Thanks to Amelia Bedelia for being the muse on this chapter! Her emails helped with the fireworks, and her story SlapJack helped me get in the mood to write this chapter after a long day of cranky kids!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.
Claire will turn 17 on the 5th Aug 2020, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 30 on 2 Feb 2020.
Chapter 29 BC Day
"Quil, I'm not going to play your little game anymore. I don't want to get all dressed up on a Monday just so you can drive me around and fake me out. It's getting a little old. Besides, I overheard my mom and dad talking, and they said you weren't planning on proposing until I was at least seventeen. That isn't for two more days," Claire said unaffected by my request to dress up.
"Claire, who said anything about me proposing? All I'm just suggesting that you might want to wear some of your nicer clothes. I'm not saying you need to be in a dress or anything. Oh, and you should bring along a sweater. It's supposed to get cold later," I tried again. My fake proposing on the Fourth of July had been a little too real for her, and she had been resistant to any of my suggestions for the past month that seemed the least bit unusual.
"Quil, if I need to be warm, I have you. I won't need a sweater," she argued.
"Claire, could please just bring a sweater along for in the truck at least? It's supposed to get down to forty degrees or something tonight," I tried to persuade her.
"Fine, How long before you get here to pick me up?" she asked.
"I'll be there in ten minutes," I confirmed before hanging up the phone. I prepared everything, and continued the internal debate over whether or not to drive my truck onto the ferry. On the one hand, I felt like I should leave my truck in Port Angeles. There would be a ton of people in Victoria today, and parking would be a nightmare. On the other hand, that would limit us to places we could go on foot and public transportation. I finally decided that if they were going to have 40,000 people there, they must have a way for them to get around, and worse case scenario I could carry Claire around piggy back. That would look normal enough, right? Guys of average strength will carry their girlfriends around on their backs at times. I'm sure I had seen them do it before. Now the only trick would be how much I needed to carry around with me all day. I thought it through and with the money I would save in parking and ferry fees, I could buy everything and not have to carry a blanket or basket or anything around with me. Well, I did have one thing to carry around, a ring.
I picked the small velvet box off of the nightstand and checked the ring one last time before placing the box in my pocket. Just thinking about it made my heart start to beat faster. I picked up my keys and wallet and headed out to my truck. I had the small box in my right pocket, but switched it over to the left to be less obvious to Claire, and to keep it out of the way of my seat belt. I had looked at what seemed like thousands of rings before settling on a simple solitaire.
Jacob getting married to one of the Cullens had procured us an odd relationship between the Cullens and our pack. So when I needed advice on a ring, I went to the best expert I could think of, and got Edward to help me. Not only did he know about color and clarity and all that stuff, but his eyesight was good enough to notice any flaws that they were trying to pass off. He used his connections to get me an excellent diamond for about half of the price I would have to pay at a retail store, and then helped me get it set on a simple platinum band. I wanted to surprise Claire with a ring when I proposed, but also wanted her to be able to choose the style and shape of ring she wanted, to match with the solitaire.
I pulled up to Claire's house and knocked, waiting for her to answer. She came to the door in faded jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt, and immediately looked me up and down. She took in my kaki pants, my navy button up shirt, and my dressy casual shoes and said, "Oh, Crap," before slamming the door in my face. I laughed at having taken her so off guard, and simply knocked on the door again.
This time Sarah answered the door, wiping her hands on a towel, and calling up the stairs to ask Claire what the problem was. She opened the door a little further and saw my attire and a knowing look came over her face. "Oh, I get it. You know, you call wolf one too many times, and people will stop believing you." Sarah paused to laugh before adding, "Come on in, I'm sure she won't be too long. You look very nice today." She looked over her shoulder up the stairs to make sure Claire was out of hearing range, and then whispered "Do you have the ring?"
"Thanks for the compliment on the duds; if you have that basket we discussed ready, then I will have everything I need for today," I answered vaguely.
"Oh, come on, you can tell me!" Sarah whispered emphatically as she walked to the kitchen to get the basket of muffins and juice. "Do you have a ring; are you really going to propose today?"
I just grinned back as she handed me the basket, not giving in an inch. I quickly ran it out to the truck and came back inside. "You know, if you are anxious to help Claire with beading her buckskin, I'm sure she'd be happy to have your help. You're the one that told her you wouldn't help her until she was actually engaged with a ring. You could change your mind about that if you are anxious to get started," I teased her.
"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm going to…" Sarah was interrupted by the sounds of Claire coming down the stairs.
