Chapter 12: Trust

Sky's Point of View

A man slowly stepped out of the truck, both hands raised, as if to tell the girls he was not a threat. Sky was coiled like a spring, eyes darting all around looking for an escape for her and Nina. Realizing there was no way they could both outrun him, she squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes for the first time, to assess the danger.

She had always been good at reading people, knowing whether they were good or bad. She was shocked though, at how much she felt from this man standing in front of her. She didn't know how, guessing it was the spirits doing, but she knew she could trust him. And she had a feeling he would protect her at all costs.

He stayed right beside his truck, not taking another step closer. This helped reassure Sky that she had likely read him right.

When he spoke, he kept his voice soft. "Hi, my name is William. You can call me Will. I don't know how or why, and you might think this sounds crazy, but I have been on a coastal road trip for the last few months starting down in San Diego and as I was sitting here waiting for the sun to rise, I felt like I finally got the whole point of my need to do this trip. And not to sound like a creepy stalker, but I feel like the point might have been this moment. Does it sound crazy if I say that I think I'm meant to help you?"

Sky was quiet for a few minutes, still staring at this man trying to believe if this could be true. Could the spirits have sent this man to find her, to help her get home to her family? Did she trust her instincts enough to believe this wasn't a scheme at up by Steve to lure her back? She felt shaking hands clutching the back of her jacket. She turned and looked at the scared little girl behind her. She wasn't sure how she would be able to protect her on her own, and really wasn't sure Nina would make the walk all the way to La Push.

She looked over at the man again. "Will," somehow his name felt comforting to say. "Are you sure you want to help us? I don't- I don't have any money I can give you. And it might be a long drive. I'm really not sure where we are." She swallowed and looked back at Nina. "But if you're willing, we really could use the help."

Will let out a breath of relief. "No compensation necessary. I can't explain it but I think I am meant to do this. I can't explain it. But if you guys are ready, let's get this show on the road!" He threw open the back door and ushered them in. "Okay so I have all the road trip essentials, so feel free to help yourselves: snacks, drinks, candy, gum. I even have bread, and peanut butter and jelly if you want any sandwiches. Where are we going?"

Sky and Nina glanced at each other before lunging for the snacks. It had been a long time since they had had this much food available to them. Between her first few bites of food, Sky managed to tell him their destination "La Push, Washington."

Seth's Point of View

It had been 5 days since Seth had last seen Sky on their dream beach. And 855 days since he had held her in his arms. Each agonizing day was far worse now that he had no way of communicating with her. His only hope was that his body would have told him if her plan hadn't worked. He held onto this as he ran patrol.

None of the other wolves were ever scheduled with him anymore, except Leah and Sam. Sam had determined that it would be better for everyone if another episode happened. He knew how much it hurt, and he knew how much Seth wanted to hide that pain, for his brothers's sake as well as Sky's. Seth was pretty sure Sam was scheduling himself to try and punish himself for letting Sky's father take her away, though no one blamed him for it. And it was only out of selfishness that he was okay with Leah being there because she could take some of his pain away should he need it.

It's not selfish if I want to be there, to help protect you baby brother. Leah reminded him for probably the hundredth time.

Yeah, yeah. I know. Seth cleared his thoughts so they could focus on the task at hand. They were on high alert now that the redheaded vamp kept testing their boundaries. Somehow she always got away.

They still had about an hour left of their shift. Seth was always scheduled off for 11 PM, so he could hopefully make contact with Sky. The pack members who were set to replace them usually came on just a few minutes before shift change for briefing before Seth phased out. For every other shift change, there was at least a fifteen minute overlap. This was another method Sam implemented to protect the younger wolves from experiencing the pain and trauma through Seth.

This is why they were very surprised when a flustered Sam phased in an hour early. Sue called, she said she urgently needed you both to get home right away and asked me to be there as well. She didn't say why. I'm heading that way now and Brady and Jared will be replacing you early tonight.

At the mention of their mother, both Clearwaters quickly changed course and pushed their speed as fast as they could.

Sky's Point of View

It had been a long drive. That was putting it mildly. They had pretty much driven the entire day, with just a few stops for gas and food.

To Will's credit, he didn't ask a lot of questions, encouraged them to sleep if they were tired and when the girls were up, he chattered on about nothing at all, somehow knowing to steer clear of any sensitive subjects. He played country music softly in the background and had the GPS displayed and counting down the minutes until they reached their destination. For the last hour of the drive, Sky was vibrating with anxiety.

When they passed the 'Welcome to La Push' sign, she was fairly certain she forgot how to breathe. She remembered her last journey on this road, and she couldn't help the tears trailing down her cheeks.

Will kept silent at this point, just nodding and following Sky's direction. It was like he knew she would be unable to comprehend anything he might have said.

When they pulled into the Clearwater's driveway, she could tell someone was home as a few of the downstairs lights were on. The flickering lights of the TV could be seen coming from the living room.

She grabbed Nina's hand. "Little one, welcome home." Sky turned to Will, "Please come in, I am sure Mrs. Clearwater will be able to make you food and find you a place to stay."

Will, who looked like he could barely keep his eyes open after the very tiresome drive, nodded appreciatively. He waited for Sky to follow her lead.

It took a few minutes for Sky to work up the courage to walk to the door. Once she was there, it took a few more before she worked up the courage to knock.

After her knock, she heard the sounds from the TV shut off and she held her breath as she waited to see who would be the one to open the door. She had dreamed of the four faces of her family members for as long as she had been away. Any would be a sight for very sore eyes.

The door slowly creaked open and Sky saw the woman she considered her mother peer around the edge. It was clear on her face she did not expect two young girls and a man she didn't know to show up at her doorstep so late at night. She looked from Will to Nina before her eyes traveled to Sky.

Sue's eyes blinked a few times with skeptical recognition before her features softened and tears filled her eyes. One of her hands rose to cover her mouth. "Am I dreaming?"

Sky shook her head, hand still gripped in Nina's. Sue reached towards Sky to pull her into an embrace before she stopped herself. "Can I- can I hug you, my child?"

Sky's shoulders sagged in relief and she burst into tears as Sue pulled her in tight. A few emotional minutes later. Sue opened her arms again asking Nina I'd she wanted to join. The little girl was quick to jump into the loving embrace.

Will stood there with a smile on his face, watching the motherly figure grip the two young girls he had found. Whatever came next, he knew he had done good in this world and that would always be enough for him.

The shock was very clear on his face, when the older woman stood, squared her shoulders and pulled him tightly into her arms as well. Her whisper was soft, "Thank you for bringing my girl home."

Author's note:

Thank you everyone for reading!