Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Since it was November, it was that time of year when the Cullens were back for the remainder of the year. So when Quil returned, he needed to take Claire to the Cullen house so she could practice with Bella. They didn't say much to one another on the way there. Quil wasn't sure what to say and Claire was waiting for Quil to say something. But it never moved passed pleasantries and small talk about Quil's night. By the time they got to the Cullen house, Claire found herself wondering if maybe she'd imagined the look she'd seen in Quil's eyes. She feared it may have been wishful thinking on her part. She tried not to let it bother her, though, and she went to the music room with her violin and they prepared to play. Usually Quil was in there with them, but he remained outside in the chilled air needing to think by himself. He already knew he had her parents' blessing to marry their daughter. That was discussed a long time ago. But that was also with the understanding that the two of them would not be getting married until her parents deemed her old enough to do so. He wasn't confident now would be that time. She was still very young. As he was thinking to himself, he smelled Edward behind him and looked around. He saw Edward holding violin strings and strings from a bow.

"Where're those from?" Quil asked.

"From her old violin," Edward said. "It's my understanding that your people propose with bracelets the groom made himself. I thought violin strings would be the most appropriate materials for you to use." Then Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a bright red circular rock.

"What's that?" Quil asked.

"It's a mineral rock from Alaska. It's called Cinnabar. Bella has a necklace of this and Claire was very fond of it."

"Oh, yeah," Quil remembered.

"I can put some holes in the rock to make it easier to secure to the bracelet for you."

"Yeah," Quil answered after a moment. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Edward smiled kindly and handed Quil the violin corded silver strings and bow strings and ran upstairs to put small holes into the bottom of the rock that were deep enough to ensure it wouldn't break and big enough that the corded violin strings would be able to fit. Edward returned downstairs with the rock within minutes. "There you go. I'd recommend using the cords from the violin to secure that rock."

"That's what I was planning to do," Quil agreed.

After Edward gave Quil all the materials, he asked him to tell Claire that he was returning to the tribe to handle a few things and would be back to come and get her later that night. Quil didn't go back to the tribe, though. Instead, he found a bluff nearby where he could be alone to work on the bracelet. He would need that done before he could speak with her parents and make an official proposal. But as he was working, the wind was blowing, making braiding any of the bow strings impossible. So he took the supplies and returned home. He'd initially been one of the people that had chosen to remain in the tents. But as Claire grew older, he decided he wanted to have a house like Jacob and Embry did. Though he only requested a small little house. He didn't want anything too grand and he certainly had no plans to have as many children and Caevia and Embry. As far as he was concerned, two would be plenty. Three tops. The little house was one floor with a master bedroom at the back of the house with a kitchen to his right and a living area to his left when he entered the house. There was a little patio at the entrance and he even had an ocean view atop a hill. That was the one thing he absolutely wanted: an ocean view. No matter his age, his tent had always faced the ocean. To this day, his parents' tent faced the ocean and his mother wasn't happy unless it was the first thing she saw in the morning. The little house also had a guest bedroom and bathroom through the halls that he was saving for children one day. The Cullens reassured they could always add an additional room if needed. He remembered when the house had been completed so many years ago. Claire had called it sweet and said she loved it.

When Quil was home, he went to the little kitchen table and started working, the wind no longer interfering. The first thing he did was ensure the red rock was secured with the silver corded violin strings. He only had four to work with, so he needed to ensure he was careful not to waste it. He used two of the cords to secure the rock and left the other two to the side to be braided into the bow's strings. He then got the two left over cords and worked to have the stone braided into a secure setting. Once he had the stone set the way he wanted, he started getting the cords braided into the bow strings. That was a little harder. He kept a portion of the silver cords above the bow so it would add a unique look and braided the cord and string simultaneously so they would be secure. Once he had both sides braided, he used all his strength to tie the cords securely so nothing would be loose. All that would be left would be to tie the bracelet onto Claire's wrist. He took a moment to look at the bracelet. He was rather proud of it and he knew that Claire would love it. With the bracelet in hand, Quil left the house and walked to the tent Claire's parents shared. Yaloweih was long gone from the tent, having come of age and making his own tent to live in. The Cullens were even in the process of building him a little house further down the coast. Now if only he'd marry a nice girl and settle down, or so his mother complained.

Claire's parents weren't in the tent when he arrived. He looked around and found the two of them immersed in their own activities for the day. So he went to Claire's father and requested that he and his wife be able to sit down and talk. Claire's father told Quil to go to the tent and they would meet him there, already knowing immediately what Quil probably wanted to talk about. When they were all in the tent together, Quil held out the bracelet he'd made and presented it to Claire's parents.

"I made this for Claire,"Quil began. "I see her differently than I did. Those feelings have shifted to something romantic."

"When did this happen?" Claire's father enquired.

"Just this morning,"Quil answered. "I just saw her playing at the shore and…..for some reason, that's when I realized it wasn't innocent anymore. I know we agreed we would wait until she was of a proper age, so I will leave that to you to decide. But I wanted to make it known to you that I have a bracelet for her and wish to ask her to marry me as soon as you've deemed it acceptable." Claire's parents looked at one another a moment, then back at Quil.

"You've always had our blessing,"Claire's father began. "But I think it best to wait until the spring. You treated her as though she were her guardian for so long. The two of you need time to change that dynamic. Know that you have our blessing to marry Claire, but do not propose until spring. In the meantime, you can perform the required favors proving and build your relationship with her. Do you agree?"

"I agree," Quil said. "I will wait until spring to propose. Is there anything you would like me to do?" Quil asked Claire's mother.

"You can bring food as you always do," Claire's mother said and smiled. "I know you will make Claire very happy."

Although he'd already known they would give their blessing, it was still nice to hear it. Quil returned to his little house and hid the bracelet away so Claire wouldn't find it and so it would be safe. Then he returned to the Cullen house and went right to the music room to be with Claire. She asked where he'd been and he just told her he was taking care of a favor her parents had asked him to do and left the matter at that. He smiled at her in a way he'd never done before and Claire blushed, hoping that maybe she'd been right about what she saw this morning. Along with her violin lessons, Claire also received the usual studies that Renesmee had taken over for the other children. Claire always enjoyed when she could learn from the Cullens. They had dinner at the Cullen house and left well after the sun had set. He knew Embry and Jacob would be upset when he finally went on patrol, but they could wait. He knew he would need to start talking to them about leaving the pack. Their wives were ageless, but his would not be. And he wanted to grow old with her. Normally, Quil would put Claire on his back, run her back home, and leave for patrol. Tonight, though, he wanted to just walk with her for a while.

"Is everything okay?" Claire asked when Quil walked slowly down the path rather than put her on his back to get home quickly.

"Nothing's wrong," Quil said. "I just wanted to go on a walk with you. You're so engrossed when we're there. I wanted to take advantage of a time when you can relax."

"I didn't realize it bothered you," Claire said.

"It doesn't," Quil reassured. "I'm really proud of how dedicated you are. You're smarter than I'll ever be," Quil joked.

"I just know facts," Claire blushed. "That doesn't mean I'm smart. It just means I've been told a lot of things. You're smart too. You learned to read and write and learned English. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," Quil smiled. "So tell me about what you learned today? What was it you and Edward were reading?"

"We were just reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Since the history we're discussing delves a lot into French aristocracy and politics, he wanted to have us read something relevant."

"What's is about?"

"It's about a disfigured man that lives in the bell towers of Notre Dame in Paris and it discusses the shamefulness of skin deep beauty, the controversy of the church, the controversy of the military and the author strikes me as rather cynical according to the synopsis Edward gave me. We're just at the beginning, though. So far I know Quasimodo is in love with a gypsy Esmeralda, Captain Phoebus of the Guards is in love with Esmeralda and cheating on his wife with her, and the priest Claude Frollo is also in love with her."

"So it's a love triangle?"

"Essentially," Claire said. "But it doesn't seem like it will end happily. Like I said, the author is a vicious cynic."

"Well, that's not fun," Quil chuckled. "Do you like it at least?"

"I do," Claire said. "It's fascinating. I think I preferred Jane Austen's work, but then, her heroes always end up together in the end."

"Yes, I remember," Quil smiled. "You were in a mood the whole time you and Edward were reading Pride and Prejudice. You wanted so badly for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to get together, you were in a huff. I think you even cried when he professed his love to her."

"Because it was beautiful," Claire said. "Taking her to a gazebo and proposing among the flowers after realizing what a kind and loving man Mr. Darcy really is? It's so romantic."

"I suppose that is romantic," Quil smiled.

"I'm afraid this book won't be so romantic," Claire lamented. "It will certainly be filled with intrigue and gross self-centeredness on the part of Esmeralda and Phoebus. After this, he'll have us reading Tale of Two Cities," Claire said. "Edward claims it's a favorite of his."

"What's it about?"

"A war in France," Claire said. "That's all I know. He said he wanted to wait to give me details until we finished Hunchback." Claire looked up at Quil. "Maybe you can read Hunchback of Notre Dame with us. I feel so bad that you're sitting off to the side while I study. You must be so bored."

"It's alright, Claire, I'm not," Quil chuckled. "I don't mind reading with you if you'd like, though."

"I'm sure Edward has another copy," Claire said. "He plans to make the other kids read it later. I think he already has Kevin, Embry, Kyle and Aidie reading it."

"I think so," Quil said. "I think Renesmee had told Jacob it was a book she'd enjoyed and wanted to read it with him one day."

"They should," Claire smiled. Suddenly, she reached out and took Quil's hand and laced her fingers through his. He accepted the gesture and Claire blushed.

Since it was getting late, Quil carried Claire and ran the remainder of the way home, dropping her off at her tent and wishing her goodnight. They hugged as they always did, nothing more than that. Then Quil ran into the woods to join Jacob and Embry. They heard everything the moment he changed.

That's a nice bracelet you made her, Embry said.

About you leaving the pack, Jacob got right to business. Do you mind waiting until your first child before retiring?

Or maybe until Kevin or Embry awaken to their wolves,Embry Sr. suggested. All things considered, it might not be too far from now. They may even awaken before Quil and Claire have a child.

Whichever comes first,Jacob said. If one of our sons becomes a wolf soon, then you can retire. But if you have a child before that time, you can retire then instead. Is that agreeable?

I can agree to that,Quil affirmed. I appreciate it, Jacob.

No worries. Embry and I can take care of things.

The remainder of the night was rather uneventful. Naturally, it was agreed that they would not speak of the matter among anyone else. Quil wanted to ease into a proposal as her parents had requested. If she knew his plans, she'd never wait until spring. The following morning, as usual, Quil ran Claire to the Cullen house and Claire went to the music room to practice with Bella. Quil went to follow, but Edward stopped him and handed him a copy of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"I thought you might want me to bring you up to speed before Claire and I continued this afternoon."

"Oh," Quil said, rubbing the back of his head. "I actually forgot all about this."

"Claire hasn't, I'm afraid," Edward smiled. "Let's go to the study and I'll make sure you know everything she knows thus far." Quil followed Edward to the study further in the house and they both sat on couches across from one another. "So, Quil, to start, The Hunchback of Notre Dameis the story of a disfigured man that lives in the bell towers that falls in love with a gypsy woman named Esmeralda."

"Claire tells me everyone falls in love with this woman," Quil said.

"Yes, for the most part," Edward confirmed. "She's portrayed as a beautiful woman, so everyone covets her. But I assure you, there's far more to the story than a love triangle. It's a story that criticizes society, vanity and the church. Claire is right about Victor Hugo. The man was very cynical. He was not fond of people and, as I'm sure you'll come to realize as we read, he thought very little of society and the people within it."

"So who gets Esmeralda in the end?" Quil asked.

"What fun would it be if I told you? It's much better to read and find out for yourself," Edward grinned.

"Claire was telling me about how she'd preferred Pride and Prejudice."

"Everyone prefers Pride and Prejudice. It's a love story. It doesn't make you think too much. You hope for the heroes to end up together and when they do, you put the book down happy. Unfortunately, not all works of literature are such. Life most certainly does not work as such. I'm having the children read this because it forces us to look at things we don't want to. I want the children to be led into a discussion about more than fawning over Mr. Darcy or how Captain Wentworth would always end up with Anne or how Colonel Brandon loved Margaret all along. I want the children to ask questions about things that are more meaningful. Unfortunately, that sometimes means reading things that don't have happy endings."

