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: FYI, in case y'all haven't picked up on it, one of my side stories is Julie and Lian...that's the reason why they're getting such big parts of the chapters...but no worries -it'll become more of Gabe and Vivi when they start getting older and noticing each other. I'm currently working on Ch. 14 and it looks good!

Gaby -love you lots! Can't wait for your review...despite the hateful spouting you do towards Lian, I still like reading what you think.

Ses -eight!

Gianna, Lette, moani, Chelsea, guests and other wonderful reviewers -if you have ideas of what you'd like to see with my story, go ahead and share them in your review...I might or might not use them but they will definitely help in the brainstorming process.

As always, enjoy as you read and please, Please, PLEASE review.

Chapter Thirteen
December 13th
Glasgow, Scotland

He stood in the shadows off-stage, watching as the guys finished setting up instruments, plugging in chords and turning on amplifiers.

He couldn't see her thanks to the people milling about on stage but he knew she was there.

"Alright," someone spoke up and he immediately recognized Adam, July's touchy-feely guitarist, "We're all plugged in. Jules –digits or vocals?"

Had he not been looking for her, he would have choked on his own tongue when she straightened up, lifting a black and silver guitar strap over her head, the crew parting to give him a clear view.

It made no sense, her looking so damn good in what she was wearing.

Hell, he was sure he had seen that outfit of cut off-shorts, high top sneakers, ripped shirt with a black tube top underneath on some strung out junkie back in New York but on July, it looked like it belonged on the runway –it had to be the mile long legs.

He watched as she adjusted the tone and sound of her purple and black electric guitar in her hands, a high ponytail tumbling over her shoulder as she turned to look at Adam with a grin, "Let's rock it."

"Alright," Dave exclaimed as he thumbed the bass drum a few times then in a seamless motion, the entire band began playing one of Led Zeppelin's songs.

He stood there, watching as they effortlessly moved from Zeppelin to Joplin, followed by Petty then AC/DC, the lights over the stage changing as the lighting techs worked on finding the best lighting for tonight's concert.

His respect for July's musical talent increased several notches as he watched her fingers moving over the steel strings, the concentration on her face giving her an almost ethereal look…or perhaps it was the bluish ting of the light they had on her at the moment.

As the last chords died down, Adam looked over at July, reaching up to wipe a hand over his forehead, "Low or high, Jules?"

Shaking her arms, she removed the guitar and carefully placed it on a stand next to an acoustic twelve string, rolling her shoulders back as she made her way to one of the microphones, "Let's start low and move up."

"Y'all heard her," Adam moved back to stand stage left near the keyboardist, giving the other guitarists a nod, "Let's Staton it up."

He watched the way her eyes danced as she laughed, the static on the microphone clearing up as the sound techs got it on the right channel.

Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath, her face slightly flushing as she began singing the well known Candi Staton song.

He called be baby, baby
All night long
Used to hold and kiss me
Till the dawn

Then one day I awoke
And he was gone
There's no more baby, baby
All night long

He called me baby, baby
All night long
Lord, I feel so empty
Since he's been gone

Lian took a deep breath, fighting back the irrational anger swelling up. The pain caused to her spilled out –and although they weren't her words, he could feel how personal each one was.

Now I lie here and I die here
Until the dawn
I miss my baby, baby, baby
All night long

He called me baby, baby, baby
All night long, yes, he did
Kiss my tears away
When things went wrong

What I'd give, what I'd give
If he'd come on back home
And call me baby, baby, baby
All night long, oh, yeah

Lian took a step back, unable to appreciate the way her smooth voice thickened into an identical match to Candi Staton's bluesy timbre.

Turning on his heel, a glint on the stage floor caught his attention.

He leaned down, picking up a thin silver chain, the pendant swinging at eye level as he studied it for a few seconds.

Turning his hand, he watched as the dim light caught the opal, the rainbow hue undulating as he moved his wrist again before it disappeared into his fist.

Looking over his shoulder, he could hear her singing the last few words, her voice thick with emotion making the song throb and the air around him vibrate with intensity.

