Okay, I've had this written for quite a while and I've just now decided that if I don't post it I may never be inspired to take it any further. This will be my first posted attempt at a multi-chapter story in ages, so I may need some encouragement along the way. Without further ado, here we go...


Chapter 1: Eighteen

Claire picked her way across Aunt Emily's living room, stepping over Jared and Kim who were sprawled out in front of the fireplace, and around Embry who was stretched out on the couch half asleep. Every seat in the Uley home was occupied, along with most of the floor space.

"Did you enjoy the party Claire?" Aunt Emily asked as soon as she entered the kitchen.

"It was great," Claire sighed, sliding quickly into the seat being vacated by Seth at the kitchen table. "I've never seen so much food in my life!"

"I was afraid we were going to run out," Aunt Emily continued with a smile as she slid plates into the kitchen sink, "Especially with Embry and Collin coming in right after their patrol, Em eats more than his share even when he hasn't been running for hours."

Claire laughed lightly, leaning back in her chair. The party had been in honor of her graduation and her birthday, both having occurred within the last week, she was now officially eighteen.

"Did your mother tell you that she had Sam take your things upstairs?"

Claire nodded in her aunt's direction. Claire had spent the last month convincing her mother to let her stay with Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam for the summer, she had only said yes two days ago.

"Why did it get so quiet all of the sudden?" Claire asked as she got up from her chair to open the screen door for Jacob and Renesmee as they left, Jake was carrying Nessie's sleeping form cuddled against his chest.

"Paul finally passed out," Seth answered. He had reclaimed his chair and was starting on a heaping bowl of chocolate ice cream.

"You can't still be hungry," Claire said incredulously.

Seth rolled his eyes and continued shoveling ice cream into his mouth.

Claire leaned against the counter and yawned, it was late, and the party had been exhausting.

"Tired, little girl?" Seth asked a few minutes later as he brought his bowl to the sink, the ice cream long gone.

Claire nodded, glancing around the house it seemed that everyone else felt the same. She didn't even have the energy to glare at him for using her silly nickname.

Most of the Pack was there. Kim had curled up against Jared now, both of them sleeping soundly on the floor. Embry was snoring rather loudly, and Leah, who had decided to occupy what was left of the couch, kept kicking him every time he got too obnoxious. Collin was nodding off in the single armchair, Meredith, his imprint, curled up fast asleep in his lap. Brady had disappeared, but was probably still somewhere in the house.

"Come on," Seth said, slinging an arm over her shoulders and guiding her out of the kitchen. "I think Rachel crashed in your room a while ago, so Paul's probably up there now too. I'll kick them out and you can go to bed, sound good?"

Claire nodded, barely hearing him this time she was so tired.

Seth woke Paul up without too much resistance, and the older werewolf left carrying his imprint downstairs with him, not wanting to wake her. Claire lay down on top of the bedspread, too tired to care, and was nearly asleep before she realized that there was one person she hadn't seen before coming upstairs. Actually, she hadn't seen him but once all night, and that was hours ago.

"Wait, Seth?" She called just before he shut the door behind him. "Where's Quil?"

In the dark Claire couldn't see Seth's jaw tighten at her question. "He's around."

Claire rolled over, facing the doorway and Seth's illuminated form, confusion lacing her features.

"Don't worry about him, little girl, get some sleep."

She would have protested, insisted upon more information, but she was just too tired. She was asleep before Seth had the door closed.

…

Seth was rummaging through the freezer again, looking for more ice cream, when he heard the screen door open again. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"She asked where you were," he stated, glancing over his shoulder as he pulled another bowl down from the cupboard.

Quil didn't make eye contact; he just tugged his t-shirt down over his head and caught the screen door with his foot so it wouldn't slam shut.

"Dead tired with her head on her pillow and she still stopped me to ask where you were," Seth continued in a hushed voice, they were the only ones awake in the house.

Quil didn't answer. He pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the table and collapsed into it. They didn't make eye contact.

"Emily saved some food for you," Seth tried again, with a different subject. "It's on a plate in the microwave. She figured Embry wasn't smart enough to look there."

Quill shook his head once before leaning forward and resting his head on his folded arms. The two of them sat quietly, the only sounds coming from Seth's spoon hitting the bowl and Embry's snoring in the other room.

"She missed you Quil, she wanted you to be here," Seth continued, trying to get the other werewolf to talk.

"Yeah, right," Quil's head shot up, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You saw her tonight, she was perfectly content. It didn't matter if I was here or not. She doesn't need me to make her happy anymore, she probably never did."

"You know that's not true," Seth got up to put his second bowl in the sink.

"How would you even know Clearwater?" Quil's eyes narrowed in Seth's direction. "My entire life is dedicated to making her happy, every fucking second, and she couldn't care less. She'd be perfectly fine without me being around."

"You love her," Seth replied simply, leaning back against the counter.

"Yeah, don't we all." More sarcasm.

Seth waited for the inevitable outburst that would follow, he knew Quil well.

Quil let out a low growl, both fists coming down hard on the table. He sat there for a moment, staring at his hands. Seth just continued to wait.

"Something's changed. She's been changing, I saw her at her graduation, today at the party, the last few months, she's been growing up. I'm seeing her differently, noticing things about her, the way she moves, the way she talks." Quil was shaking his head, still staring at his fists. "This imprinting business is bullshit; it worked out great for Jake, Sam, Jared, even fucking Paul! What the hell is wrong with me?"

