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: Nika -11 yrs old, sixth grade: Vivi -10 yrs old, sixth grade: Bailey -12 yrs old, seventh grade: Lili -7 yrs old, third grade: Zak -5 yrs old, first grade: Carlos -5 months old and as always, Gabe's age is after the chapter.

Chapter Forty-Three (10yrs old)
Sunday, October 29th

The afternoon sky was overcast, a hint of cold moisture hanging in the air, the ocean crashing onto the surf. A storm was coming but that didn't stop the residents of La Push from going about their day, especially the two girls walking across the beach.

They were dressed for comfort with dark blue jeans tucked into Uggs, one pair black the other brown. While the brunette wore a black fleece sweater with silver piping, the redhead's was a pink one with brown underlining visible due to it being zipped up halfway, the brown and pink layered top visible underneath.

"We have two days to get you a costume," Nika kept her hands in the pockets of her sweater, the wind ruffling her straight shoulder length hair, "The party is Tuesday night."

"I don't think I'm going," Vivi reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the rest of the red-gold tresses in a fishtail braid handing down her left shoulder.

"You have to go," Nika looked over at her friend in complete surprise –Vivi loved Halloween so it made no sense why she would skip out on the annual party the tribe council sponsored for the kids and teens of La Push, "You go every year."

Viv shrugged, her eyes on the pebbled surf as their long legs ate up the distance, "I don't really know anyone."

"You know me," Nika could see there was more to her best friend's not wanting to go that just that, "And Bradley, Bailey –Gabriel's going to be there."

Wrinkling her nose as they reached the sidewalk and turned a corner, she bit her bottom lip but didn't say anything.

Stopping her in the middle of the street, Nika kept a light grip on Vivi's wrist as she looked at her, "What's the matter, Vivi? Why don't you want to go?"

Vivi shrugged again –she didn't really want to tell Nika because she knew her best friend was extremely loyal and would get upset on her behalf, "No reason."

"Don't lie to me," Nika's brown eyes stayed on Vivi's face, her own making it clear they weren't going to be moving until she 'fessed up.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she looked away from Nika's eyes, digging her toe into a crack in the road, "I went to get ice cream with Marc last week…there was a small group of girls outside and they kept giggling and looking over at us. I thought it was because of Marc but when he went inside for extra napkins, one of them came up to our table…she called me a pale face, told me I didn't belong in the reservation then knocked my ice cream into my lap –all her friends laughed."

Nika's face was slack with shock, Vivi watching in fascination as that initial reaction morphed into anger, "That bitch! Tell me Marc tore into her."

"They were gone by the time he came out –I told him I had knocked it over."

"Oh Vivi," Nika shook her head, eyes shining with genuine empathy, "You can't let narrow minded people like Susan Hopson dictate your life."

"You know her?"

"Of course," Nika rolled her eyes as they continued walking towards their destination, "She and her group of friends are total jerks –really bitchy. Everyone at school hates them."

"Even Bailey?"

"Especially Bailey," Nika kicked at a rock, the movement fluid as they headed up the drive of the little house, "They're really mean to her."

Vivi let out a sigh, knocking on the door as soon as they stepped up onto the porch. A couple of minutes passed before the door swung open, dark brown eyes staring at them in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Lili called," Nika knew Bailey didn't like Vivi –she never had –and although they got along at school, whenever Vivi was around, Nika stood by her best friend no matter what, "Said she needed our help with something."

Bailey clenched her jaw, staring at them for a few seconds longer before stepping back to let them in, fighting the burning rage that always rose up whenever she was in close proximity to Vivi, "She's in our room."

Vivi and Nika followed behind her as soon as she closed the door, neither saying anything as they looked at each other. They didn't have to say anything because they were both thinking the same thing –Bailey would be a very pretty girl is she smiled more…and learned how to dress.

With her long legs, lean build and exotic looking face, she would have attracted her fair share of boys but Bailey Uley had no interest in boys outside the three she hung out with and it was obvious by just looking at her.

Vivi tried not to judged –after all, the ripped skinny jeans she wore with worn high top Converse and a faded long sleeve blue top could be considered punkish chick but she knew Bailey cared very little about what she wore, probably putting on the first things she grabbed after rolling out of bed.