Squeeze me, baby
All night long

I just wanna hear you say baby…


Julie easily caught the bottle of water Adam tossed her way, reaching back to swipe at the wet strands of hair sticking to her neck before twisting the top open, "That was a good warm up, concert's at eleven so we'll start rehearsing our song list at nine."

As she tilted her head back to take a long swallow, Adam reached out to tickle her throat, laughing as she sputtered, water spraying across his shirt, "Damn, Jules. You need to learn to hold your liquids."

"Shut up," Julie wiped the back of her hand over her wet mouth before slapping his shoulder, her face flushed with the heat from the stage lights, "It's your fault, jerk."

"Just admiring the bare neck."

Her eyebrows lowered in confusion as she reached up to touch the pendant nestled in the hollow between her collarbones, her eyes growing wide when she touched skin and nothing else, "Oh my God! Where's my mermaid?"

"Were you wearing it before we started setting up," Adam asked as he looked around the stage floor.

"I never take it off," Julie twisted the top back on her bottle, thrusting it into Adam's hands as Dan gave her a smile; "We'll look around here. Why don't you go see if it's in your dressing room? If we don't find it, we'll head to the hotel and look there."

Julie ran across stage, eyes sweeping the floor as she felt her heart beat painfully against her ribs.

Despite the fact it was a gift from Seth –and he wasn't on her list of favorite people –she was rather attached to her mermaid and somewhere in the smallest crevice of her heart, she believed it would help her find true love…if such a thing existed.

Rushing into her dressing room, the door banged against the wall as she headed straight to the lighted vanity table, moving bottles and jars, picking up brushes and pins, her heart sinking into her stomach –it wasn't there.

"Oh, fuck me," she muttered as she dropped everything back on top of the vanity, hands flat against the surface as she rocked forward, head dropping low between her shoulders, "Fuck me now."

"With pleasure."

Spinning around in surprise, wide purple eyes locked on Lian. He was sitting at the far end of the brown suede couch, a booted foot resting on one knew while he leaned his head against a closed fist, his elbow on the arm of the couch –the scariest thing, though, was the smile on his face…dear God, were her panties actually getting wet?

"What are you doing here?"

Lian's eyebrow arched in that cocky way of his, "Natalie called, told me your opening show bowed out and ordered me to Glasgow, no questions asked, no arguments heard."

Tightening her jaw, she turned her back on him, shifting the items on the vanity without seeing anything –she had looked forward to months of no Lian and now, thanks to that meddlesome bitch of a producer of hers, here he was, disturbing the cellular composition that made up her skin.

"Looking for something?"

"Yes," she ground out between her teeth, the lie coming out easily because she had been looking for something before she realized he was in the room –now, she was just trying to keep herself from feeling anything but anger and hate towards him.

And she did hate him –God, she hated him so passionately it almost set her up in flames whenever he touched her or looked at her in that way of his.

"Need help?"

Sucking in a deep breath, she quickly caught a jar before it tipped off the table, placing it back on the surface a little too hard, "Not from you."

She could hear him move, her body tensing as she mentally screamed for him to stay away while her body craved the feel of his hands.

"That's too bad," Lian's voice was smooth with a slight hint of amusement, "Considering I've found what you're looking for."

She turned around, hands gripping the edge of the table to stay upright –her legs were actually shaking!

Leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs, he gave her a one sided smile as he held up a fist.

Opening his hand, the silver chain tumbled down, the mermaid pendant swaying sharply before it turned several times then slowing down until it gently swayed.

"Where did you find it?"

"Off-stage," Lian tilted his head to the side, his dark brown eyes slowly moving over her and Julie knew she needed to stay strong –the look in his eyes screamed no good intentions that her body would enjoy but her heart wouldn't be able to endure.

Looking down at the pendant, he rotated his wrist until it rested against the outside of his hand, "The clasp was broken –you must have been bending down not to feel it slip."

She couldn't move from where she stood, her lungs seizing as he stood up in one long fluid motion.

