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: Because it took me two weeks to get the last chapter up, I finished this one and decided to update it now...that's two updates in one weekend. Phew! Anyhow, enjoy the chapter as it's one of my favorites...just little scenes for each week of July -gotta get time to move along, after all.
Gaby -you're the best ever! Kudos to you for a wonderful suggestion that I've used in this chapter.
Ses -I still miss you.
Gianna -you're mentioned here...thanks for being the third grade teacher of my story. Lette -so happy to see your reviews. Everyone else -don't skip the reviews for the last chapter...leave two of them.
As always, enjoy as you read and please review -I need inspiration.
Chapter Twenty-One
First Week of July
"We're gonna be late," Marc squirmed in his seat, watching Seth pop the waffle out of the griddle and place it on the stacked platter.
"We still have three hours, Marc," Seth placed the tray in the middle of the table, opening the refrigerator to pull out the toppings –cut strawberries, fresh blueberries, maple syrup, butter and whip cream, "There's no hurry."
"We have to pick up Gabriel," Marc stabbed a waffle with his fork and slid it onto his plate, taking a spoonful of butter as soon as Seth placed the open container on the table and slathering it across the hot waffle, "That'll take about twenty minutes. The drive to Port Angeles is an hour and fifteen minutes –another fifteen minutes if there's traffic. Then we have to find the right parking lot –that'll take ten to twenty minutes. Then –"
"Okay, okay, I get it," Seth placed a glass of orange juice on Vivi's setting, able to hear his little girl coming down the stairs, chattering a mile a minute as Rose came down behind her, "If you're in such a hurry, perhaps you should eat your breakfast instead of talking –that'll shave about five minutes."
Marc gave him a big grin before stuffing a piece of waffle into his mouth, the rest drowning in syrup and whip cream.
"And Miss Trinity said I could audition for the summer recital she puts on before school starts," Vivi climbed up onto her chair, looking adorable with her long red hair neatly twisted into a bun at the top of her head.
She was wearing a pink leotard with matching sheer skirt and white tights, the long ribbons of her ballet shoes were perfectly wrapped around her ankles and tied into neat bows at the back, "And she said next year, I get to start pointe."
"That's gonna hurt," Marc said, taking a gulp of his orange juice before forking another piece of waffle into his mouth.
Vivi shrugged as she placed blueberries on her waffle, one in each little square, "A ballerina knows how to rise above the pain."
Marc's eyebrows rose up but he didn't say anything, Uncle Seth's look letting him know he would get in trouble if he laughed thus hurting his sister's feelings.
Taking a strip of bacon from the plate next to the waffles, he slipped it to Einstein, the hound dog lying under his chair before taking a piece for himself.
"Miss Trinity also said Nika is doing really, really good although she just started last month," Vivi cut a piece of her waffle, making sure to keep the blueberry on the waffle, "And Nika really likes ballet and Miss Trinity –why doesn't the reservation school have ballet?"
Rose shrugged as she prepped her own waffle with strawberries and powdered sugar, "I don't know, Viv. Maybe Seth knows why."
Vivi's small head swung to look at Seth, her gold-brown eyes wide with sincere curiosity.
Seth scooped a spoonful of scrambled eggs onto his plate as he explained, "They teach Quileute rituals –ballet isn't part of them. It's not that it isn't good to learn ballet but being a reservation school, they focus on our history and traditions along with math, history, science and the other subjects you're learning."
"Nika says her teacher taught her how to make baskets," Vivi placed her fork on the edge of her plate to pick up her orange juice glass with both hands, "My teacher didn't teach us how to do that."
"Exactly," Seth smiled across the table at Rose as she cut her waffle into bite size pieces, "Basket weaving is part of our culture –along with pottery, wood carving and storytelling."
"All done," Marc cleaned his mouth and hands on his napkin before jumping off the chair and taking his plate and glass from the table, "I'm gonna go brush my teeth then we can go."
"I've barely started eating my breakfast," Seth pointed out as Marc placed the plate and glass into the dishwasher machine, the little boy giving a shrug as he made his way out of the kitchen, "That's because you were talking."
Rose and Vivi laughed at the look of shock on Seth's face, Einstein running after Marc as he headed up the stairs, the brand new baseball cleats he was wearing echoing on the wooden floor.
