All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: I was going to do one long chapter but when I realized how long it was going to end up being, I decided to split it into two parts, once again. Hope you enjoy!
Ages: Carlos -3yrs: Vivi, 13yrs: Marc, 15yrs: Brad, 14yrs: Nika, 12yrs: Bailey, 14yrs: Emmie, 10yrs: Zak, 8yrs: Erick, 6m: Xavier, 2yrs and as always, Gabe's age is next to the chapter. If I missed anyone, the Family Tree Chapter has been updated.
Enjoy as you read and please, review! The amount of reviews correlates with how soon I update
Chapter Fifty-Seven Part 1 (13yrs old)
Third Week of May
The early morning sunlight filtered through the sheer light blue curtains, the room filled with the fresh smell of damp earth and sea salt.
Rose was feeling pleasantly lazy with no desire to get out of bed to start the day, which seemed fine with Seth as he returned from the bathroom, the basketball shorts he wore riding low on his hips as he crawled onto their king size bed, laying on his side, back to her, as he rested his head on her chest, the slight curve of her baby belly snug against his lower back.
Rose pressed a kiss onto his cheek, sliding her fingers through his hair as she rubbed slow circles against his flat stomach with her other hand, "How are you feeling?"
"Pathetic," Seth closed his eyes with a sigh, relaxing into her as she slowly placed a string of kisses up and down his bare shoulder, "I don't know if I'm getting used to puking my guts out or if it's starting to go away, but it wasn't as bad as usual…just bad enough to make me feel lousy."
"Poor baby," Rose placed a kiss behind his ear, a shiver running down his back but he was too exhausted to do more than just enjoy the intimacy between them, "Would you like me to bring you some crackers?"
Seth's head moved in the negative, "No…I don't want you to stop rubbing my tummy."
He felt more than heard the soft chuckle, his own lips stretching into a smile as he tilted his head back to look into her hazel eyes, "I don't know why Dr. Lodhi refused to give me anti-nausea medication –"
"Because she's my doctor, Seth. Not yours."
"You could have said yes when she asked if you were experiencing morning sickness then given me the damn pills."
She hid her smile in his hair, finding him so damn cute and adorable with his bottom lip sticking out in a pout, "It would have been wrong to lie…"
Seth huffed but didn't disagree with her, instead turned his head as he closed his eyes, his voice low as he changed the subject, "We're in for one busy summer, baby."
"Mhm," Rose kept running her fingers through his hair, her thumb stroking over his forehead as she looked out the window across the room where their bed was, the clear blue sky promising a beautiful day, "Miss Trinity offered Vivi and Nika an opportunity for them to practice with the Pacific Northwest Company up in Seattle –that means driving them there and back three times a week and every other Saturday throughout the summer break."
"Brad and Marc are all set for their two weeks at Dry Hill," Seth yawned as he burrowed his head against her chest, wishing he could just melt into her, "And I've still gotta talk to Leah about the surfing competition in California for Zak."
"You think she'll let him? She said no to Gabe concerning the bike race."
"Thing is, Zak never asks for anything so that may sway her into saying yes," Seth rolled onto his back, sliding his arm under Rose to pull her into his side, his lips brushing against her forehead, "And Gabe's resigned himself to staying behind and spending more time with Vivi without Marc breathing down his neck."
Rose laughed, settling her head on his chest as she closed her eyes, the soothing sound of his steady heartbeat lulling her into an even more relaxed state, "Emily said Bailey is doing cheer camp instead of going to Dry Hill with Brad and Marc."
"I still can't believe Bailey joined the cheerleading team," Seth slid his fingers down her bare back, the white cotton sheet tucked under her arms the only thing she wore at the moment, "She's a tomboy through and through –cheerleading camp...she's gonna end up killing someone, if not herself."
"I think she'll be okay," tilting her head back, she gave him a sweet smile as he kissed the tip of her nose, "I heard Embry mention a science camp up in Auburn to Leah –she's certain he'll volunteer to help just so he could get to see Emmie."
"Yeah…poor guy's miserable," Seth moved his mouth down her jaw, softly sucking at the spot behind her ear, "It's been a month since Rick banished him –"
"You're making Rick sound like an ogre," Rose moved her hand across his chest, gently raking her nails over his flat nipples, "He has a valid reason and quite frankly, I think it's necessary as well."
"I love you, baby, but I don't think you or Rick understand how painful it is for us to be away from our imprints," Seth buried his face into her hair, breathing in her scent which went straight to his head they way it always did, his body shuddering at the memory of those two years in Alaska without her.
Rose didn't respond even though it had been his decision, not hers, she just didn't want to bring up old hurts, deciding to change the subject as she kissed his throat, "Seth?"
"Yeah baby."
