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 it took me so long! I've been having a hard time with this chapter because, quite frankly, I can't fathom the fact my Gabriel is turning into a man. I, like mothers though more pathetic because this is just a fictional character but still important to me, can't seem to see Gabe as more than just that chubby one year old so many of you fell in love with.

However, he is now sixteen with all that it implies and although there is some rated M material in this chapter, I was able to find an amicable solution with Gabriel that helped me be able to finish the chapter.

I've got the next one in my head already so for now, enjoy as you read and please REVIEW!
P.S. To my guest reviewer -thank you for the nudge towards completing the chapter by posting for me to update because you love the story.

Chapter Seventy-Four (16 yrs old)

Friday in June

He liked watching his wife –liked the way she moved, the smooth tone to her voice, the dance of a dimple on her right cheek when she smiled. He liked the brown chips in her green irises, the way they glinted and sparkled when she laughed –the way they melted into the black of her pupils when she was aroused.

Leaning against the archway dividing the kitchen and living room, he crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her rearranging their living room for tonight's family movie night. There were still a couple of hours before dinner time which meant all the kids were dispersed throughout the house or reservation –most of the time, neither adult knew where they were but there was no need to worry, both knowing there was always someone keeping an eye out on their cubs.

He smiled as she leaned over the long coffee table to rearrange the bowls and plates. She'd set out all of the kids' favorite snacks –buttered popcorn for the terrors, plain ruffles with a small bowl of ranch dressing to the side for Tyra, homemade Rice Krispy treats with mini chocolate candies for Zak and Xavier. There were also whole pickles for Emmie and a bowl of Doritos with a bottle of hot sauce to the side for Gabe.

As for Erick –that boy was a garbage disposal, able and willing to eat anything put before him, which was why Leah had set out a plate with frozen oranges, blueberries and grapes, in hopes he would eat something healthy tonight.

She really spoiled them –his smile spread into a grin when he caught sight of a plate of his favorite snicker doodle cookies. Yeah, she definitely spoiled them all.

Leah couldn't hold back a smile as she straightened up, taking one of the cookies from the plate as she turned to face her husband, "I could feel you ogling my ass but these distracted you, didn't they?"

Rick laughed, pushing away from the wall and moving towards her. Taking a bite out of the offered cookie, he wrapped his arms around her, slipping his hands into the back pockets of her jeans, "I wasn't ogling your ass."

"Oh, really," Leah caught the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched him take another bite of the cookie in her hand, his lips lightly brushing the tips of her fingers, "What would you call it, then?"

Taking the last bite of cookie, he sucked her fingers free of leftover cinnamon and sugar before letting them slip free, all the while staring into her brown-green eyes, "I would call it admiring the view…appreciating the way it fills out your jeans…delighting in the memories of it filling my hands –"

"Okay, okay," Leah laughed as she draped her arms over his shoulders, pressing a kiss against his smiling lips, "I get it…you like my ass."

"Ah, baby," Rick gave her bottom a playful squeeze as he nipped at her lips, "Like is an inadequate way to describe the way I feel about your ass. It's more like…worship your ass, cherish your ass, revere your ass, adore your –"

She cut him off with a kiss, their laughter morphing into a mutual groan of desire and approval as he pulled her up and into him, her hands sliding into his shaggy hair as she tilted her head for a tighter fit.

It felt good to hold her like this, to feel the heavy beating of her heart against his chest, her lower stomach soft and yielding to the hard proof of his need for her. She filled his arms perfectly, her scent flooding his senses as her taste got him intoxicated, want and desire climbing to a fevered pitch.

Slipping a hand out of the back pocket of her jeans, he slid it under her soft cotton top, the silk of her skin hot against his palm, his thumb playing a glissando over her ribs as his fingers ran up the curve of her spine, all the while keeping the destined goal of her full breast in mind.

"You have got to be kidding me."

And there it was –bucket o' cold water to their fire, otherwise known as their children.

"Seriously," Alyx stopped beside his brother, twisting the top off a bottle of juice he'd gotten from the fridge, "Don't you think it best to wait for Gabe to leave before making baby number nine?"

"There's nowhere to put baby number nine," Andrey pointed out, munching on a handful of popcorn he'd taken from the bowl on the kitchen table, "Unless they turn the laundry room into another bedroom."

"There's not going to be a baby number nine," Rick stated in hopes of derailing his sons' conversation but it didn't work as the two continued on as if he hadn't even spoken.