Moving towards her, he held the delicate chain open between large hands, "Hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty to fix it while I waited for you to be done with the band."

"I –" Julie's voice chose to die right then and there as he stopped before her, their bodies so close all it would take was one deep breath for them to be touching.

Reaching up, he slid his hands over her shoulders, his fingers brushing the back of her neck as he took his time working the clasp, the familiar weight of the small pendant resting in the hollow at the base of her throat.

"She reminds me of you," Lian's low voice caused her heart to skip a beat as he looked into her eyes, his thumb brushing down the side of her neck, causing a shiver to run down her back, "Beautifully aloof…unreachable…unattainable…mythical."

Julie bit the inside of her cheek, attempting to keep her breathing steady but it wasn't easy when he was so close…and touching her.

"If there were such beings as mermaids," Lian moved his hands over her shoulders –bare due to the wide neckline of her ripped t-shirt –cupping the pendant as he pressed the back of his hand against her chest, his thumb moving over the small mermaid, "You would be one."

Clenching her jaw, she looked up at him, her ponytail sliding between her shoulder blades, tickling her skin, "You don't believe in mermaids?"

The slight incredulity in her voice had him arching an eyebrow in surprise, "You do?"

"Yes," Julie wanted space between them –she needed the space badly –but she was trapped between Lian and the vanity, "Family folklore has it some of my ancestors were mermaids."

Lian gave her a grin with a bit of a mocking edge to it, "Family legends on my end states vampires in close proximity will increase the werewolf population…what with them being natural enemies and all."

"Vampires are everyone's natural enemies," Julie whispered, swallowing back the need to yell at him to get away from her but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he affected her.

Lian stared into her eyes, studying her face for a few seconds before he started chuckling, "You had me going there for a while."

She didn't say anything, simply shifted her weight, her foot accidentally nudging the toe of his boot.

Looking away from his eyes, she let out a surprised gasp as her necklace tightened around her throat, his hand fisted around it as he leaned forward, his nose brushing her cheekbone, "The smell of hard work really becomes you, July."

Biting her bottom lip, she swallowed hard as she took a slow deep breath to keep her voice from shaking but she failed miserable, "Why are you doing this?"

Lian's lips briefly touched her cheek as he moved his nose down her jaw line, "I want you."

She was surprised by his honesty, her lower belly clenching with such vicious desire she couldn't hold back a moan.

She felt the necklace loosen, his rough fingers moving over her shoulders and down her arms, his thumbs brushing the outside swells of her breasts.

She had to stop this –she had to before her traitorous body flipped the off switch on her brain.

"You can't have me."

Her breath brushed over his neck and she watched in fascination as his pulse leaped before he moved back to look down at her, much needed space between their bodies leaving Julie feeling cold and oddly incomplete.

"Let me guess," Lian's voice had that razor edge of derision that warned her to still herself –he was going to draw blood, "You're in love with someone and plan on loving him until your dying breath."

Anger flushed her cheeks as she looked up at him, his words mocking the bloody mess that was her heart and her first instinct was to protect herself by lashing out at him, "I have no desire or intention of playing the whore for you."

Lian's eyes widened as his lips tightened into a flat line.

Dropping his hands to his sides, he moved away from her, "Who said anything about playing?"

She wanted to cry; she wanted to slap him; she wanted to scream at him that it wasn't fair, the things he said to her, what he believed on her.

It wasn't fair, because it wasn't true.

But she didn't do any of that for several reasons: if she slapped him, he would kiss her. If she cried, he would know how much his words hurt her…and if she screamed at him about unfairness, he'd just tell her to suck it up.

Life wasn't fair, after all.

The door to her dressing room opened, neither one looking away from each other as Adam came in talking, "Jules, we couldn't find your –oh."

Breaking the eye contact, she turned to give Adam a tight smile, "I found it."

"Right," Adam nodded, quietly studying the tableau before looking over at Lian, "What are you doing here?"

"Natalie's orders."

Several seasons of awkward silence passed before Julie realized he wasn't going to explain further, "Lian and his band are going to be our opening show."

