Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do own Arianna and Gabriel, though. Thanks to my beta, Macy!
Never Too Late — Chapter Four
Previously ...
I rolled my eyes. Daddy was so overprotective. He always interrogated me — there was no other way to describe it — whenever I made a new friend. But I was stepping into dangerous territory here! I'd never had a friend who was male. This ... could be bad.
"His name is Gabriel," I blurted out, and a hushed, amused silence fell over the room. I could see the rest of my family biting back smiles, but Daddy was beginning to fume. I continued quickly, "He's really nice. We skipped class, and — "
I cut myself off as I realized what I'd said, only a second too late. I glanced up at Daddy, and he didn't look happy.
Major oops.
September 7th, 2038 - Tuesday— 12:02 PM ( Arianna POV )
"So, yeah ... it was pretty bad."
Gabriel broke into a roar of laughter, and I playfully frowned at him before flicking a pickle from my sandwich in his general direction. When his laughter cut off sharply, I knew I had hit my mark. I smirked happily as he uttered a disgusted "ewwww" and pealed the pickle from his skin.
"How bad?" he asked, frowning as he threw the pickle into the river. I sighed and leaned against his shoulder; he was so warm.
"Well, mo— ... my sister was able to keep me from being grounded. Honestly, she can make my brother do almost anything... they're in love, you know ... one pout from her, and he's turned to mush." I grinned briefly as I thought of the effect Mom had on Daddy, but as I remembered the look that had flashed in everyone's eyes, my smile slipped. "But ... seeing everyone so disappointed in me was bad enough."
"Sorry," he muttered, but he was grinning, and his eyes were sparkling.
"And you didn't get in any trouble at all, did you?" I asked, slightly annoyed, and I frowned as he laughed once more.
"Nope."
I grumbled incoherently as I chewed on another bite of my sandwich. It was lunchtime, the only time of day that I could see Gabriel, and I was making the most of every second. We were, once again, down by the river, and together we watched the rippling motion of the water that flowed across the rocks.
Gabriel was grinning as he spoke once more.
"I can keep a secret, though, so that's probably why I didn't get in trouble," he announced. He turned to me, then, and his smile became very soft. "But at the same time, you should be glad that you have a family who cares enough to be worried for you."
I immediately felt bad for the words I'd spoken, the complaints I'd issued about my family, and Gabriel noticed. He ruffled my hair — I pouted — and stood to his feet.
"Please don't feel bad," he murmured, reaching out to help me stand beside him. "I didn't say that to upset you. Promise."
I looked into his eyes, and I couldn't see a single trace of sadness in them. So I mirrored his smile and nodded.
"All right."
And then another thought occurred to me.
"If you don't live with your father ... where do you live?" I asked, and he shrugged and began talking as causally as if we were discussing something as simple as school, and not his torn life.
"A little bit of everywhere. Right now, I'm living with my Aunt. I wasn't put into foster care because I had so many family members, though none of them were very willing to take me in. I lived with my Grandma and Grandpa for over ten years, but they ... passed on. That's why I came here."
He shrugged again, and I nodded, not quite sure what to say. And then his smile was back in place, lighting up his eyes as he turned to me.
"Tell me about your family ... the Cullen's."
That was a topic I liked, and I knew my eyes were sparkling happily as I launched into a detailed explanation of my family.
"My adoptive parents are Esme and Carlisle — they can't have children, so they adopt. I have three sisters, and three brothers. Emmett, Jasper and Edward — " It was so strange calling Daddy by his first name " — are my brothers, and Alice, Rosalie and Mo— ... Bella are my sisters. And even though everyone — besides me, of course — is old enough to move out, no one wants to. We're all very close."
I felt sad, then, thinking about Gabriel and his family. But he didn't let me dwell on him for long; he gripped my hand tighter as we began walking. He was contemplating the possibilities of having so many people in one family, I was sure. His next words only proved me right.
"Wow. Nine people in your family. Doesn't it drive your parents insane to have seven teenagers under one roof?"
Ha! If only he knew.
I shrugged, though, and fought to keep the smile off of my face. "Sometimes."
He raised an eyebrow at me as if to say "Yeah, right", and I couldn't keep the smile from my lips any longer. I began giggling hysterically, and he shook his head in amusement, though his intense eyes were curious. I continued talking as soon as the giggles calmed enough for me to take a much needed breath.
"Yeah, it can sometimes be a little too much, but not usually. Jasper mostly keeps to himself, and Edward and Bella are very quiet — they like to be alone. Alice likes to spend time with Jasper, and Rosalie likes to spend time with her car. It's Emmett that's the loud one."
I rolled my eyes then, and I smiled to myself. It was true, really. I, of course, left out the part where everyone was over a hundred years old — except for mom — and none of them really fit the 'teenager' personality.
Gabriel broke the silence once more, and he looked deep in thought as question after question tumbled from his lips.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen," I answered automatically, and I was proud of myself. I usually had a hard time adjusting to my 'age', and an even harder time saying the right number when people asked me so suddenly. I smiled and asked, "How old are you?"
