Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and am just writing this for fun and entertainment.
A/N: Hi guys. I'm returning to my roots on fanfiction and posting another Twilight story. I actually wrote most of this a year ago and thought I should clean it up and finish it to share here. Hope you enjoy!
Belated – A Quil and Claire imprint story
. . . .
Claire walked into the Resort office where she worked full time during the summer. At 19 years of age she was busy with online classes from the University of Washington and working this job so she could save up to move away from home. She was slightly taller than average, copper skinned, with shiny black shoulder length hair and a slim figure which she worked hard to keep. Her baby fat had stuck around for an embarrassingly long time but in high school she had discovered a love for running along the quiet forest roads and trails which were abundant around her home in the Makah Nation on the Olympic Peninsula.
Hobuck Beach Resort was a short drive from her home in Neah Bay and working in the office allowed her to sneak in time for homework. For the last four years she had spent the summer working at the Resort in some way; starting out cleaning the cabins or the campsites until she graduated to the office last year. Because it was seasonal she was able to work almost the whole time they had visitors as it didn't interfere with school for long. It had the added benefit of being one of her favorite places to be with the ocean and all its wildlife surrounding her all the time. She liked the other people who worked there as well as watching all the visitors discover the beauties of her home.
Now it was late May and the tourist season was just picking up. She and the rest of the returning staff had spent the last month cleaning everything up and getting it ready for guests after the winter break. It was hard work but it paid decently and let her add to her bank account. She didn't know when exactly, but one day she would get an apartment or move away or travel somewhere. She had all sorts of ideas of what she could do with her life, just no specific plans yet beyond college. She had started working on her generals last fall and was planning on taking summer classes to get ahead a bit, and playing with the idea of studying marine biology. Unlike her older sister Andrea, she had not had that lightning bolt hit telling her exactly what she wanted to do with her life yet.
Andrea had no trouble plotting her course when she graduated from the tribal high school. She had gotten a scholarship and was off to school in California studying computer engineering and kicking butt doing it. Claire couldn't imagine being inside all day working in a cubicle doing whatever it was that Andrea did with computers and code. As she looked out the window toward the rocky coastline and the Pacific Ocean, she thanked her lucky stars that she was still here.
Since it was the beginning of the season only a few of the cabins, RV spots and campsites had been rented out in advance and people were just starting to arrive. Julie, a middle aged mother with two young teens who worked at the resort also, had everything under control in the office. The manager, an older man named Stuart, pulled Claire out to help finish up the prep work on the cabins. She was busy stocking them with towels and checking each of the kitchenettes for their required numbers of pots and dishes. She was just locking up one of the cabins when a familiar voice surprised her.
"Is our cabin ready, Claire-bear?" a female voice called out with her childhood nickname.
Claire spun around to see a large SUV parked at the next cabin over. Several youth were spilling out of it onto the gravel area and a woman with a beautiful but scarred face grinned at her from beside the passenger door.
"Aunt Emily?" Claire said as she quickly closed the distance between them and hugged her aunt.
"Hey sweetie." Emily hugged her tightly and then pulled back and looked at her. "You look so grown up!"
"I am grown up. What are you guys doing here?" she asked as she watched her three teenaged cousins run around the picnic table and fire pit in front of the cabin. Her Uncle Sam eased himself out of the driver's side of the car and waved at her. He favored his left leg slightly from some work injury he had suffered when Claire was 11.
"We wanted to come visit and thought the kids would enjoy the beach. I know Ruth would have made room for us at your house, but we didn't want to inconvenience your family and this way I can have a vacation too. You remember our boys: Tate, Kurt and Riley?" Emily said gesturing to the kids now gathered at the picnic table.
"Yeah, they've changed a lot. I'm so glad you came! How long are you staying?" Claire asked, truly happy to have her family here. As a child she had spent at least two weeks every summer with Emily's family at their home further south in La Push. She hadn't gone there in years however, and it had been at least three years since they last came to Makah so it was a treat to have them here. Emily spoke to her mom on the phone regularly but that was never the same as seeing someone in person.
"We will be here for two weeks, and we have some friends coming who are going to stay longer. We are long overdue for a trip and some relaxation." Emily said.
"Well I hope you get it. You know I love this place." Claire said.
"Stop by anytime you can, and tell Ruth and Michael we are here. We can have some nice visits around the campfire or something." Sam said, joining them.
