Chapter 4: Kiss Me, You Fool—Baka!

I turned around, hearing soft, pounding footsteps coming towards us. I watched breathlessly as Seth ran towards me, and as soon as he got close enough, he wrapped his arms around me and crushed me to his chest. I felt his kissing my hair, and then he cupped my chin and looked into my eyes, planting kisses on my forehead and cheeks.

I chuckled, looking up at him, Seth Clearwater who looked like a happy puppy, whose master just came home to him. "You're so silly. Kiss me you, fool."

He smiled and nodded, happy I gave him the permission. He lightly brushed my lips with his, and he pulled away. I glared, pulling on his collar so he was at my height. "Baka!" I shouted, karate chopping him on the head and sticking my tongue out.

He looked at me with puppy dog eyes and pouted from my hit. I laughed, "Kiss me like you mean it. But not in front of my mom." I let go of his collar, turning around. "See you after school. Have a good day. I won't be back for two weeks, but please, actually go to school."

I looked at my mom and we opened our umbrellas walking out to the car. I strode out into the rain, smiling and blushing for once. It felt like my world was finally coming together. I hoped it was, because I wasn't ready for this to fall apart. I never wanted to lose Seth, and he was the only guy I kept close to me. Ever since I met him.

"That hair pulling, stuff-stealing jerk," I mumbled and smiled, thinking about second grade. My mom laughed, "Even back then, you did so much for him. You've always loved him; you just never realized it, have you?"

I stopped walking, looking down at my heels. "I…I guess not," I said, surprised. I stared out into the rain. "Hey mom, you're not really mad at me, are you?"

"A little, but you're not in trouble. Only when you weren't moving you were. You had a reason, and he deserved what he got. But, we're limiting your phone and internet hours."

"Aww," I frowned as she unlocked her SUV and I jumped into the passenger seat, not really caring if the rain soaked me now. I shut my umbrella, putting it behind my seat and putting my bag at my feet.

Mom started the car, and we started driving back home, until I heard her cry in pain. She pulled over onto the side of the road, groaning in pain. "Winter," she huffed, "call Alex. The baby's coming. Now."

In a flash I grabbed my phone and dialed Alex's number. After two rings, he finally picked up. "MOM'S HAVING THE BABY!" I screamed into the phone and he gasped.

"CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

"THEN HANG UP ALEX!"

The call disconnected and I dialed for an ambulance, dying of anxiety until they answered.

"911, what is your emergency?" a woman's voice came on the line.

"My mom's having her baby; we need to get to the hospital now!"

"Calm down. She'll be fine. What is your location?"

"Right outside of La Push High! We're a silver SUV on the side of the road!" my voice squeaked a little.

"We'll be there right away," the woman said and then hung up, my mom writhing in pain on her seat. I turned off the ignition and rested my mom's head on my lap. I didn't know what to do, since I'd never been there when I was born obviously, and no one in my family had had any babies recently in the last 16 years.

I heard sirens sound far off, along with a wolf howl. Ironically enough, I saw a familiar pair of eyes peering at me from the woods. I opened the door and whistled for the wolf, my mom's eyes shut in pain. He made a whine at me, hesitant to be seen on the road.

"My mom's in pain. She in labor, she's going to have my baby sister," I whispered, knowing he could pick up my voice. More eyes glowed next to him and I heard a sympathetic whine from my wolf.

I watched a few eyes retreat, and then eventually all of them but mine as the sirens approached, getting louder and louder to us. I stroked my mom's hair out of her face, the paramedics checking on us and gently lifting her out of the car. I grabbed my bookbag, throwing the keys into a pouch, and shut the doors of the car that were open. I also grabbed her purse before I shut the back one that was open.

I looked at my wolf one last time as he whined to me, and then hopped into the ambulance with my mother, holding her hand when the pain came.

We eventually arrived at the hospital, and it seemed like it took forever. They started prepping her for surgery, while she said she wanted me there when she gave birth. The whole family. Alex showed up with Taylor at the perfect time, and the three of us got her booked into a room that mothers have once they have their babies, I didn't know that was called.

3 Hours Later

Mom was rushed into the delivery room while the doctor was talking about being how many centimeters dilated, and we were told to put on scrubs. We did and met mom in the delivery room, Taylor and I confused about what the hell was going on.

It took only a few minutes, Mom getting angry every time they screamed "push!" at her. Alex seemed like he was going to pass out from how hard my mom was gripping his hand, but eventually, our family's new edition was out of Mom's belly.

We were moved back into the room we were in before that we'd booked, and they cleaned off Eva and wrapped her in a pink blanket. She cried for a while, but she stopped eventually, falling asleep while mom held her.