"Well," Seth gave his wife a smile as he dug into his breakfast, "Today's going to be a busy day."
"Yes," Rose nodded as she finished the last of her waffle, Vivi only halfway done, "We're picking up Nika then heading into Port Angeles for their ballet class. After that, we're meeting Kim at the Waterfront Gallery –she wants me to do the photos for the brochure."
Seth gulped down his orange juice, placing the empty glass on the table, "I'm picking Gabe and Zaky up. T-ball tryouts for Marc start at ten, the peewee football tryouts for Gabe are at eleven –I'm damn lucky their both at Lincoln Park –oh, and I promised Zaky we could go surfing this afternoon so that pretty much takes up most of my day."
"You shouldn't say damn," Vivi said, hopping off her chair and taking her plate and glass to the dishwasher, "According to the dictionary, it's not a good word."
"I thought you weren't allowed to read the dictionary anymore," Seth stated, Rose laughing as Vivi closed the door to the dishwasher and turned to look at him, "Miss Brizza said the dictionary helps enrich one's vocabulary."
Seth bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, Rose looking down at her plate as her shoulders shook, Vivi running out of the kitchen to head upstairs, passing Marc as he headed down the stairs, Einstein right at his heels, "I'm ready to go!"
Second Week of July
Rose smiled at the sound of giggling coming from the backseat of her car, looking into the rear-view mirror to watch as Vivi and Nika talked to each other, their topic of conversation the usual one –boys and their stupidity.
"He makes me so mad," Nika stretched out her legs, pointing her toes as she tried to touch the back of the driver's seat, "He took my Twinkie at lunch time –every day."
"That's not nice," Vivi crossed her legs on her booster seat, arranging her sheer black ballet skirt over her knees, black leg warmers matching the leotard, her tights the same pink as her dance shoes, "At least he doesn't pull your hair anymore."
"But I like Twinkies," Nika drew her knees up, the heels of her slippered feet resting on the edge of the booster seat usually used by Marc, "And he's gonna be in my class again when school starts…he'll probably start taking my lunch too."
"Why don't you have your mama put in two Twinkies," Vivi reached up to push at the little curls framing her face, the wisps of hair tickling her skin –after an hour of ballet practice, all the little baby hairs had sprang out of place, "That way, he can take one and you can still have a Twinkie left over."
Nika bit her bottom lip as she thought about it, small sigh escaping her, "He'll probably just take both of them…I wish Daddy would let me go to your school."
"But then you won't learn about being Quileute," Vivi's eyes were wide with seriousness, her little nose wrinkling when Nika frowned.
"I don't know why I have to learn about being something I already am," Nika looked out the window, her frown melting into a smile at the sight of her Daddy in the front yard, Ian riding his bicycle up and down the sidewalk while Patty worked on his new found skill –walking.
"I think it's great," Vivi played with the ribbons wrapped around her small ankles, "You know how to make baskets."
"I can teach you," Nika offered as Rose pulled up to the curb, her Daddy coming down the drive to open the back door, "Granma Meme makes really big ones with lots of colors –I don't know how to make those yet."
"Hey, sweet-pea," her Daddy leaned down as soon as he opened the door, giving Vivi a smile before undoing Nika's seat belt, her arms going around his neck as soon as he pulled her out of the booster seat, "How did ballet go today?"
Nika gave her Daddy a big smile; her dark brown eyes were so like Kimmy's it made Jared's heart squeeze with love, "Great! I learned how to do a pirutte."
"A pirouette," Vivi corrected her, bending as far as possible to be able to see Nika and her Daddy, "And it was a beautiful one, too."
Nika felt her Daddy's chest vibrate, his laughter making her smile grow bigger as he kissed her cheek, "That's good, baby," he turned to smile at Rose, "Thanks for dropping her off. She's really enjoying this ballet thing."
Rose grinned as she handed him a manila envelope, "There's going to be a recital the last Friday of the month. There're permits and such in there for you to sign. Do you know if Kim's still able to take them to the studio on Thursday?"
"As far as I know, yes," he took the envelope from her, hoisting Nika higher up his side, "If something comes up, I'll take them."
"Thanks Jared. I have to get to the house –Sue and Charlie are coming over for dinner."
"Alright. See ya later Rose. Bye Vivi."
"Bye!"
