A/N – I do not own any of the characters found in the Twilight series. They belong to Stephanie Meyers. I'm just elaborating on them a bit. ;)

Chapter 6

Life slides into a pleasant routine for Tia that next week. Quill walks Tia to class every morning and waits for her in the afternoon to walk her home. They talk about everything from music to homework to just little silly stuff. A friendship is blossoming.

It's Thursday afternoon.

QPOV

"Do you want to get together after dinner to do our math homework? Mr. Tierce laid it on pretty thick today, especially given that we have a test just around the corner." I stop in front of her house, hoping that she would agree. I want to spend more time with her.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Uma has a council meeting to attend so it will be just me and the tv otherwise." She replies smiling up at me. My heart melts when I see her smile.

"Ok, I'll see you in an hour or two. Grandpa's going to that meeting too so I'll have him drop me off and pick up Uma." The wind has blown a bit of hair across her face. I reach up and tuck it back behind her ear. The mere touch of her skin sends a little electric jolt through my system. She smiles again and then turns to go into the house.

I whistle happily to myself as I head on home.

TPOV

I skip through the house after I shut the door. Is he really going to spend time over here with me? Could this really be happening?

"What has you so happy?" Uma asks knowingly. She always seems to know things.

"Quill is going to come over to help me with my math homework while you and his grandpa are at the council meeting. He said that his granpa could pick you up to go to the meeting if that's ok with you."

"How thoughtful, that Quill is a good boy." She laughs to herself.

Uma wanders into the kitchen to finish up dinner. I can smell chocolate cake as it comes out of the oven. My tummy growls in response. Dinner will be ready in just a few so I have just enough time to give mom a quick call.

The phone rings and mom picks up. "Hey T, how are you doing? I've been waiting for your call." I've made a habit to call mom every other day or so around this time. She's usually just walking through the door from work and I haven't started my homework yet. We chat about our day. She's telling me a funny story of something that happened with a guest at the casino and an unfortunately clumsy new waitress when I can hear voices behind her. She cuts the story short. "Um, I've got to go. I'll give you a call tomorrow. " I hear Jim's voice in the background. "Hey, is that Tia? Tell her that we miss her." Mom hangs up. I sigh. Some things never change.

Dinner was tasty and I felt like finally asking Uma about her photos. "I know that I should have asked this long ago Uma, but what happened to dad? Mom never explained or had any photos of him around. She told me that our old photos had been lost in one of our moves. I was surprised by the one you have on the wall of the three of us."

Uma stares into her glass for a moment trying to decide what to say. "Your parents loved each other very much Tia. You were only 3 yrs old when your dad was killed. He was out hunting with some friends and the hunting party had split up. Eli came face to face with a mad grizzly. It killed him. Your mother's heart was broken. She couldn't bear to stay here with you surrounded by all of the memories, which is why you two moved away." Her eyes were sad when she finished explaining. I can't imagine what it is like to outlive your own child.

"I'm sorry for asking. I didn't mean to upset you Uma." I reach over to take her hand. She pats mine saying "No child, you need to know what happened. It's part of your history too."

A truck pulls up in front of the house. I help Uma clear the dishes telling her that I would finish tonight. She kisses me on the cheek as she picks up her things to go to the meeting. She opens the door to find Quil with books in hand.

QPOV

Gah! I don't think grandpa can drive fast enough. I had been away from Tia for only a couple of hours but this anticipation was killing me. Thankfully, it wasn't difficult to talk him into picking up Uma for the meeting.

I'm about to knock on the door when Uma opens it. I see her knowing smile and I move to let her come outside. She closes the door behind her and then stops in front me looking me in the eye. She looks at me for just a second with her smile changing as she did. She pats me on the cheek. "You two behave. We'll be back around 9 pm or so."

I wave to dad and Uma as they leave. I make my presence known after I drop my books by the table. "Hey T, where are you?"

TPOV

"In the kitchen doing the dishes."

