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: Sorry this took so long -my brother's in town and I'm trying to spend as much of my free days with him since he's heading off to Korea for a year. Anyway, enjoy the chapter but be warned -the last part of the chapter turned a corner I did not expect but as a writer, I have to choice but to go where the characters lead me but do not despair...there will be light at the end of the tunnel...I just don't know how the long tunnel is going to be.

Ages of kids in chapter -I updated the Family Tree chapter (Ch 4) so please check it out because there's a lot of kids appearing in this chapter -for sure, Harry Deaghlan is now two years old!

Chapter Sixty-Four (15yrs)

October 25
Saturday

Dinner time was still a few hours away, so they were all spread about the house, doing their own thing or with one of their other siblings. As for Gabriel, he was in the living room, watching a movie along with Zak and Avy. They were the best to watch movies with because neither talked while it played, unlike Emmie who had the habit of pointing out inconsistencies, impossibilities and a whole lot of other shit wrong with it.

Alyx and Andrey liked to try out any cool stunts shown and because Gabe preferred action movies, that meant someone was definitely gonna end up getting hurt –either that or something was gonna get broken.

As for Tyra, she wasn't much of a movie person. Put on a hockey game or a baseball game and she was all for it, but movies –not her thing. As for Erick –his attention span was just as limited as the twins', although it was expected of a two year old.

Pressing pause on the movie at the sound of the ringing phone, he placed the remote on the side table before getting up to go to the kitchen where the phone was, "Hello?"

"Hey Gabriel."

"Vivi, hi," he couldn't hold back his smile, always liking it when she was the one calling him, "How's it going?"

"It's going alright," she paused for a couple of seconds, "I called because I won't be able to go out for hot chocolate after dinner. I'm stuck baby-sitting."

"How'd that happen," Gabe leaned against the wall, staying in the kitchen even though it was a cordless phone.

"Well, Tio Seth decided at the last minute he wanted to take Tia Rosa out after dinner to celebrate his birthday, so Marc and I had to duke it out to see who got to baby-sit and, well…I lost."

Gabe laughed at the guilty sound to her voice, "Ah, okay –how'd you lose?"

"Rock, paper, scissors –two out of three."

Laughing again, he looked over his shoulder when Zak called out his name, nodding at his silent motion towards the television before starting the movie, "I've told you before, Marc has a pattern. He always does rock first, followed by scissors then paper. Next time, do paper, rock, scissors and you'll win."

"I'll try to remember that," Vivi's voice had a hint of dry amusement before she shyly continued, "I did ask Tio Seth if you could come over after dinner –he said, as long as you keep one foot on the floor, there's no problem. I'm not sure what he means by that, though."

Gabe laughed, shaking his head as he reached up to run his fingers through his hair, a smile on his face as he teased her, "I can get into a whole lot of trouble with one foot on the floor."

Vivi's confusion over what he'd said was evident in her voice when she asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means –never mind," Gabe crossed his ankles as he looked over his shoulder into the living room before saying in a low voice, "I'll just show you tonight."

"Oh. Okay."

He bit back the laugh making its way up, always finding it amusing over how naïve and innocent she could be at times –considering she took sex ed class along with him back in ninth grade, it was really surprising as well as amusing, "So how much are you getting paid?"

"I don't get paid for baby-sitting my cousins. Do your parents pay you for watching your siblings?"

"Well, yeah," Gabe shrugged even though she couldn't see him, "I mean, if there were only two, then I wouldn't expect to get paid but there's seven of them –it would be considered slave labor if there was no recompense."

She laughed, something she did often whenever they spoke over the phone or spend time together without other people around,"That's true –surviving seven against one should definitely be rewarded. So will you be able to come?"

"Consider me there," Gabe looked into the living room, seeing the movie was more than halfway through, "Need me to bring anything? A movie or popcorn or something?"

"Well, Harry and Carlos want to play Twister –"

"Twister?"

He could hear brushing sounds coming through the line and knew she was nodding, "Yeah, Twister. We had game night last night and Tio Seth introduced them to the game –they love it, especially when we get all tangled up and end in a pile."

"I can see why they think it's funny. Okay, then, Twister it is. See you like, an hour after dinner?"

"Okay. They're gonna be leaving right after dinner. Marc's gonna do the clean up since I'm baby-sitting."

"Oh," Gabe frowned as he realized he may not be getting to spend alone quality time with his girl, "Is Marc gonna be there?"

