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: I ask for...patience. And understanding...but above all, trust.
Kids appearing in this chapter: Marilynn and Skye Lahote, 2yrs old/ Emmie 7yrs old (4th grade). As usual, the age beside the chapter belongs to Gabriel.
Chapter Forty (10 yrs old)
Monday, September 9th
4:52PM
"Skye! Get back here!"
Paul ran down the hall, scooping up his two year old up into his arms, her laughter making him smile as he shook his head, turning to go back to the room she shared with her sister Marilynn, "You can't run around naked, girl. So let's get some clothes on you, yeah?"
"No," Skye shook her head, dark eyes twinkling as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp but he had too good a grip on her.
"I know naked Monday sounds fun but you're still potty training. I don't think those two things add up to a good outcome," Paul set her on her bed, holding on to her ankle as she tried to get away from him, "Now, we're going to put these pull-ups on and keep them on, k?"
Marilynn laughed as she watched from the corner where she was playing with her puzzles, thinking it funny as her father wrestled with Skye.
He managed to get her into a pair of pull-ups and a little white and purple t-shirt dress identical to Marilynn's, finally giving up on the rainbow stripped leggings as a knock sounded at the door, "Okay, fine, I'm done. Keep your clothes on, Skye or mama is not gonna be happy."
She wrinkled her nose as she turned stomach down to wriggle off the bed, reaching up to swipe her dark hair off her face as Paul stood up. For those two girls, mama was the one that made the rules, Daddy the one they ran too for games, hugs and giggles…in other words, that big man was wrapped around their tiny fingers and they knew it.
Heading out of the room, he pointed a finger at his youngest, her mischievous smile letting him know she was still contemplating going commando, "Keep your pull-ups on, Skye –I mean it. Come in!"
The front door opened, Sam walking in and closing it behind him as he grinned at the sight of his goddaughter standing behind Paul –she was holding her dress up and pointing at her Minnie Mouse pull-ups with a big smile, "Nice pull-ups, Skye."
Paul rolled his eyes before looking over his shoulder, rubbing the back of his neck as he admonished his daughter, "Put your dress down."
Laughing, she dropped the hem of her cotton dress, toddling down the hall towards the room where her sister still was.
Letting out a sigh, Paul motioned for Sam to join him in the kitchen, "What's up, man?"
"That is one wild child right there," Sam pulled out a chair as he gestured towards the hallway, Paul shaking his head as he pulled out a couple of beer bottles from the fridge, "No, no –not my girls. Those two are good girls and they're going to join a convent when they turn eighteen."
Sam laughed, taking the bottle Paul offered as he arched an eyebrow, "By choice, I hope."
"Of course by choice," Paul frowned at him as he pulled out the chair across the table, easily popping the bottle open as he looked towards the clock –Rachel was going to be home from the hospital in another hour, "So what's up?"
Taking a swig of the cold yeasty beer, he slouched a little in his chair, "We need to re-evaluate the boundaries and patrols."
Paul's eyebrows lowered as he took a swallow from his bottle, "Why?"
"Jared's officially done," setting the bottle on the table, Sam kept his eyes on Paul, "His temperature is down to 98.7…Dylan called last week. He's done with basic training and got accepted into the Rangers. Brandon informed me that in another year, he'll stop as well."
Paul nodded, thinking over what Sam had said before tilting his head to the side, "Dylan joined the Rangers?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded as he lifted the bottle to his lips, "Sniper training. He's still phasing but he won't be coming back any time soon."
"That leaves us with what?"
"You, Seth, Doug, Brady, Brandon, Quil and myself," Sam tilted the bottle, the kitchen light penetrating through the dark glass, "Not counting Rick and Embry. Or Collin, being he spends ninety percent of the year in Seattle."
Paul nodded, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table, "Rachel and I have been talking…the baby's due in January. I'm gonna stop phasing after that."
Sam nodded, dropping his eyes to the table as he shifted in his seat, "It's not a problem…we haven't had any activity since that thing with Rose…so it's not a surprise, really."
"What about you?"
Sam shook his head, "I can't stop –not until there's a new Alpha to take over…or no more pack. Doug and Brady won't stop phasing while Nika and Bailey are still kids. Quil's getting there what with Claire heading off to college next year and we both know he'll follow her wherever she decides to go."
Paul nodded, taking a pull of his beer before setting it down as he leaned back into the chair, "There're a lot of options in the new Alpha department."
"Yeah," Sam nodded, finishing the last of his beer before setting the bottle aside, "It's just a question of who goes first."
