Sorry for the wait. Really, I am! And sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes - it's after midnight.

"Seth!" I shouted gleefully, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around me too and ducked down before pecking my lips.

"Gross, haven't you been dating for, like, a day?" Ava asked from the doorway, scrunching up her nose. I blushed and ducked my head. Seth kissed my forehead and pulled me closer to him.

"Actually, we've been dating for five days." Seth corrected. "Need a ride to school, Ava?" Natalie's little sister blushed before glancing over at me.

"Um...that's okay. Natalie doesn't let me ride with her to school." She explained. My face fell. Oh. I always drove alone to school because that was what Natalie told me to do, but Ava and I went to the same school. She must take the bus…

"No, that's fine, you can come with us." I assured her quickly. I hadn't even thought of her. Seth glanced down at me warily, with a frown on his face.

"Really?" Ava asked. Her whole face lit up and it made my heart clench.

"Of course." I responded. "I...I didn't know you would want to ride with me." I hoped my excuse sounded alright but she just shrugged and sent us both a grin.

"Let me just grab my backpack! I'll be right back!" She trilled before sprinting into the house. Seth and I stood in silence. Maybe he was realizing just how much of a jerk I was...well Natalie was.

"Er, sorry for asking her to come with us if you didn't want her to." He finally mumbled.

"No!" I quickly gasped. "I mean, it's fine. I didn't know she would want me to take her to school...oh god, I am such a jerk, huh?" I still felt incredibly guilty even though it wasn't my doing.

"No, of course you're not." Seth quickly assured me but I knew he was just being nice. Ava bounced out of the house carrying her pink Vera Bradly backpack and a matching lunchbox.

"Ready to go!" She chirped following Seth and I over to the car.

"What?" I whisper-yelled into the phone.

"Well, good morning to you too." Natalie's voice drawled from the other side of the phone.

"Good morning." I sighed.

"Yes, I suppose it is, isn't it…" She mused.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay after our fight, I didn't talk to you again." She explained, suddenly becoming serious.

"Oh…" I trailed off having forgot about our argument the night before. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. Things have just been crazy and then everything with Seth and Lucas and-"

"What!" She shrieked. "Lucas is back?" I pulled the phone away from my ear momentarily and cringed from the loudness.

"Oops."

"What do you mean, oops?" She snapped.

"I guess I forgot to tell you...I was going to but then we got in a fight...it must have slipped my mind." I yanked on the ends of my long hair. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She let out a deep breath. "What happened? What did he say? What did he do? What did you do? Did he say he missed me?" She babbled for a few moments before pausing. "Well?"

"Uh...he said he was back on winter break and that he missed me...well, you. And he said he would call me...well, you…" I trailed off. "I had no idea who he was and I was with Seth, I was so confused that I don't think I even said a single word to him."

"Ni-ki-ta!" She whined. "Go find him and tell him you miss him and that you want to see him!" Her demanding voice made me want to do just that but unfortunately the warning bell rang and Seth started to walk away from his group of friends and towards me.

"I'm at school!" I reminded her.

"You have to break up with Seth." She insisted. Changing the subject. Her voice wasn't the usual demanding, she was actually pleading with me.

"What? No!"

"You have to! Lucas and I need to be together and we can't be if he thinks I'm dating Seth Clearwater!" She yelled, her voice no longer pleading.

"I have to go."

"Break. Up. With. Him. Now!" She ordered.

"Bye." I ended the call and clenched my teeth when all I really wanted to do was keep yelling at her...or start yelling at her. I sighed and tossed the iPhone into Natalie's oversized tote bag.

"Hey, you okay?" Seth asked, finally reaching me. "You kinda just bolted to take that phone call…" He slipped his hand into mine and started pulling me towards the school.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I promised. "It was just an annoying friend." Well, at least that wasn't a lie.

"I've got a few of those if you want to borrow one." He joked, sending me his signature grin and pointing to his group of friends that had just started making their way to the school.

"Ooh, tempting. I'll let you know." I teased, glad he hadn't asked who the annoying friend specifically was. I didn't think I would even be able to make up a lie for that one. Still, Natalie's desperate words echoed in my head.

You have to break up with Seth! You have to!

I couldn't break up with Seth, though. I just couldn't. Not after how nice he'd been to me. I honestly don't know what I would have done without him these past two weeks.

"I can't wait for the bonfire tomorrow, I'm so excited." I told him, changing the subject. His eyes lit up and I could tell this bonfire was important to him.

"It's awesome. You're gonna love it." He gushed as he led us through the doors to school.

A few people said hi to me or smiled as I walked down the hall but I only knew the names of half of them and recognized a little more than that.

I wish I knew who they were.

