A/N: I'm soooooooooooo sorry! Please don't kill me for taking so long to update. At first I wanted to wait because this is the second to last chapter, that's right there's only one chapter after this. Anyway, it ended up taking me way longer than it should have. Well, forgive me, and R&R

I turned slowly hardly believing my ears. Julian's voice was exactly how I remembered it, just as calm, just as mocking. My eyes took him in, but I didn't move. He was sitting slumped in the dining room chair, his head heavily bandaged. Dried blood stained his face, but his clothes were clean, new. He looked so much better than my last image of him. It was hard to believe that so much had been done in such a short time. The feeling was gone again from my legs, and all I could do was stare at Julian, not move toward him.

But then, as he smiled, it was like a wave hit me. It was all I could do to stop from hugging him and never letting go. I had to remember that no matter how good he looked, he was still hurt. I lept up onto the table next to him, but he was the one who reached out his hand and took mine. His fingers ran along the trail of blood across my skin. My lips touched lightly against the fingers until I remembered where I was and had to work to keep from blushing. At least my father wouldn't kill a hurt man...I hoped

"So how much do you know?" I asked quietly.

"Not much, but enough to realize you weren't kidding when you said you had secrets"

"It's pretty complex" I warned.

"Nothing with you is ever simple"

"You're gonna think I'm crazy"

"Nessa, I just saw your brother rip a car apart, I think I can handle it" he smiled in encouragement.

"He's not my brother" I looked over at my dad who nodded in silent agreement. Apparently my family had talked about this possibility.

"Ok, that's a good place to start"

"He's my dad"

I heard Julian gulp, "Um, Nessa, he looks like he's..."

"17" I finished patiently"

"And that would make you..."

"He's not really 17 Julian, he's a lot older actually, probably more than you think"

"How old?" his voice was wavering.

"He stopped aging in 1918" I smiled, hoping to make the information easier for him.

It didn't help much, he looked paler than he had even when he was bleeding in the grass, "And your mom?"

My mother stepped forward. At least she'd been through this, she could probably make him feel better than I could, "she's a little younger"

"How much younger?" his tone was cautious.

"She stopped aging as soon as I was born"

"when?" he choked out, and I braced for the impact.

"Technically...seven years ago" I waited until he took a breath to continue, "but emotionally and physically I'm a lot older...obviously"

"Obviously" he gasped, the word sounded more like a breath.

"Julian, don't think of me as being that young"

"Wouldn't dream of it" it was a weak attempt at sarcasm.

"I'm a teenager, just like you"

"Uhuh, um Ness, I know it's rude to ask a woman about her age, but how long is this-" he motioned to me, "aging thing gonna last? I mean fast like it is now"

"I'm done" I assured him.

"what do you mean done?"

"I mean, I'll be like this forever, well at least for 150 years or so..."

I looked at him, but his stare was blank. It didn't seem like he could take in any more information. I didn't know why, but for some reason, seeing him like that, so confused, so completely lost, made tears spring to my eyes. With trembling hands I pushed myself up from the table and set down on the floor. Just as slowly I made my way up the stairs to my bedroom. My bed was back in its place as if it had never been touched and I sat down on the side of it. My life had never been what anyone would call normal, but there had always been something stable about it, a stability that was definitely gone now.

My mother and father were forced to look at me differently now, all my family, and the one chance I had had to be typical, Julian, he was changed too. I wasn't the same person I had been such a short time ago, the sheltered girl, the one who had never been hurt, but if I wasn't her, who was I?

I laid back against my bedspread, letting my hair fan out in every direction. I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep, but a light knock at the door woke me up. I blinked a few times before calling for whoever it was to come in. I didn't bother to look in the direction of the door. I would wait for them to talk before I did. but after a few moments of silence my gaze drifted over.

Julian stood at the side of the bed, an apologetic smile on his face, "looking this good at 150 can't be that bad" he sat down on the edge and his hand touched against the curls of my hair.

"Really?" silent tears of relief slipped down my cheek, and he brushed them away carefully.

"The more time I can spend with you the better"

"You'll be bored of me soon enough"

"I don't think I'll ever be able to figure you out"

"It's a good thing I'm complicated"

"You wouldn't be you if you weren't"

"I don't even know who I am" I confessed.

"We'll figure it out, we've got time"