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: A new chapter! Yay! I've already started the next chapter -this one's a long one and it only touches on a few of my favorite characters. Just the other day, I was wondering how one of my favorite couples was doing -Lian and Julie -and this started evolving as they shared their latest news so I just had to share with you. Hope you enjoy!
Kids mentioned and ages: Bailey, sixteen. Jillie, three. Marc, sixteen. Vivi, fourteen. Gabe, fourteen. Alyx and Andrey, nine. Emmie, eleven. By the end of this chapter, Marc will be seventeen and Vivi, fifteen. I'm trying so hard not to mess up their ages but at the moment, it seems like I'm doing just that, as well as messing up their school grades. I have updated my family tree chapter, which is something I do with every chapter update. So just bare with the minor inconsistencies -especially grade wise. Just know, Emmie is eleven when she starts high school, so I guess that means she's in high school already. Oh, the confusion.
Anyway, enjoy as you read and please don't make me beg for the reviews!
Chapter Sixty-One (14 yrs)
February 14
Uncle Lian had called about a week before, asking her if she would be willing to baby-sit for a few hours while he and Aunt Julie went out for Valentine's Day. Bailey had readily agreed.
It wasn't because she didn't have any other options –four of the boys at school had actually asked her out for the Valentine's dinner and dance at the reservation's center –but because she would rather look after her three year old cousin, and make ten dollars an hour, than have to spend several hours in the company of brainless, not to mention tactless, teenage boys.
She was coming to realize teenage boys were now on her list of people she would wish off the face of the earth. They were rude jerks, sometimes even total pigs and seemed to have only one thing on their mind when it came to girls. It annoyed her immensely how, now that she was a teenager, boys no longer looked at her face when talking to her but directed the conversation towards her breasts. It sometimes made her wish she didn't have any breasts but then, she realized her breasts weren't to blame –the boys were.
It sometimes gladden her to have an imprint, making dating in hopes of finding her 'soul mate' unnecessary, being fate had already done it for her. Then again, there were times she wished she didn't have the pressure imprinting tended to put on those who'd been imprinted on –pressure to reciprocate or whatever. Although, she had to be honest, Brady never pressured her in any way. He tended to leave her alone, simply being a friend when she needed one, as well as the person who helped her get out of trouble with her Dad by stepping in and taking the blame, if he could.
It didn't always work, being her Dad knew she wasn't much for following rules, but it was sweet of Brady to try anyway.
Letting out a sigh, she slouched deeper into the couch –a very comfortable couch, mind you, which probably cost Uncle Lian a pretty penny, not that money was a problem for them –watching her little cousin as she watched the Wiggles, Jillie standing a few feet away from the TV. She was enjoying watching her little cousin as she danced to the ridiculous songs, occasionally stomping her little foot with a frown on her face, "No-no. No-no."
Chuckling, Bailey sat forward to rest her elbows on her thighs, "Do you need to go potty, Jillie?"
Twisting her upper body to look at her, she scrunched up a round little nose, slanted purple eyes twinkling as she shook her head, "No-no."
Bailey laughed, standing up to go to the kitchen, "Would you like a snack? I think your mama said something about oatmeal cookies."
"No-no," Jillie bobbed as she shook her head, her tiny frame moving in time to the music, the purple tutu skirt she wore along with black leggings and a black t-shirt with the words Born to be Wild printed in purple on the front making her look like a little punk rock princess, "'Ummi 'ears."
Bailey laughed as Jillie skipped into the kitchen, the black flats on her itty bitty feet slapping against the tiled floor, "You want gummy bears?"
"Yup-yup," Jillie nodded, dark hair held back on the sides with small purple and black clips shaped like electric guitars, "App' juice."
"Alright, then," Bailey found the bag of gummy bears in the pantry, setting it on the kitchen table before opening the double door fridge to search for the apple juice, "Maybe we can play a game before bedtime."
"No-no," Jillie was attempting to pull herself up onto one of the chairs by the eat-in kitchen table without much success, being she was on the small side for a three year old still wearing her eighteen month old clothes, but she kept trying, grunting and huffing with the effort.
"How about a movie, then," Bailey set the kiddy cup on the table, having filled it halfway with apple juice before filling her own glass, not offering to help her up because she knew the little girl would refuse, wanting to do it herself.
Wrapping tiny hands around the edges of the slatted chair, she let out a mighty (as mighty as a tiny little girl could) grunt, pulling until one of her knees caught a corner, giving her the leverage necessary to get herself up. Grinning with pride as she kneeled on the seat, she looked over at her cousin, "'Appy 'eet."
Bailey had no problem understanding being she knew Jillie's favorite movie of all times was Happy Feet, "Alright then, we'll watch Happy Feet then get ready for bed. Deal?"
Squinting at Bailey in a slightly calculating manner, she took the cup of apple juice, shaking her head, "No bed. I not sleepy."
Bailey smiled at her cousin, taking the bag of gummy bears from the middle of the kitchen table, "Well, kiddo, you'll have to get sleepy because it'll be bedtime for you when the movie's done."