"So no happy ending?" Quil joked.

"Not in the slightest," Edward said.

For the remainder of the morning, Edward worked to bring Quil up to speed on what was read and discussed previously and made sure Quil knew the sections that were to have been read for today so he would know what to say during the discussion. He vaguely remembered all the Jane Austen novels that Claire had read over the years, but this was something completely different. After lunch, Claire went to the study where Edward and Quil were and they started with their reading discussion while it was fresh in Quil's mind. But most of the discussion, Claire and Edward were debating human character based on events in the book. Quil spoke up now and then, but he preferred to sit back and watch Claire make her argument. After she was finished with her lessons, Quil asked if she'd be willing to leave early so they could walk back to the tribe together, which Claire eagerly agreed to. They didn't return right away. Instead, the two of them walked to a bluff near the house and looked out to the sea. The sun looked like it would set in the next hour.

"You did really well," Claire smiled.

"No I didn't," Quil chuckled. "I barely said two words."

"No, you did do well," Claire smiled. "So what do you think of it so far?"

"Is depressing," Quil said.

"Yes, it is," Claire agreed.

"I told Edward you preferred Pride and Prejudice and he said everyone does."

"And then he told you he wanted us to read something that made us think rather than hope for the heroes to end up together and put the book down happy. He told me the same thing," Claire said and the two laughed. "So have you been reading the paper?"

"Anything I hear about is from Jacob and that's what he hears from Kevin and Embry," Quil said. "All I know is Europe's at war and according to Kevin, it's an inevitability that America will get involved."

"Nothing much that can be done about it I suppose," Claire said. "Carlisle was trying to explain all the elements in play as to why the war broke out. There's so much political turmoil and anger between these countries, but it seems above all it's about who Grandma Victoria loves more." Claire smiled. "I said that and Carlisle told me that was a gross oversimplification."

"I would hope so," Quil chuckled. "Starting a war over grandma seems a little stupid. I thought it was because a Duke got shot or something."

"The Archduke of Austria was assassinated," Claire said. "It's what made Europe go to war, but the way Carlisle was explaining it, it seems war was inevitable for decades. Maybe centuries the way he explained it. You don't think anyone in the tribe would be sent to fight do you?"

"No," Quil said bluntly. "We aren't seen as citizens, so we wouldn't fight. Simple as that."

"Well, we were here first," Claire said. "I'd think if anyone has a right to fight in the military, it's us."

"Who knows," Quil chuckled. "Maybe when war breaks out and they need fighting men, the government will agree with you."

"As long as it doesn't mean you would be fighting," Claire said. "You wouldn't be fighting right?"

"Well, according to what Jacob heard from what Kevin heard from Hailey, no. I'm about Jacob's age and according to Edward, Jacob was born fall of 1884, which would make him, Embry, and by virtue me, 31. Seth? Seth might be in trouble. He was born 1888 I think, so he's only 27. He's still qualified. Try not to worry about it, though. According to Kevin, he thinks President Wilson won't request a declaration of war until the enemy does something in direct threat to the United States. And seeing as we have nothing to do with this mess, I can't imagine that would happen."

"We do have something to do with it," Claire said. "We have trade agreements and, for all Germany knows, we're supplying the allies with weapons."

"That's true I suppose," Quil said. "Let's not talk about this. Let's talk about something else. What is Edward teaching you right now in the sciences?"

"He actually has me focusing on biology," Claire said. "I admit it's rather dull."

"It can't be more dull than math."

"Math isn't dull, math is infuriating," Claire giggled. "There's only one right answer and if you make one error in your formula, you're wrong. I preferred basic arithmetic. There were so many steps as there are in algebra. I preferred when we were learning astronomy."

"I did enjoy that," Quil said.

"I remember how you would turn into a wolf but stay with me while we looked through a telescope into the stars so you were with me but technically on patrol," Claire smiled. "I remember when we were awake to see a shooting star. Edward said I needed to take a wish."

"Did that wish ever come true?" Quil asked.

"Not yet," Claire answered. Then she rested her head against Quil's shoulder and placed her hand on his. "I know it will, though."

For the remainder of November, that's what Claire and Quil would do. He would take her to the Cullen house, they would leave early so he could have a date with her and he'd return her back to her parents' tent before going on patrol. When December came, Claire and Bella were practicing Christmas music in preparation for the holiday. She knew all the songs by heart by now. So did Quil. He paid more attention to Jasper and Emmett most of the time. They were discussing the upcoming election. Charles Fairbanks was running under the Republican party and Woodrow Wilson would be campaigning under the democratic party for a second term as president. Supposedly, one of is slogans was proudly reminding the American people that he'd kept America neutral. Given that his term wasn't technically up yet, Jasper argued that was a rather presumptuous slogan while Emmett argued the man was only stating the truth. Political cartoons certainly teased the man enough for it. Since none of the Cullens were registered to vote, all they could do was debate. One of the catches to living off the grid Quil figured. Seth was actually qualified to vote if he wanted to, but from what Quil knew, Seth didn't consider himself a member of the United States, rather a member of the Nation of Quileutes, so who became president was of little concern to him.

"But that's why we should care more!" Kevin argued to Seth, wanting to be involved with the debate when it came up during Christmas that year. "We're lucky. We have a family with the financial means to ensure we have proper living conditions and a worthwhile education. What about others though? The Sioux, the Cherokee, the Cheyenne, all other tribes in this country are shoved on reservations with no consideration. People like us are in the rare position that we have the family background to be heard by the masses and the background to know what Native Americans actually go through."

"You just agreed we're lucky, though," Seth said.

"We certainly weren't before my mom's family came along," Kevin argued. "Dad's told me about how different things were, how the tribe was treated. Seth, people like us have the Indian blood to care and the white name to have the power to make things better."

"Need I remind you, kid, that my 'white' last name is very German. They're not seen too keenly at the moment," Seth joked. "I'll tell you what, Kevin. When you're an adult, you can vote for whoever you think will do the best job at pretending to care about Indians."

"What pretend?" Jacob said. "They don't even do that."

"They don't need to, Jacob," Edward said. "We do the caring for you."

"It's not up to you to care, though," Kevin said and everyone looked at him.

"No?" Edward said.

"Grandpa, the reality is we shouldn't have to need to rely on you to not be cheated. We should be able to stand on our own and defend ourselves."

"I agree," Edward said. "But sadly that's not the reality we're in. I do hope that won't be the case one day, though. Until then, you let us worry about any legal matters. And when you're a man, I'll take you to city hall and register you to vote myself."

"I look forward to it," Kevin answered confidently.

Just days later, it was New Year's. Edward pointed out to Jae that his watch was off again and Jae corrected it all by himself. He, Rae, Sharisa, Nathan and Natalie stayed in the music room and counted down to Jae's watch, welcoming 1916. As she'd been doing for some time, when the clock struck midnight, Claire hugged Quil and said she loved him. Normally, Quil would say it back in a kind way that made it clear it wasn't romantic. But this time, he'd looked her in the eyes and just said, 'I love you too'. It was the first time he'd said it since he realized how true it had become and the way he'd said it made Claire blush. After it was midnight, Quil secreted Claire away to a bluff to look out on the horizon in the light of the moon. He'd not had a moment alone with her for days since the holidays started. They held hands and looked right at the moon and stars. Claire had her head rested against Quil's shoulder and was smiling contentedly.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Quil," Claire said suddenly as they looked at the water.

"I know," Quil said.

"I haven't been a little girl for some time," she said.

"I know," he said again. "It was never a matter of your age or whether or not you were a little girl. It had to do with when you needed me to be more than your guardian."

"I still need you to be my guardian," Claire smiled and somehow managed to move closer to Quil. "But I want more than that. I've been wanting more than that."

"It wasn't time," Quil said.

"Does that mean it's time now?" Claire asked. "You've been looking at me differently. I've noticed it. I've seen you look at me in ways you never did before."

"There wasn't physical attraction before," Quil said.

"You mean you didn't think I was beautiful?" Claire asked, pulling her head away to look up at Quil. And she looked so nervous.

"I've always thought you were beautiful, Claire," Quil said. "That's never changed. What has changed is the reaction I have to it." Claire felt herself blushing again and she brought her head to Quil's shoulder again. She suddenly felt like a girl again. She'd spent so much time thinking about what it would be like for her and Quil to finally be really in love, but she imagined marriage and kids and a kiss at their wedding. "Are you alright, Claire?"

"I'm fine," Claire said. She brought her hands up to Quil's arm and held onto his bicep. Then she remember how she used to love being on Quil's chest. She remembered how his heartbeat had always been comforting for her. So she lifted Quil's arm so it was wrapped around her shoulder and she rested her head against his chest and early listened to the heartbeat she remembered so well. "I just realized I can't remember the last time I'd done this."

"Put your head on my chest, you mean?"

"Yes," Claire nodded. "It was so long ago, I know."

"You were recovering from that gunshot," Quil remembered. "You'd lay against my chest when you couldn't fall asleep." Quil squeezed Claire tight so she was closer to him. "I was so scared I was going to lose you that day."

"What would you have done if you did?" Claire asked.

"I don't know," Quil said. "Whatever I did, I wouldn't have lasted long. I'm just happy Renesmee was there. I really would have lost you if it weren't for her."

"Me too," Claire agreed and hugged Quil tighter. "I love you."

"I love you too," Quil said in Quileute. Claire looked up at him and she saw that he was smiling at her. It was a genuine and kind smile. A way to let her know he really meant it and meant it the way she wanted him to. When Claire saw that smile, she let go of Quil so she could get on her knees, wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him on the lips.

Quil made sure he stayed upright when Claire flew against him and kissed him. Once he was stable, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. Claire brought her hands to Quil's face and sighed from the feel of his lips. Right now, she wasn't thinking, only feeling. When Quil wrapped his arms around her, it encouraged her to keep going and deepen the kiss. Claire started leaning against Quil trying to push him back, but he was too strong and he wouldn't be moved. When that failed, Claire began to trail her hands down Quil's chest, but he took her wrist in his hand to stop her. Then he pulled his lips away and kissed the tip of her nose before resting his forehead against hers.

"I should probably get you back so you can get some sleep," Quil said.

"I'm not tired," Claire insisted. Quil smiled and gave her a very quick kiss, pulling away before Claire could try to deepen it.

"Not tonight, Claire," Quil smiled. "Soon, but not tonight."

Begrudgingly, Claire nodded her head and they returned to the Cullen house so Claire could get some sleep in a comfy bed. When they were upstairs, Claire demanded one more kiss from Quil, which he gave her, and left her to get some sleep. He went on patrol well into the early hours of the morning as Embry and Jacob had done. Meanwhile, Claire couldn't seem to fall asleep. Even at four in the morning she was wide awake. She kept thinking about Quil and the kiss they'd shared. Not much had really happened with the kiss. It had been really simple but somehow that's what had her fired up. Quil didn't try to kiss her again since that night. Claire always initiated the kisses, but each time, they would go just a little further. One day in February after Claire's lesson, rather than take her back to her parents' tent or going to a bluff somewhere near the Cullen house, he took Claire to hi little house near the coast.

"Are you happy to be finished reading Hunchback?" Quil asked when they stepped into the house. The Cullens had returned to Alaska for the remainder of the winter, but Renesmee had been happy to continue the read with them in Edward's absence. Sadly, Claire had not been quite so enthusiastic.

"Oh, God, yes," Claire said. "That was the most depressing book I've ever had to read."

"Here's hoping that Tale of Two Cities is better."

"I'm not holding my breath," Claire said and Quil chuckled. Claire went over to Quil and gave him a hug. "You don't have to go on patrol for a while do you?"

"Not until nightfall," Quil said. Claire was relieved that she'd get to have Quil to herself for a little while. So she hugged him a little tighter.

"So what shall we do before you have to go out tonight?" Claire asked.

"It's too cold to go outside," Quil said. "I have cards here if you wanted to play something."

"What games do you know how to play?" Claire asked.

"I was hoping you knew a game, actually," Quil smiled.

"I know how to play poker," Claire said. They agreed to the game and Quil looked for the cards he had and met Claire at the small dining table and took them out of their box. They were still new. He'd not touched them since they were put in his house.

"So how does this game work?" Quil asked.

"Mostly, it's about luck. The only real skill is knowing the type of hand you've got. I admit, I don't remember most of the hands."

