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 know. I know! It's been WEEKS and y'all have despaired and lost hope there would ever be an update but let me explain -I just finished moving from one house to another (I have my own bathroom!), am switching shifts from nights to days at work (that's still weeks in progress) and have started taking some counseling classes (necessary to learn to deal with my anger issues).
This chapter took longer than I thought but I finally completed it. I've already started the next one and would find many, MANY reviews much inspiring to completing and posting by Saturday night. So everyone who reads, leave a review (even it it's just one to three words long) and I will be much appreciative and will show it.
The kids in this chapter are as follows: Marc, 15yrs old and going into eleven grade, Harry D is three months old, the Laskaris boys are as followed -13, 9, twins are 8, 3 and baby Erick is 1yr old. Tyra is five going on six and Emmie has turned eleven.
Enjoy as you read and please send awesome reviews (even one to three word reviews are awesome).
Chapter Fifty-Nine (13yrs old)
Second Week of January
Seth continued to whistle the song he had been listening to on the way in from Seattle, where he had met with the CEO of the racing car company he was currently contracted with. It had been a good meeting, with them offering a substantial amount of money for exclusive rights on every design he came up with, on top of the price he placed on each design.
So basically, he would be designing for them and them alone and if he ever sold a design to another company, he would be in violation of their agreement. It was definitely something he had to think about, perhaps discuss it with Rose and see if it was something he wanted to do.
Opening the front door into his home, he smiled at the sight of his fifteen year old nephew stretched out on the couch, one foot on the floor while he read, his other arm tucked behind his head and little Harry D (as Marc liked to call him) asleep on his chest, knees tucked into his tummy with diapered bottom up in the air.
He would have found the entire scene downright adorable had he not noticed something troublesome, "Is that the Washington Driver's Guide?"
Marc looked up from what he was reading as Seth closed the front door, "Yep."
"Why are you reading that?"
Marc gave him one of those patented teenage looks meant to let the adult on the receiving end feel like he was a few straws short of a scarecrow, "I'm studying for my permit."
Seth's surprise was audible as he moved into the living room to sit on the edge of the sturdy coffee table, "Your permit?"
Marc arched an eyebrow, turning his eyes back to the page, which had illustrations of road signs for the state of Washington, "I turn sixteen in March which means I'm eligible to take the test for a driver's permit."
"Sixteen," Seth shook his head as he let out a heavy breath, "Time sure does fly…you know, a permit's no good if you can't use it."
"Well," Marc gave his uncle a sideways look as Harry D let out a soft sigh before turning his little head the other way then continuing to sleep, "I was thinking I could use your –"
Seth laughed as he shook his head, "I don't think so, kid. You are not using my Mustang to learn to drive. You wreck it, Rosalie kills me."
"Not if you tell her I did it."
Seth gave his nephew a pointed look, "Not gonna happen. I don't want you wrecking my car."
"Fine," Marc turned his attention back to the manual in his hand, "I'll just ask Tia Rosa if I can use her Audi."
"Good luck with that," Seth snickered as he reached out to place his hand on his baby's back, the blue cotton of the one piece pajamas he was wearing soft against his palm, "Are you and Betty having sex?"
"Whoa," Marc turned shocked brown eyes towards his uncle but didn't move, not wanting to scare Harry D awake, "How'd we get from driving to sex?"
Seth's mouth hitched into a one sided smile, "That's how it starts –first acquiring the independence that comes with driving which then leads to seeing if you can get a little free in other areas in life."
"Well, Betty and I are just friends," Marc closed his manual, placing his hand on Harry D's bottom before sitting up, "There is no…nothing going on."
Seth chuckled as he took his baby from his nephew, cuddling the three month old to his chest, a tiny fist finding its way into an equally tiny mouth, "Well, when it does, remember to be safe –both with driving and sex."
"Oh god," Marc groaned as he rubbed his hands over his face before giving his uncle a dirty look, "We're not having sex nor are we planning too."
Seth laughed as he stood up, Harry stirring against his chest before lifting his tiny head to blink dark eyes up at him, "No one plans sex, Marc –at least not the first time. You just need to make sure to be prepared."