I looked up to see Claire descending the stairs wearing a pair of high heeled Black Crocs, black slacks that flowed and hugged her body when she moved, and a raspberry colored silk blouse that wrapped her torso perfectly. She had also pulled her hair back from her face in a barrette, letting the remainder hang down her back. She seemed to move in slow motion as she came down the stairs. She absolutely took my breath away. "Um, I'm ready now," she said hesitantly as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
I smiled at Claire, stunned by her beauty. Sarah brought me out of my daze by saying, "Both of you look so lovely today, why don't we get a picture of the two of you before you leave for your big date?" We obliged her and stood to get our picture taken. The flash went off and Sarah checked the screen of the digital camera to see if the photo had turned out properly. She laughed at the photo and said, "Alright, now how about a picture where we can see both of your faces in the same zip code. Quil, why don't you sit down, and Claire, you can sit on his lap." We followed her instruction and our cheeks touched as we posed for the picture. Sarah checked the result and voiced her approval, "Much better!"
"I agree, I like this much better as well," I whispered in Claire's ear. I felt the shivers running down her back and rubbed the goose bumps on her arms. "I really think you'd appreciate a sweater at some point today," I suggested again.
"I'm not cold at all," Claire insisted, "These goose bumps are all your doing. I think I'll risk it, it is August after all."
I hugged Claire and stood up, keeping her in my arm as I walked toward the front door. "August or not, the weather is supposed to get down into the forties tonight. But that's okay; I brought enough cash to buy you a sweater if you get too cold."
Claire gently shook her head and rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not going to need a sweater if you stay close enough to me. But, now I know we are headed somewhere with stores. Thanks for the hint!" she finished enthusiastically.
I laughed and we both called out our goodbyes to her mom as I carried her to the truck. I opened the door and placed her in the passenger seat with a kiss. "I love you," I whispered in her ear as I reached for her seatbelt.
She pushed the seatbelt away and slid toward the center of the bench seat. "If you are in this kind of mood, I am definitely sitting in the middle right next to you," she said with a seductive smile on her lips.
My heart jumped into my throat and my hand instinctively went to my left pocket, as I thought about the ring that was soon to be hers. I smiled back and closed the passenger door before going to the driver's side. Claire was already buckled into the center seat and I slid in right next to her. I started the car and drove with my left hand and put my right arm around her shoulders, basking in the comfort of her touch.
"So what do we have planned for today?" Claire asked casually as she rested her head on my shoulder.
I laughed lightly as I pulled onto the main road heading out of La Push. The weather was overcast without any precipitation, perfect conditions for driving. "I'm not going to give in that easily. You'll figure it out soon enough."
Claire let out a small huff and was quiet, but I could hear her heart rate change as she thought through different possibilities in her mind. Several minutes into our drive as we passed the Cullen's house and the 113, Claire's heart rate really began to speed up, and I was aching to know what she was thinking. I leaned over and rested my chin on her head. I continued to look out the windshield as I asked, "Claire, I can hear your heart racing, what are you thinking about?"
Her back stiffened a bit and she mumbled, "I just thought of a possibility of what we could be doing today."
I chuckled, "You do know we aren't breaking any rules today, right?"
She seemed a little embarrassed, "That wasn't actually what I was thinking about, Quil."
"Care to share what you were thinking about then?" I prodded.
"No," she assured me.
I smiled at what she could be thinking and thought about the first part of my plan. We were approaching Crescent Lake. As we followed the narrow road that winds amongst the trees and ferns along the southern shores of the lake, I slowed a bit in anticipation of turning into the secluded picnic area that was sure to be vacant this early on a cloudy Monday morning. I decided to set the mood a little further by asking Claire a question that would get her thinking along the lines of marriage, if she wasn't already. "Claire, aren't those wild sweet peas so beautiful? Have you ever thought of what flowers you might like to have at our wedding?"
I could hear her heart rate accelerate at my question, and I turned my head slightly to avoid my face giving anything away. "Well, I know I love the tiny white flowers that bunch up together, those, over there," she pointed some out to me. "I think they are called Ocean Spray, and they grow wild everywhere and remind me of the waves as they crash against the rocks. I'd really like those. Plus the purple foxgloves and sweet peas would blend nicely together, maybe even adding in some ferns. They all make me think of when we run through the forest together, and make me think of the land and the werewolf I love," she finished thoughtfully. She was quiet as she gazed out the window at the flowers and ferns she described. It felt homey and cozy as we were in almost a tunnel of trees only opening up every so often on my side of the road to a beautiful view of the lake.
