AN: Hello! Well, that took two days and some change, sorry. Its been a little hectic. Thanks for all the concern, I'm doing a lot better now, I haven't had to take pain medication in two days so I've got my creativity back! And thank you all for the reviews, I love all the feedback I get from you all. I'm not entirely sure how long the next chapter will take, but if anyone knows a site that talks about the legends from the book, it would be most appreciated! :D Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

Nice Place

I don't know what Jacob does for a living, but whatever it is he makes a lot of money because the house he shares with Nessie is gigantic. It's on the outskirts of Forks, the town just outside of the Quileute Reservation, and the house is like something out of a movie. Half of the outside walls are windows and privacy isn't much of an issue since it's in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors for miles.

"Wow," I muttered as Quil helped me out of the van. I gaped up at the house as everyone walked passed me.

Nessie walked up to my side and stared up at the house with me. "It used to be my families, when they moved they gave it to me." She explained.

I was taken back a little, she had talked about her family so much I thought she still lived with them, or at least they were in the country. "Where did they move to?" I asked confused.

"They're in English country-side." She answered casually, like they were shopping instead of in a different country.

"Your family is ridiculously wealthy aren't they?" I asked with a hint of jealousy.

She giggled a little at my tone. "Its all old money from my grandfather on my fathers side." She said nonchalantly.

"Lucky," I mumbled under my breath.

"Come on, our TV is on the top floor." She said cheerily as she bounced up to the house.

I stared at her as she left, gaping slightly. "You get used to it after a while." Quil said from behind me.

I tried to turn to look at him but the skies grumbled and Quil pushed me toward the house through the sprinkling rain. Inside I kicked off my shoes next to the piles of shoes already there. Quil did the same and escorted me up the staircase, up to the third level and down the hallway through the second door on the right. I was pretty sure the room I walked into was the only room with all plaster walls since there was a ridiculously large TV on the wall in front of me.

I whistled lowly as I walked into the room, passed the large plush couch on the wall opposite the TV and stopped. "I hope you don't mind an old classic." Nessie said as she handled a Blue-Ray disk gently.

I shrugged. "Depends on the classic." I said casually.

"The Princess Bride, guys like the sword play and I like the romance." Nessie said smiling brightly.

At least its not RoboCop. "I'm all for that." I said smiling. I can tell already she's the kind of girl that gets what she wants with or without our agreement in the situation.

"Alright, settle in." She ordered, nodding to the couch. I flopped in the middle of the couch and nestled myself between the pillows while tightening Quil's flannel around me. We were all settling into the couch when Nessie turned to her boyfriend with a winning smile. "Jake, could you get the popcorn?" She asked sweetly.

Jacob groaned and hauled himself up. "Sure, help me Quil." He said as he left the media room.

"Okay," Quil said suspiciously.

I looked to Nessie confused. "It's a guy thing." She answered my unspoken question with a shrug.

"Right," I mumbled to myself.

"Comfy?" She asked as she wrapped a blanket around her legs.

I tucked my legs underneath me and grabbed a throw pillow and held it close. "Yup," I answered honestly. I could live on this couch.

Nessie smiled brightly, like she always does. "Good," she said happily.

When the popcorn was brought to us we settled into the movie. Seth and Nessie flanked me on the over-stuffed couch with Jacob on Nessie's other side while Paul and Quil sat on the floor in front of the couch as we watched the movie. It was nice to slow down from the hustle and bustle of re-acquainting myself from everyone my mother snatched me from thirteen years ago.

I wish I could remember more, I would have more to talk about and I wouldn't be so clueless half the time. Not to mention I might actually be able to corroborate some of the things they are telling me about my life when I was little. Its not that I don't trust them, its just that I have no memories of my own to connect to what they are telling me, and it unnerves me a little. I just hope one day in the future I will start to remember some of the things from my time here.

The credits were rolling when Jacob finally untangled himself from Nessie and checked the time. He muttered a curse and jumped up.

"Everyone's gonna be at the cliff soon." Jacob barked as we all scrambled to our feet.

I was being rushed down the stairs before I knew it. "We better go before Billy starts harassing us." Paul muttered from in front of me as we descended down the stairs.

"Who?" I asked confused.

Jacob appeared next to me. "My dad," He answered with an impish smile.

"Oh," I muttered stupidly. I've probably already been told that and I've already forgotten it. "Will my sister be there?" I asked hopefully.

"Probably not, we always invite her but she never comes." Nessie answered shaking her head.

"Okay," I sighed, trying not to sound disappointed.

Jacob and Nessie raced to get their shoes on and Quil was by my side a second later. "Its not you, she's always that bitchy." He said knowingly.

"Doesn't really make me feel any better about it." I mumbled as I slipped into my still damp flip-flops. Quil looked at me sympathetically for a moment then opened the door and held it open for the rest of us.

Seth was already at the van waiting for us. "Let's go slow pokes!" He yelled as he held the back doors of the van open for us.

We ran through the rain and piled into the back of the van while Jacob jumped into the drivers seat. No one sat up front with Jacob as he drove us to the cliff where I assumed the bonfire was being held. I hoped it wouldn't be raining on the cliff. If this area is anything like the rest of the country the weather is probably just as unpredictable.

Jacob's driving went from responsible to speedy in seconds flat when he got an aggravated call from one of his older sisters. Paul told me Rachel, Jacob's sister, was his wife and that she had a twin in Hawaii. Jacob gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and I swear I could hear him growl. I guess Jacob isn't too keen about Paul and his sister. Trying to keep all the couples straight was maddening. I could, however, remember that Seth and Quil were the only single ones in the group.