"Quite frankly," Paul lifted his shoulder in slight apology, "I think Gabe will."
"Why?"
He was able to hear the slight defensive sound to Sam's questions, "Don't get your balls in a twist. It's just…Gabe's psyche and physiology…it's already used to the changes that take place with phasing…he'll have to get used to being able to think as himself but quite frankly…I think he's like dynamite set in place. A lit match is all that's needed –and we both know who that is."
Sam bit the inside of his cheek as he thought over Paul's words, finally nodding as he looked up at his best friend, "Marc."
"Yeah," Paul tipped the bottle back, drinking the last of his beer before standing up, taking Sam's empty bottle and tossing them into the trash can, "I like the kid –we all do –but there's no denying he's dangerous. As long as he's around, there's always going to be that edge of expectation whether the kids recognize it or not."
"Specifically speaking the ones he's closest too," Sam ran both hands through his hair, letting out a heavy breath, "Gabe, Brad and Bailey."
"Yeah," Paul leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest, "There's no doubt those three will be the beginning of a new pack. The wheels have been set in motion –there's no way of stopping it."
Sam let out another heavy breath before pushing his chair back to stand up, "A lot to think about…I'm pulling in the boundaries…La Push, that's it. Being we literally have the catalyst in our home turf there's no point stretching ourselves thin."
Paul nodded, straightening up to accompany Sam to the front door, "I can do midnight runs but that's pretty much it."
"Got it," Sam nodded, looking around the living room, Paul clapping a hand on his shoulder, "What are you looking for?"
"My keys."
Paul's eyes slid close as he dropped his head back, "Where did you leave them?"
"The coffee table."
"Are you serious," he gave his best friend a look of incredulity, "You had two year olds, for fuck's sake! Skye!"
The little brunette trotted down the hall, stopping several feet from her dad, the hem of her dress in one small fist as she sucked on the cotton fabric, the fingers of her other hand poking at her belly button.
"Did you get Uncle Sam's keys?"
Skye giggled, running down the hall, Sam and Paul following behind her.
Stopping outside the bathroom, she pointed her little finger, giving them a big grin as they moved into the room, keys nowhere in sight.
Toddling in, she pointed at their pink and purple potty, the lid open and the obvious evidence of her ability to urinate on her own in the bowl…along with Sam's keys.
"That's gross," Paul stared at the bowl, Sam elbowing him on the side, "Get them."
Paul glanced up at him in surprise, "Why me? They're your keys."
"Your daughter put them in there."
"And you're the dumbass that left them on the coffee table."
Skye giggled as she watched them elbowing each other, dropping her dress as she looked into the bowl, shifting from side to side as Sam and Paul went back to staring at the keys in the bottom of the pee bowl.
Mama was gonna be so proud.
Thursday, September 12th
8:02PM
July…July…July…
The view outside the living room window was dark, the sable blue sky sporting a half moon brightly phosphorescent, a few stars sprinkled across the velvet behind the outline of forest trees.
Crossing her arms as she leaned her head against the cold glass, she closed her eyes, working hard to concentrate on the music behind her and not the steady beat coming from outside.
Lian's fingers moved over the neck of his guitar, softly singing under his breath as he strummed note to note, stopping a few seconds before starting over again –it was now his way of recalling the songs that evolved in his head.
Were he not so focused or were he able to see, he'd have caught the determination with which Julie pushed away from the window, "Let's go swimming."
Lian stopped singing, the soft vibrations of the guitar strings fading, "What?"
"I want to go swimming," Julie took the guitar from him, setting it on its stand, "Let's go."
"Julie," his eyebrows lowered as she pulled him up by the hand, leading him down the hall to their bedroom, "Its dark outside. I don't think swimming at night is a good idea."
"The moon's bright," Julie let go of his hand, the sound of dresser drawers opening and closing, "And I really want to swim. Please?"
His mouth hitched into a smile as he took the swim trunks she thrust into his hands, "Fine but remember I can't see."
"Of course," she pressed a kiss against his cheek, "I won't let you out of my sight."
He laughed, changing out of his pajama bottoms as he listened to the sound of her changing. God, what he would give to see her in that royal blue bikini of hers. The last time she'd worn it had been in Arizona during their video shoot.
"Ready?"
At his nod, she took his hand, a beach bag over her shoulder, "I've got the towels."
The drive to La Push was quiet, the radio low as Lian listened to the sound of the car eating up the miles.