I slowed to make the left hand turn to pull into the picnic area. As we wound around the tiny one-way paths of the picnic area, Claire was more alert, and a bit confused. I drove to one of the further picnic areas closer to the lake so we could enjoy the view as we ate our muffins. I parked the truck and hopped out. As I turned to unbuckle Claire's seatbelt and help her out my side, she had a look of utter confusion on her face. I couldn't help but smile as I held her gently by her hips and slid her towards me on the seat. "Claire, you look hungry. I'm guessing you didn't have much breakfast this morning, am I right?"
"Yes," she said slowly and cautiously. Her look turned to surprise as I pulled out the picnic basket with my left hand, and picked her up with my right.
I set her down and touched my lips to her ear, "Well, how would you like a secluded breakfast for two in one of the most romantic places in the world?" I felt her shiver and heard her breath hitch. She merely nodded in response as I led her towards a picnic table overlooking Crescent Lake. I set down the basket and proceeded to pull out a tablecloth candles and plates before pulling out the muffins.
Upon seeing the muffins the spell seemed to be broken just a bit and Claire began to breathe and let out a little giggle. "I take it you had help preparing this meal then?" Claire asked.
"Yes, your mom made them for me. I didn't want to spoil the mood of the day by giving you food poisoning," I joked lightly, touching the tip of her nose with my index finger.
"Yeah, that's probably a wise idea," she teased back. I served the muffins and poured glasses of juice, and sat down to eat with Claire. She took a bite and got a sly smile on her face. She waited for me to take a bite of my muffin before she looked at me with her eyebrows raised, a questioning look on her face. "So, what do you think about the muffins, Quil?" she asked me.
I could tell there was something different about them, so I told her. "There is something different about them. They aren't quite as good as yours," I admitted.
She got a huge pleased smile that was almost smug. "I've learned a few tricks that I haven't shared with my mom," Claire confided with a smirk. "I'm glad you can tell a difference. If you had said you liked my mom's muffins better, you'd have some issues to deal with today, Mister," she threatened teasingly.
"Don't worry, Claire, you are by far my favorite cook, and always will be," I reassured her.
We continued to eat and chat for a good half an hour before it was time that we would need to head out if we were going to make the ferry. We hadn't talked seriously, but it had been a rather romantic setting. I gathered everything up and placed it in the basket on the ground next to Claire. I had it positioned just perfectly so that as I was on one knee putting everything away. I was within a foot of where she was sitting, and she was facing the lake. I just needed her to turn towards me a little further. I considered calling out her name, but didn't want her to know I was aware of that fact that it looked like I was ready to propose. I didn't want to torment Claire, but I did want her thinking along the lines of proposal today. I clinked the glasses together just enough to get her attention. My face was looking up at hers as she turned around, her heart began to race and her eyes widened. "Claire…" I paused just long enough to hear her heartbeat pick up even more. "Are you ready to go?" I finished, standing up and holding out my hand for hers.
Claire blinked several times and finally snapped out of her daze enough to nod her head and reach out for my hand. "Um, sure…are we headed back home already?" she questioned.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "That's for me to know, and you to find out," making sure I blew in her ear; I'm sure covering her entire body in goose bumps.
We got back in the truck, and I headed out to the main road. I had to chuckle to myself as Claire held her breath when we reached the main road. As soon as I pulled out to the left, heading east towards Port Angles, she let out her breath in a whoosh and her heart rate picked up a bit. "So we aren't headed home," Claire stated.
"Nah, I figured we'd make a day of it. In fact, I have special permission to keep you out past your normal curfew," I winked.
The ride to Port Angeles went by rather quickly as we chatted about the most recent developments of the two Quileute packs, and the progress on the house and pack log house gathering place. I still was bugging Jake trying to get it a proper name.
We got to Port Angeles about eleven, and still had a little over an hour before the ferry took off, so I headed over to the Jack In The Box over near the hospital. I looked over at Claire as we pulled into the drive through and the look of utter confusion on her face made me completely lose it! "Claire, don't try to think so hard. If you go with the flow today, you will have a great time. If you keep waiting for something particular to happen, you might miss the fun of what we are actually doing."
"Ok, Quil, I will go with the flow today…but you know, if you just told me now, then there would be no need for me to be wondering, because I would know," she insisted.
"But where would be the fun in that?" I asked before turning to my window to order. We ate in the truck as we drove the few blocks to the ferry parking lot. "Well, I decided that we'll leave the truck here, so we need to finish up lunch, and then we can go buy the tickets," I informed Claire.
She got a sly smile on her face before she said, "So Mr. I-have-everything-planned-out, did you think to bring my proper identification?" She actually looked a little smug at the idea that my plans would be thwarted due to my trying to keep a secret from her.
"What you mean these?" I asked as I pulled her passport and driver's license from the picnic basket. Her mouth fell open in shock. I leaned over and gently shut her mouth with a single finger on her chin. "Like I said before, you should just relax and enjoy the day." I leaned in and kissed her. She tasted like the hamburger she had just finished, and also a little salty from the fries. I deepened the kiss enjoying the flavors that were unusual on her lips. Claire sighed and slightly moaned before she leaned in to press against me. I couldn't help but smile as I thought of her enjoying the day more. I really did want her to enjoy today!
While we were still kissing I managed to unbuckle her seat belt and lift her from the truck. I set Claire down and broke the kiss slowly. I kept my left arm around her as I quickly gathered up the trash with my free hand so my truck wouldn't smell like leftover hamburgers when we got back. "Come on, Claire, let's dump this and head over to the ticket office.
We boarded the ferry rather soon after that, and I guided Claire to the front of the ship. "You aren't going to try and recreate that scene from the movie 'Titanic' are you?" she asked a little worried.
I leaned over and in my deepest voice asked, "Would you like me too?"
Claire gasped in embarrassment and quickly said, "No!"
I chuckled and responded with, "Well, if you don't want me to, I won't," even though I had absolutely no intention of standing on the rails and making a fool of myself.
The ferry started and the hum of the engine was just loud enough for us to keep our quiet conversation private from other passengers nearby. I watched Claire with joyful awe as the movement of the ship caused her hair to flow gently away from her face. The fine mist of the ocean spray kissed her cheeks and made her entire countenance seem to glow. I smiled at her with what had to be an expression of pure love, as I was feeling only love for Claire and awe in the fact that she was mine. She returned my gentle smile with one of her own, and my breath caught at the sight of her dimples. Everything about Claire was so perfect…I reached for the ring box in my pocket.
"We'd like to welcome everyone aboard today…" the startling announcement began over the loud speaker, and the mood was broken. After a second of shocked frustration, I was glad for the interruption that had allowed me to keep my plans on track. Fireworks at dusk really would be a much better backdrop for a memorable retelling to friends and relatives for years to come.
After the voice over the loud speaker was complete, I noticed that Claire was eyeing me studiously. "Quil, was there something you wanted to discuss with me?" she asked. "It seemed like you were about to say something before the announcement began." She really was a little too observant at times.
I kissed her cheek before saying, "No, I didn't have anything in particular I was going to say." I turned her around to face the water, and held her to my chest as I stood behind her. Her waist length hair blew to either side of me, and I almost felt wrapped in a curtain of protection from the outside world.
We spent most of the remainder of the ride that way, enjoying the ocean breeze and gentle motion of the ferry as we sped across the water towards our destination. I occasionally would catch a glimpse of something and lean over to point it out to Claire. We rode at the front the entire way, and seemed to be surrounded by a mystical peace that often accompanied our uninterrupted time together.
As we arrived, the fairy tale feeling seemed to continue. There were crowds of people gently stirring through the area, and live music could be heard from various locations. I took Claire's hand protectively in mine, and gently guided her through the streets filled with the celebratory mood. After a few blocks, Claire paused and turned to me, "Quil, what is going on here today? Why are there so many people?"
I studied her expression, and realized that she was pondering the possibility that I had arranged for thousands of people to be here as backdrop and atmosphere for our date. I decided to tease her with the idea for just a bit. "Well, I wanted today to be really special just for you, so I thought thousands of people in the party mood would set the proper tone for the day."
Her eyes flashed with shock for just a second before narrowing and repeating her question. "Quil, what is really going on here today?"
I laughed and told her about it being British Columbia Day. I asked her if there was anything she would particularly like to do or see while we were here today, and she let me know she would like to see the famous flower gardens. We had a great time the remainder of the day, enjoying the architecture and gardens, as well as the music and shopping only available on a day such as today.
As the evening wound down we walked closer to Victoria's inner harbor and found a place to sit at the edge of the harbor amongst the crowds. The temperature began to dip into the mid forties, and I again asked Claire if she would like a sweater. "Seriously, I can buy you one as a souvenir or something," I pushed. "Don't you see all those other women in coats and sweatshirts?" I asked for what seemed like the tenth time.