Claire said a quick hello to her cousins before returning to work. She was already excited to work here this summer and now she was even more happy about it. There had always been something about her aunt's family and friends that made her feel so comfortable when she visited them and she felt that same love and acceptance now. She quickly stocked the last three cabins and then returned to the main office. She parked the golf cart they used to carry all the cleaning supplies in the back and walked around to the front of the office building to see what else Stuart needed her to do. She was happy and excited about Emily's visit so she didn't mind the menial tasks so much.
Just as Claire reached for the door knob at the office, the door opened and a tall handsome man held it open for her. She walked inside and turned back to thank him. She felt an odd rush of excitement when she met his eyes as he smiled at her.
"Thanks." she murmured.
"No problem. See you around." he said with confidence.
She just nodded as he walked back to a big black truck. She could barely make out two more figures inside the extended cab and heard the engine roar to life. He threw her another big smile from the open window of his truck as he pulled out and drove off toward the campsites and cabins.
"Claire. Claire? Hellooooo." Julie's voice came through to her.
"Huh?" she turned in confusion, realizing that she was still standing in the doorway staring out at the empty parking stalls in front of the office.
"Wow. I haven't seen you get affected by any guys here for years." Julie commented.
"What? No. I just really like his truck." Claire tried to sound casual. But Julie was right. After her first disastrous summer working here as a 15 year old, she had not given attention to male visitors at the beach because they were only passing through.
"He's in the loft cabins." Julie teased her. "Do you want to know his name?"
Claire shook her head. No. She didn't date tourists. "My aunt is staying in the cabins too, I saw her as I was setting things up. You can check in the Uleys unless they stopped by already."
"Uley, . . .hm. . .Sam?" Julie said, looking down the list of booked cabins.
"That's the one." Claire said, drawing her mind away from the smile of the young man she had passed coming into the office. She joined Julie behind the counter and slipped the cleaning cart keys back into the drawer. "Do we have a lot of check-ins today?" she asked.
The rest of the afternoon was normal and at 5pm Claire said goodbye to Julie and Stuart before getting into her car and driving home. First thing when she got home she told her parents about Emily and Sam staying on Hobuck Beach. Her mom then remembered that Emily had mentioned coming but never given her any specifics. Claire ate a quick dinner and retreated to her room to log onto her evening class.
. . .
That night Claire woke in the middle of the night from a nightmare. She gasped and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She shivered and pulled a thick sweater from her closet, wrapping it around her body over her tank top and pajama pants as she shuffled to the kitchen in her slippered feet. She flicked on the light and poured a glass of milk which she took to the table and sat down.
She couldn't remember the last time she had the nightmare, though it used to be common when she was younger. It was always the same: she was young and small and afraid, lost in the woods away from home. For some reason she had gotten the idea that she was in La Push, near Emily and Sam's house. She was running away from something but it followed her at incredible speeds and then she was faced with something white and ghostly with red glowing eyes. She knew it wanted more than anything to kill her. Just when she was certain she was going to die, several huge wolves came out of the forest. They were growling with teeth bared and she was terrified. She woke just before the wolves and white creature could rip her to pieces.
The nightmares started back when she was 11, the same time she stopped going to La Push for the summer. Back then, as a child, she had told her parents what the nightmares were about as they usually woke her in the midst of her screams and thrashing from the dream. It had upset them to know. Once she hit 14 and the nightmares came less frequently, she stopped telling them about her night terrors.
Now she wondered what could have triggered it. She thought about her life, searching for anything that could leave her unsettled, stressed or anxious and therefore bring on a dream full of fear. Nothing. She was working hard, earning money and taking online classes. She was in the middle of finals and would soon start a new semester. She had friends, everything was good at home with her parents and sister. The only thing that was possibly missing was a boyfriend, but that had not bothered her for some time. . .
Emily. Sam and Emily were visiting. Maybe that's what did it. She shook her head. Her subconscious had clearly been triggered by their presence because the nightmares started after her last visit with them in La Push. Claire finished the milk in her glass and returned to bed, confident that she had found the cause of the return of the nightmare. She had nothing to fear; all was well and she wouldn't let this get her down.
. . . .
Claire had a routine of running the Cape Flattery Trail early every morning, cleaning up before going to work, and doing classwork every night after dinner.
The day after the Uley's checked in she saw them in passing as she did her work. She even caught her cousin Tate flirting with Julie's daughter Jessica one afternoon. Tuesday evening, the Uley's second night in the cabin, Claire drove home and returned with her parents to spend some time with them, complete with chatting around the fire pit as Sam had promised.
