A/N: This one shot was written for the latest Tricky Raven contest. I'm quite happy with how it turned out! :)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Promise Me
Sun light shines through the meadow as I wander through. The birds are singing and a soft breeze floats through the trees on this spring day. I raise my face to the sun, smiling back at it, when I hear someone humming softly. I turn to my right to see not too far away, a young girl making a daisy chain out of the wild flowers surrounding her.
I walk in her direction. You can feel the joy and happiness radiating from her as her hands continue to add more flowers to her chain. Stopping a few feet from her, I watch for a moment before introducing myself. "Hi, I'm Quil."
A pair of big, beautiful, brown eyes look up at me. She is close to my age, about six years old. Her eyelashes flutter as her eyes adjust to the bright light shining from behind me. Then, she smiles. "Hi, I'm Bella."
"Whatcha doing, Bella?" I sit down beside her, wanting to get to know my new friend. Stretching my legs out in front of me, I watch her nimble fingers work quickly and efficiently.
"I'm making a crown of flowers." She replies with the slightest lisp. "I love flowers like my momma did." Picking up another flower, she decides that the color is all wrong before putting it down in favor of another yellow one.
"Where's your momma?" I pick a blue flower and hand it to her.
Bella takes the flower, twirling it in her finger for just a moment, lost in thought. Her eyes become sad. "She's gone. Uncle Billy says she's with the Great Spirit now."
"Oh…..then she's with my daddy. He's there too." I look up at the clouds, remembering the story that Grandfather told me about where my father went after he died.
"Do you think they're friends up there with the Great Spirit?" She looks up at the blue sky, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. It's clear to me that she misses her momma very much.
"Yes, they're friends." I reply with the certainty born of youth and innocence. "We'll be friends too and that way, they will be even more happy." I nod, believing that our parents would approve.
"Then, we'll be the bestest of friends." Bella's mood lifts and she smiles. Adding one more flower to her chain, she finishes off the end. Lifting the fragile crown, she is about to put it on her head.
"Here…let me." Taking the flowers from her gently, I kneel before her with a playful grin. "You are now Princess Bella, the most beautiful girl in the land." I set the flower crown on her head.
She blushes and covers a giggle. "Quil, you're silly."
The afternoon carries on. Bella and I laugh and talk about our pretend kingdom, making up elaborate stories of evil dragons and knights in shining armor. We lose ourselves in our imaginations.
"Quil! Time to come home for dinner!" My mom calls from the back porch. My house is just on the other side of the meadow. Her voice is agitated.
"Coming, Momma!" I stand, not wanting to leave my new friend. On impulse, I pick a pretty little purple flower and hand it to Bella.
She takes the flower, looking up at me. "My crown is finished. Why did you hand me another flower?" Bella tries to hand it back to me but I shake my head.
"You keep it and promise me you won't forget. You're my Princess Bella." I continue with our previous story line, grinning at her.
She laughs, her entire face lighting up again. "I won't forget, my brave Knight Quil. I promise."
"Quil Ateara, NOW!" My mom's anger echoes across the meadow.
"Well, I've got to go. I'll see you next time." With one last grin, I turn, heading for home.
And so our friendship began - with innocent, impromptu play dates and lazy afternoons of slaying dragons or saving the helpless princess.
(Eight years pass…)
Our friendship continues. Gone are the days of dragons, knights and princesses. Now, we talk about anything and everything - music, school, friends, and family. We are as close as two friends could be.
One afternoon after school, we're walking back home the long way, winding our way along the river bank. As we hop from rock to rock, I sense a change in Bella. She's not her normal chatty self. Instead, it seems that she's holding something back from me. I can feel it in my bones.
"Bella, what's wrong?" I stop, balancing on a rock, giving her a side glance.
She hops to the next rock in front of her, unknowingly putting some more distance between us. "Um….how well do you know Jacob Black?" A light blush crosses her cheeks.
I stop, giving her a curious look. "Pretty well, I guess. Why?" My brows furrow as I try to figure out what is going on.
She looks down at the ground, kicking a rock lightly with the toe of her Converse, watching as it hits the water. She mutters. "I think he's cute."
My heart stops. She's…interested in him? She's my Princess, not his! I push my feelings aside. I've never spoken of my feelings for her. I did not want to ruin what we already had. Our friendship is too precious to me. "Oh." What a genius response Ateara! Ugh…. Turning back towards the river bank, I see a patch of buttercups. I pick one and hand it to her.
She takes it, lifting it to her nose. "Why did you hand me another flower?" This little scenario has been a routine of ours. I've handed her countless flowers over the years.
