Disclaimer: You and I both know the truth.

Quil POV

It's funny, my place with Claire has kind of flip flopped – now I get to see her all week and she goes home for the weekends instead of me coming to visit her on weekends on the Makah res like when she was young. She is worried about spending enough time with her sister Alyssa before she heads off to college and Claire goes back every other weekend or so. And even though I miss her when she isn't here, I'm glad she is still staying close to her own family. I sometimes feel guilty for having her here, so far from them, but then I remember how things were during the separation and it just helps me behave while she is gone and I'm just so grateful to have her back again on Sunday night.

Two days after she came back to La Push with her license at the beginning of summer, I was finally able to really give her the car I fixed up for her. We spent some time together that day and I taught her about some basic car maintenance including changing a flat tire. We even practiced it in the driveway and it was so cute to see her tugging around that big old tire. But in the end I was satisfied that she will be okay should something happen and I'm not with her.

About a week into her summer break Claire told me she would be spending the day at the beach with Andrea and their school friends. Of course I encouraged her to go even though I had the day off and she told me I could come too. I am careful not to intrude on time with friends her age and I know she is still a little nervous about a repeat of the situation with the kids she grew up with so I told her I might stop by around lunch or something for a few minutes. That turned out to be a really bad idea.

Since Claire moved here about a year ago I have been aware of her physically in a whole new way. Her smell changed subtly because of changes in her body and I couldn't help but notice how she's developed. Most of the time I can keep all this in the back of my mind as I patiently wait for her to come of age so I can date her without having to worry about ending up in jail. But seeing her in a swimming suit made it more difficult than usual to keep a healthy perspective on my relationship with her.

Note to self: do not spend time at the beach with Claire for two more years.

I mean it! Don't even think about it!

I was hanging out with Embry that day and I wasn't planning on staying long anyway, but pretty much the moment I saw Claire and all of her beautiful skin I started sending telepathic signals to my friend to help me find a polite way out of there - immediately. Luckily, Embry was paying attention and helped me make an excuse that wasn't too lame and we left before I had no other choice than to either cover Claire with my t-shirt or wrap my arms around her and kiss her senseless.

So I barely survived that encounter. Then I had to suffer through her getting a summer job. As if it wasn't bad enough that I had to be away from her while I worked most days, but one of her 'helpful' friends had to hook her up with a part time job at the grocery store in Forks. Luckily I was able to work my schedule to match hers pretty well so we still had quite a bit of time together during the week when she wasn't busy with friends or off visiting her family.

The pack was pretty helpful in distracting me when she was gone and they even kicked my butt a few times when I needed it because I would complain about her very active social life. Claire was being a teenager and doing all the normal stuff a girl her age should do. Of course I wanted her to have that, but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous about all the time she was spending away from me. It just made the times we did have together that much more important to me. Even the stupid normal times just hanging out with her and playing a board game with her cousins on a Wednesday night were the highlight of my life.

I should probably feel pretty pathetic about stuff like that, but the truth is, I love it. I love it all because I love her and I will take every moment she will give me. As Brady enjoys reminding me all the time: I am so whipped. But I still wouldn't change a thing.

Summer brought its own brand of interesting happenings too: Tyler broke his leg, Alex came to me of all people for some advice on girls since one finally caught his eye, and during one of my occasional chats on the phone with Jake he told me that he and the Cullen clan are moving yet again. This is the fourth time in the last thirteen years. Of course, he doesn't care where he lives now that he and Nessie are married. I haven't seen the guy this happy since we were kids – before Bella Swan even thought of moving back with Charlie.

After one of Claire's visits home late in June she came home sad. Sam and his family were gone to Port Angeles that day and wouldn't be home until dark, so I was glad I was there for Claire when she got back that afternoon. At first she wouldn't tell me what was wrong, but I got her to sit in the kitchen while I made us sandwiches. After that I bribed her with the last of the Rocky Road ice cream in the freezer and even let her eat it all herself. Then she finally opened up and told me that she had seen Beth, the only one of her old 'friends' who seemed to be worth anything. Claire was sad because they've grown apart over the last year and they just didn't have anything to talk about anymore, so she has one less reason to want to spend time in Makah.

I was sorry she felt so bad about it, but to be honest, I'm glad she has one less tie to her old res. It may be selfish but I couldn't help thinking it would just make it easier to convince her to stay with me once she graduates from high school. After she told me what was wrong she started to cheer up a bit and I talked her into going for a walk before the sun set. It was a nice night and she held my hand as we walked. She was doing a lot better by the time we went home and the Uley's came home.

