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: The poem in this chapter was written by me but inspired by Marc. I hope y'all enjoy this update and hopefully, I can finish the next chapter and update on Saturday but no promises. I still have two more nights of work.

Ages of kids as follows: Vivi, 12yrs: Marc, 14yr: Nika, 12yrs: Bailey, 14yrs: Bradley, 14yrs. For ages of the younger kids, please check the family tree chapter. It's been updated.

Oh, right, almost forgot -LEMON ALERT! I am enjoying writing the evolving stories of these pre-teens but I am an adult and I occasionally like to have something...stronger shall we say? The lemon alert involves Seth and Rose and I will warn you, it's a straight up lemon shot.

Enjoy as you read and as always -REVIEW!

Chapter Fifty-Five (12 yrs old)
December 25th

It was awkward to say the least, being they still hadn't talked concerning the event occurring ten days ago.

But it was Christmas so they were all gathered at the Clearwater place, their living room large enough to host eleven kids and six adults plus one dog and a nine foot Christmas tree.

Dinner had been consumed with gusto, gingerbread men and marzipan stars given out to the kids along with mugs of marshmallow loaded hot chocolate laced with peppermint. While the adults were in the kitchen, talking and laughing –baby Erick asleep in his mother's arms –the kids were spread throughout the lower level of the house, playing with their new toys, shrieks of joy and abandonment abundant in the family home.

Vivi sat in the corner of the couch, knees tucked into her chest as she sipped her hot chocolate, eyes watching Xavier and Carlos play together with their new Tonka trucks so she wouldn't stare at Gabriel while he and Marc talked bikes and racing and such. The ache in her chest was a dull pain, what she imagined a pulled tooth would feel like, easy enough to handle so she could get through her day but constantly making its presence known so she wouldn't forget the cause behind it.

Gabe looked away from Marc, catching her staring at him, her face flushing a pale pink but she didn't look away, just kept gazing into his ice blue eyes, her heart beating hard against her chest.

She had never before felt so guilty, having seen something behind the anger in his eyes the night she'd come home with Roger beside her. The realization of what the emotion buried underneath the anger was had hit her as he walked away but Marc had stopped her and for the past week, she had kicked herself for having listened to her brother.

He gave her a small smile before turning his attention back to Marc, her soft sight indiscernible what with the noise all the little ones were making. Minutes passed as she got lost in the twinkling lights of the tree, thinking how beautiful it looked with its abundance of silver tinsel and rainbow hued glass spheres.

Someone dropped next to her, jostling her arm a bit so it was a good thing she had her half full mug of hot chocolate resting on the couch's arm.

She looked up, gold-brown eyes locking onto blue, breathe stuck in her chest as she wondered what to say.

He shifted slightly, Vivi surprised when she felt his side pressing into hers –he had moved closer which meant he wasn't angry with her anymore, right?

Trying to let out her breath slowly, she watched as he dropped his eyes to his hands, knotting his fingers together as he quietly whispered, "I'm sorry."

She bit her bottom lip to keep it from dropping open –she hadn't expected him to be the one apologizing, "For what?"

"For…" Gabe's jaw was tense and she could tell he was biting the inside of his cheek before he looked up, "For not answering when you called."

"Oh," she dropped her eyes, fingers rubbing patterns into the dark purple leggings she wore with a pewter gray knee length sweater dress, the belt around her small waist matching the leggings, "I guess…I guess I understand. I mean, you were angry about…"

She stopped, not wanting to bring up the reason behind his silence but the tension radiating off of him let her know it was at the forefront of his thoughts.

"So…" Gabe shifted, rubbing his hands against the worn denim of his jeans, eyes averted, "Are you going to be seeing that Donald guy again?"

Vivi couldn't hold back a giggle, gold-brown eyes dancing as she gave him a small smile, "It's Roger –and no, I'm not. He's sixteen so I'm not allowed…he's just a friend, Gabriel."

Gabe nodded, looking down at his sneakers as he crossed his arms over his chest, "It's okay if you want to date him –that's your choice."