Pushing her bottom lip out in a pout, she gave her cousin the puppy dog eyes, "'Ames a mo'ie?"
Leaning forward, Bailey placed a kiss on her tiny forehead, "Nope. A game or a movie but not both. Hey, how about we take our snack into the living room and eat it while we watch Happy Feet?"
Sipping some of her juice, she nodded, Bailey taking her cup so she could wiggle onto her stomach and off the chair, little hands reaching up for the penguin printed cup, "I carry."
"Here you go," she handed down the cup, taking her own cup and following behind her little cousin, "Wait to drink until you sit down, Jillie, or you'll spill everywhere."
"I not spill," Jillie shook her head, taking one step at a time until she reached the coffee table where she set her cup down on the glass top, "See?"
Giving her a smile, she set the bag and her own glass down before going to the DVD cabinet in search of the movie, "You did very good. Alright, let's see…ah, here it is. Ready to watch Mumble dance?"
"'U'ble not dance," Jillie shook her head as she upended the entire bag of gummy bears onto the glasstop table, dropping the empty bag on the floor before looking up at her cousin, "'U'ble 'ing…wit hes 'eet."
Bailey laughed, picking up the remote before moving to sit on the rug, taking a yellow gummy bear from the small pile –thank God the bag had only been a quarter full –and popping it into her mouth, "You're right, he does sing with his feet. Is he your favorite penguin?"
"No-no," she shook her head, picking out the red gummy bears and placing them in a line in front of her cup.
"Is it Gloria?"
She gave her cousin a dimpled smile as she bit into a green gummy bear, shaking her head again, "No-no."
"Uhm…it's gotta be Seymour, then."
Jillie giggled as she shook her head again, taking a yellow gummy bear next, "No-no."
"Then who?"
Giggling, she threw her hands up in the air, widening her eyes as much as she could, "Ephis!"
Laughing, Bailey picked up her glass of apple juice, "Oh! Okay, so you're a Memphis girl, uh? Is it because he sings Elvis Presley songs?"
"El'is kin'," Jillie nodded once, turning on the spot when the music to the opening of the movie filled the living room –Uncle Lian had an amazing surround system that went along with the large LCD flat screen TV, "He 'ocks."
Bailey laughed, shaking her head as she bit off the head of a clear gummy bear, "Bet your Daddy taught you that one."
"Shh," Jillie held a tiny finger against her bow shaped lips, pointing at the screen, "Ephis 'ing."
Bailey laughed again but didn't say anything, simply watching the movie, occasionally sneaking glances at her cousin as she danced in place, wiggling her hips and tapping her feet, every once in a while letting out a squeal that was perfectly on pitch with whatever character was singing at the time.
Bailey always enjoyed spending time with her younger cousins but if she had to be honest –and only under threat of death –her favorite one was Jillian. She was a funny little girl who loved to dance and laugh and sing, hardly ever threw any tantrums and didn't cry unless she wasn't feeling well. She adored her mama and worshipped her Daddy, something Bailey had in common with her. Not only that, but the little girl had a way of making anyone smile, no matter how they were feeling.
It was probably why she liked coming to visit Uncle Lian and Aunt Julie during those times when she considered committing mayhem and murder. Jillie always showed her there was a wonderful side to this messed up world.
The movie finished with Jillie clapping her little hands in appreciation, bouncing on her knees and making her tutu skirt swing.
"Alright, Jelly bean," Bailey stood up, turning off the DVD player, surround system and TV, "Time to get ready for bed."
Staring up at her cousin slash baby-sitter, Jillie pushed out her bottom lip in another attempt to manipulate some more play time, "Un moe?"
"Sorry," Bailey smiled down at her –she was so tiny, the top of her head didn't even reach Bailey's knees, "No can do. Let's go get you into your jammies, brush your teeth then you can pick a book for me to read."
Letting out a sigh of defeat, Jillie turned to skip down the hallway to her bedroom, singing a song of her own making. At least, Bailey thought so being she didn't understand a word of it, although the pitch and melody were somewhat familiar.
"Dese jammies," Jillie held up a top and shorts pajama set, Bailey laughing when she saw a picture of ZZ Top on the front of the small white shirt, "Okay, let's get you changed."
Bailey kneeled down on the soft plush rug the color of sunshine, the bedroom walls painted a sky blue with clouds in random shapes along the top with the ceiling painted soft yellow. It was like standing on a ray of sunshine up in the sky.
Helping Jillie out of her clothes and into her chosen jammies, which included pull ups even though she was already using the potty on her own during the day, Bailey removed the hair clips and combed her fingers through the dark silky baby hair, "Let's go brush your teeth."
Jillie skipped out of the room to the bathroom across the hall, Bailey standing up and setting the music player to play a specific song from the Sying CD before following after her.
Walking into the bathroom, she smiled at her cousin, the little girl waiting beside the sink, "Let me get your toothbrush ready, 'kay?"
Jillie nodded, rubbing her little bare feet against the soft fibers of the bathroom mat, "Yup-yup."
She took a while getting the kiddie toothpaste onto the little brush then realizing she needed to dry the vanity top to sit her there being a step stool didn't help much with her height issue.