"Lili," Bailey walked into the large room she shared with her little sister, "Vivi and Nika are here."

Lili looked up from the child sized sewing machine, the long table up against the wall covered in fabric, "Great!"

"I'm gonna go watch TV."

"No," Lili looked up at her with big brown eyes, "You're my helper. You have to stay."

Bailey tried not to roll her eyes, wishing –not for the first time –she weren't so susceptible to her little sister's puppy dog eyes…that little girl sure knew how to use her big brown eyes, not to mention the dimples, to her advantage, "Fine."

She gave her that big smile, the one that kept her out of trouble. Granted, compared to her and Brad, Lili was a total angle but still, there were times she would do something and resorted to using that smile –it always worked on Daddy…every single time.

"Vivi, you try this one," Lili handed her a dress of sea-green, turning to the closet to pull out a deep purple dress as Vivi walked towards the door, "Where are you going?"

Vivi's face flushed a pale pink, "To the bathroom."

Lili's eyebrows lowered, "Change here –we're all girls."

The blush deepened as she looked over at Bailey leaning against the door, "The door's open."

This time, Bailey didn't hold back, rolling her eyes as she closed the door behind her, grabbing one of her X-treme Sports magazines from the desk next to her bed before flopping sideways onto the unmade bed.

Vivi tried not to feel self-conscious as she laid the dress on Lili's bed, Nika taking the one the little girl offered. She knew Nika and Bailey were already wearing training bras and somehow, her lack of…attributes had her feeling shy about changing before the two girls.

Turning her back to them, she unzipped her sweater, able to hear Nika undressing, Bailey flipping the glossy pages of her magazine. As soon as she removed her long sleeved top, she took the dress and pulled it over her head, the knit material soft against her skin.

Looking over her shoulder, she swallowed back a giggle as Lili handed a gold brown dress to Bailey; no one had ever seen her in a dress since she was three.

Letting out a sigh of aggravation, she tossed her magazine aside, catching the look or surprise on her little sister's face, feeling grateful when she didn't say anything.

Bailey had a secret she didn't want the other two girls to know –she, tomboy extraordinaire who wouldn't be caught dead in a skirt, dress or the color pink, loved to play model to Lili's designer.

Aside from Lili, Brad was the only one who knew and she sworn him to secrecy on pain of death so she just had to make sure the girls didn't pick up on her excitement.

"So are you hanging out with the boys later," Nika asked Bailey, the silence finally getting to her as she removed her Uggs, Lili having pointed to their jeans in a motion for them to be removed.

Bailey shrugged, toeing off her Converse, "Brad's working on his computer assignment so I don't think so."

"You guys have computer classes at the rez school," Vivi sat on the edge of Lili's bed to pull off her jeans.

Nika and Bailey shook their heads, Bailey smoothing the dress down over her hips as she pulled off her jeans by stepping on them.

"Brad has a tutor in Forks," Bailey stood still as Lili kneeled before her to pin up the long hem, "The guy's really cool and he's teaching Brad how to build his own computer."

"That's cool," Nika adjusted the wide neckline, looking over at the one Vivi was wearing, "These dresses are really nice, Lili."

"Mama helped me cut them out," Lili finished pining up Bailey's dress before moving over to Nika, pursing her lips as she gathered some of the excess fabric around the waistline, "I'm learning how to fix them and I'm still working on getting my stitching straight."

A knock at the door had all four look up as Emily stepped in, her face lighting up, "Very good, Lili…you three look very pretty."

Bailey wrinkled her nose, fidgeting in place as her mother smiled at her then looked at the rest, "Lunch is ready. Vivi, Nika, you're welcomed to stay and join us."

"Thank you, Aunt Emily," Nika answered for both of them, Vivi fidgeting at the dark scowl Bailey threw her way but didn't say anything as Lili pinned up the hem of her dress, the cowl neckline somehow disguising the fact she was as flat-chested as a boy.

"We'll finish your costume tonight, Lili," Emily said with a smile before closing the door behind her.

"What are you going to be," Nika asked as she carefully removed the dress, one of the pins poking her in the stomach.

