All characters except for Annabelle Causley, Frederick Randal Laskaris and Rosa Maria de la Luna and a few others belong to Stephenie Meyer…and, of course, the writer is not receiving any profit for this story whatsoever.
This story follows right after Already Gone. The timeline of the story backtracks to two months after Rick and Leah return from their honeymoon in Greece after the prologue, which will reappear later in the story.
AN: I know! It's taking me so darn long to update! But the good thing is that the story is already revealed itself somewhat in my head so I know where I'm going...it's just a matter of finding time and inspiration to write it down and then update. I've been working five nights a week for the past two-three months, but thank the LORD that I am going back to a three-three schedule. So let's hope for more updates now that I'll be better rested and with more free time in my hands.
Enjoy!
Chapter Two
Somewhere in Spain
The darkness was thick and oppressive, crushing her lungs as she tried to strain her hearing, her fear suffocating her as she wondered if the slight noise had been real or a product of her fearful imagination.
Forcing burning oxygen into her lungs, she felt her heart stop as the sound of the crashing front door reverberated across the small two bedroom hut they had been hiding in.
Leaping out of bed, she stood on shaking knees, trying to see through the blanket darkness but her weak human eyes couldn't penetrate it…
Her heart jumped into her throat, choking her as the screeching metal sounds rushed through the thick air from the front of the hut to her small bedroom. Turning towards the connecting door to the equally small bedroom next to her, she grabbed the small black bag they had filled with what was necessary in case of this…
"Corre, Rosa! Llevatelos y corre! Yo lo detendre!"
His voice, musical despite the urgency, finally forced her to move into the connecting bedroom, quickly picking up the two small bundles, tucking them close to her chest as she pushed open the door on the opposite side of the room that lead outside, a door he had purposely placed there but hidden from outside view with a curtain of hanging vine that covered that entire side of the hut.
Pushing through the vines, she ran up the grassy hill, wishing she had the speed to really move…
He was going to have to fight long and hard to give her the chance to get away…and win to ensure the safety of them all.
Back in La Push
Leah leaned against the entrance into the living room, crossing her arms over her chest as she quietly watched her little brother stretched out on the couch, remote control in one hand, the other resting on her little boy's back.
Gabe was sprawled stomach down across Seth, his little head resting on a flat stomach and his bare feet on either side of his uncle's head.
Leah smiled at the tender picture they made, her eyebrows lowering as Seth rolled his shoulders, a strange look crossing over his face before disappearing.
"Seth," Leah walked into the living room and sat on the coffee table facing her brother, "Are you okay?"
"Sure, sure," Seth rolled his shoulders again, rubbing his hand down Gabe's back as he shifted on the couch, "It's nothing Lee."
"You got this strange look on your face," Leah leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, "Like you…wanted to run away."
"I don't know why but…" Seth turned off the television, dropping the remote on the couch cushion beside him, "Yeah, I got this sudden urge to run…and not just run for the sake of running but…to run away…from something…"
"Do you want to get away from La Push, Seth," Leah tucked her hair behind her ear, feeling a hollow emptiness in her stomach at the idea of not seeing her little brother every day, "Because you know if you need to go, I'll help you any way I can."
"It's not that, Lee," Seth gently moved Gabe off him, settling the little boy onto the couch beside him, "I don't want to leave. The rez is where my roots are, my friends and my family. Most importantly, I've dated every single girl here and haven't imprinted on a single one…which is really good news. No…the feeling I just got…wanting to run out of fear…I don't know where it came from or why…weird, uh?"
"Little bit, yeah," Leah straightened her back, "You've seriously dated every girl in La Push?"
"The ones that aren't imprinted on, in a relationship or married…yeah. I wouldn't touch those with a ten foot pole. But the rest…well, they're free game."
"Seth…girls aren't…game for you to hunt," Leah punched her brother's leg, grinning when he grabbed it with a groan, "I don't get it. If you don't want to imprint, why do you have a string of girlfriends trailing behind you?"
"I've never had a girlfriend in my life," Seth worked at rubbing the numb feeling out of his leg, "I don't date a girl longer than a week…and I'm usually not the one to ask them out."
"Why don't you ever get serious about a girl, Seth?"
"Because…if shit were to happen, I don't want to do to a girl what Sam did to you…no girl deserves that kind of hurt."
"Oh Seth," Leah moved to sit next to her brother, leaning her head against his shoulder, "I've forgotten all of that."
"Yes, but that's because you've imprinted…meanwhile, I still have a hard time forgetting the way you looked…the feelings of pain, hurt and anger that overwhelmed you the four years before you met Rick. I don't want to be the cause of a girl feeling like that for even a day…much less four years…or a lifetime."
"You still hold all that against Sam, don't you," Leah looked into her brother's eyes, identical to her own brown green ones, in shape and color.
"Damn right I do," Seth reached out to touch Leah's cheek, "You have no idea what it did to me to walk into your room and find you bleeding to death…if you had died Lee…I would have killed Sam…Alpha or no I would have killed him."
Leah leaned her forehead against his jaw, "I'm sorry Seth. I'm sorry I never thought what that would do to you…that it would hurt you so bad you're afraid of letting yourself feel something for someone…I'm sorry."
"Nah," Seth kissed Leah's forehead before pushing himself off the couch, "Not your fault…anyway, I gotta head out. Guys and I are heading to Port Angeles to celebrate my twenty-first birthday."
