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: Another chapter lovies! I have completed chapter twelve and am working on chapter thirteen...I already have chapter fourteen in my head as well!
Gaby -love you darling! I dedicate this chapter, which has a bit of some sizzle between Paul and Rachel somewhere in the middle.
Ses -six!
All my other dear reviewers -some of you asked for a look-see into the other couples' lives -so I've started with Paul and Rachel.
Enjoy as you read, darlings, and please -REVIEW! I get great ideas when you review!
Chapter Eleven
October 31st
Rose leaned closer to the mirror, making sure the hair ties were even before picking up a brand new tube of lip gloss –bubblegum pink –the liquid gliding on slick and shiny.
Twisting it close, she tossed it back into her make-up box, giving her reflection a critical look-over before reaching up to undo another button.
The white cotton blouse she wore stretched tight across her breasts, the tails tied into a neat little knot in the middle of her flat stomach. Paired up with it was a short plaid skirt, the hem hitting high up on her thighs and now she just needed to add the suspenders, knee high socks and Mary Jane shoes to complete the whole ensemble.
Rose giggled to herself as she quickly glanced at the clock, clipping the suspenders in place. She only had a few minutes before Seth finished up what he was working on in the office.
He still had to come in here to get ready for the Halloween party at the reservation's community center and if Rachel was right in suggesting this costume would make him loose it, then they needed to get to it soon –she didn't want to be too late.
As she pulled up a sock, she gave mental thanks to Leah for picking up the twins along with Gabriel and taking them to her house –if fate was in a good mood today, then having kids in the house would not be a good thing…despite the soundproofing.
Another giggle escaped her as she slipped on the second sock, quickly putting on her shoes. She could hear him coming down the hall and if she didn't calm herself down, she was going to mess this whole thing up.
Seducing her husband was a learning experience, after all, and she wanted to excel at it.
Seth let out a yawn, tossing his pencil into the airplane cup as he stood up, stretching his arms over his head, looking at the time on his watch.
Ugh. He had thirty minutes to get ready for that damn rez party he'd agreed to chaperone for.
Too bad he hadn't gotten to Rose before mom, otherwise Leah would be watching over the twins along with her brood while he spent the entire night in bed with his wife.
His mother, still a part of the councils despite living in Forks with Charlie, was extremely involved in community activities hosted to foster familiarity and tribe pride among children and teenagers and she seemed adamant to drag him along for the ride.
Thanks to her –wonderful woman that she was –he was stuck watching kids hyped up on sugar stuffing their faces with even more sugar while at the same time, making sure none of the teenagers snuck off to smoke, drink or fornicate.
He chuckled to himself, turning the office lights off before making his way down the hall towards the master bedroom.
He just had to love his mother, especially when her anti-fun mode entertained him to no end…except for that time when he was sixteen and got caught with his hand up a girl's skirt.
His right ear had never been the same since that night –she had dragged him home by it all the while giving him a piece of her mind.
Laughing to himself at the memory, his breath stuttered before leaving him in a rush as he froze at the doorway to his bedroom.
Back when he was twelve, Britney Spears had released her first song –Baby One More Time.
The video had inspired his very first wet dream.
And now here he stood with his erotic teenage fantasy before him, one foot on a chair as she pulled up a white knee-high sock, black Mary Jane shoes on her feet.
Dropping her small foot to the carpeted floor, she smoothed her hands over the gray and blue plaid skirt before looking up at him with a sweet smile oozing innocence.
Looking into her bright hazel eyes, he saw something there that didn't help his current situation –was it horrible of him to want to fuck his wife right there, on their bedroom floor?
"What are you wearing?"
Rose's smile widened as she swayed her hips the way little girls do when they're wearing a skirt with ruffles, "It's my Halloween costume."
Seth's lips slowly spread into a smile as he let his eyes slowly travel down her body –damn, but that little skirt left ninety percent of her legs bare –it probably wasn't doing a very good job of covering her ass either, "What are you supposed to be?"
