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: Here's a new chapter! Didn't take me as long once I got an idea going. As always, review and enjoy and please, check the family tree chapter (CHAPTER FIVE) to check out the ages of kiddoes, being we have a new addition in this chapter.

A note to my new reviewer, bonzgirl -I love your reviews and I thank you so much for them and hope to see them coming no matter what happens in this story. Your insights are inspiring and help me develop my ideas for these characters of mine even further.

Gaby -love you girl, you're always the best of the best.

Inosolan -thank you so much for still sticking with me.

As always, enjoy as you read and please review! If it takes me longer to update, keep in mind I'm working seven days straight starting tomorrow and we're in the process of packing and moving by the end of the month. Patience, lovelies, shall be handsomely rewarded...as will reviews!

Chapter Fifty-Eight (13yrs old)
September

The hollow thump of the metal bleachers seemed to echo as she made her way up the center section, the wet breeze tugging at her long hair. Reaching the middle row of the bleachers, she sat down and set her messenger bag under her legs, resting her booted feet on the bleacher below and pulling the black leather jacket she wore tighter around her as she watched the activity on the field below.

First year of high school was well on its way, freshman courses of advance science and math for her, along with drama, French, business economics and history, which she had with Uncle Rick –well, Mr. Laskaris. She was enjoying most of her classes, although she only had one of them with Gabriel but somehow, she still found an origami daisy on the corner of her desk in first period class every day.

Every time she saw it, her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't keep herself from smiling throughout the day. First thing she did when she got home from school was add it to the rest of them –two years' worth of paper daisies in the little wooden box he had made for her back in seventh grade.

Fiddling with the leather charm bracelet she wore, she counted the charms, three of them added in the past two years –a little ice cream cone, a cupcake and just last week, he had given her a little strawberry to add to her collection. Six charms total and she felt the weight of them whenever she moved her left arm, almost like its purpose was to remind her of him, which was silly because she never went an hour without him crossing her mind in one way or another.

Throwing her shoulders back when he looked up to where she was, she gave him a wave and a big grin, giggling as he waved back, crossing his eyes at her before turning his attention back to the play their coach was putting them through.

"You're here to watch Gabriel practice?"

Vivi looked up as Megan walked down from the top of the bleachers, Lilia and Andrea on either side of her, all three wearing their cheer outfits and jackets, "I, uh…we're walking home together."

"Aw, that's sweet," Megan smiled down at her before sitting down beside her, Andrea settling at Vivi's other side while Lilia sat beside Megan's, "Do you two pick up his little sister?"

Vivi nodded, shifting uncomfortably as she reached up to push her hair behind her shoulders, "She's at the middle school and it's on the way, so yeah, we do."

"What a sweetheart," Megan placed a hand over her chest, the sun glinting off a silver ring on her middle finger, "On top of being funny, smart and oh so hot…you two grew up together, didn't you?"

Vivi nodded, her eyebrows dipping low as Megan tilted her head to the side with a sickly sweet smile on her face, "You're practically his sister, then."

"But I'm not his sister."

One of Megan's shaped eyebrows arched up as she looked Vivi over with a bit of a sneer, "That's right…rumor has it you two are boyfriend and girlfriend. Is that true?"

Vivi's cheeks flushed as she shifted in her seat again, biting her bottom lip as she kept her eyes on the field, "Uhm…"

"Do you two hold hands," Andrea asked in a friendly tone of voice, crossing one long leg over the other, "Go out on dates?"

Vivi looked over at her, a heavy sensation in her stomach a warning these girls were up to something, "Yes…"

"Do you kiss," Lilia leaned forward to look around Megan at Vivi, her dark hair held back by jeweled barrettes, a glint in her dark eyes making Vivi decidedly nervous.

Unable to help the way her face flushed a deeper red, she crossed her arms over her stomach, leaning forward to rest them against her thighs, "Sometimes…"

"Has he asked you," Megan asked inquisitively, blinking innocently at Vivi as she rested her chin on her fist, elbow on her knee, her other leg tucked under her bottom, "To be his girlfriend, I mean."

Vivi stared at her, gold-brown eyes wide as she realized; "No…he hasn't."

"Oh," Megan gave a slight grimace, light blue eyes shifting to the side as she shifted to face the field.

"What?"

Megan pursed her lips, giving her a sideways look before shaking her head, "It's nothing, really, just…"

"Well, see," Andrea gave her a slightly pitying smile, "There're girls guys like to have…fun with. Then there're girls they get serious with…and with those girls, they always ask."

"Always?"

Megan nodded, giving Vivi's fisted hand a light pat in fake sympathy, "Yes…always. Now, if he hasn't asked, well… don't worry. Guys like fun girls…for a while at least."

Vivi swallowed back the urge to cry, letting out a shuddering sigh as she looked down at the field, not able to see anything through the sheen of tears clouding her vision, "Gabriel said he really liked me."

"Of course he did," Megan pushed herself to her feet, smoothing the back of her short skirt as she tossed back her long blond hair, "He's having fun."

"You should relax and have fun, too," Lilia stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket, "Another one will come along once he moves on."

"They always do," Andrea gave Vivi a friendly smile before following after her friends, "Fun girls aren't the kind guys get serious with."

Vivi watched them leave, her stomach in knots and a lump in her throat as she dropped her eyes to her lap, hands clasped together as she fought back the urge to cry.

Could Megan be saying the truth?

She recalled Nika telling her she was a pushover when it came to Gabriel and now she wondered if it were true –if it had anything to do with him not asking her. Did he assume they were boyfriend and girlfriend or was he –as Megan and her two friends had said –merely having fun with her?

"Hey –you okay?"

She blinked back the tears, reaching up to wipe an errant one away, glad her hair was curtained around her face before she looked up at Gabriel with a bright smile, "Yeah, I'm fine –just had something in my eye."

"Need help getting it out," he teased as he sat next to her, dropping his gym bag down on the bleacher seat below theirs, leaning in to kiss her when she shook her head in the negative.

