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: Bailey, 12yrs/seventh grade: Brad, 12yrs/seventh grade: Marc, 13yrs/seventh grade: Vivi, 10yrs/sixth grade: Carlos, 9months

Chapter Forty-Five (10 yrs old)
Port Angeles BMX Track

Friday, March 6th

The rushing wind was cold, biting the tip of his nose and chapping his face but he didn't care, keeping himself focused as he pedaled harder up the bumpy hill, able to see out of the corner of his eye that he had two others hot on his heels.

For sure, one of them was Gabriel but the other could be either Bailey or one of his classmates –they'd been told to bring their bikes in the invitations Tia Rosa had send out two weeks ago for the coolest party of the century.

He had no desire to break his concentration by looking over his shoulder just to see who was eating his dust especially due to the wicked looking drop coming fast as he turned a sharp corner.

His stomach dropped as he went airborne for a few seconds, his jaw tight as he lifted off the seat just as he landed, the impact practically vibrating his bones but he kept his bike moving forward.

The hard packed dirt track softened slightly, slowing him down significantly as he pushed harder, the others catching up to him.

By the time he got out of the damn sand trap, he was at least a yard behind Gabriel, neck to neck with Bailey. The cheers of the crow –all friends from school along with their parents –in the stands started getting louder, the finish line far into the horizon quickly getting closer.

Shifting into second gear, he leaned over his handlebars, his legs pumping as he pushed hard to leave Bailey behind –there was no way he was coming in after a girl.

The checkered flag was a blur, his lungs burning as he panted for air, slowing down as the top four times were called out through the overhead system, the cheers from the crowd keeping his adrenaline pumping as he came to a stop.

His legs felt like rubber and he had to spread them with feet flat on the ground as he sat back on his seat, working on catching his breath as Gabriel made his way towards him, walking his own bike beside him.

They'd been forced to wear helmets so it was no surprise that Gabe's dark hair was plastered to his forehead, the dark blue helmet hanging off the handlebar by its strap as he called out with a big grin on his face, "Five seconds behind me –you were practically on my back."

Marc laughed, undoing the buckle under his chin and removing the black helmet as he shoot out his damp hair, "Served you right –you were pushing me halfway through the race."

Gabe snickered, the other riders heading to the concession stand where everything from hot dogs to popcorn were being served, "Couldn't let you win or everyone would think the race was rigged what with it being your party and all."

"Sure, sure," Marc finally got off his bike, moving towards the fence that separated the stands from the track and leaning it beside Gabe's, looking over his shoulder as Bailey approached them with her own bike in tow, "Now we get to find out what the prizes are –did you come in third?"

"No. I did."

Turning around, he was surprised as a girl from his art class –he was almost certain her name was Robyn –approached them, her dark blond hair tied into low pigtails, pretty blue-gray eyes sparkling as she smiled at him.

"Really," he gave her a smile as Bailey stopped to stand beside Gabe, flicking his eyes towards her before turning his attention back to his school mate, "I thought Bailey was right behind me."

"Yeah, no," Brad joined them, a can of soda in one hand, the other in a cast –he'd had a bit of an altercation attempting to do a front wheel stoppie last weekend, "The sand trap slowed her down some. She fell behind with the last hump."

Bailey scowled at her brother, reaching up to swipe her long bangs off her forehead, "Just three seconds."

"You took the edge," Robyn gave her a friendly smile that wasn't returned, "It's easier to go over the hump in the middle."

Gabe grinned as he tilted his chin at her, "Exactly what I did –you race much?"

She shrugged, her smile a bit shy as she looked at Marc out of the corner of her eye, answering Gabe's question, "My brothers are into it so I kind of tag along on the weekends."

"That's cool," Marc tousled his drying hair to keep it from looking flat, moving towards the center of the track as Uncle Seth called out for the top four winners, "Time to claim our prizes."