My nerves kick in and I have a hard time replying to her simple question. I know what my heart wants to say to her but I can't get the words out of my mouth. "I don't want you to forget about me." I look down at my feet, my cheeks tinged pink.
"Forget about you, Quil? I could never do that. You're my best friend." Her eyes become sad for just a moment before she blinks that emotion away.
"Come on Bella, I can tell that you're already falling head over heels for Jake." I shove my hands in to my pockets out of frustration. "Just promise not to forget me….ok?"
"I won't, Quil. I promise."
They've been dating for the better part of a year now. We don't hang out like we used to. In fact, I rarely get to see her alone at all because they're so wrapped up in each other. I can't stand to see the two of them together, the way he makes her smile or laugh. I can feel a vice squeezing on my heart every time she mentions his name when we do get a chance to talk. It's just not fair.
Leaving school one afternoon, I sling my back pack up onto my shoulder, wondering if I can stay awake long enough to finish reading Frankenstein for Lit class. It's the most boring book ever. Monsters… seriously? Mr. Terry couldn't find anything better for us to read?
With a sigh, I round the bend as I turns down the road towards my home. Suddenly, I hear yelling by the big oak at the corner. It's Jake and Bella. When did he get so big? Man…he's huge. I stop several yards away, not wanting to interrupt or interfere.
"But why, Jake? Why do you want to break up with me?" Bella yells back at him, tears streaming down her face. Her body language tells me that her heart is breaking before my very eyes.
"I can't do this anymore. It's not you, it's me." He fires back with eyes full of fury. "Go home Bella and don't come back." With that, he runs towards the woods without so much as a good-bye.
I watch as the girl I love drops to her knees with her face in her hands, sobs wracking her body. A light rain begins to fall. I can't leave her here. "Bella, come on. Let me get you home." I gently touch her shoulder. "You'll get sick if you stay out here in the rain."
She lets me help her up and we head over to her house. Walking through the door, I decide that I need to do something to cheer her up. Leading her to the couch, I take a seat, pulling her with me. "Let's watch your favorite movie." I offer, giving her an encouraging smile. "I'll even make you some popcorn…."
Bella raises her face to look at me. Her cheeks are tear stained, her eyes red and puffy. She nods with a sniffle. "I'd like that."
I know exactly where to find it. We've watched this movie at least a billion times through our childhood. Whenever she was having a rough day or was sad because she missed her mom, she would ask to watch Bambi again. The fawn's loss of his own mother helped her as Bambi began to find a way to live his life again, bringing my Bella hope. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this will bring her smile back. I pop the DVD into the player before heading to the kitchen for the popcorn. Several minutes later, I come back with the large bowl in hand to see her curled up under an afghan, quoting the lines from the movie.
The scene of Bambi with Flower is on the screen, one of her personal favorites. "Pretty….pretty flower." She repeats the lines to me before she pats the spot next to her.
I hand the bowl of popcorn to her and claim my spot next to her, settling into the cushions. Within minutes, she snuggles into my side and leans her head on my shoulder, holding the popcorn bowl on our laps between us. Grabbing a handful, an idea comes to me that makes me grin. I know how to keep a smile on Bella's pretty face.
Later that night, after I know that she has gone to bed, I sneak back to her place with a surprise for her in my hand. Checking around the corner of her house, I see that her bedroom light is out for the night. Carefully, I tip toe over to the flower box that sits right outside her window, placing a single flower with a note in a prominent spot so she will be sure to see it. Sliding off to the side out of sight, I tap lightly on her window and then run as quiet as I can to hide back around the corner. I see her light flip on and hear her walking towards the window to check on that tapping noise. Then, her window opens. She picks up the flower to read her note.
"Promise me that you won't forget…" She whispers softly into the night, a soft smile playing across her face. "I won't. I promise."
From that point on, I make it my nightly mission to leave her another flower. Sometimes, it's a daisy, sometimes a buttercup, but I never miss my nightly delivery. I no longer tap on her window before I leave because I don't want her to miss out on sleep but I know that she always takes her flower. It's never there when I come back the next night. Instead, I see it placed in a pretty little vase, place prominently on the table by her side of the bed.
Every time I notice that she has her flower, my heart swells with love. I finally have to acknowledge that I have fallen hard for her, but I don't know what to do about it. She's so perfect and I'm ….well, just me, nothing special. She deserves a guy who can be all that she needs and then some. I don't believe I'm that guy.