"Okay, it's ready," Bailey looked down, dark eyebrows lowering over chocolate brown eyes, "What you got there, Jelly bean?"
Jillie grinned up at her cousin, holding out her tiny fist to her. Taking the white and blue pen looking thing from her, Bailey's eyes widened when she saw PREGNANT on the oval shaped window, "Where'd you get this?"
Jillie twisted her upper body to point at the trash can, Bailey shaking her head as she picked her up with one arm, setting her down on the vanity top, "Jillie, you don't take things out of the trash –that's gross."
Tilting her head to the side, Jillie blinked her purple eyes at her cousin until it was explained with a word she knew well, "It's yucky –things in a trash can are yucky."
Wrinkling her round little nose, Jillie slapped her hands together, "Yucky. Ash 'ands."
"Yep, we need to wash our hands."
She set the e.p.t. test aside, washing her hands along with Jillie's, the little girl laughing the entire time. After the teeth brushing, Bailey carried Jillie upside down across the hall, tickling her round tummy before setting her on the bed, Jillie's face red as she caught her breath, laughing purple eyes twinkling up at Bailey.
"Guess what, Jelly bean," Bailey sat down on the small bed, holding the book Jillie had picked during the pajama changing.
She tilted her head in that adorable way of hers as she snuggled into her cousin's side, holding her floppy puppy –named Billy –to her, "'At?"
"You're going to be a big sister."
Jillie frowned, Bailey thinking even then she looked adorable, "No 'ister."
"Well," Bailey opened the book –it had been one of her favorites as well back when she was a little girl, "Your mama is going to have a baby. When the baby's born, you'll get to be its big sister and play with it."
"Baby?"
"Yep."
Jillie pursed her lips, pointing a tiny finger at herself, "I baby."
"Well, yes, you'll be their baby too but now, they get to have two babies and the best part is you get to have a baby too."
The Fairmont Hotel, The Georgian
Seattle, WA
"We're having a baby."
Julie chuckled at the awed tone in her husband's voice as she ate her amuse-bouche, smiling at the waiter when he quietly placed their salads on the table before departing as silently as he had approached, "You saw the result of the e.p.t. test with me. Granted, we'll have to set an appointment with my OB but yes, more than likely, we're having a baby."
Lian's goofy smile never slipped as he reached across the small round table to cover her hand, "A baby."
Julie laughed, turning her hand to grip his, "Maybe a little boy this time."
Lian slowly shook his head, chocolate brown eyes glassy as he simply smiled at her.
"Now, don't you start crying," Julie warned him, amazed at how differently he was taking the news compared to the last time, "If you start, I'll start and crying ruins my appetite and I really am hungry right now."
He never did cry but he couldn't stop looking at her in that way –as if she hung the moon and made the world go round. Their conversation flowed easily as they spoke of their future plans and the changes necessary now they were expecting a new member to their small family.
"It's a good thing I never did let Natalie nail us down for another tour," Lian took a sip of his wine, enjoying the main entrée he had ordered –seared beef with sea salt and olive oil grilled asparagus while Julie was enjoying grilled tuna with sautéed vegetables, "Besides, two years of not touring will give us plenty of time to work on our next CD."
Julie smiled at him as she sipped at her own wine glass, which was only a quarter full of rich ruby red wine, "You can still do concerts, you know. Maybe fly out for a couple of times each month. Natalie's been more than willing to work with our timetable."
"Well," Lian turned the fork between his fingers, "I just…I'm not sure it would work –financially that is –to fly out twice a month for scheduled concerts what with the band and instruments."
"Rose has a friend who has his own plane," Julie pointed out this information, having met Andy back when he flew Rose and Embry to New York for one of her exhibits, "He might fly you, the band and the instruments back and forth for a set price. Not only that, but with a private plane instead of commercial, you can leave the day before a concert or even the morning of."
"And you two can come with me," Lian added, starting to feel a little excited over this idea, "At least until you can't do air travel. I would love having you there, as well as Jillian. You two are my inspiration, after all."
Julie blushed although she knew that like him, she found inspiration from their love to write her own songs, "Then all we need to do is talk to Natalie once we have confirmation of our pregnancy then ask Rose for Andy's number so we can discuss a working flight plan."
Kissing her knuckles, he lowered the hand he had held throughout dinner back onto the table, rubbing his thumb over the wedding band she wore paired with her unique engagement ring, "Sounds like a plan to me. Let's order dessert then head home."
They took their time, conversation easy as they shared thoughts and ideas, plans for this new baby and how it would affect their little Jillian. They touched on the subjects of touring, recording, then moving on to a possible new house, whether to move from Forks to Seattle or to seek land in La Push, especially being there was more than enough open land to build on, the reservation having been awarded acres and acres of forest land by the Washington government a couple of years back.
The drive back to Forks was comfortable, their hands linked the entire time as they continued sharing with each other, every once in a while silence blanketing them in a comfortable manner as they drifted on their own thoughts before sharing them just the way they shared everything else.
