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.

AN: A new character came into the story! I met him about a couple of months ago and know how he's going to come into play in the story...maybe not this one but he's very important. I introduce you to Julian 'Lian' Young, Emily's younger brother who's the same age as Seth. They grew up together, shared their toys and when puberty hit, competed against each other for girls' attention...both were heart-breakers. Soon after high school, he got discovered and signed...he plays in a band and music is his life...that should be a clue, don't you think?

Another new man entering the story is Lance Holmes, Susie's younger brother. He's an absolute Adonis, so damn hot even I am fanning myself. He's gonna be important as well, mostly for Mattie...I shouldn't spoil it for you but most of you like her and have asked for her to have a happily ever after and I believe this boy, well, man being that he's twenty six, is the one to make it happen...we'll have to see if my hopes are fulfilled.

Gaby, Ses, Hilja and Lynn -thank you for reviewing, it makes it possible for me to continue on to the next chapter...which is going to be freaking amazing if I do say so myself!

DripDrop and Thanni -keep reviewing!

All other reviewers and readers, continue! I love to hear from you and enjoy unfolding this story chapter to chapter...I am having so much fun writing it and want you to have just as much fun reading it!

Oh, yes, I apologize ahead of time for the sexy part...I can't help it when I put Leah and Rick together...especially in the mornings after the full moon...or half moon...or quarter moon...or no moon...basically every morning!

Chapter Twenty

"'Lian Young."

"Hey Lian, its Seth."

"Who?"

Seth chuckled as he set the picture frame he had received in the mail from Susie on the ledge of his drafting table, "Oh, come on, you ass. Don't tell me the fame's already gone to your head and made you forget your favorite cousin."

"Of course not. That's why I call Leah once a month."

They both laughed at that as Seth pulled out the high stool from under his drafting table, keeping a foot on the floor as he sat down, "Sure, sure. We both know Leah scared the shit out of you growing up."

"That's because she went all sister-witch on me the day I beat you up. Remember that?"

They shared another laugh at the memory as Seth pulled out clean sketch paper from the compartment under the drafting table lid, placing a sheet under the sliding bar on the surface to hold in place, "Yeah, I remember. We were what? Eight? You got mad 'cause Mary Lou picked me to push her swing for her."

Taking a pencil from the airplane pencil holder, which was really just a cup painted blue with airplane stickers all over it courtesy of his favorite nephew, he stared down at the blank page, knowing what was going to happen as soon as he placed pencil to paper.

"I was in love with that girl," Lian's deep chuckle came through the line, "And you knew it."

"We were eight. Get over it."

Another laugh came through the line, "That girl could have been the love of my life."

"Oh sure, that's why I see pictures of you on the tabloids with a new girl every other month," Seth leaned his elbows against the drafting table, staring at the picture, "Who's the last girl you were with? Aubrey something or other?"

"Aubrey the super model. Jealous?"

"I'm never jealous of the girls you date," he quipped as he kept studying the picture in its dark wooden frame.

They looked happy –he and Julie –with her standing in front of him, her hands holding on to his arms which he had wrapped around her shoulders, their smiles big and bright, the joy of being together mirrored in their eyes.

"That's not what I remember. You practically threw a hissy fit when I took Barbra Jayson to the junior high prom."

"That's because I was planning on asking her and you knew that," Seth kept his eyes on the picture, wondering how he could have gone from a guy who was obviously proud of the girl in his arms to the one he was now, trying to figure out how to end things without breaking her heart in the span of a few weeks.

It wasn't going to be easy, this whole turning their relationship into a friendship thing…

"Yeah, I knew, but we had a bet going and you know I hate losing."

They both laughed at the reminder of that silly bet…neither one of them willing to admit that the bet had been lost…by both of them, "You know, someday you're going to have to admit that you never did get into BJ's pants."

"I will if you will."

Seth laughed, "How's everything going with you, anyway?"

"Oh, you know. Tour schedule is ridiculous, barely gives me time to call my family much less stop by for a visit every once in a while."

"So does that mean you don't know that your sister's pregnant?"

"Again? The twins are what? One?"

"Four, you jackass."

Lian laughed at that, "Thanks for reminding me. I suppose I can return the one year and younger toys I bought them for their birthday."

