Thank you for your lovely reviews. Not too much Quil/Claire fluff in this chapter, but that is only because I want to stuff a lot of events in before I skip forward a couple years. So, this is a long chapter, next one will be ALL Quil and Claire, and after that she will be 15 or 16 years old. Okie dokie? Thanks!
QPOV
"Quil. Listen. I know that this is out of your control, but please keep within these boundaries." Sam told me as we sat on his front porch. "No... uh... intimate touching. I know that this relationship is changing from best friend to... more than best friend, but aging or not, she is still fourteen. I don't mind that you kissed her once, but... lay off the physical stuff until she's a little older, yeah?" He sounded a little awkward.
"Sure thing. I know that I... shouldn't have done that. But I can't go back in time. I promise I'll to everything in my power to keep her to herself for a few years," I said. It was the best I could do.
"Thanks, man. I know if someone told me to not kiss Emily for two years I would probably go insane, knowing that she wanted me to. But I'm glad you're trying," he complimented me. I smiled.
"So. How's Maxwell doing?" I asked, trying to change the subject. It worked.
"Uh, he's good. He's excited he's finished first grade, so that's made him super hyper. Emily's glad he's done. His teacher would always make passes at me, telling me I looked more like his big brother than his father, and I must work out a lot..." Our conversation quickly changed into a funny one, laughing about Maxwell's cougar teacher.
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Later that week, after everyone had gotten settled after the earthquake, the house repairs started.
Everyone on the reservation wanted things done as quickly as possible, so they found what they were good at and did it at everyone's house in the neighborhood. The werewolves (excluding Leah) were doing all of the heavy lifting, the wives (including Leah) were re-painting and redecorating, the kids were being looked after by the grandmothers and kept out of the way. The dads were fixing furniture, and throwing away things that were beyond repair. The other teenaged non-werewolf boys were redoing roofs and fixing walls and floors. They went around to every house doing this.
The teenaged girls all had nowhere specific to be, so they all either hung around their boyfriends or little brothers and sisters, helping with whatever odd jobs they were asked. Everyone was happy knowing that their homes would be done soon, and the summer was spent sipping iced tea and lemonade and chatting with friends. Claire had mostly lost touch with Mulva; even though she knew she couldn't be with Quil, it didn't mean she would force herself to like another guy. She didn't kiss Quil anymore. He didn't kiss her. That was fine by her, actually. She didn't really want a romantic relationship with anyone at the moment. She was content hanging around with her friends, werewolves and not, laughing and flirting and getting ready for Embry and Joy's baby.
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CPOV
"Claire, can you hand me that 2x4?" A guy from my school asked. I smiled and handed him the plank of wood, watching him hammer it to the wall.
We were currently in the rich people's house, fixing it up. Quil was working at another one; he wanted to go where I was, but he was needed there and I was needed here. I assured him I would be fine for a few hours without him.
"Jacqueline, can you grab the other side of this desk and help me bring it down the stairs? I've got all the weight, I just don't want that end dragging..." Collin smiled as Jaqueline rolled her eyes and lifted the other end.
"Whoa! Jake! Watch where you walk, man!" Paul exclaimed as him and Embry carried a china cabinet, which Jacob had almost knocked over.
"Sorry," Jake smiled and backed up.
"Oh my god, this has got to be the biggest house in all of La Push and with just a couple guys, it's already crowded!" I laughed, doing a head count. Collin, Paul, Embry, Jake, and two guys from school, Nathan and Isaac, were working in the huge living room that would have regularly fit 15 or more people with ease.
"Yeah, what huge freaks," Jacqueline commented as she walked up back up the stairs, with Collin behind her.
"Where is everyone today?" Embry asked. He pretended to care about everyone, but we all knew that he really just wanted to know where almost 9-month pregnant Joy was at all times.
"Sam, Jared, Brady, Seth and Quil are working at the Jefferson's with some other guys, the grandmothers and kids are all gathered at Emily's house, the dads are at the tool store buying more... tools... and the women are at... uh-oh, I think I forget. Oh, well," I answered slyly.
"Yeah. Oh, well..." Embry still looked frustrated.
"I'm kidding, Em. That preggo wife of yours, as well as the other ladies are redecorating my house today."
Embry looked relieved. Then started in nervous father mode.
"Yeah. I mean, she'll be fine. I gave her a cell phone in case she needed me. Or you know, anything happened. With the baby. Like, being born. You think she'd call me, right? Can women in labour dial phones? What if my hands are busy while she's calling and I can't answer, then she wont pick up when I call her back? What happens if the baby's born without me? What if my phone dies? What if her phone dies?" Embry started biting his nails. I knew he was seriously stressed out, but I couldn't stifle a burble of laughter. Embry looked totally hilarious!