"It wasn't a date –besides, with the show finished, there's no reason to see him again."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, "So you won't go out with him again?"

Was he not listening to her? "No, I won't."

Facing her, he stared into her eyes as he quietly asked, "Because you don't want too or because Uncle Seth won't let you?"

She didn't have to be a genius to understand the importance of such a simple question, "Because I don't want too."

Gabe studied her quietly, measuring the sincerity in her eyes for a minute or two before he gave her one of his 'just hers' smiles, his shoulders relaxing, "Cool…no, wait, I meant, well, you can be friends with whoever you want…and you can see them whenever…just like I can."

Vivi didn't like the implications of those last four words, "What do you mean?"

"Well…I shouldn't be telling you who to be friends with…and mama told me it would be good for us to make other friends. You know…see other people."

Vivi's stomach twisted into a vicious knot, her breath catching in her throat before she asked in a rush, "See other people? Like…you seeing other girls?"

Gabe shrugged, dropping his eyes to his hands but the damage was done –he felt like a total jerk at the devastation he'd seen in her eyes because he knew the only reason he had even brought up the ridiculous notion of seeing other girls was to make her feel what he had felt, "Yeah…although I think girls are silly –well, except for you. You're…you're my best friend."

Vivi blinked back the rush of tears, dropping her eyes to keep him from seeing the way his words had hurt her although from the way he'd said that last part, almost like an apology, made her wonder if he had caught on, "You're…you're my best friend too…and I'm sorry that –I'm sorry about Roger."

Gabe gave a jerky nod, turning his hand palm side up against his thigh, his heart lurching strangely when she caught on to the peace offering, soft fingers sliding between his before they closed them around each other -a perfect fit, "You should have told me…"

"I just…I didn't want you to get angry."

Gabe gnawed on his bottom lip, keeping his eyes on his thumb as he traced small circles into the back of her hand, "It made me angry 'cause you kept it from me…I mean, you knew about the whole thing before going so it's not like it just happened and you didn't have time to say anything."

She bit her bottom lip, reaching up to wipe away at a tear before it could make its way down her cheek, "I'm sorry."

Gabe finally looked up into her gold-brown eyes, studying her pretty face before he leaned in close enough to rest his forehead against hers, his words heavy with the seriousness they carried, "I don't like it when other boys look at you or touch you or hug you…but I especially don't like it when you smile at them…that's something I'll have to get over…or learn how to deal with but…if they don't matter, if it means nothing, don't hide it from me. It felt like a punch in the gut when I saw you smiling at him."

Sniffing back a sob, she reached up to touch his face with her free hand, "I'm sorry."

He nodded, closing his eyes as he dropped his head to her shoulder, the warm caress of her breath against his cheek cooling the anger he still had inside him, "Next time, just tell me. I'll make sure and do the same."

She sucked in her breath, the scent of rain and damp earth having her head swimming but it didn't take away from the pain of his words –she had to figure out something because she knew there was no way she could ever survive seeing him with another girl, laughing and holding hands…in that manner, he was a stronger person than her because she knew she wouldn't deal with it if the roles were reversed.

"Okay, you two," Marc nudged their heads apart, standing behind the long couch as Emmie climbed onto the couch beside Gabe, "Break it up. We're gonna watch a movie but there's no cuddling allowed so Carlos, come sit here little man."

Carlos laughed as he scrambled up onto the couch between Vivi and Gabe, Marc jumping over the couch to land at the other end beside Emmie as Xavier climbed up to join Carlos, the two little bodies effectively creating the space Marc deemed acceptable.

The movie started, one of the new Disney releases, Marc occasionally looking over at his sister and Gabe but they were both watching the screen, the two little boys snuggled between them. Feeling satisfied, he turned his attention back to the movie, letting himself enjoy the unfolding story of The Croons.

What he missed and no one bother to point out, were the still joined hands hidden between the two little boys, Vivi and Gabe able to feel each others' hearts beating together, the simple gesture giving them much needed comfort.


