AN: I own nothing, no vampires are mine, no wolves, either. They either belong to SM or to Ninadoll, most especially the incredible Scar, a creation of Nina! However, Abby, Ava, Ashley, and Mitch belong to me!

A very special thanks to Ninadoll for betaing, creating the universe, and for her support. Please check out her stories The Rest of Forever and Love You For Always and Ninadoll's How Wonderful Life Is, Now You're in the World. She is extraordinarily talented and I'm honored to be a part of her universe! Check out her stories and you won't be disappointed.

To see pictures of Ava and her sisters' lives, please check out my blog at liljenrocks{dot}blogspot{dot}com or my homepage atliljenrocks{dot}web{dot}com. Including pictures of baby Liam and other things from this chapter.

Please, please, please review! Thank you to all of you who added me or the story to your favorites. You guys rock! I apologize if my review replies are delayed!

And…Nina and I have both been nominated for a Pup and Leech Award. Voting starts March 1st at http://thepupandleechawards{dot}webs{dot}com/ We would both really appreciate your votes!

I hope you enjoy! Thank you again!


CHAPTER 3: THE DAY ABBY LEFT

AVA'S POV

So remember how I said that keeping the secret of the La Push wolves was going to come back to bite me in the ass? That happened. It was Valentine's Day. Abby had been sick for awhile and I was trying the best I could to help keep her hydrated and fed, as well as trying to find a proactive solution to the puking problem that Abby had developed. I was actually very worried. I'd never seen my big sister get so sick before and now it seemed constant.

That wasn't the only thing I was worried about though. Before, every time Abby came home from Seth's I wondered if he had told her. Judging by the lack of yelling and things being thrown, I had ascertained that he hadn't told her. That changed the night of Valentine's Day. And just as I had predicted, Abby didn't react well. I knew when she was so quiet that night that the situation was only going to get worse. I was right because the next day, when I got out of bed, I saw Abby's suitcases in the hallway. Within a few hours, she was gone.

Hours later, Ashley hadn't moved from her spot in the window and I could see her crying. She was trying to hide the tears but she couldn't. I knew because I could feel myself wanting to cry too. We were alone now, we weren't the family we had been. Ginger was on her way and I didn't mind so much that she was going to be staying with us. She was going to be recovering from her own traumatic experience but she wasn't Abby, she wasn't my sister.

There was a horrendously loud knock on the front door that brought me out of my thoughts. I looked out the window as I turned the knob. "Scar," I whispered as I opened the door. The look on his face was heartbreaking and it actually made my heart hurt and I knew I was going to cry and goddammit, Ava O'Brien doesn't fucking cry!

"Please tell me I didn't see what I think I just saw," Scar looked at me, shaking his head and rubbing his hands over his face. "Please tell me Abby didn't just leave."

I didn't know what to tell him. "She…"

"Dammit, Ava!" Scar started to shake a little. "Do you know what happens to a wolf that's away from his imprint?"

No way was he going to put this all on Abby. As much as I love Seth, from what I had gathered from this morning, Seth hadn't been suave with the whole explanation of the 'poofing into a giant wolf' thing. "Yeah, well, you didn't see the look of utter hopelessness on my sister's face either when she packed up her stuff because the only man she's ever loved broke her fucking heart!" I was screaming now and there were tears running down my cheeks.

"I know he fucked up the explanation but you know we had a major of situation last night. The least she could've done was wait for him to explain himself," he was shaking his head but I wasn't having any of it.

"No, you don't just spring something like that on someone," I knew that if I continued to hang out with the La Push crowd, this was something I needed to get used to doing, defending my big sister. "Abby doesn't…I warned you, I warned you and Seth that when Abby found out she was going to be out for murder."

Scar looked at me seriously. "He was going to propose, Ava. He had a ring and everything." The sound of his voice made me feel like maybe Abby had left him too. "And you know last night was crazy and…" He looked around to make sure Ashley wasn't listening. "The whole time we were doing what we were doing, the only thing he could think about was what the damn vamps stole from him."

