AN: Geeze, almost thirty chapters, that s ridiculous! For me at least. Lots of twists in this one, it might be a little confusing so ask away if you are. Oh, if I haven't already mentioned, I always thought of Eddie Spears being Quil, just in case you were curious. :P Thank you all, again, for all the support, and I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

More Secrets

Time seemed to move a lot faster after I talked to Quil, hearing his voice and knowing his was okay let me relaxed enough to eat a full meal without worrying I may throw it back up. That night I still had to cry myself to sleep, only this time I got an extra forty-five minutes of sleep. It wasn't a lot but it was an improvement from last night. I still watched the windows and nearly jumped out of my seat when I heard a long and painful howl. Willa came into my room after that and sat with me.

She had tears falling down her cheeks and she said it was because of the residual hormones. I could still see the confused sadness in her eyes from her miscarriage and so I hugged her again. There wasn't a lot I could do, or say without getting Willa riled up, so I'm just sticking to hugging her.

The next morning Rachel and Lena had to go to work so Alice and Emmett had to leave to shadow them to make sure they didn't get hurt while Nessie, Willa, Esme and I watched Ellie and Daniel. Daniel was not happy to see his mother go, but calmed down after I promised him a grilled cheese sandwich. Ellie latched onto Esme and easily let her mother leave. Rachel was actually relieved, instead of jealous like I thought she might be. Willa went back to playing video games while Esme, Nessie and I kept Daniel and Ellie busy.

Esme was bouncing Ellie through the kitchen while Nessie played with Daniel on the floor and I made the sandwiches I promised.

"She really likes you." I said to Esme as Ellie giggled while she buried her little hands in Esme's curly brown hair.

"She is a friendly child." Esme laughed.

"Its hard to believe Paul is her father." I said as I looked at Ellie with narrowed eyes, trying to find any evidence of Paul in Ellie's happy brown eyes.

Esme smiled at Ellie as she moved from Esme's hair to chewing on her necklace. "She takes after her grandfather." She said sweetly. I could see that, Billy is a friendly person.

"Is it weird for you guys?" I asked awkwardly. Esme looked at me with knitted brows. "I mean, werewolves are supposed to kill you." I added glumly.

"We've been living together for fifteen years, it's gotten easier for us to be friends." She answered grinning, her eyes teasing me a little. "Besides, everyone keeps having children and they need babysitters." She added, hugging Ellie close to her face as she chuckled.

"Yeah, you guys are good at babysitting." I mumbled, turning back to flipping the four grilled cheese sandwiches I had going.

Esme sighed and stepped closer to me, placing a cold but soothing hand on my shoulder. "I know, this is all frustrating, but it will all be over soon." She said surely.

"Until the next time." I muttered under my breath, concentrating on the grilled cheese and less on the woman my sulking attitude was directed at.

"Well, we think of it more as an extended sleepover with powerful creatures." She said playfully.

"It does sound like fun." I admitted wistfully. I would love to have a sleepover attitude, maybe next time I will.

"The first time is the hardest. Lena will never admit it, but the first time Embry left and she knew the truth, she panicked so badly she wouldn't stop throwing up for ten hours." She told me with sneaky grin. Lena would probably try to kill her for telling me this.

"Really?" I asked stunned. Lena seemed like such a laid back person until you got her angry, but I could never see her as the panicking type.

"Yes, my husband had to sedate her." She added amused. That actually was pretty amusing, thinking about it, Lena drugged out of her mind.

"Wow, I thought I was freaking out." I murmured.

"I can always call him for anxiety medication if you like." She offered with a wink.

"I can't, I have panic attacks on most sleeping medication and really anything that is supposed to calm you down sends me into a freak out." I explained politely, feeling more like a weirdo than I have in a while.

"You are very peculiar." She noted shaking her head.

I shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I am kind of odd, I have a few allergies my mom is sure I got from my dad." I chuckled.

"Nothing too serious I hope." She said worryingly, not even blinking when Ellie yanked on her hair.

"Well, eggplant and eucalyptus make me break out in hives and it's really hard for me to breath, but morphine could kill me." I said casually. I'm really used to explaining my freakish allergies, no matter how morbid they are.

"I'll remember that." She said almost fearfully.

"It sucks 'cause I kinda like eggplant." I grumbled with a pout.