Rose stared at him as if he were dumb, "A schoolgirl."
Seth let out a chuckle, studying the delicate curve of her ankles before looking up at her face, "A Catholic schoolgirl?"
She bit her lip, crossing her ankles with hands linked behind her back as she tilted her head to the side, "I was baptized in a Catholic church so I guess that could work."
Man, but that woman knew how to get his libido going!
Rose's eyes widened, the seductive gleam morphing into shock as he started to laugh.
This wasn't the way it was supposed to be –he should be completely overtaken by lust, not laughing his fool head off!
"What's so funny?"
Seth could hear the anger in her voice –aside from the stomping of her cute little foot –but he couldn't stop himself, his words clear despite the deep laughter, "You thinking I'm going to let you out of the house wearing that."
Her lips tightened as she planted her fists on her hips, giving him a glare worth a shiver or two before striding across the room with a huff, "That is funny because I don't recall asking for your permission!"
Striding down the hall, she blinked away tears of humiliation, refusing to let it show as she swallowed back a sob.
How dare he laugh at her!
She made it to the end of the hallway before being spun around, everything turning upside down as her feet left the floor, a low grunt escaping her when he tossed her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "Seth! Put me down, you idiot!"
Seth didn't say anything, still laughing as he walked back to their bedroom, his arm securely wrapped around her thighs.
He easily ignored her small fists slamming into his back as well as her yelling –which wasn't hard being that he no longer understood a single word she was saying.
"Sueltame, Seth! Hombre baboso! Pendejo! Bajame ahorita mismo!"
Stopping at the side of their bed, he dropped her on it, her pigtails flying around her face as she glared up at him.
"Eres un estupido," she spat at him as she began to scoot off the bed but he moved over her, placing a knee on the bed, forcing her knees open, his hands on either side of her body as he leaned forward until their noses touched.
His breath was silky against her flushed skin, the dark look in his eyes causing her insides to quiver, "That, I am not baby. Only a stupid man would let his wife walk out of the house in violation of the four finger rule."
"Four –four finger rule," Rose's voice shook as the tip of his nose brushed against hers, her eyes growing wide when he slid his hand up between her thighs and under her skirt.
"Hm-hm," Seth moved his nose down her jaw as he splayed his fingers on the inside of her thigh, the tip of his index skimming against the crotch of her panties, "If it takes four fingers to get from the hem of your skirt to here…it's too short."
Rose's breath hitched then came out in a gasp as Seth moved his hand up her thigh to cup her before slipping his fingers under the elastic of the crotch of her cotton panties.
"Then there's the tongue rule," Seth murmured as he trailed kisses down her throat to her chest, "You're in violation of that one too."
"What –what tongue rule?"
Seth moved his mouth down to her impressive cleavage –that little blouse of hers left a lot of it in view –"If all I have to do is stick my tongue out…to get to your nipple…that's too much cleavage."
Rose moaned as he did just that, her shaking arms giving out on her as she fell back onto the mattress, Seth's mouth never leaving her breast.
"Seth…" she took a shuddering breath that rushed out as his fingers moved over her slick folds, the tip of one flicking over her clit, razor sharp pleasure streaking through her body.
"And the number one reason you're not wearing this to the party," he whispered against her throat as he used a single finger to pull down her bra cup, his thumb brushing over her hard nipple as soon as he freed her breast, "Is because I'll know exactly what other guys are thinking, seeing you in this little get-up."
"I –I didn't do it to –to," Rose swallowed hard as her hips moved involuntarily, a whimper escaping her as he used the tip of another finger to slowly circle the opening to her body, "To make…make anyone…think any –oh!"
Seth tugged at her earlobe with his teeth as he sank two fingers knuckled deep into her, "Oh yes you did, baby. Maybe not anyone else but you definitely wanted me thinking of this."
