Authors Note:

Okay, I kind of, sort of, am wondering if anyone is even reading this anymore? I didn't get any reviews last chapter, not sure why, maybe I scared you away... Anyways, I hope at least someone is still reading this, so here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy, and please, let me know you're all alive, and review! Please and thanks.

Happy Reading!

Name's not Stephanie Meyer, as much as I like to think it is sometimes.

Every road that I've been down,

The only truth that I have found,

There's only one thing I can't live without,

You

-You, Rascal Flatts

Ch. 15 What is It?

Quil and I were together constantly now. Our sexual encounter seemed to heighten the need to be around each other. If I had thought we were tighter than tight before, now we were like spandex. If he wasn't patrolling, he was at my side.

I could tell it was definitely grating down on Sam and Emily's nerves, especially because their house was so small, with all their kids, and Quil and I were always hanging around and taking up space. I thought it was about time we got a house together, since Quil and I were practically living together already, but I didn't want to assume Quil wanted a house with me either. And I knew he would protest if I tried to pay for one all by myself, even though my bank account was pretty fluffy.

I didn't really know why we never went to Quil's place, either, but I guess I never asked him. I didn't know if it was because he was embarassed or that he just didn't want me in his stuff.

Of course, Emily's house got a little boring and old sometimes, so Quil always had things for us to do together. One day, he took me hiking in the woods, which apparently I was forbidden from doing unless I was with Quil. I snorted at that, but the serious look Quil gave me shut me up quickly and I realized he was completely serious.

Another morning, Quil took me out for breakfast down at main street diner. It was a small, vintage old place with all the fifties decorations still in tact. Red leather bar stools and booths, black and white checkerboard flooring, jukebox in place, heck even the menu was taken straight from that decade. I loved it though, Quil probably knew I would. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I remembered coming there as a kid with him. I could almost swear that it used to be my favorite resturant. I wouldn't doubt that Quil remembered that fact either. He seemed to know me from the inside out.

And earlier this week, Quil took me down to First Beach again. He had brought a blanket, which we laid across the array of rainbow tinted rocks and sat upon. We didn't go right up next to the shore, since it was a particularly windy day and the almost black waves were violently crashing, thrashing about water in every direction. We stayed far enough away that you still got the cool breeze off the water, but didn't get thoroughly soaked. That was my favorite 'field trip' so far with Quil, because all we did was talk.

"Do you miss Boston?" He had asked, his eyes drifting out to watch the indigo waves activity. I could tell this was a subject that seemed to be bothering Quil. He only avoided my eyes when something was uncomfortable for him to talk about.

I thought about my answer carefully anyways though.

"Yes. Very much so. I loved Boston, I liked the history of it, the cobblestone streets and all the culture. I miss the city life, how alive it was at all hours of the day. I miss my friends, my co-workers, my job", I paused, assessing the sadness that had overwhelmed Quil's face then, "Quil, I do really miss it. But as much as I loved it there, and as much as I miss it, I want to be here even more. This is my home now. This is where I'm supposed to be. I can't deny it. The spirits put me here for a reason, you. And I do not question it. Ever. I may miss Boston, but not as much as I would miss La Push if I it left again."

He looked at me then, a small smile tracing his lips, and he leaned in and pressed a gentle peck on my lips. I loved the ways his lips felt on mine. Warm, soft, and they gave me this overtaking sense of love. He truly was my soul mate. No one else could ever make me feel like that.

"I wish I could give you more. You deserve to have everything, the way you've always wanted. You don't deserve to settle. I can't give you half the stuff you deserve, Claire", he mumbled, his smile dissipating once again. I leaned over and placed my much smaller hand on top of his large, callused one.

"Quil, I don't need expensive cars, penthouse suites, and thousand-dollar wine to be happy. I was blind before, I thought that was what mattered. I thought that money should be someone's number one priority, but now I realize that isn't the case whatsoever. Quil, all I ever needed to be happy was you. All anyone ever needs is someone that loves them, unconditionally, bad times, and good. You already give me everything I deserve, and more", I said, rubbing soothing circles into his hand to try to get him to relax.

