AN: I honor of the Twilight DVD release, which I got my copy from Hot Topic at 12:22, I have posted again. This chapter is in Quil's POV, in case you don't know, and well, I just tortured the crap out of Claire. It was actually a little fun. But there is a lot of QuilClaire mush in this so, eat it up my readers! I know you love it! Next chapter will be in Claire's point of view and will most likely be just her and her Daddy, little to no Quil. Sowwie. :( But still, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and thank you for all the reviews!

Chapter Nineteen

Night Terror

I heard her breathing quicken before it all started. I should have known then that something was wrong. I had just woken up from sleeping for a few hours in my usual spot within the trees when her change in breathing woke me up. I didn't move. I waited. I wasn't going to act until I knew something was wrong. I kept my muzzle in the shadows even though I was ready to jump if I felt it necessary.

Claire seemed to be settling into sleep when she screamed. It wasn't out of pain or anger, but fear. Something just scared the daylights out of her. I wanted to run into the house, but I couldn't, not like the giant chocolate brown wolf I was. I listened to her scramble to her feet and rustle through clothes and she was walking out of the house soon after. She had changed into jeans and a hoodie and wasn't wearing shoes as she stumbled down the street. I followed her from within the woods. She was crying.

I had no idea what had just happened, maybe a bad dream, but what ever it was had scared Claire out of her home and probably scared me more. There was nothing that scared me more than something hurting Claire that I couldn't physically stop.

She fell to her knees twice and each time I almost bolted out of the woods to grab her before she hit the ground, but I couldn't. She didn't notice the blood on her palms as she continued to amble toward her destination but the smell of her blood was burning in my nose and my paws were twitching to run up to her.

What happened? I surprised it took Sam this long to respond.

I don't know.

Stay on her. He didn't think much after that, but I wouldn't have noticed.

I kept following Claire on her slow walk, forcing myself not to run to her as a human or otherwise. I was close enough to keep her safe and far enough to let her do what she needed. She turned at the end of the street and finally said something through her tears.

"Quil," she sobbed.

I ran to my home, making more noise than I should have and phased in the woods, not bothering to pull on my shorts as I dove into my room through my window. I untied my sweats from my leg and pulled on my only pair of pajama pants and rushed to my door, waiting. I could smell her getting closer and crying harder. My gut got a good twist when I heard one of her sobs through the door.

She finally made it but didn't attempt to knock on the door or make her presence known. She was trying to swallow her tears and was gasping for breath. I wanted to rip the door off the hinges, but I kept my hands as fits at my sides. After what felt like ages I heard a tiny rasp on the door. I almost yanked the door open right then, but stopped.

I hadn't acted human in years, and now I have to watch everything I did to make sure Claire doesn't get suspicious all while watching over her.

I counted to thirty and listened as her sobs started again and I couldn't take it anymore, I yanked the door open and didn't even try to pretend I was tired from being woken up.

"Claire, what's wrong?" I asked just as I opened the door. I didn't care if she noticed I knew who was at the door before I opened it. She stood, shaking, holding herself around her stomach with blood-shot eyes and quivering lips.

She threw herself at my chest and I caught her without a thought and pulled her into the house. I scooped her into my arms and carried her into my room, closed the door behind us and sat her on the edge of my bed. I didn't need Lena or Embry walking in on this. I crouched down in front of her and brushed her hair away from her face. "T-there was s-so much blood-d." She whispered looking down at her own bleeding hands as she sobbed.

"When? Where?" I asked confused.

She looked up at me, tears falling from her beautiful eyes. "You, I found you, bleeding." She croaked.

I froze. When she was five, literally three days before her mother took her, I was screwing around at the edge of the boarder of the Quileute land and wasn't paying attention and I got ambushed by a lone bloodsucker. I finished him off, but not before he took a nice chunk out of my chest. Instead of running to Emily to fix me up, I ran to Claire's home, I didn't know if there were any other leeches and I wasn't going to take a chance, I phased back but passed out and was found by my screaming imprint, clinging to me an hour later. It took them another hour just to get her to let go of me.

"It was just a dream." I said soothingly, rubbing her arms.

"No it wasn't!" She yelled, jumping out of my grip and further back on the bed. I let my hands rest on the bed as I stayed crouched in front of her. "I can still feel the blood on my skin." She whimpered as she ran her trembling hands over her arms.

Of all the things she remembers, why does it have to be this? I couldn't help it I pulled her into a fierce hug.

I felt her arms try to wrap around me as she clung desperately to my shoulders. I rubbed her back softly and whispered things I thought might help. It was so much easier when she was a kid and thought the boogeyman was afraid of me because I was so big.