Rose let out a groan as he moved his hand from between her legs, a squeak escaping her as he rolled onto his back, pulling her over him until she lay on top, her legs straddling his hips.
Sliding his hands down her back, he gave her bottom a squeeze before sliding a hand under her skirt, his mouth moving over her jaw and down her neck, "You're such a naughty girl, Rosita."
Rose let out a sound between a moan and a squeal as heat bloomed over her bottom where his large hand landed.
"And naughty girls should get spanked," Seth whispered as he tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth, her fingers digging into his chest as he slapped her bottom again, "Don't you agree?"
"I –I…" Rose's face flushed as she looked away from his dark eyes, biting her lip when he spanked her again, the stinging pain bleeding into a pleasurable hum that had her tilting her hips forward to press herself against his restrained erection, the denim fabric of his jeans feeling rough yet exciting against her tender flesh.
For the first time since she had hatched this plan of hers, she wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew –metaphorically speaking.
"Rosie," Seth whispered into her ear, his tongue flicking into the hollow, a shiver running down her back as she shyly whispered, "Am I supposed to like it?"
Seth could hear the confusion in her words as he gently blew into her ear before kissing her temple, "You should like everything I do to you but if you don't, you tell me."
She nodded shyly, sucking on her bottom lip before giving him a sweet smile, her hazel eyes bright with desire as he moved his hands down the back of her thighs, giving them a squeeze before flipping her onto her back.
Rolling on top of her, he covered her mouth with his, tongues stroking as he undid the buttons of her shirt one-handed, his other hand under her skirt tugging at her panties.
"We're going to be late," she whispered against his lips, her hands tugging at his t-shirt.
"I'm sure they'll understand," Seth nipped her bottom lip, his teeth scraping her chin before moving his mouth down her throat, "One of the girls helped you out with this, uh? Probably Rachel."
Rose giggled, his breath against the soft skin of her breasts making her shiver before he latched on to the exposed nipple, her back arching as he sucked hard before gently biting down, "Seth! Hay Dios!"
Gently kissing the slope of her breast, he pulled back to look down at her, finding her so fucking sexy with her shirt opened, the simple white bra she wore covering one breast, the suspenders still in place.
With one finger, he pulled down the other bra cup, lowering his head down to lick the newly exposed nipple, tugging at it with his teeth as he pressed his hips into her.
"Por favor," she sobbed softly, her back arching as he continued to torture her, unable to move her hips due to his weight pressing her into the mattress, "Seth…please."
Giving her nipple a last hard suck, he pulled back to look into her eyes, kissing the tip of her nose before moving his lips across her cheek to her ear, "Turn around."
Rose's eyes widened at his request, her breath hitching as he pulled back to look into her dilated eyes, dark pools of desire, "What?"
"Be a good girl, Rosie," he gave her a grin that would have her clenching her thighs together if he weren't kneeling between them, "Do as you're told and turn around."
The reassurance she felt at the unbridled desire in his eyes helped her move onto her stomach, his hands on her hips pulling her back until she was on her knees.
"Seth…"
"It's okay, baby," Seth leaned forward, his chest pressing against her back as he whispered into her ear, "I know this is new but I promise you'll like it."
A flush swept up her chest to stain her cheeks as she felt him –hard and unyielding –against her bottom.
He kissed the back of her neck as he slid his hands over her bottom, easily flipping the short skirt before dragging the white cotton panties down her thighs, "You have such a sexy ass, baby. You have no idea how much it turns me on…especially with these innocent looking panties of yours covering it."
Rose's breathing was so embarrassingly loud she almost missed the sound of a zipper being lowered, a soft scream passing through her lips as she felt him slide against her slick folds before thrusting into her.
Breathing hard as she gripped the edge of the mattress, she bit her lip as she worked on assimilating herself to this new position –she felt so unbelievably full, her inner muscles rippling tightly around him.
