AN: This chapter was ridiculously easy to write and please forgive any mistakes I missed. Also, this chapter features a new and slightly less bitchty Willa! I know you all think she is a bitch, but really, if I was in her position I would be so that's why I made her so. Next chapter will be in Quil's POV because, well, I LOVE WRITING HIM!!! :D Also it will be shamelessly fluffy stuff. Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen

Bad Terms

It took Quil and me almost three hours to go through all the clothes I got, and to clean out my closet and actual dresser from all of my five-year-old stuff. It all got boxed and put into the garage for Dad and me to go through later. On Friday I spent most of my day alone, until my aunt came over with her boys and had lunch with me. Willa actually came out of her room for that.

She was actually close to kind with Emily and the twins. She played with our cousins happily and didn't snap once at Emily. I thought my little sister had been abducted and replaced with a look-alike when Emily explained that Willa isn't abrupt with her and the boys because Emily became Willa's mother figure when Mom left with me. I wonder why she didn't get some of Emily's kindness.

So, when Saturday morning came I expected all of the people I hadn't seem for most of the week to converge on my fathers home while he was out helping old Billy Black with his water heater. I was still in my pajama's, putting my empty cereal bowl in the sink when the doorbell rang to my surprise. No one around here used that, they just came in, sometimes through the back door. I opened the door, and wasn't all that surprised to see my mother. I figured it wouldn't be long before she gathered the balls to come back here.

"You can't remember where you put your keys but you can remember where you left two daughters and a husband, I'm a little confused…" I spat sarcastically.

"Claire, you need to come with me." She said firmly, trying to reach out for my hand.

I took a step back. "Why?" I asked shortly.

"You know I can't talk about it until you're told the truth, but you're surrounded by monsters and I can't let you stay." She pled seriously.

I turned my back to her and walked into the house. "Geeze, I know Willa is a bitch, but monster? That's harsh." I said dryly as I turned back to face her.

"I'm serious Claire!" She yelled frustratedly.

"SO AM I!" I yelled back. I thrusted my finger at the stairs and glared at her. "Your sixteen year old daughter is still heartbroken from when you left, and I haven't gotten to meet Dana, but I think she managed to survive her mother taking off with one of her sisters." I sneered.

"Like I told you, I had no choice, you where in danger." She said, once more, sternly.

"From who?!" I asked in a yell. "The only violent person I've met, you made that way and well Lena doesn't count." I added weakly.

"Quil and the rest of them?" She asked bluntly.

I laughed so hard I cried. "Quil?" I asked still laughing. She made a disgusted noise. "Tall guy, short hair, really big muscles?" I asked mockingly.

"This isn't a joke." She ground out.

"I'm just making sure we have the right Quil, because I don't think the guy that opens doors for me and helps me organize closets is all that dangerous." I pointed out, trying not to laugh again.

"That's because you don't know the truth." She said pleadingly. I almost laughed again, she still thinks pleading will get her somewhere.

"Your right, I don't know the truth. But I trust Dad, and he trusts Quil and the rest of them and so do I." I said firmly.

"You are going to get hurt, how do you think my sister got those scars?!" She yelled.

"Bear attack." I said simply.

"No, ask your uncle what happened." She hissed.

I thought for a moment. "So, my aunt gets hurt somehow by something and is still ridiculously happy here with Sam and her boys and some how I'm supposed to believe this place is bad for me?" I asked with a raised brow, wondering how stupid she thought I was. "You were always horrible at debates." I added shaking my head.

"This isn't a debate, I'm your mother, your coming with me." She said sternly, pointing back toward the driveway.

"Like you said Mom, I'm eighteen, I don't have to listen to you any more." I said smugly.

"So, you're just going to write the only mother you've ever had out of your life, for them?" She asked with disgust.

"THEY DIDN'T TAKE ME FROM MY HOME!" I screamed it so loud it made my own ears hurt.

"M-mom?" A shaky voice asked from the stairs. I turned to look and found Willa, who looked more like a scared little girl than an angry teenager as she stared, stunned, at our mother.

I looked back to my mother. "Now what?" I asked in a whisper.

I heard a car door slam shut and Quil came running in through the open door. "Claire! Are you okay, I heard yelling?" He asked worryingly then noticed my mother not two feet from him. He walked further into the house and put himself in front of Willa but angled his body toward me. She honestly wants me to think the guy trying to protect me and my little sister is some kind of monster? "Its best you leave now." He said quietly. His fists were clenched and I could tell he was trying to stop himself from literally throwing her out.