Marc closed his eyes as he dropped his head back, his face slightly flushed, "If I promise to carry a condom at all times, will you stop with the safe sex talk?"
"Just don't carry it in your wallet," Seth moved towards the hallway as Harry started fussing, "They're not as effective."
"Voice of experience talking?"
Seth looked over at his nephew with a small grimace before knocking on the door to Rose's dark room, "Once –enough to learn my lesson."
Marc watched his uncle disappear behind the revolving door, letting out a sigh before standing up, driver's manual in hand as he headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
His uncle was seriously de-railed.
Hell, just the idea of having sex with Betty…
Oh.
March 1st
No Moon Night
Seattle, WA
"Nine months late but here we are," Rick pulled Leah into his arms as soon as the bell boy closed the door behind him, leaving them standing in the middle of the suite's living area, "Celebrating our ten year anniversary."
Leah grinned as she draped her arms over his shoulders, fingers interlocking behind his neck, "Ten years…we've been married for ten years."
Rick smiled down at her, awed by the wonder he saw in her brown-green eyes, "I'm more in love with you now than I was back then."
Leah's smile turned tender as she stroked her fingers through his hair, letting herself fall into the blue of his eyes, "I can't imagine life without you…you and our children are…everything to me."
Dipping his head to press his lips against hers, he moved his hands down her back to her hips, whispering against her lips with a smile, "We have a bottle of champagne, the penthouse suite and no interruptions…what would you like to do first?"
Leah pulled back to give him a slow smile, the twinkle in her eyes making him completely aware of every dip and curve pressed against him, "Well, we do have that dinner reservation at the Six Seven Restaurant –"
"That's still five hours away," Rick kissed the corner of her mouth, his thumbs slipping under the edge of her backless dress to rub circles against her hot smooth skin, "I'm sure we can do something productive between now and then."
Leah giggled, tilting her head to the side to give him better access as he kissed his way down the side of her neck, "You're right, we definitely could…how about we open the bottle of champagne…"
Sucking at the little hollow at the base of her throat, he slowly moved his fingertips up her spine, "That sounds good…what else?"
Moving her hands down his chest, she let out a soft sigh as he gently nipped at her collarbone, "Fill a glass for each of us…"
"It is very good champagne, I'm sure," Rick reached her neck, sliding his fingers into her pinned up hair and plucking out the pins one at a time before letting them drop to the plush carpeted floor.
Leah nodded, shivering as he nibbled at her earlobe; his thumbs rubbed the soft spots right behind her ears, making her eyes roll back in pleasure, "Oh…that feels good…"
"What else should we do, Leah mou," Rick whispered into her ear, his breath hot and making her clench deliciously in all the right places.
Pulling back, she caught the gleam in his, realizing he knew he was turning her brain to mush and enjoying it to boot. Giving him a slow smile, she pushed her hips against his, feeling his arousal hard against her soft lower stomach, her fingers spearing into his hair as she pulled his head down to whisper into his ear, "Let's use the spa then get ready for dinner."
Rick's shock was priceless, her tongue tucked between her teeth to keep herself from laughing as she turned away from him, giving him a flirty smile over her shoulder, "I wouldn't mind being able to just relax in the hot water…without an audience or unnecessary interruptions."
He stared after her in surprise as she sauntered off into the bedroom, mouth lifting into a smile when she called out, "Don't forget the champagne bottle."
Chuckling, he grabbed the bottle in the bucket of ice along with two glass flutes, thinking if he couldn't get her naked and in bed then getting her naked and in water was the next best thing, "I'll get the spa ready, if you want."
"Okay."
Walking into the bathroom, he was impressed by the warm luxurious feel to the cranberry colored walls and cream stone tile, the spa easily fitting two people with a basket of rose petals on the ledge, tea candles outlining three sides of the porcelain tub.
Setting the bottle and crystal flutes on the corner of the tiled ledge, he turned the gold plated taps, sniffing each of the complementary bath oils before settling with one closest to Leah's citrus-mint scent. Dripping a few drops into the water, he took the basket of rose petals –a soft peach with pink tinted edges –and dumped them into the tub after turning the tap off.