Seth chuckled, picking up his pencil again as he looked down at the blank paper, "You're full of shit and you know it. Those kids have so many damn toys Sam's contemplating opening a toy store with the ones they don't use anymore."

Another deep laugh came through the phone line, "Like you don't spoil your own nephew. I'm gonna have to try to squeeze a break between concerts so I can meet my new niece or nephew…hear you're gonna be getting another one too."

"Yup," Seth chuckled as he recalled Embry mowing Leah's yard, not paying attention to what he was drawing, "I believe it's going to be a girl. That should be interesting."

"Oh, you'll spoil the crap out of her. With you, Gabriel and Rick, she probably won't be able to date until she's thirty."

Seth laughed, thinking about the fact that there was a high possibility of that becoming true, "Anyway, I was calling you to ask for a favor."

"I knew you wanted something. Alright, ask away."

"I have a friend…who's really into music…really good voice with amazing song writing skills…I was wondering if you would be able to kind of pull some strings, hook her up with your producer or something."

"Her? Your friend's a girl? Is she any good in the sack?"

"None of your business."

"He-he. That says it all. Send me a demo CD…make sure the songs are hers…I'll listen to it and if I think Jerry would be interested in her, I'll give him the CD. More than likely, he'll send a talent scout down there to hear her in person…does she perform anywhere?"

"At this little club in Port Angeles called Posh."

"I remember that place…I played there a couple of times before I got signed."

"Yeah, it's still standing. Most of those that perform are crap but she is definitely a star waiting to be discovered."

"Why hasn't she sent out her own demo instead of having you pull strings for her?"

"Hey," Seth placed the pencil in the holder; lifting the slider, he picked up the sheet…it was her again.

He hadn't seen or felt her in several days and he was starting to miss her…he needed to know if she was okay but the only way for him to do that involved using Julie in a way she didn't deserve so he was going to have to figure something else out, "She's got connections herself, doesn't need me to pull any strings for her. Problem is, she's a bit insecure so I think she's just spinning her wheels…thought I'd give her a push in the right direction…kind of as a thank you…for being a good friend."

"She must be a really good lay," Lian chuckled at the low growl he heard over the phone, "Anyway, I gotta go before you find a way to climb through the phone and strangle me. Send me her demo, and I'll take it from there, deal?"

"Deal. Hey Lian?"

"What?"

"Hope you break a leg at your next concert."

"You're an ass. Talk to you later dude…and stop sending pornographic jokes to my e-mail…Aubrey figured out my password and she doesn't think they're funny."

Seth laughed as he hung up, shaking his head in amusement at his cousin's words…after all, Lian was the one that was in the habit of e-mailing him dirty Playboy style jokes.

He simply replied to them, adding a different spin that he knew probably made Lian laugh in the middle of sex with his girl…which was probably the reason she didn't find humor in them.

Moving across his room, he pulled his bedside table drawer out, taking out the growing stack of sketches of his little girl, slowly flipping through them, wondering what she was doing…what she looked like now.

He knew from the drawings he held that she had to be beautiful…her face was shaped in a perfect oval, her nose slightly tipped at the end, her eyes big and round…so full of fear and sadness…

Oh, God, he thought to himself as he fell back on his bed, keeping the sketches in his hand, he just knew that sooner or later, this damn situation was going to end up pushing him over the edge.

If only he could figure out another way to see her…

Leah let out a soft moan at the feel of her husband's warm hands moving up her legs, his fingers stroking her hot skin as he tugged the sheet off of her.

Turning onto her back, she smiled as his hands moved under the baby-doll nightie that had been included in the surprise he had left for her…he had labeled it Spa in a Box.

The note attached to the nightie had said: This surprise is for me.

Keeping her eyes closed, she reached out for him, her hands unerringly finding his arms as he moved over her, his mouth sliding down her neck, "Good morning."

Rick hummed against the skin of her shoulder, his hands moving over her hips towards her breasts, "Good morning baby. You smell really good."

Leah chuckled, sliding her hands down his warm back as she breathed in his clean scent…he had just gotten out of the shower, "Thank you for the surprise…I definitely had a very relaxing evening."

"Mmm," Rick slid his tongue across her collarbone before gently biting her throat, "I saw you left the candles in the bathroom."