I finished Daniel, Willa's and my brunch and the three of us ate while Nessie and Esme tried to spoon feed Ellie her peas without getting her pretty blue dress dirty. That didn't work out so well and Nessie seemed most upset while Esme couldn't stop laughing. After our early lunch Willa went back to her video games while Nessie and Esme rushed to change Ellie into three different dresses before settling on a light pink one. I washed up Daniel and started reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where we left off.

It was calm for a while. I had Daniel and Willa popped in every once in a while but mostly stayed upstairs. Esme and Nessie were showing Ellie how to play the piano and it was loud and no where near as pretty as Esme and Nessie's playing was.

It was a few hours before dinner time when Nessie and Esme came out smiling and headed toward the front door. I followed with Daniel confused until I heard all of the laughing. Willa came down the stairs with an exasperated look.

"The wolves have descended." Willa grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

I didn't have to ask a stupid question because I already knew what she meant.

They were back.

The door opened and Paul shot through, scooping up his kids as he moved through house to collapse on a couch. Jake swooped in and him and Nessie disappeared upstairs to do things I don't want to think about. Seth was next and pulled Willa and Esme into a bear hug, which Esme laughed about while Willa seemed annoyed more than anything.

My heart dropped. Where was Quil?

I rushed through the front door just as Quil, dressed only in tattered shorts like the others, started coming up the stairs. I don't even think a second passed, but it was still long enough for tears to gather in my eyes and they all spilled out when I saw him, unscathed, smiling up at me. I launched myself at him, linking my arms around his neck and my legs around his torso and squeezed him as tight as I could.

A deep laugh rumbled from his chest as he hugged me. "Miss me?" His breath was hot against my neck and I let out a content sigh.

"A little," I croaked happily, tears still tightening my throat. I felt Quil move his arm to wrap around my waist and I buried my nose into his neck. "They're gone right?" I mumbled hopefully. I don't know if I could let him go back out there without taking my sanity with him.

His hand moved from by back to the back of my head and I felt his fingers lace through my hair. "Yeah, they're gone." He whispered, clutching me tighter.

I took in a deep breath, Quil's scent of musk and wet forest wafting into my nose and making me melt in his arms. I was utterly content with staying in his arms for the next few years, you know, make sure none of the vampires get him. However, I could feel eyes on my back and it was ruining content mood. I pulled away and looked down wearily at the ground. "You can, uh, put me down." I mumbled sheepishly.

He chuckled and lowered me to the ground. I didn't step away from him, or look anywhere but his eyes, because I was still enjoying his presence. "Hey, you jumped at me." He said with narrowed eyes and mock seriousness.

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment but I still didn't look away. "Sorry, I was just, happy to see you." I apologized with an impish grin.

His face lit up with another smile and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest, half hugging me and pressing a kiss to the crown of my head. I slipped my arms around his waist as he did and hugged him again. "Like wise." He murmured against my hair.

I stayed glued in the hold I had on Quil until I was once again fully ready to let him go and we walked back into the house, with his arm draped over my shoulders into the foyer where Seth, Esme and Willa were waiting with knowing grins.

"Good, now she'll calm down." Willa said rolling her eyes.

"Alice should be here soon to take you home." Esme said still smiling with Seth's arm still slung around her shoulders.

Willa scowled at the mention of Alice and took two steps toward the door. "We'll I might as well tell you all now, before Loose-Lipped Lucy tells you all. I'm not pregnant, haven't been in a week and that dumbass is losing his 'family jewels' the next time I see him." She announced rather fluidly, her anger clear in her tone.

We were all kind of speechless, but Seth looked at her guiltily and tried to reach out to her. "Willa-"

She wrenched away from all of us and glared Seth down. "Don't start with me Clearwater, I don't want to hear it." She growled before storming out of the house.

I wanted to follow my sister, but Quil's arm was tight around my shoulders and I looked around, everyone had a guilty face. "I'm missing something." I mumbled, glancing between Quil and Seth.

Quil looked like he was pain, like he used to be when I first got here, and he gripped my shoulders a little tighter.

"Quil?" I asked confused.

"I can't tell you." He said through his clenched jaw.

You know when you're so sure of something and then the preverbal rug gets pulled out from under your feet? That's what it felt like. First he can't tell me how many werewolves are in his pack, which I understand in a sick and twisted way, but he can't tell me what's wrong with my own sister. I started walking for the front door when Quil grabbed my arm and turned me to face him.

"Claire," His voice was so desperate, and pleading. I really don't know how I was able to slip my hand from his grasp with those pained eyes looking at me that way, but I did.

"I need to make sure my sister's okay." I said sadly, backing out of the house then running after Willa.

