A/N: ALERT - Long winded authors note to follow: Okay so I got a couple notifications that people actually read this story and added it to their alert lists, yay! My one and only reviewer liked the detail I added about imprinting, and that's definitely going to continue. I like to add detail to my stories, instead of just glossing over important topics. This chapter is crucial to the future of the QxC, her parents reactions will determine just how much time Quil gets with her, so it is definitely needed. It's a lot of talking, not so much action, but it's a necessary chapter and sets the scene for the rest of the story. I'm also going to try and really establish the Quil character in this story. He wasn't really explained in all that much detail in the books. From New Moon we learned his proud of his Ateara heritage, and perhaps a little cocky. But also loyal to his friends and later to the pack, which we could see in the later books as well. The only other thing we learned is that Claire is his world; he has no desire or want to date any girls, he's happy just being there for Claire in whatever capacity possible. So I want to flesh him out and really develop him. In these first few chapters, Quil will be a little impulsive, somewhat immature, and not always so sure of himself. But he's a 16 year old boy, most 16 year old boys are this way. Just because he's a wolf doesn't automatically grant him wisdom and maturity. He's definitely going to seem more mature than Embry, but he still has a lot to learn. As the chapters progress, you'll see him growing as a person just as Claire will grow. Oh and in case you're wondering, I picture Michael Trevino as Quil, he plays Tyler Lockwood on vampire diaries, look him up if you don't know. And adult Claire I picture as a young Karina Lombard. I've loved her ever since she played opposite Brad Pitt in legends of the fall. So anyway, enough of this, if anyone is even still reading. On with the story.

I stood back up and Emily made her way over to me. She had an uncertain expression on her face, and it made me nervous. This situation was new to all of us, and I had no idea what the next step was, so I waited for her guidance.

"Quil, I think you should go."

I did a double take, those were the last words I expected to hear from Emily. She knew what the imprint was like, how could she expect me to just walk away from my Claire? I couldn't, I wouldn't, it was inconceivable.

She must have picked up on my panic by the look on my face because she quickly amended her statement, "Relax Quil, I don't mean for good. Just for a little while. Beth is on her way and if we have any chance of getting her okay to let you see Claire, we need to explain to her."

"But I don't think you should be here. I know my sister Quil, this isn't going to be easy for her to take. In order to explain why she should let you hang around Claire, we're going to have to explain all of it; imprinting, the pack, vampires. That's going to be a lot to take in and I think you being here will just make it harder."

She looked at me pleadingly. I could understand what she was saying. It was hard enough for me to take it all in at first, and I was the one who'd exploded into a wolf, so I knew it was true. I could only imagine what it would be like for Beth. And I trusted Emily, I did. I could see in her eyes that she was on my side and was only trying to do what was right. But it was still hard to accept, a part of me felt that I should be there, but the sensible side of me won out, and I nodded my head in agreement.

Emily let out the breath she'd been holding and smiled up at me, "Thank you Quil. I promise we'll let you know as soon as it's okay to come back, won't we Sam?"

I followed her gaze as she glanced at Sam. He'd been quite this whole time, simply assessing the situation. I couldn't help but wonder what was running through his mind, but I knew I'd have the opportunity to find out later once we both phased. His response was a simple "yes" and that was it.

I took a few deep breaths, preparing myself to go and wait idly by while the fate of my future with Claire was discussed in the Uley living room. But just as I was ready to make my exit Emily reached out and placed her hand on my forearm, stopping me. "Hold on just a second."

She turned and ran back into the house, emerging just a few seconds later with a blueberry muffin in hand, my favorite. "You haven't eaten anything yet, I have to make sure my boys keep their strength up." She winked at me as she handed over the muffin and I smiled my thanks, I was actually pretty hungry.

"Now go say bye to Claire and get out of here. I promise we'll make it okay."

I believed her, but leaving was still hard. I turned and walked over to where the girls were playing, squatting down again so I could be on their level.

