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: This chapter is special to me...I had to go diving into a privacy locked bin when I accidentally tossed it in there with other private documents requiring shredding. I have a huge bruise in the back of my right hand where I spent ten minutes dragging paper out of the sides of the lidded can but I got the chapter back so I hope y'all enjoy it immensely because this one caused me more than just mental anguish.

Gaby -love you!
Brazilian96 -Thank you for the idea...let me tell you, it's already in the brainstorming process so you'll see that in the future.
Ses -where are you darling? Two chapters needing your wonderful reviews!
Chelsea, Lette, Gianna, and Guest...I love you and your reviews and look forward to more of them!

Chapter Seven
Last Week of July

"Did you get her to fall asleep?"

"She passed out halfway through the second story," Rick answered in a low voice as he climbed into his side of the bed.

Leah let out a sigh as he pulled her into his arms, settling her head on his shoulder as she whispered, "Remember our first no moon night?"

Rick smiled as he slid his fingers through her hair, his lips brushing against her forehead, "Back when it was just you and me and the music."

She giggled softly as her fingers moved over the contours of his chest, "Simpler times, right?"

Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around her, her smooth legs rubbing against his as he slid a heavy thigh between hers, "Too bad Sue and Charlie's anniversary is tonight."

Her laugh was low and breathy as she moved her arms over his shoulders, fingers sliding into his hair, "We can't have mom looking after them every no moon night, Rick. There's too many of them."

"Yeah, who's idea was that," Rick teased as he kissed his way down the side of her neck, his teeth softly scraping against the soft spot behind her ear, "Maybe they can take them every other month…we can ask Seth and Rose to alternate."

Leah smiled against his neck as he tugged at the hem of her sleeping shirt –actually, it was the shirt he had worn earlier that day –moving her hands down his smooth back as he shifted over her, his hands moving up her soft stomach, "There's an idea."

His hands moved slowly over her body, the calluses rough against her soft skin as she tilted her pelvis against him, needing to relieve the pressure gathering between her thighs, "Rick…"

A soft hum let her know he was listening, her breath hitching as one of his hands covered her breast, the nipple hard against the center of his palm, "I've been thinking –"

Rick groaned as he rolled off her, throwing an arm up to cover his eyes, "Leah, I know what you're going to ask and the answer's no."

She pushed herself up to lean over him, the ends of her hair brushing against her jaw, "The twins are seven months old –"

"Exactly," he moved his arm to look up at her, able to see the color of her brown-green eyes despite the darkness in the room, "They're just seven months old. We already have five. I'm fine with five –I'm happy with five."

"It's just that…" she placed a hand on his chest, her fingers spreading over his beating heart, "I miss having a baby."

"You have two of them," Rick's voice was low but Leah could still hear the frustration in his words.

"But they're already starting to crawl," she said with a sigh as she lowered herself onto his chest, stacking her hands under her chin, eyes never leaving his face, "Please."

Rick usually caved in when she did that but not this time.

This time he was going to stand his ground.

"No."

Her bottom lip poked out in a pout but she didn't argue with him, something he very much appreciated as he slid his hand up her back, his fingers closing over the nape of her neck.

A soft moan escaped her as his mouth covered hers, her hands moving over his chest as he rolled her over, sucking on her bottom lip before breaking the kiss to move his mouth down to her collarbone, teeth scraping against skin.

Leah arched her back, her hands sliding over his shoulders and down his sides until she reached the waistband of his pajama bottoms.

Moving over her, he settled himself between her opened thighs, his mouth moving up her neck as his hand travelled up the back of her thigh, hooking his fingers into the waistband of her boy-cut panties.

Looking into the hot blue color of his eyes, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, a smile tugging at her lips, "Rick –"

"I'm not changing my mind, Leah mou."

"It's not that –"

"Please don't tell me you aren't in the mood," Rick groaned against her shoulder, his fingers gripping her hip to keep her from moving, "It's been too long, baby."

"Oh, no, I'm in the mood. It's just…" she tried to keep from laughing as she looked away from one pair of blue eyes and into the other, "We have an audience."

Rick closed his eyes, his forehead on her shoulder as he shook his head before looking up, unable to keep himself from smiling at the sight of one of his boys standing in the crib, his little hands holding tight to the railing as he grinned back, showing off his two bottom teeth.