Leah smiled as she finally opened her eyes, looking into his blue ones as she reached to stroke his face, "I'm hoping we get to use them in a couple of days…pretty soon, I won't be able to fit in the tub much less share it with you."

Rick chuckled as he kissed her nose, "It would probably be advisable for you not to use the tub at that point."

Leah giggled, running her fingers through his damp hair, "Where's Gabriel?"

"I left him at your mother's," Rick playfully tugged at the matching panties she was wearing, "I have plans for you this morning and I definitely do not want to be interrupted…your mom was more than happy to keep him for the day. She said she's going to take him to the zoo at Port Angeles."

"Oh, the zoo," Leah grinned at him as she stroked his face, her slim fingers moving over his cheekbone, the bridge of his nose, his eyebrow, "I always loved going with mom and dad to the zoo…daddy would make us laugh by making up conversations between the animals."

Rick took one of Leah's hands, lacing their fingers together as he looked down at her, "You're missing your father, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Leah took a deep breath as she turned her head, kissing his wrist, "I wish he had gotten the chance to see how happy you make me."

"I promise you," Rick kissed her jaw, burying his nose in her hair for a few seconds to breath in her intoxicating smell, "I'll be the best father to our children…just like he was to you and Seth."

Leah smiled up at him, sliding her free hand into his hair to tug his head down, whispering against his mouth, "Your father would be so proud of you, my love. You're a wonderful man, an amazing father, a devoted husband…and an incredible Alpha to our family."

Rick growled, her words causing something inside him to shift as he captured her mouth with his, sliding his tongue deep into her mouth, the kiss slowly building as their bodies ignited with passion and desire for each other.

Taking both of her hands in one of his, he held them over her head as he used his free hand to touch her in the little secret places he knew so well, slowly pushing her into the fire of desire, watching her face as she tried to catch her breath, her beautiful brown-green eyes glazed over in passion.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear, tugging at the ribbon that held the pale pink baby-doll nightie together, moving his mouth down her throat towards her breasts, "I need you. I want you."

Leah couldn't think, couldn't talk…she could just feel as her entire body grew hotter and tighter as she slowly rose up into the universe that was her husband's soul…he was her entire world.

Rick groaned at the feel of her hot skin against his, her long legs moving over his as he captured a nipple in his mouth, sliding his hand down her waist to her hip, tugging the lace panties down her legs.

"You're mine, Leah mou."

She moaned as he whispered against her skin, arching her body in an attempt to get closer to him.

"Nothing and no one will ever take you away from me."

Letting out another moan, she felt him as he slowly, so slowly it was driving her out of her mind, moved into her, stretching her and filling her, making them into one.

"You're a part of me and always will be."

Leah couldn't keep herself from splintering apart, her soul reaching out to his as her entire body tightened under him, around him.

Rick sucked in a big breath, resting his forehead against hers as he stayed still, feeling her tighten around him as she climaxed, a groan escaping him at how good it felt.

But he wasn't ready to finish…he still had a whole lot more to give.

She was the center of his world and he planned on taking his time in proving it to her.

Even if it took all day…Zeus, he hoped it took all day.

Sue laughed as they stood in front of the lion exhibit, watching her grandson point at the lion lazily sunning himself on a rock.

"Really, Grama," Gabriel looked up at his grandmother, his little face serious as he kept his blue eyes on her, "Lions are lazy cats…they make the girls do all the hunting."

"Who taught you that," Sue asked as she took his offered hand, moving towards the next animal exhibit.

"Daddy," Gabriel jumped from one orange painted cat paw print to the next as they moved towards the arctic exhibit, "He said that with the big cats, it was the girl cats that had to do all the hunting…the boy cats are too lazy. Can we go see the polar bears?"

"Sure, sweetie," Sue looked at the zoo map she held in her other hand, leading him towards the right path, watching him with amusement as he skipped down the path until the blue bear prints leading them towards the polar bears appeared on the path, which meant Gabriel was back to jumping from one print to the next, "Your daddy sure knows a lot of stuff, doesn't he?"

"Daddy knows everything," Gabriel gave her a toothy grin before returning his concentration to landing right in the middle of each large print, "That's why he's a teacher."