"Oh, no," he could actually hear her shaking her head, "He's got a date with Betty so he'll be leaving once he's done with the kitchen."

"Cool," Gabe's grin grew as the back door into the kitchen opened, Alyx and Andrey traipsing in, laughing and talking in that gibberish only they understood –they said it was twin language, whatever the hell that was, "Hey, the terrors just got here so I need to get off the phone before they yell out something embarrassing."

Andrey grinned over at Gabe as Alyx opened the fridge, "Is that your girlfriend?"

"What you two doing?" Alyx handed a bottle of apple juice to his brother, closing the door with his foot as he opened his own bottle, "Having phone sex?"

"Oh god," Gabe groaned, glaring at his laughing brothers as Vivi snickered at the other end of the line, "What is the matter with you two? It's like you have no fucking filter!"

"Brain to mouth disease is what mama calls it," Andrey supplied as he tipped back his bottle, chugging about half of it before taking a breath, which was good because Gabe retorted back with an even better one, "It's more like ass to mouth, if you ask me."

Alyx wasn't so lucky, spitting out his mouthful of juice as Andrey laughed –unfortunately for Tyra, who had skipped into the kitchen just at the wrong moment. The little seven year old blond yelled out in disgust at the face full of juice and spit she walked into, "Alyx! That's gross!"

"Okay, Vivi, all hell's breaking loose so I gotta go," Gabe opened one of the drawers where his mama kept the kitchen towels, handing it to Tyra before pointing at Alyx and then the utility room, "I'll see you at eight. You –wipe this up."

"Yeah, yeah," Alyx grumbled, Andrey bend over double laughing as Tyra wiped her face, the entire time muttering about how disgusting boys were, "Being older with a girlfriend does not give you the right to boss me around."

He pulled the phone away from his ear to point it at his little brother, able to hear Vivi laughing –she always enjoyed the twins even when they were being annoying and embarrassingly stupid, "Having a girlfriend doesn't, but being your older brother does."

"Whatever," Alyx stuck his tongue out at him, moving past Gabe but before the older boy could guess what he was about to do, he grabbed the phone from his hand and ran off, all the while speaking into it, "Hey Vivi, do you and Gabriel make out?"

"What?"

"Give me that," Gabe chased his brother out the kitchen and down the hallway, Andrey right behind them, easily catching the phone when Alyx tossed it underhand to him –being Gabe played football, he'd been expecting an overhand throw, something the twins knew to circumvent…they were, after all, pros at keep away, "I swear to Zeus, I'm gonna kill you two!"

Andrey ran back into the living room and around the couch, all the while making kissing noises into the phone, Vivi's laughter getting loud enough for Zak to hear, which had him chuckling in amusement. He, too, found the twins to be amusing –out of all of them, Zak was the one to have the most patience with the two terrors, as referred to by everyone who knew them long enough to really know them, Gabriel coming a close second except when it concerned Vivi.

Gabe jumped over the couch, but Andrey tossed the phone back to Alyx, who had moved to his twin's right side to easily catch the side throw, "Hey, Vivi, what kind of underwear do you wear?"

"What!"

"You perverted little shit," Gabe finally managed to grab the phone from him but only because he was laughing too hard to continue playing keep away, "You ever talk about my girlfriend's underwear, I'm gonna push you down the stairs!"

Alyx laughed as Andrey distracted their older brother long enough for them to make an escape towards the hall and up the stairs to their shared bedroom, "Do you talk about your girlfriend's underwear?"

Gabe almost screamed in frustration, in the process of calling them several colorful names when mama came in the front door, a bag of groceries in one arm, Erick perched on her other hip, the one year old babbling happily as he played with mama's hair, his cheeks and nose a bright red from the cold air outside.

"Gabriel," Leah moved across the living room, knowing something was up due to the looks of glee on Alyx and Andrey's faces, which meant they were probably somehow responsible for the murderous look on her first born's face, "Please put the phone back if you're not using it. You two need to go wash up, it's your turn to help me with dinner."

They grinned up at her, identical dimples flashing on their right cheeks as Andrey took the bag of groceries from her, "Yes mama."

Gabe lifted the phone back up to his ear, "Vivi?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll see you later. Bye."

"Okay. Bye."

Placing the phone back on the base in the kitchen, he grimaced when his mother stepped on the puddle of juice in her socked feet, having pulled off her winter boots outside the house before coming in.