"I gotta say," Robyn kept step beside him, Gabe and Bailey following behind as Brad tagged along even though he didn't race –his mama had forbidden it, "This is the coolest birthday party I've ever been too –my brothers were seriously jealous when I told them where it was going to be."

March chuckled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he gave a shrug, "Yeah…I don't really like birthday parties but this one's been beyond awesome –especially since my aunt got me the motorized dirt bike I've been wanting. I'm hoping she'll let me compete in the Northwest Cup Series next year."

"My brother Jay competed last year," her smile widened as she gave an excited skip, "He said the Dry Hill track is wicked hard –lots of big jumps."

"Ah man."

They both laughed at the wistful tone to his words, Marc stopping beside Uncle Seth as he called out the times, handing out cash prizes –a hundred dollars for Gabe, seventy-five for Marc, fifty for Robyn and twenty-five for Bailey.

Definitely the best birthday party ever –heck, he wasn't minding it so much especially since Tia Rosa promised there would be no singing of 'Happy Birthday.'

Stuffing his money into the pocket of his jeans, he looked up as Robyn moved away, giving him a shy smile and an equally shy wave, "I'll see you later."

"Sure," Marc watched her walk away, calling out to her as he thought of something, "Hey!"

She spun around to face him, her eyes wide as she tilted hr head slightly to the side, "Yeah?"

"My cousins and I," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards Gabe, Brad and Bailey so she'd know who he was referring too, "We like to race in the woods around La Push on the weekends –you should join us."

Gabe and Brad nodded with idiotic smiles on their faces, Bailey simply crossing her arms over her chest as she scowled at her over Marc's shoulder.

Keeping her eyes on Marc, Robyn let a few seconds pass so she wouldn't come off as being too eager before giving him a smile that had him blinking in surprise, "I will –thanks."

"Yeah."

She stared at him for a few more seconds, a blush stealing over her cheeks as she walked backwards a couple of steps, "See you at school on Monday."

"Yeah."

She gave him another shy wave before turning and running across the track towards a group of girls Marc recognized from some of his other classes.

A hard shove against his back almost sent him into the grass but he managed to stay on his feet as he whipped around to glare at a scowling Bailey, "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem," Bailey glared at him, the slight breeze tugging at the loose strands of hair around her face, "You should have asked before inviting her to join us."

"I'm sorry," Marc's voice was slightly taunting as he looked over at Gabe and Brad, "I wasn't aware this was an exclusive club."

"I don't care," Gabe shrugged, Brad mirroring him despite Bailey giving him the evil eye, "Neither do I. She's got a pretty sweet bike."

Bailey fisted her hands, nails biting into her palms as Marc arched an eyebrow at her, "So what's the problem? You jealous?"

"What," Bailey's face flushed, her dark brown eyes flashing with anger, "Don't be a moron! I have nothing to be jealous of."

Pushing past him, she stomped away, muttering under her breath, the breeze carrying the words towards the boys, "Stupid idiotic dickwad."

Looking back at the guys, they all started snickering as Brad reached out to lightly punch Marc's shoulder, "She has a crush on you."

"What? No," Marc grimaced, hiking up his jeans as they started making their way towards the concession stand, "I don't think she even likes boys."

Brad and Gabe laughed at that, Marc kicking a loose rock as Gabe looked over at him, "It sure looked like she liked you."

Marc stared at him with a hint of confusion in his dark eyes, "Who are you talking about?"

"Robyn."

"Oh."

Brad grinned as he reached up to swipe his hair off his forehead, making sure he didn't hit himself in the head with the damn cast which he's done before, "You didn't think I was talking about my sister, did you?"

"No," Marc fought back the blush that threatened to flood his face, "You were the one that made it sound that way."

Brad scoffed at that, tossing his empty can into a trash bin nearby as they joined the long lines at the food stand, "Please. Bailey's as anti-girly as a girl can get and having a crush on a boy is very girly."