Willa was onto the dirt road, leading to Nessie's dirt road-slash-driveway, when I caught up with her.

"Willa!" I called out as I saw her burgundy hair swinging angrily as she ran. She slowed down and I was able to fall in line with her.

"What are you doing?" She ground out.

"What just happened?" I asked looking back toward the house.

"You know, I've known for years." She laughed bitterly. She stopped and turned back to the road we just left. "I'VE KNOWN FOR EIGHT YEARS CLEARWATER!" She screamed, making her whole tiny body shake.

Wow, she might be small but she packs quite a scream. "Known what?" I asked timidly.

"That little idiot imprinted on me when I was a year and a half." She snapped as she went back to walking in the original direction she was going.

I don't think my eyes have ever gotten as big as they did when she told me. "What?" I muttered.

"He was away a lot with Jake and his sister Leah so he didn't actually meet me until I was a year and a half old. From what I've tricked out of the younger guys, Seth was going to tell our parents with Quil but when you found him half dead in the woods it sped up the process and when Mom snapped and took you with her he decided not to tell anyone." She explained angrily.

Well. Just when I think I know what's going on here, I get thrown another loop.

"BECAUSE THEY ALL THINK I'M STUPID!" She yelled at the woods.

"Why haven't they told you?" I asked confused. They had just told me everything, if they were waiting to tell her, now would be a perfect time.

"Hell if I know, they probably think Dad is going to go nuts like Mom and take me to some far away land." She spat flippantly.

"But he's fine with this whole thing." I pointed out befuddled.

"You don't think I know that!" She yelled impatiently. "You think I date all those idiots because I want to?!" She asked hysterically. "No, I do it to try and get him to do something, cause every time I tried, there was always a phone call, or an emergency or some other DUMBASS EXCUSE!" She yelled at the woods again, this time spitting more than yelling. "To stop me from investigating." She finished quietly.

I wanted to say something but Alice's Mercedes sped up to us and Alice got out gracefully, like always.

"What are you two doing on the road?" Alice asked curiously.

"I will kill you, you pixie haired demon." Willa growled lowly.

"That's not nice." Alice pouted.

"You blabbed my secret!" Willa shrieked angrily, her small frame starting to shake again. She really needs some more weight on her bones…

"You are the one that talked about it." Alice countered.

"In rooms with closed doors." Willa hissed. "That means don't listen in!" She added furiously, making her entire face go red.

I had to stop Willa before she killed Alice, or at least tried too."Come on Willa, you can plot her demise at home." I said pushing her into the back seat. I took the passenger seat and Alice sat back in the driver's seat and took off for the Rez.

"Why isn't Quil with you?" Alice asked me after the first three minutes of silence. I felt a sharp jab of ice in my chest when I thought back to Quil's pained face when I left.

"Stop playing dumb, Alice, you already know." Willa spat from the back seat.

"Just trying to make conversation." Alice said politely, not affected by Willa's tone or obvious anger.

"Well make less of it." Willa grumbled and went back to sulking.

We were all silent for the drive back to our home. Dad's Cherokee was there and the house wasn't damaged and nothing seemed strange and I was relieved. I was worried about more than Quil… mostly Quil, but still worried about my dad. We piled out of the car and were met with my dad and a stranger.

"I didn't expect you home so soon." He said smiling.

Willa stalked right passed our father and I could hear her stomp up the stairs while Dad let out an exasperated groan. The stranger, who was tall and lean with blonde hair smiled at me. I smiled back and held out my hand.

"Hi, I'm Claire," I said politely, trying my hardest to smile sincerely as his cold hand shook mine.

"Jasper, nice to meet you again." He said quietly, the corners of his mouth turning up into just a hint of a smile as he dropped my hand and looked to Dad. "I'll be back later." He said before taking my old seat in Alice's Mercedes and speeding down the old, empty road.

"Later?" I asked Dad bewildered.

Dad shrugged as he pulled me into the house. "Boys still think there might be others out there, just being cautious." He answered tiringly.

"I'm gonna go check on Willa." I muttered, walking up the stairs numbly.

Being lied to really makes you feel like crap, especially when the person doing the lying is someone you were sure wouldn't ever lie to you. And all the way up to Willa's room, I still couldn't find it in me to think ill of Quil, or even mutter a curse with his name because all I still wanted to do was hug him until my arms fell off.

AN: Don't worry! Quil and Claire won't be separated for long, trust me. Review!