Bailey looked up from the movie she was watching, the volume low to keep from waking Jillie as the headlights swept over the living room bay windows, the sound of a smooth purring car pulling into the driveway letting her know Uncle Lian and Aunt Julie were home.
Shutting the TV off, she stood up just as the front door opened, Uncle Lian preceding Aunt Julie into the small foyer, which was visible from where she currently sat with a view of the softly lit hallway, "How was dinner?"
"It was lovely," Aunt Julie's smile was beautiful as Uncle Lian helped her with her coat, the dark blue dress she wore with a wide red belt around her small waist matching the red high heels making her look like one of Lili's many 'models' –the Barbie dolls she used to put together her designs before attempting to make them in a larger scale –her red-brown curls pulled back from her face to fall down her back to the small of her waist, "I brought you a chocolate soufflé."
"Oh," Bailey took the to-go box offered to her, grinning up at her aunt, "Thank you. I tidied up the kitchen for you –loaded the dishwasher and stuff."
"Oh, honey," Julie brushed a finger across Bailey's bangs in an affectionate gesture, "You didn't have to do that but thank you. Did she behave for you?"
"She was an angel –like always."
"Alright, Bales," Lian finally spoke up, having hung up Julie's pea coat in the hall closet, "Let's get you home."
Bailey nodded, giving her Aunt Julie a hug before taking her jacket, which was draped over the back of one of the plush armchairs since she had arrived, "Dad's not gonna hunt you down if you get me home late, Uncle Lian. He knows I'm safer here than at that stupid dance thing Brad's at with Nika."
Lian laughed as he followed behind his niece, opening the passenger door to his black Lexus for her before moving around to climb in behind the driving wheel, "I agree and I'm sure your dad was grateful you agreed to baby-sit for us instead of going with one of the many boys I'm sure asked you to go."
"Four."
Lian's eyebrows rose as he backed out of the driveway and headed down the road towards the one o one, which would lead him northwest to the reservation, "Four boys, uh? And you said no to all of them?"
"They only asked me out 'cause they think I'm a slut."
Lian looked over at his niece in shock, "Why the hell would they think that?"
The thing about Uncle Lian that made it so easy for Bailey to talk was he never made her feel like she was to blame about whatever troubles assailed her, "One of our flyers –Kaya –went out with Morrison Foster –he's a runner back for the school's football team. Anyway, rumor around school has it, on their third date, Kaya gave it up to him on the football field –right on the fifty yard line!"
Lian couldn't hold back the laughter, shaking his head as he crossed the border line, turning right two streets down to head towards Sam and Emily's sea-side house, "I knew building a football field for the school wouldn't be all good."
Bailey shook her head as she watched the lights outside the homes they passed by, "Well, thanks to her, now everyone at school thinks the rest of the cheerleaders are just as loose."
"Well, hon, all you can do is knee them in the balls when they get handsy and keep your head up when they're nasty."
Bailey giggled, undoing her seatbelt as soon as he pulled up to the front of the little house, "You don't have to walk me to the door, Uncle Lian."
"Alright, then, how much do I owe you?"
"Five hours, ten dollars an hour," Bailey bit her bottom lip as she looked sideways at her uncle, watching him take his wallet out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket, "Uhm, Uncle Lian?"
"What up?"
"Did, uh…did Aunt Julie tell you the news?"
Lian looked up in surprise at his niece, "How did you know? We haven't told anyone."
Bailey smiled sheepishly at him, "Jillie found the pregnancy test in the trash –but don't worry, I made her wash her hands and told her to never, ever take stuff out of the trash."
Lian laughed as he shook his head, counting out a few ten dollar bills, "Well, it's a good thing she's only three and doesn't know what it means."
"Well…"
Lian looked up at her as Bailey bit her bottom lip before hesitantly explaining, "I may have told her she was going to be a big sister…she seemed alright with it when I explained she was still your baby but she was going to get to have a baby of her own too."
Lian let out a sigh as he handed her the money, "I'm sure we'll have to explain everything again once Julie starts showing so don't sweat it. Here's your pay."
Bailey counted out seven bills, "But I only baby-sat for five hours –you gave me seventy dollars."
"Ten dollars for tidying up the kitchen even though we didn't ask you, the other ten is a tip."
"A ten dollar tip," Bailey's voice rose slightly at the end, "But you usually give me a five dollar tip."
"You put her to sleep, Bales. Believe me, it's not an easy thing to do."
"Well, I just read to her and then played Rock Me Baby a couple of times on the music player so really, it was like you put her to sleep."
"Well, then," Lian gave her a one-sided smile as he held out his hand, "I'd like that tip back."
Bailey laughed as she opened the door, stepping out before leaning down to look at him, "Sorry, this service doesn't offer refunds or returns."
His plan had been to keep an eye on Vivi, taking Melanie simply because it would be obvious what he was doing had he not taken a date with him to the Valentine's dinner and dance at the center. He and Melanie had gone out twice so far, which was enough for Marc to know he didn't really like her to continue dating her but when he called up his best friend, Betty, to see if she wanted to come, he was a bit surprised to find out she already had Valentine plans with Carter, one of his teammates.
