Sorry I took so long to update. But hey, it's summer and I've been out having fun! I made it a little longer because this was so late. Plus, I wrote and re-wrote so much of this that its completely different than what you would have gotten if I published the chapter right away. Okay, enough talk. Hope you like!

The next few days were absolute bliss. Quil and I went everywhere together; the beach, school clothes shopping, babysitting, and he even came over to my house sometimes to sleep. (Don't tell my mom. (Though I doubt she'd care.))

My conversation with her, my aunt, and Jacqueline went something like this:

Me: Guess what.

Jacqueline: You dragged me over here to tell me something?

Me: No. Well, yes, but that's not the exciting part.

Mom: Honey, will you please just tell us?

Me: Okay. Me and Quil...

Jacqueline: That's a surprise.

Me: Shut up!

Jacqueline: But you go everywhere together. If this is just another 'Quil did this for me' or 'Quil and me went somewhere' story then I'm out.

Aunt Emily: Claire, Max needs to be put to bed, and the house needs to be cleaned...

Me: FINE! I'll just say it. (Tried to make dramatic pause, but everyone started getting antsy so I didn't) ...Quil and I are together!

Everyone:

Me: Isn't that awesome?!

Emily: Huh. I thought your birthday wasn't for another few days.

Me: What does that have to do with anything?

Mom: That's when he was going to tell you, wasn't it?

Me: Yeah, but he told me early. Isn't it exciting?

Jackie: Mhhmmm. I'm leaving now. (Leaves.)

Me: No one's happy for me! (Pouty face.)

Emily: Of course we are. But I really should be getting Max to bed...

Mom: Is he getting over that cold of his?

Emily: Yes. We actually went to the clinic yesterday, and guess who I ran into? Martha Coletti.

Mom: You're kidding?! Well, how is she?

Emily: She's good, her back is acting up again because of that car accident-

Me: Does no one care about this??

Mom: Of course we care! We're glad you're so happy. But it's not like we weren't expecting it...

Me: So my surprise was ruined?

Mom: Uh...

Me: Whatever. I'm going to Quil's. To his house. With no parents.

Mom: Be back before dinner! Anyway, so about Martha...

Yeah. That is no joke what happened. I know what you're thinking- 'Claire's exaggerating'. Wanna know what the worst part is? I barely am. Anyway, a couple days later, when I tried to remind my mom about Quil's age, she just laughed! Her exact words were 'I'd be more worried about you looking older than him'.

So I went over to Quil's and asked him about it and he said, 'Why do you think I still look 16?' and I said, 'I don't know. Anti-aging cream?' and he laughed, just like my mom and said, 'No. I'm never going to need anti-aging creams until I decide to stop phasing.' and I said, 'That's a joke, right?' and he said, 'Why would I joke about my age?' and I said, 'So you could get me angry.' and he said, 'Me not aging makes you angry?' and I said, 'A little bit! So when I'm dead you're going to be standing over my gravestone in wolf form and be like, I'm gonna miss Claire! ?' and then he said, 'Of course not! But you know what? We should focus on the right now. Thinking about you dying makes me upset.'

So even though I agreed not to talk about it anymore, of course it's still on my mind. Emily looks awesome for her age, so her and Sam don't look that 'off'. Kim looks older than Jared, but not too bad. Joy is twenty one, and still looks younger than Embry by a little bit. But I'm not that pretty and I have a feeling when we go places it will be like, 'Oh hello, you decided to bring your grandson out for dinner?'

But it was my birthday today, and I really didn't want to dwell on the future. As I checked the weather (the heat was supposed to let up by the end of the weekend) and popped some bread in the toaster, Jacqueline came downstairs looking flustered.

"What's up, Jackie?" Her hair was pulled back (le gasp) and she was on her cell phone saying something about 30 pizzas.

She held up a finger to her lips for quiet, then pressed it into her ear. After she finished her call, she smiled at me.

"Happy Birthday Claire. You better not be upset that I'm not buying you a present, because planning this gong show of a party is your gift."

"Um... I'm pretty sure I just asked you to call a couple people over for food." Why would that make her so freaked out?

"Hah! Yeah, right. Do you know how many people you'd piss of if they weren't invited?" She rolled her eyes. "Plus, it's your sweet sixteen. If you didn't want to rent a limo and drive around Seattle like I did, then a big party is the best I can do."

Crap! Now we were gonna have like 20 people crowded into our little house. Greaat.

"Anyway, Claire, Collin told me to tell you that Quil's going to be showing up at 11:30 this morning for 'half' of your present. Don't ask me what it is, because he wouldn't tell me. All he'd say was that you won't consider it a present, and Quil is a crazy man to give it to you." She shrugged. "Now get out! I have lots to plan!"

I was glad it was finally considered cold enough to wear long pants. I would still have to wear a tank top if I didn't want to sweat to death, but at least I wouldn't be re-wearing my few pieces of summer wardrobe day after day.

I pulled on a nice pair of dark blue jeans and a scarlet red tank top, then topped it off with a little eyeliner and mascara. I wanted to look extra-nice on my birthday, so I decided on a push-up bra and lip gloss. Why not?

Grabbing my keys and twenty bucks (even though if I was going anywhere with Quil, he wouldn't let me pay for anything), I grabbed my no-longer-hot toast from the toaster, spread a little butter on it, and walked outside. He was leaning against the hood of his truck with shorts and a wifebeater on, his face suddenly bright and full of happiness. I still couldn't believe I could be so appealing to someone like Quil. His eyes widened as he noticed my, er, 'new look' and started walking very quickly toward me.

He grabbed me gently but firmly and pressed his lips to mine. They molded together perfectly, as if they were created to fit that way. Butterflies were pretty much kicking my stomach to pieces, making me curl my toes inside my shoes. It was ridiculous, really, the effect this guy had on me. We weren't even really kissing. But even a 'hello' kiss made my insides turn to mush... I'm sure depressing, aren't I?

"How was your sleep?" he asked in a beautifully husky voice.

"Not as good as it would have been if you were there," I answered truthfully. He just smiled.

"Shall we get started on part of your present?" he asked, opening his door. That's funny- usually he opened mine for me. Ew! That made me sound spoiled! I blushed at my suddenly high expectations and ran to the passenger side of the truck. I couldn't step in before two huge hands grabbed my hips and lifted me in the air toward the driver's side. He placed me in the seat the ran back to the passenger's spot.

"I'm... You're letting me drive?! Thank you thank you THANK you!" I said, grabbing his face and kissing his cheek.

"I'm giving you driving lessons! Okay, so first things first. Seat belt. Okay. Now, start the car. No! Don't put it into drive yet! Put your foot on the brake. Good. Now put it into drive... and- CLAIRE! PUT YOUR FOOT BACK ON THE BRAKE!"

Now, how was I supposed to know that letting your foot off the brake would make you go? I thought that brake meant stop and gas meant go. So obviously when I wanted to move forward I put my foot on the gas.

I slammed my foot back onto the brake, lurching the car.

"Claire, you're going to be the death of me... and I mean that in the most literal sense you can think of."

22222222222

"I hate driving!" I said, crossing my arms. "I quit!" So far, I had managed to give us both whiplash, charmed my way out of a ticket for speeding, and narrowly avoided hitting a squirrel (and countless trees).

"You just need practice. How about we go down the highway one more time?" He suggested calmly.

"No! We've been doing this for hours and I need to pee. Can we stop?" I didn't really need to pee. But driving was way too hard! I can see how Collin believed I wouldn't think this was a gift- it was torture.

"Alright. We'll stop at... the movie rental store. I think Seth is working right now, he'll let you use the staff bathroom." I slowly let my foot off the brake and steered toward the little store a block away.

"You can give it some gas now," he told me.

So I did.

"BRAKE! STOP! CLAIRE, GET YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS!"

See what I mean? I SUCK at driving. Fortunately for me, we were now next to the store. I pulled over to the side of the road, pulled the key out of the ignition, and sighed with relief when my feet touched ground again.

"Quil, can you drive us back to La Push? I think I'd rather live to see the end of my sixteenth birthday."

22222222222

Quil asked if I wanted to come over to his house before my party started. I agreed, knowing this would probably be our only private time (while we weren't almost dying) for the entire day.

Quil lazed across the couch, smiling like an idiot at me.

"What?" I demanded self consciously.

"Nothing. I like your birthday outfit is all," he replied.

Riiiigghhht. The push up bra. I'd forgotten about that. I walked over and laid beside him, clasping my hands around his neck and kissing him. He wrapped his arm around my waist like he usually did, but held it tighter this time. I wasn't sure if it was to keep me from pushing it further or to keep him from it.

Either way, I wanted to do something more than just kiss. We'd kissed when I was fourteen, for god's sake! But I was sixteen now and I wanted to kick it up a little. Well, not just a little. I wiggled a little under his arm, and he loosened it, probably thinking it was too tight. Like he could ever hold me too close to him.

As soon as he loosened his arm, I lifted one leg and put it on his other side so I was straddling his waist. He slowed his kissing for a moment, but then continued. I released my hands from around his neck, sliding them down his chest and under his shirt. I moved my palms up his perfect stomach, tracing his muscles...

"Stop. Claire, this is too much." I was suddenly sitting beside Quil, who ran a hand through his jet black hair and shook his head.

I huffed. "I'm sixteen, Quil! Isn't that how old you technically are? Sixteen?"

"Yes, but..." he shook his head again and sighed. "You drive me crazy, Claire. In a good way, of course, but crazy all the same."

"Why should we stop, then?" I asked. "There's no reason we shouldn't. Uncle Sam let us be together like a week ago!"

"Yeah, and usually sixteen year olds don't have sex after being together for a few days. I don't want you to regret anything in the future." But my future was him!

"What will I regret in the coming years? Losing my virginity to my husband?"

In my (sexual) frustration, I didn't notice Quil becoming suddenly giddy. A goofy smile was plastered on his face as he leaned in close and kissed me once. Not a lingering one, but full of passion and love.

"What was that for?" I asked, still a little ticked.

"Do you know what you just said?" He was so happy about something.

"Um, that I don't want to wait anymore because in thirty years it won't matter when we first did it?" Again, at my words he looked even more joyful.

"You want to get married?" he asked.

"Obviously, one day!" was he slow? Did he honestly think I was even considering not spending my life with him?

He kissed me again, with more force. I could tell his lips were still smiling the entire time.

"What's got you so excited?" I asked breathlessly.

"You said you want to be my wife one day! What's not to be excited about?" He kissed me again. Maybe we could get somewhere today...

Or not. "We should get going," he said as he noticed the time. Damn!

"We don't need to be at my party on time," I insisted, trying to kiss him again.

"No, no. It's your special day, and Jackie has been working so hard on it!" He lifted me up and carried me to my shoes.

On our walk there, Quil was almost buoyant. He kept looking down at me and grinning, then he'd kiss me once. When we got to our house, I could tell it was jam packed with people.

"Ready, Claireykins?" he asked, squeezing my hand.

"Don't call me that. And yes." We walked to my front doors, opened them, and-

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAIRE!"

You know how I thought 20 people would be a lot? Now I was begging for 20 people. Of course the pack were all huge, and took up more space than the rest. But there was at least 40 or 50 people there. The wolves, their brothers and sisters and parents, my friends and their families, my cousins and aunts and uncles. It was insane.

The back doors were opened so that people could walk around the backyard. There were people in the kitchen, in the living room, on the stairs, and sitting on counters. My mouth must have been hanging open, because Jacqueline said, 'Catching Flies?'

There were 30 pizzas, and plates stacked high with hot dogs. Balloons and streamers were tied everywhere and suddenly, a rush of people were coming towards me to give me a hug.

"Thank you, Jacqueline!" I exclaimed, running towards my sister.

"My pleasure. And now, we will be going to the beach." She motioned for the door, and everyone started walking out.

"Why the beach?" I asked.

"For the bonfire, of course," she said.

My birthday was absolutely amazing. Everyone sat on blankets while my dad and uncle Sam lit a huge bonfire where people made s'mores and roasted hot dogs, and the people who didn't want to be close to such a huge flame ate the pizza. I hung out with my best friend Leslie (who flipped when I told her about me and Quil, but was fine with it after a while)... I told her Quil was younger than I had thought. She laughed, rolled her eyes, and called me crazy, but said some other girls in our school would be jealous because they had crushes on him.

It was nice to spend some time with Leslie. I hadn't seen her since school had let out! But then again, it wasn't all my fault; she had gotten a boyfriend that she was practically mauling every ten minutes. (Lucky).

I asked her if they'd... yeah know, DONE IT yet. She shook her head, but added, 'Soon.' They'd been together for about 5 months, so I guess me asking Quil to do it after a week was a little much. Looking back, I thought I was stupid. I guess I was just really 'in the moment'. Now, though, I was glad we didn't.

"What about you and Quil?" she asked. "How's dating your cousin going?"

"Shut up!" She always knew he wasn't my cousin, but she always lied for me since 4th grade when people started wondering. "Anyway, can't you tell how things are going? Dreamily..." I glanced at Quil, who looked at me with a smile that melted my heart. Leslie made gagging sounds.

"It's like you guys are making out, but aren't even touching. It's weird." She looked deep in thought. "It's not like he's undressing you with his eyes, or anything creepy like that... just nothing I've ever seen before. It's almost like there's no party going on, and you're the only one here. Damn! I wish Josh would look at me like that!"

