Author's Note:

Here's the latest update, I know already! It's probably not going to last long, so enjoy it! I hope you like this chapter, even though not a lot goes on. It's more of a filler, just to build the anticipation. You understand. Well, enjoy! There's a Quil's excerpt in this chapter, since Claire obviously doesn't know what's going on outside. Hope you keep reviewing, they have been amazing and I swear I think I have some of the best reviewers on this site!

Happy Reading!

I don't own Twilight, Stephaine does, and it's such a shame because I so wouldn't have ended with Breaking Dawn.

When you're gone,

The pieces of my heart are still missing you,

And when you're gone,

The face I came to known is missing, too

-When You're Gone, Avril Lavigne

Ch. 17 When You're Gone

Darkness was a tricky thing. It played with your mind, made you paranoid and on edge. It heightened your other senses, hearing and touch. It was a known fact that darkness was a common fear of many people, and I was no exception.

At first, after Quil left, it was quiet. I heard Jacob and who I assumed was Brady, whispering things to each other, but I couldn't make out any of the specific words. Whoever was sitting next to me on the sofa wasn't talking. So I sat there in complete silence for a time that seemed close to forever. In reality, it might have been only five minutes, but to me the time dragged on and on. I tapped my foot. I cracked my knuckles. I knawed on my fingernails.

"How're you holding up?" Oh, thank god. A voice I actually recognized, too. Emily.

"Not too good. Does this happen a lot? Vampires?" I asked, trying to create some sort of conversation because of how much my nerves were bugging me.

"Every so often. We haven't actually had one of these really serious ones since before you left, though", she admitted, and I felt her soft, slender fingers firmly grip my hand, almost in a comforting sort of way. It was nice.

Great. Not since I before I left. That's reassuring.

I decided to change the subject, since I didn't really need any more reasons to be panicking at this point. "Where's the kids?"

I have literally, like, never come across a kid-less Emily. It was certainly a rare sight.

"Right here. Junior and Ella are over in the corner, playing cards with some of the other pack kids. Brandon and Annie are asleep on the sleeping bag on the floor right in front of me."

There must be a lot more people in this room then I had thought. All the pack's imprints, and their kids, and probably some family members if I figured correctly. They were thinking strategetically, though. Isolating us to one spot, instead of keeping us all over the reservation. It made sense, and better protected us.

"When did you get here?" I wondered, seeing as how I must have slept straight through their leaving. Actually, it didn't really make sense as to why I didn't go with them.

"We got here about fifteen minutes before Quil brought you. We were originally gonna bring you with us, but Quil was with you, and he told Sam he wanted to be alone with you first", she finished, but her tone softened at the very end. I could guess why, too.

Quil had wanted to take me himself because he wanted a chance to say goodbye. In case he didn't make it back alive. I shuddered.

"You should get some rest, it's gonna be awhile before everything's over. There's no use to staying up and worrying. I'll make sure to wake you up when they get back if you're not up already."

I knew I should sleep. I was tired as hell. My eyes were burning, aching for some rest. But how could I be expected to sleep with what was going on? I don't think it would even be possible to shut my eyes right now.

I could lose Quil. I just got him, we just got together, and now, he could be gone forever. My chest began to throb, and my throat was suddenly empty. I started dry-heaving, trying to get air to my stinging lungs.

"Breathe, Claire, god, don't freak out like this! They'll be fine, they always are, remember, they're built to do this", Emily cooed, stroking my back and brushing her hand lightly across my forehead.

"I'm sorry. I just - ", I tried to explain, but words failed me, nothing seemed to explain what I was feeling correctly.

"It hurts. I know. You're worried. I know. You're scared. I know. But Claire, there's nothing you can do right now to help. All we can do is stay here, and trust that they'll get home safe."

This was horrible, absolute torture.

"Don't worry, Claire, everyone gets nervous It's natural. But it's just like Emily said, we have to trust them to come home to us in one piece", Kim, I think, said, her voice clearly trying to be cheery. I didn't have to be a genius to hear the obvious worry lingering in it, though.

Suddenly, I didn't feel so alone. All these women, they all were scared, and worried sick, and they all had a lot to lose. Most had even more to lose than me, they had children, too. I had to be strong, for Quil. I promised.

A knock came from the door. It sort of frightened me at first, but I settled down when I noticed it was the same secretive knock that Quil had used. Someone answered it, and Embry stood in the doorway with who I assumed was his imprint, who had a little boy at her feet, and a little girl resting on her hip. They must be Embry's kids.

Jake let them in, whispering a little to Embry. Embry then turned, gave his imprint a soft kiss on the lips, and then pecked both his kid's foreheads and whispered some words. Probably reassurances, I guessed.