Claire found out that my birthday is the end of July and actually made me celebrate it for once. She even spent several hours baking with Emily and helped make my favorite cake – German chocolate. She was so proud of herself for doing most of it on her own and for me: it was the best cake I've ever tasted. Truth be told, Claire has been learning a lot about cooking and baking from Emily lately as she and Alex have been assigned to make some family dinners just so they know how. And for the record: Claire is much better at cooking than Alex.

. . .

I somehow managed to survive the summer only seeing Claire at the beach three times. Now Alyssa is off in Seattle, living on campus at the University of Washington studying Marine biology, and Claire is back in school and won't be leaving La Push nearly so often. So my biggest worry has now become the teenage boys at the tribal school.

And to my horror, I found out just how real that fear is only three weeks into the school year. I had just walked into the Uley house after work, said hi to Emily and she ushered me upstairs toward Claire's room where she was supposedly doing homework. I paused in the hallway when I heard Claire talking and soon realized she was on the phone when I heard another muffled voice.

"I'm so jealous you have three classes with him and I only have one." Claire complained.

Oh crap. Who in the world is 'him'?

"Really? He did?" Claire sounded excited.

I groaned inwardly. I didn't want to hear this.

"Do you really think he will ask me to homecoming?" she sounded so hopeful.

And that was all I could take. I stepped into view and knocked lightly on the open door to let Claire know I was there.

She looked up in surprise and blushed, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Hey Andrea, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said and after a moment she hung up.

"Hi." I said. "You didn't have to hang up just because of me."

"It's okay. I see Andrea all the time and I can talk to her later." She shrugged.

"You see me all the time too." I pointed out.

"It's not the same. Come sit down." She reached a hand out toward me and I moved from my spot in the doorway. She was sitting at her desk so I sat on the edge of her bed. I felt uneasy and quickly decided not to stay long.

"Do you have a lot of homework tonight?" I asked.

"Nope. Just a little more math and I will be done." She indicated the open book in front of her. Then she scrunched her nose as if she smelled something unpleasant. "Oh, and then I have to practice my monologue for drama class. I forgot about that. Do you want to help me with it later?"

"I dunno. I was thinking of going over to Todd's if you are busy. He has a new video game he can't stop thinking about. . ." I said.

Claire actually looked disappointed. "Oh. Okay then. How long can you stay?"

"You know the rules. Your homework isn't done yet so I better go." I stood up and she grabbed my hand to stop me from moving further.

"Quil, don't. Are you mad about what you heard, about Danny?"

"Who's Danny?" I asked. Now I had a name for the little punk.

"He's no one, Quil, I swear. He's nice to me and the rumor is that he wants to take me to the dance next month. I can't exactly go with you and this is my chance to go to a high school dance. You went to your dances, didn't you?" she explained.

I shrugged. "Yeah. I wasn't going to go to any after I met you but the guys made me."

"So you know it won't mean anything to me."

I nodded and then perked up a little when her words finally got through my thick skull. I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face. "Wait, so you would rather go with me?" I asked.

Claire's face turned white for a second and then blush colored her cheeks. "Did I say that?"

"Yeah, you did."

"Well, you're my best friend. You matter a lot more to me than some random guy at school." She tried to cover her tracks but I knew the truth now. She liked me. She may not be ready to tell me yet and I certainly couldn't do anything about it, but she liked me.

"Then I'm sorry I can't be the one to take you."

"Really?" Claire's face lit up in a way I hadn't seen before and my heart sped up.

"Really." I said and then sat back down again. "Maybe we can fudge on the rules a little today. How about we work on that monologue for a while and then I'll go so you can do your math?" I offered.

Claire beamed at me and quickly started fumbling through her backpack to find the papers she needed. This day just got a whole lot better for me.

. . .

For the next week I drove the pack crazy as I rehearsed that conversation in my head over and over again, especially enjoying Claire's blush and expression when I caught her admitting her feelings for me, more or less.

And a month later I pasted on a smile and repeated her words in my head like a mantra as I hung out at the Uley's while Emily helped Claire with her hair before the dance. I may be a glutton for punishment but I really wanted to see her all dressed up and get a glimpse of my 'competition'. Claire spent several days before hand reassuring me that she only liked Danny as a friend, and a much lesser friend than me.

It was worth it though when I saw Claire come down the stairs in a burgundy floor length gown with her dark hair curled and piled on her head in an elegant bun. She was absolutely gorgeous. My Claire was turning into quite the woman, and I would have enjoyed the view even more if I didn't know how much all the idiot little boys at her school were going to like it. And while I was no longer worried about her date, I was jealous of the kid because she would be on his arm all night and dance with him when I wish it were me.

