Authors Note: Hey guys! This is my first story on the site, but not my first story I've written in the Twilight world. My private one is a Jacob and Renesmee Story, this is a companion story I guess you could say. All you need to know to follow is that there are some new wolves in the pack and the Cullens took in a vampire named Annie, who Seth is dating. I hope you enjoy the story, I promise to update often.

JAN. 2014 UPDATED AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I'm not gonna lie, the first few chapters of this story SUCK. Honestly, I cringe reading them up until somewhere around chapter 10. If you stick with the story you'll find that it gets MUCH better as you go on. Please don't give up on this fic after chapter one! –Carlee

Quil

"Honestly Quil," Emily whispered to me as we watched Sam cut the cake. "I'm not going to give you any trouble about this. Sam and I have talked a lot about this, and you're lucky that we're her legal guardians now, because we know what it's like when you imprint on someone."

"What are you saying Emily?" I asked her.

"I'm saying," She started, "That Claire is sixteen years old now. And we're giving her to you. I mean, not completely of course, she's practically my daughter and it would break my heart to lose her. But, Sam and I decided that you can tell her everything. As much as you want. About werewolves, vampires . . . imprinting."

"You- you're serious?" My mouth slid open in disbelief. "You're just going to let me have her, no throwing a fit? No forbidding me to see her? Sam's not even going to give me a long lecture about being careful with his niece?"

"No fits here," She smiled. "And he knows that you'd never harm his Claire, or your Claire, or I guess she's our Claire." Emily shook her head slowly and looked up at the sky. "But there are some conditions, I need to see her at least four times a week, even if she doesn't spend any nights with us. And if she spends nights with you, she is never going to miss school and she is always going to be on time. And also, it would be outrageous to lecture you about the sex before marriage thing. It seems that people who imprint just can't follow that. Sam and I didn't. Either did Paul and Rachel. We all know Jared and Kim didn't, and don't even get me started on Jacob and Nessie. God, just promise me you won't be nearly as umm, frequent as them."

"I don't think anyone could be as frequent as them." I cracked a smile.

"You love her, and I think it's obvious know that she feels the same way. Just be careful with her. She's young." She said in a final tone, as if she had said all she needed to.

"Wow. Thank you . . ." Was all I could say. My mind was too jumbled to say more. Her dad had left eleven years ago and her Mom passed away seven years ago, so Sam and Emily had practically become Claire and her fourteen year old sister Eliza's parents. And here they were, just giving Claire to me, no strings attached. But I wasn't ready for that . . . There were so many horrible things that could happen. She could be frightened by the truth of what I was, what Sam used to be, what we all were . . . I could forget to be gentle with her one day and do God knows what to her. God forbid I got her pregnant when she was barely sixteen. I could lose control, just like Sam had almost sixteen years ago.

I shuddered at the thought of that. I stared hopelessly at Claire as she put a forkful of cake in to her mouth. She swallowed and then looked up and caught me staring at her. I don't know what my face looked like, but it changed her expression instantly to one of worry. What's wrong, she mouthed.

I shook my head, nothing, I'm fine, I mouthed back. Which of course, I wasn't. I wasn't fine at all. How the hell would I even begin to tell her? How could I even make her begin to understand how much I loved her? Could she even look at me that way?

Apparently, she could. Because I continued to stare stupidly at her, and she didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she was staring back at me. And I recognized the look in her eyes, because I'm sure it mirrored the look I was giving her.

It took all of my willpower to not sprint over there as fast as humanly possible and pull her in to my arms. I wanted to trap her face against mine and kiss her with as much passion as I could. And I didn't want to stop.

The scary part was, it looked like she wanted me to do all of those things and more . . . And I would. I broke off the staring contest, turning around and sprinting toward the trees. Once I was in the familiar green light of the forest, I removed my clothes and attached them to my ankle. Then I let my skin explode off of my body.

I thought you were supposed to be at Claire's party. Mia commented. Then I saw my tangled thoughts in her head as she took in what had happened. Oh, wow. Why are you freaking? Isn't that a good thing?

Quil, hey. Why did you just run off like that? It was kinda bizarre. Seth.

I don't know why I thought this would be any better than human form . . . I thought.

Seth seemed to take in what Mia had. Then he was silent for a moment as he processed this. I agree with Mia. Isn't that a good thing?

Ugh! You wouldn't understand. Claire isn't Annie, Seth. She isn't indestructible. There are so many things that could happen to Claire. And I don't know what I'd do if . . .

Quil, stop it. Mia thought. You're torturing yourself with all of these little "what ifs" . . .

The only torture right now is the fact that you two are here and you won't shut up.

Hey guys, Quil are you okay? I just saw you talking to Emily and then you took off. I swore when Embry entered my head.

God! If we're all going to talk about this, can we not do it with all of you in my head!

Fine, we'll come find you. Stop running away. Mia ordered. Because we all took orders from a fifteen year old girl so often.

