it, no matter what scenario I spun. Sighing, I lay back on my bed and looked up at the ceiling, a frown coming to my face. You see, it isn't just Quil I haven't seen in a week, it's Cody too…

Wow, you really do have a way with the opposite sex don't you?

I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face. Cody hadn't been in school in the last week and when I had called him, I again, got an answering machine or his dad, telling me that he has been sick. I was worried, I knew he didn't look at all well the last time I saw him. But I couldn't help but worry that he was deliberately avoiding me, was he really that sick that he couldn't pick up the phone? Wow…does that sound selfish? Okay, now I feel horrible…

Letting out a deep sigh, I turned over to my side and glanced at my clock. It was six pm on a Sunday night and I was all alone. No Nessie, she was off hunting with her family, no mom, she was out with her friend Sandra and no Erin, Embry came and whisked her away for the evening. And the poor girl didn't even know he was treating it as a date…silly imprints.

The house was eerily silent, my breathing the only source of sound. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but on a night like tonight…it was heavily raining and for their sake's I hope Embry and Erin were inside, it was like a frickin' monsoon out there. So yeah, I was a little on edge, a little jittery, a little-

RING, RING!

Holy crap, I think I just peed my pants a little. I jumped half a mile off the bed at the sound of my cell-phone ringing on my bedside table, the vibration trembling against the wood and making an awful noise. Putting my hand on my chest and breathing deeply, I reached over and snatched my phone and didn't even bother to check the caller ID I was so irritated.

"Hello?!" I demanded, ignoring the fact that I was definitely not using my 'polite phone-voice' my mom always expects me to use.

"Uh…Claire?" came the one voice I had not expected to hear. Well, speak of the devil!

"Cody…hey…" I replied a little softer, calming down immediately, "what's up?"

-Erin's POV-

My legs ached as we ran extremely fast towards the huge umbrellas and picnic tables that stood in the middle of the park. My hair was soaked, and stuck to my face as I flung some of it over my shoulder in my hast to beat Embry. We were racing, and he was undoubtedly letting me win. There was no way, a guy that athletic, with muscles that…well, huge…was actually slower than a scrawny thing like me. My mouth dropped open as he jumped clear over a table in a flash, I twisted to look to see if he landed okay. Unfortunately, that was the precise moment my legs decided to be defective and slide from under me.

"Whoa," I yelled, as I slid forward on the grass and collided straight with a picnic table. Out of nowhere, I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist and stopping me from falling on my arse. "Omph!" I cried as instead of falling on the wet grass, I landed on something extremely solid. Immediately, my face began to redden. (A/N: It's not what you think people, god you're all so dirty-minded!)

Twisting around, I turned my head and looked up, seeing Embry's face hovering inches from mine. It seemed he slid too and we both ended up on our arses, his on the grass and mine, on his lap. His arms were wrapped around me from behind, resting on my stomach, pulling me into his chest. Out of instinct I found myself placing my hands on his. They were so warm…immediately I felt my body temperature rise. Wow…this wasn't terribly awkward at all…

"Uh…I won…" I mumbled, trying not to close my eyes and revel in the sensation that was his ragged breath colliding with my skin. I felt his chest vibrate with his laughter against my back as he stared down at me. "Ha, ha, yeah, I guess you did, even if you did cheat!"

I shot him a look of mock-outrage, "excuse me, I did not cheat! I slipped and happened to get to the table faster that way, and if I recall you did not say that we had to run to the tables, you just said last one there has to buy dinner, so ha, ha yourself!"

He laughed harder at that, and it seemed that he was not at all bothered by our odd positioning, and in fact, neither was I. He was so unbelievably warm that for a moment I worried that he had a very high fever, but as I looked up into his face I saw that he look one-hundred per cent healthy. I wanted to say something, anything that would break the silence between us, but I found myself speechless as I stared up into his deep, chestnut eyes.

I could feel my mouth drop open a little as I took in his features. He really was the most handsome guy I've ever come across and I just couldn't believe that I was sitting on his lap in the pouring rain, his arms wrapped tightly around me, I mean really, what did I ever do to deserve this? Someone, somewhere, must like me.

"Hey, we better get you under that umbrella, you're soaked," Embry said suddenly, breaking our staring match. It was then that I realised that I was shivering due to my drenched clothes. I wanted desperately to argue that I was just fine exactly where I was, but I just didn't have the guts. I attempted to stand up off him but found that he still had his arms wrapped firmly around me. I whipped my head around to look at him and saw that he was, once again, staring at me intently.

"Uh Embry…you have to-"

He cut me off abruptly as he leaned down and brushed my lips with his. My eyes bulged in surprise but I quickly snapped them shut and began to kiss back. As he felt my response, he brought one of his hands up to cup my cheek and I turned a little more so I was angled better. I felt his tongue trail my bottom lip so I opened my mouth, my tongue dancing with his.