"Hey!" Dakota's voice trilled as she rushed up to my locker before my English class. "Guess what?" Before I could even think of guessing, she squealed and answered her own question. " Lucas! He's back from school for a month!" She grabbed my hands and jumped up and down. "He wants to take me, you, and Spence out to dinner tonight to celebrate...you're free, right?"

"Uh...yeah, sure." I agreed. "Should be fun."

Later that night, I rushed down the steps and towards the Honda Civic that was parked in front of my house. Dakota waved enthusiastically from the front, passenger seat and I quickly opened the back door and slid in.

"Woah, Natty's on time...that's a first." Lucas joked, winking at me in the rearview mirror. Dakota rolled her eyes before turning in her seat to look at me.

"Spence is gonna meet us there, she said she'll be a little late." She explained. I nodded my head.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we drove through the streets of La Push.

"The diner, obviously." Lucas piped up, rolling his eyes. I nodded absentmindedly. How was I supposed to know?

"Yeah, you can see your boy-toy." Dakota snickered. "He's working tonight, right?" Great. Things couldn't get better.

"Um...I'm pretty sure he is." I responded, fidgeting with the Nikita-bracelet that Natalie had given me. I didn't miss the way Lucas stiffened but Dakota did as she just laughed and sent me a wink. I offered a tight smile in return as Lucas took the turn into the diner a little too sharply. We all stumbled out of the car and through the parking lot, into the diner. Danielle was standing at the hostess table and I sent her a little wave as she greeted us. She ignored me completely.

"What a loser." Dakota mumbled as Danielle almost tripped while leading us to our table. I slid all the way into the booth and Lucas quickly took the seat next to me, leaving Dakota to sit on the other side.

"Can I get you guys some drinks?" Danielle asked, looking anywhere but at us directly.

"Diet Coke."

"Root beer."

"Sprite, please."

She walked away and Dakota sighed before leaning her elbows onto the table and crossing her legs.

"This is nice." She insisted. "I've missed you so much, Lucas."

"I've miss you too." He smiled. "I've missed both of you."

Danielle appeared again, balancing three drinks, before placing them in front of us and tossing three straws onto the table.

"Are you guys ready to order or-"

"We need more time." Dakota interrupted. Danielle just shrugged and walked away. "We should wait for Spence, she'll be here soon." We slipped into a comfortable silence as Dakota opened her straw and stuck it in her drink. "Ugh, this is not diet. I'll be right back." She slipped out of the booth and started towards the counter area where Danielle was currently taking the order of an elderly man.

"Did you get my text?" Lucas asked, cutting right to the chase. I nodded my head and glanced around the diner, making eye contact with Seth as he walked out of the kitchen area. He sent me a grin and I easily matched it. "The boyfriend." Lucas said boyfriend like it was a curse.

"I guess." I responded carefully, still thinking about Natalie and her desperate plea.

"He's just...entertainment, right? Just some fun?" He spoke carefully, sounding insecure for the first time since he had hugged me outside the little coffee shop. Sue called for Seth and he quickly shuffled away to see what she needed. I turned back towards Lucas who still looked a little wary.

"Of course." I answered, exactly like Natalie would want me to. His smile slowly returned and I could kinda see what she saw in him. He was cute and had a nice smile...

"Good, don't have fun for too long though. I'm only back for a month." He reminded me before throwing his arm casually behind my neck to rest on the top of the bench.

"Sorry I'm late!" Spencer gushed as she slid into the seat that Dakota had abandoned. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw us but her expression quickly smoothed out as Dakota walked back over with a new drink.

"She is such a freak." Dakota proclaimed, plopping back down in the booth.

"Danielle?" Spencer asked, peaking over at the counter where Danielle was trying to pick up a stack of napkins she had knocked over. I felt bad for her. She didn't deserve Kota and Spence being mean to her...she hadn't done anything wrong. But I didn't say anything because I was already borderline them thinking Natalie had been probed by aliens. I didn't need them thinking I wasn't acting the part well enough even more than they probably already did. "Omigod, yeah, she's such a klutz too."

"I'm ready to order." I interrupted their insult-session. I tilted my head and gave them my best I-am-Natalie-and-I-am-in-charge look. It must have worked because Spencer waved over Danielle and we ordered our dinners.

Chicken fingers for me. Of course.

My late-afternoon the next day, I really just wanted to see Seth. So texted him.

*What time tonight? Miss you.(: xx*

He, being the fabulous boyfriend he was, responded only a minute later.

*Miss you too. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes. xxxxxxxxx*

I grinned at the message and quickly ran upstairs to get changed. It was cold outside - freezing actually - and we were going to be sitting outside during the bonfire so I decided on a pair of jeans, a warm sweater, and uggs. I grabbed a soft jacket from Natalie's closet and headed down the stairs just as the door bell rang.

"Mom! I'm leaving with Seth! I'll be back by curfew!" I called.

"Have fun and be careful!" She yelled back from the office area as I pulled opened the door and smiled up at Seth.