Closing his eyes, he wondered what was going through her head –why the sudden desire to swim? Rubbing his thumb against the leather of the car door's armrest, he let his mind wander, skipping from one topic to another but always coming back to the one that always made him smile.
He was going to be a father.
It terrified him yet awed him –he wasn't yet sure how it was going to work what with him being blind. If this turned out to be permanent, he would never see his child's face, would never get to admire their first smile.
"We're here."
He snapped out of his melancholic mood, opening the door and stepping out. Standing beside the car once he closed the door, he gripped Julie's hand once it slipped into his, letting her lead him across the pebbled beach.
It wasn't until the cold water lapped at his ankles that she stopped, her hand warm against his chest, "Wait here, okay?"
He nodded, keeping his arms at his sides as he listened to the crashing waves, seconds ticking by before a loud splash startled him, "What was that? Julie?"
The silence was heavy, the crashing waves echoing the hard thump of his heart as he took a step forward, "Julie?"
Calling out her name, he didn't realize how far he'd gone into the ocean until a wave crashed against him, the sand shifting under his feet, losing his balance and going under.
Breaking through the surface, he kept himself afloat as he yelled out, "Julie!"
Another wave crashed over him, the heavy undercurrent grabbing at his legs and pulling him further down. Kicking hard, he tried to swim to the surface but the ocean kept tossing him around, his lungs burning with need for oxygen.
Just as the edges of his consciousness began to dim, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his chest, easily pulling him up to the surface.
Gasping for air, he tried to speak but his throat closed up, the feel of her lips brushing his ear having him relax, "I've got you Julian. It's okay."
Panting, he pushed his wet hair out of his face, "Where did you go?"
He gripped her wrist, her skin feeling slightly odd, picking up on how different she sounded as she finally spoke up, "I…had to get some air."
His eyebrows lowered at that, his body jerking slightly as something slick bumped against the back of his legs, "Julie…what –what's going on?"
The silence was heavy before he felt her breath against the back of his neck, "I…I have something to tell you."
The sound of her voice –still with that smooth whiskey feel –was much more musical, more beaconing –a siren's call if he should be so fanciful, "And you had to do it here?"
"Yes," that one word was soft; a mere sigh filled with such longing it brought tears to his eyes.
Blinking quickly, he felt the solid bump again as the ocean waves bobbed them about, Julie keeping them afloat the waves –he wasn't quite sure how, "Okay. What is it?"
He could feel her heart beating hard against his shoulder blades, one arm secure around his torso as she took his hand in the other one.
His muscles tensed as she placed his hand against her thigh –well, he thought it was her thigh but he wasn't sure what with the uniformed ridges that felt oddly like...fish scales, "Julie…"
"You have to believe," she whispered, every word felt deep in his soul, "Please…don't push me away."
"You're…you're really a mermaid," his voice gave nothing away as he spread his fingers against the hard muscle, feeling it ripple as she moved.
"Yes."
There was something in the way she said it that had him shaking his head, the shock of this revelation still reverberating.
He felt her arm slipping from around him, his heart lurching hard as he made a grab for her arm, "No! Don't leave me…please.''
Even though they were in water, he felt her tears as they rolled down his shoulder, smooth as pearls, "You can't –you can't leave me. I love you –no matter what, right? It goes both ways July. You can't –you can't choose the ocean over me –you just can't."
"Julian –"
"I know I'll make you cry," Lian couldn't make himself stop, his pride at the bottom of the ocean as he kept begging; "I know I'll hurt you…but I'll love you –every day, I'll love you more than anyone ever can."
She kept her arms around him, his kicking feet finally gaining purchase on the sandy beach.
Falling to his knees, she came down with him, arms wrapped tight around each other, her long wet hair clinging to his arms and shoulders like seaweed.
Julie could feel her insides growing warmer, her heart beating frantically as she gave in to his demanding mouth, her arms moving up his back to bury her fingers into his wet hair.
"I love you, July," his whisper was ragged, causing goosebumps to erupt all over her wet body as he slid his hands down her torso, his fingers tripping over the occasional scale dotting her stomach, "You make me into a better man."
"Julian, please –"
"No," he shook his head, his heart beating hard, drowning the crashing waves as he placed his forehead against hers, "I won't let you go –you can't leave me…you promised –dammit July!"
Pressing her fingers against his lips, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her cheek against his to whisper into his ear, "I'm going nowhere. You're my anchor, Julian…you're my soul –but…I need to know…I need to know this doesn't matter to you."