"Then let's just use the ones you remember," Quil smiled. Claire smiled back and, to make things easier, got some paper and a pencil so she could vaguely draw out the hands she remembered and which ones were better or worse.

They attempted to play for roughly an hour by the rules, but after some stumbles and moments of realizing one hand was actually better than she'd written down, the two of them decided the winner of the hand would be determined strictly based on who's hand added up to the highest number when the numbers were added up. That only required reviewing the number a Jack, Queen, King and Ace represented. Once that was agreed upon, the game flowed much easier. Another hour passed of the two of them playing their own botched version of poker and talking about everything and nothing in particular. The two of them had played games and talked many times before throughout Claire's life. Yet since November it was becoming more and more romantic. Quil would start brushing his hand on Claire's and she would touch his calf or foot with her toes. She was doing that right now as she looked at her hand doing the math in her head. Quil just smiled and did the math in his head for his own hand.

"You want to play your hand?" Quil asked.

"I'm confident," Claire said. They both placed down their hands. Quil had two jacks, a ten, a queen and a two. Claire had 2 tens, a king, an ace and a 3. "Looks like my 50 beats your 44," she smiled.

"So it does," Quil smiled. "Do you think either of our hands amounts to anything in poker?"

"No," Claire said and the two laughed. "I can make us some dinner if you're hungry."

"You don't have to," Quil said.

"Yes, I do. I'm starving," she smiled and stood from the table to search through the pantry for Quil's stash of potatoes. Since she wanted food sooner rather than later, Claire cut up the potatoes haphazardly and put them in a hot pan to cook.

Quil watched Claire as she patiently kept an eye on the cubed potatoes ensuring they didn't burn. Somehow, watching her cook may have been one of the most arousing things he'd ever seen. If she'd ever cooked for him before, it was with her mother and it was always meant for everyone. This was the first time she was cooking in his kitchen and cooking just for the two of them. It gave him the smallest glimpse of what their life would be together and he liked what he saw. She was in a long sleeve deep purple dress she'd received for Christmas that year and, as always, her hair was braided and rolled up into a bun so it was out of her face and it was tied using a purple cotton cord that she had tied in a little bow under the bun. The site made him start licking and biting his lips impatiently. While the potatoes smelled delicious, he couldn't pretend he cared the slightest bit about them at that moment.

He'd spent so many years seeing her as a friend. She'd spent years only seeing him as such with the exception of the last 4 or so years. Now that he could finally see her as a woman, he found it seemed to be all he could see. He'd watched her grow from a little girl to a blossoming young woman, but only now was the sight of her curves making him ravenous. He'd always listened when she talked to him. Now, while he still listened, he couldn't stop himself from fixating on her dark black eyes, her slender cheeks and nose, and most importantly her lips. He'd kissed them many times since November. And their kisses would last just a little bit longer and become just a little more intense every time. But it was only a kiss. It was only a chaste kiss that would always end with Quil kissing her beautiful nose. Watching her in what would be their kitchen, watching her cook, watching her look so focused, he realized the kisses just weren't enough anymore. He'd been the responsible one for all this time and yet he wasn't sure he would be able to be much longer. He'd agreed to wait to propose until spring, but her parents had also said to use that time to give their relationship a chance to grow into something more than it used to be. It had been doing that since that fateful morning when he'd looked into her eyes and realized he was in love. Not that he loved her like a friend, but loved her as a lover.

"Are you alright?" Claire asked suddenly, forcing Quil to come out of his little daze.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Quil said. "It smells good," he continued, changing the subject.

"Thank you," she smiled. "They should be done in just a second."

Claire returned her attention to the potatoes and they both waited another couple of minutes before they were done. She searched the cupboards until she found a big wooden plate and plopped all the potatoes onto the plate for them to eat. Rather than grab more plates, she just grabbed forks for herself and Quil and placed the food on the table and handed him his fork. They sat together and ate a moment, not really saying much to one another. Quil complimented Claire's cooking and Claire blushed with a smile and thanked him. While they ate, he noticed Claire kept glancing out the window as if willing the sun to stop. When they finished eating, Claire took the dishes to the sink to wash. She got some water on them and started rubbing away the bits of food that were left over. While she worked, Quil stood from the table so quietly she didn't even notice. He decided he would be the one to kiss first, just this once.

His footsteps stayed eerily quiet and she didn't notice he was behind her until he placed his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her cheek and she moved her head to the side silently pleading for him to keep kissing her. He kissed her cheek down to her jaw. Then he kissed the lobe of her ear and she shuddered. He felt her shiver in his hands and without a thought, he started moving his hands around her back down her sides until his hands rested on her hips. He'd only meant the kiss to go no further than their lips meeting as they usually did. But now his attempt at chasteness had gone out the window and he started kissing her neck, tickling her sensitive skin. Claire's hands remained on the counter and she kept her head to the side while Quil kept kissing her neck. Quil's hands began squeezing her hips and his tongue tasted her skin. The feel of which made her sigh and when she did, Quil seemed to lose more control and pushed her against the counter with his hips, pressing her roughly against it and wrapping one arm around her while the other grabbed a fist full of the fabric of her dress. For a moment, Claire attempted to reach behind to Quil or tried to turn around to face him, but he was too strong. She was locked in his relentless grip and she didn't mind in the least.

Quil reached up the hand he'd put around her and grabbed a hold of the neckline of her dress. The fabric was so stiff, so he couldn't pull it aside without ruining it. So he brought that hand to her back and kept kissing her neck while he started undoing the buttons of her dress. He started to feel her skin as he undid the buttons and he felt more and more like he couldn't control himself anymore. It had been years. So many years. He remembered when he'd came of age. It was before he became a wolf. He'd coveted and felt the warmth of a woman's body but after he'd awoken to his wolf and Claire was born, he'd not so much as looked at another woman in nearly 18 years. He'd not minded so much before. He'd really not. All he ever saw was Claire. All he loved was Claire. And as she grew, his love for her had been no more than friendship. Yet now, he felt the buildup in his system of years going by. Suddenly, it seemed like it had somehow been excruciating, despite it only beginning to weigh on him very recently. He'd started feeling like he'd needed her like his next breath. And with each sigh she released from his kisses to her skin, he felt more and more like he'd been drowning without ever noticing. Yet, of all things, they were interrupted by the sound of the pot hitting the side of the sink suddenly when Claire returned her hand to grab anything in front of her. The sound made Quil take his lips away from her skin and seemed to bring him back to earth again. He released the fabric he'd clutched in his hand and stopped unbuttoning Claire's dress. He realized he'd unbuttoned down to the middle of her back with still more buttons having been left over for him.

"Sorry," Quil said suddenly as he tried to regain his thoughts. Claire turned to look at him, confused.

"For what?"

"I got ahead of myself," Quil said. Unsure how else to return his focus to what she wanted, Claire used all her strength to pull both her arms from the sleeves of her dress. The buttons weren't undone enough for her to get the dress very low without force, but she was at least able to make her breasts visible. Quil barely had a chance to look before Claire started closing the distance between them again. "Claire-"

She stopped him after jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips. The action made Quil lose his mind. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss with passion. He started to lean against the table, but his weight caused it to move suddenly, and he stood back up to ensure they wouldn't fall. He'd pulled his lips away in the process, looking at the able to make sure he'd not ruined it. He also realized, he'd gotten ahead of himself again and they needed to stop. The sun was going down, so he returned his gaze to Claire and smiled lovingly at her.

"I'd better leave for patrol," Quil said. He let go of Claire and leaned down so she was on her feet, but she didn't let go.

"Can't they wait for you?" Claire asked.

"I'd get an earful from them if I made them wait," Quil smiled. Realizing that Quil was actively trying to stop what they were doing, she finally let go and held the bodice of her dress that was hanging up to her breasts so she was covered. But she still looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Would you mind terribly if I stayed here for the night?"

"Of course," Quil said reassuringly. They smiled at one another, just a little awkwardly. They ended up saying good night to one another as fast as they could before Quil left the house and went into the woods taking a moment to calm down. Jacob and Embry stayed far away while he did and said nothing of it when he finally joined them for patrol.

Claire wound up doing the same thing. She kept thinking about what happened in that kitchen. He'd never been so forward with her. It was the first time he'd ever touched her like that or made her feel so desperate. He was all she could think about for an hour before she was able to bring herself to some form of release and fall asleep. It was far short of what she craved, but for the time being it would do just fine. She'd spent minutes unbuttoning the rest of her dress herself and she'd tossed it on the floor in irritation. Usually, her mother helped her button the dresses whenever she wore something like it, but she'd not had the luxury and she ended up taking it out of the dress. Though her sexual frustration was a much bigger reason. After she'd satisfied herself at least a little, she fell asleep naked in Quil's bed, surrounding by his familiar woodsy smell. It gave her pleasant dreams.

Quil didn't return home immediately. He waited until the sun was well above the horizon hoping that Claire would be awake by then. Then they'd be able to go back to the main part of the village and she could join the other kids for their lesson for the day. Yet when he returned, he realized it was still very quiet. But Quil knew she was there. So he walked into the house and saw her from the front door still asleep in his bed. He walked to his room to check on her. She was buried under all the blankets to protected from the chill that seeped into the house after the night's light snowfall. Then he noticed that Claire's dress was on the floor and realized she would be naked under the bed. He took a moment to breath and finally sat on the edge of the bed.

"Morning, Claire," Quil whispered to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She squirmed and turned her head to look up at Quil and smiled.

"Morning," she whispered back. "Did you just get back?"

"I did," Quil said. "Let's get you back to the tribe. I'm sure there'll be something to eat there." Claire smiled and started moving off the bed. Quil started leaving the room before she was visible again, but Claire stopped him.

"Quil," Claire said when she picked up her dress. He turned around cautiously, and just as he feared, she was holding her dress but making no effect to cover herself. "I need help getting the dress back on."

Quil took a deep relaxing breath and smiled before walking over to help her. In that time, he finally saw her body more clearly. She really wasn't a little girl anymore. She had full hips and a slender waist and legs and her breasts were so dainty. They were just full enough that they accented her curves yet they were demure and seemed as though the pull of the earth had no effect on them. Claire realized Quil had started to stare as he walked over. The knowledge made her feel powerful and she started standing up straighter and puffing her chest out just a little hoping it would arouse him. The fact that he was still naked himself having returned from patrol made the situation just a little more problematic. She could see that the site of her was arousing him. The more evident it started becoming, the more brazen she became. She didn't bother stepping into her dress or bringing it over her head. Instead, she just stood where she was and watched Quil approach her with anticipation. She started licking her lips and that's when Quil stopped.

"I can't button your dress until you have it on," Quil joked with a smile.

"I'm aware," Claire said simply and kept looking up at him as if waiting for him to kiss her.

"We should get back," Quil continued. "Remember what happened when Kevin and Embry skipped on their lessons?"

"I can deal with it," Claire said and walked a little closer to Quil, keeping her eyes on him. Quil stood strong, but it was growing more and more difficult, both figuratively and literally. The look Claire was giving him was a strange mix of nervousness and blind determination. "Claire," he whispered weakly and in that moment, Claire knew she had him. She smiled sweetly and closed the distance, their nakedness increasing the intimacy of it, and hugged Quil resting her head against his chest. She marveled at the feel of his growing erection against her belly and the feel aroused her greatly.

"Why are you being shy, Quil?" Claire asked. "If anyone should be shy, it's me," she joked.

"I'm not being shy," Quil said. "It's just too soon."

"Why is it too soon?" Claire asked. "This isn't like before when you didn't see me that way. But now you do." She hugged him just a little tighter and let her belly rub against his erection, now completely full. "I can feel you do."

"I know," Quil said. "It's not whether or not I'm attracted to you. I wouldn't try to tell you I'm not. But I don't want to rush this. I've waited 17 years for you, Claire. I can wait just a little longer."

"But what if I don't want to?" Claire said. "What if I don't want to wait?" Quil smiled and leaned his head down to kiss her. He allowed the kiss to become passionate, but only for a moment. Then he pulled his lips away and looked into her eyes. "Quil, you're teasing me," Claire giggled and whimpered all at once.

"Exactly," Quil smiled with the cruelest hint of satisfaction. "Believe me, Claire. I want to. But I want you to want it as much as I do."

"I already do," Claire argued but Quil shook his head and kissed her again, pulling away before she could move the kiss along.

"Not yet, Claire," Quil said.

"When?" Claire asked impatiently. Quil couldn't help but chuckle just a little.

"Soon," was all he said.

Quil was finally able to get Claire dressed and returned her to the village so she could start her lessons for the day and later practice the violin. He couldn't pretend that watching Claire play wasn't a little humorous. Usually, she preferred to play soft music or upbeat music. However, she'd started playing music that sounded as though it was written by a very angry or frustrated composer. Quil was never sure who she was playing most of the time, but he didn't care. It was just the slightest bit funny. After a few days went by of Claire's mental playlist including little more than doomsday themed music, Renesmee insisted she play I'm Going Home so they could listen to anything different, even if it was a religious song about death and returning to the arms of the lord. At least it was chipper and fast paced despite being so depressing. Even though Quil would kiss Claire, even progress to touching and kissing her neck, he would stop before it progressed into anything really intimate. Seeing as Claire was getting more and more frustrated, it seemed to be having the desired effect.

"Why is he tormenting me?" Claire asked Kyle of all people. It was the beginning of March and she was losing her patience with Quil's teasing. So she pulled Kyle aside one day after their lessons and crossed her arms expecting an answer.

"I'm sorry?" Kyle asked.

"Please, Kyle, you're a mind reader! You should know everything."

"I'm only a mind reader when I want to be, Claire," Kyle said. "And quite frankly, most of the time, I don't want to be. If I kept my mind open the way Grandpa Edward has to, I may have thrown myself off a cliff by now. There's only so much endless sex fascination and non-verbal racial slurs I can take before I'm done with it."

"Okay, but can you open your mind and figure out what Quil's up to?" Claire sighed.

"Hold on," Kyle sighed and closed his eyes and opened his mind.

When he did, there was an onslaught of nearly 100 different people in his head at once. He heard everything he could possibly not care about and not want to hear, even graphic imagery in some cases. He wasn't sure how Grandpa Edward could stand having to have all this in his head all day every day without any break. He finally managed to single out Quil. He was talking with Embry and Jacob about Claire. The first thing he found out about what the proposal bracelet Quil had made and the plan to propose in the spring as per her parents' request. He overheard how Quil wanted to build their relationship slowly in the meantime so it wouldn't be rushed. However, the moment the three of them began exchanging advice and personal stories about sex, he closed his mind immediately. He preferred knowing as little about his parents' love life together as possible. They were in love and happy, and that is all the more he needed or even cared to know.

"So?" Claire asked.

"He's made you a bracelet, he's going to propose in spring, and he's trying to build a romantic relationship with you slowly and he wants you to be 'really ready' when you two finally have sex."

"He's…" Claire's eyes widened a little at the news. "He's proposing already?"

"Yes," Quil said. "Your mom and dad asked him to wait until spring, but you both have their blessing."

"He already made the bracelet?"

"Yeah," Kyle said. "Don't worry, you'll like it."

"I never saw it," Claire said.

"Of course not. He has it hidden somewhere."

"Where?"

"I'm not telling you," Kyle said in a tone that indicated it was obvious he wouldn't tell her and she should know better than to ask. "If I tell you, you'll start looking for it."

"No I won't," Claire protested halfheartedly.

"Look, Claire, he's trying to get you hot and bothered before the two of you get married. Just play along and have fun on the wedding night, alright?"

"Wedding night?" Claire practically shrieked. "He's waiting until our wedding night?"

"I don't know," Kyle shrugged. "His thoughts weren't that specific. Besides, what does it matter?"

"Because I don't want to wait anymore," Claire said. "He's been teasing me since November and I can't take it much longer."

"Well, Claire, try living like a monk for going on 18 years then you can complain. You've got to be patient like a big girl." Claire started rubbing her face in frustration.

"I can't believe I'm being lectured by an 9 year old."

"I'm eleven," Kyle said pointedly. "And you're the one that pulled me aside to read your boyfriend's mind. A thank you would be nice at least."

"You're right," Claire sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. Thank you for finding out what you did."

"You're welcome," Kyle said more calmly. "And if it's worth anything, he's not holding out to be vindictive. He just wants to make the first time special. Or something like that. I tapped out of the conversation the moment dad started sharing stories about mom."

"Well, that's hardly appropriate," Claire sighed.

"They can read each other's minds when they're wolves, Claire. When there're no secrets, 'appropriateness' doesn't really hold much water. He loves you, Claire, and that's really all that matters at this point."

"I suppose so," Claire sighed. Then, she put her hands on her hips and held her head up as if she'd had enough. "Well, I'm not taking this lying down. That's for sure!"

"Might I recommend from behind, then?" Kyle said and Claire just glared at him. "I'm sorry, Claire. You walked right into that one."

"I mean, if he's going to insist we play cat and mouse, then I'm taking the role of cat," Claire said proudly.

"Claire, it's not like the attraction isn't mutual. He's just as hot and bothered as you are. Frankly, he'd probably jump your bones now if you pushed enough."

"In that case," Claire smiled and gave Kyle a big hug, "that's exactly what I'll do." Then Claire returned to the main part of the village and went about practicing her violin, making a point to ignore Quil momentarily.

"Girls are weird," Kyle mumbled to himself before eventually returning to the village himself. He went to find Kevin and Embry, eventually finding them at the bluff eating some apples and talking about what they'd read in the paper that day. More news about the war in Europe as well as a few other political matters and the odd 'miracle' story from the boonies somewhere. "Do you mind if I stay with you guys?" Kyle asked when he reached the bluff.

"That's fine," Kevin said. "Help yourself to an apple." Kyle sat down next to Kevin and grabbed the reddest apple in the basket.

"Claire asked me why Quil's 'tormenting' her," Kyle sighed.

"Pardon?" Embry said.

"She asked me to read his mind to tell her what he's up to."

"He's proposing or something isn't he?" Embry said.

"Yes, but I don't think I should have told her that."

"No, Kyle, no," Kevin sighed and patted Kyle's back. "You shouldn't have told her anything."

"She kept begging me," Kyle said. "I don't know how grandpa stands being a mind reader."

"Yeah, going the other way is a lot less infuriating," Kevin laughed. "I'd suggest warning Quil or something."

"No, I'm not getting any more involved," Kyle said. "I feel like I already threw a wrench into the machine. I don't want to make things worse."

"It's not like you're going to make them break up or something," Embry said. "At worst, you're killing the romance a little."

"That doesn't make me feel much better, Embry," Kyle said.

"I don't know what to tell you, then, kiddo," Embry replied.

"I had to hear our dads talk to Quil about things our mothers liked and he should consider trying. I need better than that."

"It's just sex, Kyle. Don't be so prudish," Embry said.

"Well, Embry, if it's just sex than I'm sure you'll be interested to hear that your mom really likes it when your dad tosses you mom onto the bed and puts his head down to-"

"Shut up!" Embry yelled.

"What's the matter, Embry? It's just sex. It's how you and all your 6 and counting of your siblings were made after all," Kyle said.

"Okay, shut up, Kyle," Kevin sighed. "It's bad enough you know more than our parents would want you to. No point in making us privy to it."

"You'll be 'privy' to it before long anyway," Kyle said. "The moment we become wolves, we'll know more about our parents' love lives than we ever wanted to."

"At least dad already indirectly gave you advice on pleasing women I guess," Kevin said.

"Believe me, I'd have rather waited," Kyle replied.

With Kyle's information in mind, Claire began to tease Quil relentlessly. Two could play this little game. It started unsuspecting at first. She would intentionally wear dresses that required he assisted her with unbuttoning them when she slept at his house, which she insisted upon doing. She would kiss him sweetly before he went out for patrol, but she would never do it unless she was out of her dress. It didn't seem to bother Quil initially. He just took it in strides. But then she started waiting until he was at the door before getting into his bed and when she did, she always made a point to crawl into bed on all fours first, her nakedness testing his staying power. In return, he would kiss her, but remaining chaste most of the time. But then he'd hold her close and touch her everywhere but where she craved and stopping when the two of them were in a throw of passion short of removing their clothes. By the middle of March it had actually turned into a game of seeing who would cave first. Yet even those times Claire was fully prepared to be the one to call it truce and try to move their intimacy along, Quil would always stop her. She'd never felt so restless in her life. She felt like she needed to talk to someone, anyone about this. She couldn't talk to her mother. The woman was more than supportive of her relationship with Quil, but she also didn't need to hear about the escapades the two of them had begun. She was scared to talk to Renesmee or Caevia for fear they would say something without meaning to. She didn't want to talk to her brother or her friends either. None of them had the slightest idea what she was going through. With no other idea who to speak with, Claire turned to the only other person in the tribe that knew and understood imprinted love.

"Sara, can I talk to you privately?" Claire asked Sara while they were cleaning clothes.

"Of course, dear. Did you want to go to my tent?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Claire answered. The two of them went to Sara's and William's tent and when they were alone, they sat down next to one another.

"Is anything the matter?"

"Not exactly," Claire said. "Quil and I….well, we've started seeing each other as lovers rather than being friends."

"Yes, I've noticed," Sara smiled. "You're a woman now, Claire. It won't be long before you'll be his wife and mother to his children. Surely, you don't think your parents disapprove."

"No, it's not that," Claire said, starting to get really embarrassed. "I just feel like I need to talk to someone that won't possibly tell Quil but someone that actually understands imprinting."

"Well, that would be me," Sara smiled. "So what is it that you wanted my help with?" Claire started blushing again and held her head down a little.

"Quil and I…..we haven't been intimate yet."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Sara said. "Quil imprinted on you when you were just a girl. It'll take a little time to change the dynamic."

"We've been changing the dynamic,"Claire said. "It started with just kisses and hugs, but now…." Claire kept blushing.

"What's the matter?"

"I guess I should just come out and say it. Quil and I have been…..teasing one another for a while. Earlier this winter, I'd been cleaning some dishes for him and he came up behind me and just started kissing my neck. It wasn't much at first, but then he started unbuttoning my dress and touching my leg."

"Were you not comfortable with that?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow a little confused.

"Quite the opposite," Claire said. "I never wanted it to end. But then I accidentally pushed the pot against the sink and it made a loud noise, so Quil stopped. Ever since then, we've been….I don't know how to explain this. Ever since, we've been….teasing each other."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, he'll kiss me and touch me, but he'll never actually remove my dress or do anything that initiates sex while I'll wear these dresses I need him to help me undo and I'll prance around his house naked to get his attention." Suddenly, Sara started giggling. Claire watched Sara a moment and just let her laugh. She could imagine this sounded silly.

"Perhaps Kayechiwetchwe and I should try that," she joked. "Spice things up a bit."

"Please, Sara, don't tease me."

"I'm sorry dear. It's just rather cute,"she said. "I guess I'm curious what your question is."

"My question is how do I make him get on with it?" Claire asked, exasperated. "We've been playing this game of cat and mouse for weeks and it's wearing on my nerves. It was fun at first, but now I just want to jump his bones and he won't let me."

"I can assure you, Claire, the feeling is mutual," Sara reassured.

"Did William do that to you when he imprinted on you?" Claire asked.

"Oh goodness no," Sara said. "Though if he had, it would have certainly been interesting. The truth is Kayechiwetchwe and I had already known one another for the most part but didn't really speak much. Then one day, he walked over to me and asked if I would join him for a walk on the beach."

"Did you realize then that you were in love with him?"Claire asked.

"I don't know if I knew in that instant that I was in love per se," Sara answered honestly. "More so I realized for the first time how handsome he is and that he has such beautiful black eyes. And I remember thinking his short hair was handsome on him and realizing that I couldn't believe I'd never thought much of him before."

"Were you his first?" Claire asked curiously.

"Oh, no, dear," Sara smiled. "If there's one thing the men of chiefdom have been known to be, it's been promiscuous. Kayechiwetchwe had half the women in the tribe madly in love with him. I doubt he slept with all of them. In fact I'm certain he hadn't. But he'd broken plenty of hearts in his day. That may be why I didn't think much of him when we were younger."

"What about you?" Claire continued. "Was he your first?"

"No," Sara answered. "I'd been in love with another young man. You know him of course, but no need to mention his name. He married another woman and they've been very happy. But that young man was supposed to marry me. He'd asked my father for my hand and he was in the process of proving he was worthy of me. I think I may still have that bracelet somewhere." Sara started blushing and smiling herself. "Then that morning when I was cleaning clothes, Kayechiwetchwe walked over to me and asked me to walk with him."