"Pocahontas," Lili chirped, taking the dress from Nika as Bailey removed hers, "What about you?"

"I'm going as Princess Lea and Ian's gonna be Luke Skywalker," Nika pulled on her jeans, hopping around in one leg before managing to get her other leg in, "Patrick is going to be Chewbacca."

Bailey laughed –she couldn't help it, finding the image of four year old Patrick dressed as a Wookie highly humorous.

"What about you, Vivi," Lili took the brown dress from her sister, placing it on the table as Bailey pulled on her jeans, the white sports bra she wore contrasting against her russet skin.

Vivi shrugged, pulling on her top as soon as she took her dress off, "I'm not sure."

"She doesn't want to go."

Vivi turned wide eyes at Nika as Lili and Bailey looked at her in surprise.

"You love Halloween," Bailey reached up to redo her ponytail before picking up the long sleeve top from the floor where she had dropped it, "Why aren't you going?"

Vivi didn't say anything but Nika didn't stay quiet, "Susan Hopson."

Bailey's face darkened as she tugged the hem of her top over the waistband of her jeans, "She's a bitch."

"That's what I told Vivi."

Bailey studied Vivi's posture, certain she knew what Susan had said and although she herself didn't like Vivi, she felt it necessary to teach that bullying bitch a lesson, "I've got an idea but you'll have to come to the party."

Vivi zipped up her sweater, her gold-brown eyes widening as she looked across the room at the girl she had known from the moment she saw her would never be her friend, "An idea for what?"

The smile that spread across Bailey's face was downright disconcerting, "Payback."


Tuesday, October 31st
9:23 PM

The three girls were in a corner of the community center, kids of all ages going from station to station, the loud noise of laughter, shrieks and screams echoing in the enclosed space.

They were laughing, all three leaning against the wall as Susan Hopson –dressed as Dorothy from Wizard of Oz –ran out the front doors, her friends following behind her.

"Did you see the look on her face," Bailey was having a hard time staying on her feet, arms wrapped around her stomach as she laughed, shiny black hair streaked bright blue, "Totally worth it!"

"Oh God," Nika wiped her hands over her cheeks, glad her mom had let her use the waterproof make-up she was only allowed to wear for ballet recitals, "I thought she was going to pass out!"

Vivi was the first to stop laughing, a twinge of guilt tugging at her heart as she bit her bottom lip, "I think she was going to cry."

Bailey took a big gulp of air, flipping her long hair over her shoulder as she wished she had brought a hair tie with her, "Don't you dare feel sorry for her. If the roles were reversed, she'd be laughing her ass off."

"Bailey's right," Nika reached up to tug at the neck of her white robe as she looked at Vivi with an arched eyebrow, "She needed to be taught a lesson."

Vivi nodded but she was still feeling a bit guilty although technically, the whole thing had been Bailey's idea.

"Well," Bailey shrugged, the leather jacket she wore as part of her costume a bit too big for her slight frame, "Had a great time bonding with you two but now I'm outta here."

They watched her take off, both wondering what exactly she was supposed to be.

The black boots had no shoelaces, black leggings under cutoff denim shorts, the black top she wore under the leather jacket ripped with a blue top underneath the exact color as her fingerless gloves and the streaks in her hair.

"Maybe she's supposed to be a rock star," Nika looked at Vivi with a one sided smile, "Although I don't know which one."

Vivi giggled, her long hair hanging in curls and braids down her back with colorful ribbons weaved throughout, "I think she looks really cool."

Nika laughed, taking her hand and pulling her towards the stand where the cotton candy was being made, "Gabriel hasn't stopped staring at you all night."

"It's the costume," Vivi was glad of the flashing lights filling the large space because her face was feeling hot, "He has a huge crush on her."

Nika grinned as she pointedly looked her best friend over, from the calf length black boots, dark blue jeans, a corset style top under a black suede jacket and ending on her carefully made up face and dangling silver earrings.

"You do make a very believable July Star."


Saturday, November 13th

He had seven different colored strands and ten fingers. In his mind, that was just too many numbers involved and it wasn't giving him the results he wanted.

"Shit, shit, shit," he tried to keep the colors in the pattern Uncle Seth had taught him but the ends kept getting tangled, "Dammit!"