"That would be one small room," Alyx took a swig of his juice before lowering the bottle, "Not to mention unfair. He'd be the only one with his own room."

"That definitely wouldn't be fair," Andrey agreed, looking over his shoulder as the back door opened, Emmie walking in with an armful of books –no surprise there, "Unless it's a girl –then they can put her in with Emmie and Tyra."

"Put what in with me and Tyra," Emmie set her books on the counter beside the phone before joining her younger brothers in the living room, eyebrows rising over her blue rimmed glasses when Andrey answered, "Baby number nine."

"There's not going to be a baby number nine."

"Do you know the odds of it being a girl is like, one in three thousand," Alyx pointed out to his brother, moving further into the living room to collapse into one of the bean bag chairs near the end of the coffee table where the bowl of popcorn was, "So it would probably end up being a boy."

Emmie pushed her glasses up her nose as she let out an aggravated sigh, "The odds are not one in three thousand –they're fifty-fifty."

"How'd you figure that out," Andrey grabbed the other bean bag and dragged it across the living room rug before plopping it down beside his brother, the popcorn bowl immediately moved between them, "Doesn't a guy produce, like, thousands of sperm in one day? That would be, like, thousands of odds it would be a boy."

"Three hundred million, actually," Emmie grabbed a pickle, taking a napkin and wrapping it around the bottom half before moving to the armchair she usually monopolized during movie nights, "As for fifty-fifty odds –it's either a girl or it isn't. Simple as that."

"What's simple," Zak asked as he walked into the living room, his hair wet from showering after having spend all morning and most of the afternoon out in the ocean surfing.

"A fifty-fifty chance baby number nine might be a girl," Emmie answered as she toed off her sneakers, lifting her long legs and tucking them against her chest as she turned sideways in the comfortable plush armchair.

Rick was about ready to pull out his hair as he fell back into the middle of the sofa, Leah sitting down beside him, smiling as he automatically wrapped his arm around her back before tucking his fingers into the waistband of her jeans, thumb rubbing against her hip bone as he once again tried to get his children's attention, "There's no baby number nine."

"It may be so," Zak grabbed one of the Rice Krispy treats before sitting in the other armchair, looking over his shoulder along with everyone else when the front door opened, Gabe coming in with several boxes of pizza in his hands, Tyra following close behind, "But there is a higher probability baby number nine is a boy."

"Dad's sperm does seem to lean more towards the Y chromosome," Emmie wrinkled her nose as she nibbled on her pickle, Gabe looking over at them as he set the pizzas on the corner of the coffee table where mama had left space, "There's a baby number nine?"

"There is no baby number nine," Rick growled, Leah's giggles morphing into outright laughter –one thing she knew drove her husband crazy was being completely ignored which in their present state of theorizing, his children were very much doing so.

"Do you think it would be a boy or a girl," Alyx asked his older brother, sticking out his foot to trip Tyra but the deft little blonde easily saw it coming and jumped right over it as Gabe handed her a sturdy paper plate along with a napkin, placing a slice of pizza on it for her, "A boy, for sure, but where are we going to put him?"

The front door opened again, Xavier shouting out goodbyes to his two best friends before closing the door and running over the couch to climb up and snuggle into mama's side. He'd spent most of the day over at Uncle Seth's house, playing in the backyard along with Carlos and Willie, but being back home, he wanted to be close to mama because he'd missed her a whole awful lot.

He smiled up at her as she leaned down to kiss his forehead, turning his attention to his siblings' conversation despite not understanding what they were talking about.

"The laundry room would be horribly small," Emmie pointed out when Alyx mentioned it as an option for a bedroom, "Not to mention, it would need a window for fire safety reasons…and the size would completely violate safety codes."

"And we would have nowhere to do laundry," Andrey grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl, all of them turning in surprise as their father let out a frustrated shout before continuing on with his teacher voice.

"Listen up, all of you," Rick easily lifted Tyra into his lap when she came to him, her hands occupied in keeping her plate of pizza from tumbling to the floor, "There is no baby number nine, we're not turning the laundry room into a bedroom and it's not going to be a boy or a girl because there is no baby number nine. Understood?"

They all stared at him, the silence broken by a high pitched cry, letting them know the current baby of the family was awake from his late afternoon nap, which he always fought with everything he had but wasn't quite yet successful at not succumbing.