I just shook my head. "Again, this is all about him." Inside, I was hiding the fact that I had suspicions about something else adding to the reason Abby left. See, I'd spent the last few nights googling Abby's symptoms. The fatigue and nausea, the irritability and the fact that her mood could change on a dime. She was either menopausal, which I doubted, or she was pregnant. I didn't pry much into Abby and Seth's sex life. Obviously, I knew they were doing it, I'd heard them the first time. It didn't matter to me, he was making her happy and that was all that counted. I didn't feel the need to ask if they were taking the proper precautions, considering Seth was a doctor and Abby was a vet, I figured they knew where babies came from. When Abby was leaving, when I watched her puke her guts out and talk about how she wouldn't ruin Seth's reputation. That was the final nail in the coffin.

"So what's gonna happen?" Scar asked. I shrugged.

"Ashley and I are going to stay tonight with Aunt Tess. Our cousin Ginger is driving up here and she'll stay here at the house until Abby decides to come back," I answered.

"But…you know AJ was bitten, right? And Seth can't leave, he can't go after her. You have to make her come back," he begged and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Let me teach you a lesson right now. No one, I mean, NO ONE, makes the O'Brien sisters do anything. You don't think I begged her to stay? She thought that he was dumping her and was making up a story of wolves and vampires. She honestly thought that. And now that's the memory she'll have of him. It won't be the dates or the kisses, it will only be the way he tore her apart," I felt my tears coming again. That's what I remember about Mitch. It wasn't the sex, per se, or the kisses or any of that. The thing I remembered the most about him was the way he stood in front of the U-Haul van and broke my heart. "She'll come back when she's ready," I was calm now, still crying but I was calm. And I gave into a weakness of mine. "I know you're pissed at me and Abby but I need you to do something."

"What?" Scar asked, confused.

I cleared my throat and stepped closer. "Can you…remember that day in the bakery? Can you hold me like that?" I asked, hoping he remembered how we hugged after he told me about his sister. He didn't respond. He walked up to me, pulling me into his chest and he held me, rubbing my back. "I'm sorry, Scar," my voice was a whisper.

Scar seemed to be swaying us a little and I didn't want him to let me go. "It's okay. We've both had a traumatic 48 hours." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Don't be mad at me, okay? You're my best friend, Ave, and I can't think about going off to fight another group of newborns, thinking that you hate me."

"I could never hate you, you know that. You're my best friend too," I let myself relax in his arms. Ashley held the stuffed wolf that Scar had given her in her arms, Sadie trailing behind her.

"Can we go to Aunt Tess's now? This isn't home if Abby's not here," she said, squeezing the stuffed animal to her chest.

"Sure," Scar answered before leaning down to talk into my hair. "You go. If Seth comes by, I'll talk to him. I'm worried he might phase."

I nodded and thanked Scar before Ashley and I packed our suitcases. As I assumed, Seth showed up later that day and it was one in only a handful of times that I'd seen a grown man look so utterly broken. I tried to tell him that she was okay but there was no solace in that. Not when she was so far away.

Ginger arrived the next day, taking up residence in Abby's bedroom, where the pillows had mysteriously disappeared from her bed, and things seemed to return to a somewhat normal state. I talked to Abby almost once a day and she sounded exactly how Seth did, like they were both lost without the other. Abby asked Ginger to get Ashley back into ballet and piano which gave her something to occupy her time and not sit around thinking about being abandoned by our sister. I just worked more at the bakery, where Scar would come and sit on the counter everyday. He was my rock. He kept me sane and kept me from absolutely losing it, especially, when after a few months, Ashley started waking up in the middle of the night screaming for Abby. Neither Ginger nor I could settle her, and a night of the screaming usually meant a visit to Seth the next day. Ashley would tell him about everything. Her recent project was a list entitled "Why Abigail is the Worst Sister Ever." She would tell Seth a new reason why Abby was horrible each day. Seth withered away, not even resembling the man he was, and within months, his jaw was lined with stubble, his eyes dark and sad, and his muscles much smaller than they had been.