Nika and Vivi waved at each other as Rose pulled a U-turn onto the street to head to their house, Vivi turning as much as she could to wave out the back window.
"Tia."
Rose glanced over her shoulder to see Vivi starting at her, "Yes Vivi?"
"Why are boys so dumb?"
Rose chuckled as she turned left onto their street, "I think that's a question you need to ask your Aunt Leah."
Third Week of July
"Embry," Emily's smile grew as he walked into the house, Emmie in his arms, "I haven't seen you in a long time. And you brought Emmie with you."
"Emmie wanted to play with Lili today," Embry grinned at the little girl sitting at the other side of the table, her straight black hair held back at the sides with flower barrettes, her little hands clapping joyfully as Emmie giggled.
"Want a cookie," Lili took one from her plate and offered it to her cousin, Emmie nodding vigorously, running around the table to climb up onto the chair with Lili as soon as Embry set her down.
Emily smiled at the sight of the two little girls as they giggled over the shared cookie, taking a plastic cup from the cupboard and filling it halfway with milk, placing it before Emmie as she gave Embry a smile, "So what are you up to today?"
"Aside from spending it with my Princess," he shrugged, grinning as Emmie picked up the cup in both hands, a milk mustache left behind on her upper lip as she set the cup back on the table, "I'm waiting on supplies I ordered before I start gutting the house."
"When are you expecting to get started on that," Emily moved around the table as a timer went off, putting on oven mitts to pull out a tray of muffins.
"Sometime next week," Embry reached over Emily's shoulder to grab a hot muffin, letting out a moan as soon as he bit into it, "Oh man, I've missed these."
Emily laughed, placing one on the plate between the girls, "You're hardly ever here. Doesn't Leah let you have any of her muffins?"
Embry laughed as he took another bite, chewing a few times as he watched in amusement as Lili and Emmie tore into the muffin, their little fingers picking at the blueberries, "Leah doesn't make muffins. She makes cookies. I get plenty of peanut butter cookies when Rick isn't looking but no muffins."
Emily laughed as she turned off the oven, spreading a checkered cloth over the basket of muffins, "Are you needing to go somewhere?"
"No," Emmie looked up at her aunt before looking over at Embry, "Mou's going to play with us."
"I see," Emily gave her niece a smile before looking at Embry, "In that case, can you watch them both? I want to take these muffins to Billy then swing by Rose's place to pick Brad and Bailey up."
"Take your time."
Emily leaned down to give Lili's forehead a kiss, a smile on her face as she told her baby girl, "I'll come back soon, Lili. I'm taking these muffins to Billy. You be a good girl for Embry, okay?"
Lili nodded, reaching up to hug her mother's neck as she planted a kiss on her scarred cheek, "Okay mama. Emmie's my best friend so we gonna play with my dollies."
"That's my girl."
Lili giggled at Emily's fingers tickling her sides, turning to look at her blue eyed cousin, "You're my best friend. Am I your best friend?"
Emily chuckled, taking the basket and car keys before walking out of the house, completely missing the adorable way Emmie scrunched up her face, "Mou's my best friend."
Lili's bottom lip poked out in a quiver, her dark brown eyes wide as they filled with tears.
"Princess," Embry's low voice caught Emmie's attention, a sad look on her face when she turned to look at him, "You can have more than one best friend."
"I can?"
"Yes," Embry reached across the table to cup Emmie's chin, "Remember how your Aunt Rose and Uncle Seth are my best friends too?"
Emmie nodded before turning to smile at Lili, "You're my best friend too. Mou and you –that makes two best friends."
Lili sniffed before she gave her cousin a slightly shaky smile, "You are my best friend and mama is my best friend too."
"My mama is my best friend too," Emmie held up three little fingers, "And Vivi too. That's four for me."
"Bailey is my best friend," Lili held up her little hands, two little fingers on each one standing proud as she counted, "And Brad too. That's…four!"
Emmie nodded before holding up five fingers, "Marc is my best friend…and Gabe too. Oh! Zaky and Alyx and Andrey too!"
"That's lots of best friends," Lili wiggled excitedly on her seat, "My Daddy's my best friend. Is your Daddy your best friend?"
"Na-ah," Emmie shook her head, her pigtails brushing the tops of her ears, "He's my Daddy. That's the mostest important job ever."
Embry chuckled at their conversation, giving Emmie and Lili a smile when they turned to look at him, "What about Tyra, Princess? Isn't she your best friend too?"