"I'm glad he's willing to teach others then," Sue shivered as they entered the underground arctic exhibit, a thick glass dome overhead separating the people from the pair of swimming bears, "What about polar bears? Are they lazy?"

Gabriel let go of his grandmother's hand, running up to the glass and placing his little hands against it as he stared into the blue water, watching one of the bears as it lazily swam in circles, "I don't know. I haven't asked Daddy yet…did you know that bears sleep all winter? I don't know about polar bears though 'cause it's winter all the time where they live so that would mean they sleep all the time…but then when do they eat?"

Sue let out another laugh, enjoying herself as she watched the reflection of her grandson against the blue glass. Pulling out her camera -a little digital thing Seth had given her last Christmas and spent about a week teaching her how to use- she turned it on.

Focusing on her grandson, she took a picture just as the polar bear came up to the glass, pressing its paws against the glass opposite of Gabriel's little hands.

"Grama," Gabriel whispered excitedly as he stared into the bear's black eyes, "He came to say hi!"

"Yes, he did sweetie," Sue watched as the bear pushed itself away from the glass, flipping backwards before swimming away, "That was cool."

"Yeah," Gabriel stared after the bear before turning to look at his grandmother, "Did you know they run really fast?"

"No, I didn't," Sue watched him take her hand and pull her down the tunnel towards the other end, "Where are we going?"

"To see the penguins," Gabriel hopped from one foot to the other as they climbed up the steps at the end of the tunnel, "They're birds but they can't fly."

"I'm glad your daddy's teaching you all these things."

"Daddy's always teaching me something," Gabriel stopped between the two splitting paths, staring at the markers, "Which way are the penguins?"

Sue pointed to the left, walking beside him as he skipped, occasionally tugging on her hand.

Reaching the penguin exhibit she let go of his hand as he got closer to the railing, keeping an eye on him.

"I like penguins," Gabriel watched the flightless birds as they jumped in and out of the water, flapping their wings as they waddled around, "They look real fancy."

Sue couldn't help laughing again, "That's because they look like they're always wearing tuxedos."

"Do you think if I ask Daddy for one, he'll get it for me," Gabriel tipped his head back to look at his grandmother, grinning at her.

"I don't think he will," Sue shook her head, knowing that out of the two parents, Rick was the one that had no problem saying no to the charming little boy when he had to.

Gabriel turned his attention back to the penguins, watching as a couple of them played together by the water, pushing each other in, "I'll ask mama then."

Sue laughed in amazement that the soon to be three year old already knew which of his parental figures was the push-over, "I think if your Daddy says no, then your mama's going to agree with him even if it hurts her."

"It hurts mama to say no," Gabriel turned to look at his grandmother, realizing for the first time that her eyes were the same color as his mama's…not as pretty but the same color.

"Yes, it does," Sue crouched down to be able to look right into his blue eyes, "That's why if you ask Daddy and he says no, then you shouldn't ask your mama –"

"What if I ask mama first and she says yes but then Daddy says no," Gabriel stared at her with an intensity that really surprised Sue.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to think how to explain, "Then what Daddy says goes…but sometimes Daddy will agree with mama…or your mama will explain to your Daddy why it's so important to you and it might help him change his mind."

"On camping nights, Daddy's the boss," Gabriel stated bluntly as he reached out to touch his grandmother's cheek, "Is he the boss all the time?"

Sue smiled as she leaned in to kiss the little boy's cheek, "Mostly, yes, but because he loves you and your mama so much, he'll sometimes give in."

Gabriel pursed his lips as he thought that over before nodding his head and returning his attention to the penguins, "Grama?"

"Yes Gabriel."

"Do you have a brother?"

"I do, yes. He's Bailey and Bradley's grandfather."

Gabriel nodded as he took Sue's hand, tugging her towards the next exhibit, "Did he like having a sister?"

"Being that I was his sister, I would like to think so," Sue followed him as he passed by the elephant exhibit and the giraffe exhibit without even glancing at the animals in them, "Why do you ask?"

"'Cause I want to know if it's fun to have a sister," Gabriel stopped to watch the monkeys as they jumped from tree to tree, "Brad always says Bailey bugs him and he doesn't like having a sister but I like Bailey…she's fun and real smart. If Daddy won't get me a penguin, will he let me have a monkey?"

