A/N Note: SM owns the characters of Twilight. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.

Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. The end of the school year really did a number on me. Now that I'm on break, I'll be able to focus on finish up this fic.

This chapter turned out a bit shorter than previous ones. I didn't want it to run into the day of the battle.

Chapter 28

Tia POV

The next morning, I sighed and stretched as I woke. Looking out the window to the bright light of almost mid day, I jumped realizing that I had slept in and was missing training. I started to push myself up out of bed when familiar strong arms, pulled me back.

"Shhhhh…it's ok. We were ordered to sleep in to make sure you recovered from your dream. We don't have to rush ourselves this morning." said Quil quietly as he pulled me back to his chest brushing his fingers over my shoulder in a calming motion.

Nodding, I lay back down, letting my sleep fuzzy mind clear, when the realization of that dream came back to me. My body tenses as my mind starts screaming again. Quil holds me tightly as I finally come to grips with what that dream meant for us.

"What do we do, Quil?" I ask, unsure that I wanted an answer, desperately hoping that he would say that we would stay in bed together and forget the world. Unfortunately, I knew that wasn't possible.

"We use your dream for its intended purpose Tia. Your gift serves as a warning, showing us what needs to be done and how to do it. Sam and Jared are talking to the Cullens at this moment, sharing the information that you gave us. By the time we reach the training grounds, they will most likely have a plan in place." He leans up to look down at me lovingly. "Jared will make sure that neither of us are anywhere near water during the battle, ok?"

I nod my response. He kisses my forehead gently as both of our stomachs chose to remind us that it was time to eat. With one last kiss, Quil moves to get up. "I'm fixing breakfast this morning. Go get a shower. I love you Tia."

I watch as he walks out the bedroom door, feeling our bond pull at my heart. Whether it is from longing, fear or love, I didn't know and it didn't matter. I got out of the bed, readying to shower, knowing that I needed to have faith in my ability and our pack.

Third Person POV

Just after mid-day, Tia and Quil rejoined the training. Once again, Sam restricted the amount of and type of training that Tia did but he also kept a very close eye on her as he was still worried about the after effects of her dream. Quil immediately joined in, learning what he had missed earlier quickly and with precision. Of the pack, he felt that he stood to lose the most so he trained harder than anyone else out there that day.

As the sun's rays began to lengthen, Sam and Carlisle called a meeting before stopping for the day. The pack assembled on one side with the Cullens on the opposite. Sam quickly drew out a map of the Res on a patch of bare dirt for illustration.

"For the duration of this battle, I have lifted our treaty with the Cullens." Sam begins. "Carlisle and I have decided to split our forces into the three main fronts as well as maintain a small guard stationed at the center of the Res near the Imprints which will include Bella. We will evenly distribute everyone into their positions tomorrow during our last training session. Are there any questions?" Seeing none, Carlisle and Sam nodded signaling the end of the day.

Just as the Pack was readying to journey home, Alice Cullen walked up to Tia. "Hello…you're Tia, aren't you?"

Tia nodded, not knowing how to respond to vampire or if she even should attempt to do so. Her wolf shifted from foot to foot in uncertainty, watching this pixie leech in front of her.

"I just wanted you to know that I understand how you feel. While I don't know exactly what you saw, I felt your pain for your mate. You're still gaining faith in your ability but I can tell you that you two are meant to be together regardless of the outcome of what lies ahead." Alice finished. "Have faith in each other and you'll see this through, ok?" She walked away as Tia nodded. It did her some good to know that there was someone who truly understood the pain that she felt with each passing second.

Quil POV

When we arrived home, we had a welcome surprise. Uma had left dinner for us on the stove. Even though we had slept in, I could see the exhaustion, both mental and physical, clearly in Tia's face. Uma's thoughtful gift was also allowing us to have a much needed time to relax. I sent her to the bathroom to soak in some bubbles, hoping it would help her unwind. Wanting to make this meal even more special, I put a table cloth on the table, turn on some music and set the table. I had considered candles but thought better of it. I wanted some alone time with my girl. Even the hint of a flame could take it away.

She came back into the kitchen wearing her pajamas and her hair brushed but still wet. Regardless, she had never been more beautiful to me. I gently pulled her into my arms, placing my nose into her neck, filling myself with her scent. She snuggled closer to me, doing the same, and I felt her relaxing in my arms. I chose that moment to play the hopeless romantic as one of our favorite slow songs came on. I held her close as we danced in silence, letting the music bring us together in our own bubble of peace. When the song ended, I led her to the table and watched making sure that she ate. My plan to help her release the day's tension was working. Even though she was hungry and did eat enough, her eyes were closing more and more with each bite. By the time we got to the red velvet cake Uma had prepared for desert, she was practically asleep sitting up. Chuckling, I put the food away quickly, picked up my Tia and took her to bed. She was sound asleep within seconds of my tucking her in. Just as I was about to join her, I heard the cry of wolves in the distance. Something had happened.