Able to hear her murmuring voice, he knew she was on the phone, probably talking to their children. This was the first time in ten years they've both spent the night away from them –even for their honeymoon ten years ago, Gabe had accompanied them.
Lighting all the tea candles, he opened the chilled bottle and filled both tall flutes three fourths of the way before setting it aside and heading back into the bedroom where Leah was sitting on the side of the bed with her back to him, holding the phone to her ear.
"I miss you too, baby," Leah's voice was slightly husky and Rick knew she was fighting back tears, "Mama and Daddy will be back tomorrow…yes, baby, we'll cuddle all day when I get home."
Sitting beside her, he stroked his hand down her back, giving her a soft smile when she looked over at him, brown-green eyes bright with gathering tears.
"I love you too, Avy…yes, I do want to talk to your big brother."
Rick tucked the sable brown hair cascading over her shoulders behind her free ear, leaning forward to kiss her cheek as she talked to Gabriel –their thirteen year old had offered to babysit for fifty bucks with Sue there as an adult presence –keeping his arm around her waist as he listened to the faint sound of his son's voice.
"I'll keep an eye on all of them, mama, so don't worry."
Leah chuckled, leaning her head on Rick's shoulder as she reached up to wipe a runaway tear, "I'm sure you will, baby. Don't let the twins drive Tyra crazy, okay?"
"I've got them tying knots –Zak's helping Ty put together a puzzle. Mama, can I have Vivi and Marc come over? Vivi offered to help and Marc's really good about keeping up with Emmie."
Letting out a soft laugh, she tilted her head back at the feel of Rick placing a kiss on the top of her head, "Ask your grandma but I'm sure she'll say yes. Remember, if you need any help with your brothers and sisters, she'll step in."
"Don't worry about it, mama, we'll do just fine –uh, mama, I gotta go."
"What's wrong," Leah straightened without warning, narrowly missing hitting Rick on the chin.
"Nothing, ma –I can handle them just fine…and Marc knows how to undo some of these knots so I gotta go and call him so we can free Erick before he starts screaming bloody murder. Bye mama!"
"Gabriel –" the dial tone was all she heard, bottom lip disappearing between her teeth as she placed the cordless phone back on its base.
"What's wrong?"
Looking up at her husband, she lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "Not sure…it involved the twins, ropes and Erick."
Rick couldn't help laughing, leaning forward to press a kiss against the furrow between her drawn eyebrows, "Don't worry so much, agape mou. Erick's exceptionally good at holding his own against Alyx and Andrey -even at one."
Leah sighed as she snuggled into his side, wrapping her arms around his torso, "I've noticed that…I'm a little worried he's decided to look to them in learning how to navigate this world."
With arms around her, he fell back onto the bed, her head nestled into his shoulder as he stroked her back, "I think if we manage to survive Alyx and Andrey, Erick will be the one to finish us off."
"He won't have much left to finish," Leah closed her eyes, turning her face into his chest as she let out a soft whisper, "I miss my babies."
Rick couldn't hold back the deep chuckle, turning his head to kiss the top of hers, "Of course you do –this is the first time we're away from them for a whole night."
"Xavier wants to cuddle went we get back," Leah reached up to wipe away at an errant tear, "It feels so strange not to have them with me…"
"Well, the good thing is we have so many of them," Rick tilted her chin up to look into her brown-green eyes, "By the time Erick's old enough to be on his own, Gabe should be coming back with grandbabies."
Leah's bottom lip poked out as she reached up to touch his face, "Grandbabies…can you imagine?"
"You'll be as beautiful then as you are now."
April
Full Moon Night
There was a strange energy in the air, the kind to make any animal nervous and the Laskaris pack wasn't immune to it.
Wolf-Rick kept his nose in the air, tasting every scent for any hint of danger but there was none, the forest ground moist under his paws as he quietly moved between the trees along the marked border surrounding his territory. His two youngest pups followed after him, tripping over their over-sized paws, snuffles and soft barks foiling his attempt to go unnoticed but he didn't reprimand them.