"Very," Gabe looked over at the small crowd of girls, Robyn standing beside a pretty brunette, "Now Robyn, she doesn't seem to be anti-girly."

"She's not," Marc followed Gabe's line of vision, grinning when she looked his way and smiled at him, "And you're right. She does have a crush on me."

"How do you know?"

The guys laughed as Marc gave them that smirk all teenage boys seemed to posses when discussing girls, "She stares at me in art class when she thinks I'm not looking."


Thursday, March 12

Adjusting the wide collar of her dress, she studied her reflection, turning sideways as she smoothed her hands over the swell of her belly. Her lips pursed into a frown as she tilted her head to the side, a slight sound from the bedroom door having her look up.

"You look beautiful."

She stared at her husband for a few seconds, suddenly realizing what he thought she was brooding about, "Oh, no, I wasn't worrying about that."

Lian grinned as he moved across the bedroom floor, his hand warm against her back before he curved it around her waist, the thumb of his other hand smoothing out the furrow between her beautiful eyes, "Then what's with the frown?"

"I'm thirty-two weeks pregnant, Lian," Julie turned back to her reflection as Lian stepped behind her, his hands smoothing the silk fabric as he covered the swell that was their baby, "Shouldn't I be bigger?"

He was able to see the glimmer of worry in her eyes, giving her a smile of assurance as he kissed her exposed neck, the long red brown curls he loved as much as her eyes held in a twist by jeweled chopsticks, "Baby, other than the high blood pressure, the doctor said everything is fine."

She placed her hands over his, feeling a slight flutter as their baby rolled under their hands, bright smiles breaking across both their faces as Lian's lips brushed against her ear, "Our tadpole is just a bit on the small side."

Julie's eyebrows lowered as she frowned at his reflection, "Did you just call our baby a runt?"

He could see the gathering storm clouds in her eyes and knew he needed to say something quick or he was going to have a hormonal wife to deal with, "No. I'm just saying we have a small baby –nothing wrong with that, especially if it's a girl."

Julie sniffed, biting her bottom lip as she thought over his words, narrowing her eyes at him again, "What if it's a boy?"

Lian gave her his best charming smile, hoping to get her out of this brooding mood, "He'll grow into his height."

"How do you know he'll be tall," the intensity in her eyes almost had him laughing but he bit his tongue, knowing that would not be a smart thing to do, "We're both tall –it's in the genes."

Julie thought over his words, her eyes never leaving their reflection before she sighed, "I suppose you're right."

Lian dipped his head to hide the smile that threatened to break across his face, kissing her shoulder as he slowly stroked her belly in wide circles.

Julie closed her eyes, a shiver running down her back as Lian moved his open mouth up her throat, gently biting the soft spot behind her ear.

"Julian…" his name came out somewhere between a moan and a sigh, his body reacting the way it always did as he cupped her breasts, the tender way he handled them causing tears to spring to her eyes.

"I miss you," he whispered against her skin as he kissed his way across her shoulders, his teeth scraping the back of her neck, rubbing his thumbs over the hard buds pushing against the fabric of her dress, "I know our tadpole needs to stay in there as long as possible but I'm dying not being able to make love to you."

Julie sighed in agreement, just as unhappy with the no sex rule her obstetrician had enforced two weeks ago in an effort to maintain her blood pressure down, "I know…we should get going or we'll be late."

Lian let her turn in his arms but he didn't drop them from around her, instead placing his hands against her lower back as he slid his tongue along her bottom lip, getting the response he had expected. He pushed his tongue past her opened lips, her own meeting his, the taste of eager desire sweet to both of them as he angled his head for a tighter fit.

Moving a hand to cup the back of her head, he deepened the kiss, both of them straining to get closer, a groan rumbling in his throat as Julie slid her hands under the hem of his t-shirt, her fingernails dragging up his back.

Breaking the kiss to take a gulp of air, he tugged at her bottom lip, sucking at it for a couple of seconds before releasing it. Her heart thumped hard against her breastbone as he kissed her throat, air escaping her in shallow gasps. He licked the soft skin below her jaw line, wanting so bad to bite down and suck hard enough to mark her as his but refrained himself, knowing now was not the time for that.

Placing a line of tiny kisses over her jaw then gently biting her bottom lip, he swallowed the gasp that escaped her.

"Julian…" her whisper came out sounding like a plea, her head tilting further back as he ran his tongue over the edge of her teeth before tugging at her top lip –dear god, but if he kept kissing her this way, she was going to end up coming right where she stood.

Lian broke the kiss, breathing hard as he struggled to get himself under control again, settling his forehead against hers as his heartbeat slowed down, able to feel her pulse fluttering frantically under the fingers pressed against the side of her throat.

He felt her shudder, her arms tight around his waist. Stroking the back of her neck, he dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose, "Shh, baby –it's okay."

Burying her face into his neck, she took a deep breath, working hard at visualizing the calm quietness found at the bottom of the ocean –it was the only technique she knew to help her relax.

Several minutes of silence passed, neither saying anything nor feeling the need to say anything as Lian gently stroked her back, the tremors that had been shaking her body diminished to the occasional one every few minutes.

"I'm sorry," Julie's whisper brushed across his neck, causing him to get hard all over again but this time, he kept control of himself as he kissed her cheek, whispering into her ear, "It's not your fault, baby…I shouldn't have gotten you excited like that –"

Julie giggled, finally pulling back to smile into his warm brown eyes, "I've got news for you –just watching you gets me excited."

Chuckling, he dropped a chaste kiss on her lips before moving back, holding back a groan as her hands slipped out from under his shirt, leaving behind a trail of tingling nerves, "Are you feeling okay to go out? Rose and Seth will understand if you don't feel well enough to go."

"I'm okay," she gave him a soft smile, interlacing her fingers with his.

Kissing her forehead, he squeezed her hand as they headed down the hall and out of their house, having made plans to join Seth and Rose for lunch.

Despite the possibility of awkwardness, they were both looking forward to spending time with family.


Lian's eyes rolled back as he let out a low groan –it had been so long, "Is this Uncle Harry's fish fry?"

Seth laughed as he dipped a French fry into ketchup, "Yup. Ma gave us the recipe and Rose sent me fishing yesterday."

"Dude," Lian shot his a cousin a look of surprise, "Why didn't you call?"

Seth motioned to both him and Julie, "You've been busy with that music video. I ended up taking Zak with me –that kid is a fish whisperer. He caught two fish for my every one."

Lian laughed at that as he took a sip of his cold beer, "Sounds like he's got the Clearwater fishing genes."

"Definitely. Just like his Uncle Seth."

"Oh please," Lian scoffed at that as he took the last roll from the bread basket in the middle of the table, "If I recall, you cried the first time Uncle Harry took us out in the boat."

Seth laughed at that, "I cried? What about you? 'Please, Uncle Harry, it's too big out here –I can't see any dirt.'"

They all laughed at that as Rose took the pitcher of lemonade to refill her glass, looking across the table at Julie, "How's the music video going?"

"Very well," Julie let out a sigh as she set her fork down, leaning back into her chair and rubbing the side of her small belly –baby was practicing gymnastics at the moment, "We still have the beach setting to shoot but hopefully, we'll get it done this weekend."

"I'm glad the council gave you permission to use First Beach," Rose returned the pitcher to the middle of the table, looking over at the monitor at the sound of a soft whimper but nothing followed –Carlos was still asleep, "I hope you'll be prepared for crowd control –I know it's gotten around the reservation and Forks that you guys are shooting a video here."

"Sam's helping out with that," Lian finished his fish, wiping his mouth before sitting back and sliding a hand between Julie's back and the chair to rub soothing circles on her lower back, "The band's getting here sometime in the morning since they'll be part of this set."

"How exactly does video making work," Rose asked with sincere curiosity as she buttered a roll.

Julie shifted in her seat as she picked up her fork, "We shoot the entire song in different settings again and again. Then they get edited, cut and put together to create one video –it's a long process. Natalie's going to come down this weekend since the producer believes he'll be able to start editing Sunday and she wants to be a part of that."

"Yeah," Lian grinned as he tipped back his bottle to finish what was left of his beer, "The label's using this particular video to announce our little tadpole to the fans –Nat wants it to be perfect."

"She's acting like a proud grandmother," Julie chuckled as she let out a sigh, not able to eat anymore as a soft cry sounded from the baby monitor.

"I'm going to get Carlos," Rose stood up, smiling at her husband when he reached out to give her hand a squeeze, "Will you get his food from the fridge?"

"Sure."

Rose hurried down the hall as Carlos let out a louder cry, smiling when she walked into the room to find her baby, all of nine months, standing in his crib, tiny hands holding on tight to the railing, "Hola nene."

He stared up at her with those big eyes identical in color to hers, black spiky lashes surrounding them as huge tears rolled down his pudgy cheeks. Lifting him out of the cry, she kissed his head as he burrowed into her neck, his sobs squeezing her heart as she rubbed his small back, "I'm sorry, baby. I know you don't like waking up alone."

Sitting on the side of the bed, she rocked him, softly whispering words of comfort as his sobs slowly disappeared, the occasional hiccup escaping him as he looked up at her with a forgiving smile that showed off two bottom teeth.

She loved that smile –it was so like Seth's she couldn't help grinning back at him, kissing the tip of his little nose as she wiped her thumb over his wet cheeks, "Are you hungry? Want to see what Daddy has for you?"

Carlos nodded to both questions as he reached up to touch her face, his tiny fingers kneading her chin, giggles escaping him when she nibbled on his hand. Checking his diaper and finding him dry as well as clean, she headed back towards the kitchen, a small arm wrapped around her neck as he clutched his stuffy which she'd taken from his crib.

"There's my little man," Seth stood up to take him from Rose, the little boy laughing as his cheek got buzzed by his father before he was placed into his high chair, "Can you say hi to your Uncle Lian and Aunt Julie?"

Carlos looked at the two strangers as he carefully set his stuffy in the tray's cup holder, looking over at his father and stretching out his arm, opening his tiny hand in a sign that Seth knew as give me food and do it now, "Ma? Ma?"

Julie grinned as Rose picked up the empty plates on the table, returning with an apple pie and dessert plates, "He's beautiful, Rose."

"What is it with you girls," Seth looked over at Julie with a frown, the sparkle in his brown-green eyes letting her know he wasn't really upset while Rose took out a quart of vanilla ice cream from the freezer, "Boys are not beautiful. They are handsome or good-looking, hell even dreamy, but not beautiful."

"Mhm, I don't know," Rose handed Lian a piece of apple pie a la mode, a tap on Seth's shoulder reminding him he needed to put a bib on Carlos before he started feeding him, "I kinda agree with Julie –my Carlos is a beautiful boy…just like his Daddy."

Lian laughed at the way Seth's face flushed with embarrassment, "All you need is a pink dress, a tiara and we can start calling you Princess Setherina."

"Shut up," Seth gave him a scowl as he spooned pureed carrots into Carlos' open mouth, the little boy smacking his lips as soon as he swallowed before opening for another spoonful, "Unless you want me to tell Julie about Emily dressing you up like a doll, make up and all."

Julie laughed, setting her fork down as Lian glared across the table at Seth, "You just did. Does Rose know you used to play tea party with Leah?"

"I never played tea party," Seth objected with vehemence, spooning the last of the carrots into Carlos' mouth, his son letting out a squeal of joy when Rose placed a handful of cheerios on his tray, "We were playing Cowboys and Indians. I was stepping into the saloon for a shot of whiskey when you showed up."

