I'll be home for Christmas

Chapter 48

Chapter 48 - I'll be home for Christmas

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Thanks to BanSidhe [ruadh sidhe] and Feebes86 for betaing and pre-reading.

Billy and Charlie cornered Collin. One on each side of him. "We need to talk about fireworks, Collin," Charlie started.

"Ah… uh… I swear I haven't lit any for years." He looked exceedingly nervous.

"And that is about to change." Billy thumped him on the back hard enough to make him wince.

"We need you to get updated-"

"New techniques-"

"Things might have changed-"

Collin looked doubtful. "Right."

"Vampires burn, Collin," Billy said.

"Oh… yeah. Good idea."

"What we need are some time delay firings or long distance rockets," Charlie suggested.

"And we need you to check out that stuff for us."

"Cool! Rockets are hard to aim properly— "

"Now you're thinking," Charlie said.

Emmett and Quil faced each other. They were of a height and their faces were inches away from each other. Quil was almost as big as the vampire physically.

"Ateara."

"Cullen."

"You stink."

"You, too. You smell like death. I smell like life, dude."

"If life is a wet dog."

"Quilly?" called Candie.

Emmett stepped back and raised an eyebrow. "Quilly?"

"She can call me anything she wants to," Quil said too low for her to hear, lifting his arm to wrap around her shoulder.

Emmett checked her out and nodded. "Fair enough."

"Candie, this is Emmett."

He kissed the back of her hand graciously. She looked as if she wanted to snatch it away, but glanced at Quil to see if he was worried.

"He's a good guy," Quil assured her.

"Oh. Okay," but she tucked that hand under her armpit when Emmett let it go.

A slim brown arm slid around Quil's waist and patted his stomach. "And this is Ellen," Quil added, without even looking to check.

Emmett couldn't see her from where he was standing; she was hidden behind Quil's wide body.

"Two?" Emmett checked.

"Plenty of me to go around," Quil quipped, with a wicked grin.

An audible sniff. "And she's a wolf."

"She's Josh's little sister."

"Oh, now… is she? So we can ask her all the gossip?"

"Doubt she'd tell you much," Quil said.

Ellen slid around Quil's body. "I saw you at the treaty line," she said to Emmett.

Quil didn't react; no growling or territorial behavior. He didn't say anything and he didn't put a hand out to stop Ellen as she stalked in a circle around Emmett and gave him a three hundred and sixty degree eye fuck. Started at the toes and worked her way up to the face. "Hmmm," she said contemplatively.