In a weird way, I felt like we were sending soliders to war. Like we were saying our goodbyes, in case of their deaths, and we sent them on their way. They were defending the reservation, their people, like soliders defended our country, Americans. I wondered what I looked like right now. Did I look like the women on the movies when their husbands left to fight?

And all these kids, all these kids that could grow up without a father. They might not get to go to the father-daughter dance, or have their dad in the grand-stands rooting for them as they make the touchdown pass. It was sad, it almost made me guilty to be so selfish about Quil. Every single person in here had someone to lose, someone that meant the world to them.

I hoped to god that these men got home safe. Their families were here, waiting for them.

Quil's POV

It hurt to leave her behind. It wasn't fair, I had just gotten her back, we were happy, and these god damn bloodsuckers pick now to show up and screw everything over. I didn't want to leave her there alone, I was supposed to be there to protect her, to personally see to it that nothing ever makes her upset or worried. But the way her heart was thumping, like it might pump right out of her chest, told me she was already scared. I had to admit, I was, too.

These leeches, they were bad news. I mean, all leeches are bad news, but this particular coven, they knew their shit. Carlisle said they had to have watched us for awhile, to know we had imprints, and researched our culture. They figured out the best time to attack, when we only had one wolf on patrol. They had to have planned this for a good amount of time.

"Quil, Seth, Ian and Danny, you take an inner perimeter. Jared, Leah, Tyler, Nick and Eli, you the outer perimeter. Paul, Joey, Troy, Embry, and I will take right in town. Remember what we're dealing with here. We know there's the male leader, a female, and another male. Be ready for anything, these leeches have proven themselves to be smart", Sam's Alpha voice talked sternly through the mind connection. It was really hard to focus, everyone's thoughts were all over the place. On their families, their imprints, their lives. What they would be leaving behind if they didn't make it back.

I started the inner perimeter, taking the lead since I was the oldest in the group. Seth on my left flank, Ian and Danny on my right. Tonight was darker, there was no moon lighting the star-less sky. Seth was thinking about Dakota, his imprint, and how much he loved her freckles. He was going through all the ones he memorized on her face, picturing them in detail. Ian was thinking about his parents, since he hadn't imprinted yet, and his little brother. He was picturing his mother, what her face must have looked like earlier tonight. She was crying, sobbing uncontrollably. Danny was thinking about college, his thoughts more along the lines of what he hadn't gotten to do yet. He was also imprintless, but his thoughts were nearly as depressing.

I knew I needed to get home, no matter what.

That's when I smelt it. The sickly sweet scent that could only mean one thing.

Vampire.

The other guys immediately caught it, too, their noses snapping up to sniff the smell.

"Everyone else stay where you are, in case they're trying to create a diversion to sneak through, Embry and I will back up Quil's group, the rest of you keep watching", Sam ordered over the connection once again.

My group started to follow the strong trail, leading us to a clearing, one much like the one from the 'Nessie Confrontation' many years ago.

Sam and Embry were soon with us, their noses following the same stink we had caught a whiff of. The trail soon ended directly in the center of the empty clearing, with no vampire in sight.

Suddenly, a petite figure loomed out of the darkness of the trees. Her skin a pasty white, her hair flowy and blonde, her eyes red as blood. She smiled, a grin only found in horror movies.

"I see you have found us. You know what we want, and if you give it to us, we'll leave." She offered, her voice high, like chimes, ringing back and forth in my eardrums. Sam's low growls filled the air as he inched closer to the bloodsucker.

"They won't give up their precious imprints without a fight, Gretchen, you should know that. After all, we have been spying on them for the last few weeks. We know how they can't live without their mates." A dark-haired male stepped forward, ten feet away from the female, and we knew this was the leader. He wore a confident smirk.

"But, they don't have to give one up, if we already have one. Right, Winston?" A second male stepped forward, right next to the female, her mate most likely, with light brown hair. He looked smug, just like the other two.

Sam was only about twenty feet away from them now, his paws slowly inching closer every moment while the hackles on his back rose.

Who's imprint did they have? Claire? Oh, mother of god, please god, no! NO! NO! Not her! I can't - It can't be - NO!

But, how could I say that, it would basically kill any wolf to lose their imprint. Everyone's thoughts were pretty much the same as mine, though.

Don't let it be mine.

"Who could it be? Who could it be?" The leader jokingly questioned, his tone teasing and irritating.

Sam lashed out, biting for his head. But he ducked just in time, and got his cold, rock arms around Sam's shoulders, squeezing. We all lunged forward, attacking, and the battle began.

Cliffhanger! Review...and I might just have motivation to update sooner! :)