They were both still too young to understand the finer points of patrolling the marked boundaries, unlike his four oldest who were currently several miles ahead of him along the mountain border, his sharp hearing picking up the soft padding of their paws.
Tilting his head, he felt a ripple in the air, the added consciousness of his Beta making him wonder if something was wrong.
Embry: Just thought I'd join the fun tonight.
Rick: Nothing wrong?
Embry: Nope.
They continued their silent patrol along the boundary, which went along between the reservation and Forks, around the forest preserve recently awarded to the Quileute nation, up the northeast mountain and along the Makah reservation and into the ocean, the dark outline of James Island a constant reminder to the tribe of the heritage behind them.
Even though wolf-Rick wasn't part of their history, he understood the driving force of generations and past ancestors, understood how important it was to guard the one thing that truly mattered –a purpose for being.
Embry was some miles across the reservation, parallel to where wolf-Rick and the pups were and a few miles behind wolf-Andrey and wolf-Alyx who were heading up towards the Makah reservation, wolf-Gabe and wolf-Zak parallel from them.
It was during full moon nights when wolf-Rick was lord and master over the reservation, his Alpha status secure in the fact he was the only one to patrol during those moon bright nights. Even though there wasn't any tension between Rick and Sam, it was a different issue between their wolf forms, especially during the full moon nights when Rick's wolf was in complete control. The inability for more than one Alpha to be within the boundaries had them quickly reaching the limit of tolerability.
His wandering thoughts snapped back into focus as the energetic atmosphere swelled, practically ruffling the thick fur along his back before a high pitched howl broke the strange tension, wolf-Rick recognizing it for what it was –a call warning of danger.
The problem was, for them, there was only one kind of danger –vampire.
Claws digging into the hard packed earth, he increased his speed, commanding his Beta to stay behind with the two youngest pups, recognizing the responding howl as belonging to one of the twins.
The anxiety in his stomach increased as the back and forth howls in communication had him envisioning his pups' strategy to corner the vampire before it escaped up the mountain or into the ocean. He had to get there before one of them got hurt, this being their first time any of them encountered a true vampire. If anything happened to any of them, he knew with certainty his mate was not going to be rational about it.
Leaping over a wide ravine, he focused on what he was 'seeing' from his pups, howling a call of his own to let them know he was coming.
There was no one else, after all.
Jared, Paul and Brandon no longer phased, Paul's temperature having finally dropped back to normal some months ago and Brandon declaring his intent to stop along with news of Daisy's second pregnancy. With Doug, Brady and Collin in Seattle, the only other option was Sam, which on a full moon night, wasn't an option at all. Breaking past the tree-line and into the small clearing –the same one where Marc and Bailey had encountered the bear –he took in the sight before him without his stride faltering.
His pups had not only cornered the wild eyed vampire but had it surrounded, one of the twins –they were as identical in wolf form as in human form –making his way around the face of the crumbling mountain, thus dividing its attention four ways.
Below the fear and anxiety was a thrumming sense of pride as he watched his four pups –the oldest a reddish-brown with dark markings on his face, wolf-Zak blue black with white stockings, throat and chest, the twins a dark caramel brown with copper muzzles and chocolate brown masks around their ice blue eyes –work together to keep the vampire from escaping.
He was still several yards away when the vampire lunged towards the nearest one on his right, wolf-Alyx leaping off the face of the mountain and onto its back before it reached his twin, the vampire letting out a screech of pain as claws and teeth sank into its shoulder. Twisting to yank him off, wolf-Andrey took the opening created to lunge low, sharp teeth sinking into the vampire's right knee and bringing him down with a jarring crash, wolf-Rick able to feel the vibrations under his paws.
The growls increased in volume and ferocity, a sudden yelp of pain echoing in the air just as wolf-Rick jumped into the fracas, jaw clamping down on the vampire's arm hard enough for it to let go of his pup's front leg, knowing without looking it had been snapped in two.