Shut up. She growled before I felt her thoughts drift away.

I'll see you in about five seconds. Seth disappeared too.

Embry, who had been updating himself on what he had missed finally caught up to speed. Before I could hear what he thought of it, he left me. Then I was alone in the silence of my head. I huffed before phasing back. Just as I pulled up my jeans I was bombarded.

"You kept running," Mia observed.

"I'm stopped now, aren't I?" I snapped back. Seth, Mia, and Embry sat in a semi-circle on the forest floor and motioned me towards them.

"So what's the deal? Why aren't you totally jazzed? Emily is practically giving you Claire on a silver platter!" Embry said.

"Em, bad choice of words," Mia scolded quietly. I just shook my head.

"I feel kind of sick, like I'm going to throw up." I whispered.

"Are you nervous to tell her about what you are? You don't seriously think that you'll scare her off do you? She's a brave girl, Quil." Mia offered.

"And if you're scared that she'll turn you down, you're just being ridiculous." Seth tried to assure me.

"What is there to be scared of?" Embry asked.

"Everything!" I shouted. "Absolutely everything! What if I can't control myself? What if she got hurt? What if the thought of werewolves and vampires traumatizes her? What if she's pissed off that I never told her sooner? What if she can't think of me as anything more than a brother? What if-"

"Quil, breathe! Your not breathing," Seth flicked me. I put my elbows on my knees and then put my face in my hands and tried not to hyperventilate.

"Emily and Sam trust me so much. If I let them down . . ." I shuddered.

"So . . . what are you going to do about Claire?" Mia raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing right now. I'll just- I'll just pretend things are the same. I'll just act like nothing has changed. And when the time is right, then I'll tell her."

"No you won't, Quil. You'll never tell her because you're a coward. You will spend the rest of her life torturing yourself, waiting for the 'right moment.' But with love, there is never the perfect movie moment. You just do things. And if you make some mistakes, have some regrets, hey that's life." Embry said.

"Yes, you know all about love, because you and Lilly are so involved." I snapped.

"Lilly," He clenched his teeth, "Is barely fourteen. Last time I checked, Claire is a good two hundred yards away, celebrating her sixteenth birthday."

"Wait, how are we that close?" I asked, momentarily distracted.

"You were running in circles, I guess you didn't want to be too far from Claire." Seth shrugged. Then my heart jumped out of my throat as I heard another pair of footsteps approaching.

"Quil?" Claire called. "Where are you? And what the hell are you doing in the forest? It's creepy in here."

"We're over here Claire," Mia answered back immediately. "Come to the sound of my voice." I flipped her off. Mia shrugged.

"Mia?" I heard confusion in Claire's voice. And then she was there, about fifteen feet to my right.

Of course she had to be wearing red. The color she looked the most beautiful in . . . Emily had probably picked out that dress for Claire, specifically for that reason. Couldn't her shoulders be covered? Couldn't the dress be a little longer? Couldn't she not be so breathtaking?

"There you are Quil," She smiled. Then she looked at me more closely. "Something's wrong." She said, no doubt in her voice.

"Nah, I'm okay. I just needed to talk to Mia. And Seth. Embry followed me."

"And do you always talk to people in the forest with your shirt off, or is that only on special occasions?" She teased, but the look in her eyes told me that she knew I wasn't telling her everything.

"Well, it is Tuesday." Embry laughed.

"It's Wednesday . . ." Claire corrected matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Screw it, let's pretend that it's Tuesday!"

"Whatever you say Embry . . ." She giggled. Her laugh like a sweet lullaby. Without thinking I stood up and walked towards her. It still tripped me out how things like that could happen. How I would just automatically shift to be beside her.

"You know Claire," I started. "It's not safe for little girls to be running around the forest in nice dresses. Not with creeps like Embry lurking around." I smirked.

"Hey," Embry winked at Claire and then licked his lips. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Well you just randomly left. And you didn't just walk away, you like, ran. To the forest . . ." It was more than just a statement, but a question as well.

Now would be a great time for some help . . . I thought sarcastically. God, where are you?

"This is the part where you make up a lie . . ." She reminded me in a monotone voice.

"I'm that bad of a liar?" I frowned.

"Maybe I'm just not easy to lie to."

"You should be eating cake right now," I told her.

"Probably." She didn't move.

"They're going to wonder where you are."

"I'm sure they will."

"Well?" I asked. She looked at me again before changing the subject.

"Seriously, why aren't you wearing your shirt?"

"It seems to me like we could both be standing here all day with questions and no answers . . ." She just stood there, staring at me, her eyes narrow as she studied me carefully.

"I'm getting tired of this, Quil. Really tired." Then she turned around and stormed off.

Once she was gone, I hit a tree. "Damn. Shit. Fuck!"

"Language," Mia tsked.

"Shut. Up." My voice shook with anger.

"Whatever, I don't need this. It's your problem." She turned her back on the three of us and walked deeper in to the trees, mumbling about stupid werewolf boys.