"Hey Embry?" Jake asked.
"Yeah?"
"CALM DOWN!" he exclamed after smacking him one across the face.
At first Embry looked pissed, but it soon relaxed into a smile. Everyone chuckled.
"Guys! Lunch time!" we heard my mother call into the front door of the house. Then, to get toward the food, something similar to a prison break happened. Within ten seconds, there was no sign of any men and Jacqueline and I were left staring at each other.
"Hey Claire?"
"Yeah, Jackie?"
"Collin's kind of hot."
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"These sandwiches are great, Mrs. H," Jared commented to my mom.
"Yeah, Mrs. Harper. Thanks." Brady nodded his head.
"You boys know you can call me Julie. I've told you that for..god knows how long!" she told them, laughing.
"God, mom. How many of these things did you make?" I asked.
"Well, I start making lunch as soon as I'm done breakfast, and then dinner right after lunch. It's a full time job, feeding all of La Push!"
"Yeah. They're like bottomless pits," Emily agreed.
"You're telling me," Kim added.
Everyone slipped into conversation about the biggest meal they'd all eaten, when suddenly Joy started looking extremely embarrassed.
"You okay?" I whispered, so no one would hear.
"Um... no. Not really. You know how being pregnant makes you need to pee alot?"
I nodded.
"I just had a little accident."
I considered for a moment. Suddenly, I tipped over my huge glass of apple juice that I hadn't had a chance to start.
"Whoops!" I said, spilling it all over Joy's lap to cover her already-wet spot. "My bad!"
Joy looked thankful. "It's no problem," she smiled.
"Claire Harper! Apologize to Joy this instant! It's hard enough being pregnant without having juice spilled all over you..." she scolded me, then turned to Joy. "I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. I just HOLY SHIT MOTHER!" Joy screamed out of no where. Maxwell smiled at her choice of curse words, and laughed with Jared's son Alex.
"Look at what you've done!" My mother screamed at me. "Look how upset she is!"
But I knew it wasn't the juice. Joy was glad I had done it to cover up her accident. But Joy's scream had sounded more out of pain than anger...
"Joy, I'm starting to think that that accident wasn't an accident," I murmured quietly.
"Hmmm... You think so? It sure as hell felt like pee to me," she murmured back.
"Joy. You're kidding, right? We need to get you to the hospital." I knew no one could hear us over my mother's shouting at me, and Emily and Kim shushing their sons, and the Quilyeute boys still arguing about who ate more in one sitting.
"I am not kidding. We don't need to go to the hospital. The house repairs are almost finished, and I know having this baby would just slow everyone down..." Poor Joy. Always caring about other people. She would rather go out without pants on instead of telling her sister not to borrow hers.
"Joy, the repairs can wait. This is a baby. It matters more than anything else right now." I couldn't believe that she was trying to convince herself she wasn't going into labour.
Quil had noticed my sudden whispering with Joy, and he leaned in to listen.
"Quil! Privacy, please!" I commanded him. He didn't seem to notice, only stared at Joy's belly.
"Joy, are you... having your-" he started. He was cut off by Joy wincing again.
"Ooooh wow." she said, then got up. "Ohhhh god." She clutched her giant tummy, attracting the entire table's attention.
Embry was beside her in an instant, rubbing her back. "Joy! Are you okay?"
Joy settled down. "You know what Claire? I think you're right. Somebody get me to a FREAKING HOSPITAL!" Except she didn't say freaking.
I was glad Joy was finally voicing her opinion, even if it was only because she was going into labour. I guess giving birth can do that. Alex and Maxwell had burst into laughter again at Joy's swear words; their parent's shushing had been in vain.
"R-right now?" Embry stammered.
Embry looked scared. Actually scared. Hah!
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do!?" he started to panic.
"Car keys! CAR KEYS!" I exclaimed, throwing them at Embry.
"Right! I need somebody to be in the back seat with her while I drive!" he said while escorting Joy into his (oh god, I know) SUV.
"CLAIRE!" Joy screamed. "Grab somebody to wait in the waiting room with you and get in the car NOW!" She started having another contraction.
I jogged out behind them, sliding into the back seat. I helped Joy in, and waited for Quil to join me like I knew he would.
I heard him and Embry chatting before they got into the front, speeding towards Forks Hospital.
Two minutes after we left, Joy said, "God, how long is this drive? We've been in this car forever!"
"It's okay, honey. We're still in La Push." Embry soothed.