He recalled the day Carter had approached him to ask if he and Betty had anything going on, Marc letting him know they were just friends. As if knowing Carter, who was a complete ass, was interested in Betty wasn't bothersome enough, the stupid jerk then proceeded to ask Marc if he could put in a good word for him with his best friend.
Being Marc was no one's messenger, and for sure no one's fucking matchmaker, he told Carter to do it himself and if he couldn't, he might as well forget even asking her out. Apparently, Carter had found his balls because Betty was going out with him tonight, of all nights.
So here he was, on the dance floor with Melanie wrapped around him, wondering if it was possible to suffocate on floral perfume. The girl wore about as much of it as she wore make-up, Marc wishing her wardrobe had the same issue but now, when it came to clothes, Melanie seemed to think less was more.
He let out a quiet sigh of relief as the song changed from slow to fast, putting a bit of space between them with a smile, "You having fun?"
"Yeah," Melanie nodded enthusiastically, her hands linked behind his neck, long fingernails dragging along his hairline in a way that made him decidedly uncomfortable, "I like your sister and cousins –they're nice."
Marc nodded as he lightly pushed her around the outside of the dance floor, covertly seeking the dancing couples for his sister and Gabriel, "Yeah, they have their moments. What time do I need to get you home?"
Melanie's dark blond hair fell over her shoulder as she tossed her head with a flirting smile, "I don't have a curfew so there's no rush. I was thinking, maybe after this thing's done, we can go for a drive."
Internally, Marc cringed at the idea of being alone with her in his car but outwardly, his face showed mild interest, "Maybe…I do have to get home before eleven."
"If we leave now, we would have more than enough time."
Marc lowered an eyebrow at her in a bit of confusion, "Enough time for what?"
Melanie's dark blue eyes sparkled as she gave him a smile he instinctively understood for what it was –an invitation for more, "To drive around, of course."
Swallowing hard, his smile was a combination of embarrassment and sheepishness, "Of course."
As soon as the song was over, she took his hand and led him to the table where they had sat with his cousins, sister and Nika, along with another couple which was awkward because the guy, a Davy something or other, spent most of dinner alternating between glaring at Brad or staring longingly at Nika, all the while ignoring his date –a shy girl by the name of Kia.
"Are you leaving," Vivi asked as soon as they arrived at the table, her and Gabe sitting next to each other sharing a piece of chocolate cake.
"Yeah," Marc pulled his jacket from the back of his chair, draping it over his arm before taking Melanie's and holding it out while she slipped her arms in place, "You want a ride home?"
Vivi shook her head, her shoulder practically wedged under Gabe's arm, his hand on her opposite shoulder –they were sitting that close, which didn't bode well for Marc, "That's alright. Uncle Seth's chaperoning, against his wishes mind you, and he told me to wait on him so he can get me home."
"Alright then," Marc smiled at his sister as Melanie slipped her hand into his, her long nails practically digging into his knuckles –oh, how he wished he had never said yes when she asked him to the movies, "I'll see you when I get home, then. Be good."
"Aren't I always?"
They both laughed, Gabe rolling his eyes while Melanie giggled, which annoyed Marc because he knew she was simply doing it for his benefit. Giving his sister a kiss on the cheek, he tossed a warning glare at Gabe, one which was visibly understood and ignored. Heading out of the large conference room turned ballroom, he ran into Seth just as they were coming out into the hallway, "Marc! Where are you going?"
Marc shrugged as he made sure not to look at Melanie when he answered, "We're gonna drive around then I'll drop Melanie off at home."
Uncle Seth's dark eyebrow rose in that way he knew it was going to –it annoyed Marc how Seth seemed to think all the sixteen year old had in his brain was sex…mostly because he was right ninety percent of the time, "Your aunt wants you home by eleven."
"Yeah, she told me," he nodded, almost choking on the cloying smell of flowers when he took a deep breath –great, she was attached to his arm now, "I'll be home by then. See you later."
"Okay, then. Be safe."
The look Uncle Seth gave him made Marc glad the conference room was dimmed, his face feeling hot so he knew he was probably blushing, something easily detected despite his tanned skin –he wasn't as dark as his Quileute cousins but neither was he pale like his sister, "Yes, Uncle Seth –I'll be fine."
He drove out of La Push towards Forks, the radio playing quietly while Melanie yapped about something or other –Marc wasn't really paying any attention.
What he was doing was wondering what Betty was doing with Carter –had they gone to a movie? Maybe dinner at one of those artsy restaurants in Port Angeles Betty had mentioned to him before. Was he holding her hand –would she let him kiss her?
It shouldn't matter to him –after all, Betty was just his friend and he didn't think of her that way…not often, anyway. Maybe it was why he was fighting with intense jealousy –no, he admonished himself, not jealousy just concern. Nothing but concern for a friend.
"Hey, why don't we go to the Look Out?"
Marc looked over at Melanie, "The Look Out?"
"Yeah," Melanie pointed at a road sign up ahead, "Just turn right on this coming street. It takes you up around the side of the mountain. There's a picnic area where we can park –the view is amazing."