Leah lifted a foot up off the floor, staring at the wet sock for a full minute before yelling out, "Okay, who the hell peed on the kitchen floor?"

This, of course, had everyone within hearing distance laughing, Alyx moving around the kitchen to look up at her with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "Sorry, mama –I couldn't hold it in!"

Erick laughed at the look of disgust on his mama's face, patting his little hands against her cheeks as she muttered under her breath, "Gross, gross, gross."

Tyra finally took pity on their mama, telling her how Alyx spat apple juice all over her face because Gabe made him laugh.

So, really, it was both their fault, right?

And just like that, another weekend in the Laskaris household commenced.


"What the hell did you give them to drink," Gabe collapsed onto the couch, pinching the wet cotton of his t-shirt away from his chest, "Five shots of espresso each?"

Vivi laughed as she leaned against the back of the couch, "They get lively during bath time. Would you like one of Marc's shirts?"

Gabe reached behind his head to pull his shirt off, "No offense to your brother, but I don't think it'll fit. One of Uncle Seth's shirts would work, though."

Vivi stayed where she was, staring at him in slightly open mouthed shock, gold-brown eyes wide as she took in the way his copper hued skin stretched over muscles she didn't remember him having.

Looking at her, he arched a dark eyebrow, trying not to smirk at the way she was staring at him, "Something wrong?"

"No-noth –when did you," she gestured at him with her hand, still not able to look away from his broad chest, wide shoulders and oh dear…so that was what a six pack looked like, "When did you…get like that?"

Gabe looked down at himself before giving her a one sided smile, "I play football, Viv. Part of my workout requirement is weight lifting –I can bench press a hundred and fifty pounds now."

"Oh," Vivi nodded, biting her bottom lip as she looked up into his blue eyes, blushing at the teasing gleam in his eyes, "Okay, uhm…I'm gonna go get you that shirt."

Thank you, Carlos and Harry, he thought to himself as he headed to the laundry room off the kitchen, unable to keep the smirk off his face. Removing the towels from the washer, which Vivi had thrown in after bath time, and before the telling of bedtime stories, he tossed them into the dryer along with his t-shirt, starting the cycle before returning to the living room.

It hadn't been in his plans to remove his shirt but thanks to his cousins' over-enthusiastic play during bath time, he'd had too, which kind of helped answer something he'd been pondering for the past several weeks concerning girls and physical attraction. The last time Vivi had seen him without a shirt had been at the end of the summer beach party, but she hadn't stared at him the way she just had.

Granted, he'd gotten bigger in the last few months, so much so, he'd heard his mama and Dad talking over the possibility of him phasing the same way his mama did. It was probably the reason why his mama had gotten into the habit of checking his temperature by touching his face every morning when he kissed her good-bye before heading off to school.

"Here you go," Vivi handed him a white shirt before she sat down, a leg tucked under, causing the gray cotton dance shorts she wore to ride up a bit, which was just fine with Gabe, being he was a big fan of her long…long legs, "So what movie should we watch?"

"Whatever you want," Gabe pulled on the t-shirt, looking down at himself before letting out a somewhat embarrassed laugh, "Man, I look as puny as Marc in Uncle Seth's t-shirt."

Vivi bit back a giggle at the way the shirt hung off of Gabe's shoulders, "Marc's not puny."

"Well," Gabe looked sideways at her, his smile turning into a smirk that made Vivi want to laugh, "Compared to me, he is."

"He's not wide like you but he's got muscle," she defended her brother, taking the remote control from the side table to press play for one of the movies she had popped into the multi-DVD player before taking Carlos and Harry in for their bath, "He just carries it differently –like your dad. You don't think of your dad as puny, right?"

Gabe shook his head, deciding it would be good to just drop the conversation, turning to look at the television screen, "What are we watching?"

"Dirty Dancing."

"Are you serious?"

Vivi lifted a shoulder, giving him a somewhat coquettish smile without realizing it, "It's what happens when you let me choose the movie."

"I was being nice," Gabe stretched his arms over the back of the couch, sliding his fingers into her hair to stroke the back of her neck, "You know, in hopes you would be nice in return and pick something like…I don't know –Man of Steel."

"Superman," Vivi gave him a slightly exasperated look, "Are you serious?"

"He's like the coolest superhero ever."

