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Chapter 37 October
Engaged
2nd week of October 2020
Marc's 11th birthday is on the 16th. I keep waiting for that kid to outgrow his weird stage, but he never seems to get any more normal. I really hope there is no reason for more kids to phase. Some of the
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I really hope there is no reason for more kids to start working security. I can barely handle Marc right now, if I had to get to know him to the point where it felt like I was in his head, I might just crack.
Some of the older members of the team have continued on patrols just so the likelihood of needing new younger members will be less, but a few of the wives are ready for them to stop.
I sat back I my chair after typing the last sentence and thought about it for a moment. Claire and I hadn't ever really talked about me stopping patrols, but if I wanted to grow old with her, I knew I would have to stop eventually. Wow, being a werewolf has been so much a part of my identity for so long, that I'm not even sure I would know who I was without it. It made me wonder about Claire's reaction so much that I checked to see if she would be available for a discussion. There was still thirty minutes until it was time for me to leave and pick her up from school. Darn.
I sat back and tried to picture my life without the ability to heal, without the heat, without the ability to run and not get tired, without the speed. I have to say that it ached a little. As much as my life had some odd restrictions to it, I loved being a werewolf, could I really give it up?
The time finally passed, and I went and picked up Claire and Marc; we promptly dropped Marc off at their house. "Claire, how about we go check the progress on the house?" I suggested as we pulled out of her driveway.
"Sure, I'd love to see the house. I haven't seen it in more than a week," Claire said with excitement.
"Okay," I responded sedately before heading in the direction of the long dirt drive that led to our building site.
Claire looked over at me studiously. "Quil, it looks like there is something on your mind. What do you want to talk to me about today?"
Ah, Claire knew me so well. I nodded my head in agreement as I debated how to begin.
We reached the house site, and Claire gasped in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me the windows had arrived?"
I looked over at her and smiled. "They actually got here early this morning, and we just finished putting them in at lunchtime. The outside of the house is now weather-tight," I told her in satisfaction. "Let's go talk inside," I suggested as I held out the key to the house.
Claire took the key and with a quick kiss on my cheek, ran through the light drizzle of rain to the front door. I caught up with her easily and kissed her properly before she had a chance to unlock the door. I released her from my grasp, and she continued to gaze at me starry-eyed. "Claire, did you forget what you were doing?" I teased.
Claire blinked a couple of times and then shook her head and laughed. "I guess I did." She turned and unlocked the house. I considered sweeping her up into my arms and carrying her across the threshold, but playing at marriage was a dangerous thing. Playing at marriage in a locked house, even an unfinished one, was a much more dangerous thing, so I just followed her inside.
The inside of the house was really blank, just the framing and some scaffolding. We had worked hard to get the outside of the house weatherproofed to keep out the near constant rain. The windows had to be ordered and shipped in, so they had been the last to be completed.
I had grabbed the two beanbag chairs from the Dollhouse and put them in what would later be the living room. I motioned towards them and said, "Actually, Claire, there is something I wanted to discuss with you."
Claire picked up on my melancholy mood, and her expression softened to match my more somber attitude. "Quil, you know you can talk to me about anything," she said as she sank into the beanbag. She looked at me with a gentle smile waiting for me to take the lead on the subject of my choice.
I plopped down in the other beanbag chair facing her, and looked into her deep chocolate-brown eyes that so perfectly matched my own. The temporary haze that filled my mind was not helping me think clearly enough for me to know how to begin. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, forming a clear thought I was able to begin. "Have you ever thought about me…not being a werewolf anymore?" I finally asked.
"Oh," Claire said knowingly. "I was wondering when we were going to have this discussion," she almost whispered as she looked down at her fingers. She took a deep breath and looked me directly in the eyes, "Quil, you don't have to worry. I know how much this is part of your life, and I would never dream of telling you to stop phasing."
I'm sure my face suddenly looked confused by her statement. I raced to reassure her, "No, no, Claire, I'm not thinking that…I only meant…" I took a moment to collect myself. "I was writing something today that brought up the idea of if we needed any young, new pack members and it made me think for the first time about not phasing, and the fact that one day I would need to stop."
Claire burst into a fit of giggles. "You just thought about it for the first time today? I've actually had lengthy discussions with the pack wives on this."
My look of shock stopped her in her tracks. She waited for me to speak, so I asked her, "And what did you decide?"
Claire got up out of her beanbag chair and walked slowly over to me. She gently moved my arms off of my lap, and sat down in their place. She took my face in both her hands and looked deeply into my eyes. She spoke softly and almost with reverence she said, "This has been who you are for almost my entire life. When the time is right, I will let you know my opinion, but this is something I can never take from you. Like Taha Aki, this has to be something you willingly give up because you want to grow old with me. This will be your choice, and not mine." Claire paused and gently brushed her lips against mine for the briefest of moments before continuing. "Quil, I love you, and you love me, and even if you decide to be werewolf my entire lifetime, I will be happy because you are happy, and you will always be with me."
At those words I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her with as much passion as I ever had. My Claire was perfect for me, and I amazed at how I could be so blessed!
A/N: I will post chapter 38 when the total reviews for the story reach 320. Thanks!