"Fuck," Seth groaned as he leaned over her, his fingers digging into her hips as he whispered into her ear, his breathing harsh with barely controlled desire, "You need to loosen up, baby, before you make me come."
Rose groaned, lowering her forehead into the mattress as she tried to relax.
Breathing shallowly, she slowly lowered her upper body onto the mattress, inadvertently tilting her hips higher which just had him slide in deeper.
The overwhelming sensations rushing through her pushed a moan out of her as her breaths came out in heavy pants.
Screwing his eyes shut as he rested his forehead between her shoulder blades, Seth fought with his body's needs, slowly but surely pushing back his impending orgasm –he wasn't ready to come yet…not until she came apart first.
Reciting the states backwards in alphabetical order helped him slowly gain control, a deep breath clearing his mind of the animalistic urge to claim her as his.
Breathing in deep once more, he opened his eyes as he straightened back before looking down.
A groan deep in his chest made its way up and out of his mouth at the sight of his cock disappearing into her body, breathing hard as he looked away, leaning over her again.
Running his fingers through her long hair until he reached the ends, he slowly wrapped the pigtails around his hands, over and over, softly whispering into her ear, "Now, these, I like."
Straightening up, her neck and back arched, ass pushing against him as he said with a dark teasing tone, "These you can keep."
Rose's moans came unbidden, growing in volume as he thrust into her, again and again, her fingers digging into the mattress as her entire body tightened, her breathing harsh as the fire low in her belly kept building, higher and higher until it reached its flash point.
She screamed out his name, completely lost in the pleasure of her orgasm as Seth slammed into her –twice, three times before exploding, emptying himself inside her as he joined her on the trip to the outer-space of their universe.
Breathing hard, Rose slowly blinked her eyes open, unsure of where or who she was, her cheek pressed against the mattress, Seth's weight over her giving her the anchor she needed to find her way back to earth.
His face was buried into her neck, breathing in the scent of them that clung to her. The intoxicating mixture of cherry blossoms and sea-salt calmed him soul and body.
Letting go of her pigtails, he rolled on his back as he stared up at the ceiling, his lungs still fighting to drag in oxygen.
Moving to rest her cheek on his bicep, she smiled as he turned to look at her, "That was…amazing."
Seth grinned as he moved the few inches to press his lips against her forehead, "Yeah…you got something else to wear to the party, right?"
Rose giggled as she moved her hand to rest on his chest, feeling his racing heart against her fingers, "We all agreed to wear this."
"Mhm," Rose was able to feel Seth's smile against her forehead along with his words, "I can tell you right now none of you will be wearing this –not even Rachel."
"How can you be so sure," Rose tilted her head back to look into his eyes, a soft tenderness purling in her heart as he brushed the tip of his nose over the delicate slope of her eyebrow.
"Because we all know mom will kill us if we start punching guys in the face."
Laughing, she pushed herself up to look down into his eyes, dropping a kiss on his lips before she said with a smile, "Good thing Rachel advised me to get a second costume."
Seth laughed as he reached up to run his fingers through one of her pigtails, "Tell me you're dressing up as a nun."
She shook her head with a smile, "A hippie…with bell bottom jeans, tie-died shirt and a fringed vest."
"Well," Seth lifted his head to kiss her lips as he tugged at her pigtail, "That means you can keep these."
Rose laughed, pushing herself to a sitting position, her face flushing as she straightened her bra, feeling his lips on the back of her neck before he whispered into her ear, her face flushing a deeper red, "You got me so damn hot I didn't even take the time to fully remove your panties or my pants."
Looking at him, her eyes sparkled as a beautifully satisfied smile spread across her face, "Mission accomplished."
Second Week of November
"Leah's pregnant again."
Paul spit out his beer, looking up at his Alpha in surprise as he wiped a hand over his mouth, "Seriously? Those two are solely responsible for the population boom of La Push."