Vivi laughed as she shifted in her seat, which just moved her closer to Gabe, "He wears his underwear over his pants...which, really, aren't pants at all but tights, making it even more disturbingly wrong."

"That can be completely overlooked by his ability to fly," Gabe moved his hand down her shoulder to the curve of her waist, pulling her in a little closer into his side as she gave him a narrow eyed look, "Would you wear your underwear outside your pants?"

Giving her a rather roguish smile, he leaned in close enough for the tips of their noses to brush, "If it would help me fly –hell yeah."

Vivi laughed, dropping her head to his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her legs, effectively tucking herself into his side, "Now, shush. The movie's starting."

Rolling his eyes, he leaned his head against hers, not really paying attention to what was going on with the movie, too busy breathing in the soft scent of her hair, trying to figure out what it was.

He knew she liked using strawberry flavored lip gloss and her shampoo had always made him think of green apples. He also knew she didn't wear perfume or body spray like some of the other girls at school –some of them wore too much of it, in his opinion –so what he was smelling underneath the apples and strawberries was something else…something uniquely her.

And he really liked it.

The movie about a fourth of the way in –right on the scene with the guy and the two watermelons –when Gabe's attention was snagged by a thought, his hand slipping down between the couch and Vivi's back, fingers unintentionally tickling her side.

"What are you doing," Vivi looked at him as she tried to move away without success.

"Trying to find the end of your braid."

Vivi giggled as she crunched up her side to get away from his seeking fingers, "Gabriel, I'm trying to watch the movie."

"And I'm trying to find the end of your braid," his fingers stroked over the soft patch of skin between the hem of her top and the waistband of her shorts, "Where the hell is it?"

She laughed, flinching slightly when his thumb got caught on the strap of her bra, inadvertently snapping it, "Ouch! Gabe, you're not going to find it because I tucked it under."

"Tucked it under what," Gabe gave her a look of incredulity, watching with interest when she reached up with both hands, fingers disappearing into her hair for a few seconds before she pulled out two large bobby pins, the waist length braid falling down her back, "Why would you do that?"

"Harry likes pulling on it," Vivi leaned forward to place the pins on the coffee table, her head pulling back slightly as Gabe took a hold of her braid, "For some strange reason, it makes him laugh, especially when he pulls it hard enough to get a reaction out of me."

Gabe laughed, his fingers working on undoing the braid, "I saw him do that to Aunt Rose once –he was laughing so hard, he turned red."

"Mhm," Vivi nodded, looking over her shoulder at him, "Why are you undoing my braid?"

Gabe shrugged, combing his fingers through her hair, the braid more than halfway done, "Just because."

"That's not an answer."

Gabe dug his fingers through the thick silk of her hair, his fingers gripping the back of her neck and giving it a gently squeeze, "Well, then –I like your hair loose. It's a pretty color and smells like green apples…not to mention, it's very long."

Vivi's face flushed, the nearly invisible freckles dusting the bridge of her nose standing out against the rosy blush, "I've been thinking of cutting it."

The look of shock he gave her would have been funny were it not followed by the words coming out of his mouth, "Don't you dare!"

Arched eyebrows a shade darker than her red-gold hair dipped down, a small furrow forming between them as she reminded him of one very important thing, "It's my hair –I can do whatever I want with it."

Gabe's lips flattened into a line of displeasure, ice blue eyes studying her face before he tried a different approach, "I like it long."

Giving him a shoulder shrug, she let her knees fall to the side, her legs resting against his as she moved sideways to face him comfortably, "I do too. I just thought it would be a nice change."

"There's no need to change anything, Viv," he reached up to touch a finger to her cheek, lightly dragging it down her petal soft skin to rest on the corner of her wet looking mouth, "It's one of your best features."

"Really," she tilted her head to the side, red-gold waves spilling over his arm with the motion, "What other best features do I have? I mean, other than my hair."

Gabe's eyes moved over each facet of her face, his finger slowly tracing the outline of her bottom lip, "Your eyes –they make me think of spring…when the earth comes alive under the sun's rays."

The corner of her mouth tilted up slightly as she moved close enough for them to breathe each other's air, her head resting lightly on his shoulder, "What else?"

Moving his finger from the opposite corner of where he started, he traced the shapely outline of her top lip, "Your mouth –it's beautiful, especially when you smile. It's like getting sucker punched in the gut when you smile at me…and I like the way it tastes like strawberries."

