Shouldn't let you conquer me completely
Now I can't let go of this dream

Emily and Sam are having a huge New Years' party this year, and all the wolves and imprints were invited. Of course Claire and I are going, as well as most of the other wolves and their imprints. I pick Claire up at nine-thirty from her house. "And there's not going to be drinking?" Mrs. Young asks anxiously.

"Mom." Claire rolls her eyes. She's ten now, and uses her "double digits" to act like a sullen teenager. I hope this is just a phase. "It's Aunt Emily. Would she really allow drinking?" Mrs. Young agrees, but the worried lines are still on her face. She turns to me sharply.

"Have her home by twelve-forty-five on the dot," she instructs severely.

"Yes, ma'am," I agree seriously. "Not a second late." Mrs. Young nods in approval, and we peel out of the driveway.

I pull up at Sam and Emily's, and everything seems to be getting into gear. Jacob and Renesmee are there at the door, sipping punch. Seth is lounging on the couch and offers us a wave as we enter. Paul and Rachel aren't there; they're still on their honeymoon. That's one less guy we have to worry about phasing, I guess. Lucky for us it was Paul. Jared and Kim are chatting with Emily and Sam, and all four of them greet us with "Hey, Quil!"s and "Wow, Claire, you're growing up so fast!"s. The younger kids are engaged in an intense game of foosball. Leah is sort of hovering alone. She wasn't allowed to bring Oliver, her boyfriend, because he doesn't know the secret, and one of the more volatile wolves might get mad. Since Oliver's not an imprint, Leah couldn't tell him. I see Haley, Embry's girlfriend and imprint, watching the foosball game with an expression of amusement on her face, but Embry is nowhere to be found. I wonder vaguely where he is.

"Ooh, PopTarts!" Claire exclaims. She approaches a table containing a crystal cake plate stacked artfully with America's favorite toastable pastries. I snicker to myself at the display. Leave it to Emily to make even PopTarts look fancy.

Claire ambles over stand by Haley and watch the foosball game. She and Haley have a sort of older-sister-younger-sister relationship. Claire thinks of Haley like the older sister she always wanted but never got. After a long look at the two girls chatting, I leap over the back of the couch and settle in next to Seth.

Sometimes I pity Seth. He's watched everyone around him imprint or fall in love, even Leah, and he has no one. So I make an extra effort to treat him with kindness. "'Sup, Clearwater?" I ask casually. "Just sittin'?"

"Yeah. The New Years' thing with Ryan Seacrest isn't on for, like, two more hours, and it's not the same since Dick Clark died anyway," he explains, gesturing toward the TV that's currently off.

"Yeah, Seacrest can get kinda annoying," I agree. "It's hard to take him in concentrated doses."

Seth glances at Claire. "Damn, man, she's growing up fast," he comments. "Seems like just yesterday that you imprinted on her. Hard to believe it was nearly eight years ago."

"I know." The nostalgia sets in uninvited. "It's been eight years...and I have to wait at least six more." I watch as Haley leans down to whisper something in Claire's ear. She beams at whatever the older girl said.

The party continues in this fashion. At 11:30, "Ryan Seacrest's Rockin' New Years' Eve" is turned on. (They even renamed the show after Dick Clark's death!) Seth and I watch, and slowly the rest of the pack and their imprints gather around the TV. I wedge Claire in between the armrest and my hip, and we watch in anticipation as the clock winds down to midnight. Embry is still nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, with only one minute before the new year, the door bangs loudly. Everything halts. Emily rushes to the door, has a hushed conversation with the person there, then dims the lights. I look at Seth in confusion. He shrugs, and we both turn to watch the scene.

Embry saunters in, dressed in a tuxedo. I'm thinking, Dude, it's a New Years' party, not some sort of gala. Then I spot the tiny velvet box that he's trying to conceal in his big hand. A slow smile spreads across my face as I watch. Embry moves toward Haley, who's sitting by Claire on the arm of the couch. "Hi, sweetheart," he says, kissing her lightly. We all watch with our breaths held.

"Hey, Embry. What's all this?" Haley asks, gesturing toward the tux and bow tie. Embry smiles hugely. Then, he gets down on one knee. Haley's hand flies to her mouth. "Oh my God," I hear her whisper.

"Haley Elizabeth Bennett? I love you so much. More than the world." He takes her hand and brings it to his lips. "More than my own life." He reveals the box and opens it. Haley's eyes shine. "Will you marry me?" A tear streaks down Haley's cheek as she nods.

"Yes. Of course," she says, her voice cracking. Embry pulls out the ring, a small silver band with one tiny diamond embedded in it, and slides it onto her ring finger.

"A perfect fit," Embry declares. Someone starts clapping, and we all join in. Then Embry points to the TV, and starts to yell: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6..."

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone joins in, and Embry and Haley, the newly engaged, share the first kiss of the new year. Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, and Jacob and Renesmee follow suit. Claire's not old enough yet, so I plant a kiss on the top of her head.

"Happy New Year, Claire-bear," I say softly. Emily begins to pass out plastic champagne glasses full of sparkling cider. I toast in the new year surrounded by everyone I love. I smile as Claire and I clink glasses. We're one step closer...

sorry about the last chapter. that was me being lazy. i knew i had to update but didn't feel like writing.

some of u might say this is more of an Embry/Haley fic than a Quil/Claire. well let me explain here. Haley is one of my favorite OCs, and i am in the process of heavily editing her and Embry's story titled "Meteor." idk if y'all have read it. but while Embry and Haley aren't on fanfiction, i missed them! (sounds lame, i know, but i love them) so i threw them in the chapter.

thanks all for reviewing! keep up the good work. can we make it to fifty? forty-five? to be honest, idk how many reviews i've got here. (lol) so maybe ten or fifteen. i'm having much less of a problem with ghostreading. THANK YOU THANK YOU for that. so go read my other stories, stories by seashell118 (mention for mention sweetie!), and enter my Silence fanfiction contest. all right, this AN is much too long. i'll shut up now. lovelovelove, m