Then as she was climbing into the back seat of her parents car to leave at 10pm a big black truck pulled up at the next cabin. Two guys jumped out of the back while three more spilled out of the cab. She just caught a glimpse of the guy she saw at the office as her dad drove away. He had stopped and watched them leave.
On Thursday Stuart changed Claire's schedule because she was done with finals, increasing her work hours so she had to change her morning routine a little the next day. Friday morning she drove to the Resort at 5am, parked at the office and then ran down the road and trail to Shi Shi Beach.
It was a cool spring morning and she was the only one out and about with the wildlife just like she liked it. But when she hiked down the steep drop to the beach she found she wasn't alone anymore. She started to give a wide berth to the man standing at the water line looking out to sea and was jogging down the sand when he turned and waved to her.
"Hey!" he called as he jogged toward her.
Claire slowed to a brisk walk as the guy with the black truck caught up to her. She was dressed for the weather in running pants and a long sleeve shirt while he only wore basketball shorts and a t-shirt. She wondered how he wasn't freezing. She was only warm enough because she was running.
"Hi." she responded, keeping up her walk.
"I saw you at the Resort office the other day, right?" he said.
"Yes." she said.
"What brings you out here so early?" he asked, falling into stride beside her.
She looked at him pointedly. "I'm not the only out here. You tell me." He might be cute, and occupy far more of her daydreams than she'd like to admit at the moment, but she wasn't about to forget that he was a stranger to her. A tall, very muscular, apparently agile stranger.
"Just enjoying the view. I love the beach first thing in the morning." he answered. "Do you run here often?"
"Really? The 'do I come here often' line?" she laughed lightly. "I've never gotten that one before."
He laughed too. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way. Do you ever say something that sounded better in your head and then when it's said out loud it's completely ridiculous?" he laughed again and shook his head. "What I was thinking was that if I lived around here, I'd probably come to the beach all the time, so I wondered if that's what you do."
"Why do you think I live here?" she asked, being careful not to share too much information.
"Your shirt when I ran into you at the office that first time. It's what the Resort staff wears, isn't it?" he pointed out.
"Yes." she admitted grudgingly.
He looked at her, waiting for something.
She couldn't help but smile; he was just too cute! She took a deep breath and took a chance. "I like working at the Resort because of the beaches. I can be outside a lot." she told him.
He nodded his head and looked as though he were storing this information. He seemed to approve and she wondered why that made her feel so good. She didn't know him.
"So, where are you from?" she asked.
"I grew up in La Push but I've been traveling a lot the last few years." he said.
"I used to go there every summer: I have relatives there." she said without thinking. She didn't want to share personal information because that led to more talking and she knew better than to get attached to visitors.
He nodded again, but didn't look surprised. She was sharing too much, wanting to open up to this guy, which made her slightly nervous and she didn't want to be alone with him anymore. She stopped and looked back up the beach at her escape route.
"I should start heading back. I don't want to be late for work." she took a few steps back in the direction they had come from.
"Can I join you?" he asked.
"No. That's okay. I need to make up some time. You just stay here and enjoy the beach and your vacation." she said and broke into a run, praying he wouldn't follow. Soon she reached the steep trail up the cliff side and she risked a glance back. He was still far down the beach looking out to sea, not watching her. She breathed deep in relief and started up the trail.
She struggled to shake an odd, familiar feeling she had about the guy as she ran back down the road to the Resort. She showered in the public restrooms provided for the RV's and campsites, dressed in her uniform, and opened the office at 8am. It was the start of the weekend so she had several check ins which kept her busy until Julie showed up at noon. Claire took a break and ate the sandwich she had brought from home that morning. She left promptly at 5pm like usual and went over to her friend Megan's house that night.
. . .
Claire's cousin Tate came into the office the next afternoon. He leaned against the counter and peeked over at the notebook she was doodling in. "Jessica isn't here today." she told him and thought his cheeks reddened slightly.
"Mom sent me to ask you to dinner tonight. Aunt Ruth and Uncle Mike can come too." he said, delivering his message without preamble.
Claire looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, I'll call them. What time does Emily want us there?"
The 15 year old shrugged. "I dunno." he glanced out the window and huffed. "I gotta go follow Riley around."
Claire saw her 10 year old cousin jumping off the fence outside. The kid was accident prone and now she could see why he had already broken both arms over the last few years.