January 16th

His mother had asked to take Carlos for the day so she could spend some time with him and being he would like some alone time with his wife, Seth didn't even let his mom explain what she wanted to do before agreeing.

Closing the front door behind him, his smile grew at the sound of running water, placing the dozen pink roses he had bought for Rose on the coffee table before heading towards the bathroom they shared, pulling his t-shirt over his head and letting it fall to the floor as he opened the door.

He was greeted by a cloud of steam and he knew he was in trouble –not because of the heat in the bathroom or the fogged up shower walls but because of the luscious scent assaulting his senses, the wolf inside him stirring with a lusty growl.

Kicking off his sneakers, he chucked off his jeans and boxer briefs, pulling off his socks before opening the shower door, closing it as he reached out to snag Rose around her small waist, pulling her back against his front as he buried his nose into her wet throat, a growl rumbling deep in his chest at the delicious smell of cherry blossoms.

Rose shivered as he flattened his hands over her stomach, moving them up her slick skin, her nipples tightening long before he reached her breasts. She knew words weren't needed, their bodies communicating in the most basic and intimate of ways as she stretched her arms over her head, burying fingers into his wet hair as he gently bit her on the side of her neck.

His thumbs brushed over her pebbled nipples, his mouth opened over her shoulder as he pushed his hips against her backside, the feel of her fingernails raking the back of his neck having his chest vibrate with another growl.

Moving his hand down her stomach, he cupped her, slipping his middle finger between her folds to rub the little bundle of nerves in lazy circles, her soft moans making him hot as he pushed his hand deeper between her thighs, his other hand squeezing and molding her breast as he pulled and tweaked her nipple.

Her breath stuttered as he pushed a finger into her, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as her hips jerked forward, her thighs tight around his wrist in a silent plea for him to continue. Moving his hand up between her breasts, he cupped her jaw, turning her head to capture her lips in a tongue thrusting kiss, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip, the tip of her tongue sliding over his upper lip having him groan into her mouth.

The now lukewarm water pelted them, Seth turning her around and pressing her up against the tiled wall all in one move, his mouth on hers as he slid his hands up her body, squeezing her breasts before stroking down her back to cup her round bottom, his thigh between hers pushing her up onto the tip of her toes as she dragged her nails down his back before reaching up to hold on to his wide shoulders.

He sucked on her tongue, nipping at the corners of her mouth before dragging his open mouth down her throat, sucking and biting, kissing the sting away before moving on, his hands on her hips holding her in place as he dropped to his knees.

Licking and biting at her bellybutton, he pushed his tongue in, his thumbs rubbing circles against her hipbones, able to feel the raised skin of the tattoo of his name on her left hip under the pad of his thumb, the possessiveness flooding him ten times stronger than usual.

Breathing her in, he couldn't think of anything but the heady scent of her arousal, the heat of her body and the needy sounds escaping her as she fisted her hands in his hair. Abstaining from the pleasure of her sweet taste, he moved his open mouth over her hipbone and sucking hard, knowing the black and blue ink would hide any mark he left behind.

She let out a soft plea but he didn't hear it, didn't understand anything other than the feel of her body, the hot need of her arousal beaconing him like a moth to flame as he went in search of her secrets, the sweet honey of her need for him coating his lips and tongue.

Rose hit the back of her head against the tile as she arched her back, the storm inside her gathering strength with every lick and nip, her moans getting louder as she got closer to the edge, finally falling over into abandoned bliss as he sucked hard at her clit while pushing his finger into her wet heat.

Taking everything she gave him, he gripped the back of her thighs as he stood, plunging into her in one smooth stroke that had her screaming in pleasure as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, the feel of her, tight and wet and oh so hot, had him panting as he moved into her, hard and deep with every stroke, her fingernails digging into his shoulders as she kept her legs locked around his narrow hips.

They both let out simultaneous shouts of exultation, their orgasms coming hard, the world spinning, everything upside down and inside out but with them holding on to each other, it wasn't frightening at all.