Vivi blushed as she turned her head far enough for his kiss to land on her cheek, grabbing her messenger bag before rising to her feet, "We should go –I don't want Emmie to have to deal with her classmates more than she needs too."

Gabe studied her face, his own surprisingly impassive as he stood up, hoisting his gym bag over his shoulder as he asked with a cocked eyebrow, "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Vivi shrugged as her gold-brown eyes dropped to the side, hands on the strap of her bag as she began to descend the metal bleachers, "Just a bit cold. Let's go before your sister freezes to death."

Gabe watched as she walked further away from him, knowing something wasn't right but he couldn't exactly force her to tell him. One thing he did know –Megan and her two friends were probably to blame.


One Week Later, a Tuesday

"Hey Gabe."

Gabe looked up from exchanging his biology book for his history book, somewhat surprised to see Megan leaning against the locker next to his, "Hi Megan."

Megan gave him a slow smile as she tossed her hair back, "You were great on Friday's game…very impressive."

"Uh…thanks," Gabe slid his text book into his backpack, pulling out the notebook for his history class from the pile of notebooks on the second shelf of his locker and adding it to what he already had in his backpack, "You did pretty good with that kicking cheer you all did during half-time."

"Oh," Megan bit her bottom lip as she ducked her head in a show of shy modesty, "You were watching? I spent all summer working on my high kicks."

Gabe's eyebrows rose slightly as he closed his locker door, placing the lock back in place, "It showed. Did you do cheer camp? My cousin Bailey spent a week in Seattle during the summer for cheer camp."

"Yeah, I did cheer camp for two weeks but also gymnastics," Megan shifted to press her back against the lockers as she placed her left foot against the bottom half of the wall, the pleated skirt she was wearing with knee high socks riding up a bit, "I'm very flexible."

Gabe shifted the strap of his backpack higher up his shoulder, feeling uncomfortable as he looked at a spot over her shoulder, telling himself he hadn't noticed the way she filled out the white sweater she was wearing, "It shows –I mean, with the cheers and all. I…need to go –class is going to start soon."

"Oh," Megan pushed away from the lockers, slinging her backpack over her shoulder which pulled her sweater up enough to reveal a strip of flat stomach, "I'll walk with you –I wanted to ask you something, anyway."

"Oh," Gabe felt uncomfortable, clearing his throat as they made their way down the hall, "Okay…about what?"

"Well, the fall social is in two weeks," Megan stayed close to his side, making sure their arms occasionally bumped as the hallway began to get crowded, "And I was wondering if you would like to go with me?"

Gabe wasn't sure what to say as he stopped outside Vivi's fifth period class, which was across from his own history classroom, "Uhm…I was…planning on going with Vivi."

"Have you asked her?"

Gabe wondered what Megan was thinking, being he and Vivi spent most of their free time during school hours together, mostly holding hands if Marc wasn't anywhere near enough to complain, "No –"

"Has she asked you?"

"No –"

"She said you two aren't a couple…you know, boyfriend and girlfriend…so I don't see why you can't go with me if you're not going to ask her."

Gabe shifted his weight, creating a bit of space between them as he opened his mouth to respond but Megan cut him off again, "I overheard Ray asking her to go with him last week and she didn't say no."

Gabe stared at Megan in shock, completely unaware of Vivi heading up the hall to where they stood.

"Just something to think about," Megan smiled up at him, placing a small hand on his arm as she rose on her toes to place a kiss on his mouth. Gabe stood where he was, so shocked he didn't do anything, staring wide eyed at Megan as she smiled up at him before heading further up the hall, "See you later, Gabe."

The warning bell rang, letting all high school students know there were five minutes left to get to their next class. While everyone else rushed to get where they needed to be, Gabe stood in the middle of the hall, Megan's words going round and round in his head.

Ray had asked Vivi –his Vivi –to the fall social? What the hell was wrong with the dickwad?

It wasn't like he didn't know Vivi was his girl, and if she was going to that stupid social thing, it was going to be with him and no one else.

Blinking, he looked over at the opened door leading to Vivi's fifth period class, her empty desk in sight.

Where the hell was she?

Turning, he came face to face with Vivi, her gold-brown eyes wide and glassy as she stared at him, fingers wrapped tight around the strap of her brown leather messenger bag, knuckles white.

"Ray asked you to go to the social with him?"

Vivi stared at him, taking a deep breath to keep her voice from trembling before she tilted her chin up and answered, "Yes."

Was that why she'd been acting so damn weird with him the past week? Had she actually said yes? And what the fuck did Megan mean about them not being a couple, according to Vivi?

"He knows you're going with me."

Vivi tilted her head to the side, lips tightening into a flat line as she moved towards the open doorway to her math class, "I didn't know I was going with you, why would he?"

"What," Gabe stared at her in confusion, eyes glittering an icy blue, "What the hell are you saying? Of course you're going with me!"

"Well," Vivi placed a hand on the door frame, hitching the strap of her bag higher up her shoulder as she gave him a narrow-eyed look just as the final bell rang, "Being he asked and you didn't…"

Gabe watched as she shrugged before going into the classroom, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

She didn't answer, walking across the classroom to sit at her seat as the math teacher moved to close the door, his dad's voice behind him a reminder of where he was.

"Gabriel, I would not like to mark you tardy so please, get inside."

Gabe turned around with a huff, shoulders visibly tense; "Dad…" the look he got from his father reminded him he didn't get special treatment just because the teacher was his father, "I'm sorry Mr. Laskaris. It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't. Now get inside...and please watch your language on school grounds."

"Yes sir."


Friday, October 12th

Dear Diary,

I HATE HIM! I. HATE. HIM!

I really, really do…he's so…argh!

He asked her! He actually asked Megan Luka to go to the fall social with him!

Oh, she just had to rub it in my face during drama class yesterday, telling me how she found THE perfect dress and THE perfect shoes and how tonight was going to be THE perfect night…he's with her right now! Dancing and laughing and holding her hand…

Oh, if he kisses her…I'll –I'll kill him!

Well…maybe I won't kill him but…I'll unleash my brother on him. I'm sure Marc will be more than happy to take care of the arrogant…little…prick!