"We're going to need a room for Carlos soon," she looked over her shoulder at their two year old sprawled in his crib, the soft blue blanket she had covered him with kicked off as he slept –she knew it would be another thirty minutes or so before he began to stir, "I was thinking we could turn the dark room –"
"No," Seth reached up to cup her face, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip as he turned her face to look into her eyes, "I don't want you giving up your darkroom. The office –"
"I don't want you giving up your office," Rose stated with the same no nonsense tone he had used, nipping the pad of his thumb with a smile as his brown-green eyes grew darker, "So what do we do?"
"Well," Seth slid his hand into her hair, pulling her head back as he dipped his to press an open mouthed kiss on her smiling lips, "Marc offered to share his room with Carlos. I think, once this one's born, it'll be two or three years before she needs a room and by then, Marc should be heading off to college."
"She?"
He pulled back to give her a look of affront, "Yeah, she. That way, we'll have one of each and I won't have to go through the hell of morning sickness ever again."
Sunday, Second Week of June
Dry Hill Racetrack
Port Angeles, WA
The excitement was palpable, practically throbbing in the air as people ambled about in the campgrounds outside of the racetracks.
Brad and Marc were working hard at not squealing like little girls as Seth parked the rented RV into their designated space, Embry sitting quietly in the passenger seat. When Seth had found out Marc and Brad wanted to stay the entire two weeks, he'd invited Embry along for the company, figuring his friend could use something to distract him from the morose loneliness of not seeing his imprint.
The roar of dirt bikes and voices accompanied by laughter and loud conversations greeted the two boys as they stepped out of the RV once Seth had come to a complete stop, their eyes wide as they tried to take in everything at once.
"Dude," Brad slapped the back of his hand against Marc's arm to get his attention as he pointed, "Check that out!"
Seth chuckled as the boys exclaimed over one bike then another, the excitement hanging in the air rubbing off on both of them, "Okay, guys, let's get the RV hooked up then registration opens up in two hours."
"The packet they send us stated there would be practice time slots today and tomorrow before the races start on Tuesday," Marc followed after his uncle, Embry already working on hooking up the water and gas lines onto the offered ports in the RV park site, "We have to be at the front of the line for registration to get the optimum times."
"Are you trying to ask me something," Seth dropped down on the ground behind the RV, moving under the somewhat large recreational vehicle to connect the sewer hook-up into the one on the ground, double checking the latches to make sure it didn't come loose and make a mess.
"Well," Marc looked over at Brad but he wasn't paying attention to anything Marc was saying as he watched a couple of girls walk by, both of them wearing denim short shorts with teeny tiny t-shirts, "Can we head over to registration now? There's probably already a line and besides, with Embry here, you really don't need us to set stuff up, right?"
Scooting out from under the RV, he slapped the dirt out of his jeans once he stood up, "Let me get your bikes out while you go get your paperwork. We'll meet you there once we're done."
"Thanks Uncle Seth," Marc lunged forward to give him a hug, pulling back at the last minute as he realized he was fifteen and in the presence of very cute girls –he shouldn't be hugging adults, especially not his uncle, "Uhm, I mean…you totally rock."
Seth laughed, reaching out to tousle his nephew's dark hair despite the protests coming from the teenage boy, "Yeah, just not enough for a hug, uh?"
"You're a guy," Marc pushed his uncle's arm away, reaching up to fix his hair, which really just consisted of finger combing it the opposite way from where it had ended up, "No teenage boy should be hugging guys –not their dads, uncles, brothers, cousins…or friends. Only grandpas but that's because they're old so they don't really count."
"Don't let Charlie hear you say that," Seth teased as he moved around the blue and gray vehicle, opening the hatch where the luggage normally went, revealing two carefully stored and covered motorized dirt bikes, "So from what you're saying, if Leah were the one here, you wouldn't have shied away from her like she had leprosy?"
Marc's grin was slightly sheepish as he helped his uncle pull out his black and silver bike, "Not the same thing –heck, the guys at school think Aunt Leah's hot."
Seth laughed as he pulled out Brad's bike, the boy currently talking to another kid, this one a tall gangly redheaded boy with short spiky hair wearing an all black outfit, "I'm sure Gabriel's friends have made a comment or two considering the occasional bruised knuckles he comes home with."
"You have no idea," Marc rolled his eyes as he watched a couple of older women from the site to their left –moms more like it –looking their way as Embry came out of the RV with a couple of lawn chairs, "And it's not just Aunt Leah. I had to punch my friend Dusty when he made a comment concerning Tia Rosa."
Seth's smile slipped as he closed the hatch and locked it, placing his hands on his hips, "You tell that kid he ever looks at your aunt again, I'll make him disappear."
Marc grinned as he kicked the bike stand in place, "Oh, don't worry. I know how to intimidate guys checking out my aunt…and my sister. Well, except for Gabriel…little bastard is too stupid to be intimidated."