"What lousy timing," Rick whispered as he rolled off his wife, propping himself up on his elbow as he looked down at Leah, "Is he hungry?"

"No," Leah shook her head as she tossed the bed-sheet aside, "He just wants to cuddle."

"That, I can do," Rick dropped a kiss on her lips before climbing over her.

Pulling up his low riding pajama pants, he watched Andrey bounce his knees in excitement as he approached the crib he shared with his brother, "Hey there, agoraki. Cutting me off like that can't happen again, buddy."

Andrey giggled as Rick lifted him up into his arms, little legs kicking as Rick sat on the rocking chair catty corner to the crib.

Snuggling into her pillow, Leah pulled up the bed-sheet as Rick looked over at her with an arched eyebrow, "Don't you dare fall asleep, moro mou. You and I have unfinished business."

"Oh, don't you worry," she said softly with a chuckle as she watched Rick and Andrey on the rocking chair, loving the sight of her baby snuggled into his father's side as he kicked his legs, giggling every time Rick tickled his little bare feet, "You can wake me up if I fall asleep."

"Mhm," Rick grinned before looking down at Andrey to find his son looking up at him with a big smile, "Your mama wants another baby. What do you think?"

Andrey cooed, arching his back as he stretched his arms up towards Rick's face.

Bowing his head, he nibbled on the tiny fingers as he kept the chair rocking at a steady rhythm.

Letting out a giggle, Andrey rubbed his small face against his father's bare chest, his little mouth opening in a yawn as he pushed against Rick's thigh with his small feet.

"You want up, uh," Rick lifted him up against his chest, silky dark hair brushing his jaw as his baby boy placed his head on his shoulder, a small fist making its way into his mouth as he closed his baby blue eyes, his other little arm hugging Rick's neck.

"Is he telling you what he thinks," Leah teased her husband, looking over the crib where Alyx still slept soundly –although the most demanding of the two when awake, Alyx was the one that slept through the night most of the time.

"He says he'll be your baby all your life so there's no need for more."

Rick smiled at Leah's soft laugh, keeping a hand on Andrey's small back, the other supporting his diapered bottom as he kept the chair moving.

"Wouldn't he like a little brother or sister?"

Rick's shoulders shook slightly with suppressed laughter as he slowly rubbed his thumb between the small shoulder blades, moving his hand to tug the tiny blue shirt he wore to cover his round tummy, "He says he already has a little brother."

Leah muffled her laughter into her pillow, watching as the rocking slowed down, which could only mean Andrey had finally fallen back to sleep, "What about Alyx? Don't you think he'd like to be an older brother?"

"Well, now, that's something you'll have to ask him," Rick stood up in one smooth motion, slowly placing Andrey back into the crib, tucking his blankie around his little legs before reaching to softly stroke Alyx's sleeping face, smiling when he let out a sleepy sigh, a fleeting smile spreading across his round little face, "I'm pretty sure Alyx likes being the baby."

Turning away from the crib, he joined Leah on their bed again, pulling her back into his arms as he whispered into her ear, "Now, where were we?"

Letting out a soft sigh, she wrapped her arms around him, sliding her leg over his, "Right here."

"Ah, yes," Rick reached down to cup her bottom and pull her hips into his, "I remember now."

Tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth, he angled his head, the kiss growing hot as his tongue moved over hers, the taste and feel of her so achingly familiar yet electrifying –he was never going to get enough of her.

Sliding her fingers into his hair, she moaned as he moved his hands into her underwear to cup her bare bottom, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Zeus, how I've missed you," Rick whispered against her swollen lips, ducking his head to kiss her throat as she tilted her pelvis to rub up against him.

Moving his hand over her hip, his fingers brushed her lower abdomen, a soft noise by the foot of the bed catching his attention.

Looking over his shoulder, he held back a groan, "You're supposed to be asleep, agapimeni."

Emmie pulled her teddy bear up into her arms, her fine baby hair a dark cloud surrounding her cherub face as she stared at her father with those big blue eyes of hers, "Thelo na koimitho mazi sou kai _i mama." *I want to sleep with you and mama*

"What about your big girl bed," Rick asked as he moved off of Leah, sitting up to look down at his little girl, "Don't you like it?"

She nodded, sticking a finger into her mouth for a few seconds before holding up her teddy bear, her voice soft as she explained, "Mou-bear fovatai epeidi to krevati einai poly megali." *Mou-Bear is scared because the bed's too big*

Rick knew his three year old well enough not to attempt to change her mind –her stubbornness was a Clearwater trait, after all, "Entaxei tote. Aneva edo," he patted the mattress with a smile. *Alright then. Come on up here.*

A big smile spread across her face as she ran up to the side of the bed, kicking her small feet as he lifted her up and set her in the middle.

Emmie crawled up to kiss Rick's mouth before doing the same to Leah, scrambling under the covers and carefully tucking her teddy bear beside her, smiling up at her parents, "Kalinychta." *Good night*

Leah smiled as she kissed the top of her daughter's head, breathing in the sweet smell of the baby shampoo she used on all of her children.

Moving her head to rest on Rick's shoulder, she looked into his eyes, a soft smile on her lips as he moved to rest his forehead against hers as he softly whispered, "Fine. We'll have another baby."

Leah's lips spread into a surprised smile, "What changed your mind?"

"Seems to be the only way we'll get to have sex."

Leah laughed, not just at his words but at th frustration in them, leaning forward to kiss his mouth.

"Mama," Emmie reached up, a small hand pushing Leah back, "Eisai stin koryfi tis Mou-bear!" *You're on top of Mou-bear*

Leah rolled back, watching as Emmie re-adjusted her teddy bear, giving its head a pat before snuggling into Rick's side again.

"We need to teach her English," Leah whispered, letting out a soft sigh of contentment as Rick ran his fingers through her hair, the slow steady strokes relaxing her.

"She already knows English," Rick looked down at his baby girl, reaching up to stroke his thumb over her round cheek, "Dexia, nerankoula?" *Right, buttercup?*

Emmie nodded, looking up at Rick with a smile, "Mou-bear thelei na tou pei mia istoria." *Mou-bear wants you to tell him a story*

"Does he know," Rick turned his head to kiss Leah's forehead before looking down at his daughter, "Edo kai poly kairo, ypirche mia prinkipissa –" *There was once a princess -*

"You're telling it in Greek," Leah asked as a yawn escaped her, moving her head from his shoulder to his chest.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Rick smiled against the top of her head, "Emmie knows English. Mou-bear doesn't."


A belated beach party had been planned by the guys to celebrate Rose's twenty-second birthday.

Although Seth knew about the party, he had no clue Collin had come up with the idea, all with the ulterior motive to pull a little imprint-prank on him.

Rose was helping him out with that, sweet girl that she was…the thing, though, was that she had no idea.

Either way, Collin was sure it was going to be enjoyable to watch Seth squirm for a bit –and if he got in trouble with Rose, even better.

Music was blaring out of the speakers of Collin's truck as Paul got the grill started, Lyn pulling out one of the two surf boards they had loaded up in the back as Collin took the cooler towards the campfire where everyone else was congregating.

"Did you bring your board," Seth asked as he methodically waxed his board, Zaky watching wide-eyed from a foot away while the other kids ran after each other by the surf.

"Of course," Collin set the cooler by one of the logs, nudging Dougie with his foot as the younger boy shoved a cooked hot dog into his mouth, "Learn to chew, kid. You're going to choke, eating like that."

"Lyn knows CPR," Dougie said through a full mouth, Collin's ability to understand coming from experience as he scoffed, "I'm not letting my girlfriend's mouth come anywhere near yours."

Brady laughed as he speared another hot dog, reaching out to pull Ian back –the little boy was too close to the blue-green flames.

"Nice board," Lyn lowered hers down to rest on its side against a log, rolling her shoulders once she straightened up, "You haven't used it in a while, uh?"

"Yeah," Seth dipped the rag into the wax can, watching with a smile as Zaky moved closer, "It's been in the shed for the past three years. I had it covered, though, so no damage which is good 'cause it used to be dad's."

"Ah, I see," Lyn pulled off her t-shirt, tossing it over the cooler as she removed her shorts, wearing a dark blue one piece razor back bathing suit, "This one's Julie's. She left it behind so I went ahead and borrowed it."