"It's okay? My ASS it's okay. My contractions are four minutes apart and you're saying it's okay? God DAMMIT!" She screamed again. Wow. I didn't think contractions were THAT bad.
"Claire! It's your job to soothe her while I drive! I can't go any faster, I'm already going 15 over the speed limit!" Embry was still frightened, but he sped up a little more.
"It's okay...it's okay..." I kept saying over and over, rubbing her belly.
"That was the longest 15 minutes of my life," Quil commented as he helped Joy out of the car.
She stared daggers at him. "Of your life? Buddy, you're not the one who's abdomen is turning inside out!"
Fiesty.
Embry carried her, wet skirt (from the juice, and the water breaking) and all, right up the stairs to the sixth floor.
"Baby! Baby!" he screamed when he got to the front desk.
"Hello sir, now we need your information on this clipboard, a signature from both of you here..." the lady droned on in an extremely slow, annoying, very nasal voice.
Joy interrupted her. "No, excuse me, 'ma'am'. We need a hospital bed because I feel like I'm about to crap this baby out."
"Well I'm sorry, but hospital regulations clearly state that all women entering the labor and delivery ward have strict orders to fill out these forms. Now I need your husband's full name, your full name, your maiden name, your mother's maiden name, birthday, social insurance number, driver's license..." after a while I was starting to think they'd need to know Joy's favourite colour.
Joy finally got fed up and, after Embry set her down on her feet, she stuck a finger in the receptionist's face.
"Okay, you may have an I.D tag with a picture of your fugly-ass face on it, but you are not going to tell me what's about to happen. I will tell you. And at the moment, I need my husband to call my doctor and I need to lay down with a gas mask on. Can you handle that one task?"
Quil, Embry and I all looked at each other in surprise. Go Joy.
Looking extremely unimpressed, the nurse consulted her clipboard and pointed to a room three doors down. "Room F-10. Sir, I will need you to call your wife's doctor."
Joy was already waddling down the hallway, clutching her stomach and slipping out of her clothes and into a hospital gown she found on a table.
A nurse with a blood pressure... thingy... followed her and asked her to put her legs up. Embry shoved the paperwork, not filled out, back at the receptionist, and ran into the room as he heard another scream. Quil and I followed quietly behind and stayed behind the curtain.
"You are nine and a half centimeters, which means there is no time for an epidural. Now, I need to hook you up to this IV very quickly in case you need emergency medicine, but even if we give you an epidural, it won't take effect until after the birth. Now I need you to do these breathing exercizes..." we overheard the nurse say.
Quil and I walked toward the waiting room, which was only about ten feet away from Joy's room.
"Er... are you okay, Quil?" I asked. Quil's face was paler than its usual russet colour.
"I'm..." he gulped. "Fine. Just... hospitals."
"Uhh... what scares you so much about hospitals, Quil?" I questioned.
"People die in here! What if there's someone with a contagious, deadly disease in that room right there?" he looked shaken.
I tried not to laugh out loud. "Quil, we're in the maternity ward. Everyone on this floor is either giving birth or taking care of their newborn. There are no dying people here."
"Yeah, well... you never know..."
Ten minutes later, we heard someone screaming.
"Joy! You have to push, okay?" I heard the nurse say.
"NO! When I push it hurts MORE!" I heard Joy scream back.
"Well, if you would just push it out, then it won't hurt anymore. This will all be done quicker if you just-" the nurse was cut off by a loud yell.
"Whew! Joy, that was a good one! The baby's head is starting to come out. Now, I know it hurts, but imagine your little baby, sleeping in your arms..." The nurse coaxed her.
It didn't work as well as her first words of encouragement.
"JOY!" I screamed. "If you push one more time, you'll be able to have sex again without a basketball on your stomach!!"
Joy must have heard that, because next thing I knew, another blood-curtling scream could be heard, followed by quiet cries.
Quil looked at me questioningly. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Maybe that's why Embry's been so uptight lately," he offered.
For the next fifteen minutes, Quil and I were on our toes, waiting to be invited into room F-10.
Actually, he was literally on his toes. He was pacing back and forth around the postage-stamp sized room, while I just drummed my fingers on the armrest of the plastic chair.
Embry walked out with the biggest grin on his face. "You guys can come in now," he said, then hurried back into the delivery room.
Quil grabbed my hand as we followed Embry. My fingers tingled from where his touched mine.
We walked into where Joy was laying on her bed, holding a tiny little bundle of blankets in her arms. Quil and I were both awestruck, staring with our mouths open at the baby.
"Do you want to see her?" Joy snapped me out of it, and I nodded as I walked toward her.
"It's a girl?" I confirmed.
