A/N: Evening lovelies c: I promised myself I'd have the next chapter up by my birthday, and I've actually kept it! :D Enjoy! Please leave a review, can I bribe you with the 'its-my-birthday' excuse? ^^ Hehe.

HUGE thanks to Mythical Words, TempusSimia, SasoLOVE111, 'Lil Obsessed, RANDOM COOKIE NINJA, DreamingInATeacup, Happy2BeeMe, kikikiki and Blitz-gurl-42 for their lovely reviews. Your feedback makes it worth every hurdle :).

. : Daddy's Little Girl : .

I love these kids.

And I think the boys were a bit jealous, which just made me roll my eyes. Please don't tell me Quil had a thing for me now, too? We'd just witnessed the argument between Simba and Nala after their big reunion when Claire looked up at me with worried eyes.

"They make up, right?" She whispered.

I chuckled softly, trying not to distract the others from the movie. "Haven't you seen this one before, Claire? Of course they do, honey."

"How do you know?"

"Every movie ends happily." Pretty much, she won't be watching horror movies for a while yet.

"What about out of the movies?" She whispered persistently. "Does everyone live happily ever after?"

I paused. "Well…nearly everyone does, sweetheart."

"Not everyone?" She looked troubled.

"I don't know everyone, so I can't really say." I smiled, trying to put her mind at ease. "You've got nothing to worry about, Claire. You'll be just fine."

"How do you know?" She demanded.

"I know everything, honey." I grinned.

She was silent for a while, but before long she'd thought of more questions. "Do you believe in love?"

I nodded and replied with no hesitation. "Yes."

"Do you love someone?" She continued.

Again I nodded, smiling softly. "I love lots of people."

"Who?"

"Claire-Bear…" Quill whispered warningly.

I waved him off. "Leave her alone, Quilly, she's fine." I could never be mad at a child. I had trouble denying them anything. "Who…well, I love Benny, and my sisters and brothers."

"I thought only Tashie was your sister?" She queried, glaring at Ben as he made an annoyed noise at us talking.

I chuckled and starting running my fingers through his soft curls to calm him. "I've found that you don't really need to be related by blood to be family, CB. I've got lots of brothers and sisters."

"C-B?" She cocked her head to the side, looking at me questioningly.

"Sure," I grinned. "C-B-Claire Bear, Benny's been BB since the first day I saw him. Hey, Benny Baby?" He nodded and sighed, probably getting sleepy.

"I like it," She concluded. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

Did this kid ever run out of questions? She reminded me of Tasha when we were little, Tash always had a mile-long list of questions to bombard anyone and everyone with. "There's Tasha, of course, Leah, Maddy-she's BB's Mummy, Tammy, CJ, Tess, Yas, Jay, Seth, Tyler, Danny…there's lots, sweetheart." There were all my school sisters to, of course. But we were more separated now that we'd graduated.

"W-what about Uncle Sam?"

Oh, Sam, right. I hesitated, and then sighed. "Sure, Sammy to, though he is royally annoying." The boys chuckled.

"I've got sisters," Claire stated. "And Quil's like my big brother." She looked down nervously for a moment and when she looked up the confidence that had been so strong before had faltered a little. "C-can I have a big big sister, too?"

I blinked. How long had I known this child for? But she was adorable, and I loved her character, and I couldn't possibly say no to that little face…I smiled at her. "Of course, honey."

She beamed. "Yay! We can have sleepovers, and make cookies, and play dress ups-Quil doesn't like dress ups-and make overs, he doesn't like them either…"

I laughed. "Boys just don't know what's good for them, do they?" I smirked at Quil and he glared at me.

She shook her head. "Their silly,"

Oh, I was totally going to corrupt this girl. I've always wanted mini me's, except…with a few exceptions of course. I'd never curse anyone with my life or personality. "They are, CB, trust me. Well, most of them anyway, but it seems that their born that way."