"Hey." I greeted, practically falling into his arms to hug him.

"Hey." He responded and I felt his lips brush the top of my head, near my hairline.

"So do these bonfires usually start early or did you just want to see me?" I asked, unwrapping my arms from around him but slipping my hand into his.

"See you, of course. But I thought we'd head over to the beach anyway." He suggested. "Almost everyone's already over there." I smiled and nodded my head before following him out of the house and towards his borrowed truck.

"It's a little cold for a bonfire, dontcha think?" I mused as he drove off towards the beach. I didn't exactly know who Sam and Emily were but I had heard them mentioned in passing through some of Seth's friends.

"Maybe." Seth shrugged. "We don't usually have them this late in the year but Ariana hasn't been to one and well…" He paused before cautiously continuing. "Neither have you...I wanted to invite you to one." I sent him a grin. Sometimes he was just so adorable. "Besides, I will totally keep you warm so no worries." I laughed as he pulled up to first beach and parked. Sure enough there were a few cars already parked and I could see a familiar group of people down near the beach. We shuffled down and, sure enough, Seth wrapped an arm around me to keep me warm.

Jared and his girlfriend Kim were sitting against one of the long pieces of driftwood. Kim was in his lap and he was telling her what appeared to be a story. Embry was attempting to catch a laughing Ariana as she jumped between the uneven rocks. Paul and Jacob were talking and laughing will trying to start a fire in the pit area. Quil was standing with a woman who had long black hair and scars down her face and helping her unwrap food. I glanced away quickly and told myself not to stare. Another man, almost as big as Jacob, was setting up a grill.

"We take our bonfires very seriously." Seth laughed, taking in my expression as I realized just how much work went into planning this. And I hadn't even offered to bring anything! I turned around in Seth's arms.

"I'm cold." I pouted playfully at him.

"You are such a liar." Seth teased, leaning close enough so he could rest his forehead on mine. "You just want me to hold you closer." I batted my eyelashes in a very non-Nikita move before shrugging.

"May-be." I agreed making Seth's chest that I was pressed against, vibrate slightly in laughter. He leaned down and surprised me with a kiss but I quickly reached up to wrap my arms around his shoulders.

The stories were amazing.

The food was great.

The people were nice.

Overall, it was a perfect evening.

But I was going to ruin that.

"I want to show you something." Seth spoke up. I nodded my head absentmindedly, trying to figure out how I was going to do this.

"Sure." I responded. I had excused myself at one point during the night when my phone wouldn't stop vibrating and saw all the missed calls from Natalie. I had quickly listened to the one voicemail she left. She was absolutely hysterical saying how she was sorry but that she loved Lucas and she had to be with him and to please call her because she wanted to work this out. I felt bad. Really bad. This was her life after all.

"Okay so you know the stories tonight?" Seth asked. I realized he had led us a little into the woods not too far from the beach.

"Seth." I interrupted. I let out a deep breath and ripped my hands out of his. Like a bandaid. "We are done. We're over. Permanently."

Okay, so the permanently was a bit much.

But I had to do what Natalie wanted.

She was my sister.

The shock on Seth's face was evident but then it crumpled into pain. He looked so sad and it made my chest hurt just looking at him.

"What?" He asked softly.

"Are you going to make me repeat it?" I choked out. "I just...this isn't working. I don't know you Seth-"

"Yes you do!"

"-I only just started talking to you last week and now we're suddenly dating. And, well…" I took a deep breath and said the worst thing possible. "I love Lucas." He sucked in a breath and I tried to make myself not cry. I hadn't expected pain from breaking up with Seth. "I'm sorry, Seth, I just-"

"No, it's fine...I want you happy." He murmured, looking absolutely miserable.

And that was how I made the worst decision of my life and ended up on the phone with my twin sister a half an hour later, crying my eyes out.

"I did it." I sobbed into the phone. "I hope you're happy."

"Oh, baby, I am happy, promise." Natalie cooed while I continued to cry. "But I'm coming home and everything will be fixed. I'll fix it." I nodded my head. She better. "It's going to be okay." Her voice was so reassuring that I almost believed her. Ava poked her head into my room and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Oh my god, Natalie, what's wrong? What happened?" She quickly asked, rushing into the room. This set me off all over again and I let out a long sob before throwing my arms around her.

Unlike Natalie, Ava actually cared I realized.

I really wanted to write more of the bonfire but I am leaving in approximately five hours to head to the airport and board a plane to Mexico. My sister is getting married down there and so I won't have my laptop with me. I really wanted this chapter out before I left and didn't want to make you guys wait even longer than you have for it.

Sorry about the wait as well. Life has been busy and I kinda was unsure about what to write...next chapter will have some Natalie POV in it...it should be good. Hopefully you all have stuck with this story even after a three month hiatus and will still read and review. XX.(: