All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: Chelsea and Gaby -I love you for being the first to review! Hope to hear from both of you in every chapter.
Kudos in this chapter to Gaby, my idea-Beta. Used one of your many ideas here!
Chapter One
New York City
April 12th
Julie Nelson had a dark secret she kept buried deep inside, heaping non-essential every day banality over it in hopes of making it go away.
Leaning against the window that took up three-quarters of her living room wall, she stared at the cream colored envelope on her desk, still unopened despite having taken it out of her mailbox two weeks ago.
She knew what it was, knew without having to read its contents that it would be the catalyst that would toss her crap up into the air and bring forth the gaping bloody mess that was her heart…her dark secret.
Keeping her arms tight across her chest, she looked over her shoulder, pressing her forehead against the cold glass as she stared at the turbulent waters of the Atlantic Ocean crash up against the docks, the overcast skies a mirror of what she held inside.
She had found this high-rise condo a year after being in New York City, smaller than her last one but more expensive do to its location near the ocean.
It had been this very view that had called to her; a luring whisper that came with every crashing wave, promising relief from her heart ripping pain.
She knew, every time she heard that soft, soft whisper that time was running out for her.
What was worst was not understanding what kept her from slipping into those waters and embracing the cold comfort they taunted her with.
Looking away from the hypnotic undulations of the oceanic waters, her eyes immediately landed on that seemingly innocuous envelope.
Soft words of a softer memory weaved itself through the dark thoughts she held in her head, bringing forth a light that had her shying away in pain.
Do you think…for however long it might last…we could have something special?
Yeah, I believe we can have something special…for however long it lasts.
Biting her lip, she closed her eyes, breathing in through her nose, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly.
He was getting married today.
He was marrying the one he was meant to be with, the one he loved so much he was willing –eager seemingly –to tear apart worlds and universes to be with her.
However long it lasts…
Staring at the envelope, she could practically see the delicate calligraphy –probably a pearl or silver ink…Seth Clearwater and Rose de Lune.
…we can have something special…
And that, therein, was where the problem laid.
What had been special to her, he had shred with a few razor sharp words…
Every time you and I had sex, I would dream of her…they only came to me after having sex with you…no other time…just you…
And after all this time, she was still grappling with the ragged edges of herself, trying to keep her head above water at the same time.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, the pain growing to the point she couldn't handle it anymore.
Pushing away from the window, she moved around the plush cream couch, her bare feet sinking into the plush navy blue carpet as she bend down to pick up one of several notebooks and pens from the glass top coffee table, pulling out the padded bench to sit in front of her grand piano.
She was happy for them yet so jealous it bordered on something dark and painful.
They had found something that seemed to keep eluding her.
Just when she thought it was within her grasp, it slipped away, her fingertips barely brushing the soft edges before she was left with nothing but cold hard reality.
Her fingers moved over the ivory keys without hesitation or difficulty, her ragged emotions spinning and writhing until they began to form words, her pain spilling out in a husky contralto, the melody and harmony constant despite the occasional stops and starts, the notes and words bleeding across paper in black ink.
The ringing phone broke through her concentration as she jotted the last words, quickly drawing in a quarter note, half note, then a rest note before placing the pen on top of her notebook.
Picking up the phone on the sixth ring, she wiped a hand over her wet cheeks as she pressed the TALK button, "Hello?"
"Julie, baby," her manager's cheery voice was like a drill digging into her pounding head, "You are going to love me! I got you an interview on Jay Leno's show three months from today!"
"That's great, Marley," Julie tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice without success.
"Of course it's great, baby," Marley's New York accent grated on Julie's nerves, "You've got a new CD to promote, not to mention your first tour overseas."
"Right," Julie sighed as she headed to the kitchen, not hungry but knowing she needed to eat something, "Any other reason Jay Leno agreed to have me on the show?"
"Whatever do you mean, darling?"
Julie caught the evasiveness in his voice as her eyes landed on the latest tabloid, "I don't want him asking about Lian Young, Marley. I'm tired of having to defend myself or my music in every interview I do."
"I know, I know," Marley's voice had that 'placate the diva' tone Julie really hated, "I'll talk to Jay, make sure he doesn't ask about that asshole."
"No need for name calling," Julie studied the picture of Lian Young, the words July Star –Not a Star in a bubble above his head, "I just don't know what his problem is. We've never even met."
"You don't travel in the same circles, darling," Marley stated in a droll voice, clearing his throat before saying, "Then again, you don't travel in any circles."
"I like to sing, Marley, even perform but I don't like parties," not after the fiasco with Usher, she thought to herself as she tossed the tabloid into the trashcan, "Just send me a reminder of the interview a week before, 'kay?"
"You need to let me get you a personal assis –"
"I don't need one," Julie interrupted, putting a pre-emptive stop to that old chestnut.
"Fine, fine," Marley let out an exasperated sigh meant to let her know she was being difficult, "Word of advice, honey."
Julie clenched her jaw, staring unseeingly into the refrigerator, already knowing what was coming, "What?"
"On the day of the interview…up your Prozac dosage."
"A surprise party!
Leah laughed as she looked down at Vivi, slightly adjusting Alyx under her nursing cover, reaching out to tickle Andrey's bare feet; his giggles made her heart expand with unconditional love.
"A surprise party for what, Vivi?"
"They're coming back in three days," Vivi stood on her tip-toes, her hands gripping the edge of the table to watch Andrey.
He was in his bouncy seat on the table, placidly sucking on his fist as he watched his mother, straightening his chubby legs out with a smile when she stopped tickling him, "So we throw them a surprise welcome home party."
Leah chuckled as she reached to tickle her baby's feet, smiling when he tucked his legs in, his giggles muffled by his tiny fist, "Vivi, they already know they're welcomed home so what's the surprise?"
Vivi's eyes opened wide as she threw her arms up in exuberance, "The party!"
Leah laughed, reaching under the cover to re-adjust her nursing bra and shirt, taking the cover off as she slowly moved a sleeping Alyx up to her shoulder to gently pat his back, "Okay, I like it. Hand me the notepad over there so we can start planning."
Vivi jumped excitedly before skipping to the counter where Leah kept a notepad next to the phone, "We can make a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting," Vivi handed the notepad to Leah, thinking how neat it was because it had a pen attached to it and a border of daisies along the bottom, "It's Tia's favorite!"
"Okay," Leah wrote it down, Alyx cuddled into her shoulder, "What should we have for a meal?"
"Lasagna," Vivi said with a nod, climbing up onto a chair so she could reach Andrey's kicking feet –he loved getting tickled and she thought it was funny, "That's Tio Seth's favorite."
"Alright," Leah smiled as she watched Vivi tickle Andrey's feet, her baby kicking and giggling, his big blue eyes on Vivi, "Who should we invite?"
"Everyone," Vivi looked over at Leah with a look that said it should have been obvious.
"That's a lot of lasagna," Leah muttered under her breath as she jotted something down on the notepad, "Do we get them gifts?"
Vivi sat back on her heels, nibbling on her lip for a few seconds before her face brightened, "I know! Pictures!"
Leah's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Pictures?"
"Uh-hu," Vivi nodded, the ribbons tying her pigtails below her ears fluttering with the motion, "She's always taking pictures and giving them to people. This time, we take pictures and give them to her."
Leah stared at her niece as she thought it over, liking the idea more with every passing second, "Vivi, that's great! I'll buy a bunch of disposable cameras and pass them around, then drop them off tomorrow evening and pick them up the next morning."
Vivi grinned, liking what she was saying, nodding in agreement as Leah continued, "We can string them up all over the house, maybe even hide some in drawers and other places so they can be surprised."
Vivi giggled as she nodded excitedly, "I like it! We can buy a big scrapbook so Tia can put them in there when she finds them."
"I like that," Leah leaned forward to stroke Vivi's cheek, "You're a brilliant girl, Vivi."
She blushed, lowering her gold-brown eyes to the table as she traced a pattern with the tip of her finger.
A small noise had Vivi looking over her shoulder, a smile spreading at the sight of Emmie walking into the kitchen, a hand rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and the other one dragging her teddy bear behind her, "Hi Emmie! Did you enjoy your nap?"
Emmie nodded as she reached up to tug at a lopsided pigtail, letting out a wide yawn before looking at her mother, "Mou here?"
Leah chuckled, amazed at how her little girl, two weeks shy of her third birthday, knew exactly what day it was in direct correlation to Embry's visits, "He'll be here in a few hours, baby. Are you going to show him your new dollies?"
Emmie nodded excitedly, lifting her teddy bear into her arms –the same one Rick had given to Leah when she was pregnant with their little girl –giving it a squeeze as she looked up at Vivi with bright blue eyes, "Vivi play dollies?"
"Okay," Vivi clambered off the chair, Emmie taking her hand as they made their way down the hall to her room.
With a smile, Leah looked over at Andrey, her baby boy having succumbed to the power of sleep that had claimed his brother.
Carefully placing Alyx on the matching bouncy seat next to Andrey, she clicked the harness in place, softly placing a kiss on each of their warm foreheads before heading for the phone.
She was going to need help planning this impromptu party and she knew just who to call.