Wedging himself between the vampire and his injured pup, he tossed aside the arm he held in his jaws, closing it down on the back of its neck to keep its snapping teeth from getting any of them. It didn't take long for the four of them to tear it into pieces, the soft whimpers of his pup as he limped away from them to give them space digging into his gut.
Howling out a call for his Beta, he moved away from the pile of stone cold vampire parts, wolf-Gabe keeping a large paw planted firmly on the decapitated head, its face turned into the ground. Breaking through the trees, the gray spotted wolf gave a sweeping survey of the scene before turning to go back into the woods, his young charges tumbling over their oversized paws in their eagerness to get to their injured brother.
Wolf-Rick nudged the side of his pup's head, sniffling and searching as he made sure there were no other injuries, especially any involving bites, not paying attention as his Beta reappeared, this time in two legs, wolf-Gabe joining his pack of brothers as soon as the pyre went up in flames, a column of thick purple smoke marring the otherwise clear night.
Embry pushed his way through the mob, empathy swelling inside him as he kneeled beside the nearly black wolf he knew to be Zak, the pup's blue eyes expressing a wealth of pain as he softly whined with every jarring push from his brothers, especially the younger ones who were simply trying to offer him comfort in the best way they knew how.
Running his hands over limbs and ribs, he pulled back when he touched the right front leg, a howl of pain escaping the otherwise quiet Zak, little Erick –a beautiful golden brown without a single blemish –pushing up onto his hind legs to reach Zak's head, sharp little teeth tugging at a blue-black ear.
"I'm going to have to carry him," Embry looked over at Rick, the sandy brown wolf tilting its head to the side as he studied him for a few seconds before looking over at Zak then back again, dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement. Embry knew wolf-Rick didn't understand what he had said but had been able to comprehend the action behind the words.
Gabe closed his jaw around Xavier's neck –a wheat nearly white colored pup with dark markings along his muzzle and throat –to pull him back, Rick doing the same with Erick, the twins skipping and howling, both still feeling high with the adrenaline that came with a successful hunt, both moving back to give Embry the room he needed.
Although Zak wasn't yet full sized –just a little bigger and several pounds heavier than a normal wolf –he was still somewhat bulky, Embry's arm muscles straining a bit at the weight as he wrapped his arms around the pup's middle before lifting him off the forest ground.
Back at the Laskaris' home, Leah was pacing the living room floor, eyes shifting between the clock on the DVD player and the living room window, the dark sky still twinkling with bright stars.
She had heard the howls, had gotten the message behind them, the twisting panic in her gut letting her know something had gone wrong just as she heard high pitched yelps of pain.
Rushing to the front door, she stopped just as long fingers closed around the doorknob, recalling her two little girls sleeping through the whole thing as well as reminding herself her husband –her Alpha –had everything under control and as long as he wasn't calling out for her, she needed to stay put.
To go out there without his calling would be to doubt him, to undermine him, to say to all she didn't trust him.
And despite this anxiety inside her she recognized as mother's intuition –just the thought of it made her want to laugh as she recalled the many times her own mother had said that phrase when they were growing up –she trusted Rick, both parts of him, with everything inside her and knew he would do everything he could to keep her boys safe.
Moving across the living room and into the kitchen, she put the kettle on, opening and closing cupboards as she tried to think of what to do to distract herself. Another series of pain filled yelps made her realize she needed to be prepared for the worst and with a heavy heart, she began gathering bath towels, taking a couple of her cotton bed-sheets and ripping them into long shreds for bandages, if needed.
Placing everything on the coffee table, she moved all the furniture back against the walls, setting the table to the side of the rug just as the howls grew closer, her sharp hearing making possible to pick up their direction as coming from the woods bordering the back of their three acre land.
Rushing into the kitchen, she opened the back door and looked out into their backyard but there was nothing, the trees bleached by the full moon. Leaving the door open, she turned back into the kitchen, pushing the table and chairs out of the way just as another pain filled howl followed by a series of empathetic yips rent the heavy atmosphere.
Minutes later, Embry walked in sideways through the door, carrying her black-white pup in his arms, big blue eyes looking at her with a wealth of pain in them.