Sue laughed, wondering if she'd ever laughed this much before…oh yes, when her own children were small and her husband would bring them all to the zoo…those ridiculous conversations he would make the animals have to entertain the kids, "I don't think Daddy will let you have a monkey or a penguin but you can always ask."

"I will," Gabriel nodded, tugging her towards the birds, "Maybe if he says no to the penguin and the monkey, he'll say yes when I ask if I can keep Lancelot in my room."

"You don't like keeping him at my house," Sue asked as she watched him observe the colorful Macaws, amazed at how astute her grandson was…it was a frightening thought to think what his bargaining skills would be like once he reached the teenage years…good luck to Leah and Rick!

"I do," Gabriel looked up at his grandmother to smile at her, "You take real good care of him. But sometimes I want to play with him but I can't 'cause he's with you and I'm in my house…maybe he'll let me get one of those birds. They're cool…Daddy says they can talk if you teach them."

"Yes they can," Sue chuckled to herself as she recalled the brief time they had owned a parrot…it had actually been Seth's until the day the little boy had opened the window and the damn three hundred dollar bird escaped, never to be seen again.

Seth had never wanted a pet after that.

"Did you like having a brother," Gabriel was dancing in place which let her know he was in need of using the bathroom.

"Yes, I did," Sue picked him up, moving towards the nearest restroom by the butterfly exhibit, "He was my big brother and he was always taking care of me and looking after me."

"Did he play dolls with you," Gabriel asked with a frown as Sue took him into the women's bathroom, quickly moving towards the last stall which was thankfully empty.

"No," Sue placed him on his feet, helping him with the snap and zipper of his jean shorts, knowing that he still had a hard time with them, "But he let me play cars and trucks with him. He taught me how to play soccer, baseball, how to climb a tree and how to whistle through my teeth."

"That's cool. Can you teach me to whistle like that?"

Sue tried not to grimace as she recalled that her daughter hated it when she whistled through her teeth…said the high pitch noise hurt her ears, "Well, I can't quite remember how to do it anymore…but maybe next time you see my brother, probably for Christmas, you can ask him to teach you."

"Okay," Gabriel wiggled down from the toilet, done with his business, pulling up his Spiderman underwear then his pants, "Did you teach him anything?"

"Of course," Sue snapped and zipped him up before pushing the stall door open, moving towards the sink to lift him up and help him wash his hands, "I taught him how to be nice and open doors for girls and what kind of things to say to them…if it weren't for me teaching him all that, Mae would never have married him."

Gabriel giggled, rubbing his hands to make the soap foam, "That's funny. Bailey says sisters are better than brothers…but I don't want a sister that thinks like that."

"What kind of sister do you want," Sue took several paper towels from the dispenser and handed them to him, watching him dry his hands.

"I want one that thinks I'm cool, like mama does with Uncle Seth."

"You know, you should ask Uncle Seth what it's like to have a sister," Sue moved towards the bathroom door, taking his little hand after he tossed the wet towels into the open trashcan, "He'll tell you the truth."

"But mama is his sister," Gabriel looked up at his grandmother, his eyebrows lowering over his blue eyes, "We can't all have mama as a sister."

Sue laughed, leaning down to hug the little boy tight before pulling back, "Then I guess you're stuck asking me. Want to go take a picture with the butterflies?"

"That's a girl thing," Gabriel scrunched up his nose, looking into the cage to watch as little girls chased the butterflies through paved paths lined by flowers and green plants, "But I guess if I'm gonna have a sister, I gotta get used to it…did you make your brother do girlie things?"

"If I cried long enough, he would play tea party with me," Sue led him towards the gate door, ushering him in and following behind as the door closed with a slight bang, "Then when I was older, he would go shopping with me…but that was to keep all the other boys away from me."

"I'll keep the boys away from my sister," Gabriel moved down one of the open paths, staring at the different butterflies as they landed on big and small flowers alike, "No boy is going to play with her 'cause she's my sister."

"So does this mean you want a sister," Sue took her camera out again, spotting a patch of tiger lilies, "Go stand by those flowers Gabriel. They're your mama's favorites."