Sam laughed as he flipped the burgers on the grill, "If we weren't good friends, I would think Rick's working on having a bigger pack than mine."
"You can't blame the guy," Paul stretched out his legs –he was sitting on a lawn chair a few feet away from the grill –draining his beer can before giving Sam a grin, "We all know its Leah's plan to outnumber you."
Sam laughed, easily catching the beer can Paul tossed him from the cooler, "She's gonna make it hard for you and Rachel to catch up."
Paul groaned as he popped open a new can, "Yeah, that and the fact Rach's adamant on waiting."
"Seriously?"
"Don't look at me like that," Paul growled as he took a swallow of his beer, "I know for a fact she's not on the pill and with the way we go at it –who knows? Maybe my guys aren't up to the task."
Sam tried to hide his grimace from his best friend but failed as Paul scowled at him, "Yeah, thanks to Jacob imprinting on a vamp, the whole assurance of passing genes isn't all that assuring."
"Well," Sam took a swallow of his beer, keeping his eyes on the burgers, "There're tests for that."
"Fucking great," Paul's words came out in a growl, his eyes narrowing as his wife walked out of the house, holding a pan in her hands.
"Emily says this is the last of the patties."
Handing the pan to Sam, she turned to look at Paul, her smile fading, "Baby, what's wrong?"
He set his beer on top of the cooler, standing up and grabbing her hand, "We need to talk."
Rachel's eyes widened as he pulled her towards the house but instead of going inside, he moved around the side towards the back.
Turning around, he pushed her up against the side of the house, his mouth closing over hers as he slid his hands over her hips to grip her waist.
Rachel moaned, fisting her hands on his t-shirt as she rose up on her toes, shivers running down her back as he slid a hand under her shirt, his fingers splayed against the soft skin of her back.
She gasped as he broke the kiss, looking into his dark eyes for a few seconds before he dipped his head to kiss her throat, his tongue touching the hollow between her collarbones eliciting a soft moan.
"Paul," Rachel ran her fingers through his hair, eyes closed as she sank into the buzzing sensations his mouth on her was stirring up inside her, "What's going on?"
Paul's hands moved up her back, his thumb dragging up hard against her ribs, the giggles that escaped her making him smile against the underside of her jaw, "We should start having babies."
Rachel's body went tense in his arms as she pulled back to look into his eyes, "Paul, you can't just…push me up against the house, paw me and then ask for a baby."
One of Paul's eyebrows arched as he stared down into her near-black eyes, "I believe I just did."
She didn't say anything, just looked into his eyes, her heart squeezing painfully as he quietly asked, "Do you not want to have babies with me, Rachel?"
"What," Rachel gaped at him, blinking fast to keep herself from crying as she reached up to grip the back of his neck, "Of course I do, baby. I just…you need to give me a little more time to get my practice on track."
"You've been at the hospital for a year," Paul reached up to run his fingers through his hair, agitation evident in his voice, "How much time does it take for a therapist to get a working patient list?"
Rachel wasn't sure what to say because he was right –it had taken her six months to get established at Forks Memorial and another six to create connections with other physicians –
"Is it me," Paul's question broke through her thoughts as he looked down at her, his eyes expressing a wealth of uncertainty and pain, "Do you think I'm too immature to be a father? 'Cause I'll work on it, baby, I really will."
"No," she shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck as she rose up on her toes to kiss his mouth, "You're going to be an amazing father, Paul. There's nothing about you that I would want to change."
His forehead rested against hers as they stared into each others' eyes, one minute bleeding into the next before he softly whispered, "You're not on the pill."
"What?"
Paul felt a little guilty about revealing his inner thoughts on trying to get her 'accidentally' pregnant, "We've been…I haven't used a condom a few of the times we…shouldn't you be…"
Rachel bit her lip, a wave of guilt crashing over her, making both of them gasp with the intensity of it as he looked into her eyes, able to feel the pulsating emotion roiling through her, "What? Is it me, Rach? Maybe something's wrong with my –"
"No," Rachel shook her head, dropping her eyes to his chest, trying to think of how to tell him before she took a deep breath to just say it however the hell it came out, "A few months before I came home –before we imprinted –I asked my doctor to put in an IUD."