"I'll get him," Gabe handed the plate he'd been filling with pizza and Doritos over to Emmie, knowing she would be less likely to eat his food being she'd recently embarked on vegetarianism therefore his pepperoni and sausage pizza would be intact when he returned.

Emmie set the plate on the armrest, her nose wrinkling at the scent of cooked meat. Looking over at her father, she pushed her glasses up her nose before asking with a cheeky smile, "If there's no baby number nine, can we get a puppy?"

Tyra's head snapped up as she set her half eaten slice of pizza on her plate, "We can put puppy in the laundry room to sleep at night."

Emmie looked at their father as he let out a groan, giving him a big smile as she reminded him, "You did promise to get us a puppy –back before you and mama brought Avy home."

"He was the puppy," Alyx pointed out to his sister, laughing when Tyra scolded him, "Avy's our brother, not a puppy."

"Except on the full moon nights," Andrey and Alyx taunted in sing song voices perfectly pitched in harmony, "Skippy's definitely a puppy then."

Gabe returned to the living room, holding his three year old brother as he sniffled and hiccupped, welling tears causing his blue eyes to shine like diamonds, "You ready to watch a movie, Ricky?"

He let out a hiccup as he nodded, a squeal escaping him as soon as he caught sight of their mother, "Mama!"

Gabe made it across the living room just as the hefty little boy tossed himself forward, mama catching him before he crashed into her, "Hi baby. Did you have a good nap?"

He shook his head, blond hair falling across his forehead, momentarily obscuring his view of her before she brushed it aside, "I missed you much."

Kissing his forehead, she snuggled him into her side, pointing at the plate of fruit for Gabe to get for her, "Would you like some fruit to snack on?"

Nodding, he took a frozen slice of orange as soon as she had the plate, Xavier taking another one as Gabe asked the room in general, "Whose turn is it to pick the movie?"

"Mine," Tyra piped up, setting down the crust leftover from her pizza slice, her lips red and greasy with pizza sauce, "We're watching Mighty Ducks."

Gabe's approval was obvious in his smile as he pointed at her while getting his plate from his sister, "That's why you're my favorite littlest sister."

"Hey," Emmie gave him a playful kick as he moved to settle on the floor, "What about me?"

"I said littlest," Gabe looked at her as he leaned against the front of Emmie's armchair, "You're little, Tyra's littlest. Keep up, genius."

Emmie gave him a soft whack to the back of the head, Rick letting out a sigh as he got the control from the arm of the sofa and pointed it at the television, "Okay, movie's starting."

"Wait," Alyx gave his father a wide eyed look oozing of sincere curiosity, "You never said if we were going to get a puppy."

"Or baby number nine," Andrey joined in on the teasing, Zak chuckling as he munched on his pizza, looking over at their father as he let out a groan.

"No baby number nine," he reiterated, giving them the look, "And no puppy."

They all groaned playfully, Leah laughing as Rick pushed play on the movie, officially placing family movie night rule of no talking during the movie in effect.


12:05AM

He was feeling a little nervous, knowing more than likely his parents were still awake downstairs –he refused to think doing what –so he knew he was going to have to be very careful sneaking out of the bathroom window.

He'd stashed a sleeping bag in the tree house earlier, as well as checked on the rope attached to the ledge of the roof outside the second floor bathroom's window, the other end anchored to a branch resting against the left side of the tree house, to make sure it was secure enough to hold his weight. He had paid the terrors twenty dollars each to have them secure the rope beforehand, being they kept it hidden.

He would have just snuck downstairs and out the backdoor but being the stairs opened right outside his parents' room, and he really didn't want to hear anything with the potential to scar him for life, shimming across the rope and hoping his weight didn't pull it free from either side was his best bet.

Taking a deep breath as he balanced on the ledge of the wide open window, he reached up and grabbed the thick rope in both hands, breathing deep a few times before he lifted his lower body to wrap his legs around the stretched rope, quickly and steadily making his way across the wide expanse of their backyard towards the tree house.

He made it without any mishap, his heart rate settling into a normal pace once he had both feet on solid ground. Tossing the sleeping bag down to the ground, he easily swung himself down the knotted rope, the cushy grass muffling his landing.

Picking up the sleeping bag, he checked his front jeans' pocket once more, making sure the little square foiled packet was still there –he wasn't expecting anything but he preferred to be prepared for anything that might happen.

He was a little nervous –and a whole lot excited –as he made his way down the street and around the corner, his steps silent against the concrete sidewalk as he headed towards Vivi's place. He refused to think of it as his uncle's house, knowing full well he'd start feeling guilty about helping Vivi sneak out in the middle of the night.