This was by far the best kiss I've ever experienced. My mind has gone completely foggy and I was barely aware that the rain had grew even heavier, all I could think of was how amazing it felt to have Embry's lips against mine and have his arms wrapped around me, nearly completely shielding me from the rain. I felt his warm hand caress my cheek and felt my heart soar as he pulled me even closer to him. I could only imagine what this must of looked like to any wandering person, two people sitting on the grass in the pouring rain, kissing each other furiously as if it were to be the last time they'd meet…

…But that's how it felt. Never, not once, have I ever been embraced so…eagerly, so…oh I don't know, I'm only seventeen I can't put it into applicable words, but the bottom line is, Embry Call is an amazing kisser.

Much too soon, I felt him draw away from me, his thumb tracing circles on my cheek. "I…I'm sorry Erin I…" he gasped hurriedly, his arm falling from my waist. I frowned a little as he began to stand up, making me grip the table that was a few inches on front of me and stand up too. Without turning to look at him, I threw my leg over the bench and plonked down under the umbrella.

After a moment of sheer silence, (well, once you ignored the loud noise of the rain pelting against the top of the umbrella and the pavement nearby) I felt him move closer and sit down opposite me. I kept my gaze firmly rested on my lap, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment that I could die from - well, at least I'd die happy…

"Erin…" he murmured softly, lifting my chin up so that I could look up at me. "Please…say something…" he continued, his voice and face growing extremely worried. I felt my eyes drag upwards to stare right into his dark orbs and heaved a deep sigh.

"I just…I really wish you weren't sorry for doing that, it might stop you in future," I replied, a soft smile gracing my face as I saw him physically relax. His thumb traced over my skin, so feather-light, "I-I thought I was…I dunno, going too fast I guess…I -I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything I-"

I cut him off abruptly, placing a finger to his lips. Leaning forward slightly a tilted my head as I regarded him, replying softly, "I beg to differ, I was in fact, extremely comfortable…I kissed back didn't I?"

He laughed heartily then, seemingly over-joyed at my response.

Well…isn't this a nice surprise?

- Quil's POV -

I yawned widely as I stretched out on the couch in front of the TV having absolutely no idea what stupid sitcom was on. I was barely awake, my eyes drifting shut every so often. I was dozing now, on the edge of sleep and awake, finally relaxing after a hard, long day at work.

That's when I heard the thing I most dreaded at a time like this. Footsteps.

"Quil, its Jake," came a voice, rousing me from my slumber. I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I heard the voice drift towards me, I stretched widely again. "What's up Jake?" I croaked, clearing my throat loudly. I felt him walk into the living room, around the couch and sit in the armchair beside.

"Hey Quil," be replied, looking a little sheepish, "listen man, something has come up that I think you should know about…"

My head snapped up automatically at the seriousness of his tone. "What is it Jake? Pack stuff?" I asked, my attention peaked.

He looked down at his lap for a moment, clasped his hands together and brought his eyes up to meet mine, "we've got a new member…"

- Claire's POV -

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other as I rubbed my hands together feverishly. It was like below zero degrees outside, and yet here I was shivering my moron-ass off at nine at night while some old dude kept throwing me weird glances from the bench across the street.

Holy crap, I hope Cody gets here soon…

It was so weird when he called earlier tonight. He sounded so…mysterious and just kept insisting that he had to tell me something and that he wanted me to meet him here as soon as possible. I couldn't help but frown as I remembered the urgency in his tone, he really sounded like he was freaked out about something, big-time.

Sighing, I glanced at my watch for like the hundredth time in the last five minutes. What the hell is taking that guy? He said he'd be here in a minute and that was ten-

"Hey Claire," a quiet voice jerked me from thoughts. With a grateful smile, I turned on the spot, towards the voice. "Cody thank G-"

My voice died in my throat as I saw him standing before me. I jerked my head up, my mouth falling open as I stared up into his face. "Co-Cody, what-what the hell?…" I trailed off, motioning wildly with my hands. He smirked down at me, looking a little awkward, "so…it-it's that noticeable is it?"

My eyes widened as I took in his stature and let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding in. "Jesus Cody, yeah it is…what, how, I mean…wow…" I was at a loss for words. In the last week it seemed that Cody had sprouted about six inches and gained major upper-body muscles, it was actually rather astonishing. I was too shocked to even come up with a better response, so I ended up just gaping at him, my mind going a mile a minute.

I can only remember one time where someone grew this dramatically…

Oh boy…

"C-Cody, didn't you say you had something to tell me?" I asked shakingly, almost fearing his response. He laughed nervously and I realised that it sounded more husky than usual. "Oh, yeah, sure Claire…I just wanted to tell you…"

I only grew more surprised as he began to tell me what happened to him over the last week…

- Quil's POV -

I phased back quickly and threw on a pair of pants before bolting towards the front door and banging on it loudly. As soon as Jake had told me, I came straight here, not wasting a second, I just hope that I'm not too late.

"CLAIRE! CLAIRE OPEN UP IT'S QUIL!" I yelled, banging my palm against the door again and it shuddered dangerously, damn, I better be more careful or Lana will have my head on a platter.

"C'MON CLAIRE! OPEN UP!"