"I wouldn't say stupid," Seth defended his nephew, catching the cold can of beer Embry threw his way once he came out of the RV with the cooler, setting it between two of the lawn chairs, "You can't intimidate a Clearwater."
"No offense, Uncle Seth but he's a Laskaris."
Seth grinned down at Marc as he popped the beer open, "You can't intimidate them either."
"Don't I know it," Marc shook his head as he moved to head into the RV, coming back out with a legal sized envelope containing both his and Brad's registration paperwork, "Yo, Brad! Let's get going!"
Brad looked over his shoulder, giving Marc a chin up in acknowledgement before turning to say something to the redheaded boy then crossing the short distance to grab his bike –all bikes had to be inspected upon registration, "See ya later Dalton."
"Yeah, dude."
Marc and Brad waved to Seth and Embry before taking off, their bikes at a slow speed as they followed the dirt paths to where the registration tent was set up.
Sure enough, when they arrived at the registration tent, there was already a line forming, Marc and Brad letting out a groan even though it wasn't as long as Marc had feared.
Shutting the bikes off to conserve energy, they queued up, a couple of girls lining up behind them as people of all ages walked around the campground, a fine dust hanging in the air.
"How was your date with Nika?"
Brad looked over at Marc as he shrugged, still sitting on his bike, his legs stretched out with his forearms resting on the handlebars, "It was okay, I guess. Uncle Jared dropped us off at the movie theater. We went to the burger joint across the street afterwards before calling my dad to pick us up."
Marc nodded, looking down at his watch to see how much longer they had to wait, "You two have been on three dates since the Valentine dinner."
"Yeah, so?"
"I thought you didn't like her."
Brad's eyebrows lowered as he looked over at Marc, "I don't not like her…I just know she has a crush on me and didn't want to encourage her."
"I think three dates is encouraging her," Marc smirked as he sat back on his bike's custom seat, stretching his arms up over his head, "Don't you?"
Brad let out a heavy sigh as he straightened up, running his fingers through his hair, "Some of the guys at school have been ragging me about not liking girls."
"What," Marc looked over at Brad with a cocked eyebrow, "They think you're gay?"
Brad rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, instead looked over his shoulder to check out the rest of the line, one of the girls behind them giving him a flirty smile.
"You know, using Nika as a cover isn't very nice of you."
Brad scowled at Marc, his jaw tight, "I'm not gay. I just don't have any interest in girls at the moment –hell, I'm only fourteen. What the fuck am I supposed to do with a girl, uh?"
Marc laughed as activity at the registration tent got people's attention, the buzzing excitement increasing and rippling down the line, "What do you do with Nika on your dates?"
"We talk," he shrugged a single shoulder as he stood up, hands on the handlebars to keep the bike from tipping over, "She's actually kind of funny –oh, did you know she likes riding skateboards?"
"No fucking way! She and Vivi are like, total ballerina prima donnas."
Brad laughed as he shook his head, "She doesn't have a board of her own but Ian lets her use his –she even knows some tricks. I'm thinking maybe taking her to the skate park when we get back home."
"A fourth date, uh?"
"Oh, shut the fuck up," Brad punched Marc's arm with enough vigor to make it hurt, "Usually, I have nothing to say to girls –all they want to talk about is shopping and shit but Nika…she's cool. She not only knows boards and how to use them but she's also into computers."
"I'm pretty sure she lied about that since she knows you're into computers."
"No," Brad shook his head, quickly rising up to his new friend's defense, "She's into the software and programming, not the building, but she does know computers. She's a fun person to hang around with."
"A fun girl," Marc smirked, dodging at Brad's swing to the back of his head, "You know, talking about computers and skateboarding is not what you do with fun girls on dates."
"Oh," Brad got an evil glint in his dark brown eyes, "I suppose feeling them up and getting caught is the way to go, uh? That way, they get the opportunity to get shipped off to an all girls' boarding school, right?"
"Fuck you."
Brad laughed, pushing his bike forward as the line started to move, "That's what I thought."
Back in La Push
It was a beautiful morning, the sun making its way up a clear blue sky, a cool breeze moving through the treetops of the forest as the ocean beat a steady rhythm against the pebbled surf.
Gabe whistled under his breath as he bounded down the stairs, not able or caring to keep the buoyancy over the freedom he was feeling concerning his plans for the day from showing.
Shrugging to adjust his new t-shirt –a washed out blue with the American Eagle logo on the upper left side of the soft cotton –so it would fit right over his shoulders, he headed down the hallway and turned into the kitchen, the smells of bacon, waffles and scrambled eggs making his mouth water.
He crossed the kitchen to kiss his mama's cheek, taking the plate heaped with breakfast food she held out for him, "Thanks mama. It smells delicious."