She glared at Quil. "I won't let my daughter be hurt by you." She snarled.

I walked up the stairs behind Quil and took hold of Willa's dangling hand and held tight. She was still in so much shock that she let me.

"He's not the one hurting anybody Mom." I said tightening my grip on Willa's hand, which was just as small as my own. She continued to stare down at our mother.

Mom turned on her motherly, soft smile and looked to Willa. Quil tensed as he watched my mother carefully. "Willa, I knew you would be safe, from them, from what they are, but Claire, she wouldn't be." She explained softly. I wanted to take her head off.

"I was three." Willa croaked.

"I hate myself for what I did to you and Dana, but your father-" Her excuse was abruptly cut off by Willa.

"DIDN'T LEAVE US!" Willa finished, her voice hoarse and pained.

Quil stepped between us and our mother and pointed toward the door. "Go, now." He ordered seriously. I think he growled too.

She looked up at him with anger. "I will be back." She said firmly.

Quil took one small step and loomed over my tiny mother. "I don't care if you come back everyday from now until doomsday, but you need to leave. Now." He said lowly.

Mom tried not to look scared, but I could see it, she was petrified of Quil. She turned and left the house without another word and Quil followed her out, locking the doors behind her. Willa was shaking next to me and I couldn't help but hug her. Quil walked up to us and escorted us to the couch where he allowed both of us to use his shoulders as a catch all. I still held Willa's hand from across Quil's stomach.

Willa's eyes were cold and distant, but she tucked herself under Quil's arm and used her free hand to latch onto his shirt while he coiled his big arm around her body and held her close. I was a little more relaxed, just leaning my head against Quil's shoulder as I watched Willa carefully, I had Quil's other arm wrapped loosely around my shoulders. This was my second rodeo, I wasn't worried about myself, I was worried about my sister. I was, however, still leaking tears but Quil didn't seem to care that his shirt was now a tissue for the youngest Asher sisters.

Quil's freakish body heat soothed us and stopped our tears but Quil didn't let go of either one of us, I wasn't about to ask him. It was nice to just be held by someone that just wants to make you feel better… and that is as gorgeous as Quil is. Beside's I can always chalk up the blush my light caramel skin took on from his ridiculous ambient temperature.

"She's bat-shit insane." Willa muttered suddenly from Quil's chest. It took a lot to force myself to look at her, and not Quil's chest.

"Yep," I agreed.

"How'd you live with her for thirteen years, alone?" She asked in amazement, glancing at me for a moment.

"I talked to myself a lot." I answered frowning. I really did talk to myself a lot…

"Great, I'm trapped with two gonzo women." Quil grumbled.

"Yeah, ya are, put on your big girl panties and deal with it." Willa snapped as she nestled closer to Quil.

I had a feeling Quil was like a big brother to Willa as well. Of course, I can't think of him that way because he is too hot to be my older brother.

It was silent after that. There were no more jokes to be had or tears to be shed. We had to figure out what to do now. I knew I wasn't going to be able to think about forgiving my mother until I learned the truth, and I think Quil is still a bit shaky on that, so I'll leave it be. I don't know about Willa thought. I think she knows everything and is still lost as to why mom left.

These are the moments that I really wish I could remember more, and understand everything. But alas, my horrible memory only starts a seven and that's only because I got to go horseback riding for my seventh birthday. You never forget the pain of your first horseback ride. My butt still screams in pain from that day.

My thoughts were shaken as Willa jumped out of Quil's grasp and practically flew up the stairs too her room. I tried to stand to follow her, but Quil stopped me.

"Give her some time, she works better alone." He said knowingly.

I sighed and nodded, sinking back into my comfortable spot under Quil's arm. "Thank you," I said looking up at him. He looked down at me with his brows furrowed gently. "I don't think she would have let me comfort her like that." I explained. "And for getting my mom out." I added meekly.

"Willa does some harsh things when she's upset, I didn't want to know, or see, what she would do to her mother under that stress." He said seriously. I didn't doubt him.

I glanced over my shoulder and up the stairs, still wanting to go up there.

"She is going to need you, just wait until you hear the crash." He said under his breath.

"The what?" I asked incredulously. Before Quil even took a breath the sound of shattering glass filled the house. "Oh," I mumbled dumbly.

"It's safe now." He said surely.

"I'm not so sure," I muttered as begrudgingly slunk out from under Quil's arm and start for the stairs. I made it up two before I looked back to the couch. "Um Quil?" I asked timidly.

