All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.

This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.

The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.

AN: Here it is! Sorry it's taken me so long to update -work and lack of inspiration...it happens when I get three reviews concerning the last chapter. Anyway, this is the longest day in GONE history but I thought it necessary to explain a bit on Vivi's situation. Anywho -here it is!

Enjoy as you read and don't make me beg for reviews! They inspire my muse.

Chapter Sixty-Eight Part Two (15 Years Old)

Gabriel was not having a good day –mostly because it had started off way too early, thanks to the twins' accidental release of Emmie's brown and black tarantula, the one mama didn't know resided inside the house.

It had been about four fifty five in the morning, still an hour and a half to go before he absolutely had to wake up to get ready for early morning football practice, when Emmie came into his room, shaking him awake and asking for his help in finding Teddy.

Only his crazy sister named a tarantula Teddy –who the fuck in their right mind would name a tarantula after a cuddly stuffed bear?

"I'm not touching it," he whispered harshly as he went down the stairs, Emmie rolling her eyes as she followed behind him, "I'm not asking you to touch it. Just help me find it –I'll get him."

"Why the hell aren't you having Alyx and Andrey help you find it," Gabriel swept his eyes over the stairs before closing the door to make sure it didn't escape up the stairs, "They're the ones who set it loose."

"Because they'll probably squash it," Emmie hissed as she moved into Xavier and Ricky's bedroom, quietly checking the floor and closet before walking out and closing the door, "I'm going to have to booby trap my room –those two just don't get the fact nothing in there are pets."

"That's a great idea," Gabriel's sarcasm was obvious as he walked out of the bathroom Emmie and Tyra shared with Xavier and Ricky, giving his sister the 'duh' look he was famous for, "Except you'll have to get them to design the booby trap for you because that's what they're good at."

"They're not my only source of engineering abilities," Emmie hissed as she moved into the living room, dropping down to check under the couch and armchairs while Gabe looked in the kitchen, "Besides, I can come up with a design on my own –I am a genius, after all."

"So I've been told," Gabe came out of the kitchen, not having found anything, "Are you sure it's not in your room? Where were you keeping it?"

"In a terrarium, inside the closet," Emmie stood up, huffing in frustration as she looked around the living room, "I always make sure the lid is snapped shut after I feed him. And for your information, I checked my room –very carefully –before waking you up."

Gabe groaned as he dropped to his hands and knees to check under the entertainment center, "Why me?"

"Because you're my big brother," Emmie gave him the 'you sure are stupid' look she'd perfected long ago, moving to gently shake the curtains over the living room window, "Helping your little sister find her pet tarantula before mama finds out she has one is in the fine print of the big brother contract."

Gabe bit back a laugh at her snotty tone, pushing himself to his feet as he hiked up the low riding basketball shorts he wore to bed, "Yeah, well, it's not upstairs and it's not down here. The only other place to check is…"

Emmie looked up as his words trailed off, moving across the living room to stand beside him as he stared down the hallway at the door to their parents' bedroom, which was slightly ajar, "You don't think…"

They stared down the hall, listening to the silence of the house, the only sound the tick-tick of the kitchen clock.

Letting out a long breath, he looked at his sister beside him, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder –for a twelve year old she was actually tall and bound to get taller. He nudged her with his elbow, giving her a pointed look as soon as she looked up at him, "There's only one way to find out."

Emmie swallowed as she nodded, moving down the hall and into her bedroom, Gabe quietly calling out after her, "Where are you going? I told you I'm not touching that thing."

"Stop being such a baby," Emmie came back, wearing latex gloves and a pair of forceps in one hand, "I'm just coming prepared –your job is to keep mama distracted if she wakes up."

"Dad's gonna get here in twenty-five minutes," Gabe informed her as they made their way down the hall, both walking as quietly as possible, "And what the hell is that?"

Emmie held up the forceps for him to get a closer look, "It's a dehydrated cricket."

"Get it out of my face," he pushed her arm aside, making sure not to jostle her so she wouldn't drop the nasty thing.

Emmie rolled her eyes, deciding to keep her comments over his girly behavior to herself as he carefully pushed the door open, both of them looking quickly along the floor around the bedroom before their eyes moved to the queen sized bed opposite the door.

Their breath stuttered to a halt, both watching the black and brown tarantula –about the size of a tea cup saucer –slowly climbing up the bed's comforter and over the edge of the bed.

"Oh shit," Emmie's words came out in a breath but Gabe was able to hear her, he too thinking this was going to end bad if they didn't manage to keep mama from waking up and seeing her current bed companion.

Leaning closer to his sister, he whispered into her ear, not wanting to wake their mama up until absolutely necessary, "I'll go and keep her from looking up –you get that thing off of her."