"Oh, baby," Leah reached out to run her fingers through the fur on the side of his face, moving her hands along his throat and chest, "What happened?"
"He's got a broken front leg," Embry moved into the living room, glad to see Leah had cleared the cream colored rug spread over the dark wood floor of furniture, "I gave him a quick once over and didn't see any bites, although there are a couple of scratches on his front shoulder and chest."
"Where are Rick and the rest of the pups," Leah kneeled beside her baby's large wolf form, his low pitched whines making her heart twist in pain for him, "Are any of them hurt?"
"Aside from a couple of scratches and bruises, they're all fine," Embry gave Zak a comforting scratch between his ears, looking over his shoulder towards the open kitchen door, which was in direct line to where he'd placed Zak, "And they're all in the backyard."
Leah nodded, looking up at the clock –there were still three hours before they started phasing, Erick being the first one, followed by the twins, then Xavier then Zak and finally Gabriel and Rick.
They all had a certain time in the dawn when they phased as the sun began to rise and the moon waned. She didn't understand the order –apparently it had nothing to do with their birth order –but right now, she was wishing Zak were an early phaser like Erick, but he was going to have to deal with the pain a bit longer.
It was the longest three hours of her life, Zak's whines increasing in volume as he moved his large head against Leah's lap, his chest rising with agitation as he fought back the urge to let out a howl. Running her hands over his large fur covered body in a comforting gesture, she leaned down to kiss his muzzle every few minutes as she whispered into his ear everything would be alright.
Erick toddled into the living room, falling into his mother's arms before he draped himself over his older brother's wolf form in a show of support. By the time Rick came into the living room, zipping up his jeans, Leah was holding Zak in her arms, his arm cradled against his chest as he fought back tears, the pain radiating from his fingertips to his shoulder and across his chest, "Mama, it really hurts."
"I know, baby, I know," Leah kissed his cheek, stroking his hair away from his forehead as she looked up at Rick; "We need to get him to the hospital."
Rick nodded, Gabe picking up his naked little brother as the twins headed down the hall towards the stairs, Xavier trailing behind them –all of them butt naked, "Let me get the car and we'll go."
"Are the others okay," Leah kissed her baby as Alyx returned with a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt, handing them to Leah before he gave his older brother a one sided smile, "Think of it this way, Zak –a vampire breaking your arm is so much better than breaking it 'cause you thought you could fly."
"Fuck you," Gabe punched his brother's shoulder as he joined his brothers ringed around Leah and Zak, "I was five."
"Yeah, like that's an excuse," Alyx punched him back, moving to the side as Rick returned from the bedroom, wearing clean clothes and shoes, giving them all a look they understood meant there was no brooking his command, "All of you, go to sleep. Your sisters are still sleeping and Embry will be looking after you so you all behave, understood?"
All five of them nodded, even baby Erick who did so simply because his brothers had, blue eyes swinging over to his mother who was standing up from the floor, Zak in her arms, "Mama? Okay? Ak okay?"
Leah gave him a smile as Rick took their son from her, moving towards the front door held open by Embry, Leah taking Erick from Gabe to kiss and cuddle for a few seconds, "He'll be okay, baby. We'll take care of your brother. You be good, okay?"
"Okay," Erick gave a full bodied nod, wrapping his chubby arms around his brother's neck as soon as she handed him over, "Okay, mama."
She smiled at the complete use of his current vocabulary, "I'll call as soon as we get more information."
Gabe nodded, smiling as his mother touched her fingers to his scratched cheek, kissing her cheek when she leaned down to kiss his, "Don't worry about us. I'll get the boys cleaned up and into bed after they eat breakfast."
At the hospital, Rick watched as Leah paced back and forth, all three in a small cubicle in the emergency room waiting for the doctor on call, a radiologist having already come to get an x-ray of Zak's left arm.
"Leah, baby, he's going to be fine," Rick tried to offer her comfort but she simply looked over her shoulder at him, jaw tight and brown-green eyes glittering, saying nothing in reply as she continued to pace, every once in a while looking over at her son, who was currently sleeping under the influence of pain killers.