He grinned at her before going to the table, setting his plate down at one of the empty spots, two of the four chairs already taken by Zak and Emmie, Xavier and Erick sitting on their high chairs, the latter happily kicking his feet as he waited for mama to bring his breakfast of rice cereal while the former quietly placed blueberries and dry cheerios –one at a time, mind you –into his mouth, big blue eyes studying his older siblings.
Tyra and the twins were not morning people so they did breakfast on the second shift with Dad who also slept in during the summer break.
"Why are you so cheery this morning," Emmie asked as she picked up her glass of milk, her blue eyes studying him across the table over the rim of the glass.
"It's a nice day," Gabe slathered his pancakes with maple syrup, taking a spoonful of salsa and dropping it over his eggs, "It's breezy and the sky's clear without a cloud in sight."
"Good day for surfing," Zak stated in his quiet voice as he pushed the orange juice towards his older brother, taking the small bowl of homemade salsa to add more to his scrambled eggs.
"Or racing," Gabe quipped as he cut into his pancakes, Xavier smiling up at mama as she placed another handful of blueberries on his tray, "But I'm not taking my bike out today."
"So what are you doing today," mama asked as she sat down with her own breakfast, already having finished prepping what she was going to need to make breakfast again for her late sleepers, Erick's rice cereal in a small container next to her plate.
"Gonna go pick up Vivi and take her to the ice cream shop."
"It's a little early for ice cream, don't you think?"
Gabe rolled his eyes at Emmie's snooty tone, knowing his sister's constant change of attitude from sweet and cooperative to downright brat concerned her and not him, "For your information, the ice cream shop is now selling burgers and stuff. We're gonna have lunch there."
Emmie wrinkled her nose at him but didn't say anything, instead went back to picking at her breakfast, unable to put any more food into her tummy.
"Any other plans for today I need to know about," mama asked as she picked up the rice cereal, plopping a spoonful of it into Erick's eager mouth, her baby humming happily as he smacked his lips and swallowed, opening for more.
"I want to go surfing," Zak stated as he finished his eggs, picking up his glass of milk and finishing it in a few gulps.
"Your Uncle Seth's not here, baby," mama looked over at him, smiling as he gave her that sweet serious look with a milk mustache over his top lip, "I'm not comfortable with you surfing on your own."
"Uncle Lian said I could call while Uncle Seth was away," Zak picked up his napkin, wiping his mouth and hands, "Aunt Julie's willing to go with me."
"Well, then," mama smiled and Gabe knew she was going to give in –it was almost impossible for anyone to say no to Zak, simply because his little brother never asked for anything and when he did, he didn't demand or whined about it, "If Julie doesn't have any other plans for today, then yes, you can go surfing."
Zak gave her his sweet smile as thanks, having already used his quota of words for the day. He pushed his chair back as he cleared his spot on the table, the tall eight year old rinsing his plate and cup before placing it all into the dishwasher without being told.
"What about you, Emmie," mama looked over at her oldest daughter, feeling a twinge of empathy for her little girl as she pushed her scrambled eggs around her plate, "Any plans for today."
Emmie shrugged as she reached up to tuck a hank of her hair behind an ear, "I have to go check the garden over at Embry's house. Daddy won't mind, will he? Embry's with Uncle Seth so I won't see him."
Gabe internally winced at the hint of pain in his sister's words, knowing Embry was going to be surprised –and probably not the good kind of surprised –whenever he got to see Emmie again and found out she no longer called him Mou.
He wasn't sure why she had stopped calling him that but he knew it happened when Dad had banned Embry from their house. Sometimes, Gabe wondered if the reason why was because Emmie was mad at Embry for listening to their Dad instead of her.
"That's fine, baby," mama reached over to cup his sister's face in her hand, rubbing her thumb over Emmie's cheek, "Would you like to go to the store and buy seeds?"
Emmie shrugged again, "Once I check the garden, I'll know if I am going to need any."
"Alright then," mama scraped at the last of the rice cereal and plopped it into Erick's opened mouth, "If you're all done, please clear the table. Gabe, I want you home by four, okay?"
"Okay, mama," Gabe nodded, scooping the last of his eggs into his mouth, still chewing as he took his plate, glass and utensils to the sink, rinsing them out and placing them in the dishwasher, doing the same with Emmie's once she scraped her uneaten breakfast into the trash bin.
"Thank you," Emmie gave him a small smile before turning and heading out of the kitchen through the back door, the ten year old not as verbose and joyful as she had once been.
"I really think Dad ought to think over this whole Embry banishment thing," Gabe commented to his mom as he returned to the table to wipe all the placemats, taking Xavier's empty bowl and setting it in the dishwasher once it was rinsed. He then proceeded to help his two year old brother out of the high chair, "It's not doing Emmie any good, if you ask me."
"I know, Gabe," mama sighed as she took Erick out of his high chair, settling him on her lap as she started on her own breakfast, "But your father is working on teaching her something and I can't go against his wishes. Don't worry, though, he's planning on letting Embry come back once school starts up again."