Emmie nodded, quietly moving to the foot of the bed as Teddy slowly made its way up the hills that were mama's legs –she was lying on her side, facing the bedroom windows. Swallowing hard as she stepped around to what was her father's side of the bed, gently placing a hand on the mattress for leverage as she leaned forward to slowly entice Teddy with the cricket as Gabe moved around to their mama's side of the bed, kneeling beside it and carefully placing his arm over her shoulder, his fingers sliding into her hair.

Leah was awake, had been since they pushed the bedroom door opened but due to the whispers, she knew they didn't need her to be awake –she couldn't exactly pick up what they were whispering about but she knew they were up to something.

Opening one brown-green eye, she gave her son a sleepy smile, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing, ma," Gabe gave her a bright smile, eyes flicking over to where his sister was successfully leading the tarantula off their mother and across the bed towards her, "Listen, ma, I've been thinking."

"About," Leah moved to sit up but Gabe flexed his arm, keeping her in place as he leaned forward to press his forehead against hers, his hand gently holding her head in place on the pillow, "Gabriel –"

"I've been thinking," Gabe swallowed as he quickly glanced over at his sister then back at his mother, "You know how I'm getting my driver's permit this year?"

"Yes," Leah reached up to touch his squared jaw, smiling into his blue eyes, "Your Dad and I have been talking about getting you a car as a graduation gift –not a new one, of course, and definitely not a sports car."

"Well, I don't really want a car," Gabe rubbed his thumb over her temple, her warm skin soft to the touch, "I was thinking maybe I can get a motorcycle."

"A motorcycle," Leah sat up abruptly just as Emmie snatched up Teddy and ran out of the room, "Emmie? What's going –"

"Don't worry about that," Gabe moved to sit on the side of the bed, snagging his mother's attention to the topic at hand, "I've been riding bicycles and dirt bikes most of my life –a motorcycle won't be all that hard."

While they continued having that conversation, Emmie moved down the hall towards her bedroom, freezing right before she reached her doorway at the sight of her father coming into the hallway from the kitchen.

She gave him a very guilty smile as his blue eyes dropped from her face to the arachnid currently trapped in her gloved hands, "Hi Daddy…"

Cocking an eyebrow at her, he looked down the hall, able to hear voices which tone let him know his wife was currently discussing something unpleasant with their eldest. Looking back at his daughter, he asked in a low pitched voice, "Did your mother see that?"

Emmie shook her head, working hard at keeping her hold on Teddy gentle so as not to make him feel threatened.

He tilted his head towards her bedroom as he made his way around her, "Don't let it escape again."

"I won't," she shook her head, giving him a grateful smile, blue eyes sparkling behind her glasses, "Thanks Daddy."

He gave her a smile, dropping a kiss on her sleep tousled hair before moving towards his bedroom and what he was sure to be another early morning surprise.


Forks Memorial Hospital, ER

Dr. Benson looked over the results of the labs he had ordered for his recent emergency admission, eyebrows lowering as he studied the numbers, looking up at the sound of a nurse calling his name, "Yes, Angie? Has she woken up?"

Angie, a veteran nurse of twenty plus years, shook her head, placing her clipboard down on the desk as she gave the doctor the newest information on their young patient, "Her blood pressure is still low and her heart rate is very rapid. We did the STAT labs you requested –"

"Yes, I have the results right here," he showed her the printed piece of paper, frowning as he kept studying the unusually low numbers, "As expected due to her medical history, her iron levels are low but what surprises me most is her red blood cell count."

"Oh," Angie took the offered piece of paper, lifting her glasses from where they hung around her neck and slipping them on, eyebrows rising in surprise, "This is not a normal blood cell count for someone suffering a simple case of menorrhagia."

"Exactly," the doctor nodded as he pulled out his pen from the pocket of his white coat, "Order a two dimensional CT scan STAT –we need to see if she's bleeding internally and from where."

Angie nodded, looking up at the doctor as he began to walk away, "Her family is in the waiting room…I'm sure they would appreciate it if you explained what was going on –she is a minor, after all."

Dr. Benson let out a sigh as he changed course, thinking how the one thing he did not like about his vocation was dealing with family members.


Marc watched as the doctor walked away, running a hand through his dark hair before turning to the small two seat sofa where Uncle Seth currently sat with his arms around Tia Rosa, her pretty face tight with worry as she picked at her cuticles.

Uncle Seth had ridden in the ambulance with Vivi, Marc following close behind while Tia Rosa took Carlos to school before dropping Harry off at aunt Leah's with a quick explanation of what had happened –Uncle Rick had already left, taking the mini-van along with their seven school attending kids.