"It's a clean break," Rick explained as he watched her look out into the hallway for the fifteenth time in the past half hour, "I heard a snap, not a crunch –"
"Shut up," Leah held a hand up, giving him a heated look as she moved to the other side of the hospital bed, tenderly brushing back Zak's dark hair from his forehead.
Rick's eyebrow rose but not in surprise, just shock she was actually letting her anger show here, "Leah, I'm sor –"
"Not now," Leah ground out between her clenched teeth, keeping her eyes on her son's sleeping face, "Okay? We'll…talk…when we get home."
It was near dinner time when they arrived, Zak sporting a bright neon blue cast with fish stickers decorating it, courtesy of his mother's feel good gifts, which included a package of his favorite cookies, a newly released comic book and a tin can of his favorite –and expensive –surfboard wax.
Five of his seven siblings were sitting at the rectangular kitchen table, which could fit twelve, the scent of baking lasagna and garlic mingling in the air.
"Hey Zak," Embry grinned at the nine year old boy as he set a platter of garlic bread fresh out of the oven in the middle of the table, a pitcher of lemonade and a bowl of salad already in place along with the place settings, "Just in time for dinner, my man."
Zak smiled at Embry as he pulled out his chair, sitting down between Tyra –on his left – and Andrey –on his right, "Smells good."
Embry looked over at Leah, able to feel the tension between her and Rick as they stood side by side without touching; "Saw you had everything for lasagna so I took the liberty."
"That's fine," Leah uncrossed her arms to run her fingers through Zak's dark hair, smiling down at him when he tilted his head back to give her a smile, "Is Erick still asleep?"
"Yep," Gabe walked into the kitchen, having been checking on his baby brother when they arrived, "He knocked out hard after having breakfast then woke up for a late lunch. He's been asleep since then."
Leah nodded again, watching as her children all turned their attention to Zak, starting with Tyra, "Does it hurt?"
Zak grinned at her as he reached across his body to tug at one of her blond braids, "Nah. The doctor gave me medicine to make the pain go away."
"When can we sign your cast," Alyx asked, sitting across the table from Zak, Emmie on his left and Gabe on his right.
Zak lifted a shoulder in a shrug as Embry began passing out the plates of lasagna, "Doctor said it was good to go."
"Sweet!"
Embry chuckled as Alyx pulled out a permanent marker from his pocket and tossed it across the table, Andrey catching it one handed before uncapping it and leaning over Zak to reach the cast.
"Okay, you can do that after you've finished eating," Rick took the marker from Andrey, giving his son the look when he started to whine, "I believe you and Alyx have kitchen duty tonight, right?"
The seven year old twins groaned as they turned their attention to the meal before them, both simultaneously muttering a glum, "Yes."
"Are you two eating with us," Embry asked as he set a bowl of cooked noodles before Xavier, the three year old not liking anything that had tomatoes in it.
"Yes –"
"Not right now," Rick interrupted his wife, taking her arm in his hand as he looked over at Embry, "Leah and I are going for a walk. Are you okay watching them for a bit longer?"
"No problem. Go ahead and take your time," Embry finally sat down, all of them watching as Leah and Rick walked out the front door, Embry clapping his hands enthusiastically in a successful effort to get the kids' attention back to the present matter at hand, "Everyone dig in!"
There was no hiding from him for he could literally feel the emotions rolling off of her as they reached First Beach, Leah staying a few steps ahead of him, arms crossed tight over her chest.
She was struggling with her anger, without a doubt feeling guilty for wanting to take it out on him because she didn't think it loyal to blame him for what had happened to their son. However, he also knew if she didn't let it out, it was going to strangle their interactions with each other and that was something he didn't care to deal with.
It would better for her –for them –if she just let it all out. He counted on her volatile nature to make it easier in prodding her into a full out explosion, hoping in doing so, she would be able to let it go.
"Leah –"
She shook her head, moving away when he reached out to touch her shoulder, "Don't."
"If you're angry with me, just let it out."
"Angry," Leah whipped around, brown-green eyes darkening as she fisted her hands at her sides, the evening breeze blowing her shoulder length hair around her exotically beautiful face, "I'm not angry."