Lian's eyes stared into hers even though he couldn't see, "Of course it matters –its' part of who you are. I love all of you not just the parts that make sense."
A sob escaped her as she buried her face into his neck, her slim body shaking in his arms.
Moving his hands down her body, he could feel the hardness of her skin slowly softening, her body warming up. Stroking his fingers down her hip, he marveled at the change as the slick scales melted away, leaving behind soft skin of silk, "This is amazing…you're amazing, July…and you're mine."
She nodded, sniffing back a sob as she moved her hands down his back, muscles tight under her fingertips, "Love me, Julian."
"Always."
Thursday, September 19th
4:16PM
Clicking on the mouse, he made adjustments to his digital design, his eyes on the screen as the sound of scribbling filled the quiet kitchen.
"Mou."
Looking up from what he'd been working on, he gave Emmie a smile, "Yes Princess."
"How do you find the surface area of a circle?"
Embry chuckled as he turned away from his laptop -they were in his recently finished kitchen, working on their homework: her for fourth grade and him for his master's thesis -they did this once a week whenever he picked her up from school. He took the opened math book she was looking at, picking up one of the few pencils on the desk as he pulled her notebook within reach to write across the top, "The formula to find the surface area for a circle is pie multiplied by radius to the second power. If they give you a diameter then you multiply it by pie. Does it make sense?"
Emmie nibbled on her bottom lip as she squinted at the textbook page then at the formula he'd written at the top of the lined page, "What's a second power?"
"Numerical powers are basically multiplication. See, if the radius is seven to the power of two, then that means you multiply seven against itself."
"So…" Emmie moved to kneel on the chair she was sitting on, squinting at the numbers before looking up at him, "Seven to the power of two is forty-nine?"
Embry grinned at her as he set his pencil down, "Exactly. What do you get with five to the fifth power?"
Tilting her head, she quietly stared at him for a full two minutes before giving him a big smile, "Three thousand one-hundred and twenty-five."
"Very good," Embry chuckled as he reached out to give her chin a gentle cuff, "Now stop doing my homework and do yours."
Emmie giggled, rocking forward on her elbows as she squinted down at his math textbook, "I already finished my homework."
Embry cocked an eyebrow, looking at her for several seconds before tilting his head to the side, "Where are your glasses?"
Emmie pursed her lips, rocking back as she rubbed her finger against the surface of the beach wood table, "In my backpack."
"Why aren't you wearing them? You know without them, you're straining your eyesight when you read."
She wrinkled her nose at him, dark hair framing her face, blue eyes big and fringed with inky black lashes, "They make me look ugly –Timmy at school called me four eyes."
Embry let out a soft sigh, smiling at her as he leaned forward to rest his forearms on the kitchen table, "Am I an honest person, Emerie?"
She nodded, knowing the conversation they were having was serious due to his use of her given name, "You always tell me the truth."
His smile was tender as he took her backpack from across the table, opening the side pocket and pulling out the ladybug printed case where her glasses were kept, "Put them on and I'll tell you if they make you look ugly or not."
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she turned the case around in her small hands, letting out a heavy breath before snapping it open and pulling out the black rimmed glasses and slipping them on.
Embry had to swallow back a laugh as she kept her face down, "I can't give you my opinion if you don't look at me."
Looking up at him, she gave him a shy smile as he studied her face, finding her adorably cute with those round black rimmed glasses perched upon her tipped nose, "I think you look smart…smart and beautiful."
"Really?"
He grinned, reaching out to cup the side of her small face in his large hand, his thumb stroking over her cheekbone, "Really. Now do me a favor and look your homework over. You might have missed something without your glasses."
"Okay," she nodded, the ribbon that held the top half of her hair back fluttering down her small back, "Mou."
"Yes Princess."
She pointed at the glossy page of his math textbook, "The answer is two hundred and eighty three point fifty-three centimeters to the second power."
Embry laughed, always finding it amazing how adept she was when it came to math and science –his Princess was a little genius and he wouldn't have her any other way.
Last Week of September
Julie let out a yawn, stretching her arms over her head as she opened her eyes, turning her head to the side to find Lian's side of the bed empty.
Letting out another sigh, she looked over at the clock on her bedside table, her brow wrinkling as she tossed the comforter aside, taking her robe from the foot of the bed and slipping it on as she walked out of the bedroom and down the hall.
Stopping at the end of the hallway, she leaned against the wall to watch Lian –he was sitting in the middle of the living room in one of the kitchen chairs, his guitar propped on his thigh as he strummed his thumb down the steel strings.