"Swell," Adam's sarcasm was evident as he looked between them before giving Julie a smile, "We're heading to the hotel. Coming with us?"

"Yes," she finally let go of the vanity, her fingers painfully cramped, quickly making her way across the room before looking over at Lian.

Business. Think business.

"Concert's at eleven, we start rehearsing at nine. You guys should come in a couple of hours before that to do your own rehearsal."

Grabbing the backpack by the door, she walked out, telling herself that her heart was not hurting over the brief lost-little-boy look that had flashed across Lian's face.


The applause was thunderous, the screams deafening as Julie raised a hand over her head, her breathing labored as she gave a deep bow, her large smile bright under the hot spotlights.

Raising the microphone up to her mouth, she grinned, hard breathing sounding over the high-quality system, "Thank you! Thank you for having me here!"

Giving one more sweeping bow, she placed the microphone back onto its stand. Waving her arms at the crowd as they kept cheering and applauding, running off stage as the stage went dark, a couple of seconds passing before the arena's floodlights blinked on.

Covering her face as soon as she was off-stage, she let out a scream jumping on the balls of her feet in an effort to get rid of the adrenaline running through her body.

"You were awesome!"

A scream escaped her as she was lifted off the floor, laughter coming easily as Adam spun her around before tossing her over to Dan who squeezed her tight before placing her back on her feet, "That was off the wall, Jules! Fuckin' brilliant!"

Julie laughed, reaching up to tousle Dan's shaggy hair, wiping her hand on his t-shirt when it came away from sweat, "You guys were…great! Oh God! That was unbelievable!"

"You say that after every concert," Dave wrapped his arm around her head, giving her neck a squeeze before letting go, "You always act like it's your first."

"Performing in front of so many people," Julie shook her head, pulling out a hair tie from the pocket of her tight jeans to tie her long hair up into a twist, "It doesn't get old. Know what I mean?"

"Hell yeah, know what you mean," Eric –her electric guitarist –held up his hand to give her a high five, "When it does get old, you step down and let someone else take a turn at reaching the top."

"Exactly," Julie let out a breath, rubbing her tingling palms against her denim clad thighs, "Man…I hadn't expected this many people to know who I was…much less pay money to hear me sing for two hours."

"Baby," Adam wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he grinned down at her, his thumb brushing at the heated skin behind her ear, "You're a star –scratch that. You're the star."

Julie laughed, reaching up to squeeze his hand before stepping out from under his arm, giving her drummer a big smile when he reached out to gently cuff her chin, "You go unwind, Jules. We'll start putting stuff away."

"Thanks, Dave," Julie rubbed the back of her neck, her breathing finally evening out, "I can use a little down time…and some hot tea."

"Go take care of that voice, baby," Adam reached out to squeeze her shoulder before following after the guys, calling out over his shoulder with a teasing grin, "You're our bread and butter, after all."

Julie laughed as she headed towards her dressing room, taking a look around as soon as she opened the door, a sigh of relief escaping her when she found the room empty.

Walking in, the soft click of the closing door sounded behind her as she looked at the couch –it would be great to get off her feet but she was so wired she couldn't stay still.

Pulling the clinging top over her head, she closed her eyes, enjoying the cool air brushing against her heated skin.

Two hours under hot stage lights always left her sweating under her clothes –considering she refused to wear anything extremely skimpy, she always felt overheated after her concerts.

Tossing the top over a chair, she arched her back before grabbing a long sleeve cotton top from the open suitcase sitting on a table, yanking it over her head as a knock sounded at the door.

Pulling the hem of the light blue top down to her hips, she called over her shoulder, "Come in."

The door opened and she knew from the shifting of the energy in the air it was none other than Lian.

"The guys wanted to see if you'd like to go to the Cathouse," Lian leaned against the door-frame, ankles crossed as he let his eyes lazily travel down her body then back.

"I was planning on heading back to the hotel," Julie closed her suitcase, zipping it up before grabbing the wet top and stuffing it into a side pocket.