"Hey Claire," She looked over at me as I called her name and turned slightly in my direction, but she didn't come over to me. "I gotta get going, thanks again for the flower." I held up the small flower that was in my left hand and gave her a quick smile.

Her gaze moved to the flower and her expression turned contemplative, her eye brows coming together as if she were trying to put something together. And then, unexpectedly, she took three small steps on her short little legs, closing the gap between us. Once she reached me, she lifted one of her tiny hands up and placed it on my cheek.

I closed my eyes, trying to sear this moment into my brain. If things didn't go well with her parents, this might just be the last time I'd see her. That thought nearly broke my heart, but I managed to stay calm. I opened my eyes again, looked down at her, and smiled. "Bye Claire, I'll be seeing you."

She dropped her hand from my cheek, and the spot where it had been felt cold from the loss of contact. As I rose her eyes followed, her head was titled back just about as far as it looked like it could go by the time I was standing and her eyes grew wide, as if she was surprised by how tall I was.

Turning my back on her and walking away was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do in my life up to the moment. But I did it, I had faith in Sam and Emily and I held onto the belief that I'd be seeing Claire again soon, just as I'd promised her.

….

Forty-five minutes later I was pacing back and forth through the forest, just a few miles away from Sam and Emily's place. By that time all the guys had heard about my situation. Embry had followed me from their place, cracking jokes the entire time and calling me the child imprinter extraordinaire. I guess that was better than being called a pervert, but I still wasn't in the mood to deal with Embry.

I'd phased and took off running, trying to get away, but he just followed suit, and it was nearly impossible to ignore Embry in wolf form, his thoughts were extremely loud.

But eventually he tired when he realized I wasn't taking the bait and I felt him shimmer out as he phased back to human. I knew he was probably going to track down the other guys to spread the news, but I just didn't care. All I could think about was my Claire and what was going on back at the house.

The other guys started making their appearances shortly after Embry had phased back, proving me right. He was such a chick sometimes, it was nearly impossible for him to keep something quiet.

I heard just about all the remarks I expected to hear, from Jared commenting on how the expression robbing the cradle wasn't meant to be taken literally, to Brady saying he was gonna lock his little sister up in her room until she was 14, seeing as I was only into the young ones, and Paul wondering if I was gonna lose interest once she hit puberty.

I ignored them all, none of that mattered. They could clearly hear what was in my head, and they knew how I felt and thought about Claire. If they even thought for a second that my intentions were anything less than pure, they'd be all over my ass in a second, and we all knew it.

So I sucked it up, I could take anything they could dish out. I knew that if all went the way I was hoping, I'd have a good 16 years of this shit ahead…I couldn't wait.

I was anxious, but okay, at least until Leah showed up. As soon as I felt her presence I cursed. She was the one person I didn't feel like dealing with. Not only did she hate imprinting, but I knew her ridicule would likely fall below the belt, and I didn't know if I could handle that.

Hey if it isn't captain Pedo on the prowl. Waiting for daycare to get out Ateara?

A low growl escaped and I could feel the hair on my back sticking up, I really wasn't in the mood to deal with Leah.

Relax Ateara, I'm just busting your balls. I really just wanted to talk to you.

Don't fall for it dude, you know how much she loves tearing into us. Jared was still phased, along with Paul, and I couldn't doubt he was right. Leah didn't have the best track record.

Fuck off Jared, you two Paul. I'm serious Quil; I need to talk to you without those two idiots interrupting.

I knew I wasn't going to get rid of her, when Leah was determined to do something she didn't back down. So I figured that the fastest way to get this over with would be to get rid of Jared and Paul. Can you guys just take off? I got this.

Whatever man, it's your funeral. And with that I felt them both fade out, leaving only me and Leah.

You have two minutes Leah. I really didn't know if I'd even be able to stand her for that long.

I know you think I'm a bitter harpy, hell, I guess I am in many ways, but I do have a heart Quil, and I think I understand imprinting a lot better than most of the guys, except maybe Sam.

Mentally I could feel her wince when she said his name, like it was painful. And I guess it would be. I could never really understand why it was so hard for her to let go and just move on.