The following week brings some serious changes for me. I've a fever. I'm often angry for little to no reason. I swear I've grown several inches in height. What is happening to me? One evening, I slam out the back door to avoid getting into yet another fight with my mom at the dinner table. As I pace back and forth through the backyard, grandpa comes out to talk to me.
He walks out to his favorite seat before speaking. His eyes never leave mine. "I'm proud of you, grandson. You are a fine young man and member of this Tribe."
I look at him incredulously. What is he prattling about? I've got serious anger issues and all I want to do is rip someone's head off. Thinking to myself, I know just whose head I would like to take off - Jacob Black's. He hurt Bella and no one should ever hurt her. She's perfect.
Grandfather's head turns as Sam and Jacob walk out of the trees, towards us. He glances at me and then nods. "It's time." Standing slowly, he walks back into the kitchen but does not leave the doorway, continuing to keep his eyes on me through the screen door.
Frustrated, I snarl at Sam, my anger rising. "What do you want?" I do not want to have to deal with anyone right now, especially Black. Why won't people just leave me alone?
With no hesitation, Sam cuts straight to the chase. "Quil, leave Bella alone. You're no good for her." He directs his words at me, cutting me to the quick. Black crosses his arms over his chest as he stands next to Sam like he's some sort of back up man.
I stop in my tracks, looking at the man like he is out of his mind. "NO! She's my best friend. I will not leave her. Why would I ever do that?!" I growl back at him, unaware that my body was beginning to tremble.
Black smirks, feeling the need to jump into my business. His body radiates confidence and strength as he approaches me. "Bella is mine, Quil. You are nothing to her." Jacob steps up into my face, his eyes glaring. "She only wants me and I will have her!"
"NO! You hurt her! Bella doesn't want you. She deserves someone to love her." I grit my teeth as pain tears through my body. "I WILL NOT LEAVE HER!" My trembling gets worse as I'm blinded by my fury.
Jacob stands toe to toe with me. "Yeah? What are you going to do about it? Try and stop me, Ateara." He shoves me hard into a tree. My back lands against the bark with a thud. I feel blood running down my back but I ignore it.
My will to fight returns. The need to tear him apart takes over. One last flash of pain hits and suddenly, I find myself lunging at Black. Growling and teeth bared, I advance on him, ready to shred that smirk off of his face.
"STAND DOWN, ATEARA." The Alpha orders and immediately, I drop to the ground.
It is then that I realize that I am no longer human. I have fur and four legs. Holy crap! What is happening to me?! My eyes dart over my new furry self before turning to the screen door as it opens again.
My grandfather walks out on the porch, pride shining in his eyes. "Welcome to the Pack, grandson. You will make our People proud." He takes a seat on the porch, watching us all closely.
Sam and Jake start explaining my new responsibilities as a protector of the Tribe. They say that I am now to be a part of a group of guys who are all shifters, like me. After listening to their explanations, I finally manage to calm down enough to phase back. The legends were like bedtime stories to me when I was a kid. I know almost all of them by heart. I know what this means for me.
Before they leave, Sam turns to me. "Quil, I know you've just been handed a lot to take in but I do have to ask you to stay away from Bella. Until you are in control of your wolf, you could injure her so this is an order." He looks into my eyes, ensuring my obedience. With a whimper, I agree. I could never hurt her…never.
Night begins to fall and I'm due to start my first patrol run with Sam. I'm waiting by the old saw mill as instructed. I am not allowed to phase near my home yet because Grandfather still needs to speak to my mom about what has changed with me. Timing, it's all about timing, according to him.
A rustle in the trees to my left lets me know that a wolf is headed my way. What I don't expect is for the wolf to be Jake instead of Sam. I do not want to deal him right now. With a huff, I turn my head away from him. What do you want, Black?
Jake sits down across from me. I need to explain why I had to break up with Bella. I know you're pissed at me for how I treated her but you can see it from my perspective now. He huffs. Sam made me give her up as well. I never wanted to give her up. He isn't able to look me in the face. He know exactly how much he has hurt Bella.
Why? You couldn't have figured out any other way to break up with her? Something that wouldn't have ripped her heart out? I'm not an idiot, Black. You are full of crap. My heart would not listen to him. Jacob Black was a liar as far as I was concerned.
Suddenly, images of Sam imprinting on Emily flash through my head as Jacob forces me to heed what he has to share with me. I can feel how intense Sam's emotions were when his soul was bound to her. Then in a moment of shifter fury, I see the accident that left Emily forever scarred. My heart sinks. I can harm more than just Bella's heart if I continue with our friendship. As much as I want more with her, it's just not possible.