He kicked the side of the desk as Zak walked into the room they shared, his dark hair barely starting to lose the highlights from spending all summer out at the beach. Zak stood just inside the door, watching him struggle for a while before asking, "What's with you?"

"Damn thing keeps getting tangled," the words came out in a near growl, Zak's eyebrows rising as he watched him yanking at the tangled knot at the bottom.

"Tape the ends," Zak moved across the room towards his bed, which was up against the wall under the bedroom window, "Like shoelaces."

"Ah."

Sometimes, it frustrated him to live with two geniuses although Zak wasn't scary smart like Emmie.

Opening a drawer in search of scissors, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Zak flopped onto his bed, his attention on the graphic novel he'd bought on their last trip to the mall –if he wasn't doing homework or surfing, or playing with Tyra, he liked to read comic books.

Gabe liked sharing a room with Zak –he wasn't much of a talker and kept to himself. It had been a bit strange at first when they'd moved up to the second floor, leaving Andrey and Alyx behind in his old room for their parents to keep an eye on them but now, Gabe was very glad of the new arrangements.

He had wanted to ask why he couldn't have his own room –there was a spare room after all, right next to theirs –but hadn't, being mama was starting to look like she had a beach ball under her shirt so he knew there was going to be a new baby soon.

Of course, the only fair thing for his parents to do was have two of them so that no one had a room of their own.

He let out a frustrated huff, the damn tape getting twisted, "This is more work than I thought."

Zak lowered his comic book to look over the top at his brother, "What are you making?"

"An eternity bracelet," Gabe spread out the strands, taking a smaller piece of tape and using both hands to wrap it around the yellow strands, "Like the one mama made for dad."

Zak pursed his lips, watching Gabriel wrap the ends of the blue strands, "You're giving it to Vivi?"

Gabe nodded, taking another piece of tape to wrap the green strands, "For Christmas."

"Uh."

Zak went back to his comic book, flipping over to lay on his stomach as he toed off his Converse sneakers, a knock on the opened door having them look up, their dad leaning against the door frame, "What are you two up too?"

Zak held up his comic book but didn't say anything, just went back to where he had left off.

Rick chuckled, looking over at Gabe, his eyebrows lowering slightly, "Is that a nail on your desk?"

Gabe looked down at the nail he'd pounded halfway into the wood, the loop of threads hooked over it, "It's out of the way –we can still do our homework on it."

"Not that we do," Zak stated quietly -both he and Zak preferred doing their homework either on their bed or on the floor.

Zak flopped onto his back, stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankles as he flipped a page –for a soon to be six year old, he was getting to be pretty tall.

"What did you use to hammer it in?"

Oh, this was probably going to get him into trouble, "My math book."

Rick closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand, "That's going to come out of your allowance."

He had expected that which was why he was doing this bracelet for Vivi instead of buying her something.

Rick tilted his head, finally noticing what Gabe was working on, "Is that an eternity bracelet?"

Gabe nodded, wiping his hands on his jeans before taking the strands to pick up on the pattern, "I'm making it for Vivi," he knotted the yellow all the way across, "It's gonna be her Christmas present."

"That's nice. Did Uncle Seth tell you the meaning behind that particular pattern?"

Gabe nodded again, concentrating as he weaved the blue threads under and over from one end to the other, "It means she belongs to me and when the other boys at school see it, they'll know she's mine."

He was concentrating so hard on what he was doing that he completely missed the look of shock on his father's face, Zak lowering his comic book to look at his brother, "Why don't you have her wear your name around her neck?"

Gabe pursed his lips in thought, Zak's sarcasm completely wasted on him.

"Oh God," Zak rolled his eyes, tossing his comic book on the bookcase beside the desk as he got off the bed, moving across the room and giving his dad a loaded look, "You need to talk to him."

Rick chuckled, tousling Zak's hair before the five year old walked out, leaving them alone, "Gabriel."

"Yeah?"

He moved into the room, sitting on Gabe's bed and leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs, "We need to talk."

"I'm busy right now."

"Excuse me?"

Gabe winced, realizing he'd just gotten in trouble for being disrespectful; it was something Dad didn't tolerate at all.