"What," Leah exclaimed as she got to her feet, "I was planning a surprise birthday party for you!"
Seth laughed as he grabbed Leah, hugging her tight, "Not much of a surprise now. You're doing it tomorrow aren't you? Go for it, but I am still going out tonight…I am officially twenty one at midnight and plan on drinking alcohol faster than my body can burn it…see if I can actually get drunk."
"Like you've never tried it before," Leah pushed him away, trying to give him a glare but not succeeding, "I know for a fact that you tried getting drunk on my wedding day."
"Yeah, but I didn't try that hard," Seth laughed, kissing Leah's forehead once again before turning around and heading towards the front door, "Tell Gabe I'll see him tomorrow at the surprise party you're planning…just don't tell him I know it's happening…I'll act very surprised so he won't be disappointed."
"Thank you. We've both been working really hard to make it a fun surprise…did you know about it?"
"Well, it's not as if the monster's all that good at keeping a secret," Seth grinned down at his nephew, leaning down to brush his dark hair out of his sleeping face, "He did really good at keeping this one…just let a hint or two slip out…"
Leah smiled down at her son before turning to her brother, "Well, be very surprised. He's so excited about the party."
"I will be," Seth grinned at Leah, "I'll do the whole Miss Universe shocked face…Ahh!"
Leah laughed at Seth as he widened his eyes, holding his hands up to his face, his mouth wide open in an attempt at a genuine look of shock and surprise.
"Who's Seth trying to scare," Rick walked into the living room from the kitchen, an apple in one hand as he reached out to pull Leah to his side with the other.
"He's working on his surprised look for tomorrow's party," Leah smiled up at her husband, her eyes going soft as he smiled down at her, kissing her nose before looking back at Seth.
"Well," Rick leaned his head to the side, cocking a dark blonde eyebrow, "I hate to say it Seth but my son's not going to fall for that one…so instead of Miss Universe you should try…rollercoaster face."
"Ah," Seth groaned, his mind flashing back to last summer when he had accompanied Leah, Rick and Gabe on their trip to Disneyland…he had not liked the rollercoaster… "You promised never to bring that up, ever again."
"Well, I was just trying to give you a tip on how to really look genuinely surprised…for Gabriel's sake," Rick chuckled as the horror of the memory flashed through Seth's face, "See, now that he would believe."
"Okay, I'm gonna go before I puke at the very memory of it," Seth rubbed his stomach before reaching down to drop a kiss on Gabe's little head, "You two behave…you have a very impressionable three year old in the house now."
"Go before I pound you into the ground," Rick growled, lowering his eyebrows as a laughing Seth walked out of the house.
"You need to lighten up," Leah turned in Rick's arms, wrapping hers around his neck.
"Not when it comes to them joking about our sex life," Rick wrapped both arms around her slim waist, resting his forehead against hers, "I still owe Collin a few good bruises."
"That's why they joke about it…because you take it so seriously. It amuses them."
"I'm aware of that but I can't help it…changing the topic, how are you feeling?"
"A little morning sickness, but nothing that I can't handle."
Rick pulled her closer, nuzzling her ear, "Did you get morning sickness with Gabriel?"
"No, but every baby's different," Leah giggled as Rick kissed her neck, using his mouth to push aside the wide neck of her blue-green peasant blouse, "Counting freckles again?"
Rick murmured an agreement, tightening his arms around her, "I'm gonna have to go in a couple of hours…"
"Yes, but Gabriel's here," Leah leaned back, looking up into her husband's face, a shiver running through her at the hot desire in his eyes.
"Alright then," Rick leaned down and kissed her mouth, whispering against it, "Tomorrow morning when I get in…"
Leah shivered again, her skin tightening at the promise in his voice, "Tomorrow morning."
"So where did you say we're going," Embry climbed in behind the wheel of the Rabbit, which Jacob had given to both him and Quil…but since Quil hardly left Claire's side, he hardly needed the car.
"The Opiate," Jacob folded his long frame into the front seat, chuckling as Collin tried to get comfortable in the back, "This girl at school told me about it. It's a new club at Port Angeles."
"What street?"
"Porte Street."
"That's on the warehouse district, dude," Embry pulled out of the garage, all three waving out the windows at Billy Black, who sat by the front window of his house, watching them go.
"So the club's in a warehouse, big deal," Seth looked over his shoulder at Collin, "How you doing back there?"
"Fuck you," Collin growled, trying to turn sideways so he could get some leg room.
"Hey, don't hate. I won front seat privileges fair and square."
"How do you call punching me in the gut fair and square?"
"Hey," Embry looked into the rearview mirror, a grin splitting his face, "There's no rules in front seat privileges wrestling. You really should have seen it coming."
"Yeah, he should have," Seth stretched out his legs, making a big show out of it, "But Collin can't seem to think past what he's doing at the moment…that's gonna get you in trouble some day."
"Yep," Embry nodded, driving fast out of the reservation and through Forks, "You definitely need to learn to think ahead, man. Then maybe, you might be able to satisfy a woman."
"If you ever get one in the sack, that is," Seth looked over his shoulder, laughing as he ducked out of the way of Collin's flying hand, "Too slow!"
"Okay, no fighting in the car," Embry waved his hand out the window as they passed by the Swan residence, "Let's all behave until we get to the club."
"Then we let lose!"