Gabriel scrunched up his nose as he moved towards the flowers, frowning as a little girl ran by him, "I don't know if I want a sister…I'm still trying to make up my mind…Grama, do I have to do this?"

"I want to put together a surprise for your mama for Christmas," Sue lowered her camera to watch her sullen little grandson standing stiffly in front of the tiger lily patch, "If you don't want to do it, you don't have too."

Gabriel sighed as he dropped down to the ground to sit cross legged, "If it's for mama, then I'll do it. Daddy and I are working on a surprise for her for Christmas too."

"Really," Sue zoomed in closer, the tiger lilies still visible behind him as she focused on his face, "What are you working on?"

"It's a surprise," Gabriel grinned at his grandmother as she took the picture, blinking in surprise as a large Monarch butterfly landed right on his nose, "Grama?"

"It's okay Gabriel, it won't hurt you," Sue swallowed back laughter as she took a picture of him, his blue eyes crossed as he stared at the fluttering butterfly on his nose, "Your mama is going to love that picture."

Gabriel stared at the butterfly, wondering why it didn't fly away.

Reaching up to take it in his hand, he watched with disappointment as it flew away before he even touched it.

Blinking, he pushed himself to his feet, walking to his grandmother to take her hand, "I want to see the snakes next."

Sue let out a deep breath as they walked out of the butterfly cage, wondering if all little boys were the same.

"Brandon, are you even paying any attention to the streets," Seth asked the boy next to him, watching the signs as they drove through Vancouver, trying to find the Figure Four store where they would be meeting the rest of their group, "These people are crazy drivers; I'm trying not to get us killed."

"Turn right on the next street. That's North Thirteenth…the store's on the left," Brandon kept his eyes on the written instructions on a sheet of paper, "Your handwriting seriously sucks so don't blame me for having a hard time navigating."

"My handwriting's fine, you're just distracted thinking about meeting Daisy. Honestly, boy, don't you want to live a little before you meet the ball and chain?"

"Don't call her that," Brandon folded the paper as he looked out the window, pointing at the store where a small group of people stood, "There's the store…I take it that's your group of friends."

"Yep," Seth pulled into a side parking lot, quickly finding a parking spot, "Brandon, do yourself a favor and don't trip all over her. Keep your cool, dude."

"Right," Brandon bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything else as they climbed out of the car, Seth pushing the button to automatically lock the doors.

Julie ran over to him as they walked around the corner onto the sidewalk, throwing her arms around his neck as she planted a kiss on his mouth, "I'm glad you made it! Lance is getting a bit impatient and was trying to talk us into leaving you behind."

Seth laughed as he hugged her, pulling back to look over at the crowd, "What's Embry doing here?"

"You told me you'd ask him to come," Julie stepped back, the thick braid swinging over her shoulder as she tilted her head to the side.

"No," Seth watched out of the corner of his eye as Brandon moved towards the group, bumping fists with Embry before introducing himself to the group, "I asked why you wanted him to come but I didn't say I was going to ask him."

"I called and asked him to come," Mattie joined them, her hair in a similar thick braid as Julie's, "I don't know what kind of pissing party you two are involved in, but he's my friend and I wanted him here…so just take a deep breath and move on, yeah?"

Seth stared into Mattie's brown eyes, giving her a smile before he reached out to pull her into a tight hug, "Fine. If you want him here then there's nothing I can say."

"Good, 'cause there's nothing I'm willing to listen to," Mattie smiled up at her before linking her arm through Julie's, both girls turning towards the group, "Now let's go 'cause that yummy rock climbing guy is chomping at the bit."

Seth laughed as they joined the rest of the group, smiling at Susie and Daisy as he shook hands with Derek, "What yummy rock climbing guy?"

"That one," Julie and Mattie pointed towards the store's front door as it opened, a tall and lean guy with dark brown hair and green eyes, walking out.

"Alright," he pointed his thumbs over his shoulders, "Everybody inside. They're ready to get all of you fitted for your rock climbing shoes, I have all needed equipment in the van…who are you?"

He was staring at Brandon, quirking a dark eyebrow as the boy looked up at him…the guy was, at the least, six feet seven inches.

"Brandon…I'm with Seth."

He nodded slowly before turning to the other guy he hadn't met earlier, "That your boyfriend, Jules?"