I know you all think it should be that easy, but it's not. Sam wasn't just some guy to me Quil, he was THE guy. The one I planned to marry, the one I thought would be the father of my children. What Sam and I had was love.

If imprinting and all this werewolf shit didn't exist, we'd still be together, because we were good together. Even if he would have met Emily as a human and felt something for her, he wouldn't have left me, because Sam is too loyal to do something like that.

I know because I see it now. Even though I know he's happy with Emily, I know what he did to me pains him. He never wanted to hurt me and only something as powerful as imprinting could have made him do it.

I was stunned into silence. Listening to Leah explain herself, her thoughts like this, really put things into perspective for me. It made me feel for her instead of just wishing she'd disappear, and I couldn't figure out why she couldn't be like this all of the time.

Because dumbass I don't want you or anyone else pitying me. Oh poor Leah, left by her boyfriend and having to watch as he moves on with her cousin. Fuck that. I'm tough, and I learned my lesson the first time. I'm never going to let myself be that vulnerable again. That's why I am the way I am Quil, it's my protection.

Then why even come out here and tell me all this. What does it have to do with my situation?

I was getting there, but all of your questions threw me off track. So if there are no more interruptions I'll get on with it.

I stayed quiet and let her continue.

So, even though imprinting basically ruined my life, I believe it's powerful. And I know that it will do more harm than good if you're not allowed to see Claire. So I want to help.

I was shocked again; she was pretty good at that.

Quil, Beth is my cousin. And even though we're not as close as Emily and I used to be, I still know her pretty well. And I know it's going to take a lot of convincing to get her to agree to let you be around Claire. And I just figure, she already knows Sam used to be mine, but she doesn't know why he left me for Emily. If we could explain it, and she could see that I understand imprinting and how powerful it is, even after all of the pain it caused me…well, maybe then she'd get it.

So…you want to help me? I would have thought it impossible, but I was inside of her head. I could see her conviction. But was I going to let her help? Could I really trust her?

Oh just get over yourself already. If I wanted to fuck things up for you I would have done it already. But if you don't want my help just say the word and I'll go home and get on with my day. Trust me; it won't break my heart if you never get to see the rug rat again.

And she was back. I was almost relieved; I didn't know what to make of sensitive, compassionate Leah. But I did understand, and I knew she was just trying to help, so why not let her?

Okay then, glad we got that all settled. I'm gonna head over there. I'll let ya know what happens.

And with that she was off, I could see what she saw as she ran through the trees towards Emily and Sam's house, and then she was gone.

…

I'd made a mistake; I could feel it in my bones. I never should have given Leah the okay to go over there and speak up in defense of imprinting and my ability to spend to with my Claire. Yep, dumbest move ever Ateara.

It had only been fifteen minutes or so since Leah had taken off, and I didn't think I could take it any longer.

Five people were sitting inside the Uley house discussing my future and I wasn't there. I deserved to be there, to defend myself, didn't I?

I think I did, and that was that. I took off running; faster than I'd ran in a while. As I got closer to the house I could feel it, that pull, only this time I knew what it was. I knew who was on the other side of that imaginary string, my Claire.

I phased back at the tree line, hurriedly threw on my clothes, and jogged over to the house. I had no idea what I'd do or say once inside, but I knew I had to be there. I took the three front porch steps in one leap and didn't bother to knock on the door.

I opened it wide, walked right in, and stopped dead in my tracks as five pairs of eyes focused on me. Two of those pairs looked curious, one looked mad, one looked resigned, and the last pair rolled, giving me the "you're such an idiot" look. One guess who those belonged to.

I felt like bolting, but I knew that wouldn't make things any better in the end, so I stayed and decided it was time to say something. "Hi." Yeah, that was all I was able to come up with, nice work Ateara.

I looked over at Emily, silently begging her to help me, and she didn't disappoint. "Beth, John, this is Quil. He works with Leah and Sam."

I looked at both of Claire's parents and gave a curt nod in greeting. John nodded back but Claire's mom just kept starring, until finally she asked, "So…you're a wolf too?"