Quil walks over to the sink beside me picking up a dish towel. I hand him the clean dishes and he dries. We make short work of the remaining dishes. "Done! Thanks for lending a hand. Just one more thing before we hit the books." I cut us both a piece of cake and pour a couple of drinks. We make our way to the table with dishes in hand.

We sit down at the table spreading the books out in front of us. He's wearing a sleeveless t-shirt which allows me a better look at his tattoo since it is right there in my face whenever I turn around. We work for an hour or so before I get the nerve up to ask.

"Quil, what does your tattoo represent? I know it's tribal but that's about it."

He sits back and pushes his glasses back up. He seems like he's lost in thought for a moment. "There's a rite of passage for some men in the Tribe. After you make it through the passage, you get a tattoo similar to mine."

"So all of the guys have the same tattoo? I noticed that Sam has one too."

He looks at me smiling. "Well not the exactly the same, some of the elements are common in all of them…" he points to the 2 howling wolves in the center. "But there are certain key parts that aren't. Those are unique to each one of us."

"Why is that?"

"As we change "into a man" during the rite, our souls' tell us what those specific designs are to be. It symbolizes our destiny. We each wear a physical reminder of our future. "

I lean towards him to touch his arm tracing the outline of his tattoo with my pencil. It was a circle of flames. I look up into his eyes and see something more. Quil leans towards me with a facial expression that I don't understand.

I back away from him "I'm sorry Quil. I shouldn't be asking such questions. You can tell me to can it whenever…" I turn back to my books feeling flustered. He places his hand on my chin and turns me back around to face him.

"Tia, don't be sorry. There is so much of our way of life that you don't understand. I wish you understood it more." He says wistfully. He seems sad. I can't turn away from him.

The phone rings and I jump out of my skin. I walk into the kitchen to answer. It's Emily.

"Hey T! I'm planning a girls' night this Friday. All of the boys will be going over to the Ateara house to watch the game so I thought it would be nice for all of us to get together. Please say you'll come over, please!?"

I laugh at her obvious excitement. "Yes Emily, I'll come."

"YAY! All you need to bring is a pair of pjs. We'll have dinner, popcorn, chic flicks and relax without the boys getting in our way. Well, I need to scoot. I have to call Bella to invite her. Tell Quil that Sam told him he'd better be behaving himself over there with you." She adds before she hangs up.

I'm turning red at her last statement when Quil comes into the kitchen to pour a drink. He takes a sip as I put the phone down. He turns around to lean on the counter seeing my glowing cheeks. He takes my hand turning me to face him.

"I'm not really good at beating around the bush, T so I'm just going to come out and say it. I would love to get to know you better. Would you like to go out with me Saturday night?"

I'm stunned. I nod my head in agreement not trusting my mouth to form a coherent sentence. He reaches out taking my arm pulling me closer to him. I'm unsure of what happens next. I look up at him. It seems that Quil wants to say something more when we hear the car pulling up out front. Quil sighs letting go of my arm. I follow him into the other room as he picks up his bag heading for the door. "I'll see you in the morning T."

I must have floated to my bedroom after Quil left because I barely heard Uma come in.

UPOV

Judging by the look on Quil's face and that of my granddaughter, I am happy to see their feelings growing. I busy myself with building up the fire. After I get it going, I peek into T's room. She's already asleep with a small smile on her face. Sweet dreams will fill her mind tonight. Dreams of glowing golden eyes…

Third person POV

Friday afternoon finally arrives. The pack has piled into Sam and Emily's place for a quick pack meeting before the game and girls' night begin. The patrol schedule was discussed as well as the logistics of festivities at Old Quil's. Sam made it clear that the boys were to stay away from his house for the night saying that the girls' sleepover was off limits. Jake and Quil did not like the idea and offer to take the first patrol shift. Running the border would help them keep their minds off of the girls. The meeting comes to an end just as Bella's truck pulls up out front.

QPOV

Before we headed out the door to over to my place for the game, I pull Sam to the side to tell him my plan for tomorrow night. "Sam, I hope it's ok with you and I'm sort doing this thing backwards, but I asked Tia out on a date."