Her blush was deep enough for her to feel the uncomfortable heat, the air in her lungs somehow staying where it was when he touched his lips to hers, the kiss soft and undemanding, lips simply resting against each other as seconds passed before he spoke again, "But I especially like your hair because it reminds me of a dream I had back when I was a kid…back before the first time I saw you."

The burning pain in her lungs served as a reminder to let out the breath she had been holding, the shallow breaths that followed moist against his face as she placed a hand on his chest, her nose brushing against his as she stared into his warm blue eyes, "What was the dream about?"

"Colors," Gabe kissed her bottom lip, his arm wrapping around her shoulders to pull her in closer, his other hand still exploring the outline of her face and the softness of her skin as he whispered, "Red and gold, with swirls of pink and brown…warm colors, like the sun on my face in the early mornings…and then, there was the smile."

She took a stuttering breath as he lightly sucked her bottom lip between his, the feel of his tongue swiping over it making her feel dizzy, the tempo of her heart doubling in speed, "The smile?"

"Yeah," his fingers finally settled along her jaw, his thumb stroking over her chin, "I remember my heart jumping inside my chest –it was a strange feeling…that smile…your smile…"

He stopped talking, not because he didn't know what else to say but because Vivi had tilted her head to seal his mouth with hers, her hand sliding up his chest and around his neck to spear her fingers through his hair, letting herself drown in the taste of his mouth, loving the way his arms around her shrunk the world down to just the two of them.

Stretching out on the couch, Gabe kept one arm under her shoulders, fingers tangled in her hair as his free hand explored the natural curve of her back, moving down to her waist, fingers brushing against warm skin.

Squeezing the curve of her waist, he shifted his position, keeping the weight of his upper body on the arm under her shoulders. Breaking apart, they were both breathing hard, Vivi staring wide eyed at him, seconds bleeding into a minute before she gave him a shy smile, "I think I know what Tio Seth meant."

Gabe stared at her in confusion, his hand moving under the hem of her turquoise colored top and settling on her lower back, fingers spreading wide, thumb rubbing circles against her warm skin, "What?"

Loosening her arms from around his neck, she kept them draped over his shoulders, "Tio Seth said you needed to keep one foot on the floor at all times –I now know what that means."

Staring at her, he grinned, giving her a smooching kiss before pulling back, "You really didn't know what he meant?"

Shaking her head, she arched her back at the tickling sensation of his fingers, laughing when he leaned his head down to whisper into her ear, "One foot on the floor isn't enough to keep a boy out of trouble when it comes to a pretty girl like you."

Vivi giggled as she kissed his cheek, shivering at the sensations washing over her when he kissed the side of her neck, "So is this you showing me?"

"Nah," Gabe kissed her collarbone before pulling back to look down into her gold-brown eyes, the smile he gave her had her heart almost jumping into her throat, "This is me wanting to be close to you."

"Oh."

Another thirty minutes passed with them kissing, occasionally whispering to each other, seeking shy permission to explore what could be considered safe areas of each others' bodies –of course, being fifteen, it didn't take long before they were up against boundary lines they hadn't defined yet.

Gabe pulled back to look into her eyes, his chest expanding with the effort to take in oxygen as he struggled with the way his body was feeling. He knew they had to stop, and soon, but first, he was kind of wanting…well, he was hoping she would let him… "Can I, uhm…can I see –well, uh…"

Vivi stared at his flushed face, her own pink as she tried to comprehend what was going on inside her –it was one thing to read about this but a completely different matter when experiencing it, "What do you want to see?"

Gabe hated how awkward and shy he was feeling, taking a deep breath as his eyes dropped to her chest before he looked up at her, forcing himself to ask what he wanted from her, "Can I see your…uhm…your…"

Keeping her eyes on his, she bit her bottom lip in realization of what he was asking, her pink face flushing an even deeper rose color, "Oh…uhm…"

Dropping her eyes down to her hands, which were currently pressed against his hard chest, she flashed back to that sight of his bare chest, thinking perhaps it was only fair for him to get to see her…it was sort of the same thing, wasn't it?

"I'm not…" Vivi swallowed back the lump forming in her throat, her heart thumping hard against her ribcage, "I'm not all that big –I mean…not like some of the other girls."

"I don't like the other girls," Gabe rested his forehead against hers, a shiver running down his back when she flexed her fingers against his chest; "I like you…only you."