"I'm thinking it should be sooner but hey," Gabe lifted a shoulder as he washed his hands, moving across the kitchen to give his mother another kiss, "Dad makes the rules. I'm gonna take my bike out for a bit before heading over to Vivi's."
"Not in the forest, Gabriel," mama looked up at him, the furrow between her dark eyebrows expressing worry, "Without your cousins with you, it'll take too long to get help if you get hurt."
"Don't worry, mama. I'll go over and visit Granma –promise I'll be careful."
He headed out the back door, picking up his whistling as he headed towards Billy's place, all of them storing their dirt bikes in his garage to keep them safe from the rain and cold.
The warmth of the sun touched his face and arms, the cool breeze ruffling his dark hair which was just a tad on the long side.
Yeah, today was definitely going to be a good day.
He spent his morning helping his grandmother turn his old room at her house into a multi-purpose playroom, a corner specifically set aside for his drum set which Grandma Sue agreed he could keep there as long as he promised to play only whenever she and Grandpa Charlie weren't in the house.
Half an hour before noon, he kissed his grandmother good-bye and headed back to La Push, the weather a bit warmer than it had been that morning but it didn't bother him even though he was driving slower than what his bike could reach, having promised his mother to do so.
Reaching his uncle's house, he parked his dirt bike in the driveway besides the dark blue Mustang, pocketing the keys before removing his helmet –another must thanks to his mama's constant worrying –and hanging it on the handlebars before heading up to the front door.
Normally, he would just go right in but since this was a date –and he made sure Vivi knew this was their actual first date being Marc had always tagged along whenever they went to the ice cream shop or the movies –he went ahead and knocked, running his fingers through his hair so it wouldn't be flat.
A couple of minutes passed before the door opened, Aunt Rose giving him a smile as Carlos clung to her leg, the top she was wearing molded against her round stomach, "Gabriel, hi! You didn't have to knock."
"I know," Gabe grinned at her, his eyes dropping to his cousin who would have normally already been tackling him down, "I'm here to pick Vivi up for our date –is Carlos okay?"
"He's missing his Daddy," Aunt Rose ran her fingers through Carlos' hair, the two year old sniffling as he rubbed his face against the soft black leggings she wore with her mint green top, "He's been clingy for the past two days. Come on in, Gabe. Vivi's still upstairs, getting ready for your date."
Gabe grinned at the teasing way she said that, nodding as he stepped into the house that was just as familiar as his own, sitting down at the end of the long couch, Einstein crawling out from under the coffee table to get some attention from him, "How's Einstein been doing without Marc?"
"Not well," Aunt Rose picked up Carlos, probably because it would be hard to walk with him wrapped around her leg, and moved towards the armchair she had been sitting on, an open book resting on it giving Gabe an idea of what they'd been doing before he arrived, "He's been under that table for two days, just watching the front door. Hey! Would you and Vivi be able to take him out? He needs to get fresh air and some exercise."
"Well, as long as Marc hasn't trained him to bite me if I hold Vivi's hand, I guess we can take him."
Vivi's giggles had him look up, his blue eyes brightening as she came down the stairs, her red-gold hair falling in loose curls down her back. She looked beautiful in an olive green sweater type dress, the black belt around her tiny waist matching the black leggings under the dress, black flats on her feet completing the outfit.
"Marc hasn't trained Einstein to bite for any reason," Vivi told him as she stepped into the living room, her eyes bright as she noticed how the shirt Gabe was wearing not only made his shoulders look wider but it also made his skin seem darker and his eyes were even a brighter blue than usual, "Sorry I made you wait."
"No biggie," Gabe stood up, rubbing his suddenly sweaty palms against the dark denim of his jeans, "You're looking very pretty…not that you don't always look pretty, just…"
Vivi bit back a laugh, her bottom lip caught between her teeth for a second before she let it go to give him a smile, "Thank you. Are we taking Einstein with us?"
Gabe nodded, not sure what else to say as he watched her cross the living room to pick up a rather quiet two year old and give him a cuddle, "I'll see you in a bit, Carlos. Want to play when I get back?"
Carlos nodded, twisting in his cousin's arms to reach for his mama, sniffling as she cuddled him into her side, "I stay with mama."
"Of course you do, silly," Vivi ruffled his soft dark hair, laughing as the little boy gave her a frown identical to the occasional one Tio Seth gave out whenever he was upset or not happy, "You need to take care of mama and baby."
"Baby is here," Carlos pointed at his mama's round belly, resting his head against her chest, "I not see baby."
Vivi laughed, leaning down to give her aunt a kiss on the cheek as she gave the baby bump a soft rub, "I'll be back before dinner, Tia. Do you want us to bring you some ice cream from the shop?"