"You don't have your own," Seth reached out to tickle Zak's round tummy, laughing as the little boy shook his head, twisting away with a giggle.

The little boy looked so adorable in bright green swim shorts that reached to the middle of his shins.

"Nah," Lyn sat down at the end of the log, looking over her shoulder to see Collin return from getting his own board out of the back of his truck, "I prefer swimming to surfing."

"How exactly does that work," Dougie looked up from helping Nika and Vivi spear marshmallows, "What with you being a mermaid and all? Won't you, like, grow a tail when you hit the water?"

Lyn laughed, Vivi's face brightening as she looked over at her, "Not anymore, thanks to Collin. I can now change at will."

Vivi moved around Brady, a stick with three marshmallows in one hand as she looked up at Lyn with excitement, "Can I see your tail, Lyn? Can I? Please?"

"Well," Lyn reached over to smooth a hand over the ruffles of Vivi's pink and purple bathing suit, "There are too many people here right now so how about Seth brings you here tomorrow at midnight? Would that be okay?"

"Uh-hu," she nodded enthusiastically, bouncing on the ball of her feet as she stared at Lyn with something akin to hero-worship.

"Ready to go," Collin asked, holding on to his long-board as Seth tossed the waxed rag into a tackle box where he kept all he needed for the care of his board.

Lyn gave Vivi a kiss on the forehead before standing up, easily picking up the flower printed board to follow after the boys.

Heading towards the crashing waves, they didn't notice little Zaky following behind them, his little knees coming up to his tummy as he toddled as fast as he could after his uncle.

"Of course we'll look after them," Rose set the beach bag she had brought with her at the edge of the blanket where Leah sat with the twins, both babies sitting between her bent legs, their backs against her thighs as they faced each other, "It's just one night a month and you two need your time together."

Leah grinned up at Rose, "You'll only have to do it every other month. Mom's agreed it would be easier to –"

"Will you stop explaining," Rose got down on her knees, grinning as Alyx tipped himself sideways to crawl towards her, Andrey watching his brother as he sucked on his thumb, "I understand the need for alone time with your husband. I have two kids in the house, too, you know?"

"Two kids that are able to understand what privacy means," Leah stretched out her legs, leaning back on her hands as she tilted her head back, closing her eyes in enjoyment of the sun's rays, "Mine don't even let me pee alone. Even Gabriel, at the great age of six, thinks a closed door means he should barge in without knocking."

Rose laughed, lifting up Alyx over her head, his little hands waving towards her face as he grinned down at her, a new tooth poking out of his pink gums, "Is that true, Alyx?"

He giggled, catching her bottom lip with his little fingers and giving it a yank, a startled look crossing his chubby face at her surprised yelp before he started to cry.

"I'm sorry, baby," Rose cuddled him into her arms, his head on her shoulder as tears welled up at the corners of his blue eyes, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Leah turned towards the beach at the sound of a familiar squeal, grinning as she watched Rick chase Emmie, her little girl laughing as her Daddy caught her and tossed her up into the air, catching her in his arms in a tight hug as he blew a raspberry into her neck.

Looking towards Seth, she sat up in alarm, "What are you doing?"

Seth looked over at his sister, the waves crashing around his knees as he held on to his surfboard with one hand, the other one holding on to his nephew, "Teaching Zaky how to surf."

"Are you insane," Leah pushed herself to her feet, lifting Andrey up into her arms before she marched towards the surf, "He's one!"

"I was one when Dad taught me how to surf," Seth was trying his hardest not to roll his eyes –ever since Gabe's broken arm, Leah was downright anal about what she allowed him to do with his niece and nephews, "Will you relax? I won't let him go."

"Seth –"

"Look at him," Seth interrupted her as he looked down at his nephew, Zaky sporting a wide grin as he pushed himself to his feet, keeping his knees bent, his little hand holding tight to his uncle's fingers, "He's having fun…and he's a natural. I didn't tell him to keep his knees bent."

"If he gets hurt –"

"I know, I know. You'll hurt me," Seth laughed as Zaky took a shaky step forward, the little boy laughing as he waved at his mama, "Look! Look!"