Vivi's smile was shy as she gave him a small nod in assent, swallowing nervously as the hand he had on her back moved up, stopping between her shoulder blades, the top she wore hiking up to reveal a flat stomach and the curve of her ribcage.

They both held their breath as he slipped his hand from under her to take the hem of her tank top and pull it up that final bit, revealing small yet shapely breasts covered in pale pink silk. Gabe's breath came out in a rush, blue eyes practically devouring the sight before him, watching with avid interest as the pale skin flushed a becoming pink that had him itching to touch.

Just as he was about to do that, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway had them both scrambling apart, Vivi pulling her shirt down before reaching up to try to tame her tangled hair, Gabe taking one of the couch pillows to hold in his lap, both of them on opposite ends of the couch, eyes glued to the television.

The front door opened, a laughing Rose walking in with Seth behind her, both of them looking to the couch as he helped his wife with her coat, "Good to see you two behaving."

Gabe and Vivi nodded mutely at their uncle's comment, neither looking away from the movie on the flat screen television.

"Did the boys give you any trouble," Rose crossed the living room to enter the kitchen, Vivi answering in a slightly high pitched tone, "No –no trouble."

Seth watched them, slowly taking the mail from the small table beside the front door, casually flipping through it as he walked towards the kitchen, "It's good to know I can trust you both –especially you, Gabe."

Gabe nodded, feeling somewhat guilty as he agreed, "Yeah –of course."

Stopping under the arched entrance to the kitchen, he off-handedly asked, "What color was it?"

"Pink."

Vivi buried her face in her hands, Gabe grimacing as Seth turned to give them both a narrow eyed look, "Indeed –go home, Gabriel."

"Uncle Seth –"

"No," Seth shook his head at his nephew when he turned to look at him, pointing towards the front door, "Go home. Now. I'll call your mom and let her know you're on your way."

"Tio –"

"You," he looked at his niece as he pointed towards the stairs, "Go to your room. You do not tell boys what color your bra is."

"I didn't tell –" she bit her bottom lip to stop the rest of the words, Seth's eyes widening at the guilty look on her face.

"You showed him," his voice held a tone of incredulity, eyes swinging over to Gabriel before looking at Vivi, "You two are not allowed to be alone from now on. Understand?"

They both nodded, giving each other sideway glances before Vivi headed to the stairs, Gabe trying for a reassuring smile when she looked over her shoulder at him before he turned to head to the front door, closing it softly behind him, several seconds passing before Vivi's bedroom door closed as well.

Seconds ticked by before Rose's humor filled voice let him know she was standing a few feet behind him, "You're such a hypocrite."

"That may be so," Seth spun around, tossing the envelopes onto the kitchen table, "But she's fifteen –way too young to be flashing her boobs at boys."

Rose smirked as she tilted her head to the side, hazel eyes bright and cheeks flushed, "This coming from the guy that just fucked me in the back seat of his car."

Seth barked out a laugh, reaching out to grab her by the waist and pull her against his body, nuzzling her lips with his, "I love it when you talk dirty...it gets me all hot and bothered."

"You're always hot and bothered," she teased him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself hard against him, able to feel the truth of her words against her soft stomach.

Sucking on her bottom lip, he slid his hands up her back, the clingy fabric of her dress smooth underneath them, the teasing tone to his question making her flush, "Baby, where's your bra?"

Rose gave his bottom lip a nipping bite before pulling back to look up into his teasing eyes, "In the back seat of your car –along with my ruined underwear, I'm sure."

Seth laughed as he dropped his hands to her round bottom, easily lifting her off the ground, long legs wrapping around his waist, causing the short tight skirt to the dress she wore to ride up as he flipped the kitchen light off then headed down the hallway to their bedroom, "Remind me to get them before I head off to Seattle for my morning meeting tomorrow."

It was around two in the morning when Vivi crept down the stairs, the moonlight coming through the large living room window lighting the way to the kitchen. Gently closing the door to the utility room where the washer and dryer were, she flipped on the light switch, carefully opening the dryer door and rummaging through the towels, finding what she was looking for.

Holding the black t-shirt in her hands, she lifted it to her nose, taking a deep breath, positive she could smell a hint of him underneath the scent of fabric softener. Placing it on top of the dryer, she pulled off her own pajama top before replacing it with his t-shirt, the cotton soft against her skin, the hem falling to mid-thigh, making her feel like she was wrapped up in his arms.

