Here we have Chapter 2, with a little more backstory on the pack and the current state of affairs in Forks/La Push.
Writing from Quil's voice is so fun. Next chapter is when they'll meet again!

Please read & review!

La Push, WA 1:02AM: Quil

After hanging up the phone, Quil made a beeline to the fridge and pulled out two beers. He ran a hand through his dark buzz cut and threw one over his shoulder. Jacob, who had just walked in without making a sound audible to human ears, caught it reflexively and popped it open, taking a long gulp that emptied the entire can.

"When are you going to tell her what you actually did tonight?" Jacob said, flopping down on the couch and kicking his feet up on the coffee table. He looked at Quil with an inquisitive eye, but couldn't help but smile at the first sign of real happiness on his best friend's face that he had seen in years.

"Sure, I'll call Claire back right now and tell her we chased a bunch of bloodsuckers down to Port Angeles," Quil smirked as he flopped down next to Jacob. His broad, bare chest was still glistening from the slight drizzle of rain that had started to fall as they returned to La Push limits. The couch gave a groan underneath the two large, bronzed men as they fidgeted to get comfortable after a long day of patrol.

"She'll be home tomorrow. You're gonna have to tell her at some point, is all I'm saying," Jacob said with a slight shrug.

"It's not like I didn't go on a date with Chelsea tonight," Quil sighed, taking a long drink of his beer.

The story he had told Claire was mostly true.

He worked in an auto body shop in the town right outside of the res with Paul. Chelsea had come in with a bad pair of brakes, and a little small talk led to a couple of beers after his shift. There was just one small detail he left out when talking to Claire. He got a call from Jacob saying there was a pair of bloodsuckers running through the La Push perimeter. Citing an emergency, Quil quickly said goodbye to Chelsea, ran to the edge of the forest, and phased. After sprinting out of the bar without looking back, he considered his chances of a second date to be pretty low.

But he knew Jacob was right. Claire had been gone for years now, and it made every part of him ache in a way he didn't think was possible.

He wanted her to have a normal life in Los Angeles. Holding back from telling her about the pack, about the many creatures that crawled around the forests of Washington, and especially about being his imprint were ways of protecting her. But now, she wasn't the little girl who wanted to collect shells by the beach or throw princess-themed birthday parties. Somehow, right under his nose, she had turned into a young woman with a ex-boyfriends, a degree, a job, and a whole life she had built for herself. The secrets would have to spill somehow. There just wasn't exactly a good time to drop these kinds of bombs.

"I know it hasn't been easy," Jacob said. The entire pack had seen Quil struggle for years without his imprint. The first few months after Claire had left for California, Quil had phased uncontrollably. Jacob had seen his best friend's happy-go-lucky attitude slowly fade. Quil had always been the guy who saw the silver lining in every situation, the guy who showed up with a case of beer and a toothy grin when you had a bad day. But he had become slightly harder, more detached. When your imprint's protection was your number one priority and you couldn't physically be there to protect her, it was understandable that Quil had done what he could to manage the loss.

"Definitely not easy, but it had to be done," Quil said, running a hand over his face.

And that was true. Leaving the pack for California was never an option, and it wouldn't have been the best thing for Claire. Quil knew Claire had to grow up on her own, just like he knew he had a life and responsibilities in La Push that he needed to maintain.

The pack had changed in the last few years. After Jacob left for Alaska when the Cullen's relocated, Leah became the new acting alpha until Jacob's return. Seth was her second in command, and Quil had risen the ranks to Third. Sam had stepped down to start aging and growing a family with Emily. Things had been relatively quiet until recently, the pack falling into its new order.

For the first time in almost two decades, The Cullen's had returned to Washington and moved into their old home in Forks. Despite the coven of vampires keeping to themselves, their presence had created quite a disturbance. Not only were more young members of the tribe phasing into shape-shifters than before, but they had more bloodsuckers running through the area. Nothing serious, but the pack was kept busy chasing off vampires who seemed to be curious enough to try and steal a peek at the hybrid girl everyone was whispering about.

From what Jacob had passed along to the pack, the Cullen's had no intention of setting down roots in Forks again. They were simply passing through, figuring out their next move, and indulging Nessie's desire to once again see the town she was born in.

It was no secret, being privy to each other's thoughts when they had phased, that Jacob and Nessie's relationship had taken a romantic turn in the last few months. The amount of times he had re-lived Jacob and Nessie's first kiss through pack mentality made Quil want to stab himself in the eye.

Multiple times.

He was happy for his best friend, but the escalation of Jacob and Nessie's relationship had just been a reminder that his own imprint was so far away. It wasn't jealousy for what they had, it was just a heavy absence of Claire.

He loved what he and Claire had. Over the years of long distance, Quil had shifted from protective big brother to best friend. In his role as big brother, he took care of anything Claire had needed. He spoiled her rotten, tried to make her smile as much as he could. The other pack members with imprints told him the transition to friendship would happen seamlessly, and it had.

Now, Claire took care of him just as much as he took care of her. Their relationship, even if it was composed mostly of texts, calls, and FaceTimes, had become much more equal. Claire had kept Quil grounded when his mother passed away, he had picked up her pieces when her long-term boyfriend cheated on her, and they had supported each other through all the turmoil in-between. They were never short on laughs. And hell, Claire had just revised his dating profile to help him get "picked up in the algorithm", whatever that meant.

Quil knew the bond they had was strong, but couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Would it change with her being back in La Push? What would it be like to see her for the first time, after so long?

Seth came crashing through the front door, carrying a stack of hot pizza boxes and breaking Quil away from his thoughts as he bellowed, "I'm fucking STARVING. You can thank me later."

"Just let yourself in," Quil said, shaking his head and chuckling. The small apartment he shared with Paul had become somewhat of a haven for the pack when they were off patrol. He regularly had a fridge stocked with beer, barren cupboards from all the food the pack devoured, and a minimum of two people sleeping on his couch.

"Hey, dude, leave some beer for the rest of us," Jacob said, getting up to meet Seth in the kitchen. Seth had just chugged a beer and cast the empty can aside with a satisfying "ah!".

Quil took the opportunity to sprawl his legs out in Jacob's empty seat. He took a long drink of his beer, setting the empty can down before picking up his phone to text Claire.

Tomorrow. 5:45pm. The park on Alder Street. You know the one. This is your first clue.

He had no idea what was in store for him with Claire's homecoming. All he knew was that he couldn't wait to see her face, to hold her in his arms. He was glad Jacob and Seth couldn't hear his thoughts. For now, at least.

"Ay, ding dongs, pipe down and throw me another beer," Quil said, "My imprint is coming home and we should celebrate the end of my reign as a miserable bastard."