"Did you tell him you were taken?"

"I did," Sara said. "I told him I was engaged to another man and that he was proving to my father that he could care for me. Before I knew it, Kayechiwetchwe had gone to my father, told him he'd imprinted on me, and that he wanted to marry me and was willing to do whatever my father deemed necessary to prove he was the better prospect for a husband."

"What was it like having two men chasing after you?" Claire giggled a little.

"Rather agitating if I'm being honest," Sara admitted. "My fiancé and I had been seeing one another for a year I believe it was. Then Kayechiwetchwe swooped in out of nowhere proclaiming his love and asking for my hand when I barely knew him."

"What did your father say?"

"He told Kayechiwetchwe that if he wanted to marry me, he'd have to first come to me and prove he loved me and earn my love in return. So from then on, he came to me every day. He waited until I was alone and gave me his own proposal bracelet and put it right in front of the one I was already wearing. Then he would bring me flowers, he'd give my parents fish, he made his tent larger affirming it would be good for children." Sara giggled. "Mother and father were pleased with him right away, but there was still the matter of the man that had asked for me first. And as I'm sure you can imagine, he was not too pleased that another man was trying to win my hand."

"Did they ever fight?"

"Constantly," Sara sighed, remembering the arguments Kayechiwetchwe and her ex-fiancé would have. "They got into a fist fight the day Kayechiwetchwe first spoke with my father. Sokajili and Kayechiwetchwe's cousin Capue had to force the two of them apart. They avoided one another, but they still fought. In truth, I ended up turning into the 'go between' as it were and I didn't like it in the least."

"How did William win your heart over the other man?" Claire asked. Sara smiled again and started blushing.

"He would talk to me," Sara said. "He would come over to me when my fiancé wasn't around and talk to me. Sometimes, he would ask me to come meet him in the woods. I usually told him no. But one night, he'd convinced me that we should see once another so we could get to know one another. He'd explained he was determined to learn more about me and have me learn more about him. So after all his insisting, I eventually agreed to meet him. We went to that bluff where we always cliff jump at and he gave me a gift of a woven hair tie he'd dyed purple with berries and we talked well into the night. He returned me home before sunrise, of course," Sara said. "After that night, that's when I knew I was in love with him and that I wanted to marry him."

"Did you end things with your fiancé?"

"I did," Sara said. "I told him truthfully that I'd fallen in love with Kayechiwetchwe and that I wanted to marry him. He wasn't happy, but he wished the two of us the best. It wasn't without having a few choice words with Kayechiwetchwe calling him a thief, but he did tell my father that he was forfeiting his efforts. Kayechiwetchwe begged me to come out that night with him and I agreed to go. We met at that white log down the beach and made love under the moonlight." Sara smiled fondly at the memory. "In fact, I think our twins were conceived that night,"Sara giggled. "We were married a few weeks later and days after we married, I felt the sickness of pregnancy and knew I was expecting."

"I guess that doesn't help my situation much,"Claire said.

"What I can tell you, Claire, is that a wolf that has imprinted is whatever his imprint needs him to be. And if there's anything I've learned over the years, sometimes all you have to do is look into the wolf's eyes and ask. I've been able to convince Kayechiwetchwe of many things doing that. I suspect, if you just look into his eyes just the right way and tell him what you want, he will not deny you."

"What's just the right way?"

"I'm afraid only you will know that,"Sara answered. Claire pondered a moment about what Sara said and smiled.

"Thank you for all your help, Sara," Claire said. She hugged Sara, gave her a kiss on the check, and they said their goodbyes before Claire stepped out, walking past William as she did. William stepped into the tent closing the leather door behind him.

"She seemed happy," William smiled.

"She wanted advice on how to further intimacy in hers and Quil's relationship. Apparently they've been sexually teasing one another and she's had enough of it."

"It won't last," William chuckled.

"I just told her to look into his eyes and tell him what she wants and he'll do whatever she asks."

"Isn't that the truth," William joked and sat down next to Sara.

"She asked me if you'd ever done such a thing to me and I just told her how the two of us fell in love. You remember, right?"

"Of course I do," William smiled and placed his hand on Sara's thigh. "I'd walked right up to you and asked if you would walk with me."

"Yes, and I told you I was already engaged. But that didn't stop you."

"Nothing would have stopped me," William answered confidently. "Do you know what I'd said to your father that day?" Sara shook her head and William leaned in and smiled wider. "I told him that Kachique may have loved you first, but I love you more."

"Is that what you said?" Sara smiled and even blushed.

"It is," William smiled. "And you know what? It's as true now as it was then."

"Do you mean that?" Sara smiled and started looking into William's eyes longingly.

"I do," William answered and started kissing Sara.

Claire thought long and hard about what Sara had told her. She came to the conclusion that she'd just have to be honest with Quil and tell him what she wanted. So later in the afternoon, Quil and Claire left to go to Quil's house as had become their habit in the past few months. When they got to his house, Claire made them both dinner, as had also become their habit. While they ate dinner that night, Claire sat very close to Quil and frequently touched his arm and his thigh. They would kiss from time to time and Quil asked her about her lessons that day and what they'd learned, but Claire was uninterested in the topic. She was far more interested in Quil. She played along, though, and the two ended up talking until the sun was getting ready to go down.

"It's almost nightfall," Quil said, glancing out the window. "I'd better leave soon."

"Would you mind helping me out of my dress before you leave?" Claire asked. Quil raised an eyebrow at her, taking another look at her dress. She wearing one of the dresses she'd made with her mother: a dress that was short sleeved and able to be pulled over her head with no trouble.

"You need help with your dress," he asked skeptically, but with a teasing smile. "It looks simple enough to remove."

"Yet surprisingly, it's not," Claire insisted as she moved closer to him. She tried making her eyes look sexy, but that seemed to only amuse him.

"If you need the help, than I don't mind," Quil answered. Claire smiled, but she was making her smile seductively and Quil chuckled again.

She didn't express it on her face, but it was becoming apparent that what she was doing wasn't working and she would need to try something else. When they reached the bedroom, Quil took a handful of fabric in his hands and helped Claire pull the dress over her head. He'd done so seductively himself, smiling at her and taking the dress over her head slowly. She knew it was only to tease her. But she didn't let it bother her. Instead, she looked her lips and, instead of looking seductive, tried to just relax her face. When her dress was over her head and she was naked to his eyes, she looked up at Quil and patted her eyelashes a little slowly. The expression he gave in return wasn't teasing. Instead, the look he gave her appeared flustered and hungry. She smiled, but she kept it sweet.

"Thank you," Claire answered sweetly.

"You're welcome," Quil barely managed to get out. He seemed to swallow and finally smiled, regaining his senses. "I guess I should leave. They'll be waiting for me." For a moment, Claire was discouraged, but then she got an idea. It was something she'd actually never done before. Now that she thought about it, it seemed so obvious.

"You'll not be needing these, then," Claire answered just as sweetly as she'd been doing, knowing that seemed to be what was working on him.

She reached out to undo the ties of his traditional pants and they fell off like nothing once the strings were untied. Claire couldn't help but look down. She'd seem him naked countless times throughout her life. Nudity was nothing to be concerned about and he and the others would often step out of the woods naked. Yet when she saw him now, she found a need would grow in her and she needed to be able to act on that need. Quil was quickly looking his resolve and he felt himself growing hard, so he needed to stop what they were doing.

"Good night, Claire," Quil finally said. "I love you." He started to reach down to kiss her and Claire accepted the kiss. But this wasn't what she'd been wanting. She tried thinking what else she could do. So, rather suddenly, she took a hold of his slight erection, making it harder with the simple touch, and looked up at him with her pleading eyes.

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Claire asked, never releasing Quil's erection. Claire used her hands to go up and down and was stopped when Quil took a hold of her hand.

"They'll wonder where I am," Quil said, but it was weak. So Claire stepped a little closer and looked directly up at him. She licked her lips and put her free hand on his chest.

"Would they mind so terribly if you were just a little late?" Claire pleaded. She stroked his erection again and watched as he took another deep breath.

"They might," Quil said. Claire smiled sweetly and moved impossibly closer to.

"Then I will try not to keep you so long," Claire pleaded as she stroked him again. His hand was still on hers, but he wasn't stopping her anymore. Then she went on her toes to reach his lips and kiss him.

He didn't stop her, rather he fully contributed. He mind got away from him and he took a tight of her, almost viciously, and started walking her back towards the bed until the back of her knees hit the edge. Quil licked her lip and their tongues met and tasted one another. Quil's hands stayed on Claire's hips, however, and she found it maddening. So she stroked his erection more, hoping to make him reciprocate. But he didn't. His hands stayed on her hips while he kissed her. Eventually, Quil pulled his lips away, realizing they were getting ahead of themselves and kissed her forehead.

"I should go, Claire," he said again.

"Quil, please," Claire pleaded, tiring of trying to be coy or silent. "I can't take this teasing anymore."

"Claire-" Quil began to argue, but Claire looked up at him pleadingly. Begging even. When he saw the desperate passion in her eyes, his mouth started to water, his gut twisted in pleasure, and he felt himself get harder in her hand.

"Please," she said one more time.

She kept giving Quil those pleading eyes and after a moment of exchanging looks, Quil pressed his lips against hers again. The kiss was rough and desperate. In that moment, Claire knew she finally had him, but she would not allow herself to rejoice just yet lest she unintentionally bring this to a close. She kept stroking him until Quil stopped her hand and made her wrap her arms around his neck and their naked bodies were pressed together. Claire could feel his erection on her stomach and it made her feverish. Quil had meant to end things, to keep the game going longer, but after seeing the need in her eyes and the way she pleaded, he couldn't wait anymore. After a moment of kisses, Quil gently pushed Claire back onto the bed and they continued to kiss. Claire assumed they would finally join as she knew was the end goal of sex. But rather, Quil took his lips away and started kissing her neck.

Momentarily, Claire feared he would stop soon and grabbed a firm hold of his shoulders in case she needed to hold him in place. He would not pull away from her this time. She simply couldn't allow it. She was too desperate. But instead of pulling away, Quil's lips kissed their way to her breasts and his hands came up to them to squeeze and touch. Claire had, for a time, been rather self-conscious about her breasts. They were smaller than others that her friends had grown and she feared Quil might find them too small and not beautiful. But her breasts fit perfectly in his hands and when he squeezed them tenderly, it made her sigh. Then he brought his lips to her nipples and began to suckle lovingly. She took in a sharp breath and released a light moan at the feel of his lips on her nipple. She spread her legs impossibly wider as if begging him to enter her. Yet his erection remained just above her entrance resting on her lower belly no matter how much she moved her hips in a desperate attempt to take him in.

He moved to her other breast and did the same thing as before. And as before, she felt herself grow weak and a tightness grow inside her. But he still wasn't done. When he finished with her breasts, Quil began to kiss his way down her midriff, keeping his hands on her breasts until he kissed her left hip. He brought his hands down to her hips and he kissed her hips and thighs tenderly. Claire licked her lips in anticipation, eager for what he might do next. Then Quil brought his right hand forward and touched the folds of her entrance while kissing her clitoris tenderly. Claire whimpered from the feel, and then nearly squealed when Quil entered two fingers inside her and began to lick her sensitive nub. She placed her hands in his short hair and began to moan desperately from the feel of his mouth of her most sensitive spot and his fingers moving inside her, mimicking what was to come.

"Quil," Claire whimpered as he tasted, and then he pulled his lips away. Claire opened her eyes and saw a look of desperation on Quil's face, yet he seemed as though he was suddenly regaining his senses.

"I'm sorry, Claire," he said suddenly, taking his fingers away. "I didn't mean to go that far." Claire shook her head and grabbed onto Quil, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, not caring his lips were still wet with her.

"No," Claire said after she kissed him. "Please, Quil, don't stop. I'm begging you, please don't stop." She was practically crying now, and when Quil looked in her eyes, he saw how genuine her desire was. When he saw that look, he finally decided they'd played their little game long enough.

"I love you, Claire," Quil said and she smiled genuinely.

"I love you too," she said. "Please show me."