"Since when does whiskey come from a teapot?"

Julie was laughing so hard she started hiccuping, her hands on either side of her stomach as Rose interrupted the cousins, laughter evident in her voice, "Before you two get carried away in revealing any more embarrassing secrets, I think Carlos needs to be changed."

Seth looked at his son, catching that look of intense concentration as his dark eyebrows dipped in the middle, "Well, looks like Lian's going to get to learn how to change diapers."

"What," Lian looked at his cousin in surprise, "Why do I have to learn to do that?"

"Because you're going to have a baby," Julie gave him an incredulous look as she shifted in her chair, "I'm not going to be changing diapers as well as feeding him so you had better pay attention."

"Come on, little man," Seth set the tray on the table before lifting Carlos out of his high chair, the little boy grabbing his stuffy before his father stood up, "Let's give your Uncle Lian diaper 1-0-1 lessons."

Carlos laughed as he tucked his stuffy under his chin, big hazel eyes on Lian as he stood to follow them down the hall.

Julie and Rose were pleasantly chatting, enjoying their pie and ice cream when Lian's voice echoed down the hall, "Oh that is disgusting!"

Seth's laughter was loud and deep as Lian yelled at him, "What the hell are you laughing at? Your kid just peed on me!"

"He's got pretty good aim too!"

"Oh, god, this is beyond disgusting!"

"That's my boy!


Tuesday, March 17th

give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away…won't you take me away –yay –yay…"

Marc hummed along with the music as he placed his brush into the glass jar with the other ones he's used so far, picking up the one eighth inch brush he used for the tiny details, dipping it into one of the many different browns he had mixed together for this project he needed to complete by Friday.

His art teacher, Mr. Bender, had assigned them acrylics for the month of March and they were currently completing their Study of Brown project which Marc was enjoying very much. He carefully added the golden brown flecks to the green until it matched the exact picture in his mind's eye, taking a step back to study the results before nodding as he switched to a one fourth inch brush, the song in his new iPod changing from Uncle Kracker to Poison.

It had been a birthday gift from the Cullens, the extensive playlists simply titled after each of the Cullen members –so far, he was enjoying Emmett's playlist the most, what with the rock and roll music of old along with the hard rock music that actually sounded like music. It had come along with its own docking station and the sound quality was superb which just made it hard for him to keep it at a low volume –it was a good thing his room was soundproof, he supposed, because he loved playing all those awesome songs with the loud drums and wicked guitar solos at top volume.

Completing the details to the background of his painting, he dropped the used brush in the jar, liking what was on his canvas so far. He still had another couple of layers of paint to put on it but he had to let this one dry first –he knew Mr. Bender was going to want to use this one for the State art competition he had mentioned at the beginning of the year and if he had to be honest with himself without sounding too conceited, he knew it would put him at the top tier of winners. Despite that, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to have so many people looking at it –the subject he'd chosen was a little too personal...he was contemplating between calling it Princess Leah or An Indian Princess.

Hell, if Gabriel ever saw it, he was going to kick Marc's ass.

Letting out a sigh, he started cleaning up his paints, making sure all the tubes where closed properly before taking the jar of used brushes, opening the bottom desk drawer where he kept his cleaning supplies to pull out what he needed before shutting off his iPod and opening the door to head into the bathroom.

The door to the bathroom was opened which was why Marc was somewhat surprised to see his sister sitting on the edge of the tub, "Don't you have ballet practice?"

Vivi looked up at him, her long her caught up in a bun at the top of her head, several strands framing her face, "I just got in –thought I'd soak my feet before dinner."

Marc set his supplies on the sink before turning on the faucet, "Its dinner time already?"

"Tia said it'll be ready in thirty minutes," Vivi smiled at his as she unlaced the ribbons to her ballet shoes; "You were painting, weren't you?"

"How do you know?"