He looked at his watch, seeing it was already time for second period and knew Gabe was probably wondering where Vivi was –unless Aunt Leah had called Uncle Rick to explain. Rubbing the back of his neck again as he thought over what the doctor had said, an idea having him spin around to look at his uncle.

"You need to call Dr. Cullen."

Seth looked up in surprise –his nephew had been extremely quiet the entire time it took for the EMTs arriving at their house after failing to rouse Vivi until now, "Why do I need to do that?"

"Because he knows all the details," Marc shoved his hands into the pockets' of his washed out jeans, fingertips bumping against the edge of his cell phone, "Vivi isn't bleeding internally…she's literally running out of blood. Dr. Cullen will be able to approach this from a fully informed perspective."

Seth thought over what he was saying, looking at Rose and seeing a hesitant agreement in her hazel eyes –he knew she didn't like the idea of being near a vampire, no matter its diet, but she was also very worried for their niece and if having Dr. Cullen come into town to help, then she would deal with it.


Gabe gathered his books as the bell ending second period sounded, hitching his bag over his shoulder as soon as he had zipped the books inside. Moving down the hall, he headed up stairs and around the corner to where Vivi's English class was, leaning against the wall opposite the open door to wait for her.

Seeing one of her friends come out alone, when they usually came out together, he reached out to stop her, "Hey, Celia –is Vivi still inside?"

She gave him a look of surprise as she hitched her messenger bag higher up her shoulder, "She didn't come to school today. You didn't know?"

"Uh," Gabe ran his fingers through his hair in a nervous gesture as he looked into the empty classroom then back at her, "No, I didn't."

"Oh, well," Celia gave him a pitying smile as she reached into the side pocket of her bag, "Here. I know she keeps them so I thought I'd save it for her –you can give it to her when you see her."

Nodding as she walked away, he looked down at the nickel size origami daisy she'd placed in the middle of his palm, the center a bright yellow. Slipping it into the front pocket of his backpack, he headed off to his science class, wondering if she had skipped school in order to avoid him.

They had gotten into a fight over spring break, one which was yet to be resolved. He had found out she'd send out an application for Juilliard, which was the first step in the admission process, and although he knew dancing was what she wanted to do, she hadn't a) told him about going ahead with plans to go to New York and b) hadn't send an application for the Pacific Northwest Company up in Seattle.

It just pissed him off –she wanted to be a ballerina, why the hell was it necessary to be a ballerina in New York? A ballerina was a ballerina no matter where she went and he wasn't going to stop her from being one but was it absolutely necessary for her to go all the way to New York when there was a perfectly good dance company three hours away from home?

He faintly recalled having asked her if Seattle was good enough for Nika, who had send out an application of her own to get into PNC, why wasn't it good enough for her?

He hadn't meant to say half of the things he had said, but he had been so angry at how eager she seemed to be in putting thousands of miles between them. Of course, when he'd told her that, she'd said their future was a given and he could always come with her.

Dropping his backpack at his feet, he sat on the high stool of the two person table, the stool beside him empty being Vivi was his science partner. Looking over at her empty side of the table, he placed his elbows on the surface to rest his chin on his fists as the bell rang and Mr. Banner got right into the day's lesson.

What the hell would he do in New York?

Couldn't she understand going to Seattle meant she could still do what she wanted –dance –and he would be able to come home after Air Force training and be stationed within driving distance of her?

She frustrated him –in so many damn ways, it drove him crazy.

He never doubted she was his, always has been, always will be, but sometimes, to him, her talk of New York and Juilliard had him wondering if she felt the same way.

He had, after all, told her –he had never asked…maybe she'd just agreed, time and again, because she couldn't say no…or because she was just bidding her time until she could leave.

The hour went by without him hearing a single thing Mr. Banner had said, simply noting the chapter number written up on the wall, which he assumed was the next chapter they needed to read up on. Grabbing his things, he walked out of the classroom, lost in thought as he headed to his locker to exchange books for the second half of the day, turning at the sound of his name being called.

Betty gave him a small smile as she approached him, not having interacted much with Gabe outside of the occasional tense socialization due to him being her boyfriend's little sister's boyfriend, "Hi, uhm…"

Gabe stared at her, not sure why she was talking to him –usually, they didn't talk much even when Marc dragged her along to crash his dates with Vivi, which was a constant annoyance, "What's up?"

"I just got a text message from Marc," Betty took in a deep breath before letting it out as she held up her phone as an unnecessary visual aid, "He, uhm…he's at the hospital."

Gabe shut the door to his locker, clicking the lock shut, "What happened?"

"Uhm," she wasn't sure how he was going to take the news Marc had shared with her, "Well…Vivi collapsed this morning –after breakfast. They don't know what's wrong."