"I'm sorry," he placed the strands on the desktop and turned around on his chair, "I'm listening."

"I hope so," Rick wasn't smiling, his blue eyes studying him to the point where he felt like squirming, "Tell me this. Why do you think your mother married me?"

"'Cause you asked her."

He fought back a smile, "That's right. Did you ask Vivi to marry you?"

Gabe tilted his head to the side, rubbing the toe of his sneaker against the edge of the rug, "I told her."

"Mhm," he gave a slow nod, linking his fingers between his knees, "You told her. Do you know why girls are special, Gabe?"

Gabe blinked, feeling somewhat confused as he tried to figure out where his father was going with that question, "'Cause they're pretty…and funny. Some of them are even smart."

Rick couldn't hold back a chuckle, shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair, "There is that but mostly it's because of how open their hearts are."

Gabe stared at him, blue eyes wide with obvious lack of understanding, "O-kay."

He watched his dad's smile, wondering what it was about it that made him realize this was very important and he really had to pay attention.

"See, a girl can love completely," he kept his eyes on Gabriel –yeah, he was only ten years old but he had to understand…for Vivi's sake, he just had too, "She isn't afraid to do so because her heart is free of any pain or disappointment. Then comes along the first boy that doesn't think before he speaks –he isn't careful with what he does. With words and actions, he can either win a girl's heart or he can damage it to the point of her closing up and keeping her heart hidden where it can never be found."

Gabe kept his eyes on his father, his arm draped across the back of the desk chair as Rick continued, "Before I came along, your mother was in love with someone else."

"What," Gabe was shocked to hear this –to him, mama and dad had always loved each other; they were made for each other…the very idea that mama could have loved anyone else, "Who?"

Rick's smile grew a little, "A boy she grew up with –he won her heart when she was all of fourteen years old…when she was eighteen, he gave it back to her in pieces. He hadn't planned on doing that but see…he made a lot of promises he wasn't able to keep. Promises she believed in because she loved him."

"You made it all okay, didn't you," Gabe's voice cracked slightly, the anxiety he was feeling making no sense to him, "When you met mama, you fixed it all…right?"

"I wish I could say that," his smile turned sad, "I wish I could tell you I made it all better for her…but I didn't. Instead, I took the pieces of her heart –which she worked so hard to put back together –and broke it all over again…into even smaller pieces."

"Why? Why would you do that?"

The accusation in Gabe's eyes resonated in his voice and it somehow dug deep into Rick's heart.

"Because all I could think about was what I wanted," he kept his eyes on Gabriel, his own face serious, "All I focused on is how I felt…what I needed –"

Gabe interrupted with a hint of disgust in his voice, "That was selfish."

"Right," he tilted his head, sandy blond hair falling over his forehead, "Now think about what you said concerning that bracelet. I know your uncle told you what it meant…and it's not at all what you want it for. If you give that bracelet to Vivi without understanding –truly understanding –the meaning behind it, you're setting yourself up to break her heart."

Gabe didn't say anything, staring at his shoes as he rubbed the shiny wood floor, deep in thought as Rick stood up and walked to the open door, "Dad."

"Yes?"

He didn't look up at his father, his voice soft, "Why did mama marry you?"

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile, "Because she loved me…she gave me a chance to find myself in her…her happiness became more important than mine and I did everything I could to show her…that's what's special about girls. Once they love you, they love you completely –always will. It's up to you to earn the right to have that love."

He watched Gabe, the ten year olds' eyes trained on the floor as he drew patterns with the toe of his sneaker. Without another word, he walked out of the room, heading down the hall towards the stairs that led downstairs, hoping some of his words had sunk into Gabe's head.

Staring at his sneaker as he wiggled his toes, he noticed the canvas of the Converse was wearing thin, making it possible to see his white sock through the black canvas.

A heavy sigh escaped him as he looked back at the bracelet…it wasn't even half finished and now, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to give it to Vivi –yet.

Fingering the threads, he thought of what his dad had said, realizing that despite having asked Uncle Seth how to make the bracelet, he hadn't heard anything beyond "belong to" when he'd explained the meaning of the pattern.