It didn't let up either. It didn't let up when it was time for prom, which Abby made sure to send me a pair of Mom's earrings to wear with my deep red dress to the" Forks High School Prom in Paris," where I took Scar while Quil accompanied a pink-clad Claire. It was a fun night, and other than one or two dances with Quil, the only dance partner I had or wanted for that matter, was Scar. I found a new strength in him. Almost like if I was with him, I knew it would be okay. The fact that my family was falling apart and his pack was facing peril did not matter. But, we were still just friends, though everyday, I couldn't help but smile when he was around and things felt hopeful.

And by May, just before school was out and it still hadn't let up, I called Abby, only to have my deepest suspicions confirmed.

"I…I'm pregnant, Ave," Abby said very quietly and I couldn't help but gasp. Even though I had made that presumption months ago, hearing her say it made it all the more real and made me realize something very different than I'd thought of before. If she stayed in Oklahoma, she would raise a child that never knew its father, but also never knew its heritage. And what would happen if it were a boy and became a wolf? What would happen with Abby then?

"Then why the hell are you there? Why aren't you and Seth together, building a family? You don't know what it's been like since you left." I was more hoping I could pull a GamGam and guilt her into coming back. It didn't work. She was convinced that Seth didn't love her anymore and that he was trying to break it off with her. Nothing I could say about him or what had happened to him since she'd left, that he wasn't himself anymore, none of that could make her come back.

Against my better judgment, I didn't tell anyone. Now I was stuck with the second biggest secret of my life and it sucked. I was excited at the possibility of being an aunt but I couldn't tell a soul. It wasn't long though until Aunt Tess knew and Ginger too. No one mentioned it around Ashley for fear she might blab during one of her hate sessions with Seth. The only person I wanted to tell was Scar, and I probably would've if I wasn't worried he'd let it slip when he phased. I couldn't risk that.

When school was out, Ginger told Ashley and me that Abby really wanted us to come back to Oklahoma to be with her, at least for the summer. But I couldn't. So to take my mind off of everything, I immersed myself even more in working at the bakery. I was actually working the day I got the e-mail from Abby telling me that I was having a nephew complete with a picture of the little baby's ultrasound. For the first time in months, I felt excited. I felt like I had something to look forward to and I called Abby, ecstatic to share her happiness. It was bittersweet though because I knew there was no happiness for Seth and I knew that without the baby, Abby wouldn't be functioning either.

And then, on September 15th, the call came, the big event was underway. Scar, Claire, and Quil were over watching a movie and when my phone rang I excused myself to the bathroom upstairs to talk. Aunt Shannon called to tell me that Abby was in labor and the little cherub would be here soon. I squealed to myself and did a little "I'm gonna be an Aunt!" victory dance before starting to head back downstairs. I stopped next to Abby/Ginger's room, Ginger's loud cry feeling the air.

"Ginger?" I asked, pushing the door open a little.

The first words out of Ginger's mouth were harsh and laced with venom. "Those La Push men are assholes! I hate them and Embry Call can burn in hell!" I looked completely shocked. I had no idea she even knew who Embry was.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I just got a text message. Embry and I had kinda been 'seeing' each other and apparently he's breaking up with me, through a text message! Bastard!" Ginger sobbed into her pillow. This was all news to me, not once had I heard her say that she had a date or anything like that. But then I remembered Embry and, like was usual for me, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"You had sex with him, didn't you?" I almost immediately put my hand over my mouth.

Ginger sat up. "Yeah, I did. I thought he was different, and I needed someone to make me feel worthy, after Yamil's whole affair with that belly dancer from that Moroccan restaurant. I thought maybe, just maybe all men weren't pieces of shit but it appears I was wrong!"

I could practically hear Scar and Quil holding their tongues downstairs and I sat on the bed next to her. "Not all men are like that, Ginger. Look at Quil, or Scar or Jake—"

"Or Seth, asshole!" she yelled and then officially stopped crying and looked at me seriously. "That's it. I'm done with men. I'm a lesbian now."

I rolled my eyes. "You can't just become a lesbian, Ginger. You're being a little melodramatic. Embry's kinda the pack player. You just got burnt is all."

"What kinda player?" Ginger asked with a cock of her head. Oh, shit.