But I behaved and gave Claire a light peck on the cheek so I wouldn't ruin her makeup or anything and I whispered to her that she was beautiful. At my words she dropped her gaze and a smile played on her lips as she blushed lightly.

I love this girl.

So I watched her leave with her date and was even able to chuckle at Sam who kept watching me carefully as if I would suddenly turn on the kid and rip his arms off. I could do this as long as I knew she wished it were me. I tried to explain this to Sam but I don't think he got it. I don't want to be the big bad wolf who won't let his imprint enjoy high school and all the normal important parts of that experience. As long as she ends up with me, I can survive a few nights like this.

. . .

Claire POV

Fall semester of my junior year is over and now I can enjoy the Christmas break. What a relief! My classes weren't that bad or anything and I still have great friends, but its so relaxing to just be home around Quil and the pack. Its getting harder to avoid my friend's questions about dating. Andrea and Cory are going out and others are starting to pair up as well. Other than Homecoming with Danny and a group movie night where I was basically set up with a boy name Tony, I've been able to avoid going out. It's just awkward for me since I don't feel anything for these guys and I don't want to lead them on. And as usual I can't tell anyone about Quil and how great he is, and how special he makes me feel, and how hot he is. . .

So I was especially excited that Emily and my mom arranged for my family to come stay here for Christmas! I didn't have to be away from Quil at all which made everything so much better. He was included in pretty much all of the family activities which just felt right to me. My little brother Devon had a blast with Alex and he pulled me aside and told me how cool he thinks Quil is after two days of snowball fights, sledding and tons of fun outside. Just like last year my favorite part was still getting warmed up by Quil after being outside in the cold. It may not be that sneaky, but I can't exactly get in trouble from cuddling with him when I'm risking hypothermia. Fine, I never got quite that cold, but no one else needs to know that.

The day after my family went home, Quil drove me to Port Angeles for ice skating at a little outdoor rink. I had such fun last year that I insisted we go again. He insisted on paying for the skate rental even though I have money saved from my summer job. When we got on the ice we were both less than graceful and for once I was equal with Quil. While the pack may be coordinated in general, it seems that wolves, like people, weren't necessarily made for sliding around on ice. It took us twenty minutes to really get our feet under us and we both fell a few times, one of which resulted from Quil pulling me down with him since we were hanging onto each other for dear life. After that we did all right and were able to skate around the rink several times without incident.

Quil held my gloved hand in his bare one and I could still feel his heat through the material. I was bundled up in several layers complete with coat, hat, scarf and gloves while he wore a light coat and a hat mostly to keep up appearances. It felt nice gliding along on the ice with Quil. The thought struck me that dating him would be this effortless and comfortable. I would never have to agonize over clothes or what I did or didn't say, or what he did or didn't say and try to guess his emotions as I would with someone else. I knew him and I was unbelievably comfortable in his presence.

After an hour and a half Quil nodded toward the gap in the wall around the rink as we came up to it and I followed him off the ice. The sensation of walking in the skates on the special rubber flooring was odd after gliding so long. I giggled and Quil collapsed onto an empty bench laughing. I sat down with him and we smiled at each other and then burst out laughing some more.

"That was fun." I managed to say around the laughter.

"Yeah it was. I'm not about to win any speed skating awards, but I would come here with you any day." Quil gave me a huge smile.

After staring at each other for a minute his face softened and his warm brown eyes drew me in. He lifted his hand and brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers and then opened his hand to cup my cheek with his warm palm. He made a face.

"Ooh, you are cold honey. Why don't I get us some hot chocolate?" he offered.

I nodded, slightly dazed from the tender way he had caressed my face. He got up and walked quickly over to the concession counter on the outside of the building that housed all the skates, shoe lockers, and restrooms. Luckily the line wasn't very long – hot chocolate sounded so good to me.

While I waited I looked back out at the ice and watched the people I hadn't paid attention to while skating with Quil. There were actually a lot of couples here: many who looked older and married, with a few younger dating couples. There were a few small groups of kids my age and younger, and even a few families with kids who were just learning. I followed the progress of a middle aged couple who were holding hands and looked just as in love as some of the other young couples. I felt an odd tug inside my chest as I thought how nice it would be to have that with Quil one day. It was almost too much for me so I looked away and glanced up at the starry night sky above. The clouds had parted this afternoon which made the air that much colder but allowed me to see the night sky for once.