"I'm looking, baby. You're doing great," Leah blew him a kiss, Zaky laughing as he bounced on the balls of his feet, Leah's heart jumping to her throat as he tipped forward but Seth caught him before he hit the board, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to take Rose away."

"What," Seth looked up at his sister in surprise, "Why would you do that?"

"You said it yourself," Leah pointed at him, Andrey slipping his thumb out of his mouth to do the same, except he had a big grin on his chubby face whereas Leah's was set in a stern look, "Gotta hit where it hurts."

Seth laughed as Leah walked away, turning his full attention back to his nephew –he liked having his wife around so there was no way he was going to let Zak get hurt.

The music went from one song to another as food got passed around, Collin and Lyn coming out of the ocean after a few hours of surfing, Seth still with Zaky.

The little boy was tireless as he kept working on getting from his knees to a standing position then back, the board softly bobbing with the waves thanks to Seth's steady hold.

Rose was ready to get some rays so she pulled off her t-shirt and jean shorts, tossing them into her beach bag.

A sharp whistle followed with a couple of more wolf whistles had her blushing as she adjusted the bottom of her suit –it had been rather complicated to put on so she wanted to make sure everything necessary was covered.

"Woo-ee, girl," Collin shook his head as he studied the two piece hot pink suit, small straps in a lattice pattern over her flat stomach connecting the top and bottom, "That one's even better than the black one. Ouch! What the hell, Lyn?"

"I do not appreciate you ogling her," Lyn said in a loud voice, having agreed to help him get Seth back for laughing at Collin's stuck up in a tree predicament way back when, even though she found that story secretly hilarious.

"Hell, Lyn, you can't hold it against me," Collin motioned towards Rose, her blush getting deeper as Brady and Dougie let out simultaneous whistles, "Look at her."

"That is a very cute suit," Lyn said as she watched out of the corner of her eyes, chuckling at the look of shock on Seth's face as he caught sight of his wife.

He lifted Zaky up into his arms, easily holding the board under one arm as he made his way out of the water.

Setting Zaky down on the pebbled ground as he leaned his board against a log, Seth grabbed his t-shirt from where he had left it before heading towards the blanket where Rose was, a dark scowl on his face as he noticed some guys a few feet away from their party checking out his wife.

Rose was about to sit down when Seth's shadow fell over the blanket, her smile slowly ebbing away when she saw the look on his face, his words low and tight, "What are you wearing?"

Rose looked down at herself, not understanding what the problem was –she had worn smaller suits when they had been in Spain, "A bathing suit."

Didn't she understand that the straps on that thing she called a bathing suit got a guy thinking about all sorts of kinky stuff they would like to do to her?

He thrust his t-shirt at her, his jaw tight as he ordered, "Put it on."

Rose stared up at him in surprise, not believing he thought he could get away with his Neanderthal behavior.

Without saying a word, she took his t-shirt, finding the neck without looking as she dug her fingernail into the seam then ripped it down the middle, Seth's face registering surprise at her move, "What the hell? That was my favorite shirt, Rose!"

"Next time you act like an idiot about what I'm wearing," she tossed him the torn t-shirt with a smirk on her face as she laid down on the blanket, Zaky collapsing tiredly into his mother's arms, "Don't give me your favorite shirt now go away –I don't want to look at or talk to you for the next two hours."

Seth stood there for a few minutes, holding his t-shirt in one hand as he tried to think of something to say, finally snapping out of it when Leah looked up at him from her position next to Rose, the twins asleep on their tummies between the two women, "Will you please move? You're blocking the sun."


Embry was feeling proud of himself as he stared at the small house before him, hands on his hips and mind reeling with ideas and plans for his newest acquisition.

Granted, the bank technically owned the house but he was paying them for it so there was no doubt –the little seaside house was his to do with as he pleased.

"You finally closed on the house, uh?"

He looked over his shoulder as Leah walked up the drive, pushing a tandem stroller, "Final papers signed at ten thirty six this morning. What do you think?"

"Uhm," Leah could see the house was in need of some TLC, which she knew Embry had used as his driving point to offer a lower deal than the asking price, "I guess it has some charm."

Embry nodded as he looked down at the twins, both of them staring up at him as they alternated in kicking out their legs, making the small bells on the shoelaces of their converse sneakers jingle, "Where's my Princess?"