She laid her head back on my hip and stared at the screen for a moment before diverting her eyes to my face again. "How do you know when you love someone?"

"Uhh…well, honey, you really don't have to worry about this sort of thing yet. A child's love is unlimited; you love new people all the time. But there will always be people who love you, your parents, your siblings, other family members. You've really got nothing to worry about, sweetheart."

"My friend at day care says she's gettin' married to a boy there. I just don't think she loves him, 'cause he really likes Ben 10, and she hates Ben 10. Mummy says it won't work out and that it's illegal." She said seriously.

I nearly laughed. "Your Mummy's right, your friend won't be marrying anyone-let alone the Ben 10 boy-anytime soon. Their too young to understand a love like that, there's nothing for you to worry about."

"How do you know when you love someone and you want to marry them? How old do you have to be? I have to tell Lizzy on Friday that she's bonkers."

Oh, she's just adorable this one. A word like bonkers was so cute coming from her, I wonder where she'd heard it. "Um…maybe you should ask Emily, I'm not the best person to ask about this. Maybe Sue, or your Mummy will be better…"

"But you're older, and you said you knew everything." She accused. Oh boy, she was smart to.

"Uhh…" I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear and bit my lip. "Well, when you love someone, love them enough to want to spend the rest of your life by their side. You just…know. You'd, jump in front of a bullet for them. You'd go to the end of the earth for them; you'd do anything to make them happy…anything to keep them safe. The thought of not being with them is worse then weeks of torture. You just, know." I smiled softly. "When the time comes when you're old enough, when you're ready. You'll know beyond a doubt."

She beamed. "I knew you were the bestest person to ask, thanks big sis."

I smiled and brushed her fringe across her forehead. "It's alright, honey, anytime."

We fell back into silence and finished watching the movie. When it ended, both toddlers were asleep. Quil collected Claire with a smile at me and the newfound movement of my legs aloud me to get up to. I scooped up Benny and cradled him to my chest, placing a kiss to his little forehead as he sighed and curled into me further.

"That look suits you."

I looked up at Jacob and frowned, realising that we were suddenly the only ones in the room. Apart from BB but he was miles and miles away. This might also explain why Black was whispering. "What look?"

He nodded towards Ben. "Holding him, you look like you were born to do it. You'll be an amazing mother, Evie."

My chest constricted and there was a loud shattering sound from the kitchen and a long string of words that really showed Leah's vivid vocabulary. I was impressed and Black looked really confused. "What'd I do wrong now?" He groaned, looking to the ceiling as Leah stormed into the room, grabbed him by the throat-no, I'm not kidding-and dragged him outside.

"Well," I mused, wandering back into the kitchen and joining all the other confused onlookers. "That was interesting."

"What's got her knickers in a twist?" Max queried.

I raised an eyebrow and rocked BB. "One: I wouldn't repeat that anywhere where she might hear you, I sure as hell won't be saving your arse. And two: I have no idea." Truth and a lie, not to bad.

He nodded and looked to Jared. "Ten bucks says Jake'll come out clean."

I snorted. "Are you mad? Didn't you see her face? Haven't you heard the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'? That, my poor ignorant friend, is one pissed off woman, and that is worse."

Jared grinned. "Ten on Leah, you're on, man."

"Couldn't you have said that before I made the bet?" Max hissed at me.

I smiled innocently. "You should have known."

"He's such an ignorant barsted!" Leah's angry voice echoed through the house not long after I'd put Ben to bed. I looked up at her from the patty papers Claire was instructing me to fill and smirked in amusement at my best friend. "I tell him to keep his mouth shut, and what does he do? He'll be the death of you! I hate him!"

I scoffed. "Honey, this is why I don't speak to my mother. But I assure you that it'll take more then Jacob Black to kill me."

"Still in the dark here!" Quil chortled.