I pulled away when her breathing became a little more normal. "Calm down, what happened?" I asked anxiously.

"I was playing in the woods, alone, and I saw you, there was blood, everywhere." She stopped to swallow a sob then continued. "I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't and then I started crying and everyone came but I wouldn't let you go." She finished with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

I wiped the tears away before they made it half way down her face.

Her chest folded into a loud sob as she reached out to hold my shoulders. "God, your chest looked like twisted heaps of flesh." She cried, staring fearfully at my chest.

"Look, I'm fine." I said running my fingers across my chest, hoping she didn't notice the small knot of flesh just above my heart where it all healed into.

She indeed saw the scar and let her fingers fall and gently touched the old wound. "You weren't fine." She said firmly, shaking her head. "What was that?" She asked shuddering.

I tucked a loose lock of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear, making sure I wasn't looking into her eyes. "It was a nightmare." I answered without much conviction. It was getting harder to lie to her.

"NO!" She shrieked, jolting away from me and toward the door. "I've had nightmares, really bad ones. That was a memory. I was remembering something." She said firmly, her tiny frame still shaking out of fear.

She was this smart when she was five too. Cause me just as much problems. "Claire…" I trailed off tiringly. I couldn't tell her now, not like this.

She dropped her head in defeat and tried to leave but I reached out and grabbed her hand before she touched the doorknob.

"Want me to drive you home?" I offered quietly.

She looked up to me slowly, more tears falling down her perfect cheeks. "No," She said weakly.

I couldn't say no to her, there was no possible way that I would be able to let her out of my sight until I knew she would be okay, or at least I comfortable with leaving her which probably won't happen within the next twelve hours. "Okay," I said in a hushed voice. I moved her back to my bed, only closer to the two pillows I had. "You can sleep here, I'll take the couch." I said pulling the blanket over her.

Her hand flew out and grasped my forearm tightly. "Don't leave." She pled. She sounded so scared and fearful, she must actually think I may say no to her. "Stay, until I fall asleep, please?" She asked quietly, tears gathering on her thick lashes.

I didn't say anything and settled next to her, tucking my blanket around her. Her eyes fluttered shut when she was sure I wasn't leaving. She was still shaking under the blanket until I grabbed a thicker one from under my bed and tucked it around her, the one I usually use doesn't keep people warm, I only use it for extra padding on my lumpy bed.

It took her about forty-five minutes before she finally fell asleep. She was so tired that she didn't even snore, or mumble the little things she does in her sleep. I was just about to settle outside the door when my cell started to ring. I snatched it up before it woke Claire up.

It was Sam. I answered it and before I could say anything Sam was talking for me. "What happened?" He demanded.

"She remembered when I was corned by the leech and ended up in her back yard." I explained.

"Your stubborn ass wouldn't believe we had her covered." He chortled as he remembered. It was true, they tried to tell me but I didn't listen.

"She's really shaken up." I said blankly as I watched Claire sleep rather peacefully in my old bed.

"Did you tell her anything?" He asked quickly.

"No," I answered automatically.

I heard him sigh. "I'll tell Jeff where she is, but you need to tell her, if she is remembering soon she'll figure it out on her own." He said knowingly.

"Sam-" I said tiringly.

"I'm not your Alpha, but I can make Jake force you." He said sternly.

I growled lowly. I didn't want to be forced into this. "Fine, I'll tell her tomorrow." I snapped hotly.

"Don't let her out of your sight until you're sure she understands everything." He added severely.

"I know the drill!" I hissed into the phone.

"Get some sleep, and not with my niece." He growled before hanging up on me. I was tempted to curl up at the foot of the bed with Claire just out of spite.

Instead of being childish like I wanted to be I tried to leave the room and at least to the hallway but when I opened the door Claire let out a sharp breath and I couldn't bring myself to finish walking out into the hall. I shut the door and settled into the corner under the window.

I didn't sleep, I didn't expect I would. I watched Claire sleep for hours. It was hard to believe she was still the same girl that was crying at my doorstep since she was so much more peaceful now. Before I knew it I heard Embry and Lena's alarm go off and I stuck my head out the door and told them to leave the house for the day. Lena wasn't too happy about that but Embry convinced her. When they were gone I was able to pull my self away from Claire, but I had to leave the door to my room open, and I started making breakfast.

I learned a thing or two from Emily and made pancakes, eggs and bacon, hell I even set up the table with two glasses of orange juice. It was probably all the noise I made looking for pans that woke her up, I heard her coming just after I finished setting the eggs and the bacon on the table. I looked up to the hallway and found Claire watching me timidly as she fidgeted with bandages she put on her hands.

"Morning," I said smiling. It wasn't hard for me to smile since Claire was looking a lot better then she did when she fell asleep.