"I love you so much, Claire", he spoke, turning to me with that look, the look of complete admiration and love. I melted, right there, like I always did whenever he looked at me like that.

Over the last few months, I had learned everyone around here's different theories on imprinting. Sam thought imprinting was a way to breed stronger wolves, connecting two people with strong wolf gene-packed bloodlines. He believed that the wolf was led to a female that had the best chance of producing a stronger, more potent wolf. Something along the lines of 'Survival of the Fittest'.

Emily told me that she believed imprinting was directly linked to the imprintee. She figured that the wolf would imprint on the girl whenever the girl needed the most support in her life. She said Quil imprinted on me when I was two, which was also the year that my parent's house got forclosed on and they were struggling to stay afloat. She said that Quil came into my life to be there for me when my parents were busy trying to get on their feet, to give me the attention I wasn't receiving. She believed a wolf came into his imprint's life when she needed him the most.

Kim believed that imprinting was connected to the Quileute gods. She thought all Quileute's were made to have an imprint, another half, but only the wolves had the power to immediately recognize it, in the process of imprinting. It was just a quality all their own, some quirk. She thought that every single Quileute was destined for another Quileute by the gods, but they didn't get the automatic knowledge that imprinting provided. She believed imprinting just sped up what was bound to happen anyways.

Paul's theory was that imprinting was a gift from the gods to the wolves. A sort of reward for all the sacfrifices that came along with being a protector. He believed that the simple joy that an imprint brings to her wolf is the way the gods thank the wolves for being protectors.

But no matter who I went to, imprint or imprinter, no one ever denied that the connection between one another wasn't for the better. No one flat-out ever said, "Imprinting ruined my life". Although, I did hear some interesting stories about attempting to deny imprinting, yet every single imprinting ended in a couple.

I even got to meet Renesmee Cullen, Jacob Black's imprint, the other day. She and I were apparently close buddies when we were toddlers. "Thick as thieves" were Jacob's exact words. I found out that she in fact was a vampire, only half though, and I even got a little scared for a second, but Quil reassured me that she was 'vegatarian', meaning she only drank animal's blood. Jake said she wouldn't ever even think of hurting a human, so I had nothing to worry about.

She was very pretty, almost angelically. Her skin shimmmered, her long auburn hair was wavy and silky looking, and her face was perfect. She appeared to be right out of a magazine, no imperfections in sight. I got to talk with her for awhile, listening to her stories about traveling the world with Jacob. She and Jacob had been married for a little over ten years now, I guess. She explained that although technically she was a year younger than me, her body aged a lot faster, so she reached her full maturity when she was about seven. And her and Jacob, despite her vampire father's protests, became a couple shortly after that.

I was very curious about her, especially about how she was an imprint since she didn't have any Quileute blood in her. It was odd, the first imprint without that key trait. I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to pry and come across as impolite either.

Finally, as my conversation with Nessie ended, and Jacob and Quil's drew to a close, I whispered in Quil's ear about my inquiry, seeing what his opinion was on it. He kind of shot me this eyebrow-raised glance and turned to a curious looking Jacob.

"She was wondering as to why Nessie's your imprint if she's not a Quileute descendant", Quil explained, laughing a little at my silliness. I suddenly felt a little embarassed, but I hadn't known that they would be so comfortable with that question.

"Well, I guess everyone has their own theories, but I think she's my imprint because she's all I could ever hope for in a woman. I love every little detail about her, and that's all I need. That's all I think imprinting is. Love, just bluntly put out there so you get the message loud and clear, and there's no confusion. I think Sam and everyone else just reads too much into it. It's just love, and she's everything all I'll ever need", Jacob explained, but his eyes were on Nessie the entire time he spoke. She was blushing slightly, a rosy pink color hinting on her cheeks as she gazed up at him from behind her thick, black eyelashes.

And I realized that I agreed with Jacob. I believed his theory was right on target. Imprinting wasn't about breeding super-wolves, helping lost girls, Quileute god's planned destinies, or gifting wolves for their service. No, it was purely an connection entirely created by love.

I turned to Quil, only to find his eyes locked on mine, his face full of happiness. I think he agreed with Jacob's theory, too.

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