Cupping her face in his large hands, he pressed wet smooching kisses on her mouth, his nose brushing against hers as he whispered between every kiss, "I love you. I love you. I love you so damn much, Rosa Maria."

Stroking his jaw, she whispered along with him, her voice thick and husky, "Te amo. Te amo con todo mi corazon. Te amo."

He wrapped an arm around her shivering body, reaching out to turn the cold water off before opening the shower door, grabbing a fluffy towel and wrapping it around her, effectively swaddling her from shoulders to knees, "I love you…you're my whole life, Rose."

She gave him a shy smile, holding on to the towel as he took another one, squeezing the water out of her long hair before he rubbed it dry with the towel, tossing it towards the hamper. Moving her to stand before the vanity mirror, he picked up her brush, chuckling as she let out a yawn, "Let me brush out the tangles and you can take a nap."

"Take a nap with me," Rose asked softly, watching him in the mirror as he carefully and gently tugged the brush through her thick hair, the concentration on his face making her smile –he looked just the way Carlos did whenever he was attempting something new.

Kissing her cheek once he was done, he placed the brush back where she kept it, easily lifting her up and walking out of the bathroom, "Sounds good to me. We've got three hours before Marc and Vivi come home from school and mom wants us to stay for dinner when we go pick up Carlos so we've got lots of time for a nap…and other things."

She giggled as he settled her in the middle of the bed, letting out a squeal when he whipped the towel off her as he stated, "You won't be needing this."

Tossing it towards the bathroom, he climbed into bed with her, pulling her into his arms as she tangled her legs with his.

Kissing her swollen lips, he smiled at her sleepy eyes, studying the constant color change of her hazel irises, "So I'm thinking, a thirty minute nap then…"

Her laughter as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively had his soul soaring.

He couldn't possibly find happiness anywhere else but then again, he had no desire to look anywhere else.


January 25th
Forks High School, Freshman English

"There are many ways of expressing ourselves," Miss Julia walked up between two rows of seats, her multicolored floor length skirt floating around her ankles, "Whether it's through words, drawing, music –all these mediums of expression are available to us so we may express…so we may release what's inside us and give it flight, move others into feeling the same, giving of ourselves unto vessels others will take with open arms."

Marc slouched into his seat, rubbing his toe against the back leg of the desk in front of him as he flipped his black pen between his fingers, back and forth, back and forth.

"Within the written means of expression, there are more ways –story telling…prose…poetry. Now, before we let out for the winter break, I had each of you pick out a style of poetry from the can of words and you have had since then to put together a poem of your own following the style you got. I've put your names into the can of words and will be pulling one out, which means you'll be sharing your poem with the rest of the class."

The looks on all their faces expressed similar thoughts –none of them wanted to be the one to stand before the rest to share their poem.

Miss Julia moved to the front of the room, taking the can from the corner of her desk and plunging in her hand, all of them looking ill at ease as she took several seconds before pulling out a slip of paper, everyone holding their breath as she looked at the name she'd written.

"Marc de Lune."

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief as Marc closed his eyes, swallowing hard before he got to his feet, his English notebook in hand.

"Marc, share what style of poetry you picked, what the rules are and then read your poem for the class."

Letting out a sigh as he turned to face his classmates, he opened his notebook to the last page he had written in, catching sight of the encouraging smile Betty gave him from the sixth seat in the third row.

He gave her a tight smile in return, not at all happy about this but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"I got the blitz poem. Basically, it's just a bunch of short phrases and images and it doesn't need to rhyme and it totals to fifty lines. The first two lines need to start with the same word…then the second couple of lines start with the last word of the previous line and so forth so on. The last two lines are different though. Line forty nine starts with the last word of line forty eight and line fifty starts with the last word of line forty seven. The title's only three words –the first word of line three, a preposition or conjunction then the first word of line forty seven. There's no punctuation."

Miss Julia grinned as she sat on the edge of her desk, "Sounds like a fun poem to write."

Marc arched his eyebrow; the expression on his face made it clear he wasn't sharing because e wanted too but because she was making him.