Paul's eyebrows lowered over his dark eyes as he stared down at her, "What the hell is that?"
"An intrauterine device," Rachel couldn't look at him, her eyes locked on his throat as she silently counted the visible pulse there, "It's a form of birth control that lasts between five to ten years."
"What the fuck," Paul stepped back, running both hands through his hair as she dropped her hands from his shoulders, her face flushed, eyes still not looking at him, "Why didn't you tell me this before? We've been married for two years –together for five –damn it, Rachel! Look at me!"
"I'm sorry," Rachel let out a soft sob, her dark eyes bright as she fought back tears, "I didn't think of saying anything because I had it put in before you and I…it wasn't my intention to keep it a secret, Paul. It just never popped into my mind, especially when you agreed to wait on having kids."
"All this time, I thought it was me," Paul rubbed the back of his neck, his jaw tight as he closed his eyes, "I thought maybe I was doing something wrong…or that something was wrong with me."
"I'm sorry," Rachel reached out to touch him, gasping when he pulled her into his arms, "I didn't mean to make you feel that way –I do want babies with you, Paul –I really do. Just give me a little more time…please?"
"When?"
"What," Rachel looked up into his eyes, seeing a hint of excitement mixed in with the pain, betrayal and uncertainty, feeling horrible because she was to blame for them, "What do you mean when?"
"I don't mind waiting, Rach," Paul said as he tightened his arms around her, keeping their bodies flush against each other, "I just want to know how long."
Looking deep into his eyes, she could see something in them that called out to her.
Breathing in deep to keep herself from freaking out, she watched as her future slowly unfolded within his eyes –a future filled with love, laughter, and beautiful children…he really would be an amazing father to their children.
"January," Rachel reached up to touch her fingers to his lips, "Give me until January –I'll have it removed and we can start making babies then."
It was like watching the sun break over the horizon –the joy on his face was so acute she couldn't look away, an answering smile spreading over her face.
"Alright then," Paul lowered his head until their foreheads touched, "I guess a few practice runs until then will keep us in shape. Hell, maybe if we practice often enough, we can get it right the first time around."
Rachel's laughter choked up as a hand squeezed her bottom, her eyes growing wide as she slapped his chest, "Paul, behave yourself! There're children around."
Paul looked towards the backyard before leaning back to get a clear view of the front yard –the kids were currently crowding around Sam's legs holding paper plates in their small hands.
Turning to give her a smile, he slowly kissed her mouth, "They're currently occupied with the task of filling their stomachs. That should give us five…maybe ten minutes."
"For what," Rachel's voice squeaked, her throat closing when he turned her around, her hands reaching out to steady herself against the side of the house, "Paul…"
"Relax, baby," Paul moved his mouth from her ear down the side of her neck, his hands on her stomach pulling her back against him so she could feel him hard against her bottom, "Just let go…enjoy it."
Rachel's breath hitched then sped up as he slid his fingers past the waistband of her jeans, his thumb dipping into her bellybutton.
Paul dragged his teeth over the skin of her shoulder, his hand slipping further into her jeans and panties, the other one keeping a tight grip at her hip as he whispered against her hot, wet skin, "We both know I'm a pain in the ass and so are you –but this…baby, you and I, together –we can make dreams come true. I love you so damn much sometimes it's painful not to be able to scream it out or find grand ways to show you how much I fucking adore you."
Rachel tried to remember to breathe but it was difficult, what with his hand buried deep into her pants, his fingers doing that thing that made her brain cease functioning while his words sent her heart into a gallop.