Emmie shook her head, "No 'cause she's too little and she doesn't talk and I don't play with her so she's just my baby sister."
Lili scrambled off the chair, her straight hair swinging forward to brush her chin as she smiled up at her cousin, "Wanna play dollies?"
"Uh-uh."
And simple as that, the best friend tally was over.
Embry watched them run down the hall towards the bedroom belonging to Lili, several minutes passing before they returned, each one carrying a decorated shoe box.
"Mama made a new dress for my dolly," Lili skipped into the living room, Emmie behind her.
Dropping to her knees, she placed the box on the rug covered floor, Emmie facing her as they both took the lids off the boxes.
Emmie pulled out a blond haired Barbie doll with a purple dress, "This one needs shoes."
"Here," she handed her a small teal colored box, "Mama gave me the box for the shoes. It had earrings in there. Daddy gave them to mama for her birthday."
Emmie nodded, setting the box on the floor before looking around the living room, "Mou."
"Yes Princess," Embry stood up from the kitchen table to walk into the living room, grinning when she pointed at the couch, "Sit there, Mou."
Chuckling, he walked around her to sit where he had been told, leaning back into the comfortable sofa as he watched them dress and undress the three dolls Lili had, the little brown eyed brunette giving her cousin pointers on what clothes went together with what shoes.
Several minutes passed in friendly little girl chatter when Emmie dropped her doll and scrambled to her feet, running towards one of the living room windows.
"What's wrong, Princess?"
"It's a spider web," she pointed excitedly at the top corner of the window pane, "It's got long legs."
Embry was surprised a spider could be found inside Emily Uley's tidy house and knew the moment Emmie shared her arachnid discovery with her aunt, there was going to be some serious cleaning happening for the rest of the day, "It's probably a Daddy long legs."
"I wish I had a jar," Emmie murmured under her breath, Embry turning to look at Lili as she tugged at his pants' leg.
"This is Crystal," she held up a brunette Barbie doll wearing a teal and yellow dress with yellow shoes, "Mama made the dress for her –she's a model and other people look at her clothes 'cause they're pretty."
"That is a pretty dress," he smiled at Sam's little girl, his lips spreading into a grin as she handed him the doll before picking up another one –a redhead this time with a blue top and black skirt –and brought it to his side to show him, "This one's Samantha –she's a model like Crystal. Mama and I drew the skirt and blouse. It's even got buttons, see?"
Embry leaned forward to take a closer look at the doll's blouse, impressed to see that it not only had tiny pearl buttons but a collar and buttonholes, "You and your mama did that?"
"Uh-uh," Lili climbed up onto his lap, her brown eyes bright as she looked up at him, "Mama draws them 'cause I still can't draw but I tell her what I see in my head."
Embry chuckled, keeping a hand on her small back so she wouldn't tumble back as she excitedly swung her small feet, the little sneakers she wore with a brown corduroy skirt and pink ruffled top occasionally making contact with his other knee, "You'll learn how to draw when you go to school."
"Mama says I'm going to school this year!"
"Me too," Emmie exclaimed excitedly as she turned away from her study of the spider and it's web, dark eyebrows lowering over blue eyes as she took in the sight before her, "What are you doing?"
"I'm showing Mou my dolls," Lili gave her cousin a smile, not understanding the dark look she was getting in return as the little girl moved to stand at Embry's other leg, her little jaw tight as she pulled herself up onto his free lap, "He's my Mou, not yours."
"Princess –"
Embry stared in shock as Emmie leaned forward and pushed Lili off his lap, the little girl tumbling onto the couch with a gasp of surprise, big brown eyes wide as she stared at her cousin.
"That wasn't nice, Emerie," Embry looked down at Emmie, watching her bottom lip poke out as blue eyes filled up with tears, "You should have asked her to get down. You can't push people whenever you please."
Emmie sniffed as a tear slid down her round cheek, "But I don't want her sitting on you."
"I know, but you didn't have to push her. I think it would be good if you apologize."
Emmie turned to look at her cousin, the pout still in place as Lili stared at her, eyes still wide in surprise, "I'm sorry I pushed you but he's my Mou, not yours, so you can't sit on him."
Lili nodded, the obvious shock slowly wearing out as brown eyes filled with tears.