"Really, what did she say?" he asked raising an eyebrow. I'm finding it hard to hold his gaze. It's not the Alpha that is watching me through Sam's eyes. He seems more like a concerned big brother.

"She said yes. I was thinking dinner and a movie, something simple, tomorrow night. Things are really nice between us right now." I finally get the guts to stand up straight looking at him.

"Well, I knew that this would come but I don't have to remind you to go slow with her."

"Of course I will. I think things will stay slow and simple between us for a while." I smile.

Emily starts laying out the snacks for the sleepover when we hear Bella's truck pull up. Jake heads out the door to snag a private moment with her before we leave. The pack is readying themselves to head out over to my place. They're all excited and already placing bets on tonight's game. We start heading out the door.

TPOV

Just what do girls do at a sleepover? I wonder as I head down the path towards Sam and Emily's. I've never attended one but my brain keeps saying "makeovers and pedicures!" I shudder. I hope not. While I don't want to look like a slob, I'm not the over-the-top girly type.

As I reach the end of the path, I see an old red truck pull up out front. The girl driving it had just cut the engine when I see Jacob come out the door. He heads straight to her side, helps her out of the truck and pulls her into his arms. I feel like a peeper. Their embrace is so intimate. They remind me of watching Emily and Sam that first night. I turn to go into the house when I hear a rumble of feet coming towards me from the other side of the door. I back up not wanting to get trampled again as it opens. A group of young men come barreling out, poking fun at each other and laughing. I simply stand in awe watching. One person pulls away from the group and I notice that it's Quil, coming towards me.

"Hey Tia." He smiles. He grabs my hand and leads me over to Jacob and his girlfriend.

"Tia, this is Jacob's girlfriend, Bella Swan. Bella, this is Sam's cousin, Tia Walker."

Bella is a couple of inches taller me with pale complexion and dark brown hair. She gives me a shy smile and a wave. She seems to be as overwhelmed by this boisterous band of testosterone bouncing around on the porch as I am. Jacob puts his arm around her shoulders and we all walk into the house, leaving the noisy crowd behind.

I can see that Emily has set out the food for our sleepover. The table is covered in homemade pizza, brownies, sodas and a variety of chips. Jake heads over to the chips to snag one when Emily swats him with a dishtowel. He smiles and walks back to Bella, giving her a goodbye kiss. I turn away from them to see Quil watching me. He acts as if he doesn't want to leave.

"Ok guys, let's go. The girls now control this house." Sam pushes Jake and Quil out the door.

Emily walks into the living room. She has set out a collection of DVDs for us along with pillows and candles. "I don't want us to think about those old boys tonight. This is our time. Come on in. Kick off your shoes and get comfortable." she says.

An hour or so later, we are all laughing over some silly quote from our movie. I felt the tension from my earlier unease drain out of my shoulders. I noticed that my soda was empty so I get up to get a refill. Emily pauses the movie and gets up. Bella was right behind me.

"Tia, how do you like living here on the reservation?" she asks.

"I'm adjusting I guess. It's so different than Vegas."

"I know what you mean. I moved to Forks from Phoenix. I miss the sun and the warmth." Bella reaches for a chip and then whispers "What do you think of Sam and Emily? Aren't they too cute together?"

I laugh. "Yeah, they are."

"Hey now…you and Jacob are almost as bad as we are." Emily says as she selects a slice of pizza. "So, do you have a boyfriend back in Vegas, T?"

I look down at my empty cup. "Um…well, no, I've never actually had a boyfriend but…"I chicken out.

"But what? You can't do that to us Tia! Tell." Bella teases while picking at her brownie.

"Quil asked me out yesterday. We have a date tomorrow night." I blush.

"What? He asked you out. That's fantastic!" Emily beams. She glances at Bella who gives a little laugh.

I feel like I'm on the outside of an inside joke.

"Do you know where you're going? Have you picked out an outfit? What time is he picking you up?" they bombard me with questions.

"I don't really know where we're going or what we're doing. I hadn't even given any thought to clothes. Most of my nicer things are in Vegas at my mom's plus I have no idea what to wear anyways. I've never been on a date."