Letting out a soft sigh, she tossed her pajama top into the hamper, turning the light off before opening the door, quietly heading towards the stairs and up to her room, the soft click of her bedroom door making her cringe before she slipped back into bed. Pulling up the comforter to her shoulders, she turned to the side, staring out the window at the quarter moon, her mind filled with the memory of Gabriel and her and the way it had felt to have him so close to her they were almost occupying the same space.

Letting out a soft sigh, she closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep, knowing when she did, her dreams would replay the lovely memory of being so close to the one she loved.


October 30th

"Are you coming to the party?"

Bailey closed the door to her locker before turning to lean against it, smirking at the six foot two senior that couldn't take no for an answer, "I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Really," Mason –known as Maze to everyone at the tribal school –gave her a mocking smile, "'Cause I was thinking your parents probably didn't give you permission –I hear your dad's a strict kind of guy."

Pursing her lips, she hugged her books to her stomach, the off the shoulder sweater she wore taut across her chest, "Lack of permission has never stopped me before…and yes, my Dad's strict –ut mostly after the fact."

"He needs to wise up and put bars on your window," he placed his hand against the locker, moving into her personal space as he grinned down into her dark brown eyes, "I knew you were a rule breaking kind of girl –you know, have fun now, pay for it later."

Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, she shifted slightly, resting her booted foot against the wall, the dark jeans she wore practically painted on, "When it pleases me, yeah."

"So come with me," Maze leaned close enough for their noses to touch, "I'll be Batman, you be Cat Woman."

Bailey's full lips, shiny with cherry flavored lip gloss, stretched into a grin, "You really think you're the shit, don't you Maze? No girl can resist that smile of yours or all those muscles, not to mention your good looks."

"Pretty much…yeah."

Tilting her head to the side, she cocked a perfectly shaped eyebrow, "It must eat at you that I'm immune to your charming ways."

"Not immune," his smile dropped slightly, brown eyes darkening just a shade more as he placed his other hand against the locker, effectively boxing her in, "You're just playing hard to get. What is it you want, Bailey? A steady relationship? Just you and me?"

Staring into his eyes for a full minute, she pushed away from the locker, the unexpected move having him take a step back, "There's nothing you have that I want."

"You think you're too good for me, don't you," he glared at her, his jaw tight enough for her to see a tick alongside it, not really caring at how angry she made him, just wanting him to take the hint.

"For you," Bailey tossed back her long dark hair, the straight tresses falling down her back, the color blue-black under the fluorescent lights, "Yeah…I am."

"You're a teasing bitch, is what you are."

Bailey gave him a pouting look, dark brown eyes expertly highlighted in purple eyeliner and dark mascara, "And now you're resorting to name calling. Feel free to call me whatever you want…I personally don't care because I know the truth."

Maze fisted his hands at his sides, his eyes almost black with anger, "What truth?"

"That you're a pathetic little boy who can't stand it when he doesn't get what he wants."


October 31st
On the One o One towards Forks from Port Angeles, 1:53 AM

He tried to loosen the tight grip he had on the steering wheel but it just wasn't working. He was so damn angry, his entire body vibrated with the effort of keeping himself from bursting out of his skin.

Teeth clenched tight as he switched lanes on the highway, he looked towards the passenger seat, dark eyes moving over the sleeping form of his imprint, long dark hair covering half her face, which was turned towards him, dark lashes resting against high cheekbones.

He didn't know what the hell went through that girl's head, couldn't grasp the one eighty change to her personality in the past year. Granted, she had never been easy to handle, always showing up the boys she hung out with, which would more likely than not get her into trouble.

Now –now she seemed to be obsessed with another form of showing up, one involving the subtle power of being female. He couldn't really pinpoint when it all started –probably back when she decided to join the cheerleading team, but he did know what had completely shifted her focus from being a dirt bike riding champion to being the most popular girl among her peers.

That damn magazine competition she had won last year had turned his world upside down, the recognition she'd received as a young blossoming model completely shifting everything in her life and as a result, his.

He hadn't known about her dream of becoming a model and now, that dream of hers –which had taken the first step to becoming reality –was going to completely obliterate his own dreams, dreams that had them together, happy and content in their place in life.

Switching lanes again, he looked over at the sound of a groan, the scowl on his face still in place as she blinked her eyes open, turning her head to look out the windshield before looking over at him, "Brady…"

"What?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"I swear to god, Bailey," he flipped the lever to signal his change of lane, looking over at her, "You throw up in my car, I'm gonna make you clean it up."