When we got to the cliff Jacob parked the van between the Bronco and a beige sedan. I could just barely make out the glow of a fire through a patch of woods when we all climbed out of the van. Before we even made it three feet away from the van a red pick up sped up to the pseudo parking lot and stopped with a halt on the other side of the sedan. Embry stumbled out of the passenger side.

"Woman, this is not a stunt track!" Embry yelled flippantly.

The familiar form of Jolene jump out of the driver's seat with a grin. "Where else am I going to get my fun?!" She yelled back.

Nessie leaned over to me as we both watched Jolene and Embry start a yelling match about proper places from speeding. "Jolene is a professional stunt driver." She murmured.

That explains the fish tail when she stopped. "Oh," I mumbled surprised. You don't meet many people whose job it is to do dangerous and stupid things.

"Yeah, don't ever ride with her, unless you want to see your life flash before your eyes, because it will." She said seriously.

"Good to know," I muttered, wide-eyed.

Embry and Jolene kissed and made up, literally, and were walking up to us. Jolene smiled up at Quil, her blue-green eyes teasing him already. "Hey Quil, good to see you pleasant." She said sarcastically. Quil still didn't have a smile on his face all of the time but he wasn't scowling, which was an improvement.

"Like wise Lena." He shot back. Well, I'm guessing these two aren't best friends.

"Come on, lets get up there before all the hotdogs are gone." Seth said bouncing a little. Paul rolled his eyes.

"Is your brain in your stomach?" Jolene asked with knitted brows.

Embry laughed and wrapped his arm around the much shorter woman. "His brain is his stomach." He chuckled, pushing Jolene toward the woods. Seth followed grumbled something about revenge.

Nessie whispered something to Jacob and he nodded, pressed a kiss to her forehead and walked for the glowing light with Paul and Quil. Nessie rushed over to me when the guys were in the woods and wrapped her arm around mine and started walking me slowly after them. "Okay, I'm gonna give you a crash course in the Wives." She said seriously.

"The Wives?" I asked confused.

"Yes, its what the girlfriends, fiancée's and wives of the Quileute boys call ourselves." She answered.

"Oh," I mumbled. I was still lost, but she was getting ready to explain so I can wait.

She took in a deep breath then started her explanation. "Jolene is Embry's fiancée and a perpetual pain in the ass, very opinionated, and likes to cuss a lot. She'll like you, don't worry, and don't be offended by anything she says, she was practically raised by roadies so she's not the sensitive type." She rushed as we walked around a tree.

I nodded as she took another breath and started again. "Kim is Jared's wife and is very sweet and kind. If you ever need something, go to her, she is impartial when it comes to everything but Jared." She said truthfully. We closed in on the fire and Nessie stopped at the edge of the woods.

"Rachel is very smart and very quiet. She doesn't really want all that much attention drawn to her and is really only concerned with Paul. She probably won't open up to you for a while." She hurried through the explanation without much emotion.

She took another breath and relaxed a little. "You've already spent enough time with Emily to know what she's like. She really is the nicest person you will ever meet, I've never seen her upset, ever. Sam is very protective of her, but she can handle herself very well." She said with a hint of a grin.

"There are a few other women but they're not here tonight so I'll tell you more about them later." She said dismissively and started pulling me toward the massive fire on the cliff.

"I think I can remember all of that." I mumbled. I honestly hoped I could.

"Don't worry, its not about them anyway, we're all here for you." She said beaming a little.

"That's more of what worries me." I muttered under my breath. Its not that I don't mind having a party, its just that I don't know three-quarters of the people here.

"No one expects you to remember them, but if you do, don't tell them, they've all got big enough egos as it is." She assured me as she continued pushing me toward the large group of people.

"Okay," I laughed.

Nessie walked me up to Jacob and Quil, who were talking to a much older man in a wheel chair that had Jacob's impish grin. "Claire!" the older man called out. I smiled politely and took the hand he stretched out for me for a strong handshake. "You probably don't remember my old behind, I'm Billy, Jacob's father." He said throwing a nod up at Jacob. I had already guessed that.

"Nice to see you again." I said smiling.

"Gosh, you really grew up. I remember when your head didn't pass the arm rest of my chair!" He exclaimed as he smacked the arm of his wheel chair.

"Well I was fed for the past few years." I said jokingly.

Billy laughed at my joke. "Good to know you were well taken care of." He said smiling. I would have loved to have a conversation with Billy but everyone else was descending on where I stood. "I'll let you go make your rounds." He said with a wink just before Nessie pushed me toward another group of people.

I met a lot of people in a short time. Seth apparently has a sister that lives in Canada, I met his mom and step dad as well. I couldn't help but notice his step dad, Charlie, and Nessie had the same brown eyes. I told myself I'd ask about it later. A lot of the people I met told me I was related to them in some way, mostly by marriage. There is a lot of drama on the Quileute Reservation.

When the food was gone and everything was clean, I figured the bonfire was over with, but I was wrong. Everyone started gathering around the fire, sitting on the long logs situated around the fire. There were so many pairs of people I started to feel a little lonely, but Seth and Quil pulled me down to sit between them on the log next to Billy's wheel chair and I didn't feel so lonely any more. I watched Billy as he took in a deep breath before he launched into his speech.

AN: Review!