He didn't have to look back at me as he was following me with his eyes. "Yeah?" He asked patiently.

"Could you stay?" I asked feeling a little childish. Really, I'm an adult, I don't need someone to watch the house, but it makes me feel a little better.

He smiled. "I wasn't planning on going anywhere." He said resting his feet on the coffee table. I giggled and finished my trip up the stairs and down to Willa's room.

The door was jet black with blood painted to trickle down the front of the door. I took in a deep breath and opened the door slowly. Willa's room was dark like I expected with sharp objects and mystical looking things. I was more worried about my sister. She sat at the end of her bed with her head in her hands with a broken picture frame at her feet. I slipped quietly into the room and closed the door softly behind me and leaned against it, being careful not to step on glass with my bare feet.

"Hey," I whispered.

She took in a deep breath and raised her head to look at me, her eyes red with fresh tears. "You know I hated you, for as long as I can remember. You took my mom away, I never had her. And I figured when she came back she'd want us all to go with her." She rambled sadly. She snorted a bitter laugh and shook her head. "But she just left us because she didn't understand." She mumbled to herself.

I didn't really know what to say to that, so I stayed quiet.

She brought herself out of her sorrowful ravine and gave me warning with her eyes. "I'm not saying I love you or anything, but I hate you less." She said beside herself.

"That's a start." I said with a small smile.

"Don't tell Dad." She pled desperately. So she does care about our old man. "He's still hung up on Mom and I don't like it when he gets sad over her."

"I won't." I promised.

"Did she ever remarry? Or have other kids?" She asked fearfully.

"No," I answered shaking my head. She looked confused. "She had guys that liked me and would have married her, but the minute I started spending too much time with them, we moved." I elaborated.

"What the hell is her problem?" She demanded loudly.

"I dunno, maybe when all this makes sense to me I'll be able to answer that." I said letting my head fall against the door.

"Don't worry, Quil is like two minutes away from screaming it he's so stressed out." She sniggered, I don't know what was so funny about it but it's a little frustrating knowing my little sister knows the big secret before me.

"Why is he stressed, I'm not being that nosy." I said frowning.

"He doesn't like keeping it from you, but he needs to make sure your ready for it because it's not only him that could be in trouble." She said seriously.

"Am I ready for it?" I asked playfully.

She shrugged. "You'll probably faint, but you'll be fine after a few shots of hard liquor." She said knowingly.

"Good to know," I muttered wearily.

Willa jumped up out of nowhere and over to her closet where she disappeared into a came out fully dressed ten minutes later wearing her normal black clunky combat boots with the new black top Alice picked out for her. She shooed me out of her room and trudged downstairs, I followed confused as she ran past Quil.

"Later Quil!" She called out as she made it to the door.

"Bye!" He yelled back just as she slipped out the door. I stared at our front door in shock. "You get used to it." He said patting my back.

"I think I already am." I said sadly. I let out a tired sigh as I rubbed my eyes.

"You okay?" He asked not so much worried as curious.

"Well, I just had breakfast an hour ago and I'm already exhausted." I said, almost laughing.

"Wanna watch a movie?" He offered nodding to the TV behind him.

I smiled brightly. "Sure,"

I watched three movies with Quil, each one I fell asleep at least once and each one I let Quil pick because I wasn't in the mood for any decision making, no matter how small. He stayed with me until Dad got home, and then left a few minutes later with a promise he'd keep everyone away and would be back tomorrow to kidnap me again with the rest of the people I had come to enjoy.

Dad already knew Mom was back in town and tried to hide his much sadder disposition with jokes and obscene amounts of sugar. When that didn't work he left wordlessly to the garage. Now I know where Willa gets it from. I made dinner and brought it to Dad who managed a real smile for me and left a plate for Willa in the microwave with a note on her door where her dinner was waiting for her and retreated to my room.

I spent a few hours looking through pictures, not just of me but of Dana and Willa too, and all the times I missed. Quil popped up in a lot of pictures with them, only looking very sullen and old. Well, not physically, but his eyes looked so sad and pained, it made him appear older than he should be. I'm not entirely sure why he is so different now, but I'm glad I know this Quil, rather than the one in most of these pictures.

I finally put the books as the clock neared midnight and changed into one of my new sets of pajama's, a silk blue cami top with tiny matching silk shorts, which Alice and Nessie owned a set as well, and crawled into my waiting bed. I was tired. I was warm. I was full. I was comfortable. I was ready for a long night of sleep. I hoped that when I woke up, all of this confusion would go away, and I'd just enjoy my day.

AN: Review!