"Having a baby with you, Rach…" Paul pressed his cheek against hers, sliding his free hand around to cover her lower stomach, his thumb rubbing small circles against the soft skin exposed between her jeans and top, "It would be the physical manifestation of my love for you…and your love for me…and when we hold him –God, Rachel, you'll never doubt I love you when our baby looks at you with the same adoration I have for you."
Just listening to him made her ache deep inside as the realization she wanted to share this part of life with him filled her.
First thing tomorrow morning, she was going to call her gynecologist and make an appointment to get that damn thing removed.
A moan of surprise escaped her as he slid two fingers into her, his other hand gently squeezing her breast, the myriad of sensations having her panting as her nails dragged against the wood paneling of the sea-side house, "Please…Paul…"
"You're close to coming," he whispered into her ear, the phrase not a question but an observation –he knew her body so well that at times it didn't take much to get her going.
A touch, a word, sometimes even a sideways look with that smile of his had her wetting her panties in desire, "Yes…oh, God, Paul, I...I'm –what! What are you doing? Why are you stopping?"
Paul smiled as she looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide and filled with lust as he sucked her honeyed taste off his fingers, "You'll be much more eager tonight if I leave you hot and bothered."
"You can't…" Rachel's face flushed as she tried to step back but his muscled arm flexed around her, easily keeping her in place against him, "The others will know."
Paul's lips hitched into that heart-stopping, panty-dropping smile of his, "Now that seriously turns me on…them knowing how hot you are for me."
Rachel wasn't sure whether to slap him for his audacious arrogance or to laugh but after a few seconds of staring into his dancing eyes, she finally let out a soft chuckle as she turned around to press her body against his, reaching down to cup her hand over his jean-clad erection, "Two can play this game, you know."
"You greedy bitch," he whispered teasingly as he tilted her chin up, his mouth moving over hers, tongues stroking against each other before he pulled back to give her a smirk, "I advise you start thinking of calling in sick tomorrow."
Rachel's eyebrows lowered in confusion as she dragged her thumb down his zipper –hard, "Why?"
Paul was about ready to just take her up against the side of Sam's house, right then and there, but patience he didn't know he possessed washed over him as he reached down to capture her hand in his, bringing it up to place a kiss on each finger.
"I have no intention of letting you sleep tonight."
Saturday before third week of November
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!"
Seth placed the lid back on the simmering pot of chicken noodle soup, checking the flame under it before heading into the living room.
Stopping to lean against the archway, he watched Vivi gnawing at her bottom lip as she reached up to ruthlessly tug at one of her curls, her eyes trained on the large poster board on the coffee table surrounded by crayons, scissors, markers, and glue sticks.
"What's wrong, Ladybug," Seth pushed away from the wall, deciding it necessary to intervene before she chewed off her lip or pulled out her pretty hair.
Looking up at him, her gold-brown eyes showed frustration as she pointed an accusing finger at the poster board in the middle of the coffee table, "It's crooked!"
He looked down at the letters she had painstakingly drawn, each one the same height centered at the top of the white poster, "It looks straight to me."
Vivi huffed in frustration, the muffled sound of her foot stomping against the cream colored rug making him smile, "That's because your head is on a slant."
"Oh," Seth swallowed back laughter, able to see this was very important to her –why, he didn't know but he wasn't going to hurt her tender feelings.
Throwing his shoulders back, he held his head straight, realizing how strange it was to actually think about holding his head straight, "How's that? Is my head on straight now?"
Dear God, this little girl was going to have him rolling on the floor –she was actually studying his head, visually measuring the distance between his shoulders and ears.
He could only hope he didn't have one ear lower than the other as it was supposedly expected of all people or she was going to point it out.
"It's straight," Vivi turned her attention back to the poster, her little face looking decidedly displeased, "Now you'll be able to tell it's crooked."
"Not by much," Seth got down on one knee, resting his forearm on his thigh as he fought hard to keep a serious expression –her little sigh of disappointment wasn't helping, "What's this project for?"