Fall is True
By Marc de Lune

I stumble
I fall
Fall down
Fall hard
Hard pain
Hard life
Life hurts
Life kills
Kills the dream
Kills the hope
Hope for life
Hope for more
More smiles
More joy
Joy in love
Joy in pain
Pain hurts
Pain heals
Heals wounds
Heals souls
Souls weeping
Souls missing
Missing pieces
Missing completely
Completely gone
Completely dark
Dark as night
Dark as blood
Blood rushing
Blood calling
Calling deep inside
Calling from hell
Hell filled with nothing
Hell empty of everything
Everything good
Everything true
True to self
True to you
You who care
You who love
Love freely flowing
Love openly given
Given to others
Given and special
Special and pure
Special and true
True of soul
True of heaven
Heaven…
Soul…

The silence in the classroom was heavy, Marc not bothering to look at the other students as he moved down the aisle to sit back down at his desk, Miss Julia studying him before standing up, the multiple gold bracelets she wore on her wrists giving a musical jingle, effectively breaking the unusual stillness.

"That was brilliant, Marc," she gave him a big smile before glancing at the sun shaped clock on the wall, "Time's almost up. Please type up your poems and turn them in tomorrow."

The murmuring swelled as Miss Julia sat at her desk, not paying attention to them anymore which meant they had the last couple of minutes to themselves.

"Pss."

Marc looked over his shoulder as Betty leaned over the top of her desk to get close enough to his, which was in the next row, one seat ahead of hers, "Yeah?"

"That was really good –your poem, I mean," Betty gave him a big smile, her dancing brown eyes making him chuckle softly as he gave a shrug.

"It was alright," Marc stuffed his notebook and textbook –along with a copy of Don Quixote which was his end of year English project –into his backpack, "Poetry really isn't my thing but it could have been worse –I could have ended up with a haiku."

Betty giggled, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder as the peel of the bell rang across the school campus. Marc matched her shorter strides as they headed out of the classroom to get to their last class of the day, "That one's a hard one –having to get the right amount of syllables and whatnot."

"What did you end up with?"

Betty wrinkled her nose as she re-adjusted the strap over her shoulder, "Refrain…I looked through mom's books on Poe's works to get an idea because apparently, he uses the style in most of them."

Marc laughed as they turned the corner of the hallway, making sure to stay at her side as they moved through the crowd in the main foyer to get to the other side where she had band and he had art, "From my books surcease of sorrow for the lost Lenore/for the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore/Nameless here for evermore."

Betty looked up at him in shock, "You know Edgar Allan Poe?"

"Hey," he gave her a teasing wink as they reached the band room, giving her arm a squeeze, "I'm more than just a shortstop on the baseball team. I'll see you tomorrow, k? Coach is having us meet after school to set up try-outs for next year's team."

"Alright," Betty waved at him, staying where she was until he disappeared around the corner, the peel of the bell having her rush into the big band room, her messenger bag tossed on the floor in a corner as soon as she pulled out her clarinet case.

One more hour to end another school day –she sure was looking forward to it.


February 2nd

"I've pretty much got everything organized," Sue sat down at the kitchen table, placing her legal pad before her, "Daisy's taking care of the music and Emily agreed to do deserts. Jiao is coming down from Port Angeles to help Leah and Meg with the food."

Rose nodded as she kneaded the dough for homemade biscuits, having used a recipe Vivi found off the internet, "What can I help with? I mean, depending on how big a crowd you get, sounds like food will be the biggest job."

Sue nodded, laughing as Carlos crawled under the kitchen table in pursuit of Einstein, the old hound-dog never too tired to play with the two year old, "I'll be helping with the food. So will Linda, Sam's mom, so it won't be that big of a job. What I was hoping you could do, if you're willing, is photographs."

"Photographs?"

"I think it will be a nice keepsake of the whole thing. This is the first Valentine's dinner event we're hosting at the center and we're hoping to make it into a memorable experience."

