AN: Well, I didn't get this one out as fast, simply because our beloved site went all wonky! I had withdrawal symptoms, my family was worried. I'm almost finished with the next chapter so once I get some opinions from the chapter, I'll get it up for you all. Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Everything I Missed

My dad is the coolest man ever, why on Earth did my mom leave?! She could never have found another guy like him. He laughed just as easily as he cried, well, he didn't actually cry but he got close. He took me up to my room which was bare, only a worn full size bed, dresser and desk, and helped me put away the few things I did have with me. While I was going through my closet I found some interesting things.

"Is this my baby album?" I asked excitedly as I pulled out a large white book with a picture of me when I was first born. Mom only had a folder of pictures on her laptop.

Dad chuckled as I sat down next to him on my bed. "Not really, the first five pages or so are, but after that it's all when you were a toddler." He explained, taking the album and slowly going through the pages.

There was a picture of a Princess themed birthday party, by the sign hanging on the wall behind me I was turning three. I was sitting in someone's lap, opening a present. The person that was holding me was decked out in a Princess outfit and looked familiar. "Is that Quil?!" I asked disbelieving.

"Yup," He laughed evilly.

"He doesn't look any different." I mumbled in shock. The only difference between that Quil and the one that left me two hours ago was the later was far angrier.

"You know those Native genes, they keep you looking young." He sighed with a hint of jealousy.

I ran my fingers over the photos. "Everyone looked so happy." I whispered. There was a picture of Mom, me, Willa and Dana and everyone was smiling, even little Willa.

My dad wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me tightly. "We were."

"What happened?" I asked confused and desperate.

"We found out something, your mom and me, and I was not entirely accepting of it but I knew you'd be fine. But your mother thought you were in grave danger." He explained.

"What was it?" I asked as I continued to flip through the book.

"It's not my place to tell." He answered softly.

I sighed as I stopped on the last page with pictures. The very last picture was of me with Quil and Jacob, I was on Quil's shoulders with a football in my hand and Jacob was a few feet away ready to catch it. "Let me guess, Quil." I said tapping my fingers against the picture.

"Quil," He confirmed.

"Okay, I'll wait." I huffed. I was honestly too tired to even try to fight with anyone about this.

"You got my patience." He chortled.

"Well I sure didn't get it from my mother." I mumbled, remembering various times were I had to keep my mother and her impatience at bay.

"No, she couldn't wait for anything." He laughed shaking his head.

I watched my dad as he zoned out, his mind buzzing. "She never remarried, she's never even had a boyfriend." I said, hoping to soothe him.

"Technically, we never divorced." He pointed out. He had a point there. "Did she really tell you I was dead?" He asked curiously.

I could only nod. I tried my hardest not to cry again, it always hurts my eyes when I cry.

I was instantly pulled into a hug. "I'm sorry Sweetheart, I wish you didn't have to go through that." He murmured, holding me tightly.

"Like wise." I choked out.

He held me for a while, whispering soothing things which almost made me cry more just thinking about the fact that this is the only time I remember being soothed by my father.

He turned to look at the door tiringly and dropped his arms. "I think I hear your sister trying to sneak in." He said standing. I shifted uncomfortably as I watched him open the door and stick his head out into the hallway. "Willa!" He called out.

I heard a door being thrown open and someone stomp down the hall. "What?!" A high pitched shriek came as she stomped up to our father. She was a tiny thing in clunky combat boots with unnatural burgundy hair and wearing a short black school-girl skirt and a tight red tank top. We shared the same skin tone but her eyes were big and brown, she looked more like our father. She looked at me and snorted a laugh. "Oh look, the prodigal daughter has arrived, shall I give her my room or will she need the whole floor for her godliness!" She yelled sarcastically.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the room, hell, wrong side of the house. "Well, I take it 'nice to meet you' is out of the question." I mumbled as I stood.

"What's the point, you'll be gone soon anyway." She spat, crossing her thin arms over her chest. Geeze, I thought I was skinny, she has to be thirty pounds less than me and only an inch or two shorter than me without the shoes.

"I will?" I asked confused.

"Yeah, Mommy-Dearest will come back and save you from all of us." She said bitterly, rolling her eyes.

"I dunno, I kind of like it here and since I am eighteen and all, I think I can make my own choices." I said dryly.

"Good for you, now make your choice and get the fuck out of here." She demanded.

Dad grabbed her arm and looked at her sternly. "Willa, do not speak to your sister like that." He ordered.

She yanked her arm out of his grasp. "I only have one sister and she's on the other side of the country." She growled, throwing me a glare before she spun and left.

I whistled lowly. "Nessie said she was a handful." I mumbled.

"She's three armfuls." Dad groaned, running his fingers threw his short dark blonde hair. "When your mother left it took a real toll on her." He added, I could detect a hint of sorrow, probably because he didn't want any of his daughters to go through what happened.