Embry wasn't sure what to do –Lili needed to be held, obviously, but if he did that, he would have a teary Emmie to deal with as well.
The sound of the front door opening let him know help was coming, heavy steps crossing the kitchen before Sam appeared at the living room entrance.
"Daddy," Lili let out a wail as she climbed down the couch and ran across the living room into her father's arms, burying her face into his neck as soon as he picked her up.
"What's wrong, Lili-bug?"
Lili's words were garbled as she pointed towards Embry and Emmie, her tears coming hard as she hiccuped. Sam rubbed a hand down her small back as he looked over at Embry, Emmie crying into his chest as he himself did some comforting, "What happened?"
"Lili climbed into my lap," Embry hugged Emmie closer as she let out a hiccuping sob, her tears soaking his t-shirt, "Emmie took a dislike to that and pushed her off."
"She didn't get hurt, did she," Sam moved his hand over Lili's head and shoulders, this time to make sure she wasn't hurt.
"No," Embry stood up, Emmie's face buried into his neck as he hoisted her up higher against his chest, "She landed on the couch. Emmie apologized but you know girls –gotta get it out of their system before they move on."
Sam laughed as a voice called from the living room, "I heard that."
They both swallowed back a chuckle as Emily came into the living room, her brown eyes dancing as she scowled at them, "It just so happens that a good cry helps get rid of all the bad feelings. They'll be fine."
Embry nodded as Emmie peeked out from under his chin, looking at her cousin as she did the same, both little girls staring at each other for a few seconds before Lili sniffed then smiled, her natural sunny and sweet disposition returning as she leaned forward to touch Emmie's head, "Is okay. We're still best friends."
Emmie smiled but she didn't let go of Embry's neck, simply giving a nod as she laid her head on his shoulder, her legs wrapped around his chest.
"I'll head on out –it's close to lunch time and Leah told me to get her home before then," Embry gave them a smile, Lili and Emmie shyly waving at each other, Sam having walked Embry to the front door.
"Hey," Sam called out to Embry as he walked down the front porch steps, grinning as soon as he turned to look at him, "Give me a call when you're ready to gut that house. I'll have the guys give you hand –it'll make the job go faster."
"Will do."
"Don't be a stranger, Embry," Emily leaned her head against Sam's arm as she gave him a smile, blowing a kiss at Emmie who giggled before she send one back, "And thank you for watching the girls."
"Not a problem. I'll see you two around."
Mother Nature was the only one talking as Embry made his way towards Leah's place, the occasional sniffle from Emmie interrupting the breeze moving through the trees.
"Mou?"
"Yes Princess."
She pulled her small face from hiding, the tip of her turned-up nose red as she placed a small hand on his cheek to keep his eyes on hers, "Do you still love me?"
Embry's mouth spread into a smile as he gave her nose a kiss, reaching up to stroke his thumb over her cheek, "No matter what you do, I'll always love you."
Emmie gave him a smile full of relief as she placed her head back on his shoulder, her small arms wrapping around his neck, "I'll always love you too."
The silence was comfortable as he continued down the street, turning a corner then another one a few blocks away, the Laskaris' little house within view as he made his way towards the end of the street.
A few blocks from their destination, Emmie let out a soft gasp as she lifted her head, "Mou!"
"Yes Princess."
"I forgot to tell Aunt Emily about her spider."
Embry chuckled as he looked into her bright blue eyes, reaching up to give her nose a gentle tweak, "That's probably for the best."
Last Week of July
"What do you think we should do," Seth asked as he held the passenger door open, watching Rose climb out of the car, admiring the way her legs looked in those skinny jeans and calf length brown suede boots, the brown sweater she wore hugging her curves, the hem ending past her hips, a wide gold belt around her small waist -the whole outfit highlighted her hour-glass figure to perfection.
"I'm not sure," Rose took his hand as he closed the door, following behind him towards the back of the house, "Miss Brizza had good reasons to support her suggestion. I mean, they're the same reasons why I made arrangements to advance Marc a year."
"Intellectually, Vivi would be more than fine skipping third grade," Seth opened the backdoor, letting Rose go in before him, closing the door behind him as he followed after her down the hall towards their back bedroom, "She's way ahead of all her classmates. I honestly think she'll do fine."