They turn their stunned faces towards me. "Well, this won't do. Looks like Bella and I will be taking you into Forks or Port Angeles first thing in the morning to help you pick out some clothes." Emily has her hands on hips in authoritative mode and Bella nods her head in agreement. Decision made.

Loaded up with more snacks, we all head back into the living room to continue our movie. I'm getting bored with the movie's story line so I start watching the flame on the candle sitting on the table next to my seat on the couch. It seems to be flickering more than usual in a room with no noticeable breeze. My vision starts to blur around the edges and I see shapes in the dancing flame.

The forest is dark and misty. I see the flash of red again and hear a female's laughter. However, this time, my dream is different. Instead of circling me, I see the red blur running ahead. I sense many feet chasing it, trying to catch up. It seems as though there are large animals in pursuit. I can hear their snarling and growling. One of the animals lunges at the blur only to miss as the red changes direction. Another animal does the same but ends up hitting a tree sliding to the ground with a thud. I hear a whimper of pain.

I come out of my reverie with a gasp and a shake of my head. Emily sits up immediately to ask me what is wrong.

"You're going to think this is silly but I just had this sort of dream. I've had something similar before. Maybe you two can help me figure out what it means." And I explain my vision to them.

Suddenly, there are howls in the night. Bella heads to the window with a worried expression and Emily looks at me not sure what to say. I get up from my seat but I don't know why. All of a sudden, I'm anxious.

They both look at me for a moment. Then, Emily looks up at the clock. "Wow, it's after midnight. I don't know about you two, but I'm getting sleepy. Why don't we call it a night so we'll be rested and ready for our shopping trip tomorrow?" Bella nods her agreement and I follow suit.

We head for bed having had more of our share of chocolate and junk food. I say good night to Bella and Emily as I shut the door to the spare bedroom that I'm sleeping in. Not more than an hour later, I am awakened by a hurried conversation coming from downstairs.

JPOV

Quil, did you smell that? Leech! The chase begins. We are led in circles, through underbrush, and over rocks. She's laughing along the way, enjoying her game.

"Damn that bitch leech. She's mine!" I jump towards her as we're running snapping at her head. She dodges me and I tumble over a fallen tree. Quil tries to do the same but Victoria grabbed his front paw and slammed him into a tree. I hear him hit the ground with a whimper. She speeds up and gets away.

I howl in anger.

Jake, what's happening? I hear Sam ask. I share my memory of the chase with him.

Sam, I think she was headed over to your place but she got away from us. I growl at the thought. Quil's hurt.

Quil, phase back. Jake, take him over to my house but don't go in. The girls should all be asleep so it will be safe for us to talk.

I phase back and help Quil up. He's in obvious pain. I'm guessing that he probably has a couple of broken ribs given how he hit that tree.

We arrive at Sam's just as he does. We lay Quil out on the porch to check for any further injury. Emily comes out and heads straight to Sam. "What happened? We were worried."

"It's ok Em. We just had another cat and mouse game with Victoria. Quil was thrown into a tree but he should be healed up in just few minutes." He explains.

She sighs in relief "Sam, I need to tell you something that happened tonight. Tia saw this chase."
We turn our heads to look at her and she explains Tia's vision. She knew what was happening as it was happening.

"I'll need to talk to Uma about this but it will have to wait till morning. I'm going to start the next round of patrols. Quil, are you able to get home on your own?"

"Yeah, I think so." He replies as he sits up wincing at pain. His ribs were almost healed but it was still a bit painful to breathe.

Emily kisses Sam and then heads back into the house shutting the door behind her. She watches as the boys walk back into the darkness of the forest.

Third Person POV

The girls wake up, shower and get ready to head out to Forks. Sam and Jacob come in a couple of minutes before they head out. They each greet their imprints with a kiss. Tia looks away in embarrassment. Giving them their moment, Tia picks up the phone to call Uma, letting her know that they were going into town and that she had a date later that night. Tia could hear the smile in Uma's voice as she gave her permission, not that she really needed it, and told her to have fun.