Gabe stared at her, mind completely blank as the words she'd said bounced around, growing larger and larger before exploding into understanding. Turning away from her, he headed to the main entrance of the building, Betty running to catch up to him.

"Gabe –where are you going?"

"To the hospital."


Marc let out a sigh as he slouched further into the uncomfortable chair, legs stretched out and ankles crossed, hands still in the pockets of his jeans as he kept his eyes on the television, not knowing what was showing and not caring.

Uncle Seth had called the Cullens about an hour ago, speaking with Carlisle who assured him he would be flying in as soon as he got arrangements made. Apparently, their personal pilot was currently in Kentucky which meant Jasper would have to fly their own private jet, which meant putting in paperwork, flight logs, and who knows what else.

Marc looked up at the opening of the waiting room door, rising to his feet as Betty walked in, "Hey…what are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd keep you company."

He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the clean scent of her hair as she returned his hug. He was about to tell her his aunt and uncle had gone to the cafeteria for coffee so he wasn't really alone, when the door opened again, Gabe walking in.

"What is he doing here?"

Betty stepped out of his arms, sliding her hand down to grip his as she gave him a stern look, "He's Vivi's boyfriend –she would want him here."

"She's unconscious," Marc whispered to Betty as Gabe made his way across the room to where they were, "She wouldn't know either way."

Betty elbowed him on the side, a warning glare letting him know she was expecting good behavior from him as Gabe stopped before them.

"How is she?"

Marc let out a sigh, lifting a shoulder in a shrug as he pulled Betty into his side, dropping her hand to wrap his arm around her back, hand resting on her opposite hip, "She hasn't woken up since we brought her in –there's a consulting doctor flying in."

"What's wrong with her?"

Even though there was no expression on Gabe's face, Marc had known him long enough to catch the worry in his blue eyes, his gut twisting because he knew the guy cared for his sister but it didn't change his mind about him –Gabe wasn't good for his sister and this, this situation right here, was proof of that.

"They don't know yet."

The silence following Marc's words was heavy with tension, all three standing awkwardly where they were, which was how Rose and Seth found them when they walked into the waiting room, coffee in hand.

"Gabe," Seth gave his nephew a look of surprise before looking down at his watch then back at him again, "Does your mom know you're skipping school?"

"No," Gabe turned to give his uncle a pointed look as he dropped his backpack on an empty chair, "Are you telling on me?"

"No," Seth gave him a one sided smile as he lifted the cup of coffee to his lips, Rose moving to sit on the two person couch they'd commandeered earlier, "But I'm sure your dad will."

Gabe rolled his eyes as he sat down, Seth joining Rose on the couch, Marc pulling Betty to the chairs opposite where Gabe sat.

None of them talked, except for Seth and Rose, their whispered conversation stating to the other three what was being said was just between them. Betty leaned into Marc's side, crossing her legs as she leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder while he slowly stroked his fingers down the side of her face, his arm around her shoulders.

As for Gabe, he stared at his fingers, legs stretched out as he slouched in the chair, dark hair falling over his forehead while his chin rested on his chest.

Minutes trickled into an hour, the quiet murmur of the television background noise to their thoughts, the whispers between Rose and Seth occasionally registering.

The overhead speaker crackled, all five looking up at the sound of running feet as a deep voice called out –Code Blue, ER four…Code Blue, ER four.


"Get an IV in her, now!"

Dr. Edinburgh moved with quick precision, pulling the patient's snapped gown open as the Response Team moved into the room, Angie stepping out of the way to allow them the room needed in performing their specific duties.

Pulling the bed away from the wall, one of the respiratory techs moved into the small space, placing an air bag mask over the patient's face as another began chest compressions, a third ripping open the chest electrode pads to the defibrillator as Dr. Edinburgh called over his shoulder, "Get me three milligrams of epinephrine –now!"

Angie rushed to the crash cart, pulling open the medication drawer as the fourth member of the Response Team, a phlebotomist, looked over at Dr. Edinburgh, "I can't get an IV –her veins are too thin."

"What's the patient's diagnosis," Dr. Edinburgh called over his shoulder as the nurse with the defibrillator called out, "All clear!"

Her body arched as the electric current delivered made its way through to her heart without success, Angie answering the Response doctor as the other two picked up on the CPR, "Undetermined blood loss."

Turning to the phlebotomist, he issued an order for a central line before looking over at Angie as she handed him the prepped syringe, "Call blood bank –we're going to need two units of red blood cells, O negative, STAT."

"Yes sir."

The phlebotomist threaded the catheter she inserted into the subclavian vein, taping it in place before moving back to give the doctor the space to inject the epinephrine into the IV port.

"All clear!"


The door to the waiting room opened, all of them standing and moving forward as one when Dr. Benson walked in, followed by another doctor in green scrubs.

