A/N: Just to let you guys know, I'm going back through the old chapters and revising them. Some of them were just awful and a lot of things I didn't like, so if you notice anything different, that's why! Just a heads up! Now, without further ado, I give you Quil and Claire.
Saturday morning came early, and I was showered and sitting in my room in my bra and undies. My hair was still wet and I was staring at my closet, thinking about the fact that I had absolutely nothing to wear to a funeral. There was a knock at my bedroom door and I panicked. "Don't come in!"
The door, of course, opened anyways and in stepped Embry. He didn't even seem fazed that I was standing half naked, but of course I was blushing ten shades of red. "Hey, Claire-Bear," He chirped. "I brought you a gift. Nessie gave it to me before she left and she said that you'd probably need it for today." He handed me two boxes, one held a pair of black sandals and the other held a modestly short black dress with lace sleeves. Thank God for Nessie.
I knew her and Jacob wanted to be here today, but they had already booked their trip and couldn't refund or change their date. So I was being escorted by Embry, just Embry. Of course I whined to my uncle about wanting to go with Quil, but he told me that Quil was busy and had to go early and set up and that he wouldn't have time for me because he had to deal with everything and everyone.
It sounded like a bunch of bullshit to me, pardon my language. How hard would it be for me to stand there next to him and hold his hand while people gave him their condolences?
But Sam gave me his 'my decision is final' stare, and I caved. I didn't want to put any more pressure on Quil by making him babysit me during his grandfather's funeral, so I vowed to stay as far away from his as I could manage.
"Embry, I know that you're enjoying this but get out!" I screamed. He quickly backed out of the door and shut it, mumbling about how I hadn't changed. "Go watch TV or something."
I slipped the dress over my head and admired it. Nessie had some good taste; I'd have to wear this dress again when I could appreciate it more. I put on some mascara and red lipstick and let my hair down, brushing it out so that it would dry absolutely ordinary. It wasn't too wet anymore, so hopefully I wouldn't catch a cold. I ran downstairs with my shoes to find Embry, not in the living room like I thought, but stuffing his face in my kitchen.
"You are such a pig, Embry." I moaned as I slid on my shoes. "Don't spill anything on your shirt and let's go, I really don't want to be late."
"Alright, alright." He complied, stepping out first so that I could lock the door behind me. Like a gentleman, he opened the car door for me with a smile. "Buckle up, Claire-Bear."
"Ugh, stop calling me that Embry. I'm not three anymore."
"Well we need to start somewhere, because I've missed out on way too much of your life than I should have." He ruffled my hair in a brotherly gesture and I was slightly touched, knowing that I had made a true friend in Embry.
We drove in silence the rest of the way and I spent the rest of the ride tapping my fingers nervously until we got there. It was beautiful and peaceful, the spot that Quil chose, and my eyes immediately searched for him. I found him, standing off to the side as every single person who arrived went up to him and shook his hand or hugged him.
There was a lot of people there, I think everyone in La Push that had ever seen the happy smile on Quil Sr.'s face were here to mourn him. Quil looked terrible, his eyes were downcast and I could see his brave face crumbling. I wanted to run to him, but Embry held my arm. "Not now, Claire. We can talk to him later. Let him be."
"Okay." I whispered and I followed him to the line of chairs where the council was sitting. We sat three rows behind Aunt Emily, Uncle Sam, Sue and Billy, who were in the front row. Emily was already red faced, dabbing her eyes with a tissue and Sam's face was stone. There was an empty chair next to Billy at the end, and it was soon filled up by Quil. My heart lurched.
Embry and I were joined by the rest of the pack and the women. They had clearly left their kids at home with a babysitter.
I saw my dad, two rows in front of me, lean over and put his hand on Quil's shoulder and whisper something in encouragement. Quil's posture visibly relaxed and I found myself glaring at the back of my father's head. Why wasn't I allowed to do that?
The ceremony started and I listened quietly to everyone who spoke, until it was Quil's turn. He got up there and stood with hunched shoulders. "My grandfather took me in, when no one else was there for me. He raised me from when I was just 13, even when he could barely take care of himself. He was my best friend, the only close family that I had left. He got me through everything… And now he's just gone. Just like that."
To my horror, tears slid down his cheeks. Quil was crying. "I can't do this." He whispered. "I need Claire." My heart stopped, and started up ten times faster. He said my name, he needs me.
I looked at Embry for confirmation, and he nudged me forward. I didn't even try to be modest about it, I took off running towards him and he crouched down as I jumped into his arms. "I'm right here, I'm right here." I whispered to him, with my arms locked around his neck. "Shh, it's alright. Everything is going to be okay."