"Mom took her to the salon," Leah leaned onto the sturdy stroller as Embry turned his attention back to the house, "They're having Giagia and Emmie time."

"Giagia," Embry cocked an eyebrow as he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"It's Greek for grandmother," Leah let out a soft sigh as she looked over at Embry, "I worry she's never going to speak English."

Embry lowered an eyebrow, "She speaks English to me."

"She does?"

"Yes," Embry nodded with a smile, running his fingers through his hair as he looked over at Leah, "She's got an adorable accent –similar to Rick's –but she does speak really good English –and in full sentences."

"Uh," Leah gnawed on her bottom lip as she thought over Embry's words, finally deciding it wasn't that big of a deal for her to worry over, "So what are you planning on doing with the house?"

"I'm going to gut it," Embry's smile grew bigger, obvious excitement showing in his dark brown eyes as he continued explaining, "Tear down all the walls except for the weight baring ones. There's a living room and a family room so I'll be enlarging the kitchen, adding a third bedroom and a second bathroom."

"What do you know about this kind of stuff?"

Embry chuckled as he looked over at her, "I work with a construction company up in Seattle."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Embry laughed at the look of surprise on Leah's face as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You didn't think I used tuition money to buy Emmie's sticker books, did you?"

"I didn't think of it," Leah felt a little embarrassed about that –as his female-Alpha, she should really be paying more attention to what was going on in his life.

Hell, Rick probably knew that as well as his hourly wage, academic standing and extracurricular involvement on campus –he was just that kind of Alpha.

"You have five kids, Leah," Embry grinned at her as Alyx leaned over to swat at his brother's foot, which he had up in his hands, little fingers tugging at the bell in the laces, "There's no need for you to keep tabs on me. I'm a big boy –I can take care of myself…and if not, my own mama's got it covered."

Leah laughed, giving him a backhanded slap on the arm, "Thanks for reminding me. I have a big favor to ask you and I don't want you to think about the why."

"Shoot."

"There's a full moon next week –Thursday. Would you…be able to come down and look after the boys?"

Embry shrugged as his thoughts went no further than her request, "Sounds like fun. Professor Kata cancelled his class for Friday morning so it's not a problem –I can sleep in."

Leah gave him a big smile, "Thanks Em. I really appreciate it."

"No biggie," Embry turned to walk with her down the graveled drive, watching in amusement as Andrey bend forward to tug at one of Alyx's bells, "What's with the bells?"

"Let's me know when they fall asleep," Leah let out a tired sigh as she made her way down the sidewalk, the little bells jingling a merry song so she knew she still had a ways to walk before they fell asleep, "What are you up to for today?"

"Seth's working on a new design," Embry slipped his fingers into the pockets of his slacks, "He hit a snag so he wants me to help him out with the math."

"I'm heading that way too," Leah grinned up at him as they turned the corner to head down the street, the Clearwater's house a few blocks away, "Rose promised me a cherry pie so I'm going to collect."

Embry laughed at that, "What secret of Seth's did you have to tell in exchange for that?"

"You know about that? Does Seth?"

"Rose told me –a snicker blast pie gets Seth's secrets out of me. And no, Seth doesn't know."

Leah laughed with him, shaking her head as they approached the driveway, a black Audi parked in the driveway -it was the replacement for the destroyed Bentley, bought soon after Rose's therapist gave her the okay to drive –the Mustang parked by the curbside.

"So, I've got a favor to ask you," Embry stopped at the back door, turning to look at Leah as he knocked on the door.

"Okay."

"Do you think I could take Emmie up to Seattle with me next Saturday? The Seward Park and Audubon Center has this really cool thing on Saturdays called Tales and Trails for Little Tykes. It's just a mile walk in the forest where kids learn about nature. There's also an Insectival at the Environmental Science Center in the afternoon. I think she'll really enjoy herself."

"You noticed, uh," Leah grimaced as she opened the door as Rose called out for them to come in, the lack of bell music letting her know her babies were finally asleep, "I thought it strange the first time I saw her pick up a Daddy long legs –totally freaked me out but she just asked for a jar and spend an hour studying it."

"She's gonna be a scientist," Embry grinned with pride, laughing at the sight of a flour covered Vivi, the little girl standing on a chair as she rolled out a pie crust, Rose filling a pie tin with gooey cherries.