I smiled, watching mom with the baby, wondering how it was when she had me. I sat down in the recliner in the room, exhausted from the day's events. Right now was really the best time to be suspended, because I got to learn how to take care of a baby. I rubbed my stomach slowly, thinking about the idea of having a child eventually, little Seths running around. I smiled and shut my eyes, falling into a doze.

I woke up to a warm hand on mine, slowly rubbing my stomach like I was earlier. I kept my eyes shut, wondering how long I'd been there. As I remained conscious, I heard them start talking again, probably not wanting to wake me if I'd woken up before.

I heard mom laugh, and I heard a chair scuff on the floor and a body shift. My guess was that Seth was right here next to me. Had they gotten him a chair? The hell would I know, I thought. I knew there hadn't been one there before when I fell asleep. He was a big boy, maybe he got him his own. Oh well. Whatever.

"She doesn't know about that yet, does she?" My mom asked.

Shit. I shouldn't be hearing this. I'm such an eavesdropper. Fuck. I'MSORRYSETH, I screamed in my mind. I hope he won't hate me. Well, I guess I could open my eyes and fake that I had just woken up.

"How'd you know?"

"Well, it's pretty damn easy to figure out. My husband, too. I just wonder, have any girls-or any of mine anyway-gotten it. Still, it's not every damn day your daughter's best friend turns into a lumberjack after disappearing."

He heard him sigh. "She…she better not hate me."

"She won't," my mom sounded like she was smiling. You know how you can hear it in a voice? Yeah.

"She wasn't the first time, even though she won't tell me. Or did she," my mom questioned herself.

I took the advantage I had at the silence in the room to 'groggily' open my eyes, yawn, and stretch. I looked around the room, seeing mom holding Eva, who was sleeping in her arms. I wondered who she looked like more, and if she was going to be like my step-sister Kira and have a mix of Alex and mom in her. Slowly stretching, I looked over at Seth, who seemed to know about my secret eavesdropping, so I quickly turned away blushing before he could read my face.

He chuckled and stood up, "C'mon, let's get you home," he said, holding out his hand to me.

I took it and smiled, but he unexpectedly pulled me up into his arms and carried me out of the room. "Bye, mom!" I called as the door shut. "I'll come back tomorrow!"

"Bye!" she called and I smiled, resting against Seth's warm chest. He was so warm, like the sun. I never wanted him to leave my side, and I really wanted him to lean down and kiss me right now. I wanted his warm lips on mine, his arms around my waist, my arms around his neck and hands in his hair…

Ugh, maybe I am one, I thought to myself as I grimaced, Seth looked at me, puzzled by my expression. I smiled, "Nothing, it's alright," I murmured and rested my head on his shoulder.

He strode out to his car, it being night already by the time I'd woken and the rain had stopped, just like last night. He opened the passenger door and was about to put me into the seat when I tightened my grip on him. "No…don't let go," I looked at him and saw the pain in his eyes, but they also darkened with something else.

"I promise I'll be right next to you. I'll hold you, too, if you'd like, when we get home," he murmured as he kissed my cheeks and my forehead.

"Please," I murmured back, letting him put me in the passenger's seat and put the seat belt on me. In a flash, he was next to me and starting the car, slipping his hand into mine, as I gripped his hand tightly.

He smiled at me as we drove home. Our drive was silent, but I was happy it was. It let me watch him freely, him probably watching me, too.

His cropped black hair was nice on him; it wasn't too short or too long. He had side bangs like me, but they were long enough to push out of his face. He had more of a childish face, but the hints of it were fading from a few weeks before. Today was my real first look at him, the new him after he'd gone away from me. I was scared when he'd left, afraid a wall was about to be put between us. Yesterday, even though I didn't show it, I knew he was staring. I could feel it. I wanted to run and jump into his arms and stay forever in them, to be safe and protected.

His body was very muscular, and he shirt he'd wore today was tight on his body, revealing his abs. His arms were strong, which I knew, but they seemed so much bigger than when he'd left. Was he on steroids or something? How'd he gain this much muscle so quickly? Or was I just too caught up in that asshole-who I somehow didn't feel a single thing at all for anymore-to notice that he was working out? Was he so much different? Was my Seth I'd known still in his heart?

I saw him look at me, and I knew worry was on my face. "Is my Seth…still in there?" I whispered to him.

"Of course he is. He's never leaving. I know I look much different, but I swear…" he looked at me with gentle eyes, the eyes Seth usually had when he'd stutter or something while talking to me before he went absent from school. Those pure, dark brown eyes that just made me melt. "..I'm still me. I'm still here."

I smiled at him, knowing it was the truth, and part of me wanted to cry out of joy that he was still here. That he was my Seth. As we turned into my driveway, I knew I loved him. I loved him forever, and I always had, I just never realized it.

Seth was what I wanted, always and forever.

AN: Still so much more to come!(: Thank you for reading my story! Love anyone who reads it!

~xwinterstormx