He refused to put me down. He carried me to his seat and sat me on his lap. Revelling in it, I cuddled up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around me as tight as they could get. We finished off the service and even as everyone started to get up, he sat there with me in his arms. "Quil, you have to get up and say goodbye to your grandfather, one last time before we bury him." Uncle Sam said softly.
"Will you come with me?" He whispered.
"I won't leave you." I promised. I followed him up to the casket and noticed that everyone had gone, so that we could be alone. Even the ones responsible for putting the casket in the ground were nonchalantly doing something else. I grasped his hand even tighter.
"I don't want to say goodbye." I heard him breathe. "But I will say thank you. Thank you, grandfather, for being there for me. You will always be in my heart." He touched his hand to his grandfather's quietly. "Okay, I'm ready to go."
"You should go say goodbye to everyone. I'll catch up with you in a minute." He looked at me, confused but partly panicked too. "I promise I won't be long. I just… Want to say goodbye too."
"Okay beautiful." He murmured and left me to it.
I sighed, feeling awkward but not wanting to say this in front of Quil, in case I sounded stupid. "I want to say thank you too. Thank you for taking care of Quil when I couldn't and raising him to be the amazing man he is today. I promise, with all my heart, that I will take care of him while you're gone too." And I would, I would never break his heart again.
I turned around and walked away to meet Quil, who was waiting for me to return to his side. "I missed you." He whispered so low that I almost didn't hear him.
"I'm here." I said as I grasped his hand firmly and refused to let go. We made our way over to Embry, who reached out and grasped Quil in a tight hug.
"How you holding up, man?" He asked.
Quil smiled down at me. "A lot better than I thought I would be."
"I'm really glad, man. You ready to go home, Claire?" I blinked up at Embry. Home? I had to leave Quil in his time of need?
"I'm not going home, I'm staying with Quil." I told him, confused.
Embry laughed. "I figured that much, Squirt, but I thought I'd ask just in case. I'll see you guys later." Two brief hugs later, and he was gone.
"So, what do you want to do?" Quil asked me.
I had an idea.
"Turn around, Claire." Quil told me seriously. We were sitting somewhere deep in the woods and I was waiting for him to change into his wolf form so I could see him.
"No, I want to watch!"
"Claire, I have to take off my clothes." Oh, I flushed. "Yeah, so please just turn around for a minute."
Truthfully, naked Quil would have been a dream come true, but I had to remember that we were just friends. So I did what I was told, so that I didn't make him uncomfortable or push our boundaries. A quiet minute passed and I called out, "Quil? Can I turn around now?"
No answer, so I turned around anyway and nearly fell over.
A wolf, ten times bigger than a normal sized one, was standing in front of me. The chocolate colour of his fur matched his eyes and I immediately recognized him from the incident on the side of the road. "Quil, you're huge!" I gasped.
His wolfy form gave a snort and I rolled my eyes at his immaturity. Silently, I reached out my hand and stroked his fur. He lowered himself onto his belly and I sat next to him, running my fingers through the fur as he made a noise that almost sounded like a hum of contentment.
"This is so weird." I muttered to myself and buried my face into his head. "You're a wolf, a fricken wolf! Not even a normal sized one." I heard him whine and I laughed. "I'm a little freaked out, not going to lie, but I'm not scared. Don't worry, I won't go running away screaming. There is just one thing that I want to do though."
Warily, his big wolf eyes rolled up to look at me and I climbed onto his back. "Giddy up!" I yelled. I could only imagine what he'd be saying to me right now if he could talk, but that was the beauty of him having a tail, he couldn't talk.
He lay there for a minute, finally deciding that I wasn't going to give up and with a huge sigh that unsettled the dust below his nose, he jumped up onto his four paws and took off.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and grasped two fistfuls of hair as the wind flew in my face. Closing my eyes, I fought the urge to scream in exhilaration as he ran at amazing speeds. For a brief moment, I was invincible. Nothing could touch me.
But all too soon, he skidded to a stop and tipped me off. "Quil!" I whined. "I want to go again." He shook his head wildly and I pouted. "Fine, you party pooper. Go get dressed."
He took off into the bushes behind me and I waited quietly for his return. "I can't believe I let you take away my manhood like that." He was grumbling. "I'm a werewolf, a dangerous werewolf, not a riding horse!"
I giggled. "That was fun! Can we do it again someday?"
"No."
"But…"
"No." That was final. "Did I ever tell you that the pack can read each other's minds?"