She looked up from writing in her diary at the sound of something hitting her window. Looking over her shoulder at the window, she waited a few seconds before turning back to what she had been doing, finding it cathartic to release her anger on the pages through the ink of her pen.

Serves him right I told Ray I would go with him –I do feel a little guilty about having to lie to Ray and tell him I couldn't go after all 'cause I was feeling sick but Gabriel won't know that. He'll be looking for me at the dance, I'm sure –I'll just tell him we decided to go to the movies instead. See how he likes it.

I'm just so angry I can't even cry…and I really need a good cry.

Another sound at her window had her look up just as a beam of light moved across her ceiling. Tossing her pen on her desk, she crossed the room to kneel on the bench of her window seat, the light coming through the window blinding her. She shoved the bottom window pane open and poked her head out, gold-brown eyes widening at the sight of Gabriel standing under her window, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to you," Gabe lowered his flashlight, flicking it off, the street lights illuminating the street and front yard enough for him to be able to see her.

Vivi pursed her lips, tucking her loose hair behind her ears, "I don't want to talk to you. Go away."

"I'll stand here all night, throwing rocks at your window," he held up his fist where he held several rocks he'd picked up on the way to her place from his, "You know I'll do it."

"Those are big rocks," Vivi hissed at him, swiping at the hair the cold breeze kept tossing into her face, "You'll break my window!"

"Then I guess you should come down."

Letting out a frustrated growl under her breath, she closed the window hard enough for the glass to vibrate, returning to her desk with every intention in ignoring him, but true to his word, a rock hit her window a minute after she had closed it.

She shoved her feet into her flip-flops, doing her best not to stomp her way down the stairs to the front door, jerking it open and stepping out into the cold, "Stop that! If you break my window, you're going to pay for it!"

Gabe jogged across the front yard and up the porch steps, tossing his handful of rocks into the flowerbed, "I thought you were going to the dance with Ray."

Vivi's jaw tightened as she crossed her arms over her chest, the cold air tugging at her loose hair, "Megan said you were going with her, so why are you here?"

Gabe lifted a shoulder in a shrug as he leaned back against the railing, "I called and told her I got grounded and couldn't go."

"What did you do?"

Gabe looked at her, confused for a few seconds before realizing what she meant, "Nothing. I just didn't want to go with her. Although, if my parents find out I snuck out, I will be getting grounded."

"How did you sneak out without your dad finding out," Vivi leaned back against the side of the house, not wanting to touch the other subject yet.

"Alyx and Andrey rigged a rope from the bathroom window into the tree-house –as long as you don't look down, it's pretty easy to go hand over hand until you get there…going back up is going to be a whole different matter, though."

Vivi wasn't impressed and made sure he knew it, "That was stupid –you could have broken your neck."

"Yeah, well," Gabe shrugged as he set his flashlight on the wide rail, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "There's nothing to do about it now. Why aren't you at the dance with Ray?"

"I told him I was sick," Vivi answered, letting her hair fall around her shoulders to serve as protection from the cold, "If you didn't want to go with Megan, why did you ask her?"

"Because you pissed me off," Gabe narrowed his eyes at her, the wind tugging at his messy hair, "Because you told Ray you would go."

"I didn't tell Ray I would go until after you asked Megan to go with you."

"Well, I was going to take you but Megan said you told her we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend."

Vivi glared up at him, moving away from the wall to stand toe to toe with him as she held her arms at her sides, hands in fists, "I told her that because we aren't!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You've never asked me," Vivi worked hard at not stomping her foot, blinking fast to keep from crying, "So either you're just having fun with me or you're being a jerk about it."

"What's the point of asking," Gabe raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, wondering if there ever was going to be a time he would understand the way girls thought –specifically speaking, this girl, "You're my girlfriend –I don't go around kissing other girls."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Then what about Megan last week, uh," Vivi poked him hard in the middle of his chest, "I saw you kiss her –"

"No," Gabe grabbed her finger, pulling her closer as he scowled down at her, "She kissed me –there's a difference."

"Well, I don't care," Vivi yanked her hand away, the heat radiating from him keeping the cold at bay, "You're not my boyfriend so you can kiss whoever the fuck you want."

Gabe stared at her in shock for a few seconds –she never used that kind of language –before the rest of what she said sunk in, "You know what? Fine! Even though I already know the answer, I'll fucking ask."

Vivi crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side as she stared up at him, the silence ticking by before he asked, "What?"

"I'm waiting."

"For what?"

"For you to ask."

Gabe rolled his eyes as he let out a sigh of annoyance, "Vivi…will you be my girlfriend?"

Vivi stared up at him for a few seconds before letting a smile spread across her face as she placed her hands on his biceps and stood on her toes to kiss his mouth, her heart jumping at feeling his smile against her lips.

Moving before he could put his arms around her, she crossed the porch to put some space between them, "No."

"What?" Gabe stared at her in shock before anger flooded him, "You told me to ask! I fucking asked!"

"I never said I would answer with a yes," Vivi gave him a smile, biting back the laugh that threatened to escape at the look on his face, "Next time you ask –do it with a little more humility."

"What?"

She closed the front door on his face, Gabe staring in disbelief before throwing his hands up in the air, "What the fuck!"

Growling under his breath, he grabbed his flashlight and flicked it on, heading down the walkway and up the street towards his house, the only witness to his muttering the cold October wind and quarter moon hanging high in the night sky.

Humility…what the fuck was that?!

Diary…I don't really hate him...he's just...he's still learning.


October 23rd
8:23 PM

"Oh yes…right there…oh, that feels good."

Seth chuckled as he leaned forward to whisper into her perfectly shaped ear, "Would you like me to go lower?"

"Oh god…yes," Rose let out a moan as he moved his hands lower, his skilful fingers bringing her instant relief, "A little lower…oh god, Seth, harder."

Pressing a kiss behind her ear, he nipped the tendon connecting her neck and shoulder before soothing the sting with a wet kiss, "This backrub is starting to sound a little too much like something else."