"Yes. Nadina Anne Call," she smiled at the name.
"She's beautiful," I murmured, and picked her up.
I held her for a while, laughing when Joy apologized for her earlier behavior.
"It's no sweat," I assured her. "You've given me a cute new... uhh..." I struggled for a word for the new baby.
"Actually, Claire..." Embry said.
Quil looked at him. "Yeah, Em?"
"Well, we were going to ask Quil to be the godfather," he explained, looking toward Quil hopefully.
"Of course, man! I would love to!" he said, giving Embry one of those handshake, shoulder bump things. Why do guys do that?
"Yeah," Joy continued. "And I know you're only fourteen Claire, but since Quil-" she stopped abruptly as Quil glared at her. Okay, what was the deal with that? Did that have to do with Quil kissing me a while ago? I furrowed my brow until Joy finished her sentence.
"Since Quil and you are such good friends," she continued, "We were wondering if you could maybe be her godmother...?"
"Oh my god! Of course! But I'm so young...?" I was sure she had started to say something about that before Quil made her stop.
"Well... Quil's the godfather, and you and him are...friends... so it kind of goes together. The godmother and godfather are usually really close, right?" Wrong. My godmother was my aunt Emily, and my godfather was my grandfather's cousin's kid on my dad's side. I doubted Emily and him had ever met.
"Uhh... right," I said instead. I would question Quil on that later.
Everyone knew I knew they were lying. But they pretended they didn't.
"Well?" Embry said, after I handed Nadina to Quil, "Hows about we call the people down on the rez?"
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After the ooh's and ahh's from practically all of La Push had ended and they had returned home, Quil asked if he could go in Embry's SUV to drive home. Embry said that was fine, and that Quil could bring it back the next day.
"Jackie? Claire? Are you guys coming in my car?" my mom asked.
"Sure! I need to talk to Claire. C'mon!" she said, and dragged me into our Toyota.
"Uhh... I guess I'll see you later then, Quil?" I screamed after him. He gave me the thumbs-up.
"Claire! Get in here!" she pulled me into the back seat, then reached into the front to turn the radio up really loud. "So mom won't hear," she explained.
We started the drive back to La Push, with Jacqueline bouncing her foot.
"Claire... I think I might like Collin!" she squealed. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, so what's your news?" I joked. She punched me in the arm.
"It's that obvious?" she looked self-concious.
"No. But I kind of already knew. Um... just so you know, Collin is 25," I explained. Just like how Quil was 28.
"I know... but he doesn't look a day over nineteen. Don't you think?"
"Yeah... those La Push guys all look really good for their ages. I mean, Sam looks like 25 and Emily looks well into her thirties, even though they're the same age."
"Anyway..." she continued, "I always think he's going to do something, you know? And then it seems like he doesn't want to. I asked him while you guys were at the hospital and he's all, 'I don't want to make a mistake', and I'm like, 'Excuse me?' and he's like, 'If we ever got serious... what If I met another girl?' and I'm like, 'Then that would suck, I guess...' and he's like, 'I'm scared that will happen.' and I'm like, 'If we ever got serious, what are the chances you'll hang out with another girl long enough to fall in love with her, too?' and he's like, 'You'd be suprised'. Then he walked away. And I haven't talked to him since then. Do all guys wonder if they'll meet another girl when they first ask someone out? I've never heard a guy say that before. It's so strange."
I listened to my sister's concerns. So Collin was acting weird, too. Just like Quil. Maybe the situations were related.
We chatted about Nadina and me being godmother for the rest of the way home, but really, I was just wondering what was up with the Quilyeute boys.
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We got out of the car and saw Jared and Paul arm wrestling (with Leah refereeing- those guys cheat all the time), Sam talking to Collin (with his eyebrows wayyy up), Brady and Jake in their swimsuits, walking toward a cliff to cliff dive, and Quil walking toward me.
"Hey, Quil," I said. "Long time no see, eh?"
He ruffled my hair and grinned. "So what are your plans for today?"
"Hmm... well, I was hoping you could help me out with a few questions I have..."
He looked confused. "What about?"
I walked into my garage where I knew no one would be and glared. "I want you to tell me everything. About why you didn't want Joy to tell me something. About why you're burning hot all the time. About why you and all of your friends are huge, and why you don't look a day older than when I first met you. I have waited twelve years for you to tell me, and I want answers. Now."
He looked pained. "So you... noticed all that stuff, huh? I guess it was stupid of me to think you wouldn't..."
"Are you going to tell me or not?" I demanded.
"I can't tell you everything. Not yet. But I'll give you the best explination I can. Sit down."