Quil reappeared right then and handed me a steaming cup as he sat down close to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I wrapped my hands around the hot cup and Quil sipped his drink from his free hand. I leaned into his side and snuggled down in his embrace, enjoying all the warmth I could get. I felt him relax against me as well and we settled back to watch the gliding figures swirl in front of us.

I eventually drank some of my hot cocoa, while Quil downed his pretty quickly. He didn't have to worry about burning his mouth because of his high temperature and fast healing. I was much more careful. As I sat there comfortably cocooned under Quil's arm an old couple with grey hair walked past us.

The woman glanced at us and smiled. "What a cute couple." She commented and they continued on and disappeared in the crowd.

I felt my cheeks heat with a blush and noticed a little color on Quil's face as well.

"I guess we do look a little like a couple." I said quietly. "I mean, you stopped aging when you were 16, so to someone who doesn't know any better, we probably look like a normal couple."

"Yeah. I guess we do." Quil said in wonder. "Is that okay with you?" he asked quietly, looking very nervous.

"Sure. It's amazing they don't think someone like you is totally out of my league though." I said lightly with a small smile, hoping to ease his fears. We haven't really talked about our relationship seriously before so this was new ground for us.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked in genuine surprise.

"Well, look at you; all tall dark and handsome, and then look at ordinary little me. You could just be on a pity date as far as they know."

"Oh come on!" Quil protested. "You are beautiful Claire. And you may be a little biased toward me. As much as I want to gloat over the 'handsome' comment, I'm not that great to look at. And you would never be a pity date for me: you would be a dream date." He froze as he realized what he'd just said.

If I weren't so happy wrapped up next to Quil I could have done a cartwheel. But I had to be careful. I didn't want to freak him out. "I doubt all your friends have crushes on me. Since my birthday party last year Andrea and the girls have been drooling over you and the rest of the pack."

"They have?"

"Of course. You are all tall with great skin and white smiles, your muscles are insane and you are friendly and nice. If any of you had taken your shirts off I wouldn't be able to keep the girls away from the house in the hopes of seeing you guys around."

"And you are including me in all of this?" Quil asked with a smug grin.

I couldn't help but smile back. "Yes."

"So if a guy like me did ask you out on an actual date, what would you say?"

"Yes."

Quil stared at me for a moment searching for something.

"What if I asked you out?" he asked quietly.

"I would say yes." I answered.

"It doesn't gross you out that I'm twice your age?" he checked.

"You don't look twice my age and you don't feel twice my age." I said.

"Could you really see me as a boyfriend?"

I looked down at the cup in my hands. "Only if you can see me as more than a little girl."

"I already do." He said.

"Oh." My eyes snapped up to his and I could see it. I saw the affection and the usual brotherly love and concern, but there was something more as well. Something I've been seeing for a while but couldn't name, and I knew. He did love me the way I loved him. And I saw longing surface in his expression as well. We may love each other but we couldn't do anything about it yet. So he was waiting: patiently waiting and loving and supporting me in everything until the time we could be together.

In that moment I knew I could wait too. The promise I saw in his eyes combined with my mother's words about Quil caring for me and the loving couple I had watched earlier. We would have that, I knew it. I just had to be patient and strong like my amazing best friend.

"Wow." Quil breathed. "So then, will you keep Valentine's Day a little over a year from now open for me?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"Yes." I said.

"Then it's a date." He said with a light chuckle. He pulled me closer and left a searing kiss on my forehead before wrapping his other arm around me as well in a bone crushing hug. I gave myself up to the heat and hugged him tightly back. I could hear Quil's heart pounding in his chest under my ear and he kept chuckling lightly every so often like he couldn't believe what was happening.

I almost couldn't believe it myself. It may be a year away, but I had a date with Quil Ateara!

I wasn't aware of time passing but all of a sudden there was an announcement over the loud speaker that the rink would be closing in fifteen minutes. I reluctantly pulled out of my warm cocoon in Quil's arms and saw that he was equally surprised. We walked hand in hand back to the lockers and changed back into our own shoes and returned the skates. Quil held my hand the entire drive home. We didn't talk much, because there just wasn't much more to say. We were both enjoying what had happened tonight and the promise the future held for us.

I was still in a hazy kind of dream when Quil dropped me off at home, walking me to the door and kissing the top of my head in a goodbye. He had done that hundreds of times before but now I knew that it wasn't just a casual move on his part. He was telling me how much he loved me, just like he had been ever since I found out the truth about him. I wandered past Sam and Emily and went up to bed and slept better than I think I ever have, lost in happy dreams of Quil and I.

. . .

So, what did you think? Was it good? Too cheesy? worth the wait? I'd love to hear from you.