"Oh, shut up," Bailey reached up to grip the side of her head, her other hand going to the clip to her seat belt, "Just pull over."

He slowed down before pulling onto the graveled shoulder, having already left the Port Angeles City Limits some thirty minutes ago. The car barely coasted to a stop when she opened the door, nearly bending over double as she vomited her stomach contents onto the graveled ground, letting out a moan at the way her stomach flipped, which just had her throw up again.

Shifting the gears to park, he reached behind her seat, grabbing a bottle of water from a small cooler, forcing himself to not feel sorry for her as she threw up a third time, "Here –rinse your mouth out."

Groping the air for the bottle, her long fingers found his wrist first, moving up to his hand to take the bottle from him as she let out a moan, "Oh god, I feel like somebody slipped something into my drink."

"Somebody did," Brady ground out between his clenched teeth, refusing to look at her as she rinsed her mouth out, gagging as soon as she spit the water out, "Had it not been for your ditzy friend knocking over the table, you'd be worse off."

"Ugh," leaning back into the leather seat, she kept her eyes closed to ward off the dizziness, "Tell me you didn't kill him."

"Almost," letting out a long breath, he looked sideways at her as she closed the door, the inside light going off and blanketing them in darkness, "What the fuck were you thinking, Bailey?"

She groaned, rubbing the back of her hand over her mouth, hating the lingering icky factor left behind from her puking session, "I'm not in the mood, Brady."

That was definitely not the thing to say to him right now, "Not in the mood? You have got to be fucking kidding me! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you had I not stepped in when I did?"

"You know what," Bailey looked over at him, sitting up from her slouching position, "I didn't ask you to be there so stop acting like a fucking martyr."

Gritting his teeth, he yanked the gear into drive, getting back onto the one o one, "Like I have a fucking choice. I wasn't going to leave you so that asshole could try again."

"Oh please," Bailey rubbed her forehead, wishing he would just shut up –hear head was throbbing so bad she was sure it was going to split open any second, "You're not the only friend I have that looks after me."

"Right, because all those sluts you call friends were in the right frame of mind to realize what was going on," Brady had to work hard at not speeding, wanting like hell to run from the rage he was struggling with, "They were so fucking toasted, Bailey, had I not been there, you would have been raped."

"Okay, fine! Thank you, Sir Galahad, for rescuing me," Bailey yanked at the short skirt she was wearing along with opaque black tights and short boots, along with a blood red blouse, a belt around her small waist and dangling silver earrings completing what had been a glamorous outfit designed by her little sister, "Would you like me to kiss your feet while I'm at it?"

"What I would like is for you to start using your fucking brain."

"Fuck you, asshole."

"Goddammit, Bailey," Brady growled as he sped through Forks, not caring anymore if he got stopped, "You're going to get yourself into some serious shit if you don't stop acting like a spoiled little bitch."

Snapping her mouth shut, she refused to say anything else, glaring out the window as he crossed into the La Push boundary, double headed street lamps throwing shadows across the passing front lawns. As soon as he pulled up in front of her house, she shoved the door open, slamming it shut before stomping up the driveway, not hearing him coming after her.

"Bailey –"

"Fuck you," Bailey spun around, her waist length hair flaring before settling around her shoulders, "Fuck you and your incessant need to be wherever I am. I'm a big girl, Brady and I can very well take care of myself so fuck off."

"Oh yeah, tonight was definitely a great example of your ability to look after yourself."

Her mouth flattened into a line as she shoved him, slamming her fists against his chest when he didn't give an inch, "Get off it, you jackass! You think just because you imprinted on me, you have the right to dictate my life but let me tell you something, dickhead –I may be your imprint but you're not mine. So go ahead and waste your life following me like some love sick dog but I don't have to do the same –I've got plans for my life, and I'm telling you right now, you're not part of them so fuck. Off."

Brady stood where he was, his chest aching as a cold feeling washed over him, watching her stomp up the driveway and into her house, the sound of the closing door echoing in his mind like a death knell.

Keeping his eyes on the front door, he let time slip by, not moving from where he was as the earth continued to turn, as time kept ticking and life slipped by.

Meanwhile, his own life stopped –right there, it stopped and froze in place.

There was no turning for him and there was nothing he could do about it.