Rather than wake her, I chose to step out the back door of the cabin to phase and see what I could find out. Within seconds, I heard the voices of my pack brothers in my head along with two new voices. Brady and Colin had joined our numbers. Now we had two more new wolves to train and no time to do so properly before the newborns arrived on our land. Sighing with frustration, I walk back into the house. Jared and Embry would take care of the boys. My job was to stay with Tia.

Bone weary, I walked into the bedroom and laid down beside her, pulling her close, not allowing my mind to wander to the What Ifs of what lay ahead. For the time being, I only wanted my world to revolve us and our love. My wolf was thinking along more basic needs but I refused to give in. We needed to cherish not rush, hold not hurry. There would be opportunities in our future that would allow us to have our moment together as we know we should be, as one.

Tia POV

The following morning's sunrise was spectacular. I lay with my head on Quil's chest watching through the front window the colors of the sky shift from darkness into a brilliant multicolored sunrise, full of hope and energy. I sighed in contentment, enjoying my quiet moment with the man I love. The day's end could be very different from what I had in this moment so it made sense to savor every second of this quiet. I push myself up onto my elbow to look down at Quil as he sleeps. Feeling an emotion that I hadn't felt before, I lean down and begin nibbling on his ear, placing kisses along his neck and rubbing my hand on his chest. Very soon, his eyes flutter open to find me smiling as I lean in to kiss him passionately. Still not quite awake, his hands quickly pull me closer as his own desire builds. I run my other hand into his hair as he flips me over onto my back, kissing me with an abandon that we'd never experienced before. Breathing sped up and hands touched, roamed and kneaded. A soft moan escaped from me as my hands continued to wander over his broad shoulders and back.

Suddenly, Quil stopped. That single noise from me had brought him back to reality. With no small amount of reluctance, he pulled away from me enough to allow himself to look into my eyes. Shaking his head, "No Tia…not today, please, not today." he pleads. Shaken, I blink my eyes in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" I ask as I lay a hand on his cheek lovingly. Surely, he wasn't about to tell me that he didn't want this moment as much as I did. I found that hard to believe.

Working on controlling his breathing, he closes his eyes. "No Tia, nothing is wrong but at the same time, it is."

"What?"my frustration evident in the tone of my voice. I did not understand him at all in this moment.

After he had given himself a second to collect himself, he opened his eyes to look at me. "Tia honey, as much as I want to…and I really want to…this would only make tonight's battle worse. My wolf really wants to claim you but once I do, his need to protect you will only increase. I won't be able to focus at all during the fight. Given our double imprint, this feeling is already overwhelming me to some degree. Our claiming will push me over the edge. Please…don't be upset with me when I say not right now."

Being unfamiliar with my own wolf's needs, I give myself a moment to breathe. As I do, I feel my emotions settle and my desires lessen. I had allowed my more natural needs override my usual logical being. My wolf had pushed its way to the forefront without my knowing. Quil was right.

Sighing, I nod. "I understand Quil." I close my eyes in an attempt to rein myself in as he had just done.

He gives me a few minutes to allow my hormones to subside before he speaks again. "I have an idea." he says as he helps me shift to our original position with my head on his chest. "We haven't talked about our future in a couple of weeks. Let's do that for a while." He shifts his arm so that it lies on my waist, stroking my side to help calm me.

"I'll be finishing up my classes in the next two weeks. How much do you have left Tia?" he asks as if we had our entire lives ahead of us, as if there were no supernatural monsters threatening our very existence.

"I think I have another month, maybe six weeks tops. I have that history course to finish and a math but the material isn't hard as much as time consuming." I reply, playing along with his game. Forgetting felt good, not as good as what could have happened just a moment ago, but waiting was for the best.

He brings his hand up to play with my hair. "We could both be finished by the summer, right?" he asks with another unspoken question hanging in the air between us.

I raise my head up to prop my chin on his shoulder. "Yes, most likely. What are you thinking?" I continue with curiosity in my eyes.

He plays with my hair a minute longer. I can see the gears of his mind turning as he determines the best way to word what he wants to say. Sighing, he just goes for the most straightforward. Sometimes, being overly wordy is a distraction to the true meaning of what you want to say. "We could marry this fall."

We had allowed the burdens and trials of the here and now override our desires for tomorrow. We had lost sight of our promise to each other, to marry. Considering the potential of our future together deserved our attention just as much as what this day held.

I nod as this reality sinks in. I could think of nothing more that I wanted in my life than to spend the rest of my days with him. He was my sun, my moon, my everything. My life would be incomplete without him. I never would have seen this truth before my own phasing but now, I see it all too clearly. He is my future.

"We can." I agreed. His eyes lit up with a fire that I didn't expect. I don't believe he expected that reply from me. The last time we spoke like this, I was always pushing for more time for myself, rather than fighting for more for us as a couple. My thinking had changed radically. I look into his eyes to find them filled with love and hope. This is what we needed to fill our hearts with as we went into the newborn battle, the knowledge that our hope for tomorrow combined with our love would see us through.

We lay together in a silent, loving, cherished embrace until we heard Sam's howl in the distance. One last bit of training and planning is all that stood between us and fulfilling our future together. In the remaining hours before the battle, we had to gather our forces, focus our minds and strengthen our resolve that we would win. Victoria did not stand a chance.