Rose let out a groaning laugh as she dropped her head forward, arms curved around her protruding belly, legs crossed as she sat in the middle of the bed with Seth kneeled behind her, rubbing the tight muscles of her lower back, "As long as you get the baby to relax and fall asleep so I can sleep, you can do whatever you want to me."

"Well, then," Seth moved his hands down to her hips, knowing their widening in preparation for the birth of their second baby caused her discomfort, "In that case, I can think of several things to do to you."

Rose laughed, letting out a soft sigh as she leaned back into him, his arms wrapping around her middle, their hands interlocking at the apex of her tight round belly, "I'm so ready for this to be over."

"Mhm," Seth placed a trail of kisses down her neck, tugging at the thin strap of her nightgown with his teeth before letting it go, "I don't know, baby…I find I like the way you feel in my arms, full and warm and snuggly."

Rose giggled as she turned her head to rest her forehead against his temple as he moved closer, his knees on either side of her thighs, "Snuggly?"

"Yup," Seth sucked on her earlobe, tugging at it before letting it go, "Not to mention horny as hell."

Rose blushed, elbowing him on his stomach, laughing at his groan as he hunched over her, giving her shoulder a punishing bite, "You're a sex crazed maniac, Seth."

"Oh-ho," Seth laughed as he straightened his legs before leaning back on the mountain of pillows behind him, keeping her wrapped in his arms, "That's the kettle calling the pot black."

"I don't know what that means," she sniffed delicately, biting her bottom lip when he moved one large hand up the round surface of her stomach to cup one of her full breasts, the nipple instantly hard against his rubbing thumb.

"It means if I'm a sex-crazed maniac, you, my sexy little kitten, are a nympho."

"I'm not a nympho!"

"Really," Seth flicked his tongue into the shell of her ear, feeling the shiver running down her back since her top half was laying on him, "So if I slide my hand down…this way…I'm not going to find you hot, wet and ready for me to fuck you?"

Rose bit back a moan, knowing he was going to find exactly that, unable to keep herself from wanting him, especially when he started talking dirty to her, "Well, when you say it with that kind of language, what do you expect?"

Seth chuckled as he sucked at the soft patch of skin behind her ear, his hands smoothing over her round belly, fingers tripping over her protruding bellybutton, which he found oddly erotic, "Exactly what I'm wanting to get."

Rose swallowed a giggle, biting her bottom lip as his hand dropped lower, a shiver running up her back.

Despite still having a week to go in her pregnancy, Rose was more than willing to engage in a little fun with her husband, her small hands reaching for whatever part of him she could reach, the heat of his hands relaxing yet exciting as he kissed and nibbled his way down her neck and over her shoulder just to do the return journey then cross over to the other side.

Neither was in a hurry, both simply enjoying each other in the quiet of the night. The feel of her in his arms was something Seth would never, ever, get tired of, her warm soft skin silk under the calloused tips of his fingers.

Rose's sighs and moans increased with every touch, kiss and suck, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she struggled to hold back a scream at the overwhelming pleasure crashing over her when he moved against her, sliding home in one smooth stroke.

The rhythm of their lovemaking was slow and fluid, hands and mouths grasping as they moved together in pursuit of reaching the apex of their pleasure together.

They climaxed nearly in unison, both fighting for air as they laid tangled and sweaty, no space to be found between them. Among whispers and soft sighs of satisfaction, sleep sneaked up on them, leaving them in each others' arms, hands interlocked over the round curve that was their child.

It was close to two-thirty the next morning when Rose woke with a gasp, an odd twinge in her lower back growing in intensity as it moved around to gather low in her abdomen. Breathing through the pain, she pushed up into a sitting position, Seth lying on his stomach a couple of feet away from her, his soft snores evidence of him being in a deep sleep.

Once the gripping pain on her abdomen dissipated, she reached across the short space to nudge his shoulder, "Seth –wake up."

Seth let out a decidedly whiny groan as he buried his face into his pillow, words coming out in a mumble but still audible, "One more hour, Rosie then I'll rock your world again."

She wanted to laugh at his cockiness but the twinge in her lower back began gathering force again, undulating around to the front of her hard stomach and Rose knew this was more than just discomfort. Yanking the sheet off him, she slapped his bare ass –hard, "Seth –wake up!"

"Ouch," Seth's head shot off his comfortable pillow as he turned bleary eyed to glare at his wife, "Rose, you know I don't like it rough if we don't work up to it."

"Get your mind out of the gut –oh!"

Seth sat up, blinking away the sandy feel to his eyes, "What's wrong?"

Rose worked on breathing, a hand clutching at the sheet over her naked body before she was finally able to speak, "I'm in labor."

"What," Seth jumped out of the bed, staring at her wild eyed, "You still have a week to go –you can't be in labor!"

Rose rolled her eyes as she scooted to the side of the bed, stopping to bend over double as another fiery pain tore through her. Gasping to catch her breath as it dissipated, she looked over her shoulder at him, "Carlos came a week early –it figures this one wants to follow in his older brother's footsteps."

"Her," Seth shoved his hands through his hair before pointing at his wife, "It's a her –there's no way in hell I'm doing this again. You stay there, I'm gonna go call mom to have her come and watch the kids then we go to the hospital."

"Seth –" she let out a sigh as he ran out of the room, butt-naked, probably to use the phone in the kitchen, another sigh escaping her as she caught sight of his cell phone on the bedside table.

"Okay, mom's on the way," Seth ran back in, the cordless phone in one hand, the car keys in the other, "Let's go –what are you doing? I told you to stay put."

Rose let out a soft chuckle, one hand on the dresser, the other on the bed sheet she had wrapped around her, "I need to get dressed."

"Right, right," Seth pointed at her before looking around the bedroom, then heading into the closet, "Okay –uh…what do you want?"

"Something…oh!" Rose panted as she held on to the dresser, breathing loudly through her nose before her tight muscles relaxed, "Something easy to slip on."

"Got it," Seth came out with a teal colored dress, one that would just slip over her head and tie behind her neck, "Here, this will work."