I immediately started going through words that rhymed with pack…back, shack, tack…shit! Then I was saved. "Sack player, like he gets a lot of girls in the sack," saved by Scar who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"I like the word bastard for him better," Ginger fell back onto the bed while Scar shrugged and walked off.

"You'll be okay, Ginger. There're lots of shitty guys out there, but there're also some good ones too. We just have to keep a look out for them," I smiled, no way was this going to break my happiness from the possibility of becoming an Aunt.

Then a little after nine, I got a picture text message with the most beautiful little baby I'd ever seen. His hair, thick and black and the lettering underneath said "Liam Seth." He was an angel, perfect in everyway and I wanted so bad to hold him and squeeze him but I knew it would be awhile before I could. Looking at his picture, there was no doubt who his father was, his face, the spitting image of Seth. And I prayed that Abby would at least find the strength to tell Seth about Liam. I kept my nephew's picture on my phone and spent the week showing it to Aunt Tess and Ginger, as well as glancing at it occasionally.

The day I glanced at it the most was the day that my nephew's grandmother, Sue Clearwater, married Chief Swan, only three days after Liam was born. We were leaving to go to Oklahoma as soon as it was over and I had asked Jake for permission for Scar to go with us. It was long drive and I didn't really feel comfortable doing it on my own, with just Ashley and me, and Scar had never been to Oklahoma so it was the perfect solution.

I took a look at the picture on my phone one last time before Seth came towards us as we stood in the park in Forks just before the wedding started. Ashley was completely ecstatic to see Seth and tell him about our trip. I was worried that seeing him might make me do something, or say something I shouldn't but the moment he saw us, he came towards us. Ash jumped into his arms.

"Guess where we're going tonight?" she could barely contain her excitement.

"Where?" Seth asked.

"To Oklahoma. We're leaving after the wedding!" Ashley smiled but Seth didn't look happy. In fact, he looked like someone had kicked him in the balls.

"We're just going for a week and then we'll be back," Ava said. "Truth be told, I'm going to try and beg her to come back. I wish you could go with us." It was true. I did want him to come. I wanted him to see Abby, see his son, sweep them up and bring them all back so we could be a family again.

"I do too, but I still have things here going on," he answered and I knew he was talking about the threat of a vampire attack.

"I know," I sighed. "Jake said Scar can go with us though. We're driving so we kinda wanted a guy to go with us."

Sue came to take Seth away then and Ashley and I took our seats next to Quil and Claire. The ceremony was fast and my eyes stayed on a very distracted Seth. I sighed as it ended, Bella Cullen practically pulling Seth down the aisle.

"Didn't Mrs. Swan look like a grandma model?" Ashley asked with a giggle. "I wish she was my grandma." I laughed with her, not wanting to tell her that Sue actually already had a grandchild she knew nothing about. We headed to the reception next and as I got out of the car, I was approached by Jacob Black.

"Hey, Ava," he said with a bit of a smirk.

"Hello Jake," I smiled back while Ashley ran full force to hug his legs.

"Hello Mr. Jacob Black! Is your Griffin here? I haven't held him in so long and he's so cute!" Ashley made a squealing noise while Jake chuckled at her.

"Yeah, I think his Grandpa Billy has him for the moment," Jake answered.

"Oh goodie!" Ashley skipped off to find Billy while Jake's face became serious.

He turned to me and sighed. "Do you think you have room for Seth to go with you?" I blinked a few times trying to process what he asked and then nodded. "AJ's awake now and I'm tired of seeing my brother so distraught. I want him to go with you."

"Of course," I whispered, knowing he could hear me.

"Do not let him leave without her. I don't care if you have to drag her out by her hair, Ava. He can't spend another day without his imprint," Jake's voice was like a command and I nodded again, not really sure what to say to that. "I'll tell him you'll coming by to pick him up, when you leave the reception."

"Okay," I answered. I don't know what it was about Jake that kept my vocabulary limited to single words but he just did that.

Ahsley and I both ate, then it was time to head home. I packed Ashley's yellow duffle bag and my Vera Bradley luggage, then waited for Scar who drove us to Seth's. He was waiting outside, a grin on his face and a bag in his hand and off we went.