"But see, that's the thing," Rose hanged her purse on the hook inside the opened closet door, moving to sit at the side of the bed to bend down and remove her boots, "She may be ahead of her classmates, academically speaking, but emotionally…I honestly don't think she's quite there. With Marc, it wasn't a difficult choice because he's emotionally and psychologically, as well as academically, in step with the other kids in his class despite his young age. In fact, I'm sure we'll be skipping him a year again sometime in the near future."
"With Marc starting fourth grade this year," Seth walked out of the closet, having removed his shoes and socks, the button down shirt he wore un-tucked from his slacks as he undid his belt, "Vivi shouldn't have that hard of a time adjusting. They'll be in the same class with the same teacher."
"I think we should talk with Vivi about it," Rose let out a sigh as she stood up, carrying her boots into the closet to place them with her other shoes before walking back out, balancing herself with a hand on the door frame as she leaned down to remove her socks, "If anything, this is a choice she should be allowed to make."
"Good idea," Seth hung up the belt on the hook beside Rose's purse, taking her socks before heading into the bathroom to toss them into the hamper along with his, grabbing a t-shirt and pair of jeans from the shelves behind the bathroom door, "We can share what Miss Brizza said…as well as the principal's opinion. Who knows? She might like the idea of being in the same class with Marc."
Rose laughed at that, removing her sweater as Seth walked out of the bathroom, already changed into his worn out jeans and comfortable t-shirt, "Not if she has to sacrifice being in the same class with Gabriel."
"Ah, yes," Seth leaned against the door frame as he watched Rose change, her tight jeans joining the sweater and belt on the bed before she rummaged through her dresser drawers for a pair of shorts and a tank top, "Every girl's decision maker –boys."
Rose laughed, looking over her shoulder at him, seeing the way his brown-green eyes moved over her body, the obvious admiration for the bronze colored bra and panty set she was wearing showing on his face, "That's so not true."
"Oh really," Seth moved across the room as his eyes moved down the lush curves of her body before looking into her hazel eyes, "What were you thinking when you bought that?"
Rose giggled as she pulled out a pair of cotton shorts from a drawer, "Do you like it?"
Seth chuckled as he watched her pull the gray shorts on, a blue tank top following, "I do, yes. I've noticed you tend to match your underwear color to whatever top you're wearing."
"I do not," Rose reached up to undo her hair from the up-do she had put it on that morning for their meeting with Vivi's teacher and principal, moving towards the vanity to place the pins in the little jar she kept them in, "My top doesn't match my underwear right now."
"Well, that's because you're dressed for comfort –no one ever matches when dressed to be comfortable."
Rose giggled as she ran her fingers through her hair, her face flushing as he slipped his arms around her, his lips pressing a soft kiss against her neck, "This is a ridiculous conversation."
"I agree," Seth turned her around, pulling her flush against his body, "We only have a few minutes before Leah drops in with Marc and Vivi so why don't we have a quick make-out session while we wait?"
Rose laughed, wiggling out of his arms before moving across the bedroom floor towards the door, "You never do quick anything."
"Excuse me," Seth followed behind her, laughing when she picked up her speed to keep out of his reach, "Are you calling me slow?"
"Oh, it's not a bad thing," Rose giggled as she moved around the coffee table to keep it between them, able to see in Seth's eyes that he had certain thoughts in his head they didn't have time for, "In fact, I like you being slow…although that means I don't get to experience quick anything –quickie kissing, quickie sex –"
Rose let out a squeal as she ran around the back of the couch, letting out a laughing scream when he jumped over the couch, grabbing her before she could get away and tumbling them down to the rug covered floor, "Seth! No!"
Seth laughed as he tickled her sides, dipping his head to nibble playfully at her neck as he moved his hands under her shirt, one of his thighs between hers as he used his weight to keep her from rolling away, "How do you like that for quick, uh?"
"Stop," Rose laughed as she tried to get his hands out from under her shirt, tears running down her face as she squirmed under him, laughing as he moved his mouth from one side of her neck to the other, "Seth! Leah's going to get here –oh God! I'm going to pee myself!"
Seth laughed as he stopped tickling her sides, grinning down at her as he lovingly studied her flushed face, enjoying the way her eyes twinkled as she ran her fingers through her long hair.
The front door clicked open, Rose and Seth springing away from each other as they sat up, Leah grinning as she looked at them, "What are you two doing back there?"