Somehow, hearing her say those words made him harder than ever and carried her the rest of the way onto the bed. He very nearly entered her forcefully, but he didn't want to hurt her. Embry had learned, years ago, that if a man entered a woman very slowly and very gently, he could reasonably not hurt a woman at all during her first time. Keeping that in mind, Quil angled himself before her entrance and, as gently and slowly as he could, slipped inside her and forced himself to do so as she enveloped him. The speed he went was excruciating for her. She just wanted him inside her, but he was going so slow. When he finally hilted her, she felt only the slightest and briefest moments of discomfort, but it was over as soon as it started. Then Quil looked at her.

"Did that hurt?" he asked and Claire shook her head.

"Not at all," she replied and kissed him passionately.

When they kissed and with Claire's words of encouragement, Quil began to thrust inside her, no longer having a care in the world. With that first hard thrust, she had one more, very brief, moment of discomfort and then it was gone. All she felt now was pleasure as he thrust inside her over and over again. Just moments after they started, Quil went on his back and pulled Claire with him until she was on top. Then he guided her back on his erection and moved her hips forward and back until she was doing it herself. And the longer she did it, the better it felt. As she moved, she reached for her head and untied the cord so her braid would fall and she practically clawed at her hair so it was down and long. The sight of Claire undoing her hair and it pooling all over sent Quil into a frenzy and he grabbed a hold of her and carried her off the bed only to put her back on the bed, leaving her at the edge with him standing over her.

Quil leaned over her, hoping to give her more pleasure, and it seemed to. Claire started to moan uncontrollably and brought her hands to Quil's stomach muscles and touched him tenderly as he slammed into her with renewed vigor. The longer he thrust, the higher Claire started to climb into oblivion and she threw her head back violently onto the bed as she moaned his name. Hearing her say his name nearly sent him over the edge, but he withheld, if only to ensure she came first. He didn't need to wait very long. He leaned down on her just a little more, and it hit Claire in just the right way that, within a few more thrusts, Quil felt Claire clamp down on his erection almost viciously, forcing him deeper in. It took all his strength not to release and he thrust until he knew she'd felt the last of her waves. Then, suddenly, he pulled out of her and released onto her belly. Claire was in such a daze that she didn't notice right away, but when she did, she looked up at him a little confused.

"Does it feel better to do that?" Claire asked.

"No," Quil said bluntly. "But it's too soon," he said. "When we marry, we'll have children."

"Oh," Claire said, finally realizing why he'd pulled out. "You're right." The two of them held onto each other a moment enjoying the aftermath of their excursion. But after a few moments, Claire couldn't resist asking. "I'd asked Kyle to tell me what you were up to a few weeks ago," Claire said.

"Did you now?" Quil replied, his head still resting on her chest.

"Yes," Claire answered. "Don't be mad at him. I made him tell me. He said you were going to propose in the spring. He said mom and dad had asked you to wait until then."

"So much for it being a surprise, I guess," Quil said, but he started chuckling. "I suppose it is technically spring right now."

"First day of spring was in March," Claire asked. "And it's almost April."

"I suppose it is," Quil chuckled. He lifted his head and gave Claire a quick kiss. "Wait here," he said before leaving her side to go to the hiding place he'd kept her bracelet in. Quil returned moments later and when he did, he went on both knees before Claire and she sat up on the bed to look at him. When she saw the bracelet, she nearly cried. It was so thoughtful and so unique.

"Are those violin strings?" Claire asked.

"From your old violin, yes," Quil nodded. "That rock was something Edward gave me. He'd said you really liked the Cinnabar necklace Bella wore."

"It's so beautiful," Claire smiled and a tear fell. Quil returned her smile feeling proud to have made her so happy. He undid the clasps he'd made with the silver cords and placed the bracelet on Claire's wrist and looked up at her.

"Will you marry me, Claire?" Quil asked in their native tongue.

"You know my answer," Claire replied, holding back tears of joy.

"Say it out loud for me,"Quil requested.

"Yes,"she finally answered back and Quil secured the bracelet on her wrist and took her in his arms in a hug.

They made love again and Quil never went on patrol that night. He was absorbed with Claire both figuratively and literally and he didn't want to leave their bed. Her smell had permeated in the sheets and it surrounded Quil, giving him pleasant dreams. And when they woke up in bed together the next morning, they made love again. When they finally returned to the village, Claire ran right to her parents' tent and announced to them that Quil had proposed to her. Quil, once again, asked for her parents' blessing and they happily gave it. Jacob and Embry, having learned of the proposal, did not say a word about Quil's absence the night before, but Jacob informed Quil he expected him back that night. No more 'vacations' until their wedding night and honeymoon period. Typically, the moon ceremony would be performed as soon as the family provided their blessing, but Claire insisted she wanted the Cullens to be present at the wedding and wanted to wait until they could arrive following a letter to them. By letter, that meant Jacob running all through Canada up to the Alaskan territory until he found the Denali's house tucked away in the mountains. Edward heard Jacob coming a mile away, so by the time Jacob arrived, the Cullens and the Denalis were already packed and ready to leave for Washington. So they all ran back together. Emmett and Jasper had joked, 'why use the pony express when you can use the dog,' and everyone had a laugh. It was the longest run Jacob had ever done and when he returned home, he gave Renesmee a big kiss, and plopped into bed demanding he not be bothered unless it was an emergency, and fell asleep.

When the Cullens finally came, Claire and Quil finally had their ceremony. Her father joined them and Sokajili, with Renesmee at his side and Kyle by her side, confirmed with Claire's father that he approved of the union. Then he told Renesmee to mix the herbs and throw them into the fire. He told her to breath in the perfume and tell what moon the couple should marry under. When the herbs were mixed, she approached the fire and threw in the herbs just as Sokajili had instructed her to do and she breathed in the fumes. She had feared she wouldn't see anything. Sokajili had not, an in all honesty could not, explain how the herbs were supposed to work. He'd only instructed the proper combination of wild plants and to take a deep breath and tell what she saw. When she breathed in the fumes, she felt her head start to hurt and felt her eyes roll into the back of her head. While her eyes were there, they strained to see a light. When she saw that light, she realized it was shaped like a quarter moon. She was beginning to understand how the herbs worked. It took a moment for her to be able to look forward, but when she finally could, her head wasn't hurting anymore.

"What did you see, Renesmee?" Sokajili asked eagerly.

"For greatest happiness and prosperity in your marriage,"she recited just as Sokajili had taught her, "you must be married under the quarter moon." She looked at Sokajili and smiled when she saw how proud he looked. She even blushed a little.

"You did excellent, Renesmee,"Sokajili said, then looked at Quil and Claire. "It is time to announce the wedding."

They all stepped outside and, upon Sokajili's encouragement, Renesmee announced to everyone that Claire and Quil would be married under the Quarter moon, or in 2 days. Very excited about the wedding, Jae took a bike and convinced Rae, Sharisa, Natalie and Nathan to come with him to the General Store to tell Hailey the good news. When they arrived, Mitch was in the back doing inventory and Hailey was up front working on the books.

"Uncle Hailey, guess what!" Jae announced with vigor when he came into the store.

"Sagen Si emir in Deutsch, Jae," Hailey commanded and Jae complied.

"Quil und Claire sin dimmer in zwei Tagen verheiratet!" Jae yelled. "Sind Sie und Leah kommt?"

"Ich gehe davon aus wir sind," Hailey answered. "How old is Claire?" Hailey asked suddenly, remembering he could have sworn Quil was Jacob's age.

"She turns 18 in the spring," Jae answered.

"And Quil is your dad's age, right?" Hailey said.

"Ja," Jae answered. "Er ist alt wie der Vater." Hailey laughed a little.

"31 isn't old, boy."

"No," Jae said. "How old are you Uncle Hailey?"

"None of your damn business, boy," Hailey looked at Jae with a mean smile and Jae smiled back.

"I knew it," he said. "You're an old man."

"Please, if Hailey's old, than I'm ancient," Mitch said as he stepped out from the back. "He's 36 this year if you're interested."

"How old are you?" Jae asked.

"You should know better than to ask someone their age, young man," Mitch answered and chuckled.

"He's old," Hailey answered. "He's over 60!"

"That's really old," Sharisa blurted out.

"I'll just have to tell your mother you said that," Mitch said with a chuckle.

"Why? So she can be upset with me about something else?"

"Hailey, don't be so hard on your mother. She sent you a letter apologizing and you still haven't written her back."

"Because if she's really sorry, she can bring her ass here and apologize to Leah," Hailey said. In truth, Leah wasn't even angry about it anymore. It was years ago after all. But Hailey had stood his ground all this time and he wasn't budging. "Anyway, apparently, Claire and Quil are getting married."

"Claire? You mean the girl that plays the violin?" Mitch started rubbing his face. "Jesus, I really am old aren't I? I swear just yesterday that girl was a five year old."

"You're only going to get older, Mitch. No point in complaining about it." Mitch walked over and swatted Hailey over the head, to which Hailey released an audible 'ow' and cursed under his breath.

"Watch your language in front of the children," Mitch scolded after Hailey's foul alliteration. Jae started snickering just a little and Hailey looked right at him threateningly. But Jae knew he wasn't actually in trouble.

"Something you find funny, boy?" Hailey asked.

"You're really never too old to be tossed over someone's lap and spanked," Jae laughed.

"You're certainly not," Hailey said and started chasing Jae. Jae ran out of the store and Hailey chased after him until he, eventually, managed to catch Jae, but only after Jae accidentally tripped over his own feet. When he caught Jae, Hailey tossed the boy onto his shoulder and spanked the him, but it was barely more than a tap and Jae started laughing. "You made me run," Hailey said, panting. "I fucking hate running."

"Die Übung ist gut für Sie, Onkel Hailey," Jae teased.

"Ruhig," Hailey commanded while he panted and walked the two of them back into the store.

Two days later, the day of the wedding, everyone was working all day to make the proper preparations. Unfortunately, neither Renesmee or Caevia would be dancing. Renesmee's boys were too old and Gaeli, of course, was a girl, so she couldn't rest on Caevia's back while she danced. Leah was already at the tribe since that morning helping out with preparations and Hailey confirmed he would come over right after work for the ceremony. When he did arrive, the first thing he noticed was the Cullens being there.

"Just accept they're weird, Hailey," Leah had whispered to him when she knew he was going to start asking questions. Begrudgingly, Hailey kept his mouth shut and didn't question it further.

The ceremony was everything Claire had ever imagined it would be. Usually, drums and wooden wind instruments were all that played, but Bella had played the violin for her upon her request. Their first dance together as husband and wife was a joyful dance with Bella dancing around the fire as she played and everyone joining in. When they finally went to their house to enjoy their wedding night, as per tradition, the two were not seen, nor heard from for three full days. It was, easily, three of the happiest days of Quil's and Claire's lives. Afterwards, things returned to normal for the most part. Later in April, President Wilson made a very public warning to Germany to stop their naval war policies, as they had begun causing friction again. Hailey had suggested, when Kevin had gotten the paper, that perhaps this might be what forces the President's hand, but Kevin said no. "The man's still running for re-election," Kevin had argued. "He's not stupid."

Come that summer, Claire and Caevia both discovered they'd fallen pregnant. Claire with her first child, of course, and Caevia with their ninth. Quil was overjoyed about the baby. Since it didn't appear Embry Jr. or Kevin were going to change before the baby was born, Jacob agreed that the day that baby was born would be the last day Quil was a wolf. Claire was delighted by the news. When the news of Caevia's most recent pregnancy came to Hailey's knowledge, he was a little baffled.

"You can't be serious," Hailey said after Jae told him while they were practicing. Jae had told him in German, but the news jolted him out of their current goal. "She's having more!"

"Yup," Jae answered. "Mommy's pregnant again. I hope she has a boy. I really want a little brother."

"You already have a big brother and a little brother don't you? How many of there are you again?" Hailey sighed heavily.

"Embry's the oldest," Jae went on, "Then my big sister Aidetzi. After her it's me, my twin sister Rae and my sister Sharisa. Then it's my little brother Peta and my little sister Gaeli and now the new baby."

"Making that tally up to nine," Hailey sighed heavily. "I don't understand your parents' fascination with having so many kids. I suppose I can see people deluding themselves into liking children, but there can't be any joy in having so many screaming children around."

"You like me, don't you?" Jae asked.

"I suppose I can understand how one might come to that conclusion," Hailey teased. Leah hit Hailey on the shoulder with a wooden spoon while Jae laughed and sat a little closer to Hailey.