We giggled until everyone who didn't live on the rez went home for the night. The fire was still going strong, but because of the late hour, it wasn't quite enough to keep me warm. I made my way over to Quil's lap and he folded his hands over mine. My parents barely even noticed. The wolves, because they didn't need too much sleep, were still wide awake and laughing (and a little buzzed from the beer, though they couldn't get drunk as easily because their bodies worked off the alcohol so quickly).

Billy Black said he was getting a little tired, so he wheeled off toward the house, urging Jacob to stay. Leah and her husband headed off to their place early because he had to work the next day. My parents decided to go home too (probably because of the vacant house- I learned that because Aunt Emily winked at me- YUCK) and Nadina was getting sleepy so Joy and Embry took her back. Emily and Kim decided that was probably a good idea and tried to round up their sons, but they flipped out and the guys offered to look after them.

Eventually, the only ones left were the wolves (excluding Uncle Sam, Leah, Jared and Embry), Jacqueline, Max, Alex and me.

We were all chatting and having a good time until Max decided to push Alex into the probably freezing ocean. Being third grade boys, they didn't even notice the cold, and instead Alex chased Max and dragged him down under as well.

"Boys! Get out of the water, please!" I shouted. They didn't listen, so I got up off Quil's lap and walked toward the shore. I called out again, and they finally came out... but apparently, only to grab me and pull me into the water as well.

"Y-y-y-you guys are s-s-s-o DEAD!" I said and chased after them with chattering teeth.

Quil, of course, came in after me. He pulled off his shirt (insert drooling here) and walked into the water. He flinched at first, but then looked completely at ease. No shivering or teeth chattering at all!

"G-g-g-get those k-k-k-kids!" I ordered and we started chasing after them. Holy, they were fast! Brady ran out as well, also pulling off his shirt (more drool) and chasing the stupid kids. Jacob walked to the shore to try and see, but Paul ran up from behind him, picked him up, and threw him into the water as well. Jacob, pissed off, grabbed Paul by his collar and hurled him into the ocean as well. Before long, everyone was in the water except Jacqueline, and Alex who was too cold to stay in.

"C-c-c'mon, Jackie! The water's g-g-great!" I promised.

"No way in hell am I getting in there! I would rather not get hypothermia, if I can avoid it." She threw a towel at Alex.

"Collin?" I whispered. "B-b-bring Jackie out h-h-here."

"Can do," he whispered back. He walked out toward his girlfriend and held his arms out, dripping wet, for a hug.

"No way! Collin, do not come near me! I'm warning y- AH! COLD!" Collin had scooped Jacqueline into his arms and was now walking back toward us.

"Nice try, Collin. You've already heated up the water on your body, and I'm actually kind of warm." She seemed pretty happy with herself, so Collin shrugged and placed her into the icy water. Jacqueline shrieked and clinged to her boyfriend.

"Y-y-you little-" she tried to wade through the water after him, but her shirt and jeans were clinging to her and weighing her down. Fuming for a moment, she ripped off her clothes and chased after Collin.

So surprised by seeing her in her underwear, Jackie was just able to jump on his back before he ran off. "There, now I'm good."

Following her lead, I hugged Quil tightly and amazingly, I actually warmed up pretty fast. Jacob, Paul, and Max ripped off their soaking shirts and I thought I looked pretty squaresville, being the only one in clothing. So when Quil left 'just for a moment' with Jacob, (probably to pee) I took advantage and ripped off my shirt. Jacqueline came up behind me and shimmied my jeans down, then threw them to Alex who was still on the beach.

Since there were so many boiling hot werewolves close together, they had warmed up the ocean to a swimmable temperature. Not hot tub or anything, more like a pool. And jeez, it was nice to just swim around! We all splashed each other and climbed on each others shoulders for water fights- since Quil was gone, I hopped up on Seth- and Jackie and me wrestled, trying to bring the other one down.

Now, I can see how Quil thought it looked a little weird when he came back. Me, stripped down to my underwear and bra on a guy's shoulders. What was uncalled for was him grabbing me under my armpits and carrying me to where Alex was still sitting, then handing my clothes back to me. Pssht. Like I'm going to put soaking jeans on.

So when he smiled and walked back to the water, Alex and I ran in after him. I jumped on his back, Alex jumped on Seth, Max jumped on Jacob, and Jacqueline hopped back up on Collin. Paul, as soon as he saw what was happening, ran back to his house. Whatever he's an ass anyway.

Quil, still being a little spoilsport, tried to get me off his back. But because I'm awesome, I climbed up onto his shoulders where he couldn't reach me, and kissed the top of his head.