Collin too, Seth thought, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I can't even be in the same damn room with her without feeling like I need to be at her side," Quil continued, cooling off slightly. "Needing to feel her presence, make sure she's okay. Just make sure that she's there. I don't want to be just her friend, I want mo—," he stopped abruptly, hearing his own words. "I sound like a fucking idiot."

"You're in lo—,"

"He's whipped, has been for the last sixteen years, and our little Claire-Bear doesn't even give a fuck." Paul.

"You want to take this outside?" Quil stood up so fast that his chair slid backwards into the wall. It clattered onto its side, the sound echoing throughout the small house.

"Please, Ateara," Paul snickered. "Don't start things you don't intend to finish."

Quil lunged across the kitchen at Paul, but before he could make contact, Seth intervened. He caught Quil's shaking form, just barely restraining him, and forced him out of the kitchen and into the backyard. Paul followed, kicking his shoes off as he went, his teeth bared in a grimace.

Quil phased as soon as Seth let him go, completely disregarding the fact that he was fully clothed. Paul followed suit and launched himself at the other wolf. The two blurred together in a mass of teeth and fur as they disappeared into the trees.

"Fuck," Seth muttered to himself as he stripped his clothes off. He phased quickly and followed the other two into the forest, searching for Sam in his mind. The Alpha had taken patrol alone tonight, letting the rest of the Pack get some rest.

Seth. Not just Sam's voice, Jake's too.

It's Quil and Paul. They're headed for the clearing behind the house. Seth was running hard, trying to keep up with the two larger wolves.

What did Paul say? Jake's voice.

He was being a dick, as usual. Seth answered. Made a comment about Claire, Quil just went off.

That's not like Quil, Sam's calm voice entered Seth's head. He could feel the Alpha sifting through his thoughts, finding the conversation that he and Quil had just had in the Uley's kitchen.

Seth fell back as the two Alphas joined him, letting them lead. The three followed the sounds of Quil and Paul's fight into the clearing. When they finally caught up to them, the scene wasn't pretty.

Quil had Paul pinned to the ground, teeth bared only inches from the smaller wolf's throat, a low growl came from deep within his chest. Paul was whimpering under Quil's weight, one of his front legs bent at an awkward angle, the shoulder clearly dislocated.

Quil, back off. Sam was in Alpha mode, his voice strong and demanding. Quil didn't move.

He's shutting you out, he can't hear through the rage. It's not going to work. Jake's voice was tinged with worry. He'd never seen Quil this angry, ever.

It's your call Jacob, you're the true Alpha, he has no choice if you command him to stop. Sam's dark eyes met Jacob's just before the russet wolf bolted across the clearing towards the fighting pair.

Quil didn't have a chance to blink before Jake's entire weight slammed into his side, the two careened towards the trees, clawing and growling at each other. Jake pinned him, one paw at his neck the other at his shoulder, keeping his head on the ground. Quil snarled up at his best friend.

Cool it, Quil. Jacob was trying to be calm.

I don't want to. Quil's statement was punctuated by a deep growl and a futile attempt to free himself from beneath Jake's paws.

Don't make me pull rank on you, Ateara. Jake's voice was cold, Quil stilled.

The clearing fell quiet for a long moment; Paul's whimpers as he tried to get up were the only sounds.

Please, go back to the house with Seth. We'll sort this out later.

Jake let Quil up, watching him carefully, making sure he didn't make another lunge across the clearing for Paul. Seth approached them and nudged Quil towards the trees, back towards the house.

…

"Aunt Emily, what's going on?" Claire asked through a yawn as she stumbled into the kitchen. She had risen at the sounds of an argument in the kitchen, and the screen door slamming.

"I'm not sure Claire, but don't you worry, Sam will take care of it," the older woman was sorting through a pile of shredded clothing on the kitchen table.

Claire glanced at the pile, recognizing pieces of the black shirt Paul had been wearing earlier. Shaking her head and yawning, she headed to the stairs, climbing them slowly on her way back to bed.

…

Seth met them at the door when they arrived, Jake supporting Paul on his good side, Sam following them in, his face blank.

"He's gonna need some ice on his shoulder." Jake helped Paul into one of the kitchen chairs, "He'll be fine in an hour."

"Where's Quil?" Jake asked, glancing into the living room at the sleeping forms of the rest of the Pack.

"He went home," Seth answered, tossing a bag of ice in Paul's direction. He filled a few more, sliding them across the table for when the first melted.

"Rachel?" Paul's voice was strained as he adjusted the ice on his healing shoulder.

"She's the one who took him home," Seth replied with a dark look. "She heard what you said to Quil. It took her and Emily to talk him down and get him to phase back, Rachel drove him home after that."

Paul was glaring, not believing Seth's words.

"She's out for your blood Paul," Seth continued, letting his words sink in. "I still don't get how she can deal with you if you're always pissing her off so much."

Paul shook slightly, moving to get up, but stopped when Jake's hand came down hard on his good shoulder, keeping him in the chair.

Sam came back into the kitchen.

"Go get some sleep," he looked from Seth to Jacob. Seth glanced over at Paul once more before retreating to the living room. Jake nodded and ducked out the screen door.

Seth found his sister sprawled out across most of the couch, having shoved Embry to the far end. Her head was resting in Em's lap. Seth laughed quietly, his older sister would flip if she could see the position she was in now. He lifted Leah's legs gently, sitting down and letting her feet fall across his lap. Leaning back, he closed his eyes, willing sleep to come to him. It had been a long night.

Alright, I'm notorious for abandoning my stories if I think no one's reading them. So send me some reviews as inspiration if you like where this is going so far!