"Morning," She repeated. She looked really embarrassed.

"Hungry?" I asked nodding to the plate I set for her.

"Yes," She answered rushing to the seat.

We ate in silence. Not the comfortable silence, but the painful, elephant in the room silence. Claire ate a full plate of food and two glasses of orange juice, of course I finished long before she did. I grabbed her plate with mine and took it to the sink and rinsed them off. When I turned back to Claire she was looking at me awkwardly.

I sighed tiringly and flopped back into my seat across from her. "I figure you probably have a lot of questions, and all I ask is that you wait until after I get most of this out." I said pleadingly.

She looked confused but nodded.

I took in a deep breath, this was going to be rushed and painful. "The legends Billy told are true." I said bluntly. Claire blinked a few times but her face was unreadable. "There are over a dozen of us in the tribe right now. There are so many because of the Cullen's, the coven of vampires that bad the treaty, they used to have to stay off the Quileute lands but something changed sixteen years ago and they are allowed to roam freely along the land." I explained even though I really didn't have to throw that part in about the Cullen's, Nessie will have my hide for that. "Your mom took you because I told her everything, about us, the vampires and that I imprinted on you." I said quietly.

I could tell the word 'imprinted' confused her, but she seemed to think more about everything else in the previous sentence rather than that. She zoned out for a long moment before shaking her head and looking back to me with curious eyes.

"Imprinting is pretty rare. Well, it was, now eleven of us have imprinted. Anyway, imprinting is when a Quileute shape-shifter meets their perfect match, the person who completes them, their soul mate for all intense and purposes." I elaborated, trying to say it as delicately as possible. "I imprinted on you when you two years old." I rushed painfully.

I thought Claire's jaw was going to hit the table when she heard that but instead her eyes just went wide and she fell back against her chair. I couldn't tell if she was disgusted or not but I was quick to explain it all.

"There was nothing romantic, I was just the big brother you never had and got to climb on and order around whenever you pleased. My only mission in life was to keep you safe and happy, it still is. I told you a little when you were five and your mom took you soon after. I wasn't supposed to tell you until you were sixteen, but after you found me in the woods…" I trailed off as I suppressed a wince.

She stood straighter at that. "It was real." She murmured.

I nodded. "Yeah, vampire cornered me and, well, it got bloody. I was supposed to go to Emily, but I wasn't going anywhere without knowing you were safe. I really wish you didn't remember that." I said painfully.

She didn't look anywhere near me as she took a few deep breaths. "The imprinting?" She asked softly.

"Oh, yeah. I am whatever you need me to be. I'll be your best friend or your brother or…" I swallowed the lump in my throat and wasn't able to finish the sentence but from the blush that crept across Claire's dark cheeks, she knew what I was going to say. "You chose either way, I will never force you do anything you don't want, even if you don't want me around." I said firmly, to show her how serious I was.

"The girl that broke your heart was me?" She asked sadly.

"You didn't do anything, I don't blame you. But yeah, I guess in a way, you did break my heart." I said with a chuckle beside myself.

"What have you been doing for thirteen years?" She asked almost angrily. I didn't take offence. I probably wouldn't until she started throwing things at me and even then I still wouldn't be mad at her.

"Looking for you," I answered simply. "Your mom was good at covering her tracks and I never found you. I spent a lot of time in the woods, it was too painful to be human when everyone was pouring pity down my throat." I spat remembering the past years with distain. I never knew how 'sorry' grown men could be until I lost my imprint.

"Who knows?" She asked curiously.

"Well, everyone." I answered gingerly. I expected her to blow up, or be flustered at the least, but she just frowned a little. "Willa, Jeff and Dana know. But I think Willa is the youngest to know. She's a pain in the ass but she has kept the secret." I rambled. My new quiet Claire was starting to scare me.

"Why are you telling me now?" She asked confused.

"You deserve to know, to understand, why this all happened and after your nightmare I didn't think it was fair to keep it from you any longer." I said truthfully. She didn't need to know that I was ordered.

She thought for a moment before she stood and I followed wearily. "Thank you for everything Quil, can you take me home now?" She asked trying to force a smile.

I tried my hardest to not show the pain that one question caused and pursed my lips to stop the frown. "Yeah," I said quietly.

I let her borrow Lena's flip flops and escorted her to my truck. The quick and quiet drive to her home was just as painful as breakfast was. I just hoped she would accept this all and not resent me or the pack. I barely stopped in her driveway when she opened the door and hopped out.

"Claire," I said suddenly, stopping her from shutting the door in my face. "You can't tell anyone." I said seriously.

She nodded wordlessly and slammed the truck door shut. This was supposed to be a good day.

AN: Review!