"If you're anything like me after a concert, there's no way you'll be able to relax," Lian's voice sounded friendly yet oddly detached as she moved towards the vanity.

Placing her make-up stuff into a hot pink bag, she knew he was watching her through the reflection of the mirror, "You're way too wired to sleep and you'll only end up pacing the floor until sunrise."

"I'll swim a few laps at the indoor pool," she zipped the bag, placing it on top of her suitcase before looking around the room to make sure she hadn't left anything of hers behind.

"Your guys are coming too," he said in a last ditch effort to change her mind.

Julie knew that he was right –she was wide awake with adrenaline coursing through her veins…and although going out was the norm for her and the guys in her band, she didn't want to put herself in a situation that would lead to Lian shooting off his mouth –she didn't know why he did it but she knew he would.

Taking a deep breath to say no one more time, Adam's knock on the outside of the opened door interrupted the moment.

He gave Lian a tight smile, "Great show, man."

"Thanks."

Despite the platitude, it was obvious in his tone he didn't really care what her guitarist thought of his opening show –although Julie agreed with Adam, it had been amazing.

"We're heading to the Cathouse to let out some steam," Adam moved into the dressing room to go stand beside her, his back to Lian as his blue eyes smiled down at her, "You coming, right?"

Julie knew the moment she said the words out loud, she was going to hate herself but she couldn't hold back the desire to prick Lian's pride as she gave Adam a flirty smile, "I'd love to go with you and the guys."

"Really," Adam's smile widened as he reached out to touch her cheek, his thumb slightly dipping into the corner of her mouth before he stepped back, "I'll go tell the other guys."

Julie knew she had just made a horrible mistake…not only had she led Adam to believe she was interested in him –something she had worked so hard not to do in the past years knowing his feelings for her –but she could see the anger in Lian's dark eyes as he kept his gaze steady on her.

As soon as Adam was out of the room, Julie braced herself –if she knew Lian well, he wasn't going to let this go without causing some damage.


Lian felt like punching something –or someone.

He knew he should keep his mouth shut –it was her right to refuse or accept invitations from whomever she fucking pleased.

That little act had been for the sole purpose of pissing him off and she had succeeded –and he was going to let her know.

Simply put, games were something he hated and there was no way she was going to get away with making him feel the way he was feeling right now without her getting some of the her own back.

Reaching for the door knob, he arched an eyebrow, his voice devoid of any emotion despite the cutting words he spoke, "Never thought I'd be adding bitch to the list of things to call you."

He heard the sharp intake of breath but he didn't watch her face; he didn't want to see the anger or the hurt in her eyes so he walked out, closing the door behind him before heading out to join his guys.


The Cathouse
3:15 AM

The music was loud, energy throbbing in the air as she moved to the music, letting her thoughts and emotions bleed into the simple movements of her body, never once letting herself think past the visceral desire to separate mind and body.

A hand brushing across her back had her crashing back to earth, her eyes swinging up to look into Lian's face as he leaned over to yell by Adam's ear, "I'm cutting in!"

Almost as if it were planned, the next song came out slow and heavy, Julie taking a sharp breath as Lian pulled her into his arms, her hands resting on his upper arms, somewhat surprised by the defined muscles that rippled under her fingers.

"Enjoying yourself," he said into her ear, his lips brushing her sensitized skin, forcing her to suppress a shiver before it revealed the fact that he could easily get under her skin.

"Yes," she had meant to say it loud to be heard but it came out as a whisper that brushed across his face, soft and warm with a slight hint of liquorish thanks to the couple of Jager shots she had taken.

They danced in silence, their bodies brushing and touching as he held her close.

As the song faded and another fast throbbing one began, he took her hand to lead her off the dance floor, easily moving around the crowd to the second floor where they had been given a large VIP section.

"We got another round of shots," Dave yelled as soon as they arrived at the tables, handing each of them a shot glass with the dark liquor, "Drink up!"

Julie knew once she downed this one –her third of the night –her inner bitch was going to make an appearance but after a few seconds of thinking it over, she decided to go for it.