Rose stared at him with her mouth slightly opened as she took the summer dress from him, "Its thirty degrees outside."

"I'll get your coat," Seth ran out of the room, coming back a few seconds with her coat and her pair of winter boots kept in the utility room along with everyone else's, "Here –let's go."

"Your mom isn't here yet," Rose sat on the edge of the bed, holding the top of the dress against her breasts as she couldn't, at the moment, reach behind her neck to tie it in place, "Are you planning on going naked?"

Seth looked down at himself, his face flushing hot as he ran into the closet just as the sound of the back door opening let them know Sue had arrived, "I wasn't wearing much last time –"

"I know," Rose let out a breath as her body relaxed, slipping her bare feet into the fur lined boots before reaching up to tie the dress in place, "Cut off shorts and nothing else. The nurses couldn't stop ogling you."

"Well, there was the one that gave me a too small scrub top to wear," Seth came out of the closet, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt with a baby's face poking out of a drawn pocket where his stomach was, "Had mom not gotten this for me from the gift shop, I would have busted out of that thing like the Hulk when we were pushing."

Rose closed her eyes as she tried to breathe through the next contraction, "You're aware…that shirt…you're wearing…it's actually a woman's shirt, right?"

"Who cares," Seth gently helped her up as Sue knocked outside their opened bedroom door, "Just in time, mom. Carlos is up in Marc's room but he still gets up around four in the morning for cuddles and a snack. I'll call and keep you updated."

Sue smiled as Seth grabbed Rose's coat, chuckling when she got sight of his shirt, "Are you seriously wearing that? I got it for you 'cause it was the only shirt left in the store."

"I like this shirt," Seth helped Rose with her coat, snapping his fingers as he went into the closet, "Almost forgot your overnight bag."

"I'm glad I didn't have to remind you," Rose kept her hands on her lower abdomen, moving slowly towards the bedroom door, "Sue, if Carlos' gets fussy, there's a CD in the –oh!"

Sue grabbed Rose's arm as she doubled over with another contraction, Seth coming up behind her to rub her lower back as much as he could with the bulky coat in the way, "Don't worry about anything but having this baby, okay?"

Rose nodded, slowly straightening as she took another breathe, "Okay…Seth, we need to go."

"That's what I've been trying for us to do for the past half hour," Seth grumbled as he helped her down the hall and into the living room, stopping when his mother called out his name, "Ma, we gotta go."

She took the cordless phone from his hand and gave him the cell phone she had seen on his bedside table, "This gets better reception."

"Yeah…it does," Seth gave her a sheepish smile, grimacing when Rose's fingers dug into his forearm, "Okay, that seriously hurts."

"Don't be…oh! Don't be such a wimp," Rose hissed, breathing in through her nose and out her mouth, "Can we go now?"

"Yeah –wait! Where are the keys? Where the fuck did I leave the keys?"

Rose rolled her eyes as she gripped the door frame while Seth patted his pockets, looking frantically around the living room before Sue took pity on him.

"They're in your other hand, Seth."

Seth's chuckle of embarrassment made Sue laugh, Rose herself shaking her head in mild amusement, very aware she would be laughing if she weren't currently trying to survive this kid's attempt to tear its way out of her.

Seth and Rose nodded at Sue's request for them to call when they arrived, Seth finally having enough of Rose's step by step walk and lifting her up into his arms without so much as a grunt, "Okay, let's make sure we have this little joey in the hospital, okay?"

There was no way in hell they were going to be having it in their front yard.


October 24th
9:34 AM

Rose was sore and exhausted but nothing could take away from the joy of holding her baby boy while he nursed, dark hair covering his tiny head, one of her fingers gripped tightly by his tiny little fingers.

Letting out a soft sigh as she studied his face, she couldn't fight back the tears welling in her eyes as the hot feeling of a mother's love flooded her, the feeling her heart was doubling in size inside her chest making her let out a sob.

A knock at the door had her trying to wipe her tears away but he wouldn't let go of her finger, Seth's smile dropping a little at the sight of her tears as he closed the door behind him, Carlos asleep in his arm, "What's wrong? Are you in pain?"

Rose shook her head as she sniffed, gently stroking her middle finger over the back of his tiny hand, "No, nothing's wrong. I just…they're happy tears."

"Well, as long as they're happy," Seth gently lowered Carlos to lay beside Rose, leaning in to kiss her forehead before looking down at his baby boy, grinning as his tiny mouth relaxed around her nipple, "Will you look at that? Full tummy –happy baby."

Rose chuckled as she took him off her breast, handing him over to Seth who easily placed him over his shoulder to gently pat his back, "He's a Clearwater, through and through."

"Yep," Seth nodded as he watched Rose do up her hospital gown, grinning when he felt his son's tiny burp against his neck, "Pretty girls and food is all any Clearwater boy needs –will you look at that? He looks like a little drunk sailor."

Rose laughed as she watched Seth set their loose limbed newborn in the crib, his big hands looking even bigger as he swaddled him in the blue blanket she had packed in her overnight bag along with a couple of changes of clothes for both a girl or boy, as well as her own.

"Mama?"

Smiling down at Carlos, she opened her arms for him to crawl into her lap, kissing his warm little face, "Te extrane, nene." *I missed you, baby*

Carlos snuggled into her, pressing his face into her neck as she rocked him from side to side, looking over at Seth, "Bring the baby over here so they can meet."

Picking up the little wrapped bundle –he had been just a pound heavier than his older brother at six pounds eight ounces –and moved to sit on the side of the bed, "Hey, little man. Want to meet your little brother?"

Carlos' curiosity got the best of his comfortable position, his soft hair tickling the underside of Rose's jaw as he turned to look at what his Daddy was holding, leaning forward a little more to get a better look, "Baby?"

"Yep," Seth smiled at his son, grinning when the three year old reached out to touch the bitty hand gripping the edge of the wrapped blanket, "He's our baby, buddy. Someone else to play with."

Carlos' hazel eyes widen along with his sweet smile, "Play now?"