He wasn't playing anything specifically, simply going from note to note which let her know he was mulling something over in his head.
"You okay, baby," her voice was soft as she pushed away from the wall, moving across the opened floor to wrap her arms around his shoulders, placing her chin on his head, "You seem rather pensive."
"Just thinking," Lian dragged his thumb down the strings before setting the guitar on its stand, having moved it before him, "That day –at your apartment…with Adam…I just remembered having seen rainbows…was that your tail?"
Julie smiled, moving around to sit on his lap, running her fingers through his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "Yes…I couldn't think of any other way to get out of the situation."
"You could have died, Julie," Lian dropped his head to rest his forehead on her shoulder, squeezing her waist as he recalled her telling him about the physiology concerning mermaids.
"But I didn't," she tilted his head back, pressing a soft kiss against his jaw as she stroked her hand along the side of his face, "You saved me just in time."
They held each other, the silence comfortable before Lian started chuckling, Julie looking at him with a curious smile, "What's so funny?"
"I was just thinking," he grinned as he slid his nose along her jaw, her long hair in a braid down her shoulder, "The tabloid headlines: Dead mermaid found in July Star's apartment –What the fuck?"
They both laughed at that, Julie pushing his hair off his forehead as he slid his hand down her leg, his fingertips rough against her soft skin, his voice husky as he took in a deep breath of her fresh scent, "I wish I could see it…you must look so beautiful."
"You will," she promised, her voice certain as she kissed his eyes, "Someday, you'll see."
He smiled, feeling the assurance she was offering him, "Is our baby going to be like you?"
"If it's a girl," Julie moved her nose down the bridge of his, gently nibbling on his top lip before she covered his mouth with hers, their tongues stroking in a slow, sweet kiss that kept the stoked fires of their desire burning.
Gently pulling apart, he let out a soft breath as he spread his fingers over her lower stomach, the tiny bump hard under his hand, "Our little tadpole."
Julie chuckled softly, placing her hand over his as she rested her forehead against his, their breath mingling, "I'm going to start dinner –want anything in particular?"
Keeping his hand on her small baby bump, he moved his mouth over her jaw to whisper into her ear, "You."
Julie laughed, wiggling out of his arms to get on her feet, "No, no. You can't have dessert before dinner –but if you eat all your vegetables, I'll let you have double dessert."
Lian laughed, reaching up to rub his forehead as Julie made her way to the kitchen, "You're going to be an awesome mom."
It hurt her that he couldn't see as she looked across the space separating them, her purple eyes bright with love and a gentleness that would have made him choke up, "And you're going to be a wonderful daddy…especially if it is a little girl."
He blinked, stifling a groan at the throbbing pain at the back of his head. Running his hand through his hair, he grabbed his pajama bottoms and pulled them on, planning on heading to the bathroom to find some aspirin for his headache.
Julie jerked awake at the sound of breaking glass followed by a crash, a repetitive dull thump having her look around the dark room to find it empty.
Getting out of bed, she picked up the t-shirt on the floor, slipping it on as she moved towards the bathroom, only to stop in shock at the sight of Lian on the floor, seizures racking his body.
"Oh God," Julie fell to her knees, her hands moving over his face before she checked his pulse, the fast thrumming under her fingers pushing her heart into her throat, "Julian, baby –oh God!"
Seeing her cell phone, which he'd knocked off the dresser along with everything else that had been on it, she grabbed it, fumbling with the keypad until she finally got the number right.
"Nine one one, what's your emergency?"
"My fiancée," Julie swallowed back a sob, placing the phone on speaker and setting it on the bed before turning Lian on his side, her first aid training kicking into gear, "My fiancée is having a seizure –please send an ambulance."
The dispatcher stayed with her on the phone as Julie gave her information, several seconds passing before she heard the faint sounds of the ambulance. She knew the door was locked and the EMTs were going to need access but she refused to leave Lian's side, simply telling the dispatcher to break the door down.
Rubbing soothing circles against his back, she ran her fingers through his hair, whispering into his ear, his erratic breathing bringing tears to her eyes, "It's okay, baby –help's coming. I'm right here, Julian…I won't leave, baby. Please –please don't…"
As the sound of the crashing door filled the small three bedroom house, the large lump in Julie's throat wouldn't let her continue to speak, tears flowing down her face as she sobbed into Lian's neck, a sharp twist in her chest causing her to gasp at the searing pain before it disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
It was almost like something in her…broke.