If anyone deserved to go head to head with her while drunk, it was Lian.

Tossing it back, she smoothly sat at one of the round corner tables, moving across the bench seat when Lian sat next to her.

Dave handed her another shot as Adam bounded into their section, a waitress behind him with a tray of shots, beer bottles and tumblers, "Got more alcohol!"

"You are trying to get me drunk, aren't you," Julie teased as she took an offered tumbler of whiskey, her eyes growing watery as soon as she sniffed it, "What is this?"

"Scottish whiskey, baby," Adam grinned at her as he slipped the waitress a tip, tossing back a shot glass of Jager before picking up a tumbler of the amber liquid, "And of course we're trying to get you drunk. This is the first time any of us have ever seen you drink...you're always the D.D."

"There's a reason I don't drink," Julie sipped at the whiskey, the smooth liquid burning a path down her throat, "The consequences of it are too painful to deal with."

Adam laughed, misunderstanding what she meant by that as he leaned across to table to give her a cocky grin, "That's because I wasn't around to give you the best hangover cure ever."

Julie laughed, setting the tumbler on the table before leaning forward to point a finger at Adam, a cocky smirk on her face, "I don't get hangovers."

"Then what painful consequences are you talking about," Micah –Lian's drummer –grinned at her as he picked up a lime wedge along with a shot of tequila, "Waking up and not remembering if the guy was any good?"

Everyone laughed –except Lian who merely sipped on his rum and coke, looking sideways at Julie as she tossed back another shot before giving Micah a grin, "Is that what the girls you take home ask you the morning after?"

Lian hid his smile into his glass as the other guys howled, Micah flabbergasted as Ryan –he played the keyboard in Lian's band –leaned over the booth, slapping his friend's back, "Burned! She sure put you in your place."

Micah's face flushed slightly as he tossed back the shot, giving the lemon a hard suck before looking across the table at Julie, "You're a bitch."

Julie laughed, shrugging her shoulders as she picked up her whiskey, "Can't handle what you ditch, keep your hole shut then."

"I get it now," Dan laughed as he exchanged his empty bottle for a fresh one, "The painful consequences are to the rest of us, uh?"

Julie grinned, saying nothing as she continued to sip at her whiskey.

Shifting on her seat, she let out a long breath, trying to get her body under control –she was hyper-aware of Lian sitting beside her, causing her nerves to jump and tighten with every move he made.

Yes, inner bitch was out and ready to play but did she also have to be so damn horny?

Adam finished his whiskey, watching Lian as he watched Julie, thinking that if alcohol turned her into a bitch then he should point her in his direction…scare him off, so to speak, "Hey, Lian. What's up with that model girlfriend of yours?"

As soon as he turned to look his way, Adam knew he had just made a big mistake thinking he could mess with this guy –there was something in the dark glare he was receiving that let him know this was a fight he should think twice about picking up.

"She left for Puerto Rico back in June," Lian drawled as he stretched his arm out to set his glass on the table, "To fulfill a three year contract with Dalai."

"Giving the relationship a long distance try, uh," Julie sneered at him as she shifted in the seat, needing some space as she mentally told herself to get a grip but it wasn't easy –the bastard had kissed her while he had a girlfriend!

"No," Lian turned to look at her, stretching an arm across the booth's backrest, his fingers brushing her shoulder, "She dropped me as soon as she got what she wanted."

"Opportunistic bitch," Dan shook his head as he picked up a beer bottle, handing Julie another shot, "Drink up, Jules."

"All of Lian's exes are opportunistic," Evan –one of his guitarists –grabbed a beer bottle, missing the look of warning Lian shot his way, "Remember Audrey? That bitch was the worst."

"Ever thought of finding a girl interested in more than just your money and fame," Julie asked, tipping her whiskey glass back to drain the last of the amber liquid, the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach spreading throughout her body.

"It's been my experience most women are only interested in money and fame," Lian looked down at her as he covertly played with her hair, picking up the soft tresses to let them slip through his fingers and down her back.