"Uhm," he wasn't sure if the view was what she was thinking of, having heard from some of the guys at school the Look Out was good for getting lucky without getting caught, "You go there often?"
Melanie shrugged as he slowed down, headlights sweeping over a couple of parked cars with fogged up windows alongside the road, "A couple of times –it's a great place to hang out."
"Hang out…right…"
"Have you not been here before?"
Marc looked sideways at her as he found a spot on the shoulder of the road to pull over onto, "Obviously not. Want to walk and take in the view?"
"It's kind of cold to be outside," Melanie undid her seatbelt and removed her jacket, tossing it into the backseat as she turned sideways to face him, "Let's just sit here, listen to the radio and talk."
"Oh…okay," Marc worked hard at keeping his eyes forward but it wasn't easy –she had tucked one leg under her bottom, which had her short skirt ride higher up and in all honesty, Melanie had amazing legs, "Uh…what do you want to talk about?"
She pushed her long blond hair behind her shoulder, causing the off-the-shoulder cropped top to rise a bit higher, which meant he got a good view of her flat stomach out of the corner of his eye, "You and Betty are just friends, right?"
Marc wasn't sure why she was asking. After all, she and Betty were both in the swim team which meant she had to have heard about the date with Carter, "Yeah –we've known each other since the second grade."
"But she's from Florida."
He moved his hand –which had been resting on the leather gearshift between the seats –to get away from Melanie's stroking fingers but apparently, she thought he wanted to hold her hand because she slipped it into his and laced her fingers with his, "She moved there at the end of second grade. She came back with her mom freshman year."
"Oh," Melanie shifted in the black leather seat, somehow closing the space between them a bit more, "Okay."
Marc nodded, tracing patterns onto the dark denim of his jeans with his free hand, the song they were listening to ending and another one beginning, the silence growing awkward as it lengthened.
"What are you thinking?"
He hated it when girls asked that question –if he wanted to share his thoughts, he would without prompting. Looking over at her, he immediately wished he hadn't. Yeah, she wore too much perfume and his car had less paint than her face but he was still a teenage boy with active hormones. It was for that reason he was reacting to the shiny wet look of her full red lips; the reason why his eyes kept straying to the mile long expanse of her legs; the reason why his fingers itched with the desire to discover if her skin was as soft and smooth as it looked.
If he wasn't careful, she was going to get more out of him than any of the other girls he dated ever had.
"Uh…just worrying about my sister."
Melanie's shaped eyebrows, perfectly arched and a shade darker than her blond hair, rose up in surprise and a bit of offense, "Your sister?"
Marc nodded, reaching up with his free hand to tug at the collar of the white t-shirt he wore under his black button down shirt, "Yeah…I don't like leaving her alone with Gabe."
"She's not alone –your cousins are there and so is your uncle."
He lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug, feeling hotter with every move she made to get closer, "I just don't like her being around him."
"He seems nice…and she really likes him."
"I don't care," Marc turned his head to look into her green eyes, "He's not good for her."
The intensity in his dark eyes confused her but Melanie had something else in mind so instead of asking why, she changed the subject to something more along the lines of what she was currently interested in, "I can help you out, you know."
Dark eyebrows lowered as he wondered what she was talking about, "Help me out with what?"
She pushed herself up on her knees, sliding her free hand across his chest then up his shoulder to curl her fingers around the back of his neck as she moved into his space, her warm breath brushing across his hot face, "With worrying. I can get your mind off your sister and her boyfriend."
He wanted to inform her, in no uncertain terms, Gabe was not Vivi's boyfriend but his mind was currently out of service, only able to generate enough power to ask one very important question, "How?"
Giving him that smile –the one that made his mouth go dry and his hands shake –she leaned in until her lips touched his, the sweet cherry taste of her mouth exploding in his when she slipped her tongue past his teeth.
She slipped both hands into his hair so he now had free hands which he didn't know where exactly to place as she moved over the console until she was straddling him. In all honesty, despite having dated more than a few girls –fine, he's dated a total of six since the fiasco with Robyn back in eighth grade –this wasn't an everyday occurrence for him.
Finally deciding her waist was probably the safest territory for his hands, he pulled back to take a breath which she just proceeded to suck right out of him again when she ground her bottom against his crotch, the tight fit between him and the steering wheel not leaving much space between them, "Melanie…"
"Mhm," she slid her hands down his chest, the dragging sensation of her nails causing a shiver to run down his back as his body tightened to painful proportions, "You can touch me, you know."
His voice –which had deepened about a year ago, thankfully skipping the whole voice cracking phase –came out in a bit of a high squeak as she moved again, "I can?"
She nodded, her elbow length hair sliding over bare shoulders, his hands having moved along with her and were now positioned somewhere above the curve of her bottom, "If you want to."
"I…" he wasn't sure what to say, his eyes practically rolling into the back of his head when she did that again –god almighty, the girl was killing him. On the one hand, it felt so good to have her on him and the soft warm feeling of her lower back against his fingertips was like touching a bit of heaven yet at the same time, he was having a hard time breathing because of the cloying sweetness of her perfume and at this close proximity, he was almost suffocating in it, "We need to stop."
She moved her mouth down his neck, her hands down to the waistband of his jeans, "Why?"
He swallowed hard, the burning sensation in the back of his throat scaring him enough to reach up and grab her shoulders, his breathing heavy as he pushed her back, "We shouldn't be doing this."
Melanie's green eyes widened, Marc almost folding at the vulnerable look he caught in them when she softly whispered, "Don't you want me?"
"It's not that," Marc worked on taking shallow breaths, the combination of smells permeating the limited air in his enclosed Camaro making his head swim, "It's just…this is our third date and…and I don't have anything with me."
Melanie just stared at him, her hands still against his stomach but the full weight of her on him wasn't making it easy for him as he explained further, glad it was so dark she wasn't able to see the way his face was flushing in embarrassment, "I mean…protection wise…and this isn't really the best place to do something like this."
Biting her bottom lip, she dropped her head, blond hair drawing a curtain around her face as she gave a small nod, a sniff causing a knot to form in his stomach. When she looked up at him, green eyes bright and a single tear sitting on the corner of one, he realized something that wasn't entirely too pleasant –he didn't like seeing girls cry, "Melanie, I'm sorry, it's just…it's not you, I just…I want to do this right. You know?"
Melanie reached up to wipe away at the tear before it escaped, giving him a trembling smile as she nodded, "Okay…you've never done this before, have you?"
He shouldn't be embarrassed about admitting the truth but in this time and age, a sixteen year old boy with his virginity intact was something to ridicule, not celebrate, "No…not really. I just…I think the first time should be…something special."
Melanie couldn't help the giggle that escaped her, nodding as she slowly moved off him and back into her seat, his hand stroking over her smooth leg before he snatched it away, "I get it…its sweet, really…but it's really no big deal."
Marc gave her hand a squeeze before reaching for the key in the ignition, the sports car purring to life with a twist of his wrist, "It should be."
Keeping his eyes on the road, he missed the look she gave him –one of confusion and awe with a bit of adoration thrown in, something which would have made him very nervous had he seen it, "I need to get you home…it's almost eleven."
She nodded, pulling the seatbelt across her as she quietly said, "My parents are out for the night next Friday…maybe you can come over and we can watch a movie or something."
Marc felt his hands get clammy as he swallowed past the burning sensation in his throat, pushing the button to open the driver's side window halfway so he could breath in fresh air –under the cloying floral smell of her perfume was the faint scent of her blood…it made him think of lush roses and ripe strawberries. It was what had him needing to get rid of her because although he didn't like her as a person, there was a part of him that would very much enjoy her as a meal…in more ways than one, "Maybe."
The rest of the ride into Fork and to her house was quiet, the low playing radio keeping it from getting painfully awkward. He gave her a chaste kiss outside her front door, telling her he'd see her at school before heading down the walkway to his car, his lungs expanding with each deep breath he took to clear his mind of its dark thoughts.
Arriving home a couple of minutes before his curfew, he rolled his eyes as soon as he walked into his living room where he found his aunt and uncle on the couch watching a movie…well, they were making out while the movie was playing, "Really guys? After all these years, I would think you'd figure I'm not much of a fan of this whole P.D.A. stuff."
"Just killing time waiting for you to get home," Uncle Seth kept his aunt tucked into his side, the profile of her red face visible despite her burying it into his broad chest.
"That's just…that's not…" Marc shook his head, heading up the stairs without so much as a glance at his grinning uncle, "Please wait until my door's closed."
Seth's chuckle harmonized with Rose's giggle, hazel eyes dancing when he tucked his finger under her chin to get her face out of hiding. Giving her a teasing smile, he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, "Wanna keep making out?"
"Door's still open!"
1st Week of April
"We need your help."
Looking up from her microscope –a Christmas gift from Embry –Emmie pushed her blue rimmed glasses up her nose, blue eyes blinking as she shifted her focus from the slide of a cross-sectioned rose petal to the twins standing beside her table, "You need help with what?"
Turning their attention from visually exploring the contents of her room –both boys loved coming into the girls' room because there was always a new bug in a jar or some gross experiment on one of the dozens of shelves installed on the walls. Unknown to either girl, Alyx and Andrey occasionally explored their room, even though they weren't 'allowed' in there without permission.
It was how they knew Emmie kept a personal journal hidden under her pillow instead of keeping it with her science journals where she documented all her experiments –all those were on one of the bookcase shelves she shared with Tyra. They also knew Tyra hid her teddy bear Gruff in the back corner of the closet to keep him away from them being they liked getting a rise out of her by threatening the dark brown stuffed animal with dismemberment or toilet dunking.
"We need help with our science experiment," Andrey piped up, his eyes landing on a jar with what looked like the biggest spider he'd ever seen, "What is that?"
Emmie glanced at the glass jar, looking over at her brothers as they moved closer to the table, "Tegenaria gigantea."