Rose chuckled as she covered the dough to let it rise, washing her hands in warm water before taking the dishtowel to dry them, "Is this just for the kids here at the reservation?"

"Mostly, yes, but news travels fast and since we're selling the tickets for five dollars each, anyone can come to the center and purchase one –we're limiting it to sixty."

"Sixty –that's a lot of teenagers in one place," Rose moved to the refrigerator, stepping over Carlos who was crawling across the kitchen in his attempt to pretend being a dog, "Is it just dinner?"

Sue shook her head, her brown-green eyes on her grandson as he let out a high pitched bark, Einstein reciprocating with his own baying howl, "We'll have some free space for dancing afterwards –Mikki used to be a hostess up in Port Angeles in one of those five star restaurants so she's in charge of the demographics and such. Emily helped Leah put together the menu so in a way, it'll be a learning experience for these kids. You know, some of them have never left the reservation –not even to go to Forks. There's no need to what with the general store and the ice cream shop we have here, not to mention the beach being within walking distance. I just thought it would be a nice experience for them without the expense –except for the five dollars. And that's not much."

Rose laughed, placing the bowl of marinating chicken breasts next to the stove before looking down at her son, "Carlos, nene, go into the living room, please. I don't want to step on your hands."

Carlos pushed himself to his feet, wrapping his arms around her legs as he grinned up at her, "Mama play?"

"I have to make dinner, bebe," she cupped his little face, rubbing her thumb over his chubby cheek; "You want to eat, right?"

"Si," Carlos nodded enthusiastically, letting go of her before toddling over to Sue, crawling up into her lap with her help, "Grama play?"

Sue cupped his little face, placing a kiss on his upturned nose, "Of course I will. Let me finish talking to your mama and I'll go find you in the living room."

Cheering, he slid down her legs, landing on his bottom but he simply pushed himself to his feet and ran off, Einstein following behind him with tail wagging in exuberance.

"He's so much like Seth, it's uncanny," Sue shook her head as she watched him coming down the hall with a Tonka truck and tub of Legos, "Yet, at the same time, he looks so much like you."

"Really," Rose's eyebrows dipped as she watched her baby set up shop right at the entry way into the kitchen, "Seth tells me that all the time but aside from the color of his eyes, all I see is Seth. I don't remember ever being such a happy, easy going kid."

Sue gave her daughter-in-law a gentle smile, "You didn't get the chance to be a kid but I'm thinking if you had, you probably would have been just as happy as Carlos."

Rose knew Sue was trying to make her feel better but there was no need –it had taken a while, but she had come to terms with her lack of childhood, especially with the joy of watching her own son grow up without concern for his safety or fear of what might happen.

Her little boy knew nothing could harm him, knew his mother was always nearby to right anything that went remotely wrong and his Daddy would always keep the monsters away –that is, if they even existed, which in Carlos' mind, they wouldn't dare.

"I'll be more than happy to do the pictures, Sue," Rose lowered the eat under the pan, taking one of the chicken breasts and lightly coating it with seasoned breadcrumbs before placing it into the oil coated pan, "Is it possible to, perhaps, create a background or something –like a theme of sorts?"

Sue nodded, grinning at the giggles escaping Carlos as Einstein nudged his cold nose into the little boy's neck, his giggles escalating to belly laughs as he rolled onto his back, Einstein licking every inch of his face he could reach, "I'll have Mikki take care of that –we're using the large conference room, the one where we had your wedding."

"Oh, it's going to be wonderful," Rose's smile grew as the sound of the front door opening cut into their conversation, Carlos' squeals announcing his father's arrival before Seth's deep voice echoed from the living room, "Hey little man!"

Rose looked up as Seth came into the kitchen, Carlos secure in his arms as her baby attempted to buzz his Daddy's cheek, "How did your meeting go?"

"It went well," he gave his mother's cheek a kiss before moving towards Rose, reaching out to tip her face up and place a kiss on her smiling mouth, "Oscar suggested I pitch my design to the company next week."