"Maybe because that's all you have to offer," Julie gave him a smile, suppressing a shiver from running down her back.

The other guys laughed as he stared down at her, several seconds passing before his mouth spread into a grin.

"So I've been told," he tilted his head to the side as he moved his fingers through her hair to give her ear a slight tug, causing a streak of pleasure to zip down her body, "Then again, none of them ever bothered to dig for more than what's on the surface."

Julie looked up into his dark eyes, her alcohol-soaked brain unable to focus on anyone else but him as she poked his chest with a long finger, "Probably because there's not much to dig for."

Lian smiled as he leaned closer, the tip of his nose brushing hers as he whispered, "I'm sure you've heard assholes are always the ones hiding a sensitive heart."

"Oh, yes," Julie's breathing was coming in soft flutters as her eyes focused on his smiling mouth, her tongue involuntarily poking out to touch her bottom lip, "All the good stuff…buried under piles and piles of bullshit."

Lian threw his head back as he laughed, his fingers sliding into her hair to curve around the back of her neck as he looked into her eyes, his own dancing with amusement, "Considering you have your own money and fame, you should think of giving it a try."

Julie scrunched up her nose as she looked away from him, leaning forward to take the shot Dan had left on the table for her, "I don't like wasting my time with hopeless causes."

Lian leaned forward, taking her hand before she reached the glass, whispering into her ear as he pulled her out of the bench and onto her feet, "Some hopeless cases are worth the time wasted."

"Where are we going," Julie asked as she let him lead her out of the VIP area and across the club, too soused to think of doing anything else.

Pulling her next to him, he lifted his arm over her head to place it around her shoulders, her hand still secure in his, "I'm taking you back to the hotel –you've had too much to drink and if I recall, there's a benefit concert in your scheduled later today."

"I'm not sleeping with you," Julie told him in a stern voice that sounded more like a meowing kitten.

"No," Lian looked down at her with a smile, his thumb brushing against her jaw, "You're sleeping alone tonight."

They walked out of the club, the doorman stepping to the edge of the curb to flag down a cab as soon as one was in view.

Lian's eyebrows lowered as she looked up at him, gnawing on her bottom lip for a few seconds, "Lian?"

"Yeah."

"Do you really think I'm a bitch?"

A slow smile spread across his face as he reached up to gently grasp her chin between his thumb and index finger, "After eight shots of Jager and a glass of really strong whiskey, definitely."

Julie stared up into his dark eyes, seeing something there that amazed her.

Her inner bitch hadn't intimidated him as it did with most guys –hell, looking into his eyes, she could see he was actually amused by her.

"What about before," Julie whispered, not sure why she cared but being drunk didn't just mean she could be a bitch –it also meant she had no verbal filter whatsoever, "In the dressing room?"

Lian let out a slow breath as he spread his long fingers against the side of her face, the calluses at the tips scrapping over the soft skin of her temple, "Anger to me is like alcohol to you…I can't seem to shut up when I get angry…especially at you."

"Why are you so angry at me," Julie blinked, somewhere in the back of her mind completely horrified that she was about ready to start crying.

Lian let his eyes slowly roam over her face, taking in every detail, however minute…such as that faint freckle at the corner of her mouth, "I want you…I already told you that. I've wanted you since the first time I heard your voice…but it's so obvious you're hung up on someone else. You literally have a bleeding heart, July, for a jerk that doesn't deserve it. Where does that leave me?"

He took a deep breath as he let go of her hand, lowering his arm down her back to pull her in closer, his forehead resting against hers, "In the sidelines, just watching…and that makes me angry…at you…at him…at myself...at the whole fucked up situation."

Julie lowered her eyes, reaching out to touch the silver half moon woven into a leather band around his neck, her words soft against his skin, "I'm sorry."

Lian let out a deep breath as he wrapped both arms around her, pulling her into him, his chin resting on the top of her head.

As she wrapped her arms around his waist, the tears she had been holding back broke free, streaming down her face and soaking up his sweater.