As had been the case with all her pregnancies since marrying Embry, Caevia's early months were just fine with the exception of some mild sickness. Claire had much the same experience as Caevia, but this being her first child, it was such a new experience for her. As the year progressed, the war remained as covered as always and November of that year, Woodrow Wilson was re-elected into office. Given that he'd managed to keep the United States out of the Great War to that point, everyone was confident that he would continue to keep the country neutral and keep their boys home. The following month brought another interesting piece of news to the papers with the assassination of the Romanov Holy Man, Rasputin. The way in which the man died, when the story progressed, bordered on comical.

"So let me get this straight," Jacob said during dinner when Kevin got through telling the family the story. "This man was essentially their medicine man with the gift of stopping bleeding of a hemophiliac…which means what?"

"It's when the blood doesn't clot properly," Kyle answered and Renesmee and Carlisle smiled proudly. "People that suffer hemophilia aren't able to heal wounds properly so a tiny cut that would be no big deal for a healthy individual would be fatal for them."

"Okay," Jacob said. "So the man is evidently a controversial figure," Jacob continued, "so a few people, those being?"

"No one knows who's behind the murder at this time, but it would appear it's being looked into," Kevin answered. "But my money is on the extended family to the Romanovs."

"Okay," Jacob said. "So the conspirators, whomever and however many they were, try to assassinate him and to do that, they tried poisoning him, but it didn't work."

"Didn't work," Kevin answered.

"So then one of the conspirators shot him in the back. Twice. THAT didn't work."

"Didn't work," Kevin answered.

"So they start beating him with a pipe or something, but he's STILL not dead."

"Still not dead," Kevin answered.

"So they dropped him in the river where he drowned but, evidently, not before he tried clawing his way out of the ice."

"Exactly," Kevin answered.

"Was this guy not human or something?" Embry Sr. asked.

"A lot of people suspected as much," Kevin answered, "at least that's what the papers say. But one thing that's certain is since the man's dead, there's no one to heal their son. Apparently, he was the only one that could heal him and no one knew how he did it. In all likelihood, now that the man's dead, the only son to the Romanovs is doomed."

The Cullens left to return to the Alaskan territory shortly after that, promising they would return by spring as always and would remain until Claire and Caevia had their babies. Then, January 19, 1917, the smoking gun Kevin kept saying the president would need finally came. The British discovered and translated a telegram sent to Mexico by Reich Foreign Secretary Zimmermann. It was a telegram encouraging Mexico to declare war on the United States. And on the first of February, Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare. It was the last straw and now, the whole country was up in arms, demanding America go to war. Three things happened that April: Caevia gave birth to twin boys, Bayak and Taraq, bringing their count of children to 10 rather than 9. Claire gave birth to hers and Quil's first child, a little boy they named Henry. And, April 6th, President Wilson went to congress to request war be declared, which was approved. And come May 18th, Mitch's, Hailey's and Leah's biggest fears came true and the Selective Service Act was enacted. Seth was 29, so he would be drafted. Sure enough, within a few weeks, a letter was delivered to the General Store to give to Seth, notifying him that he has been selected to join the American Army to serve his country.

"This is for a Mr. Seth Jagger," the man that had been delivering all the notices for the young men in town that were drafted. Everyone between 19-30 was being drafted. Seth was still 29, so he was eligible. Hailey accepted the note reluctantly.

"I'll make sure he gets this," Hailey mumbled and the man placed flyers on the counter advising they would need to place them on their walls or outside. They were propaganda posters intended to create pride among the youth and their families. When the man finally left, Hailey plopped the letter down. "You're sure there's nothing we can do?" he asked Mitch, knowing Leah would demand an answer to that question. Mitch shook his head and looked like he may start to cry.

"I wish there was," Mitch answered. "You know as well as I do refusing to go would be an act of treason and would doom Seth to death. I'd rather the boy died a hero and a traitor. That's what his father would prefer."

"So that's it?" Hailey said and sighed. "I guess I'll get this delivered to the tribe. I'll be back," he said as he left through the back and took one of the horses and made him way to the tribe. Leah was sitting with Sara and Seth was off with a few men crafting wood for some tools. Leah noticed Hailey and smiled at him, but she stopped smiling when she realized how upset and serious Hailey looked. She excused herself from her Aunt's side and went to Hailey.

"What's wrong?" Leah asked. Hailey looked at her a moment, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out the letter. When Leah saw it, she started shaking her head. "No," she said.

"It's a notice from the state. Seth has been drafted and will need to report to city hall in two days to be sent by train to a base and they'll be deployed following basic training."

"No," Leah said again. "No, they can't take Seth."

"Leah, he's been drafted. If he doesn't go, he'll be a criminal and sentenced to death anyway."

"Oh, like they would notice!" Leah yelled suddenly and everyone looked in their direction, wondering what all the fuss was about. Jacob started walking over as did Seth. "You expect me to believe they would care if a 'squaw' didn't show up to be a soldier? They'd ignore it like they ignore us already!"

"Leah, the government probably doesn't know he's Indian, and frankly, they don't care. The fact of the matter is he's been drafted and that means they expect him to show up for basic training."

"What's going on?" Jacob asked when he and Seth were close. Seeing Seth, Hailey looked at him and held out the note. Seth knew what it was the moment he saw it and opened it to read it.

"I'm sorry, Seth, but you've been drafted," Hailey said.

"I said no," Leah said again.

"Leah-" Hailey began, but he was interrupted.

"I said no! Those ungrateful fucks aren't taking Seth!" Leah started crying. "I lost my mother and father. I won't lose my brother too," she whimpered and Seth walked over to her and hugged her.

"Stop it, Leah, I'll be fine," Seth tried to reassure. "Hell, I'm sure the minute they find out I'm an Indian, they'll send me right back home."

"Blacks are being drafted too," Hailey spoke up. "If they're taking blacks, they're not going to be picky about Indians either. You're registered by the state and you're of age. That's all they're concerned about." They all stood there awkwardly. Kevin and Embry walked over and saw that everyone was clearly upset.

"Seth?" Kevin said. The look on Seth's face said everything. "When?"

"Two days," Seth answered. "According to this, I need to report to City Hall and they'll be taking us to Port Angeles where they'll be putting me and the other draftees on a train to our assigned base for basic training."

"Does it say where?" Jacob asked.

"No," Seth said. "It's only telling me that it's sending me to basic training."

"According to the mayor," Hailey said, "Soldiers are already being sent. Once all the draftees are trained, they'll be going too. You're going to the Western Front from what I hear."

"The Western Front?" Jacob asked.

"It's the front between Germany and France," Kevin answered. "The soldiers are kept in trenches because of the weapons implemented."

"Well, there you go," Seth told Leah. I'll be underground most of the time anyway. Nothing to worry about," Seth said. No one said anything. Hailey didn't return to the shop that day. He remained at the tribe to help Leah, and especially Seth, cope with the news. But no one was happy. Later that day, while everyone else was with Seth and Leah, Embry Jr. and Kevin went to the bluffs.

"I can't believe it's really happening," Embry said.

"It is," Kevin said. "It was just a matter of time before the United States got involved. The war's grown too big for us not to."

"And to think Seth's going alone," Embry said. Then Kevin shook his head and looked at Embry.

"Not if we go with him," Kevin answered and Embry looked at him strangely.

"What?"

"If we go with him, he won't be alone," Kevin repeated. "We could get away with it. We might not be 19, but we can claim we are. We already look older for our age."

"Sure, but 19? We couldn't pass for 19, could we? And even so, your birth certificate confirms you're only 13."

"It doesn't matter," Kevin said. "All we have to do is claim we were born 19 or 20 years ago instead of 13 or 14. They won't ask too many questions, especially if we admit we're Indians." Embry looked thoughtful a moment and stared out at the ocean, thinking. Then he looked at Kevin again.

"You really think we could get away with it?"

"I know we can," Kevin said. "That way, Seth won't be alone. And we'll be heroes." The more Embry thought about it, the better it started to sound.

"We can't go to City Hall," he realized. "They all know who we are. They know we're underage."

"That's why we sign up in Port Angeles," Kevin said. "No one knows us there and it's such a big city that no one would think twice about us signing up. We tell them we're 19, we come to the train station where Seth is taken and we'll be off to basic training! And my grandparents left for the summer, so my Grandpa won't be here to tell everyone."

"What about Kyle?" Embry pointed out.

"He's not reading our minds most of the time, and if he does I'll make sure that he doesn't tell on us. But we don't have much time. We need to do this fast."

"How will we get to Port Angeles? I can't fly us there. We'll be fine when we're really high, but someone will see us when I need to land."

"We don't need to fly," Kevin said. "It'll be faster if I run us there. I can turn into a vampire, remember? I can have us there in no time. Then all we have to do is sign up and run back home. We'll make sure we're only gone a few hours and no one will be the wiser. We can say we went to play or something."

"What about our lessons?" Embry said. "We'll get in trouble if we miss it."

"That's just in the morning," Kevin said. "As soon as our lessons are done, we make a run for the city and we'll be back long before it's time to eat dinner." Kevin reached out his hand to Embry with an encouraging smile. "Are you with me?" Kevin asked and Embry smiled, accepting Kevin's hand.

"I'd follow you to hell and back."

The two shook on it and agreed they'd leave right after their lessons. The next morning, Renesmee led the children in their schooling as usual and Kevin and Embry acted as normally as possible. As long as they acted normal, no one would suspect them and Kyle wouldn't bother reading their minds to find out what they were up to. As soon as Renesmee finished the children's lessons, Embry and Kevin made the excuse that they were going to the cliffs to dive and made their way to the city. About an hour after they left, Kyle decided he wanted to join them and went to the bluffs, but was surprised when he didn't see them. He stayed there, figuring he'd wait for them.

As Kevin promised, he had himself and Embry in the city in less than a half hour with Embry riding on his back until they were a reasonable walking distance from the city. They continued running, but now at a normal pace, into the city and asked around until they made it to City Hall. The doors were open and, as it turned out, there were men that were coming in, most of whom were above the draft age, and below, that were there to sign up for the military. They followed all the men that were there to sign up and eagerly stepped forward to sign up. The man that was signing the men up was an elderly gentleman and when he looked up at Kevin and Embry, he started at them. He looked at Embry rather contemptuously.

"Name," the man said to Kevin first.

"Kevin," he answered. There was a moment of silence before the man looked back up at Kevin.

"Last name," he said condescendingly. Kevin's first instinct was to say Cullen. He was about to. But that name wasn't right. Rather, he decided he'd give the family a different name.

"Black," Kevin finally answered. "Kevin Black, sir."

"Date of birth," the man continued.

"October 20th, 1896," Kevin lied, making his age 19 going on 20. The man wrote down the information Kevin provided.

"Why were you not enlisted by the draft?" the man asked.

"I did not receive my notification," Kevin lied. "I knew there had to be some mistake. So I came to enlist myself." The man looked at Kevin a moment. He clearly didn't believe him. Kevin could tell. But the man did not care and signed a few other things before handing Kevin some paperwork.

"Be at the train station in two days at 6:00 a.m. sharp." Kevin took the paperwork and stepped to the side so Embry could take his time.

"Name," the man commanded of Embry. He knew the man would need a last name, but Embry hadn't even thought of it. So he just answered the first thing that came to mind.

"Embry Call, sir," Embry answered.

"Date of birth," the man demanded.

"July 17th, 1896," Embry lied, taking Kevin's lead.

"We don't usually accept squaw," the man said, assuming that's why Embry had not been drafted. "But then, I suppose exceptions can be made. If nothing else, you'll make a good meat shield for the real soldiers." He finished writing down what he needed to and handed Embry the paperwork, who was gawking at the old man doing everything in his power not to punch the old fuck in the face. It certainly didn't help that a few men behind him started snickering. "Be at the train station in two days at 6:00 a.m. sharp. We don't tolerate lateness." The man looked at Embry meanly and Embry accepted the papers, glaring right back at the old man and walking away. The two of them left the building together with their paperwork, a little taken aback by the rude awakening.

"Fucking old ass," Embry muttered.

"We're in, Embry," Kevin said. "We'll never have to see the old bastard again. Just take comfort in that."

"Believe me, I will," Embry sighed. He looked up at a clock and realized they'd been gone going on an hour now. "We'd better get back while we've still only been gone a short time."