Her smile grew a bit as she gave him a sideways look, "You lose track of time when you're painting…or writing."

Marc shrugged, carefully washing out the paint from the bristles of his brushes –they were expensive and he made sure to keep them in shape by using soap specifically made for them as well as drying them instead of letting them air-dry, "I enjoy doing both so I kind of just don't pay attention to anything else."

A soft hiss had him looking up as Vivi removed her shoe, tossing it into the tub that was filling up with water, the blood on her toes making his nose wrinkle, "What the hell, Vivi? Why are your feet bleeding?"

"I'm still breaking in my shoes," Vivi undid the laces of her other shoe, carefully removing it as she bit her bottom lip, some of the blood having dried. Tossing the shoe into the water along with the other, she gingerly dipped her feet into the water.

"I don't remember your feet bleeding the last time you broke in ballet shoes," Marc washed his last brush, using his thumb and forefinger to squeeze water out of the soft bristles before molding them into their original shape then patting it dry between the folds of the washcloth.

"That's because the last shoes I broke in weren't en pointe," Vivi let out a sigh as she let her feet rest flat against the bottom of the tub, leaning forward to turn off the running water, "My toes aren't used to taking on my full weight and it'll take time to build up calluses."

Washing traces of paint from the sink, he turned off the faucet, drying his hands on the hand towel in the ring beside the mirror before moving to sit on the closed toilet seat, "Why do you do it? Obviously, it hurts like hell, not to mention your feet are going to get ugly."

Vivi let out a soft chuckle, not at all offended by her brother's frank way of speaking –Marc never did pull any punches or beat around the bush, "Because I love it. When I dance…I stop thinking and all I can do is feel the music, the emotions behind the movements…it's beautiful, the way it makes my heart soar…"

Marc's lips hitched into a smile at her words –she was such a romantic it sometimes scared him, "Does all that make the pain worth it?"

Vivi grinned at him as she took the towel she had placed beside her on the wide edge of the tub, "Nothing worth having comes without pain and sacrifice…you should know that, Marc."

He gave a shrug, watching as she patted one foot dry then the other, "Yeah, but still…I don't see how something as beautiful as you describe can possibly require pain to be accomplished."

"Then you're not paying attention when you go to my recitals," Vivi turned to stand, biting back a whimper at the aching pain that were her feet, legs…her entire body, really, "Next time, stop thinking that you're just there to support your sister and just…watch."

Marc laughed as she walked across the floor of the bathroom they shared, standing up to take his brushes and cleaning supplies, "Are you leaving your shoes in the tub?"

"I'll get them after dinner," Vivi tossed the used towel into her hamper before walking out of the bathroom, undoing the string bow that held her black see through skirt together, the pink leotard still wet in places where sweat had run down her body in rivulets, "I'm going to put on a sweater –I'm always cold after practice."

Marc shook his head as he went towards his bedroom to put away his stuff. Returning soon after, he ran into his sister again as she limped out of her bedroom wearing a large gray sweater that hung down to her knees, her black leggings still in place, "I know this is going to sound gross but I can help with your feet –"

"You are not going to spit on my feet," she glared at him, one hand on the door frame as she shifted her weight onto one leg to give the other a bit of respite, "Besides, I won't build up calluses if I let you do that."

"You really are into it, uh?"

"Yes," Vivi's gold-brown eyes were wide with earnest sincerity, "I plan on going to Juilliard…I'm going to be a prima donna ballerina."

"Gabe's not going to like you heading off to New York," Marc arched an eyebrow, watching the way her face flushed, "Of course, all that drama can be avoided if you just stay away from him."

"Stop it," she headed down the hall, needing to move before her muscles got sore and stiff –Miss Trinity had really worked them hard at the two hour practice she had after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, "Gabe knows that I want to be a ballerina."

"But is he okay with it," Marc followed behind her, hands in his pockets as he tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, "You gotta remember, Vivi –Gabe's an alpha male and alpha males like to get their way."