"Quil, really, I'm fine. Just because those other women have to suffer without a hot boyfriend doesn't mean that I am stuck out in the cold. Seriously, you need to stop worrying about it," she finished with a wink, even though I had absolutely caught her double meaning without the help.
The crowds were all finding places to sit by now, and there was definite anticipation in the air with the prospect of music and fireworks ahead. My own heart raced with the anticipation of proposing to Claire. I sat on the ground with Claire in my lap, leaning against my chest, my arms wrapped protectively around her arms for warmth and comfort. If she suspected anything, I wasn't aware of it. I leaned over and said, "I love you, Claire," making sure I caressed her ear with my lips. I felt the shiver that rippled through her body, and smiled at her reaction.
After more than an hour sitting and talking, waiting for the event to begin, the symphony began playing from the barge on the water, and the crowd was a rumble of excitement. I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The Building behind us outlined in white lights, the harbor in front of us with many rafts, canoes, and such in the water. There were so many people; I had begun to doubt if this could really be the amazing romantic atmosphere I had anticipated.
The music was a mixture of classical and contemporary pieces and everyone seemed to be enjoying the music even though it appeared as if it might not be their regular fare. "Claire, are you enjoying yourself?" I asked, hoping she would say that she was.
She turned in my lap to look up at me and smiled with a look of pure contentment, "I really am, thank you," she said. She reached and kissed me, and just then the symphony began to play a classical piece I recognized as one commonly used as a wedding march. Claire froze and I could tell by the look in her eyes she thought I had planned out my question to coincide with the wedding music.
My heart began to race, and I wondered if maybe I should change my plans and just ask Claire to marry me then, ending the questions in her mind. But I had planned the proposal months ago to coincide with the performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with bells, cannons and fireworks. I couldn't give in now, no matter how perfect it seemed at the moment, I knew it would be even better later. I gazed into Claire's eyes as she continued to look at me with anticipation. "I love you," I said, and kissed her again.
This time as I finished the kiss Claire's eyes first looked expectant and then narrowed a bit before she turned around and looked to the symphony again. I moved my left hand to check that her ring was still indeed there. I moved to wrap her again in my arms, and felt her stiffen. My resolve almost broke at that, as much as I wanted things to be an ideal setting for the proposal. I tried one last time to help her calm. I decided to tell her that I loved her, and figured if she didn't relax, I would pull out the ring to let her know I was serious. "I love you, Claire," I said in my deepest voice, directly to her ear.
Claire responded with a deep sigh before she relaxed back onto my chest and said, "I love you too, Quil."
We listened to the wonderful music as the sun set in the western sky. At times Claire seemed to be so relaxed that I wondered if she had begun to doze off after our long day. It was becoming dark enough that I was anticipating the fireworks, and my heart began to pick up its pace a little. The tense classical music at the moment wasn't helping much either. It slowed a little, and then came the drums and the familiar fanfare the let me know the 1812 Overture was beginning. My heart pounded in my chest to the point that Claire turned around and looked at me questioningly. The music changed to the tense anticipation and I almost believed I was going to pass out. Claire smiled and turned her attention back to the harbor.
The music shifted to the flowing part of the piece and the fireworks began. A voice in the crowd near us said, "The cannons are coming!" I gripped the velvet box in my pocket, and pulled it out to have it ready. I deftly opened the box with my thumb, still hiding the box to the left behind my leg.
Claire was fully immersed in the music and fireworks with a look of excitement and awe on her face. The music changed tempo again to the rapid strains the brought the song to its climax. My heart seemed to be pounding at ten times the speed of the music, and I believe if it weren't for my body's extra abilities, I might have had a heart attack from the speed it was racing. I brought the ring forward and placed it where it could be in Claire's line of sight, and said, "Claire, you have been my entire reason for living for years. I love you. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"
I felt her nodding her head emphatically before I heard her answer a soft, "Of course!" I quickly slipped the ring on her finger just as the song ended and the crowd erupted into cheers. I swiftly turned her around and kissed her with as much passion as was allowed in a public location. Several people around us noticed and congratulated us in a spirit of celebration.
As we walked back to the ferry, we both seemed to be spellbound by the moment. Riding the ferry back across the Juan de Fuca Straight, we stood at the front of the ship again basking in the moist air flowing around us. I was able to circle Claire in my arms enough to keep her warm and safe. It felt like the perfect beginning to the next stage of our lives together.