He had no doubt –Vivi was his through and through but if giving her this bracelet when he didn't remember what his uncle had said will somehow break her heart, he wasn't going to do it.

Pulling the loop off the nail, he opened the desk drawer and shoved it towards the back before closing it. Standing up, he shoved his hand into his pants' pocket, pulling out the marble, its silver star dancing and blinking as it caught the light.

Yep, Vivi was his –he was just going to have to find a different way to let the other boys know that.


Saturday, November 30th
2:53PM

"It's about time you and I hung out together, uh," the smile he got was so much like Rose's he couldn't help grinning like an idiot, "Some guy time is what we needed, little man."

Carlos wiggled, giggling as Seth tickled his feet, sending the stuffed doggie in his hand flying over his head.

Seth laughed at the look of surprise in his son's hazel eyes, watching in awe as he turned his head in search of his favorite toy before arching his back and pushing with one foot, rolling over onto his tummy after a couple of failed tries.

"Look at you," Seth crowed with pride, pulling the plush toy within Carlos' reach, tiny fingers gripping one of its legs and moving it into his mouth to suck on it, Seth turning him onto his back on the soft blanket he had spread over the rug.

They were in his office where he was supposed to be working on his latest project while Carlos slept on his bouncy seat but as soon as the baby had blinked open his big hazel eyes, Seth had set aside his pencil and focused a hundred percent on the business at hand.

Quality play time with his little man.

"Think you can do it again," Seth made a funny face that had Carlos laughing, his entire body wiggling as he looked up at his father, lowering his stuffy long enough to give him a drooly smile, Seth able to see a tooth poking out of his gums, "You're getting a tooth, too? Dear God, what's next? A beard?"

Carlos flapped his arms as he kicked his legs, laughing as his stuffy took another flying trip across the floor.

This time, Carlos didn't have to struggle too much to flip over, his legs kicking as he pushed his torso up off the floor, tiny fingers splayed on the light blue blanket.

Seth laughed, pulling the plush toy to where he could reach it, the five month olds' eyes big as he studied the toy, looking down at his hands for some seconds before looking at the toy again.

Seth knew the moment Carlos made the decision to reach out for the toy, having seen that look of determination on Rose's face many times. As soon as his little fingers closed around the floppy fabric of the dog's body, his other arm gave out and he flopped down.

Seth chuckled as Carlos clamped down on the stuffy's nose, a pleased look in his eyes as his father turned him onto his back again.

The sound of a door opening and closing caught his attention but he didn't move from the floor, lifting the tiny t-shirt to blow a raspberry against the round tummy, giggles erupting as a familiar voiced called out, "Uncle Seth?"

"In the office," Seth laughed as Carlos sent his stuffy flying again, the plush toy sliding to a stop against Gabe's shoes, "Hey Tornado! Haven't seen you in a long time."

Gabe grinned as he picked up the plush dog, "That's a pretty good throw –he'll make a good quarterback."

Seth laughed, Gabe moving to kneel next to Carlos, holding the toy just out of reach as Carlos strained to reach for it, a good couple of minutes passing before he let out a shriek of frustration.

Gabe lowered the toy, Carlos yanking it away with both hands, his hazel eyes dancing as he gnawed on one of its ears.

"He's rolling over, has a tooth poking out," Seth moved to sit cross-legged, grinning as Gabe tried to take the toy away which resulted in a tug of war between the cousins, "I think in a week or two, he should be able to play football."

Gabe grinned at the teasing tone in his uncle's voice, looking over at him with dancing blue eyes, "Maybe we can play Gabe-football with him."

"And maybe your Aunt Rose can kill me."

They both laughed, Carlos gleefully joining in as he yanked his stuffy out of Gabe's hand thus winning the tug-o-war.

"So how's school going?"

Gabe wrinkled his nose, pulling up a knee to rest his arm on it, "I got a ninety-two on my math test."

"That's good!"

"Vivi says I can do better."

The deadpan voice Gabe used had him laughing, "She's probably right although a ninety-two ain't bad."

Gabe shrugged, pulling at his frayed laces as Carlos sent the plushy flying again, arching his back and pushing with his foot, neatly rolling over onto his tummy, "I suppose."