"Ice cream," Carlos' head popped up, hazel eyes going wide as he stared up at his cousin then turned to look up at his mama with those puppy dog eyes of his, "I want ice cream."
"Bring him some chocolate ice cream, please," Tia Rosa reached up to adjust the wide neckline of Vivi's top, cupping her cheek as she smiled up at her, "And I'll have some walnut ice cream, if they have it."
"Okay," Vivi nodded, snapping her fingers as she and Gabe headed towards the front door, "Come on, Einstein, let's go boy!"
He took her hand as soon as the front door closed behind them, the pink blush on her cheeks making him smile as they made their way down the walkway and across the street, the ice cream shop only a couple of more streets down from her house.
"Have you been having fun doing that ballet thing with the dancers up in Seattle?"
Vivi's eyes danced as she looked up at him, feeling so happy he had remembered, "It's so much fun, Gabe! Miss Trinity sits in the front row and lets the artistic director take over. We dance with the others and they treat us like professionals, never like kids."
"That's cool," Gabe smiled as Einstein walked ahead of them, his tail wagging slowly as he sniffed the ground –the old bluetick hound had yet to come to terms with his inability to smell, "Do you think I could come watch sometime?"
Vivi gave him a look of surprise, "You want to watch me practice?"
Gabe shrugged, pushing his free hand into the pocket of his jeans, "Sure. You were really good at that Christmas dance thing you did. It'll be interesting to see how it all gets put together and stuff."
"I'll ask Miss Trinity," Vivi smiled at him, giving his hand a small squeeze as they reached the shop, several of the reservation kids hanging out at the round tables outside the front of the shop, "We have practice tomorrow. If she says yes, then you can come on Saturday…unless you already have something planned, that is."
Gabe shook his head as he opened the door for her, Einstein laying down besides the opening with a huff as he watched the activities before him, "Saturday's good for me."
The girl behind the counter was snapping her gum, bobbing her head to the music playing, some catchy tune by Robin Thicke. She took their order, Gabe paying for their meal even though Vivi said she could pay for hers, giving him a soft thank you when he informed her guys always paid when it was a date.
They took their food outside, Einstein moving under the table to lie at Vivi's feet. They talked about Vivi's dancing, about how Uncle Lian had promised to give Gabe drumming lessons now that they were back from their tour. Vivi asked Gabe if he was still upset about being left behind by Brad and Marc but Gabe said no, telling her how he was having much more fun with her than he would be with the guys.
Vivi knew that, to some extent, he was simply being nice because, let's admit it, Gabe was an adrenaline junkie and had he been allowed to go to Dry Hill, he'd be having a blast but she appreciated knowing he found her just as exhilarating as bike racing.
Once done with their meal, they bought the ice cream for Carlos and Rose, Vivi insisting she pay this time. Holding hands on their way back to her house, their conversation was easy as they shared their thoughts with each other, both comfortable in each other's presence while at the same time, feeling the thrumming anxiety of being together in this way –holding hands and on their first official date.
It was a relaxing afternoon, Vivi and Gabe playing with Carlos, the little boy wanting to put together all his train tracks, which turned into a huge project encompassing the living room, part of the hallway and under the kitchen table, all three laughing together as Carlos insisted on trying out the tracks with his battery operated train as Gabe and Vivi raced to add tracks as the little red engine made its way towards them.
About an hour before dinner, Gabe said his good-byes, Vivi walking him out to the porch, their hands joined between them as they stopped beside his bike.
"I had fun today," Vivi smiled up at him, her pulse fluttering when she felt him rub his thumb over the inside of her wrist, "Thank you for lunch."
Gabe smiled down at her, reaching up to stroke her soft cheek, marveling at the way it pinked as she gave him a shy smile, "Thank you for going out with me. Vivi, I…"
She looked into his blue eyes, a bit concerned at his loss of words since he never seemed to be without them, "What is it?"
Gabe studied her face, noticing the way her eyebrows –a shade darker than her hair –seemed to naturally arch over her eyes which were ringed by thick eyelashes, the tips golden, the color of her eyes a cross between gold and brown with a hint of red…god, she was beautiful.
"What's wrong, Gabriel?"
"Nothing," Gabe shook his head, tucking a long curl behind a perfectly shaped ear, "I just…I would like to kiss you. May I?"
Vivi blushed, her heart beating hard inside her chest as her stomach did that flipping thing whenever she recalled her first kiss –their first kiss. It was definitely something she would like to experience again.
"Yes."
Tuesday, June 18th –Second Day of Cheer Camp
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, WA
"Okay, let's take it from the top. Remember –sharp, clean movements and big smiles!"
One of the camp's coaches paced before the group of fifteen girls, watching them perform one of the six routine cheers they had learned first day of cheer camp.
"Smile, girls! Smile!"