"I know, she's gonna hate me for life." I said with a frown.

"No she won't." He tried to ease my discovery.

"Yeah, she will, and I'm okay with that. She needs someone to hate and she'll never be able to fully hate Mom, so that's where I come in. It should make for some colorful banter." I said with feign enthusiasm. I really didn't want to be at war with my little sister, but if that was the only relationship she can have with me, so be it.

"Don't worry, she's still in her 'angry at the world' phase. One day it will end and she'll start to let some of that anger go." He said, trying to reassure me.

"I won't hold my breath." I said dryly.

"I wouldn't either." He mumbled. I choked on a laugh.

My rather belegerant sister made me think about Quil and his stoic and rigid ways. "Dad, do you know who made Quil so angry?" I asked cautiously. I didn't know how sore the subject was with others.

"They didn't mean to do it, time just made him bitter, a lot like your sister." He said nodding his head toward her room.

"He never took it out on me though." I pointed out.

"He tries not to, but I think he'll be getting over that soon." His tone suggested he knew, rather than thought.

"Really?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah," He said with a nod.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. How does he know so much about Quil? Is he like a long lost son or something?

"You'll find out." He said grinning. This whole secret keeping business was rather amusing to him.

"This place is shrouded in mystery." I groaned.

"Just wait till the fog rolls in, it gets weirder." He said trying his hardest to keep a serious look and failed, laughing a little when I rolled my eyes. "It's getting late, you should go to bed. Tomorrow morning this place will be packed with people wanting to see you." He didn't sound too thrilled about the prospect of his house being filled with people.

"Sound's like fun." I said plastering my biggest smile on my face.

Dad helped me make 'my' bed with new sheets and took one of the fans from the living room because it was a warm summer and most of the houses in Washington had no air conditioning, only heat. He gave me a spare tooth brush and pointed me toward the bathroom and told me there was some left over shampoo and body wash from Dana before she left.

He stood in the doorway, somewhat awkwardly, as we tried to say our 'goodnights'. I reached out and hugged him without a second thought. "Goodnight Dad," I whispered with a smile.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around me. I'm pretty sure I'll never not want a hug from my dad. "Goodnight Claire, I'm glad to have you back." He murmured happily.

"Even without Mom?" I asked sadly.

"Beggars can't be choosers." He sighed. I nodded against his chest and he dropped his arms and took a step back. "Night," He said with a small smile as he walked out of my room and shut the door behind him.

"Night," I mumbled to myself.

I changed into a ratty old tee-shirt and settled into my bed which was sunken in the middle and stared at my phone at the end of the bed. I didn't want to call Natalie mostly because I was too tired, but I had to or she would be calling me all night. I let out a groan and swiped up the phone and pressed speed dial three.

"Claire what is going on?!" Natalie shrieked before I could even take a breath.

"Calm down," I insisted.

"Your mom is calling me every for seconds and the cops called me!" She yelled, ignoring my earlier statement.

"Natalie," I said rolling my eyes slightly. She always overreacts when I don't call her every ten hours, I think she'd shrivel and die without my calls.

"Tell me you didn't run off without me!" She demanded.

"Natalie!" I whispered harshly. I didn't want to wake anyone up by yelling at her.

"Yes?" She asked out of breath.

"I didn't run away, I just found out some things." I mumbled.

"What?" She asked confused. Well, here comes the fun part, trying to mash all the days' events into as small a conversation as possible.

"My mother kidnapped me when I was five and left my dad and two sisters in the dust." I said rather bluntly.

"What?!" She yelled incredulously. She stammered a little more, trying to figure out what to say to that.

"Yeah," I muttered indignantly.

"Oh my god, your dad is alive?" She gasped. It's just as shocking for her as it is for me.

"And I have an older sister and younger sister." I added bitterly.

"No way!" She yelled surprised. She sounded a little amused as well. "Where are you?" She asked curiously.

"My dad's house on the Quileute Reservation." I answered turning my head to look out my window that looked out over the woods behind the house.

"Wow, are you okay?" She asked worryingly.

"I will be," I said reassuringly. "Can I call you later? I need sleep." I asked pleadingly.

"Okay, but you better call or I'm getting the FBI on your ass!" She said sternly.

"Yes Ma'am." I said mockingly before I hung up and tossed my phone onto the desk two feet away.

I settled under the sheet, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. Of course in my exhaustion I still wasn't comfortable on my back. It's got to be a genetic defect that I can't sleep on my back. I rolled onto my stomach and settled between the two pillows and hiked my knee up just slightly. Seconds after I was comfortable in my tried and true sleeping position my eyes were closing on their own and my whole body was relaxing into the bed. Its just what I need after a day like this, a nice long rest.

AN: Review!