Ok, stop. I get it. We have no choice, even the imprint takes away the control of our own heart. I lay down on my forelegs, my heart bleeding for the only girl I know who could ever make me truly happy.
Do what's right, Ateara. Bella is a wonderful young lady. We both know that. With that, he stands and runs off into the forest, leaving me to my thoughts.
After running patrol with Sam, I spend an hour or so losing myself in thought, trying to find a way around the predicament that I'm in. Finding no way out, I give up. I start walking with no thought to direction or time. Finally, my feet stop. I end up standing in Bella's back yard. Looking through her window, I see the light is out. Listening closely, I hear her crying. My heart breaks yet again. I had missed my delivery.
Screw this.
I phase back to human, throw on some shorts, and head for the nearest meadow. I refuse to make her cry anymore. Leaving a single flower in her window can not harm her. Looking around at the ground covered in new spring flowers, I find a pretty white daisy. It's perfect. I pick it and make my way back to her window.
Standing quietly, I wait for her tears to cease and her breathing to even out. I reach out to put the flower in the flower box as I have done so many times before. Suddenly, a very bright light shines directly into my eyes. I'm momentarily blinded.
"Quil Ateara! What do you think you're doing? Why do you keep putting flowers in my window every night?" She sets the flashlight aside and opens her window so she can speak to me face to face.
"Bella, I…." What do I tell her? I can't tell her the truth. I glance up at her face, meeting her eyes. All of a sudden, I lose myself in her familiar big, brown, beautiful eyes. It feels as if a rope is pulling our very souls together. I know that without her in my life, I am nothing. She has been, and always will be, my everything. Rather than stutter out a lie to cover my tracks, I tell her the truth.
"I love you, Bella."
Years have passed since that night. Our love grew deep after I finally admitted my feelings for her. We were lost in our own little world of happiness and love. After we both graduated from college, our relationship moved forward. As I stand waiting for her, I think back to the young kids playing on that spring afternoon and how much Bella means to me, the joy that she has brought me and our profound love for one another. Now however as much as I love her, I am nothing but anxious. I glance at Sam who stands next to me, with Embry on his other side. Both wear knowing smiles and are on the verge of exploding into fits of laughter at my expense.
Adjusting my shirt collar for what had to be the hundredth time that hour, I look over at them. "Shut up you two. You are so not helping right now." I whisper just softly enough that only Pack members could hear.
Jake is standing next to his dad on my other side, wearing a similar expression as my other Pack brothers, because they've all been in my shoes at this very moment. The waiting is excruciating. They understand what it's like to wait for your imprint. He and his father stand patiently, waiting to say some of the most important words that can be spoken to a couple. They will be marrying me to my Bella.
Music begins playing and we all turn to look in her direction. Now, I know it's cliché to say that the groom tears up at the first sight of his lovely bride when she walks towards him on that special day, but I had my own reasons. She's so beautiful. Her dress is stunning but I see what she has in her hands, and I can barely contain my emotions. Bella is carrying a bouquet of wild flowers and in her hair, she is wearing a crown of daisies.
She stops beside me, kisses her father's cheek and then, takes my hands. Looking into my teary eyes, she knows just how moved I truly am by her flowers. Billy starts the wedding ceremony and honestly, I don't hear a word he says. All I could do is answer when spoken to and gaze at my gorgeous wife.
Nearing the end of the ceremony, Billy turns his attention to her. "Bella, would you like to add something to your vows?" Billy asks.
She smiles at him, nodding before turning to face me again. "Quil, a very long time ago, you became my friend. We were inseparable. When we were kids, you held my hand, kissed my skinned knees and made me laugh. With time, we grew older but rather than grow apart, our friendship grew stronger still. We became best friends, sharing all of our hopes and dreams. Now, I stand in front of you on the day that we will become man and wife. I want you to know that I have not, nor will I ever, forget the promise that I made to you that very first day. I didn't understand the meaning of that promise, but I do now. I promised then that I will be by your side through it all. Now, I promise to stay by your side as your wife. I love you, and I will for the rest of our lives."
"You may kiss your bride, Quil." Billy beams at both of us before backing away, giving us room.
Now in the history of kisses, many lips have met and many souls entwined but this kiss made its own way into the history books as the most pure and loving one ever known. No one was able to look away from us because they were pulled in by the love radiating from this new couple.
Breaking apart, I hold my bride close to me, wiping the tears that are now falling down her cheeks. I move my lips to her ear to whisper very softly. "Promise me that you will not forget that you are my princess, Bella Ateara." My voice cracks with emotion.
She gives me her brightest smile. Her happiness is shining inside and out. "I will not forget. I promise."