"Show and tell," Vivi turned her big golden eyes to him as her little face lit up with excitement, "I'm going to show everyone in my class where I was born and then tell them about how wonderful Spain is."
The corner of Seth's mouth tipped into a smile as he looked back at the poster, amazed at the careful detail she had put into it.
Along the top, in the center, she had written Spain in block letters.
In the middle was a carefully drawn map of Spain, colored in greens and browns and grays with a big purple star in the middle, pink words spelling out Salamanca below it.
On the left hand side, a perfectly drawn rectangle colored in red with a coat of arms in the middle –the Spanish flag.
On the other side, a list of stuff about Spain under the title 'FACTS.'
"This is…very…" Seth wasn't sure how to say it –hell, this was the kind of the thing he would have managed to put together in high school, "I took a fishing poll to my second grade show and tell."
Vivi stared at him before solemnly saying, "I don't fish."
Seth let a chuckle escape him before he looked into her eyes, "What about your ballet shoes? You can take those."
"Everyone knows I do ballet," she stated rather primly, her rosebud mouth pursed as she locked her hands behind her back.
"Why don't you take Emmett," Seth gave her a big grin, thinking to himself what a brilliant idea that was; "Your friends would love to meet a teddy bear that wrestles nightmares and keeps sad feelings away."
"I can't take Emmett," Vivi said in sincere shock at his suggestion, "Who'll wrestle the nightmares away from my pillow while he's at school with me?"
"Oh," Seth smacked his forehead in a show of accepting his stupidity, "Right. I didn't think of that."
"I was going to take Einstein," Vivi turned to look sadly at her poster, "But he's not my dog and I think Marc's gonna take him for his third grade show and tell."
"Mhm," Seth turned to look at the poster, studying it quietly before saying, "No one will know that the 'S' is a little crooked."
"I'll know," Vivi muttered mournfully and Seth knew at that moment he had an over-achieving little girl on his hands –boy, high school was going to be loads of fun.
"We can fix it."
"How," Vivi asked in obvious disbelief as she looked up at him, "I already traced all the letters with a marker. You can't erase marker –that's why it says permanent on the side."
"You used my Sharpie," Seth exclaimed as he grabbed the black marker from the coffee table, "Vivi, you can't use these…these markers are for grown-ups."
"It smells funny," Vivi rubbed a small fist under her nose, rubbing the toe of her pink and silver sneaker against the rug, "And it made my head hurt."
"That's why you shouldn't use these," Seth tucked the Sharpie into the back pocket of his jeans, "You can use your markers –I even bought you the ones that smell fruity. Where are they?"
Vivi bit her bottom lip as she looked down at the rug, suddenly very intrigued with the silver laces of her shoes.
"Vivi."
"I buried them."
Seth's eyebrows lowered over his eyes as he asked with surprise, "Why would you do that?"
"Emmie thought because they smelled like fruit they would grow into fruit trees so we buried them in the flower bed beside the doll house," Vivi looked up at him through her eyelashes, "I couldn't tell her that she needed seeds to grow fruit trees…she was too excited about the markers."
Seth lowered his head as he laughed, "Is that why she dumps Einstein's water bowl in the flower bed every time she's over here?"
"Uh-hu," Vivi nodded, a dimple appearing on her right cheek as she smiled at him, "She checks on the markers every time –I told her we'll have to wait until spring for them to start growing into trees."
"Oh boy," Seth shook his head, running his fingers through his hair as he grinned at his niece, "We'll figure out how to get out of that mess later. For now, I've got an idea on how to fix your letters."
"How?"
"Glitter glue," Seth stood up, swinging her off the floor at the same time, her giggles making him smile as he made his way towards the front door, "It can fix anything."
Seth's laughter came from deep inside, the amusement of her response having completely overtaken him.
"I thought that was duct tape."