Seth approached me cautiously. "Quil, I know it's scary. And I know you were really taken off guard. It's overwhelming, I'm sure. But, you know, you'll never be happy until you tell her." I remained silent, not looking at anything but the tree in front of me.

"I mean, I never imprinted, I've only seen it through you guys. But I do have Annie, and I know what it's like to love someone unconditionally. And in case you haven't noticed, that's pretty difficult considering she's a vampire."

"So what?" I mumbled.

"I know that being in love is hard. I don't even have the excuse of imprinting like Jake does. I don't know if you remember how much hell I got for that . . ."

"It wasn't surprising, we all thought you were a leech lover already anyways," Embry said. Seth growled.

"I wish love was harder for me . . ." I said. "It just seems almost, too easy. It can't be that simple. And I'm scared that when they pull the rug out from under my feet, I'll break every bone in my body and never stand again."

"But wouldn't you take that risk? For Claire?" Seth asked.

"In a heartbeat."

"Then go after her."

"I can't."

"Grow some balls, Quil." Embry groaned. I ignored him.

"I can't tell her right after we have a fight . . . It wouldn't seem right." I explained.

"Do it soon. She's already pissed off, you don't want her hating you . . ."

"Gee, thanks." I muttered sarcastically. "I'll see ya guys later." I waved them off, casually pulling on my shirt and walking away.

I was torn between going home and going back to the party. Alone time would be marvelous, but wouldn't Claire be suspicious if he didn't return? Would she go looking for me in the forest and get lost? I shuddered.

But going back, in fact, would be equally terrible. Seeing Claire looking so beautiful, knowing that I could have her if I wanted . . . How could I control myself with that thought making itself so known in my head. She's gorgeous! She's yours! She's incredibly breakable!

Going home would be smarter . . . but my own selfishness led me back to the Uley's yard. I couldn't be away from Claire, no matter how much being around her was dangerous for the both of us.

Claire

"We never seem to talk anymore," I groaned as we sat down on the cool grass in the yard on the opposite side of the house from the party. Quil sat awkwardly next to me, almost away from my body, as if my touch would turn him to stone. We had never been like this before. I remembered playing with Quil as a toddler, running from him when I was five because I was scared of his cooties. When I was seven he played Bratz with me and when I was ten he taught me soccer. When I was twelve he helped me deal with mean girls at school, and when I was fourteen he and I would get frozen yogurt and then walk on the beach together, hand in hand. But that was just a friendly touch . . .

Now, just brushing his arm against mine set fire to my bones, waking me up and making me more aware of everything. We didn't play games anymore either, we would talk or joke, or just relax in complete silence as my urges to move closer to him ate me up. It was both horrible, and awkward, and oddly, passionate at the same time.

"I guess that would be partially my fault . . ." Quil admitted.

"Partially." I remarked. He laughed, his voice rich and wonderful as he did.

"But why, Quil? Why can't you just tell me? Whatever it is, everyone else seems to know. Since when does Mia know things going on with you that I don't?" I demanded.

"You can know too, of course. I'm just not sure that now is the right time . . ."

"It can count as a birthday present! It would be the bestest present of all time!" I giggled.

"Birthday presents are good," Quil mumbled mysteriously. I swallowed.

"And this . . . is bad?" I questioned fearfully.

"Part of it," He lowered his voice more.

"What . . . are you a murderer or something?" I joked halfheartedly.

"I wouldn't call it murder," He barely whispered. I shuddered.

"Quil," I urged, "What would you call it?"

"Later," He said, his voice back to regular volume. "Go. Enjoy your sweet sixteen."

"You can't just leave the topic!" I hissed furiously.

"I'm not leaving it, I'm giving it the day off." He shrugged sarcastically.

"Jerk," I muttered. Quil chuckled and then stood up. I could tell he was about to leave, and panicked.

"Quil," I blurted instantly without thinking, "Lift me up!" Then I smiled a little smile at my own childishness.

"You're a big sixteen year old! You're too heavy to lift," he teased.

"I'm five three!" I laughed. I stretched up my arms to them and he reluctantly grabbed my arms and pulled me up. When I was vertical, his arms lingered on my skin, still holding on to me. I felt the abnormal heat his skin always radiated. Our bodies were nearly touching as I gazed up in to his eyes, over one foot above me. I wanted so badly to pull myself up that distance and kiss him as passionately as I could. I wanted to run my hands along his muscular chest and wrap my legs around his torso.

As if reading my thoughts, Quil stiffened and quickly released me. I blushed and looked down, embarrassed. "Get back to your party now. Really." His voice was friendly, but I knew that it was an order.

Without even saying goodbye I trudged away, leaving him on the other side of the house and not looking back once. I wanted Quil to know that I was angry with him, I wanted him to miss me, and I wanted him to be hurting. But of course, I knew that everything that made him hurt, made me hurt even more . . .