Rose laughed as she kissed his cheek, running her fingers through his dark hair to get him to look at her, "Not yet, nene. He's still got a lot to grow before he can play."

He looked up at his father as he pointed at himself, "Carlos," then pointed at the baby, "Who's he?"

Seth laughed, impressed at his son's constant growth in communicating, "I don't know yet, little man. Your mama gets to pick his name, just like she picked yours."

Rose smiled up at Seth, letting out a tired sigh as she looked to her new baby, "His name's Harry –Harry Deaghlan Clearwater."

Seth stared at her, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, taking a deep breath as he looked down at his newborn son, "Welcome to the world, Harry."

They sat there, all four of them, the silence comfortable as Rose fought to stay awake, Carlos not as lucky, his little body relaxing against hers as he succumbed to sleep.

"Seth?"

He looked up from watching his father's namesake sleeping, smiling at the tender picture his wife and Carlos made, "Yeah baby?"

"I had a big surprise planned for your birthday tomorrow," a yawn escaped her as she blinked owlishly up at him, "But I don't think I'll be up to it."

"Don't worry about it, Rosie," He leaned in to kiss her nose, giving her a big smile, "This right here is the best birthday surprise I've ever gotten."

They laughed, Rose letting out a quiet sigh as she sank back into her pillows just as a knock at the private room's door let them know there were more visitors.

It was time for Harry Deaghlan Clearwater to meet the rest of his family.


October 31st

"I'm glad your mom let you come," Marc smiled at Betty as they sat on the couch, side by side, while Bailey and Brad debated the movie selection, Gabe in the kitchen with Vivi and Nika prepping all their snacks for their movie night slash sleepover.

"Actually, my mom's out of town for some conference," Betty smiled at Marc before looking over at the arguing twins sitting on the floor by the entertainment center, "Grandpa called your Grandpa who assured him the girls were all staying in the second floor bedroom while the boys were in the living room and he would be in between. He also mentioned something about the stairs creaking and that he was a slight sleeper so there would be no sneaking around going on."

Marc laughed, knowing his Grandpa Charlie would say exactly those words concerning the girl-boy sleepover of teenagers in his house.

They had gone to the annual Halloween party at the rez center, Betty accompanying him, dressed as Daphne Blake from the Scooby-Doo cartoons while the rest of them were an eclectic group of characters.

There was the unknown rock-star (Bailey used the same costume every year), Lily Evans from Harry Potter (Vivi had even gone as far as wearing green contacts), Batman (yes, big laugh, haha, Marc dressed as Batman –what irony), and Raj from The Big Bang Theory (Brad felt it necessary to represent the nerds). There was also Waldo (apparently, Gabe lost a bet to Emmie and she got to pick his costume), and Xena the Warrior Princess (turned out Nika had some nice looking legs which, funny phenomenon it was, left Brad unable to talk whenever she was near enough for him to check them out).

"You guys want butter in your popcorn," Gabe popped his head around the archway separating the living room and kitchen, "And Vivi wants to know who wants dark chocolate and milk chocolate."

"Just make some of everything," Bailey suggested before holding up a DVD case, "We should watch this one first."

"Seriously," Brad rolled his eyes as he took the DVD away from her, "The Exorcist as been redone so many times it's no longer frightening. I'm thinking something more…creepy…like this one!"

Marc rolled his eyes as he stretched out his legs, feeling much more comfortable now that he was out of his costume and in his jeans and t-shirt, socked feet propped on the coffee table, "The Ring is one of the most ridiculous movies ever –I mean, come on…even supernatural can't explain the crap in that movie."

"What's to explain," Nika walked into the living room with a large bowl of popcorn in one hand, a bowl of of mixed chips in the other, "The videotape's haunted."

Marc laughed as she nudged his feet off the coffee table before placing the bowls there, Gabe coming in with a tray of drinks with Vivi behind him with a tray of chocolate covered treats –pretzels, strawberries, marshmallows, Pringle chips, Twinkies...whatever she could dip in chocolate, she did.

"There's more treats in the kitchen if we run out," Vivi set the tray down, reaching down to adjust the twisted toe of her squishy socks before sitting cross-legged in one of the armchairs, Gabe plopping on the floor in front of her.

"So what are we watching?"

Brad held up a DVD for his cousin to see, the girls all grimacing, "Oh gross! Seriously?"

"I snuck it out of Brady's collection," Brad laughed as he set the disc into the player, hopping up and turning off the kitchen and living room lights, the light from the TV screen a bit eerie in the dark living room, "Dad says it's too gory but I think we can handle it. Right?"

"Sure," Marc and Gabe agreed, the girls all just staying quiet as Brad sat on the floor against the couch, Nika sitting above him beside Betty, Bailey on the other armchair.

"Alright, then," Brad pressed the play button, the screen flickering then a bright blue before it began the opening credits, "Let's see what the big deal to this movie is."

"Really," Bailey looked over at her brother, able to see his face due to the light coming from the TV, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre –you don't think the title says it all?"

"That movie is based on a true story," Gabe supplied the information as the opening scene began with the narration, "On a serial killer from Wisconsin or somewhere east."

"Shut up," Bailey pulled her knees to her chest, her toes curling over the end of the armchair's seat, fidgeting as the still frames flashed, one after another, "Oh, this is going to be gross."

Marc grabbed the bowl of popcorn, placing it on his lap as he put a handful into his mouth, Betty taking some for herself while Brad munched on the bowl of chips sitting on the floor between him and Gabe.

"I can't believe you guys are eating," Bailey gagged as she moved to take one of the soda pop bottles, settling back into the armchair as she curled up as small as possible into the corner of the plush seat, "This is already looking seriously disgusting."

"What do you expect when the killer is referred to as Leather face," Gabe handed a bottle of pop to Vivi when she leaned down to whisper into his ear, "That alone is just gross –seriously? He's peeing in the can?"

Marc and Brad laughed, their laughter even louder when the guy in the wheelchair rolled down the hill, his pants still undone.

"You know, if you think about it, this is a very poorly made movie."