The doctor gave them all a nod before focusing on Seth, "Miss De Lune coded thirty minutes ago –"

"Wait," Rose interrupted the doctor, grabbing on to Seth's arm as she gave him a look of panic before looking at the doctor, "What does that mean?"

Taking a deep breath, he attempted a reassuring smile, "She went into sudden cardiac arrest but we've –"

"I still don't know what that means," Rose interrupted again, her hazel eyes bright as they filled with unshed tears, Seth placing a large hand over both of hers as he quietly explained, "It means her heart stopped."

Marc's face blanched as Gabe took a step back, Rose's face flushing as the tears slipped free, voice quivering as she asked, "She's…she's gone?"

"No, ma'am," Dr. Benson let out a quiet sigh, thinking once again how much he disliked this part of his job, "We were able to resuscitate her with the use of CPR and epinephrine. Dr. Edinburgh here is part of the Response Team so he oversaw everything."

The tall redheaded doctor stepped forward at the mention of his name, giving them a smile as he picked up the explanation, "We did an emergency blood transfusion. The CT scans Dr. Benson ordered are still pending so we're not sure where exactly she's bleeding from. We'll be drawing more labs in another thirty minutes –I'm expecting the possibility of her needing another transfusion."

Rose was too distraught to be able to answer, her hands wiping at her face as tears kept coming. Wrapping his arms around her, Seth held her against his chest as he swallowed past the hard lump in his throat.

Dr. Edinburgh looked over at his colleague who stepped forward to take over the conversation, "The consulting doctor called –he should be arriving in half an hour. We'll make sure to keep you apprised of any changes; however, we are in need of paperwork filled out being Miss De Lune is a minor."

Seth nodded, rubbing Rose's back as he took a deep breath to steady himself before speaking, "Rose is her legal guardian…if you can give us a few minutes before sending someone with the paperwork?"

Both doctors nodded, hands in the pockets of their white coats as they stepped back then turned to leave the waiting room in silence, the occupants left behind floundering with the simultaneous emotions rushing through them.

No one spoke –instead, they all returned to their seats, lost in their own muddling thoughts.


Marc stood before the window to his sister's private room –she had been moved to the Critical Care Unit after she'd been given a third transfusion, which had somehow stabilized both her blood pressure and rapid heartbeat.

The sound of the vitals machine taking her blood pressure every fifteen minutes kept the silence from becoming too oppressive but it did nothing about the tension between Marc and Gabe, who was sitting in a chair beside Vivi's bed, her somewhat cold hand lax between his own.

"Vivi," Gabe whispered as he leaned forward to brush a curl off her forehead, his thumb tracing the delicate arch of her eyebrow, "Wake up. Come on, baby…wake up."

Marc kept still, eyes studying the going ons outside the window, hands clasped behind his back as he thought over everything the doctors had told them –the CT scans revealed no internal bleeding, which didn't surprise Marc but her red blood cell count was still too low not to require the third transfusion. They had been told another blood sample would be drawn within the hour of completing the last transfusion to see if there's a need for another unit.

He had no medical background or training but he knew the lab work was going to come back with a low red cell count –he knew she was going to need more blood. Thirteen years –they've been alive for thirteen years and he was certain not once had his sister taken in blood for sustenance. It was going to be hard for the doctors to figure out what was wrong with his sister and what could be done to rectify it, which is why Marc had suggested bringing in Dr. Cullen.

He would have an idea…Marc could only hope because the very thought of losing his sister to her own stubbornness had him seeing a dark pit of despair and anguish where his future used to be.

"Why won't she wake up?"

He turned to look at Gabe who was still intently watching Vivi, leaning back against the wall between the two windows, "They're not sure…"

"They're not sure about anything," Gabe let out a long heavy breath as he stroked his fingertips against her cheek, "But you know what's wrong, don't you? Every time the doctors say they have no idea what's going on, you don't look surprised or upset."

Marc dropped his head back against the wall, eyes on Gabe as he placed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall before looking back at his cousin by marriage, "Yes, I know what's wrong with her…she knows what's wrong but refuses to do anything about it."

Gabe looked up in surprise at Marc's words, dark eyebrows lowering over ice blue eyes, "What are you talking about? Why wouldn't she…"

His words petered out as he looked over at Vivi's pale face, her eyelashes dark against the high curve of her cheekbones, her lips –which were usually a deep rose –pale and dry. Marc kept his eyes on Gabe, thinking over the many conversations he'd had with his sister in the past year and a half, wondering how much of her decision to starve a part of herself had to do with Gabriel.

"You know Vivi and I are twins…right?"

Gabe looked up at Marc, his face blank of the current maelstrom of emotions inside him, "You were twins…but you aged faster."