"And you're staying there." I replied in a sing-song voice. "Seriously, Lee-Lee, calm down. You know I hate breaking into jails; it's such a pain in the arse to clean up the mess with the feds afterwards. Claire, I hope you're not listening to my language, Ben is that used to it now that I forget to be careful around kids."

My phone started vibrating wildly on the table, turning all attentions to it. It was a text; otherwise it would have been blaring Nickelback's 'Savin' Me' at an ungodly level. I frowned at it, hesitating to go and see who it was and what they wanted.

Tasha fixed that problem for me though as she picked it up and read out who it was from. "Someone called Wayne…?"

My heart beat a little faster. "What does that idiot want?" I muttered to myself, wiping my floury hands on my butt, leaving white hand prints there, and extended my slightly shaking hand for the device. She handed it to me cautiously, unsure of my reaction. I opened the message and read it slowly.

"Camera's caught him in a New York airport-arriving. Your boy's coming for you, sweet cheeks." He'd attached a copy of Adam's photo, waiting at the baggage collection in what I recognised as the John F. Kennedy airport. Yeah, I can tell the airports apart by a sketchy security camera capture. Spy.

"Shit!" I hissed softly. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"Something…wrong?" Leah asked, trying to hide her amusement at me, but it disappeared when I looked her in the eye.

"No." I lied, half for everyone else's sake and half for mine. I'm not at home, but it won't take Adam long to figure that out. I don't know if he'll be able to find me here, but he will catch up to me some time. If he is here for me, that is. I texted Wayne back. 'When was this taken?'

It didn't take him long to reply. 'Two hours ago. Times a tickin', beautiful.'

F*&k. He'd know by now that I wasn't there. What to do, what to do? Crap.

"Sissy?" Claire's soft voice broke my concentration and I looked down at her questioningly. "Are you okay?"

I forced a smile. "Fine, CB, just fine. Excuse me, one moment. Quil will help you cut out the cookies." I kissed the side of her head and smeared a line of flour across her cheek, making her squeal and laugh.

"Evie?" Tasha called after me as I slipped from the kitchen and practically ran out of the house. As soon as my bare feet connected with the ground I broke into a sprint to get as far away as possible. Away from where they'd hear me, since they had the best hearing of anyone I'd ever met without the help of electronic devices.

When I was sure I was half lost in the endless supply of trees and I hadn't been followed I rang Tams. She answered after the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Tammy, hey, it's Evie."

"Evie, oh sweetheart what's wrong? Why are you gasping, are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Um, I'm…no, not okay, no." No point in lying to her, Tams had a spy-enhanced-mother's seventh sense when it came to us girls. "Look, can you do me a favour and see if anyone has called asking for me? Or about me, the call would have come in this morning."

"What's going on, Eva?" She asked firmly, tapping away at her computer to check the calls that had come in. All calls first went to the cover office for Bridge & Wilson Industries and where then patched through if they proved spy related. We'd all changed our personal numbers after Adam had pulled his stunt, so he would have had to have called the main office to find out if I was in or not.

"It's complicated and I haven't figured it out yet." I whispered, looking around me for signs that anyone had come after me. "I just need to know."

She sighed. "Okay…yes, there was a caller-unknown-ring this morning at nine forty-three asking for you. There was no message left or the nature of the call. It was traced to…a public phone three streets from John F. Kennedy Airport. Now, what's happening?"

"I can't say right now, I don't know where I'm at with it. I dunno what to do."

"If you tell me I might be able to help." She offered softly.

I shook my head even though she couldn't see me. "No, I'm sorry, Tams. I can't risk anyone else finding out yet. I gotta have this one."

"Call me as soon as you're ready, and if you need anything else. Don't go this alone, honey. We're here to help."

"I will, thank you."

"Good luck, Agent Hanson. Check in in twenty-four hours."

"Will do, cya, Tams." I flipped the phone shut and ran a hand through my hair. What do I do? It wasn't like me to run. I just wasn't programmed that way. The fight and flight response was usually stuck in fight mode, unless you were Jacob Black of course, but that's off topic.