"Leah –"
"I'm fucking furious," she growled, slapping him hard on the chest, "I could hurt you right now!"
"Leah –"
She slapped both hands against his chest, pushing him back before fisting his t-shirt and yanking him forward, "Why did you let them go after him? You have the power to stop them but you didn't!"
Wrapping his fingers around her wrists, he looked into her over-bright eyes, "Leah –"
"What if one of them had gotten bitten," Leah jerked away from him which wasn't hard because he wasn't holding on tight, "What if it hadn't been just a broken arm? Would it have been a problem to just let the damn leech go?"
"Leah," Rick was surprised at his wife's outburst, not the emotion behind it but the things she was saying, "This is what we do. We exist for –"
"No," Leah shook her head, reaching up to wipe away at an errant tear, "There's more to them than duty to the tribe…so much more. I can't…I won't let this –this –patrolling and hunting for vampires be the only thing in their lives."
Taking hold of her shoulders, he pulled her closer, blond hair falling across his forehead as he gave her a gentle shake, "Leah, this is what we do. Being a shape-shifter took many things from you but we –our sons and I –are not shape-shifters. We are werewolves…we exist for this very reason, for the obvious need of protecting those defenseless against preying vampires."
Leah tried to push him away, no longer fighting the tears as they dripped down her cheeks, "There's more to my sons than just being werewolves…and what about Emmie and Tyra? When will this affect them? When will it change the way they see the world, the things they believe to be true of themselves? When?"
He kept his grip on her, the sorrow he saw in her beautiful eyes tearing right through his soul, "It depends on whose genes are stronger…if mine, then…the full moon after their first…period. Then every full moon after that until they find their mate. Then, again, every full moon after each pregnancy."
Leah shook her head as she dropped it to rest her forehead against his chest, his arms wrapping around her shaking shoulders as she sobbed, "Emmie wants to be a scientist…is she going to have to give that up? And Gabriel…he wants to fly –but if he becomes Alpha of a pack, how will he ever fulfill that dream? What will they have to give up, Rick? Why should they have to?"
He held her tight as she cried into his chest, kissing the top of her head as the sun sank into the ocean, setting the horizon on fire. The minutes ticked by, her sobs softening, her body getting heavier so he dropped down on his knees, cradling her in his lap as he pulled back to wipe his thumb over her cheeks.
"Growing up, I wanted to be a teacher…I loved to learn new things and I enjoyed it even more when I taught others about them. My brothers and sister always came to me for help with their school work and I never, not once, turned them away despite having work of my own. I promise you, Leah…our children won't give up anything for being what they are. Don't get me wrong, they won't have it easy…but it'll give them the drive to succeed in fulfilling their dreams. It did with me…with my brothers...it'll be the same for them."
Staring up into his blue eyes, she could see the sincerity of his words in them, her arms wrapping around his middle as she turned her face into his chest, letting out a shuddering breath, "I'm so afraid…that their dreams and desires might be unreachable because of us –of this…because the supernatural dare be a part of the real world. I don't want any of our children to be dissatisfied with their lives, to have their choices taken away from them."
Leaning down, he pressed his mouth against hers, rocking her slowly as the ocean crashed into the surf, the tide rising as the sky slowly darkened.
"You and I, Leah," Rick pressed his forehead against hers, letting himself frown in the velvet softness of her dark eyes, "We will do everything to make sure our children reach their full potential…they will be everything they can be because we'll be here for them. You just wait and see, baby…it's not going to take long before they start showing us what they're capable of…before they start reaching the stars."
Staring into his ice blue eyes, she reached up to stroke the side of his face, "Do you promise? No matter what, no matter how far they want to go, promise me you'll never hold them back with words of duty and honor."
Smiling, he gave her a promise he would keep, no matter what, "I promise, baby…I won't hold them back…I won't take away from them...we'll only give."
Sliding her fingers into his hair, she pulled his head down and kissed him, a wealth of emotion poured into such a simple action…a promise welded with words of love, two beating hearts and souls intertwined into one.