I froze. "Read each other's minds?"
"Well, only when were in wolf form. It's like we're all joined as one. It makes it really hard to keep things from each other, so we have next to no privacy." Every moment, every kiss we shared… It was on display for everyone. My uncle included! "So Seth and Brady, who were running the perimeter just now, got to see me being used as a riding horse and I will never live this down."
"That is so embarrassing." I muttered.
"I know what you're thinking Claire, and it is not that bad. They mostly keep to themselves and they sure as hell don't get involved in other people's business. But if anyone teases you, just tell me. I'll set them straight."
I flushed; there was something that I couldn't forget. "Jacob told Nessie about the time you saw me in my underwear!"
"I'll deal with Jacob." He grumbled, something unrecognizable flashing in his eyes. Wait, so that meant he was thinking about me while I was in my underwear? "Come on, it's getting cold, time to get you home."
It was dinner time, and I vaguely remember Emily telling me that we were eating at her house tonight. "Wait, aren't we supposed to go to my aunt's for dinner?"
"Right, I forgot. Well alright then, let's go to Emily's. By the way, Claire, that dress looks beautiful on you. It fits your curves perfectly."
The blush that lit up my face lasted me the whole way there.
We made it just in time and by the look of the meal that Emily, Rachel and Kim had managed to cook up, I think Quil might have killed me if I had made him late and we missed out on the food. It smelled delicious. There was a huge roast, a huge salad and potatoes, vegetables, fruits, casserole, bread and cheese and a giant cake. My stomach growled, realizing that I hadn't eaten all day. "Hungry?" Quil asked, seemingly amused that he could hear my stomach.
"A little bit."
"Come on, I'll fix you a plate before the angry wolves go at it." He led me over to the table with his hand resting on my lower back. I could feel it burning through the light fabric of my dress. "I'll get you a little bit of everything."
The plate he got me was full to the brim and I don't think I'd be able to eat that in a million years, but then I realized that half of it was for him. I got it, he was afraid that he wasn't going to be able to grab enough food to satisfy his hunger. As a favor to him, I piled a little bit more of each on my plate and he grinned at me.
"I'm going to sit down outside, it is way too crowded in here."
"I'll meet you out there when I get my food." He said and turned around to wait for his turn.
I passed Emily on my way outside and she gasped. "Goodness Claire, are you sure you're going to be able to eat all of that?"
I smiled wryly. "I think I'll manage somehow, I'm pretty hungry." I opened the back door and sat down on the porch, enjoying the quiet and remembering that I hadn't called my mom in almost a week. Not wanting her to panic, I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and dialed her number. "Mom?"
A huge sigh of relief came from her end. "Claire! Thank goodness, I haven't heard from you all week. How are you?"
"I'm good Mom, how are you and the baby? Brian?"
"Brian is good, and Justin is going to be just fine." She said proudly.
"Congratulations! Wow, a little brother. I can't wait to meet him."
"It'll be nice to see you, I miss you." She paused. "How are things there? Are you enjoying yourself? How is your dad treating you?"
"It's really nice to be back, I love it here. Dad's good and so are Emily and Sam and the kids." I could hear her silence, not wanting to ask and not wanting to say too much. "Mom, it's okay. I know now."
"You know, and yet you still don't want to come home?" She whispered. "Are you sure your brain has really processed the information?"
I laughed a little. "Oh Mom, I'm not scared. I love everyone here; no one is the least bit threatening to me."
"And Quil?" She spat. "Did he tell you his little secret?"
"It wasn't even like that, Mom. He just wanted to protect me and make sure I was safe. You need to stop being so narrow-minded. I like it here, I like Quil and I'm not going to run away like you did. You broke his heart."
"He was in love with a two year old! He wasn't right!"
"I don't want to talk about this anymore, Mom. I'll talk to you later." And I hung up.
I sat there, playing with my food in shock. I had never hung up on my mother before. "Claire, are you okay?" Quil asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just tired of her attitude and not understanding how I feel."
He sat down next to me with his mountainous plate of food and took my hand. "I know this seems weird, but I understand her reasoning. If some sixteen year old told me that he was in love with our two year old daughter, I would freak out too." He backtracked. "I mean my daughter. I'm sorry, that slipped out."
"It's okay I know we're just friends."
"For now, Claire." He wrapped an arm around me. "Just until you really know what you want."
"I want you." I mumbled. "I've wanted you since the moment I saw you again. I don't need any more time."
"Well, I need time. Just wait until you're eighteen okay? Just a few months."
I could wait until then. As long as he stayed, I could wait.