Pushing away a tree branch I found myself in a clearing, overgrown and abandoned, but not forgotten. The paint of the house was well faded and chipping, but the structure was still strong. For a moment everything else blew away. No Adam, no Jacob, no Sam, no Tasha…no other thoughts plaguing my mind. No problems, just…peace.

The veranda was splintering and there weren't any chairs or tables on it like there used to be. I placed my hand on the rails and felt the roughness of it under my fingers. I slowly ascended the three steps that creaked under my weight. The door and the windows were all shut and the curtains blocked the view to the inside.

~o~o~

"Tashie, come back!" The little child wailed after her sister as the older girl ran down the stairs, the small mud boots clutched in her hands. "Mummy said I can't go outside wivout my shooeesss!"

The older girl laughed. "You shouldn't be outside after it rains anyways, you always get dirty."

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

~o~o~

I smiled softly. Tasha has always mothered me, though she was always a lot meaner about it then. Tentatively I opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind me and was relieved of the chilly La Push winds. Inside was dark and smelt musty and unused, which was still baffling to me.

Walking down the short hallway I entered into what I remembered was the lounge room. Crossing to the window, I pulled back the equally faded dark maroon curtain and let light flood the room. There was still furniture, but everything was covered in white sheets. There was dust covering the mantel over the fire place and I could see the particles floating in the sunlight.

I ran my hand over the material along the back of the lounge and eyed the white blob in the corner that I knew was the piano. My Dad loved that thing, and he played so beautifully. I could remember sitting next to him as he played, watching his tanned fingers glide over the keys.

I wandered out of the lounge room, stuck my head into the kitchen on the way to the stairs. It was in the same state as the lounge. I could picture Dad standing over the stove, cooking pancakes and making silly faces at us as we sat at the table. My Mum never cooked, I never remembered seeing her doing anything involving house work. She did garden though. I remember her kneeling out in the yard, planting flowers of every colour…

I started climbing the stairs, pausing when they creaked to. I jumped to the top one-like I used to, and walked down the hall. Its walls were bare when they used to be lined with family photos. Tasha had them, no doubt. I passed the first door on the left, it had been hers.

There was another door opposite Tasha's on the right and one at the end of the short hall. The one at the end was the bathroom and the one on the right, was mine. I stood before the familiar white door, my hand hovering over the handle as my eyes lingered on the wooden carving hanging on the front.

Something else Daddy had done. I tilted my head and studied it more closely and realised that it was the same as the boy's tattoos. Odd. I'll have to ask Sam or Billy or someone what it meant. Turning the knob I pushed the door open, it creaked to.

The single bed frame was bare; the mattress was leaning up against the wall beside it. Sheets covered the furniture, a bedside table, a duchess, a bookcase…there were boxes stacked neatly in the far corner, filled with what used to cover all available surfaces, everything that I hadn't taken with me to New York.

I sat on the edge of the wooden bed and pulled the closest box to me, prying open the well taped top. There were books packed in neatly and tissue paper-wrapped rectangles lay on top. I reached in and picked one up, unwrapping it from its protective casing and tilted my head to the side to study the photo frame.

The picture was a family one that I didn't remember existed until now. All four of us, gathered together, smiling. I'd say I was about three and was snuggled into my mother's lap, smiling timidly at the photographer. Tasha was on Dad's lap and she was grinning toothlessly at the camera, happy as always to have her picture taken. Even Mum and Dad looked happy. They were sitting next to each other, smiling. Dad even had an arm around Mum's shoulders.

I set the picture down gently and took up the next one. This one was of me and Tasha, covered head to toe in mud. Chuckling, I put it aside too and grabbed the last one. It was of me and Dad. I must have been standing on his lap because our heads were almost level as I hugged him around the neck. I looked like I was laughing and Dad was grinning at whoever had the camera. I look a fair bit like him, really. More so then I had ever noticed before.