Alyx and Andrey gave her identical looks of 'what the hell is that', neither saying anything until she let out a sigh along with an eye roll, "Giant house spider."
"Cool," Alyx tapped the side of the large jar, watching in awe as the spider scurried to the other side, "Is it poisonous?"
"Don't do that," Emmie pushed Alyx's hand away, moving the jar further from the edge of the table, "Their bite is not threatening to humans or pets."
Alyx and Andrey looked at each other, their smiles slowly spreading into devious grins which Emmie quickly nipped in the bud, "They do, however, bite and it hurts so leave Tiny alone."
Andrey let out a shout of laughter, Alyx giving his sister a look of incredulity, "You named it Tiny?"
"It's an oxymoron, I know, that's why I chose it. Now what about your science project do you need help with? I'm kind of working on something right now."
"Well, the science fair is at the end of the month –"
Emmie's eyebrows rose up high enough to disappear under her bangs, "And you're just starting now?"
"Oh, get off it," Alyx scoffed as he leaned against the opened door, crossing his arms as he studied the ant farm Emmie had put together for a project some years back, "Not everyone's as excited about science crap as you."
"Anyway," Andrey elbowed his twin on the side, giving him a look he understood to mean 'chill out', "Mr. Benson nixed our project idea and said we had to come up with something else."
Emmie studied her younger brothers, somehow wondering if Mr. Benson had lost his mind at not giving them a specific topic instead of letting them pick, "What was your project idea?"
"Explosives using common household items," Alyx lifted his shoulders in a shrug, the look on his face sincere confusion, "I don't know why he nixed it –sounds pretty cool to me."
"Self-preservation, that's why," Emmie muttered under her breath, reaching up to tuck a long strand of hair behind her ear, her long dark hair tied at the base of her neck by a ribbon which was why some of it was starting to slip loose, "You have anything specific in mind?"
"Something awesome," Alyx straightened, giving his sister a big grin as he used his hands to expound their requirements, "Something loud or big or smelly –none of that sucking an egg through a neck bottle crap."
Emmie laughed as she looked down at the few slides she had prepped –she herself was working on a botany project to fulfill the environmental proficiency of her natural science curriculum –tapping a finger on the wooden surface of the large table, the multiple drawers and cubbies under it giving her much needed storage space, "I suppose you find out how much baking soda and vinegar is needed to propel a rocket."
The very word rocket had two pair of identical blue eyes widen before they looked at each other with big grins, "Totally awesome! Thanks Em!"
"Sure," she watched them scurry out of her room, rolling her eyes before returning her attention back to her own work.
"We should take it a step further," Alyx told his brother as they moved into the living room, the sound of a movie playing a reminder Gabe had Vivi over, "Make it super awesome, like, maybe putting it on a timer or something."
Andrey nodded his head as he thought it through, liking the idea even more, "Brad can help out with that."
They both grinned at each other, equal thoughts of winning first place having them excited over a science project for the first time ever.
As they started to move towards the front door, Andrey caught movement out of the corner of his eye, smirking at the sight of his older brother putting his arm around his girlfriend. Nudging Alyx's shoulder, he nodded towards the couch, both eight year olds biting back snickers as they sneaked up behind the couch, which was easy because their entire living room furniture had been flipped around two weeks ago, with the TV on the opposite wall facing the hallway and the couch turned to face the TV.
They crouched behind the couch, keeping an eye on the back of their heads. As soon as they saw Gabe moving his head closer to Vivi's, they popped over the back on either side of them, "Are you two kissing?"
Vivi jumped, her face flushing as Gabe turned to glare at his younger brothers, both of them giving him unrepentant grins, "Get lost, you twerps!"
They moved towards the front door to head to Uncle Sam's in search of Brad, both of them singing at the top of their lungs, "Gabriel and Vivi! Sitting on a tree!"
A couch pillow flew their way, Alyx dodging it, Andrey laughing as he caught it in mid-air and swung it back at his brother, neither one stopping in their teasing, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love then comes marriage –"
"I'm gonna kill you both!"
Alyx scoffed as they stepped out of the house, Andrey closing the door just as Gabe threw another pillow their way, opening it again to pop his head in, "Then comes the baby in the baby carriage!"
Vivi couldn't hold her giggles as Gabe jumped off the couch and ran after them, the front door slamming shut behind him, shouts as he chased them down the street inaudible.
"What is all the noise," Emmie came into the living room, frustration written all over her face.
Vivi looked over the couch at her cousin, giving her a smile as she lifted a shoulder, "The twins."
"Ugh," Emmie let out a sigh as she shook her head, "Are they antagonizing Gabe again?"
Vivi giggled, always finding it amusing when ten year old Emmie used such big words, "Yes, they are. Although he should be used to it by now, don't you think?"
"Normally, they can't get a rise out of him," Emmie went into the kitchen, returning to the living room with a glass of lemonade, "He's just very touchy when it concerns a certain topic."
Tilting her head to the side as she moved to sit sideways, her arm hooked over the back of the couch, she gave Emmie a look of curiosity, "What topic?"
Emmie gave her a teasing grin before returning to her room, "You."