"This one's the original," Brad cocked an eyebrow as the movie kept going, all of them looking up when Charlie came down the stairs wearing his uniform.

"Gotta get going, kids," he grabbed his coat from the hooks beside the front door, checking his sidearm before pulling the keys of his cruiser out of his pants' pocket, "There's some prowler out in the woods and Mrs. Jens called it in. Keep the front door locked, okay?"

"Yes, Grandpa," Marc, Vivi and Gabe called out along with Bailey and Bradley's "Yes Uncle Charlie."

He closed the door behind him, the lock clicking in place, a minute passing by before they turned their attention back to the movie.

"What the hell is he doing," Gabe's eyebrows dipped as he leaned his head back to rest on Vivi's knee, his own arms resting on his drawn up knees.

"Some sort of voodoo," Bailey shrugged as she sipped up the last of her soda pop, leaning sideways to get a handful of popcorn from the bowl in Marc's lap, "You know, this is kind of a stupid movie."

"You gotta admit," Betty tugged at her pajama pants as she crossed her legs, "The hitchhiker was pretty creepy."

"The whole thing is creepy," Bailey picked on her popcorn, eating it one popped kernel at a time, "Why does that guy keep going back to wash the windows?"

"Something's wrong with him –he's probably retarded," Gabe shrugged, letting out a surprised yelp when Vivi smacked him on the shoulder, "Ouch! What's with you?"

"Don't use that word –it's not right."

"Okay, will everyone shut up," Brad finally spoke up, dropping his head back into Nika's crossed legs, smiling when he felt her fingers on his hair for a few seconds, "The movie isn't hard to follow so there's no need for commentary."

Everyone stopped talking, munching on their snacks as the movie kept going, each thinking how stupid these kids were to go into an abandoned house –especially after encountering a creepy freak like that hitchhiker.

A ring had them all jump in surprise, looking up as a couple of minutes later Sue came down the stairs, wearing her blue scrubs, "Kids, I have to go to the hospital quick. There's an emergency and they need all hands on deck."

"Okay, Grandma."

"Oh, that just doesn't look good," Bailey shivered as she wrinkled her nose, the front door closing behind Sue and the lock clicking in place, "It looks like voodoo crap."

"Oh look," Gabe took a pretzel from the tray where the chocolate treats were, "Them separating has got to be a stupid thing…oh, and there they go."

"Who do you think is gonna die first?"

"Okay, if you guys don't shut up, I'm going to turn it off," Brad threatened, the rest of them closing their mouths and returning their attention back to scene on the television.

They ate their snacks, occasionally groaning or grimacing as the scenes got bloodier and bloodier, one kid going down, followed by another and a third.

Bailey screamed at the appearance of Leather face, her knees tucked tight against her chest, the boys laughing at her.

Once her heart was back to beating normally, she looked back at her cousins and brother, "Fuck off."

The scene was pitch black with the guy in the wheelchair and his sister, Sally, yelling out for their friends, the headlights to the van giving the whole thing an eerie feel.

As they headed off into the dark in search of their friends, with the guy in the wheelchair whining about not being able to keep up with his sister, the screen flickered a few times, the picture distorted, all of them screaming at the sudden appearance of Leather face with the chainsaw before the television went blank, pitching the living into total darkness.

"What –what happen," Bailey whimpered as she knocked over the bowl of popcorn she had been holding, "Someone turn on the lights."

The sound of the flip being switched without any results had them all feeling a little uncomfortable, although the boys were doing a good job at hiding it.

"The power's out," Gabe came in from the kitchen where he had tried that switch after the one in the living room.

"Then get a fucking flashlight!"

Marc chuckled as the sound of Gabe standing up had them all shifting in their seats, "You afraid of the dark, Bales?"

"No."

Brad laughed as he tried to get Nika's digging fingers out of his shoulder, "Liar."

"Shut your mouth," Bailey muttered, her voice a bit high pitched, Betty jerking in her seat as she looked towards the living room window, "What was that?"

"What was what," Gabe came into the living room, "I couldn't find a flashlight but there are candles and matches."

"I…I heard something outside the living room window…"

Marc gave her hand a squeeze, doing his best to reassure her, "It's just your imagination. This is an old house so it makes strange sou –"

This time, the sound was louder, followed by a scratching at the front door then a creak.

"Okay, that was not my imagination," Betty whimpered as she grabbed on to Marc's wrist, looking wildly around the dark room, "You all heard it, right?"

Bailey's breath was coming fast and shallow as she stood up, bare feet stepping on popcorn but she didn't care, just wanting to get as far away from the front door as possible.

Another creaking sound had them all jumping, Marc letting out a sigh of aggravation as he moved to where Gabe was, "Give me that."

"Those are not old house sounds," Vivi whispered as she kept her hands tight around Gabe's arm, "What if it's the prowler?"

"We should call Uncle Charlie," Nika whispered as she moved to get the kitchen phone, dragging Brad along because she wouldn't let go of his hand.

"It's not the prowler," Marc worked on lighting one of the candles but it wasn't easy what with Betty clinging to him on one side and Bailey at the other.

"There's no dial tone," Nika's voice wavered a bit as they moved back into the living room just as Marc got one of the candles lit, all of them looking towards the stairs at the sound of a creak.

"That's not an old house sound," Bailey whispered, her entire body shaking as she stayed close to Marc's side.

Brad tried to get Nika's hand out of his –she had one hell of a tight grip and it was starting to hurt, "I swear it sounded like someone opened the upstairs window."

"Oh fucking shit," Bailey couldn't hold back a sob, "We're all gonna die!"

Marc rolled his eyes, fighting back his own fear in an attempt to keep some control over the situation, "Don't be so melodramatic. There's no one inside –"

Slow footsteps sounded over head, all of them looking up as Gabe whispered, his voice a tad shaky, "Someone's on the roof."

"I want to go home," Nika whimpered, Brad wrapping his arm around her shoulders as Vivi tried to reassure her best friend, "It's okay, Nika. We're going to be fine –"

"Are you fucking kidding me," Bailey interrupted her, not willing to deal with denial at the moment, "I've seen enough horror movies to know this is how it starts. I think we should leave."