Tate left the office and Claire called her mom. They guessed that they should be fine if they got there by 6. Claire agreed to meet them. She could stay at the beach until dinner. That was her plan anyway. But her work day was slow and she was anxious to go by 5 o clock. She called Megan on her cell and they talked for a few minutes. Megan was getting ready for a date with her boyfriend Preston so she didn't have much time. Claire then decided to head over to Emily's early and see if she could help with dinner or have a little extra time to talk since they would be leaving in another week.
She had forgotten about the black truck until she was almost to the cabins. Her step faltered, wondering if she would see the guy again. Then she shook her head and berated herself internally. She could handle this. He was just a guy she didn't know and he could stay that way. She told herself that he would leave soon and it would be over. There was no reason to be nervous or excited right now.
As she walked around the black truck and the Uley's SUV she heard voices and saw a large group of people spread between the two picnic tables of the cabins. Her cousins were among them and Sam was sitting at the other cabin's table. Emily told her they had friends coming too. Did they know the guy with the black truck? There were four other guys who looked to be around his age there. They bore a certain resemblance to one another and she wondered if they were all related.
One of the guys saw her and said something to another with his back turned to her. He turned around and Claire recognized the guy she saw on the beach the day before. Just then Sam called out to her.
"Claire. Come over here." he started to get up and Claire hurried over so he didn't have to stand. His old injury clearly still gave him trouble.
"I didn't mean to intrude." she said, coming to stand at the end of the table next to where he sat. The black truck guy was watching her but she couldn't read his face.
"Don't be silly, you aren't intruding here. These guys are practically family. You might not remember, but you played with them all when you used to come visit us in La Push." Sam said.
Claire shook her head. "Sorry. I don't remember much about those visits." she said apologetically.
"Are your parents coming?" Sam asked.
"They should be here in a half hour. Tate didn't tell us what time, so we just guessed."
"They guessed right. Can I re-introduce you to everyone while we wait?" Sam asked.
"Sure. But I can't promise I'll remember all the names." she smiled weakly at the four new faces as they came closer.
"You've seen Quil; he told me he ran into you on the beach yesterday." Sam started, pointing to the truck guy. "Then there's Seth, Collin, Brady, and Jesse." he pointed to the others in turn and they nodded or waved in response.
"I'm Claire." she said with a small wave of her hand, trying not to feel like she was on display. It was intimidating coming into a group of people who all knew each other and being the new one. "I thought maybe I could help Emily with dinner or something." she offered, looking for an escape.
"No need. We're in charge of dinner tonight." One of the guys, Seth? piped up. He gestured toward the fire pits where she could see several dutch ovens resting in the coals.
"Hang out and relax a little, we've got everything covered." another said in a friendly way.
Then truck guy, Quil, came closer. "Nice to see you again." he said and then smirked. "Maybe you won't run away from me this time."
The others laughed at this and Claire felt her face turn red. Clearly he had told everyone about meeting her on Shi Shi beach.
"Well, I'm not out running right now, so no, I won't." she said.
He just smiled at her and his dark eyes sparkled with mischief. She really liked his eyes. And his smile. And the way his white t-shirt looked against his skin. She needed to change the subject.
"So you knew who I was didn't you?" she challenged. "You knew I was local because Sam and Emily told you."
"They didn't tell me: I remembered you. I knew who you were that first time I saw you at the office." he said.
"Oh."
"You don't remember me from when you were little, do you?" he said.
"No."
"Because you and I were best friends back then." he said. "I even played with dolls and dress up because of you." The other guys laughed out loud at this, even Sam couldn't stop laughing, and Claire was reminded they had an audience.
"You shouldn't take it personally, most of my childhood is kind of hazy to me. I don't remember a lot." she said. "And if you did play with me all the time, it just shows that you had better taste in friends back then." she joked, more for the audience than anything.
The guys responded with a chorus of playful groans. One of them grabbed at his chest over his heart.
"That one hurt, Claire." he feigned pain. Another one shoved him and he almost fell over, both of them laughing.
"Shut up Collin." Quil said.
"So are all of you related, like cousins or something?" Claire asked.
"Or something." Sam said. "They've all spent too much time around each other for far too long."
"Dude, he's right. We need to get some girlfriends or something." one of them said.
"Jesse, we have to stay in one place for more than a few weeks to do that." Seth said.
"Then it's a good thing we are hanging out on a beach all summer, isn't it?" Jesse countered. "What do you think Claire: will you go out with me?"