Rubbing her back, he kissed the top of her head before leaning back to look down at her face, "I don't know how to fix you…or how to help…I guess that's something you have to do on your own but…it isn't easy doing nothing about the pain you're in when I wonder if it was even necessary in the first place."

Julie reached up to wipe her hand over her wet cheek, taking a shuddering breath as she whispered, keeping her eyes on that half moon pendant, "It was a choice I made…a wrong one, mind you, and now I need to live with my mistake…you can help by…by trying to be a friend?"

Lian let out a soft scoff as he watched a cab finally pull up to the curb, the doorman holding the back door open for them, "A friend…probably the only thing I deserve from you at this point."


Night of Christmas Eve

"…he sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle."

Rose watched as Vivi snuggled her cheek into Seth's chest, Marc letting out a yawn as his dark brown eyes finally closed, Seth turning the last page of the book before he continued in a low voice, "But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

Closing the book, he carefully set it aside so as not to disturb the sleeping kids in his arms, smiling at Rose as she offered to help him take them up to their rooms, "I can take them. You start getting things ready for tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Rose leaned forward to kiss his cheek before pulling the blanket off of them, watching with a smile as he easily stood up, a sleeping child in each arm.

Rose tossed the blanket over the back of the couch, having moved it around to face the corner fireplace and family wall –called thusly due to all the family pictures.

Opening the hall closet, she pulled out a box filled with the surprise decorations, leaving the gifts in there for Seth to take out as she returned to the living room, kneeling by the coffee table she had set in front of the fireplace.

"I tucked both of them into Marc's bed," Seth walked down the stairs, heading to the stereo and putting in a CD of Christmas music, the volume low.

"He's got the space for it," Rose spread out a colorful cover over the top of the low table before pulling out a carved manger, "Maybe we should look into getting Vivi a bigger bed."

"I've asked," Seth came from the hallway, several wrapped boxes in his arms, "She says she likes her bed just fine."

Rose laughed as she set out the manger scene, re-arranging the little sheep and their shepherds, "She might change her mind once she's older."

"Maybe," he shrugged as he placed the boxes under the lighted tree, reaching up to pick off a sugared marzipan star.

"Hey," Rose gave him a reprimanding look over her shoulder, "Put that back. Vivi and I made them for tomorrow morning."

"Oh, come on," Seth gave her a puppy look, the Christmas lights on the tree making his eyes look luminous, "It's just one star…if I move this bell, no one will know."

"I'll know," Rose's voice was rather prim and he couldn't hold back the laughter as he returned the star to its place, licking the powder sugar off his fingers as he gave her a grin, "Vivi's definitely related to you."

Rose lifted a shoulder as she gave a delicate sniff, her full lips spreading into a smile as she looked up at him, "There are shortbread cookies in the kitchen. You can have two after you're done putting all the gifts under the tree."

"Woo-wee," Seth exclaimed in sincere excitement as he returned to the hall closet, taking out several more wrapped gifts, "Two whole cookies!"

"And a glass of milk."

Seth laughed, setting the gifts under the tree, making a third –and last trip –to the hall closet, "What more do we need to do?"

Rose reached into the box, pulling out colorful stockings, one for each child –not just Vivi and Marc but Leah and Rick's kids too, "I just need to hang these and we're done."

"Ah, see, that's where you're wrong," Seth re-arranged several of the larger gifts before moving to where Rose was hanging the stockings from the fireplace mantel, "If I recall from our first Christmas, we still have one more tradition to uphold."

Rose blushed, slipping the last stocking onto its hook as Seth wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips placing a soft kiss on the side of her neck as the soft guitar strings of O Holy Night floated through the stereo's speakers.

Turning in his arms, she smiled up at him, sliding her hands up his chest to his shoulders as he moved her in a slow circle in time with the music, his lips brushing her cheek as he whispered, "I love you so much Rose. You're the best gift I'll ever get."

Eyes bright as she looked up at him, she cupped his jaw with her small hand, her fingers soft against his skin, "You're everything I could ever want or need…te amo con todo mi ser."