Betty looked over at Bailey, the candle in Marc's hand casting shadows over her face, "You mean...go outside?"

A loud banging sound from the back of the house had them all jumping, Marc cussing as he dropped the lighted candle, "Fuck!"

"Great," Gabe shook his head as Marc stomped on the flame, "If the prowler doesn't kill us, we'll burn to death."

"Fuck this," Bailey let go of Marc's arm and headed towards the front door, "I'm getting the fuck out of here –at least outside, I'll have a shot at outrunning the son of a bitch."

Reaching for the doorknob, she let out a whimpered scream when it rattled, the lock keeping the door in place as she scrambled away, "He's on the other side of the door!"

Gabe grabs on to Vivi's hand, "Let's get out the back door!"

They all move through the living room and into the kitchen, their gasps loud as a dark shadow crossed outside the kitchen window.

"Fucker's going around," Brad hissed, his own heart beating fast as Nika buried her face into his chest, her frightened tears soaking his t-shirt.

Marc pulled away from Bailey and Betty, moving into the kitchen and searching amongst the kitchen counters, hissing over his shoulder when he didn't find what he wanted, "Where the fuck does Grandma keep the knives?"

Vivi, shaking so hard against Gabe she couldn't even tell he was shaking too, bit her bottom lip as she answered her brother, "She hides them –because of Andrey and Alyx."

Marc hissed under his breath, yanking the drawers open and finding nothing that could be used as a weapon, "I knew those two little terrors were going to get me killed someday!"

"Let's go upstairs and out the window –"

Betty interrupted Brad's suggestion, "There's someone on the roof already –besides, once up there, we have nowhere to go."

Bailey swallows back a sob, rubbing her fist across her wet cheeks, "You think there's more than one?"

Marc shook his head as he moved across the dark kitchen to join the rest of them, all looking towards the back door as the doorknob rattled, "No –there can't be more than one. Doesn't Grandpa Charlie have a shotgun?"

"In the hall closet," Gabe answered, watching as shadows moved across the back door's window, a creak and shuffle having him swallow hard as he looked over at Marc, "The one under the stairs."

"Are you serious," Brad stopped Marc as he headed into the living room, "Are you really going to shoot someone?"

"If he tries to kill us," Bailey hissed at her brother, prodding Marc into the living room, "Fuck yes, he is."

"Why the hell am I doing the shooting?"

"'Cause it was your idea," Bailey dug her fingers into his bicep, "Now go get the shotgun."

"If I'm gonna shoot some psycho, I need my arm, Bales."

"You know the first one to go out always dies first, right?"

Vivi gasped at Brad's off-handed comment, "He's not going out there alone! There's power in numbers, right? There's seven of us and one of him so we should all stick together."

"Right because if you survive by cowering in the kitchen, I will haunt you for whatever you have left to live."

Moving into the living room as one, Marc bit back a moan of pain as someone stepped on his foot, "Which way is the closet?"

"That way."

Marc rolled his eyes, knowing Gabe had pointed to where they were wanting to go, "It's dark in here, Gabe. I can't exactly see well enough to follow your fucking finger."

"Uh, guys…"

Letting out another heavy sigh of annoyance, he turned to look at Bailey, "What? I'm sort of trying not the break my neck here."

"The front door is opened."

They all looked towards the door, the moonlight spilling across the welcome mat, their breaths stuck in their throat as hearts galloped at top speed.

Gabe swallowed back the urge to cry, reminding himself that if he was going to die, he would do it proudly without any whining or whimpering, "Shit…"

"GOTCHA!"

All seven of them screamed long and loud, hands grabbing each other as they watched, wide eyed, as Leah and Seth doubled over the back of the couch, laughing so hard they were both crying.

The lights flickered on, the back door opening as Sue and Charlie walked in, both of them laughing just as loud as the other two adults.

"Ma," Gabe stared at his mother in shock, his heart nearly taking residence up with his Adam's apple, "That was fucking mean!"

Bailey collapsed on the floor, tears running down her face as she sobbed, "Not cool!"

Marc couldn't help laughing, the heavy dread in his stomach slowly unraveling, "Oh my god! I almost pissed my pants."

Brad worked on catching his breath, Vivi and Nika leaning into each other as he quietly admitted, "I think I made a mess of mine."

Leah and Seth laughed harder, high fiving each other on a scare well done, Vivi's eyes wide and glassy as she whimper, "Tio Seth…that was mean."

Betty sat down on the side of the coffee table, her breathing coming in gasps and wheezes as she clutched at her chest, her eyes wild as she gasped out, "I can't…I can't…"

Marc's laughter petered out as he noticed his friend's pale face, her struggle at breathing giving him some concern as he kneeled beside her, "Betty…you okay?"

She shook her head, wheezing as she struggled to take in air, "I can't…I can't…breathe…"

"Oh shit," Marc's dark eyes widened as he looked around the living room for the duffel bags, "Did you bring your inhaler?"

Betty shook her head, Sue moving across the living room as the other three adults sobered up, "Sweetie, I need you to relax, okay?"

Betty gave a frantic nod, hands clutching at her chest, "My…my chest…"

Marc looked up at his grandmother in concern, "She has an arrhythmia -some problems with her heart. She'll be okay, right?"

Sue couldn't hide her worry as she placed her hand between Betty's shoulder blades, about to ask Charlie to call for an ambulance when Betty sucked in a big breath of air, her wide eyes swinging over to Marc for a second before they both jumped up, "Gotcha!"

Sue placed a hand on her chest, all four adults looking on in shock as the seven teenagers laughed their heads off, Marc and Betty bumping fists as Marc snickered, "Payback's a bitch, uh?"

Finally getting her heart rate under control, Sue glared at her grandson and his friend, "Not…funny."

Marc and Betty looked at each other before looking at the rest of their group, all seven turning snarky grins towards their grandparents, aunt, uncle and mother, "We beg to differ."

It was clear these teens had no intention of rolling over for anyone…not even the adults.