I didn't bother going through the rest of the box, it was just children's books anyway, and went on to the next one. Resting on top of yet more books, I must've been a lot more into them then I remembered, was a brown package tied up with a velvet blue bow.

Frowning, I picked it up. It was as pristine as if it had just been wrapped, but it must have been done years ago. Tentatively I undid the bow and opened it. Out of the paper slid a white envelope with my name on it-written in what I vaguely recall as Dad's handwriting. An old, leather bound book with Journal marked into it in faded gold letters and a necklace lay inside. It was a plaited black leather cord with forest green and stormy blue beads either side of a feather pendant, carved from some type of black stone.

It was beautiful.

Deciding that the envelope was the best place to start, I opened it and pulled out the letter and began to read.

My Dearest Eva,

I am probably gone if you are reading this. These are my final gifts to you. I hope they will help you understand your world better. Every family has its secrets, baby girl. Ours just has more then the normal quota. It's not to be feared, though. Secrets only destroy if you let them.

The story has been in this family, this tribe, for generations, but this is the first time it's really been written down.

The necklace, I made for you. You're special, sweetheart, never let anyone tell you different. There's something in you, I see it, your mother sees it, and your grandmother saw it. Let it shine, honey, never be afraid of it. Stretch up and you can fly.

I know you were scared to come back to this house, I know your angry with me that I didn't fight for you and your sister more then what I did. Don't ever think that I blame you, or that I don't love you both. You're my world, Evie. My beautiful baby girl. I just knew that it would be better for you if you were with your mother.

I didn't want you and Tasha to see me while I was sick, I didn't want you to remember me that way. I hope you have come back here, to La Push. It may not always be your home, but it will always be apart of you, and you will always have a home here.

I'm sorry I won't be here to watch you grow up. Succeed in everything you do, fall in love, and have kids of your own. Always remember that I'm so proud of you, Evie. And that I love you, in this life and the next, and I always will. Open your heart- don't let the 'impossible' frighten you off. I believe in you.

Good luck, kiddo, you've got it in the bag.

Give your sister a hug and kiss for me, and tell her that I love her. Say hi to your Mum, I know she'll raise you both well. You'll be a beautiful, talented, amazing young woman, Eva. I know you'll make it.

Love, forever and always,

Dad

I sniffed and wiped my eyes. "I love you too, Daddy." I whispered softly, carefully refolding the letter and placing it back in its envelope. I ran my fingers over the stone feather before fastening it around my neck. I fingered the book, but decided to look at it later. There was probably a search party being organised back at Sam's and I didn't want to be away when Ben woke up.

I put everything back where I'd found it and slowly left the house, making sure each door and each curtain was closed properly before I started the walk back. I felt strange, different, guilty, that I couldn't do what Dad wanted me to do. But lighter somehow, the air was that little bit fresher, the day that little bit brighter. I wish he was still here, so I could ask him what to do. He'd know.

I chewed my lip in thought. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and talk to Leah. I knew what she'd say though. 'I'll kill him.' That, although an appealing thought, was probably a tad closed minded. So maybe not Leah, but I had the persistent feeling to ask someone.

Maddy, I couldn't reach, but she'd be biased to. And so would every other person I trusted, they hated Adam almost as much as I did, but they would be less conflicted about killing him. And I didn't really want to start a hunt just yet. So who?

Tasha? Oh hell no. Aunty Sue? No, I couldn't burden her with that. Emily? No, she had enough problems with a house full of delinquents. One of the boys? Ha, now I'm just being ridicules.

I swallowed and paused as the little house came into view. Someone like Dad…I can't believe I've gotten desperate enough to do this. This would all probably blow up in my face, but I was going to go mad trying to figure the first part out on my own. I was more desperate then I thought, which is really sad.

Sam.

A/N: I'm a little dubious about the first half, but I'm pretty pleased with the ending. But it's about what you think hey? Please review and lemme know!

Now I'm off to have cake, night! :D

~Meg xx