"They'll love it," she smiled up at him, grinning when Carlos leaned over to kiss her as well. It was something he did whenever he saw his Daddy kissing his mama, "Gracias, nene."

"Eat," Carlos asked with a smile and an outstretch hand, giggling when Seth tickled his tummy, shaking his head as his father asked, "Can I eat you, Carlos? 'Cause I'm hungry!"

Carlos squealed as his father nibbled on his cheeks and neck, his little hands pushing at Seth's face, "No eat me! No eat me!"

Rose laughed at their antics, Sue grinning as she casually pointed out, "Einstein was just licking Carlos' face before you came in."

"Oh! Gross!"


A Week Later

He was sicker than a dog and probably feeling just as pathetic.

Hugging the toilet, he felt the hot rush of acid making its way up his throat, a moan of misery following soon after.

"Seth, honey," Rose pushed the door open, tentatively moving into the bathroom, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay," Seth groaned as his stomach folded in on itself, gagging as the feeling intensified, "I think I just threw up my stomach."

"Maybe you have the stomach flu," Rose took a washcloth from the drawer she kept them in, soaking it in cold water before wringing it out, folding it over and placing it on Seth's neck.

"It's not a bug," Seth groaned, rocking forward onto his knees as he threw up again, giving a pitiful whine, "And it's not food poisoning either."

She ran her fingers through his hair before rubbing his shoulders, "You know what it is, then?"

"Yeah," he wiped his nose with the back of his hand, his tone forlorn as he gave her the news, "We're pregnant."

Rose's eyes widened, hands going still, his skin hot against her palms, "What?"

"I have morning sickness," Seth dropped his head, his forehead resting against his forearm as he whined, "You're carrying the baby and I'm puking my guts out."

Biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing, she took the small glass kept at the sink, filling it halfway with water, "Want me to get you some crackers and ginger ale?"

Seth nodded, sniffing pitifully as he looked up at her with big puppy eyes, "I hate this…it isn't fair."

Rose bit back the desire to laugh at his whiny attitude –it was déjà vu from the last time he'd suffered morning sickness on her behalf, "And you think it fair I get to push the baby out after hours of pain?"

"You were made to do that," Seth pushed himself up to his feet, one hand on the wall to keep from stumbling –his legs were numb after two hours spent on his knees worshiping the porcelain god, "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this, baby."

"Come on," she wrapped an arm around his waist, his own arm heavy across her shoulders as he emptied the cup of water, setting it down before letting her lead him out of the bathroom and into their bedroom, "You survived last time –besides, it'll just be until the second trimester."

"I know you're trying to be helpful and encouraging, but it's not working," he collapsed onto the bed, looking up at her with the little boy look she usually saw on Carlos' face whenever he wanted something or wasn't feeling well, "Maybe if you rub my feet…and my tummy?"

Chuckling, she dropped a kiss on his mouth, stroking her hand over his forehead as she pushed back his hair –he was in need of a haircut, "Let me go get you those crackers and ginger ale then I'll stay with you for a while, okay?"

"Are you gonna rub my tummy?"

"Yes, you big baby," Rose tugged at his ear before walking out of the room to the kitchen, hoping the morning sickness wouldn't last long because if one thing she had realized when she'd been pregnant with Carlos, her husband did not do well with being sick and miserable.

He tended to revert back to being a little kid in constant need of TLC –this time around it wasn't going to be as easy since she also had Carlos.

Guessed it was only fair to spoil him since he was being so wonderfully accommodating by saving her from the horribleness of morning sickness.


Friday, February 13th

It was a beautiful day even though it was still cold and slightly wet but Vivi and Nika didn't let that stop them from heading to First Beach, the girls chatting happily about everything and anything, always having something to share with each other since they didn't go to the same school.

"He asked you to go with him?"

Nika nodded, a light blush hardly detectable under the copper hue of her skin, "I told him I'll ask Daddy. Since mom's going to be there and all, he said it would be okay."

They walked in silence, the cold air chaffing their cheeks, the sound of the crashing waves increasing the closer they got to the shore.