"Well, think it's a great idea," Leah tilted her head to the side as Embry stopped at the archway, giving him a big smile, "But you'll have to turn in a request to Rick."

"Crap."


Thursday, Full Moon

He watched with mild amusement as his four puppies –differing from each other due to the varying shade of fur and size –climbed all over their mother, all four recognizing her as such despite her absence on the full moon nights.

Tilting his head as he stretched out on his stomach, he let his tongue hang out in a doggie grin as she shook them off her, nipping the ears of one, tipping another over with her paw as she nuzzled the soft underbelly of a third before letting out a sharp bark that had them all scramble into a line, oldest to youngest, tails wagging as she moved down the line.

She nudged their smaller muzzles with hers in a show of affection before they all turned to follow the grey spotted wolf he considered his Beta.

It was so good to see her again, to be able to breathe in the scent that always made him think of home.

Stretching, he let out a yawn, ending it with a yip that had her turn to look at him, the intelligence in her brown-green eyes tugging at something in him that he didn't understand but always embraced.

She stayed seated on her haunches but couldn't seem to keep her tail from wagging and he knew she was just as happy to be with him as he was to have her here.

Tilting his head to the side, he let out a soft bark, watching as her ears perked up as she rose to all four feet before skipping over to where he was.

He could see that she was in a playful mood –could smell that she wanted more than just games –but he wasn't in a hurry.

The moon was still high in the sky and for him that meant he had forever to enjoy her company.

So first –a little play time.

He turned his eyes away from her, watching as the river flowed by lazily, not turning at the sound of her bark.

He watched covertly as she lowered her chest to the ground, her wagging tail high up in the air as she let out a series of yips but he didn't turn to her, simply, letting out a yawn before resting his head on his front paws.

A huff then a few seconds of silence that had him wondering what she was doing before he felt a tug on one of his ears, a paw planted on his head for leverage as she tugged gently a few times before giving his head a good hard yank as her paw slipped down his muzzle.

Shaking her off, he stood up, reaching up with his front paw to pull her down, lowering his head to nudge her soft underbelly as soon as she rolled onto her back.

His canines scraped gently against the soft skin in a gentle bite before he lifted his head and turned away, taking his time as he made his way further into the woods.

He could hear her following behind him, her prancing amusing him as she occasionally lifted a paw to swipe at his side, nipping his back legs in her attempts to catch his attention.

Funny thing was she had all his attention centered on her.

A hard nip to his left haunch had him turning around with a low growl, her whimpers soft as she lowered herself to the ground.

Feeling bad at making her show her submission, he moved closer, nuzzling the side of her face, his blood growing hotter at the delicious smell rolling off her in waves.

Closing his jaw over the back of her neck, he covered her body with his.

Play time was over for them –time to remind her who she belonged too.

Morning After

Rick let out a groan as he stretched, his sore muscles soaking up the heat of Leah's body next to his.

Letting out a yawn, he moved to his side, wrapping an arm around her as he spooned her body into his, soft curves molding against lean muscles as she let out a soft groan, "Good morning, agape mou."

"Good morning," words came out in a yawn as she stretched, skin rubbing against skin, making Rick's morning situation a whole lot more interesting, his lips nibbling her ear as he asked, "How did it go last night?"

"Mhm," Leah let out a giggle as she turned her head to look into his eyes, "You played hard to get."

"Did I, now," his smile spread into a grin as he kissed her lips before gently biting down on the bottom one, his words hot against her mouth, "I can't just let you have your way without getting some of my own back, now, can I?"

Leah's throaty laugh had him grow completely hard as she drew up her knees which just had her ass move right into him, "You make it sound like it wasn't good for you."

"Mhm," Rick moved his mouth down the side of her neck, the taste and smell of her driving him crazy as he slid his hand down her soft stomach, the other hand covering her left breast, "I'll remember how good it was tomorrow morning but for now…"

Leah moaned as he touched her, his hands and mouth slowly setting her on fire, pushing her higher and higher until she thought she couldn't hold on to herself anymore just to have him send her flying into their own personal universe as he moved into her, their soft groans and moans harmonizing with the early morning sounds of the forest as they chased paradise together.