"Agreed," Kevin answered. He placed the papers in his pocket and Embry did the same. "Once we're out of the city, I'll change and get us back home in no time. Tomorrow's Seth's last day home before he has to leave. We'll wait until everyone's asleep that night and we'll run into town and be there by 6:00 to get on the train."

"How will we avoid our dads?" Embry asked. Kevin took a moment to think about that. They couldn't go through the woods like they had today. They'd get caught for sure.

"We'll go through town and down the roads," Kevin finally answered. "It'll be the middle of the night, so no one will see us and we'll be able to avoid our dads. I'll leave a letter letting them know where we went. By the time anyone sees the letter, we'll be long gone."

"Good," Embry said.

The two ran at normal speed out of the city and once they were out, Kevin changed into a vampire and had them back home within thirty minutes. When they arrived, Embry went home to take care of a few things and Kevin was doing the same. When he got home and went up to the room he shared with his brothers, he saw Kyle there reading and thought nothing of him.

"Where'd you and Embry go?" Kyle asked.

"We went cliff diving," Kevin answered calmly. He couldn't take out the papers to hide them now, so he just went to his own bed.

"I went to join you two and you weren't there," Kyle said. Kevin didn't let any change show in his body language, but he didn't answer right away while he thought of an excuse.

"We went into the woods a couple of times," Kevin finally answered. "I guess we were in the woods at the time." Kyle stared at Kevin a moment. He'd waited at that bluff for an hour waiting for them.

"Where did you guys really go?" Kyle answered, not wanting to read Kevin's mind.

"I just told you," Kevin got defensive. He sat up on his bed and when he did, Kyle noticed the slightest slit of the paper folded in Kevin's back pocket. That's when Kyle opened his mind so he could read Kevin's mind. Edward might only be able to read Kevin's mind when he allowed it, but Kyle could read his mind without any trouble. And when he knew what Kevin and Embry had really done, he sat up on his bed.

"Kevin," Kyle said. By that tone, Kevin knew he was found out and went right to Kyle's side and put a hand over his mouth, just to be safe.

Not a word, Kevin pushed the thoughts into Kyle's mind. Embry and I have signed up. It's over and done. If you tell anyone, dad won't let us go and we'll be traitors. You have to keep quiet. Kevin finally removed his hand from Kyle's mouth.

"Kevin," Kyle said. "You're asking me to lie about this."

Well, I am, Kevin kept pushing his thoughts into Kyle's. You have to keep quiet, Kyle. I don't want this to be harder on everyone.

"Why?" Kyle asked. He knew what Kevin's rational had been, yet even knowing it, he couldn't believe he'd read that correctly. There had to be another reason. Kevin looked at Kyle a moment before answering.

Because we don't want Seth to be alone, Kevin answered initially. But he admitted the other reason. And I want more.

"More what?" Kyle answered.

Kyle, there's nothing for us here. Whether we like it or not, we're stuck here. Unless we do something about it. And I'm doing something about it.

"Kevin," Kyle started. "Please don't ask me to keep this secret."

Kyle, Kevin pushed his thoughts. I'm begging you. Don't tell anyone. Kyle and Kevin looked at one another for several minutes. Kevin was right. If Kyle said anything, Kevin and Embry would be reprimanded and they would risk facing charges for treason. If he said nothing, his brother and Embry would go to war. They might die, but they might also become heroes as Kevin had argued. At this point, there really was no other option than for Kevin and Embry to go. So Kyle finally nodded.

"I won't say anything," Kyle answered and Kevin smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," he said.

As promised, Kyle kept his mouth shut, but he didn't like it in the least. Kevin and Embry went about business as usual and the day after Kevin and Embry signed up, the tribe was having a party for Seth to wish him good luck. Leah wouldn't leave Seth's side since they'd found out about the drafting. She'd been staying at his tent trying to spend as much time with him as possible. She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't pretend there wasn't a chance she'd never see Seth again. So she used the remaining time to spend as much time with him as possible. Kyle had started doing the exact same thing. He spent every waking moment with Kevin since finding out about him and Embry leaving. Kevin didn't mind. Embry started spending a lot of time with his siblings as well. In those two days, he was the most helpful with his siblings than ever.

Then the day finally came that Seth needed to go to City Hall. Everyone went and saw him off and said their goodbyes. Leah was virtually inconsolable during that time. She hugged Seth and refused to let him go until Hailey helped Seth get her off him. She was still crying when they returned home. No one had gone to inform the Cullens, but after everything was done, Jacob agreed he would go up to Alaska to tell them. He confirmed for Renesmee he would do it the following night. That night, he went on patrol with Embry as usual. And finally, in the middle of the night, Kevin rose from bed with his things already in order, already dressed, and reached under his pillow to grab the letter he'd already written. He went downstairs and placed the letter on the kitchen table and was about to leave when he realized Kyle was behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kyle looking at him.

They didn't say anything to one another. Kyle started started crying a little and went right to Kevin's side and hugged him. The decision had started becoming more and more challenging since Kyle found out, but Kevin knew he was making the right decision. One way or another, he would make sure he had something to show for his time at the Front. He wasn't sure what that would be yet, but he had every intention of making this pay off. He knew if anything would lead to bigger and better things, not just for him but for everyone, this would be it. When they finally did say goodbye, Kevin left the house and went to Embry's waiting for him to come out. Embry had also left a note on the kitchen table, but none of his siblings were awake to say goodbye. He'd already said goodbye to them in his own way.

"Are you ready?" Kevin asked. Embry took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm ready," he answered. The two shook hands again and looked at one another. Then Embry smiled confidently. "To hell and back."

Kevin smiled back and turned into a vampire. Then he helped Embry onto his back and he started running at top speeds through the village and into town, then down the roads with no one seeing them. When they reached the city limits at around four in the morning, they had enough time to spare that they decided to just walk through the city to the train station. Around that time, the moon was leaving the sky but the sun wasn't quite peaking yet. Exhausted from the previous day and with Jacob needing to make a trip to the Alaskan territory, he and Embry returned home early and made their way to their respective homes. Jacob came in through the balcony as he always did and saw Renesmee still sleeping. He went over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before going downstairs to get himself some food. It was then that he noticed the letter. He went over to it and saw nothing written on the folds, so he opened it while taking a bite of the apple he'd eaten. But he stopped chewing when he started reading.

To mother, father, and all my family,

By the time you read this, Embry and myself will be gone. We've enlisted in the Army to join the fight in Europe. We will remain by Seth's side through the ordeal. I want you all to know that I'm doing this not for adventure or for glory, but rather the opportunity that it can offer us more. I love all of you and I will miss you while we're all away. But I promise with all my heart that you will see us again. No matter what it takes, I will make sure that myself, Embry and Seth return home safely, and as heroes. Mother, I don't want you to be scared for me. I want you to rest assured, knowing your son will return home. Father, I don't want you to fear for me either. I promise that I will make you proud. I will make you all proud. I promise that when I return, I'll return a better person and a stronger man. I love you all and I promise we will return.

I love you,

Kevin

Jacob started shaking. He threw the letter onto the table and ran outside. He went upstairs, put on a pair of pants, waking Renesmee while at it.

"Jacob," Renesmee said in a groggy voice. "What's the matter?"

"Kevin and Embry ran away," Jacob said and immediately left the room before Renesmee could ask what he was talking about. He was about to go to Embry's home, but Embry stepped out too, having just read a similar letter from his son.

"Jacob, we have to stop them!" Embry yelled and Jacob nodded.

"Get pants on and we'll go! Now!" Jacob yelled and Embry returned inside to change and within seconds, the two started running for the city as fast as they possibly could.

Back at the train station, Seth and a number of other men walked onto the train getting ready to leave. He and the others from Forks arrived the previous day and were brought to the station at 5:30, well before when the train was set to leave. They were now finally able to board. Kevin and Embry made it in just a knick of time and got on the train with the others at 6:00 on the dot. Kevin looked around for Seth. When he found him, Seth was looking out the window solemnly. He was even shaking. He'd made himself look confident during the going away party and when he'd said goodbye, but now it was really starting to sink in. He might never see home again. Kevin and Embry walked forward and sat down next to Seth. He glanced at them, expecting it to be someone he didn't know. But when he saw who it was, he went wide eyed and horrified.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" Seth yelled and suddenly the whole train was looking at them.

"We came to join you," Kevin said.

"You can't be here!" Seth continued. "You're too young! Get off the train, now!"

"What the hell's going on over here?" an officer stepped forward and stood before them. Seth looked at the man in desperation.

"Sir, they're not supposed to be here. The two of them are too young. This one's only fourteen," he pointed at Embry, "and this one's 13 until October. You need to send them home, please!" The officer looked at Kevin and Embry. They certainly did look a little young, but then so did several young men on the train.

"Let me see your papers," the officer said and Kevin and Embry handed over the papers they'd been provided when they'd signed up. The officer examined both, then handed them back. "According to this, they were both born in 1896."

"1896?!" Seth yelled. "They were born 1903! I know it, I was there!"

"You need to stop your screaming, redskin," someone barked from beside their seat. Frankly, it seemed to come from a voice that came from a young man that may have been just barely older than Kevin and Embry.

"They're papers clear," the officer said. "They stay."

"You can't be serious!" Seth yelled and then looked at the boys. "Off this train now! And I expect you two to go home before-"

"Kevin!" they heard screaming from outside.

"Embry!" they heard at the same time. Everyone looked out the window and saw Jacob and Embry Sr. running towards the train. The officer went outside to join two other soldiers that were trying to keep the men at bay.

"What's going on here?" the office asked of the soldiers.

"Our sons are on that train!" Jacob yelled.

"Many sons are on that train," the officer retorted.

"I mean our 13 and 14 year old!" Jacob clarified. "They can't go, they're too young."

"For a Kevin Black and Embry Call?" the officer asked and Jacob and Embry looked surprised.

"What?" Jacob asked. "It's just Kevin and Embry."

"Well, we don't have a 'just Kevin and Embry'. And the Kevin and Embry we do have on that train are confirmed per their enlistment papers to be 19 and 20."

"What?!" Jacob and Embry both yelled.

"Our sons were born 1903! They can't be that age!" Jacob continued.

"According to their papers, sir," the officer said with a hint of venom, "they were born July and October 1896."

"1896?!" Jacob screamed. "That's horseshit! They were both born 1903!"

"Now you listen to me, you son of a bitch," the officer said. "Those boys are signed to join the fight. They have signed up and they WILL serve their time, just as everyone else. Now you will step the fuck aside!"

"Jacob!" Seth poked his head out the window he'd opened and Jacob and Embry started running over. The officer and two other soldiers followed after them.

"Kevin! Embry! Both of you get the fuck off that train!" Jacob screamed when they reached the side of the train and could see the two of them through the window.

"Embry!" Embry Sr. screamed as well, then a gun was fired, forcing everyone to look in the direction of the shot. It was the officer. He'd shot into the air, and now he was aiming at Embry and Jacob, as were the two other soldiers.

"Now, I'm only going to repeat myself once," the officer said. "These young men have signed up and will be serving. If you remove them, we will bring them up on desertion charges. What is the penalty for that crime, Wesley?" the officer asked the man behind him and to his right.

"The sentence is hanging sir!" the soldier answered in the commanded voice.

"Yes, so it is," the officer said. "Now both of you step away from the train and you wait to the side with the other families. You wave goodbye to your sons as everyone else does."

"We're not going anywhere," Jacob hissed back. "I'm not leaving until you take our sons off that fucking train."

"Dad," Kevin said through the window and Jacob and Embry looked up. "It's okay, dad."

"Kevin, Embry, both of you get off that train now!"

"Dad, stop," Kevin said. "The officer's holding a gun to you. Please." That didn't stop Jacob. Rather, he got closer to the train, yelling at Kevin to get off the train. Another shot was fired. The officer missed but it still grabbed Jacob's and Embry's attention and soldiers went to them and started pushing them away.

"That's your last warning," the officer said before we told the soldiers to remain and keep their guns pointed at the two fathers and returned to the train. It was finally able to leave and when the train moved, Kevin and Embry poked their heads out and waved goodbye. Kevin and Embry screamed for them one more time. But it was too late. By the time the guns were taken off them, the train was long gone and their boys, far too young and ignorant of exactly what was really ahead of them, were going off to war.