She shook her head as she stopped before one of the three tumblers in this particular team, the fourteen teams attending this week's camp spread out in the large green field, each with their own camp coach pushing them through their routines, "Bailey, you need to smile!"
"I am smiling!"
"No," she shook her head, letting out a sigh as she gave the tall girl a pointed look before walking away, "You are grimacing. Let's do this one more time, from the top, then lunch time. Don't forget you have team brainstorming after lunch for an hour and a half before you meet with your coach in Cheer Room A to discuss ideas."
Bailey glared at the blond woman as she dropped her arms, shaking out her tense shoulders before the chosen captain –an eleven grader named Tiva who drew the winning straw–called out the beginning of the peppy kill-me-now cheer they had learned yesterday.
Pasting a bright smile on her face, she went through the routine with the girls, perfectly executing back flips and round offs but did Coach Picky Bitch notice? No, she just pointed at Bailey and then poked her own cheeks with a big smile on her face –she looked ridiculous, just like the rest of the peppy psycho coaches.
God, she hated this and it was only day two.
Lunch was noisy, the campers all sitting with their own teams, not much fraternization between the schools going on as they talked and ate, laughing as they shared gossip and other girly shit.
Bailey dug into her whole wheat pasta as she grumbled loud enough for her friend Danna, sitting beside her, to hear, "I can't believe I gave up Dry Hill for this hell. If I had known, I would not have tried out for the team."
"What's Dry Hill," Danna asked, eating her steamed vegetables, watching as the girls from two tables down from theirs –they were from a school up in Tacoma –kept looking their way, whispering and giggling amongst themselves.
It had been the overall way the new Quileute cheerleading team had been greeted when they arrived yesterday, along with the fourteen other teams enrolled in that weeks' camp. They stood out among the other girls, not just because they were all first time cheerleaders with a newly formed team, but because they were all Native American, with long black hair, copper toned skin and all tall except for Rizza and Tanya –their two flyers –who were both an inch or two under five feet.
"Dirt bike racetrack," Bailey finished her pasta, ignoring the condescending looks the blue eyed blond in the next table kept giving her. They had met –and developed instant dislike –during tumbling practice earlier that day, one of the few activities where they were mixed with other participating campers outside of their own teams, "My brother and cousin are competing –this is their second week there. I totally should have gone –wouldn't be contemplating murder if I had."
"You race bikes," Kaya's voice was a little on the condescending side as she looked across the table at Bailey, who nodded in response to her question, "But you're a girl."
"So," Bailey shrugged as she tore her garlic bread in half, "There's nothing saying girls can't race bikes."
It was a conversation Bailey didn't want to have but sure enough, all the girls pitched in their own unasked for opinions, dividing their table in half as to whether girls should or shouldn't race bikes.
Yeah, cheer camp was becoming hell on earth for sure.
They made it through the midday meal without Bailey killing anyone which was amazing being she had so many options available to her. They headed to their cabin with the eight bunk beds, five toilets, four showers and three sinks –because counter space needed for all the hair and make-up crap the girls brought was deemed more necessary than basic hygiene -all moving around the room, grabbing notebooks and pens, some taking out their iPods.
Tiva placed her battery operated docking station in the middle of the floor, "Okay, let's all pick a song and we can work together to come up with a dance for the ones we all agree on."
"I think," Kaya spoke up as she sat down, legs tucked under her skinny little butt as she gave Bailey a sideways look, "There should be rules about what kind of music we share…you know, hip-hop and R&B make the best music for cheer routines...not rock or metal or…alternative or whatever."
Bailey was definitely going to be killing someone before the week was over –and little music Nazi bitch just made the top of her hit list.
Back in La Push
Saturday
Aunt Rose had called the day before to let him know he needed to be ready by seven in the morning. Yawning, he poured himself a bowl of cereal, throwing the now empty box of Cap'n Crunch into the trash bin before opening the fridge to take out the nearly empty gallon of milk. It was a good thing mama was going grocery shopping because they were almost out of food and he didn't really like the idea of starving.
Spooning the cereal into his mouth, he looked over at the microwave clock, seeing he still had twenty minutes to finish his breakfast, brush his teeth and get his shoes on.
"Slow down, Gabe," mama walked into the kitchen, still wearing one of Dad's t-shirts and a pair of her old jean cut-off shorts as she opened the fridge to pull out what she needed for her amazing breakfast casserole…it was so good, he was actually contemplating skipping out on today's plans so he could have some, "Mama, will you make the breakfast casserole again tomorrow?"
Mama smiled as she set everything on the counter –eggs, cheese, sausage, bacon and green peppers –before giving his forehead a kiss, "I'll save you some if you'd like."
Gabe shook his head as he finished his cereal, turning around to rinse the bowl and spoon before placing them in the empty dishwasher, "It doesn't taste as good re-heated."