"Yes," Julie took Seth's hand in hers, "This is Seth. Seth, that's Lance Holmes, Susie's younger brother."

Seth swallowed back a scoff as he turned to look at Derek, "And you were wondering about the guys at the rez being on steroids? This guy's gonna be your brother in law."

"Lance is a freak of nature," Derek quipped, his arms around Susie, who was leaning back against his chest.

"Watch it," Lance narrowed his eyes at Derek, "I can still talk my sister into leaving you."

"You've being trying since the first date," Derek grinned at the guy, the camaraderie between them obvious to the rest of the group, "Give it up man."

"Someday I'll succeed," Lance turned back to Brandon, "I'm gonna go get an extra set of equipment for this guy…meanwhile, everybody in. Daylight's burning."

"That guy's intense," Brandon whispered to Daisy, who was standing on his right side, Embry on his left.

"Yeah," Daisy smiled as Brandon held the door open for her, letting her go into the store first, "He's a pain in the butt too."

"I thought we were gonna do indoor rock climbing," Seth watched as Daisy moved towards one of the sales reps, Brandon following behind her like a puppy…the boy was screwed.

Derek looked over at Seth with an incredulous look, "You don't look like an indoor anything type of guy."

"Nah, we're actually going up to Beacon Rock up in the Columbia River Gorge…" Julie sat down, smiling at the sales rep that asked her for her shoe size, "Eight and a half. Anyway, we're hiking up to the camping area and setting up the tents…we won't be doing any climbing until tomorrow morning at dawn. Lance is going to be educating you newbies tonight…he and Daisy are the rope and climbing instructors at Camp Away."

"Daisy teaches rope and climbing," Seth told another sales rep his shoe size before returning his attention back to Julie, a look of surprise on his face, "How does she do that with those nails?"

"I cut them," Daisy answered from across the small store, helping Brandon and Embry with finding the right size fit, already having her own broken in rock climbing shoes, "Don't go judging a girl by her nails, Seth Clearwater."

"Sorry," Seth grinned at her as he sat in a chair, tugging his sneakers off, "Mattie, what are you staring at?"

"Yummy rock climbing guy," Mattie turned to smile at Seth before turning to Julie, "He's single right?"

"Oh yes," Julie nodded her head, finding it entertaining to see this side of Mattie…she was usually reserved around guys, "He hasn't dated any girl since Daisy and he broke up back in high school."

"Are you telling my secrets?"

Julie tilted her head back to grin up at Lance, "Of course. You know you're always the center of conversation."

Lance tugged at her braid before turning his attention to Mattie, "Don't think I'm still hung up on her…quite frankly, I'm sick of her. She's a pain in my ass."

"You're just saying that 'cause I beat your climbing record by five minutes," Daisy responded as she made sure the shoes were right for the guys before turning her attention towards Lance across the store, "We both know you hate losing to a girl."

"That was a fluke," Lance frowned at her, resting his hands on his hips, the t-shirt he was wearing pulling across his wide chest, unknowingly making Mattie's heart speed up, "You can't do it again and you know it."

"Oh yeah," Daisy crossed her arms across her chest, a glint of challenge in her blue-green eyes, "Tomorrow morning, you better bring it."

"Well, I've got news for you princess. I'm in charge of this expedition and I'm pairing you up with Susie…you won't be able to bring anything."

"What," Daisy's eyes widen in dismay, "You bastard."

"Hey!" Susie was standing next to Derek by the register where they waited, both having already gotten their shoes.

Daisy turned to her with an apologetic look, "Sorry Susie. I love you, you know I do, but you're so damn slow, girl!"

"It's not a freaking marathon," Susie turned to look at Derek with a slight pout, "I don't want to die."

"I don't want you to die either so you take as much time as you need," Derek kissed her nose before turning to look at Lance, "Who's going to be leading?"

"Susie," Lance answered before turning to give Daisy a smug smile, "That should teach you."

"Pain in the ass," Daisy muttered before turning her back on him, her blond braid swishing against her straight back.

Seth couldn't help chuckling as he turned to look at Mattie, "Yeah, I don't think he's hung up on her…they're practically siblings."

"Everybody got their shoes," Lance asked, watching as they all agreed, "Alright, let's go then. We've got a bit of hiking to do before we settle in for the night."