Marc and Vivi climbed up on the couch to lean over the back so they could look at them, Marc's smile growing at the way Rose's face flushed a deep red, "Probably looking for Tia Rosa's contacts."
Vivi's eyebrows lowered over her gold-brown eyes as she looked at her brother, "Tia Rosa doesn't wear contacts."
Marc laughed as he hopped off the couch and headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge in search of a quick snack –he had just eaten lunch at Leah's but he was hungry…again.
"We were testing the softness of the rug," Seth said as he stood up, pulling Rose up to her feet beside him, "It's a little nappy but I think it'll work."
Leah cocked an eyebrow at them, biting back a grin as she watched Rose's face flush an impossible shade of red, "Right…I'll do my best not to think what for. Anyway, I'm heading out. I have a couple of errands to run and Rick's watching the kids so I need to hurry. See you two next week at mom's."
Rose and Seth waved as Leah walked out, closing the front door behind her.
Grinning at each other, Rose turned to look at Vivi, the little girl still kneeling on the couch as she looked up at them, "Did you have fun at Aunt Leah's?"
"We always have fun at Aunt Leah's," Vivi stated as she crossed her legs, undoing the laces of her sneakers, "Uncle Rick had to put Marc and Gabe on opposite corners twice today."
"That's better than last time," Seth muttered under his breath, smiling at Rose's giggles as Marc came into the living room with a stick of string cheese in one hand and a box of grape juice in the other, "What's the running tally so far, Marc?"
"It's been four years," Marc bit a piece off his cheese, his eyes staring up at the ceiling for a few seconds before he looked at Seth, "Twenty-seven time outs in the corner by Uncle Rick, three time-outs in separate bedrooms by Granma Sue, ten scoldings by Tia Rosa and two by Aunt Leah…and then there was the time Paul chased us around the house for breaking Rachel's vase during one of our scuffles...oh, and let's not forget the couple of times you've tried shaking sense into us."
Vivi rolled her eyes at her brother before looking up at Rose and Seth, "Why did Miss Brizza want to meet with you today?"
"Well," Rose moved around the couch to sit next to her niece, Seth moving to sit on the opposite side as Marc climbed up into the armchair catty corner from the couch, "Miss Brizza wanted to talk to us about the new school year."
"I'm going to be in Miss Gianna's third grade class," Vivi said with a nod, the ribbons in her hair fluttering with the motion, "Marc says she's really nice."
"She is," Rose reached up to tuck a curl behind Vivi's small ear, "Miss Brizza told us that you're a smart girl –a very smart girl."
Vivi nodded as she played with her socked feet, wiggling her toes against her fingers, "I like school and I like to learn new things."
"Miss Brizza thinks you'll learn even more things if they skip you a year," Seth watched Vivi's face as she looked from him to Rose then back, sudden understanding dawning on her as he continued to explain, "You would start fourth grade with Marc and his classmates –"
"What about Gabriel?"
"Well," Seth looked at Rose with an arched eyebrow, a smirk on his face before he looked back down at Vivi, "Gabriel's going to be in Miss Gianna's third grade class –"
"No," Vivi shook her head, not looking over at her brother as she drew her knees up into her chest, "I don't want to go to fourth grade without Gabriel –he's my best friend."
Marc didn't say anything, simply tightened his jaw as he toed off his sneakers, rubbing the sole of his foot over Einstein's back, the blue-tick hound stretched out under his feet.
"I understand that, Vivi," Rose placed her arm around the little girl's shoulders to tuck her into her side, "But a girl as smart as you needs to be challenged."
"I'm not smart," Vivi shook her head as she looked up at Seth, her gold-brown eyes bright with tears, "I can be stupid –I really can."
Seth chuckled as he pulled her into his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck as she cried into his shoulder, "You don't have to be stupid, Vivi. If you don't want to skip to fourth grade, you don't have too."
"I don't?"
"Of course not, Ladybug," Seth kissed her forehead as he stroked his hand down her back, trying not to grimace when she rubbed her face against his shirt, "Oh come on. You're leaving snot all over my shirt."
Vivi let out a giggle followed by a hiccup as she pulled back, "I don't have snot."
"Really," Seth tickled her sides, her giggles making him smile as she tried to wiggle out from his hands, "And why is that?"
"'Cause I'm a girl."