"Sixteen," he grinned, and then continued with his questioning. "When's your birthday?"
"November twelfth."
He nodded, thinking now. We were just in sight of the school, and he turned to face me, pausing in his steps. I paused, too.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Blue."
"Your favorite class?"
"History."
"Will you go out with me on Saturday?"
"I — "
Wait.
What?
Gabriel was blushing now as he turned his gaze away from mine. He continued to talk, not giving me a chance to answer. I couldn't have, anyway. I was somewhere between deciding on whether I wanted to impulsively hug him and gaping like a fish.
His words were rushed, as if he couldn't get them out fast enough.
"A-as friends, I mean. I just want to spend some time with you outside of school — outside of the one hour I'm allowed see you. I want to get to know you better. I want ... I want ... to learn more about you. I want to know more than just your name and your favorite color. I want to know you. All of you."
As he spoke, despite the stutter of his words, his eyes were beautifully intense, and they never left mine.
"Please, Arianna," he whispered, and I knew then that I couldn't say no. But ...
"I ... I'm not sure."
His face fell, and as I watched the pain flash in his eyes, I couldn't stop the words that tumbled from my lips.
"I want to! I really do. I want to get to know you, too, but ... I don't know ... if I can."
The bell rang then, and as Gabriel's panicked eyes flashed to mine, I winced. I could still see the pain there, the pain of rejection, and I wanted nothing more than to make it go away.
"Walk me home after school," I said, and I smiled as I gripped his hand tightly. The bell rang again. "I'll ask my father, and if he says yes, then I'd love to spend Saturday with you."
He smiled then, and I knew everything was all right.
"After school then."
And we took off running — trying desperately to make it to our classes — in opposite directions.
3:12 PM
Awkward.
That was one way to describe the situation.
Another would be explosive, or possibly insane, or maybe even deadly. I glanced up quickly to see Daddy frowning in the corner, playing the part of big brother rather than father as Carlisle spoke softly with Gabriel.
Definitely deadly.
I glanced back to Gabriel and Carlisle. They were both smiling, though Gabriel looked ready to jump out of his skin, so I figured things were going well. And then Carlisle nodded, and Daddy moved from his place against the wall and stormed out of the room. I bit my lip, watching as Mom jumped up to follow him, a concerned look lighting her eyes.
"Arianna?"
I looked up; it was Gabriel, and he was smiling.
"Hmm?"
"I have to go now. It was wonderful meeting your family, however."
I laughed then.
"Wait until you meet everyone else! You only got to see Carlisle and Edward and Bella today." I grinned mischievously, and he gulped. "Just wait until you meet Emmett!"
"Will I see you tomorrow at school?" he squeaked, and I nodded, laughing softly once more. If Gabriel thought that Daddy was frightening, he was going to be surprised come Saturday when Emmett greeted the door with the traditional "What are your intentions with my sister?" speech. I laughed at the thought, and Gabriel took my hand in his, squeezing it lightly before he moved for the door.
"Bye!" I called out, and I waved. He waved back, and I smiled.
But my smile dropped when I heard Daddy in the other room, talking softly to Mom.
"I feel like I'm losing her, Bella. She grows more distant every day. I don't ... I can't lose my baby girl. I just ... love her so much. I can't lose her. I can't."
I walked forward then, my heart heavy, and I didn't stop moving until I was standing in front of the room that Mom and Daddy shared. I could see them now. They were together, holding each other, rocking back and forth slowly. I could hear Daddy humming softly, and before me I saw the pain of two people very much in love losing the one they cared for so much.
I couldn't stop the sob that escaped from my lips as I ran forward. I threw myself into Daddy's arms, and buried my head against his chest as I cried for them, as I let the tears they couldn't cry themselves slip from my bright, emerald eyes.
"I love you, Daddy. So much. I'll love you forever."
"But I can't be your hero forever, baby," he whispered, and I shook my head violently. "Someday, there will be someone else. Someone will come along, and take you away from me. And I'm worried that I have only have so much time left."
"I'll never leave you, Daddy."
"You can't promise that, Ari," he whispered, and his eyes were full of pain as they stared into mine. He was gripping Mom's hand tightly as he tried to hold the emotion in.
And I knew I couldn't. I couldn't promise him that I would always be here, no matter how much I wanted to. So, instead, I whispered softly once more,
"I love you, Daddy. I love you, Mommy."
And they understood. And I understood.
And none of realized exactly how little time we actually did have left.
Hmm... poor Edward. His baby's growing up. (Sigh) Well. I have officially finished the plot-line. Now I just have to write it. OH! And I have pics in my profile of what I (roughly) imagine Gabe and Ari to look like. Check it out! New poll, too!
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NEXT CHAPTER:
"How ... do I ... do I know if I l-like Gabriel as more than a friend?" I whispered, and I was sure, for a brief second, that she hadn't heard me. But then I heard her sharp intake of breath, and I felt her hand, in mine, stiffen. Then, she spoke.