He walked out of the store; Derek and Susie close behind him followed by Embry, Brandon and Daisy.

Seth took Julie and Mattie's shoes along with his, following behind Daisy as Julie and Mattie followed behind him.

"You should go for it," Julie whispered at Mattie, smiling as the girl blushed, "He's a great guy, really sweet…and he definitely likes you."

Mattie bit her bottom lip as she turned to look at Julie, "How do you know that?"

"He stares at you when you're not looking."

Seth groaned as he lay back onto the sleeping bag, staring up at the dark blue tent wall, "My head is literally spinning."

Julie giggled as she brushed her hair, sitting cross legged on her own sleeping bag, "Lance is a real fanatic about climbing…he's actually competed in a few events, won a couple of them. Last year, he set the record for climbing one of Mt. Rainer's routes in twenty-nine minutes."

Seth let out a deep breath as he turned to look at her, the soft light from the battery operated lantern giving enough illumination to see her face, clean of all make-up, "Until Daisy set a new one…twenty-four minutes. How'd she do that?"

"She's lighter," tucking her hairbrush into the side pocket of her bag, she crawled across the sleeping bag, cuddling into Seth's side, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "It helps to move faster when doing solo climbing."

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the tent wall, trying to control his body's reaction to Julie's hand resting across his stomach, "I can see that."

"Seth…"

He swallowed as he kept staring at the canvas, realizing that sharing Julie's tent hadn't been such a good idea…it would have been crowded sharing the other tent with Brandon and Embry but at the least, he wouldn't be going through hell right now, "Yeah?"

"I've been thinking," Julie took a deep breath, wishing she knew why everything between them was going downhill so fast, "That maybe…you and I…maybe we should slow down a bit."

Seth held his breath for a few seconds before letting it go as he looked down at Julie, her head resting on his shoulder, "By that do you mean…"

"I mean no sex," Julie tilted her head up in time to see a flash of relief in his eyes, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying anything she might regret later, "It'll be kind of like…having a friendship clause in our relationship."

Seth nodded, not understanding what she meant by that as he stared into her purple eyes, his relief slowly turning to disappointment as he realized what he was giving up, "Jules…"

"Mmm," Julie tucked her head under his chin, not willing to let him see her struggle with the need to cry.

"Why not break up?"

She took a deep breath before pushing against his chest to sit up, her long hair swinging over her shoulder as she stared down at him, "Because I'm not ready…and if we break up and say let's be friends…we won't. We'll purposely get too busy to see each other…and before I know it, you won't be a part of my life anymore."

Seth nodded in agreement. After all, that was the same reason why he'd been unable to actually say the words out loud…he was grateful she had more strength of will than he did, "Alright…we'll slow down."

Julie gave him a smile that was slightly sad as he pushed her hair over her shoulder. Leaning down, she kissed his mouth before tucking her head against his shoulder again, "It's too late anyway."

"What's too late?"

"You wanting to end it before I fell in love with you…it's already too late."

Seth closed his eyes, able to hear the pain under the words, wanting to find a way to hurt himself for hurting Julie, "Julie…"

"It's okay," Julie kissed his chest, pressing her ear against his chest to hear the steady beat of his heart, "You won't break my heart…because it's not holding on to you. I'll be able to let you go when the time comes."

"I wish things were different," Seth kissed her forehead, wanting with everything in him to show her how much he wished things were different, "I really do…because I know that I love you…as much as I can."

Julie smiled against his shoulder, reaching up to brush a tear away before it landed on his skin, "And I'll love you as long as I can."

Seth sighed as he wrapped both arms around her, holding her tight against him.

It literally tore him apart, knowing how much he was hurting her.

He swore to himself as he slowly drifted to sleep that while he still had her in his life, he would do everything to make her dreams come true…as many as possible before he had to let her go…

"Julie," he whispered, not wanting to wake her up in case she had fallen asleep.

"Mmm?"

"Are you a mermaid?'

Julie laughed as she looked up into Seth's face, "You silly boy. Of course I'm not. Mermaids aren't real."

Seth smiled as he kissed her nose, "I don't agree with you."

Julie kissed his chin before tucking her head under it, "Go to sleep, Seth. Dream good dreams. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day."