Seth could see something was bothering Gabe but he didn't push, letting the boy take his time to decide if he wanted to confide in him.

Leaning over Carlos, he placed a kiss on the top of his head, the dark hair covering it silky soft to the touch. Carlos let out a squeal as Seth pulled the toy within reach, tiny fingers gripping the soft fabric as he attacked the dog's face with open mouthed exuberance.

They both laughed, the ten year old reaching up to ruffle his shaggy hair, "Did you know mama used to be in love with someone other than dad?"

Seth's eyebrow rose in surprise as he turned Carlos onto his back again, "Yeah…I was seven when they started dating."

Gabe nodded, biting his bottom lip as he watched Carlos arch his back to roll over again, "Who was he?"

Seth stretched out his long legs, keeping himself propped on one hand as he tickled Carlos' feet, the baby kicking as he giggled, "Why do you want to know? It's all water under the bridge now."

Gabe gnawed on his lip, dropping his eyes to his sneaker as he poked at the hole on the outside edge. He really needed new shoes but he'd just broken these in.

"Dad told me that girls are special because they have open hearts."

Seth gave a thoughtful nod in agreement, "Among many other things, yeah."

"I just…" Gabe let out a heavy breath, finally looking into his uncle's eyes, similar in shape and color to his mama's, "I'm scared of breaking Vivi's heart."

A soft chuckle escaped him, shaking his head as he looked down at his son, asleep on his tummy, the plush dog tucked securely under one small arm, "You need to stop that or you'll do exactly what you don't want to do."

Gabe gave him a look of confusion, "Uh?"

"You're ten years old, Gabe," Seth looked into his nephew's eyes, "You shouldn't worry about breaking her heart, you should worry about winning it."

Gabe's dark brows lowered over his blue eyes, "She's already mine."

Seth shook his head, "No, she's not."

"She chose me," Gabe insisted, anger showing in his eyes, "That day at the toy store, she chose me. She's mine."

Seth shook his head again, wondering how the hell a ten year old could be this possessive –then again, with the way he'd been with Leah as a baby, it shouldn't come as a surprise, "She may have chosen you to give you her heart –precious and beautiful –but she can just as easily take it away. After all, it is hers."

"Why would she take it away?"

"Because you won't treat it for what it is –a treasured gift. Because you won't honor it –or her –by being the best man you can be. Because you take it for granted, thinking it's always going to be there no matter what you say or do. Because you won't guard it against outside forces that might damage it."

He could see that Gabe was trying to understand but at his age, he couldn't directly connect consequences and actions.

"You know what," Seth reached out to gently cuff him on the chin, "We'll have this conversation again when you're older. Deal?"

He nodded, "Deal."

Getting to his feet, he headed out the door, coming back a second later, "Will you teach me to dance?"

Seth blinked in surprise, "Where'd that come from?"

"There's gonna be a Christmas dance on the last week of school –just for the six graders," Gabe could feel himself getting hot with embarrassment, "I want to ask Vivi to dance but I don't want to look stupid."

Seth swallowed back the urge to laugh, not wanting to wake Carlos up or hurt his nephew's feelings, "Let me just put Carlos in his crib and we'll go to the living room."

"Cool."

"Yep. After I'm done with you, you'll be one smooth dancer."

"…oh boy…"


Friday, December 16th
5:23PM

The music was louder than it should have been due to the lack of conversation. There were three six grade classes in the upper Forks Elementary, about an equal amount of boys and girls which at the moment were on separate sides of the gymnasium.

The teachers had done an exceptional job at decorating, white lights strung along the walls with silver tinsel hanging from them. There was a ten foot Christmas tree in one corner with a table nearby where they were serving hot chocolate and cookies.

None of it, however, was being enjoyed due to their prepubescent students keeping the expanse of gym floor between them, boys on one side and girls on the other. It was going to take the courage of one to get the party started before it was over.

Gabe was leaning against the wall, Kevin on one side, Ray on the other. They were chattering about some video game but he wasn't paying attention, was too busy staring across the great divide to do much than give the occasional nod.

No, what held his attention had nothing to do with high scores and leveling up –it was much more simple and complicated than that. She looked beautiful with her long red-gold hair falling down her back in curls, a brown headband keeping it off her face.