"Because I don't ignore the fact part of me requires blood…she, on the other hand, has been denying that part of herself since we were born."

Gabe gave him a look of surprise as the words sank in, shaking his head before speaking, "Wait…Vivi told me she was…that she wasn't like you –she told me she was normal…you know –human."

"We're twins, Gabriel," Marc pushed away from the wall, anger at his sister welling up inside him, "We're both part of our mother and part of our father –our father was a vampire, our mother was human. We are both half of each –it's the way it works. Vivi's been denying the part of herself that comes from our father –she believes doing so will make her fully human but all it's doing is killing her."

Gabe could hear the anger in Marc's voice, could understand why but what he wasn't understanding was Vivi lying to him about the whole thing, "Why would she lie to –"

A knock on the door interrupted him, both of them looking up as it opened, Dr. Carlisle Cullen walking in.

The sweet smell emanating from the new arrival hit Gabriel like a slap in the face, his nose burning as he shoved out of the chair he was sitting in, moving back until he hit the wall, Vivi's hand still in his, "Who the fuck are you?"

Carlisle raised an eyebrow as he studied the young man standing beside his new patient's bed, looking over at the tall young man who bore very little resemblance to the little boy he'd met some thirteen years ago, "Marcos?"

Marc's mouth tilted into a one sided smile as he moved forward, holding out his hand to shake the doctor's, "Dr. Cullen…thanks for coming."

"Who is this," Gabe asked Marc, blue eyes flashing as Carlisle moved to the opposite side of Vivi's bed, "Don't touch her."

Carlisle stepped back from the bed, slipping his hands into the pockets of his charcoal colored slacks, "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen –I've been called in as a consult concerning Viviana's diagnosis."

"Vivian," Gabriel corrected the yellow-eyed doctor, staying as far away from the bed as Vivi's stretched out arm would allow while he turned his glare to Marc, "Is this your solution? Turn her into one of them?"

Marc let out a sigh as he moved to stand at the foot of his sister's hospital bed, "That's not why Dr. Cullen's here. He's aware of Vivi's genetics –he can look at this whole thing from a different perspective with more information…information we can't give the other doctors."

"I don't want him touching her."

Marc arched an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest, cocking his head to the side, "Well, then, it's too bad you don't have a say over it."

Carlisle pursed his lips, looking from the blue eyed young man to Marc, able to feel the tension between the two as he gave Marc a questioning look before looking across the bed again.

"I'm sorry," Marc apologized for his bad manners as he gestured towards his cousin, "This is Gabriel Laskaris. He's…Vivi's boyfriend."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow in response to Marc's tone, able to grasp the young man's disapproval concerning the relationship between Vivi and Gabe. Tilting his head at a slight angle, he smiled at Gabe, "You're Rick and Leah's oldest, right?"

Gabe studied the doctor, finding his odd colored eyes a bit disconcerting, "You know my parents?"

"Yes," he nodded with a small smile, shifting his weight slightly as he glanced at the beeping vitals machine before turning his attention back to Gabe, "I also know your uncle Seth, as well as the rest of the…"

He trailed off, giving Marc a questioning look, the dark eyed teenager giving a shrug as he supplied what Carlisle seemed hesitant to say, "The rest of the pack. Gabriel's aware of who and what he is."

"I'm just as equally aware of what you are," Gabe's words came out low, with a slight edge to them as a knock sounded at the door, all three turning with the opening of the door.

In walked Seth and Rose, followed by Dr. Benson and a nurse –everyone looked at each other, Rose hanging back as Seth approached Dr. Cullen, shaking hands as he introduced the doctors, "Dr. Benson, this is Dr. Cullen –he was Vivi and Marc's doctor before they moved to Washington."

Carlisle's face showed no expression to Seth's easy lie, giving one of his own when Dr. Benson mentioned having heard his name before, "My father was a doctor here some twenty years ago."

"I see," Dr. Benson nodded slowly as he opened the medical chart to his patient, "We've just gotten the results for the CT scan –there's no visible internal bleeding and the latest blood results show a continued low hemoglobin count."

Carlisle nodded as he looked down at the pale girl on the bed, the red-gold color of her hair bright against the backdrop of the white pillowcase, "How many transfusions have you done?"

"Three –the first two right after she was resuscitated, the third an hour later when lab results showed her hemoglobin was still low," he passed the chart over to Carlisle, watching the young blond doctor as he began flipping through the medical history and current orders.

"She coded?"

Dr. Benson nodded, slipping his hands into the pockets of his slacks, "Four hours after arrival. She was brought in by the EMT into ER five minutes after nine this morning –she was unconscious and has yet to regain consciousness."