This was good, if she was asking that meant they hadn't talked about me yet, so I'd made it before they'd started talking about the imprint. I suddenly felt much lighter and ready to let the cat out of the bag. "Yes, ma'am," I started, "I'm a wolf too." I figured if anything, being nice and respectful to Claire's mom would only work in my favor. She held all of the power and I was prepared to do anything she wanted in order to get the chance to see my Claire.

Speaking of Claire, where was she? Ah, focus Quil, they're not just gonna let a two year old wander around by herself. Keep your head in the game.

I brought my attention back to the small crowd assembled in the living room just as Emily spoke up, "Quil, why don't you come have a seat over here?"

I gave a nod and made my way over to the chair next to the couch. It was extra wide and reinforced, designed and made by Sam especially for us wolves. We had a tendency to break the regular furniture. All of us had chairs and couches made by Sam in our own homes now. And making the pack furniture had led Sam to realize just how good of a carpenter he was, so now making furniture was his full time job, not just a hobby.

Once I was seated I looked around, waiting for someone to pick up the conversation, I wasn't really sure where they'd left off so I didn't know where to start. Thankfully Claire's dad took the reins. "Okay, so far today Beth and I have learned that werewolves and vampires actually exist, the truth about what happened to you Emily, and that something called imprinting is the reason Sam knew you were the person he should be with. But what I don't know is why now, why tell us after so much time has already passed? If you didn't want us to know before, what changed?"

That was a damn good question in my book, and based on all he knew so far I figured I'd shown up just in time. It looked like they had covered imprinting, just not how it affected his daughter. But even so, I still didn't speak up. I could have, I should have, but suddenly I was very unsure of myself. What would I even say? So I know you just learned about all this imprinting stuff, but what you don't know is that I imprinted on your daughter, and now she's the center of my universe. Well actually, yeah, I guess that is pretty much what I should say.

But just before I was able to open my mouth and get it out there, Sam spoke up. "John, I know that all you've learned tonight is a lot to take in. Believe me, I understand. I was the first of the group to phase. I had no idea what was going on, what was happening to me. If it weren't for the council members, I could have been lost out in the forest for days before I was finally able to change back."

"Thankfully though they'd been watching, and they were there when the time came to help me, to explain. But it was still the most surreal experience of my life." Sam was laying it all out there, and I started to see where he was going with it all. I just sat back and let him continue, waiting to speak up until he was done.

"But even though it was hard to handle at first, I wouldn't change it. When I imprinted on Emily, I was able to tell her because as my imprint, I didn't have to keep anything from her. Leah hadn't phased yet, so I wasn't able to tell her any of it. That's how it works, on a need to know basis, and before today, neither of you needed to know."

Sam paused, giving both Beth and John a chance to take in everything he was saying. I knew what was coming next, and it was nearly impossible to breathe. Everything depended on how they'd react to what Sam said next.

I thought he was going to come right out and say it, but he changed gears slightly. "Quil here is a good wolf, a good friend, and a good person. He's sixteen years old, although physically he looks like he's somewhere in his mid-twenties. But as long as he continues to phase regularly, he'll stay this way for many years. Once he stops phasing, he'll be able to start aging again. It's all part of the wolf. Phasing keeps us young and strong so we can face off against our enemies."

Okay, now, it had to be coming now. "Emily and I are both still young, but I have thought about our futures. I want to grow old with her, so I know that at some point I'll have to give up the wolf, and I'd do that for her. I'd do anything for her, be anything for her. As my imprint, I am bound to protect her, and do what is best for her, for as long as I live. I will always put her needs before mine, just as any other wolf would do for his imprint."

Jesus Sam spit it out already. "Earlier this morning, after running patrol with one of our brothers, Quil came to the house just as he does most mornings for breakfast. But today something was different. Something felt different for him, like he was being pulled. And when he saw Claire, he knew what had been pulling him, it was her. This morning, Quil Ateara imprinted on your daughter."