Scar drove all through the night while I slept and then in the morning we switched. As I drove, I thought about what was going to happen when we got to Oklahoma. I wasn't sure what Seth was going to do, he would either be overjoyed to be back with Abby and to have son, or he was going to be so pissed he would phase. If that was the case, I needed to tell Scar at least so he could have my back.

We sat next to each other in the car just after filling up with gas. Seth had taken Ashley in to get a slushee and I turned to face Scar.

"I, um, have something I need to tell you," I said, wringing my hands.

He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

I swallowed hard and felt my heart speed up. "First you have to promise you won't tell Seth. He's going to find out soon enough but I think Abby needs to be the one to tell him." Scar nodded. "Okay, well, you know how when Abby left she thought he was breaking up with her, right?" He nodded again. "There was something else."

Scar must have heard the seriousness in my tone because he sat up straighter and furrowed his brow. "It's bad, isn't it?" he asked plainly.

I shook my head. "No, it can be very good. I'm just concerned about when Seth finds out. I need you to help in case he phases."

"So what's the big secret?" he asked.

I looked in the store to make sure I had a good visual on Seth and Ashley. Then, with a whisper, I said it. "When Abby left, the night she left, she was going to tell him but then all the stuff happened and she didn't." I could see him starting to tense and my mouth was so dry it felt like it'd been stuffed with cotton. "Abby was pregnant." There, I said it. Finally!

"She was what?" Scar's voice was a little more animated than I expected and he was gritting his teeth. "And she left? What the fuck, Ava? So, what'd she do?" His breathing was ragged and I could see him starting to shake.

"Okay, first off, you will not phase in Seth's car and this honestly really doesn't have much to do with you, so chill out," I opened my mouth to continue but Scar cut me off.

"Doesn't have much to do with me? Are you fucking kidding me? You don't get it, do you? The pack, we're like a family. Seth is my brother. Not to mention that when we're phased, we can feel and see every emotions and feelings going on. So, yeah, this has quite a bit to do with me. Now what did she do?" Scar kinda growled out to me.

I had to think about how to answer this, how to keep him from ripping me to shreds, so I just kinda blurted it out. "The baby's fine. His name is Liam, he looks just like Seth."

"You're telling me, she left, was pregnant and now has Seth's son and your stupid sister didn't feel the need to tell the father of the baby?"

I was pissed now. He was being entirely unreasonable. Like before, this wasn't all Abby's fault. If Seth hadn't fucked up the explanation of the wolf stuff, we wouldn't be making this drive and everyone would be in Washington like a big, happy family. But Seth and Abby seemed to be surrounded by unfortunate events. "Shut up!" I spat, taking off my flip-flop and smacking him hard on the arm. "We're not having the whole Seth versus Abby convo right now. I'm telling you because I know when Seth finds out, he's going to be beyond pissed and I need you to help me control him. I know what Abby did was wrong, but she was scared and heartbroken. And what's done is done. Now we just have to be there to help them rebuild." Scar seemed shocked and I sat up straighter. "They belong together and they have a beautiful son. This isn't a blame game." I looked Scar dead in the eye. "And for the record, don't ever call my sister stupid again. She did what she thought she had to do."

It was silent for a minute, a thick tension in the air. "Okay. I'll help but listen to me, Ava. We're best friends and that means we don't keep things from each other."

"I know, I'm sorry but I promised Abby," I told him as he pulled me into a hug. "Do you think he'll hurt her?"

Scar sat quiet for a minute. "Not on purpose. I can't say he won't be mad. We're kinda built with bad tempers. But I'll do what I can to help, you know that." He let go of me as Seth and Ashley came out of the convenient store but then held my hand as we pulled out, Seth driving.

Less than two hours later, we pulled into Oklahoma City and as we pulled into the driveway, Scar pulled out his cell phone and sent me a text message. I can smell him. Like a combo of A and S. I looked at him and he squeezed my hand, the sun setting, we were about to find out just what would happen when two soul mates with too many secrets were reunited.