She was wearing a white sweater with a brown skirt and brown boots but he didn't really care about the clothes –not when she kept looking his way with that shy smile that made his heartbeat fast, just the way it did whenever he was racing his bike.

"You're gonna do it, aren't you?"

Gabe blinked as he turned his attention to Kevin, "What?"

Kevin jerked his chin towards Vivi, Ray snickering, "You're staring at Vivi…you want to dance with her don't you?"

"Gabe has a crush on Vivi."

Gabe's face flushed as he pushed Ray, some of the other boys having heard him, "Shut up."

"He won't do it," Robbie taunted him, moving to stand next to Kevin, "He doesn't have the guts."

"Is that right, Gabe," Kevin grinned at the flushed look on Gabe's face, "Are you too much of a pansy to ask a girl to dance?"

Gabe wanted to punch Kevin in the face even though he thought of him as a friend but instead, he shoved him to the side, "You're the pansies."

He walked away from them, their laughter following him as he walked across the gym floor. His hands were sweating and he was pretty sure he was going to pass out but he had something to prove so there was no way he was backing out now.

Vivi bit her lip, Beth –her Forks best friend –giggling as she tugged at her arm, "Don't look at him."

Vivi looked into Beth's green eyes in surprise, "Why not?"

"Because you don't want him to know you like him."

Vivi's eyebrows lowered over gold-brown eyes in confusion, "But he already knows I like him."

"And that's why he acts like he does," Beth watched out of the corner of her eye as Gabe passed the halfway point, "Because he knows you'll forgive him but my big sister says when it comes to boys, you gotta keep them guessing."

Vivi frowned, reaching up to push her hair over her shoulder, "I don't like playing games."

"Yeah, well –oh no!"

"What?"

"Don't look!"

That, of course, had the opposite result, Vivi watching in wide eyed disbelief as Megan –pretty, blond and a total bitch –cut into Gabe's path, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the middle of the "dance" floor.

Beth wanted to say something to make Vivi feel better but she couldn't think of anything off the top of her head as they watched Gabe look over his shoulder towards them before turning his attention back to Megan, placing his hands on her waist as she put hers on his shoulders.

By then, all Beth could do was toss one last glare at them –they were quickly disappearing into the mingling crowd of six graders –before rushing after Vivi, the door leading into the girls' locker room swinging shut behind her.

A shiver ran up her back as she walked past the rows of lockers, the light from the back of the room making it possible for her to see, the echo of Vivi's sobs giving the entire scene a creepy feeling. The open bathroom plan had five toilet stalls on one side with five sinks across, the five shower stalls on the other side of the dividing wall.

Leaning down to check the stalls, she knocked on the third one, "Vivi."

"Go away."

"Come on, Vivi. I'm your best friend. Talk to me."

The stall door swung open, Vivi's eyes red-rimmed as she moved across the floor towards the sinks, "Why would he dance with her?"

Beth moved to pull herself onto the counter-top and crossed her ankles, "She didn't exactly give him a choice."

"He could have said no."

"That would have been rude," Beth picked a piece of lint off her pink jeans, flicking it aside, "Gabe may be a jerk at times but he's not rude."

Vivi held her hands under the cold running water, sniffing back the tears as she watched it fill her cupped hands to overflowing, "Wish he had been."

Beth jumped off the counter, "I've got an idea. Wash your face, put on a smile then go out there and ask Ray to dance with you."

She looked up from splashing the cold water onto her face, "Why Ray?"

"He has a crush on you."

"He called me a nerd."

Beth rolled her eyes, swiping her caramel brown bangs out of her eyes, "That was in second grade."

Vivi shut the water off, taking paper towels from the dispenser and blotting her face dry, "He never talks to me."

"Because he's afraid of your brother."

This time it was Vivi who rolled her eyes as she tossed the wet towels into the trashcan, "Every boy I come into contact with is afraid of my brother."

"Except for Gabriel."

Vivi nodded, looking at her reflection as she softly murmured, "Except for Gabriel."

Beth was right –she needed to go back out there and smile…and never, ever let him see he made her cry.