Okay, so this story has been on my old computer for an extremely long time, and I just remembered it today, so here it is. It's just a simple little one-shot about how I think Quil would tell Claire he Imprinted on her. VERY FLUFFY!!
Disclaimer: *sigh* I wish.
It was my seventeenth birthday. My sister and I were at the beach with the pack, their Imprints, and my family. It was a beautiful day, and it was actually warm, surprising for Washington, even in July. This would be the day that my life changed, though I didn't know it yet.
I had known about the pack for longer than I can remember. They've always been a part of my life. I think they were the reason my family moved from the Makah reservation to the Quileute. I had watched most of the pack Imprint, though it was said to be rare. Imprinting was when they found the one person who their world revolved around the second they laid eyes on them. It could be quite funny, depending on how they people involved reacted. It was always a cause for celebration. But even with all of this, I never overlooked the fact that my favorite werewolf had never found his special someone.
Quil was definitely the one who was closest to me, and that included my uncle. He'd always been there, he was my best friend. He was at the hospital when I got my tonsils taken out, the whole time. He was the last person I'd seen as I fell asleep, and the first when I woke up. He was also there when I broke my arm. He'd been at every single one of my birthdays, except for my first and second, since he met me when I was two. Quil was in just about every memory.
He'd always hugged me, or kissed my forehead or cheek. It was normal. But lately, he'd held back from the PDAs. Or rather, any DAs. I'd missed it. A lot. Okay, more than I wanted to admit, even to myself. I'd noticed that recently, the way I looked at Quil had changed. Now, whenever he touched me, whenever our skin brushed, that area would burn. Not uncomfortably, but in a good way. I'd begun to catch myself daydreaming about him, wondering what his lips would feel like against mine. Every time I realized what I was thinking, I would mentally kick myself while blushing. I couldn't be thinking those kinds of thoughts about Quil.
These imaginings were becoming more and more frequent though, and I found myself reluctant to pull away from them. I didn't kick myself as hard as I used to. They were harder to ignore.
But anyway, back to the day my life was changed forever...
I was wearing an embarrassingly skimpy bikini, thanks to my mother and Aunt Emily. I glanced over at Quil. He had this weird expression on his face and he was gazing at me. He noticed
I was looking and hastily glanced away, blushing a deep red.
What is up with him today? I thought. This wasn't the first time I'd caught him staring.
Apparently, I was not the only one who had noticed. Jacob had a very wicked look on his face, one that told me he had something up his sleeve. I idly wondered if I should be nervous.
"Hey Quil, didn't you say you were going to ask Claire something?" he asked, seemingly innocent. Knowing Jake, I knew it meant that it was done to tease Quil. Just as I had suspected, the guys that had overheard found this quite funny. Quil glared at Embry and Paul, who were trying to stifle their laughter unsuccessfully, then at Jared who had given up and fallen over, guffawing. I just looked at them like they were crazy, which, knowing them, probably wasn't a bad assumption.
I then glanced over at Quil and raised my eyebrow, asking a silent question I knew he would understand.
He sighed. "Claire, do you want to take a walk?" he asked, sounding a little nervous.
"WHAT?!" Jacob and Embry shouted, indignant. Quil glared at them again.
"Ummm... sure," I said, reaching for my denim short shorts. I pulled them on over my bikini and slipped on my flip flops. I looked up to see Quil shooting a dirty look at the other boys, who were once again smiling.
I followed Quil to the trail It lead to the cliffs where we often went diving. He led me to the higher section of cliffs. When we got to a certain point, Quil stopped and grabbed my hand.
"Um, we're going in here," he said, motioning toward the forest on our left.
"Okay," I replied a little uncertainly, but I still followed him off the trail into the woods. I had expected him to release my hand once we got in, but he didn't. I hated myself for admitting it, but I was glad. We had to step over roots and plants all over the place, but Quil seemed to know where he was going.
After about ten minutes, we got to a large willow tree, which seemed very odd in the middle of a forest. Quil slowed, and pushed aside some of the branches. I stepped through, and I gasped. We were in a grove of trees and there were beautiful wild flowers everywhere. In the middle of it all, there was a clearing. Directly across the clearing I saw the Pacific Ocean. We were still on the cliffs, but it was a beautiful undisturbed spot. It was perfect.
Quil smiled at my reaction. He motioned for me to sit down in the grass, to which I complied, and he sat next to me. We just sat there for a moment, still holding hands. His hand trembled, like he was really nervous. It was also warm, as always. It felt nice.
I looked over at Quil again. He seemed to be working up the courage to say something. "Quil, just spit it out," I told him.
He took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, letting out the breath at the same time so it sounded more like "hokay." "Claire, you know about Imprinting. You've seen it happen, and you get the general idea of what happens."
My heart sank. Had he Imprinted, and suspected my feelings for him, so he was trying to break it to me gently? I looked down and said,"Yes," softly. I chided myself. You knew it had to happen someday, Claire, don't be a baby. But still, why would he do this to me on my birthday?
Quil didn't seem to notice my mood change. "Claire, what would you say if I told you that I Imprinted?" My shoulders drooped, and my heart hit rock bottom. But he wasn't done yet. "What would you say if I told you I Imprinted fifteen years ago?" I blinked in surprise, this jolting me out of my self pity. If he'd Imprinted fifteen years ago, that meant that it had happened around the same time that he'd met me. Why had he kept it from me for so long? Before I could bombard him with my questions, though, he started talking again.
"What would you say if I told you that I Imprinted fifteen years ago on a girl from the Makah reservation?" That's where I'm from, I thought with mild surprise. But what had he been doing up there? The pack usually stayed on their reservation, or in Forks. And still, he continued. "What would you say if I told you that I Imprinted fifteen years ago on a two-year-old girl from the Makah reservation?" Wait a minute... "What would you say if that two-year-old girl from the Makah reservation that I Imprinted on fifteen years ago was you?"
I couldn't say anything. I lifted my head and stared into the depths of his beautiful brown eyes. It was very clear that he was terrified. Terrified that I wouldn't want him, or I already had someone else. I finally remembered how to speak, and I said "I think I can show you better." My voice was shaky. I couldn't believe that I was actually about to do this. I leaned forward and I pressed my lips against his.
For a moment, he didn't move. I could tell I'd caught him off guard. But then, one of his arms slid around my waist, pulling me closer to him. His other hand curled around the back of my neck. His warm lips moved against mine, and I realized that my imaginings had done them no justice. They were perfect, and fit exactly against mine as if that was what they were made to do. My stomach was completely full of butterflies. After several long, glorious moments, we pulled away, gasping.
I laughed breathlessly. "What would you say if I told you I had a crush on someone? What would you say if I told you that person was you?" Now he laughed. "I would say that that is a very good thing because if you had a crush on anyone other than me, he might mysteriously vanish tonight." This time we both laughed. This was the best birthday ever. We stayed on the cliffs for a while, watching the sunset. Quil still held me close, and occasionally, he would lean down and kiss me gently. I was sure that I had never been this happy in my life.
if you love me... or well, even if you don't... just review...