"No, she's going out with me first, I call dibs." Collin said with a playful wink in her direction.
"Nah, Quil beat you all to the punch. He already took her on a romantic walk on the beach." Seth pointed out.
"Dang it, you're right." Jesse conceded. "Fine. Then can you tell me if there are any cute girl campers who need someone warm to snuggle up with?"
"Jesse Michael Burton! You better watch that mouth or I'm calling your mother." Emily's voice rang out over the group from the front porch of the cabin. "That is no way to talk to my niece or any other girl. No wonder you are still single." she came down the steps toward them and the boys all turned to her in deference, looking properly humbled. Sam just chuckled under his breath. Claire was impressed. The boys may be loud and boastful and teasing, but at least they respected her aunt.
"I didn't know you were here, Claire, or I would have rescued you earlier. I hope these boys haven't said anything too offensive yet." she gave a scolding look to Sam and he seemed to shrink slightly, although quiet laughter still shook his shoulders. Despite his age, her uncle seemed like one of these boys still and it made Claire like him even more.
"Emily, she's tough enough." Collin whined at her like one of her own sons would. "We'll play nice."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Sure you will." she turned to Claire again. "I would invite you inside but it's a mess. I've been trying to straighten up after my boys, but it's a losing battle I'm afraid. Besides, the weather is great out here."
"You should see our place. We could use your help, Emily." Brady chimed in, gesturing to the other cabin.
"They may need to burn it down when you leave." Sam made a face for Claire. "I hope you don't get stuck cleaning it."
"I'm just glad he's leaving with you next week. I'll take care of it from there." Quil said.
Jesse grinned at Claire. "You're stuck with us for the rest of the summer. So you just send any cute girls who check in over this way."
Emily gave him a light swat to the back of his head. "Ignore him. If they cause any trouble you just call me." she told Claire.
"I'll put your number on speed dial." Claire responded. She got some nods of approval from the group.
There was the crunching of gravel and Claire saw her parent's car pull up to the cabins.
"Oh good; everyone is here now. Is the food done?" Emily said. She went to greet Ruth and Michael.
Claire watched as the boys moved all at once in silent, ordered directions. Quil and Collin went into their cabin, returning with stacks of plates and silverware. Seth took Tate into the Uley cabin and did the same. Brady and Jesse went to the fire pits for the food. Before she knew it Claire was seated at a table with the guys while her parents and the Uleys filled the other one. Somehow she ended up crowded between Seth and Brady with Quil directly across from her. She couldn't move her body or feet without touching someone and her sense of personal space was completely invaded. No one else seemed to notice or care, so she did her best to push her slight feeling of claustrophobia down.
After the first rush of eating she ventured toward a little conversation. "So, what do you all do back in La Push?"
"Brady and I keep the peace there." Jesse said with far less bravado than earlier. "These guys have all been traveling."
"Do you travel for work? Did you go anywhere interesting?" Claire asked.
"We had some loose ends to tie up. We've been all over the Americas." Seth said.
"What kind of work do you do?" she asked.
"Security." Quil said.
"We protect the innocent from the 'boogie man'." Collin joked.
With the return of Claire's nightmares, his comment hit a little too close to home. Quil seemed to notice.
"Are you okay? You just went pale." he said. The guys quieted immediately.
"It's nothing. Sorry." she brushed it off.
"What about you? What are you up these days? I'm guessing dolls and dress up aren't your favorite past times anymore." Quil asked.
Silently Claire thanked him for changing the subject. "I'm just working and taking online classes from the University of Washington." she answered.
"A college student - she's totally out of your league, Jesse." Brady said. "Just give up now."
"Yeah," Jesse agreed. "And she probably has a boyfriend." he lamented and looked at Claire.
"I don't have time for a boyfriend, and even if I did, I don't date tourists." she answered.
"That's too bad." Quil said.
She looked at him and her insides fluttered. He had strong arms, and she imagined being wrapped up in them in a hug. She wondered if he was a good kisser. Claire quickly returned her attention to her food. He may be here for the whole summer, but he was still just on vacation. He wasn't going to stay and she did not want to get attached to someone who had an expiration date.
The food was eaten and a fire was lit as the sky paled at the end of the day. Claire stayed and chatted with her Aunt for a little while and then excused herself.
"I have to get up early in the morning. But thanks so much for dinner." she said. She hugged Emily tight and gave everyone else a little wave. Then she walked back to her car at the main office and went home.
. . .
Please let me know what you think! Thanks,
weesh