"You're one to talk," Vivi reached the bottom of the stairs, smiling at the sight of her baby cousin crawling across the living room floor in pursuit of Einstein, the blue tick hound in a crouched position as he moved away from him, his doggy grin making him look like the young puppy he had once been, "You always like getting your way."

Marc shrugged, moving across the living room and bending down to pick up Carlos, his belly laugh making him grin as he gently tossed him up into the air, easily catching him as the nine month old let out a squeal, his hazel eyes bright with enjoyment, "It's always better when I get my way, isn't it Carlos?"

Carlos laughed, little fingers reaching to pinch Marc's cheeks as he babbled, "Ma! Ma!"

Tossing him up in the air again, he caught him and gave his pudgy cheek a kiss before walking into the kitchen, Vivi helping Tia set the table, "What's for dinner?"

Tia looked up from slicing the crusty loaf of bread, laughing at the sight of Carlos attacking Marc's cheek in open mouthed exuberance, "Looks like he's hungry."

"Yeah, if you don't hurry up, I'm going to be his entrée of choice," Marc tried to pull him off but Carlos' arms were wrapped tight around his neck, "Get him off! He's gonna leave a damn hickey on me!"

"Language, Marcos," Vivi finished with the table, moving around to pull Carlos off of him, the little boy giving them a big smile as Marc used the neck of his shirt to wipe the drool off his face, "If I hear him say that word, I will hurt you. Right, Carlos?"

He looked up at her with a big grin, "Ma! Ma!"

"See," Vivi gave her brother a smirk, "He agrees with me."

"He agrees with everything," Marc tousled the dark hair that covered his tiny head before moving across the kitchen to open the fridge, "Is Uncle Seth coming for dinner?"

Tia looked at the clock over the arched opening that led to the living room, "He'll be here in twenty minutes."

"I'll starve by then," Marc grabbed a cheese stick, an apple and a bottle of juice, closing the door and leaning against it as he bit down on the apple, peeling open the wrapping to his cheese stick, "I am hungry."

"You're always hungry," Vivi shifted Carlos in her arms, reaching out to snag the unwrapped cheese stick from Marc's hand and giving it to the little boy, his big smile tanks enough before he sank his tiny teeth into it.

"Not nice," Marc scowled at her, taking another bite of his apple as he twisted the bottle open. Vivi shrugged, moving around the table to place her cousin into his high chair, "You were blocking access to the refrigerator."

"You could have asked me to move."

"Much less effort to just take it away from you," Vivi made kissing faces at Carlos, his sweet giggles escaping around the cheese stick he refused to take out of his mouth, "Right Carlos?"

Kicking his bare feet, he looked up at her with sparkling eyes, sucking on his treat as the sound of the front door opening and closing let them know their uncle was home, "Ma! Ma!"

"Rosie, I'm home!"

"About time," Marc tossed his apple core into the trash bin, moving across the kitchen floor just as Uncle Seth walked in, grabbing his arm and steering him towards his chair, "No time for kissing and such. I'm hungry and so is your kid, so let's sit down and eat, shall we?"

Vivi rolled her eyes, "You are so rude. At least let him say hi to Tia Rosa."

Marc arched an eyebrow, sitting in his chair as soon as Uncle Seth sat in his, Tia bringing the platter of sliced roast beef to the table, "They don't say hi, Vivi. They kiss for like thirty minutes…and as a thirteen year old boy, my stomach comes first."

Tia and Uncle Seth laughed at that, Carlos rocking in his high chair as he went back to sucking on the cheese stick, "Ma! Ma!"

"See?" He gave his sister a superior little smirk as he cut into his meat, "Carlos agrees with me."

"No he doesn't."

"Yes, he does," he looked over at his cousin, the little boy picking his blueberries one at a time to put into his mouth, "Right Carlos?"

"Ma! Ma!"