"You don't think it's a joke, do you," Nika looked sideways at Vivi, the vulnerability in her eyes causing Vivi's tender heart to squeeze as she kept talking, "Maybe his friends dared him or something –"

"Nika," Vivi took her hand and gave it a squeeze, the earnest sincerity in her words easing the worry over the whole strange situation, "Bradley would never do something like that –he's too nice of a guy to be deliberately cruel like that. I'm thinking he probably enjoyed the time at the county fair."

"We did talk some when we were stuck on the Ferris Wheel," Nika reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, the shy smile on her face making her look every prettier than usual, "He knows a lot about computers…and I made him laugh a couple of times."

Vivi grinned at her best friend, giving her hand another squeeze before letting it go, "There you go. I read in a magazine that guys like girls that make them laugh."

Nika giggled as she stuck her hands into the pockets of her hunter green coat, "What about you? Are you going?"

Vivi shrugged, her eyes dropping to the pebbled ground, "I don't know…no one's asked –"

"Hey Vivi!"

Looking over their shoulders, they turned as Gabe approached them on his motorized bike, Marc and the Uley twins close behind him in their own, the pebbles under the tires shifting as he slowed down, stopping a few feet from where they were standing.

Vivi blushed as she gave him a shy smile, "Hi Gabriel –I see your mom finally let you take out the bike."

Gabe grinned at her as he kept his kept his feet flat on the ground, his right hand holding on to the hand brake, "Yep. She said when I was twelve but didn't specify when during the year of my being twelve, which is why it's taken me this long to give it a spin."

Vivi and Nika laughed, Bailey shaking her head as she pushed off, steering the bike around them and towards the woods, the beginning of their modified track just some yards from where they were, "Are we gonna race, Gabe or are you planning on staying and gossiping with the girls?"

Gabe scowled at her but didn't say what was in his mind, instead turning to give Vivi a big smile, "I got us tickets for that dinner thing tomorrow. It starts at six so I'll swing by around five thirty and we can walk there –the center's only three streets down from your place."

"Oh," Vivi bit her bottom lip, looking sideways at her brother but Marc didn't say anything, simply scowled off at the distance as he kept his idling bike standing, "Uhm…okay. I'll see you then."

Gabe's grin spread wider, Marc rolling his eyes before a revved up his bike, driving on without saying anything to anyone, Brad giving Nika a smile before following after him.

"Sure thing," Gabe dug his toe into the pebbles, unable to look away from her blushing face, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Vivi nodded, smiling as they kept staring into each other's eyes, the echo of Bailey's voice breaking into the moment, "Hurry the fuck up, Gabriel!"

Gabe gave her another one of those smiles meant just for her before kicking his bike into gear, the motor revving as he drove away, Vivi turning to watch him go.

"You shouldn't let him do that."

Vivi turned to look at Nika, confusion written all over her face, "Do what?"

"Tell you what to do," Nika shook her head as they reached the logs of driftwood positioned around a campfire ring, "He didn't even bother to ask and if you keep letting him take you for granted like that –"

"He doesn't take me for granted," Vivi pursed her lips, feeling slightly offended by what Nika was telling her.

"Oh really," Nika looked up at her as she sat down, knowing what she was saying may possibly make Vivi mad but it needed to be said, "So him assuming you didn't already have plans for tomorrow is what?"

Vivi crossed her arms over her chest, her jaw tight, "We agreed if either one of us was planning on seeing someone else, we'd tell each other…since I didn't tell him I was going with someone to the dinner tomorrow –"

"He still should have asked," Nika let out a soft sigh, dropping her dark brown eyes down to the pebbled ground, "And you should have told him so."

"Well, it doesn't bother me so it shouldn't bother you."

"Vivi," Nika gave her best friend a pleading look, "Don't be mad –"

"How can I not be mad," she dropped her arms down to her sides, hands fisted as she worked hard at not letting the threatening tears to escape, "You're basically saying I'm a pushover."

"When it comes to Gabriel –you are."