Mama laughed, wrapping her arms around him when he leaned in for a hug, the warm scent of her giving him a sense of peace and well-being he always associated with his mama, "I'll make you some tomorrow, okay baby?"
"Deal," lifting his head only slightly, he kissed her cheek before pulling away as he glanced over at the microwave clock again, "Oh crap! I gotta go finish getting ready, mama. Aunt Rose and Vivi will be picking me up in five minutes."
"Go then," mama ruffled his hair, laughing at his good-natured grumble as he headed down the hall and up the stairs, all the while finger combing his hair back in place, "Make sure you behave, Gabriel!"
His cheeky comment before he reached the second floor came back to her, causing her to laugh, "Don't I always?"
The ride into Seattle was a bit awkward, Vivi sitting in the middle with Gabe on one side and Nika at the other, a sleeping Carlos having been left with his Aunt Leah for a couple of hours. She dropped them off in front of McCaw Hall, Aunt Rose pulling out once they were inside the doors.
Nika disappeared into the auditorium where music was playing; Vivi's hand in Gabe's kept her from following after her best friend as he pulled her into his side, her gold-brown eyes wide as she looked up at him, "What's wrong?"
He smiled down at her as the tip of their noses brushed, his minty fresh breath soft against her lips, "I didn't get to kiss you good-morning."
Vivi giggled, her face flushing as he pressed his mouth against hers, her free hand reaching up to rest against his chest for a few seconds before she pulled back, giving him a teasing push, "You need to behave or Miss Trinity won't let you come again."
"Hey," Gabe pulled her in closer to wrap his free arm around her back, his entire body going hot then cold then hot again at the feel of her pressed up against him, "I behaved last time."
Vivi giggled as she gave his smiling mouth a quick peck, "I have to go. I'll get in trouble if I'm late."
"I'll be seating in the back," Gabe gave her another quick kiss, squeezing her hand before letting it go, watching her disappear into the dark auditorium before following behind her, finding a seat somewhere in the last few rows.
The auditorium was dark, the stage lit up bright as the company dancers moved around, leaping and prancing, some of them stretching alone or in pairs.
He watched as the older dancers greeted Nika and Vivi like they were part of their group, the younger girls –despite their height –looking decidedly smaller alongside some of the other ballerinas.
The music stopped as the artistic director called out to everyone on stage, giving them some speech Gabe didn't pay attention to while he watched Vivi stretching up on stage, her left leg pulled back and over her head by her two hands.
She was wearing a black one piece suit thing he'd forgotten what was called with white leggings, a pink see through skirt and black leg warmers over her dance shoes. She had given him all the terminology concerning her dancing outfit but he didn't remember it, not really caring except for the fact she looked beautiful, the skin tight fabric making him realize she was starting to…pop out in certain places.
Shifting uncomfortably, he cleared his throat as he looked at the other dancers before settling his gaze back on Vivi, unable to keep himself from admiring the sleek lines of her long legs and the delicate arch of her back, his eyes dropping to the soft curve of her –
The speakers blaring music made him jump in his seat, Gabe swallowing as he focused on the stage as a whole, everyone on it moving in some pre-determined manner defined as ballet dancing.
Ten minutes into them dancing, he saw it –the look he'd seen last Saturday when he first came as well as during the Christmas program thing she'd done with that dickhead.
That look she had –it terrified him, had his stomach tying itself into knots as he watched her move, every step she took making the look of bliss on her face intensify which in turn, made his trepidation escalate.
She loved what she was doing –he could see it all over her face, could feel it radiating from her even from this distance and it made him nervous. He recalled that fight they had back when they were still kids. It had never been resolved, neither one giving in to the other but Vivi never again mentioned becoming a ballerina so Gabe assumed it meant she agreed with him but now…
Seeing her dance made him realize she could actually leave him…she would leave him for this dance thing if he didn't figure out how to keep her with him.
Swallowing past the thick lump in his throat, he watched her spin, doing a split jump before landing into a twirl, her arms fluid with the movement. She was graceful…such beautiful music in motion, Gabe no longer paid attention to the actual sounds filling the auditorium.
She spoke with her body –shared something so deeply profound Gabe was having a hard time grasping it and in his young age, all he could think of was her leaving him.
In that moment of immature clarity, he realized he had to make her love him –love him so much more than she loved this so she would never choose it over him. Never once did it occur to him, in doing so, he would be keeping her from realizing her dreams, from reaching her own stars the way he wanted too with flying. It didn't occur to him, together, they could both work towards making all their dreams come true.
No, Gabriel wasn't yet mature enough to understand love –true love –meant sacrifice and although at times it hurt, in the end, it would help love flourish to an even grander beauty.
Pulling out the marble in his pocket, he looked down at it, the stage lights reaching far enough to have the silver star dance within it. The day she had given him the marble, he had understood it was more –she was giving him everything.
No matter what, he planned on holding on tight –to this as well as her.