"You transfused her with O negative blood," Carlisle flipped through the chart to seek the information concerning the transfusions.

"We didn't have time to do a type and screen," Dr. Benson straightened his shoulders, feeling a bit defensive as he knew what the consulting doctor was looking for, "Once we got her heart beating again, two units of O negative packed red blood cells were transfused, an hour and a half later, we transfused a third unit."

Carlisle nodded, eyes moving as he read through the progress notes concerning the code, "You gave her three milligrams of epinephrine?"

"Dr. Edinburgh did," Dr. Benson pulled his hands out of the pockets of his slacks and crossed them over his chest, "He's part of the Response Team."

Carlisle nodded again, closing the chart and handing it to Dr. Benson, "I'd like to do a type and screen –on her as well as Marc."

Dr. Benson's eyebrows rose up towards his receding hairline but he didn't say anything as Marc looked at Carlisle, "Why me?"

Shifting to face Marc, Carlisle once again slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks, "I'd like to see if you two have the same blood type."

There was no further explanation as Carlisle gave Dr. Benson a friendly smile, "I'd like to speak with the family alone, if you don't mind?"

He sputtered, giving Carlisle a look of surprise, "She's –she's my patient."

Carlisle gave a short nod but didn't say anything, staying in place as Seth leaned down to whisper into Rose's ear, the worry over Vivi visible on her face. Nodding, she bit her lip as she looked over at Dr. Benson, "I'm sorry but we'll be transferring care to Dr. Cullen…he's much more familiar with Vivi's medical history and family background."

Dr. Benson's face flushed, including the bald spot at the top of his head, handing the chart to the nurse before giving all of them a nod and turning to walk out of the room.

Ann, a young nurse with a blond pageboy hairstyle, gave them all a small smile before looking at Dr. Carlisle, "I'll order the type and screen."

He gave her a nod in gratitude, waiting for her to walk out and close the door behind her. As soon as the door clicked shut, Carlisle turned his attention back to the occupants in the room, specifically speaking the four currently staring at him with impatience, "Vivi is suffering a form of anorexia –"

"That's not possible," Gabe interrupted, giving the doctor a dark look, rubbing his thumb over the back of the small hand he was holding, wondering if his hand was too hot or if hers was colder than usual, "Vivi eats like a pig."

Marc raised an eyebrow, placing his fists on his hips, offended on his sister's behalf, "Excuse me?"

Gabe's cheeks flushed slightly as he tried to explain, "I meant to say, she eats like…Vivi likes to eat, okay?"

"It's true," Rose's soft voice had them all looking to where she stood beside Seth, arms wrapped around one of his, "Vivi loves food."

Carlisle gave Marc a look, able to see the young man he'd last seen when he was a mere boy knew what was wrong with his sister, before turning his attention back to Seth and Rose, "I'm going to be blunt. Part of Vivi's DNA is that of a predator. She's denied the needs attached to this part most of her life."

Rose closed her eyes, resting her forehead against Seth's shoulder as she took in a deep breath, realizing her acceptance of Vivi's refusal to feed as Marc did could possibly be killing her now.

"Since her predator cells aren't getting the nutrition needed, they're feeding off of the only available source to them."

Marc closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out before looking at Carlisle, "So that's why it seems like she's bleeding internally."

"Yes," Carlisle nodded once, letting out a soft sigh as he looked at Vivi's pale features, "Simply put –she's running out of blood."

"What about the transfusions," Seth asked, gently pulling his arm out of Rose's hold to wrap it around her shoulders, her face burrowing into his chest. He knew she was blaming herself for something she couldn't have done anything about –she couldn't, after all, force Vivi to drink blood, not when she was adamantly set against doing so.

"They're pretty much the equivalent of a binge," Carlisle explained as he looked over at the beeping vitals machine, reaching out to press a button to view the last three readings, "She's had three transfusions, which total four units. Donated blood is usually divided –red blood cells, platelets and plasma…the units she's received are just red blood cells, not whole blood. Her body's predator cells are rapidly absorbing them, which basically means they're having no effect at all."

"Why won't she wake up," Gabe asked, trying to breathe through his mouth being his nose was burning past the point of painful, his entire body tight with constant tremors making their way down his back –he wasn't sure what exactly was happening to him, physically, but he didn't like the way it felt.

"I believe her brain is shutting down anything not necessary for survival," Carlisle looked over at Seth with an arched eyebrow before turning his attention back to Gabe, "It's maintaining her body temperature as low as possible –keeping blood flow as slow as possible and only to the necessary organs in her body."

Turning back to the rest of the room, he gave Rose, whom he knew to be Vivi's legal guardian, his undivided focus, "I'll be giving her ephedrine, to raise her blood pressure, along with IV fluids –it should help increase the volume of her blood thus lowering her heart rate. As soon as the results get back, if Marc is in agreement, I'll set up a direct transfusion."