Damn! Where is that girl? Lana said she should be here, be she's not! Panic was soon setting in as I raced around to the side gate and leaped over the wall into the back yard. Quickly, I raced to the back door and tried it, it was locked. Gritting my teeth I fought the urge to hit something as I soon heard lightly falling footsteps come up the driveway.

"CLAIRE!" I yelled, leaping back over the wall and storming out towards the porch.

"I'm here Quil," came a soft voice and I squinted in the darkness to let my eyes adjust. There, standing about six feet from me, was Claire, her head hung lowly, looking utterly dejected, tears streaming down her beautiful face.

In a flash I was barely two inches from her. "Claire-bear, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly (even though I already had a fair idea), my eyes raking over her, drinking in her complexion. A small sob escaped her lips and she closed the small space between us by practically jumping on me, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her head in my chest.

"O-Oh Quil…I-I'm s-so sorry-I-oh God…" she cried frantically, her words muffled as she sobbed into my shirt. I frowned and wrapped my arms around her tightly, lifting her off her feet and gently carrying her back towards the house.

"Shhh baby it's okay, I'm here," I mumbled into her hair as she clung to me tightly, burying her face in the nape of neck and wrapping her legs around my waist. I shook my head, if it wasn't for the particular situation I may have been slightly more…ahem…uncomfortable by this, but now I was too worried about her to let it bother me.

I walked gently across the porch, cradling her to me, running my hand through my hair. I pried the house key from her hand that also had a lump of my shirt too and opened the door silently. Without turning, I stepped into the hall and kicked the door closed behind me. Carefully, I made my way to the living room, wrapped one arm around her waist whilst I reached out with the other one to turn on the lamp, and sat down on the couch softly, shifting her so that she was sitting side-ways on my lap and wrapping both arms around her.

She was still sniffling into the collar of my shirt and I wasn't pressuring her to talk if she didn't want to. So I just sat there, listening to her mumbles, whispering reassurances into her ear and rubbing her back gently. Finally, after about twenty minutes, she seemed to calm down a little and took a deep breath.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I ruined your shirt…" she half-laughed, lifting her head from my shoulder and placing her palm on my chest where my shirt was damp from her tears. My breath hitched as I realised how close our faces were but I couldn't bring myself to look away from her. Suddenly, her eyes met mine and I found it hard to breathe. She looked absolutely beautiful, her hazel hair tossed, her cheeks a fresh crimson and her cerulean eyes sparkling against the soft light in the room.

Almost subconsciously, I brought my thumb up to her face as wiped away the last of her tears slowly. I saw her take a deep breath, a small smile on her lips as my skin came in contact with her. I had to bite my lip roughly to stop myself from trailing my thumb across her lips too. She tilted her head to the side as she continued to stare into my eyes, looking as if she was deep in thought about something. Immediately I began panicking, almost certain that she'd figured out how I really felt about her by just looking deep enough into my eyes. You know what they say? Eyes are the windows to our souls…

"Are you okay now Claire-bear?" I croaked, my voice sounding hoarse. I had to say something, anything, to break the too comfortable silence, otherwise, I may of done something I certainly wouldn't of regretted but may of gotten in a lot of trouble for. She blinked, the spell that was ensnaring us, broken, and smiled softly, leaning forward and hugging me tightly, "yeah Quil, I'm okay…now that you're here…thanks…" she said quietly, before standing up off me and turning around and sitting on the arm chair.

I missed the warmth of her body immediately, but I tried not to let it be shown on my face. I nodded vigorously, looking down at my lap, trying desperately to squash my frustration , this was about Claire now after all.

We were engulfed in silence once more, but I couldn't help but notice it wasn't as comfortable as before. I picked at the hole in my jeans, waiting patiently for Claire to say something, as I was sure that she would sooner rather than later.

"So…I'm guessing you already know about Cody…" she mumbled softly, she too looking at her lap.

I nodded my head slowly, looking grim.

She sighed deeply at my reaction, saying softly, "just when I thought I had enough werewolves in my life, along comes another one…"

I frowned at her words. I knew that she was obviously upset about Cody being a shape-shifter and the fact that he obviously didn't imprint on her and that she would now probably have to break up with him, but still, her words really got to me.

I kept my mouth shut though. I had went a week without seeing my Claire and I knew that if I said anything even slightly negative right now I probably wouldn't see her for a month.

So, yeah…they say silence is golden…

A/N: Well what did ya think? Did you see the whole Cody being a werewolf thing coming? Well done again to beautyXXbrilliancy for her genius at guessing what Cody was!!! You clever clogs!! Lol!! :P

Don't worry, Claire's and Cody's conversation will be explored in the next chapter, and yes if you're wondering Cody is of Quiluete heritage, that part of the conversation will crop up. Hope you all enjoyed!

Coming up in following chapters (I'm being nice) :

1. Erin goes to a bonfire and hears the "legends"

2. A surprise visit from some undesirable people

3. Claire's birthday plans

4. And two very BIG surprises!!!

Thanks again to all my reviewers, you rock! ~wired2damoon~ xx