"Lighten up," I urged. "It's the same thing as a swimsuit, just different fabric."

He sighed and started joining in with the others. Yes!

222222222222

By about 1 o'clock, the... humans... were getting tired, so everyone decided to go home. I was walking back to my house when Quil grabbed my shoulder.

"Wait, Claire. Don't you remember? There's still another present for you," he reminded me.

"Oh, yeah. You don't need to give me anything, honestly, Quil. You already do too much." And he never let me repay him.

"Well, this one is completely free," he informed me. "Would you like it?"

"Fine," I said. "What is it?"

He smiled. "I'll be right back. And no matter what, do not move from this spot. Okay? Promise me?"

Why would I need to stay still? "I promise."

"Okay. I'll be right back." He ran into the forest, and I sat down. I put on my now-dry tank top and wrapped myself in a blanket; without Quil, I noticed how cold it was outside. I sat there for about another minute, wondering what he would be getting me. Something free and something from inside the forest. Did he catch me a bunny?

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. A huge black figure appeared, and I jumped to my feet. I know Quil said to stay there, but I was sure he'd understand if I ran away from a huge bear... or horse... or something.

As it came closer, I backed away slowly. My house was only a block or so from here... I might outrun it if I ran now. But then again, it was pretty huge. When it came into full view, I realized it was neither a horse nor a bear. It was a... a.. a wolf?! Since when did wolves get so big? And those teeth...

Paralyzed, I let it walk slowly towards me until it was about ten feet away and laid down. It looked me in the eyes, and though it was impossible, I swore I must have seen that wolf before. Those eyes just looked so familiar...

Searching through my mind for a match, I realized what was staring back at me. Or rather, who.

"Quil," I whispered.

I took a few steps closer, and he got to his feet. I continued walking until I got in front of him, and he bowed his head. I reached out tentatively and stroked some fur on his neck. It was so soft!

Reaching up with my other hand, I rubbed each side of his face while he dipped his head lower and touched his nose to mine. He then laid back down and looked at me meaningfully.

I didn't understand at first, but then he gestured his head toward his back. I nodded with comprehension, and slowly climbed up and grabbed his fur. There was nothing else to hold onto! "Does it hurt?" I asked.

He barked a strange sound, almost like a laugh, and started running. Man, he runs fast! Like, can't see what's going on around me fast. I felt his muscles and joints moving together underneath me, but nothing more- no bumps or jolts. It was smoother than even the most expensive sports car.

He ran through the forest, past all the cities to a lake where there was no other civilization around. I looked up and gasped; the sky was filled with hundreds of thousands of beautiful, twinkling stars and a giant full moon. It reflected off the calm water.

Quil laid down, and I slid off so I was sitting beside him. "It's beautiful," I murmured. "The stars, the moon, the lake... all of it."

He closed his eyes as I snuggled even closer into him, breathing in his familiar scent. His soft chocolate fur felt amazing as I ran my fingers through it.

"What's on your leg?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

He almost smiled and I walked toward it, trying to see what the piece of fabric was...

"Your clothes?" I asked incredulously. He barked that strange, laughing sound again. "You carry them around as a wolf?"

Quil rolled his eyes and then shut them again. We sat again, in perfect serenity for a half hour or so before he got up and wandered into the forest. I stayed put.

He emerged wearing the same shorts that were tied to his leg, smiling. He laid down next to me and started playing with my hair.

"Did you like your present?" he asked.

"I loved it. How about you just take me around on your back for transportation instead of me driving? I would rather this be my entire gift." I shimmied upwards so I could kiss him.

"You don't want to drive? Gosh, your Christmas present is going to be a waste, then." He shook his head dramatically.

"You. Are. Kidding me." I said. A car?? That was wayy too much!

"It's not just from me, silly. Everyone's pitching in. But you have to get your license first..."

"Fine!" I said. "But for now, let's lay here a while longer."

And so I cuddled into my beautiful, warm, werewolf boyfriend until the sun started to rise.

Awww. Want a preview from the next chapter? Fine, fine. You guys deserve one, after me taking so long to update. Plus, I will be away at camp all week! Oh no! No updates? Unfortunately, that is the sad truth. I'm sure you guys will live. Especially with the news that the Twilight movie will be coming out on Nov. 21st instead of Dec. 12th! I think that's enough good news to keep you happy for a week, huh? Ok. See you guys next Saturday!

Julie Harper: Claire, where are your pants?

Claire: Chill, mom. They're at Quil's.

Sam: What did you just say?