"Why Marc's blood," Gabe asked, ignoring his cousin when he turned his glare his way, "There's no guarantee he's even the same blood type."

"Being they're twins," Carlisle answered patiently as he once again turned his attention to Gabe, thinking how much like Leah he seemed despite looking like Seth or having his father's eyes –personality wise, Gabriel Laskaris was entirely like his mother, "Them not having the same blood type is nearly impossible. As for wanting to use Marc's blood –he's got the necessary nutrients to satisfy Vivi's predator cells –which reminds me," he turned his attention to Marc, "When was the last time you fed?"

Marc had to think for a while, being he didn't go out as often as he used to back when he was younger, "About five days ago."

Carlisle gave one nod as a knock on the door echoed in the room, "After the lab tech is done, I'd like you to go out."

Marc nodded, everyone turning as the lab technician walked in, all of them hoping this would work because none of them could imagine a world without Vivi's bright smile or giving nature.

None of them wanted a world without her in it.


Seth smiled down into her tired gold-brown eyes, watching her fight sleep as she let out a yawn, "Go to sleep, Ladybug. Gabe will be back soon, okay?"

Vivi yawned again, nodding as she closed her eyes, her uncle's hot hand against her cool cheek feeling wonderful, "Tell him to wake me up when he gets here…please?"

"Will do," he bend forward, pressing a kiss against her forehead, noticing how her pale face was slowly gaining color, "Now rest."

He chuckled softly as she let out a soft snore, straightening up and looking over to the plush armchair where Marc sat, the arm where the IV needle had been placed stretched out as he used his free hand to surf the television channels, "You need anything, Marc?"

Marc shook his head, glancing over at his sister before looking up at his uncle, "Not right now…looks like its working, right?"

"I think it is, buddy," Seth stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he glanced at the machine between them, watching as Marc's blood moved up the IV tubing, into the machine, then back out and down another tube into Vivi's arm, "You doing okay?"

Marc shrugged as he squeezed the foam ball he was holding to help his blood flow faster, "I'm alright…to be honest, I'm mad at her."

"I can understand that," Seth carefully sat at the edge of Vivi's bed, looking over to make sure he didn't jostle her awake before turning his attention back to Marc, "Marc, you can't hold this against her. Your sister –she wants so bad to be human –"

"Well, she isn't," Marc interrupted him, dark brown eyes turning back to the television as he fought back the urge to yell, instead taking a deep breath before continuing, "It doesn't matter how long she starves herself, she will still be a half vampire…I don't know why our father put it into her head that she could sacrifice her vampire side to make herself completely human. Its bullshit and it's not going to happen."

"I think your father was talking about something more eternal than humanity."

"You mean her soul," Marc looked at his uncle, jaw tight as he shifted in his comfortable seat, long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, "If that were the case, then she truly believes I don't have one –being she doesn't want to be like me."

Seth didn't know how to respond, standing up as he felt the vibration of his cell phone in the pocket of his jeans, "You have a soul, Marc –never doubt that. I'm gonna go outside and take this call, okay?"

Marc nodded, watching his uncle walk out of the room and close the door behind him before turning his head to look at his sleeping sister, wishing she were awake so he could talk to her –yell at her…anything to get this growing knot of anger in his stomach to go away.

He turned his attention back to the television, squeezing the foam ball as the machine between them beeped –one unit down, three more to go.

Four units was Carlisle's calculation as to what Vivi would need to live a 'human' life for three or four more years.


Seth flipped the phone open, seeing it wasn't Rose as he had thought. His wife had gone to get Carlos from school and Harry from Leah's, both deciding it would be best for the boys if she went home and got them their dinner while he and Marc stayed with Vivi in the hospital.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Sam's voice on the other side sounded slightly off, "How's she doing?"

"She woke up some ten minutes ago," Seth let out a sigh of relief as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Dr. Cullen's thinking we might be able to take her home early tomorrow morning."

"I see," there was something in the way Sam said those two words that had the small hairs in the back of Seth's neck stand on end, "So are you spending the night there?"

"I was planning to, yes," Seth looked around the hallway, moving further down until he found an empty room, quickly stepping into it and closing the door behind him, "What's going on?"

Sam let out a heavy sigh, the sound of pacing in the background, "I, uhm…I'm going to need you to come over to my place –I'm calling an emergency meeting tonight."

"What? Why? I mean –you, Rick, Embry, Doug and me –what kind of meeting is this?"

Sam let out another heavy sigh, "It's a pack meeting, Seth –everyone's coming down."

Seth knew what that meant, knew the only threat necessitating a pack meeting.

Vampire.