He knew what was going on out in the woods, knew the pack –both his and Uncle Sam's –were hunting the elusive vampire who'd murdered Embry's mother and attacked his girl. Vivi didn't know he knew and because she didn't tell him, he didn't bring it up but in the back of his mind, it bothered him to know she was keeping secrets from him.

He wondered when it had started, her silence on matters important to her, that is. He knew about Juilliard, knew she hadn't sent out an application request from them. A part of him felt guilty at the thought she was doing it for him but another part of him pointed out the fact Vivi was old enough to make her own decisions –it wasn't his fault they coincided with his wishes.

He hadn't forced her to decide on staying closer to home –he'd just made it very clear it what his preferences were.

Two totally different things.

Once he reached the two bedroom house, he dropped the sleeping bag on the edge of the front yard, moving across the grass towards the trio of windows he knew to be Vivi's, picking up a couple of small round pebbles.

Taking a step back, he aimed at the dark rectangular window between the two oval ones, waiting a full thirty seconds before tossing a second one.

Another thirty seconds passed before the night's silence was interrupted by the soft swoosh of the window opening, Vivi poking her head out to grin down at him, her long red-gold hair in a braid swinging over her shoulder, "Are you going to catch me?"

He looked up at her, his grin cocky as he answered, "Of course."

Disappearing back into the darkness, ten seconds passed before she reappeared, feet first this time around.

Her heart was beating hard as she slowly shimmied out the window, long fingers gripping the edge of the window seat as she kept her toes against the surface of the house to keep her legs from flailing about and accidentally kicking the wall, thus waking up Tio Seth.

As soon as her arms were stretched out to the max, she felt Gabriel's large hands slide up her slim calves to grip her knees, his voice low as he called up to her, "Grab the window ledge, Vivi. I got you."

Keeping one hand on the edge of the window seat, she grabbed the ledge with the other, taking in a deep breath before letting go of the window seat to grab on to the window ledge, dropping another few feet, Gabriel's hands sliding up her knees to her thighs, the friction of his calloused hands against her bare thighs making her shiver as she hung from her open bedroom window.

"Let go, baby," Gabriel called up to her, wrapping his arms around her slim legs, "I've got you."

She took another deep breath before letting go, biting back a squeal as Gabriel took a step away from the side of the house. Over the years, she'd gotten used to being lifted, tossed and caught by a ballet partner but the pressure of not getting caught had her on edge, her lip firmly tucked between her teeth as Gabriel turned around, heading towards the sidewalk with her legs still firmly caged between his strong arms.

She couldn't hold back a giggle as he let her down, his arms easily controlling the speed of the descent as her back slid down against his front, goose bumps breaking out all along her arms and legs at the feel of all those hard muscles pressed against her soft curves.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she turned to face him, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing an exuberant kiss against his smiling lips.

Settling his hands around her small waist, he pulled her up on her toes, deepening the kiss as he held her closer, her soft breasts pressed against his hard chest, his desire for her obviously pressed against her lower abdomen.

Breaking the kiss before it got too intense –they were still in front of his uncle's house, clearly visible under a streetlight, no less –he gave her a teasing grin as he put some space between them, "Look at you, sneaking out of your house in the middle of the night. You're a naughty girl, Vivi."

She giggled softly, interlacing her fingers with his as he bend down to pick up the rolled sleeping bag he'd left on the edge of the yard, her gold-brown eyes dancing as she looked up at him, "I guess your influence is leading me down the wrong path."

Gabe laughed under his breath as they walked down the street, a slight breeze ruffling his dark hair, which he usually kept short except for the summer break, "My influence? This was your idea. If anything, you're the one leading me down the wrong path."

Vivi laughed at his teasing, gently swinging their arms as she looked up at him, "So where are we going?"

Gabe looked sideways at her, watching as the breeze played with her long bangs, shifting them against her forehead and her jaw, "You know how I go wolf on the full moon nights along with Dad and the boys?"

At Vivi's nod, he continued sharing his plans with her, "I thought you might like to see our campground –well, it's a campground when the girls and ma come along. When it's just us boys, its home base."

Vivi gave him a look of concern, "We're not going to run into any of the wolves, are we?"

Gabe lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "Uncle Sam's pack is doing patrols tonight but they know not to go near the campground –since there're two Alphas on the reservation, it's been divided between the packs. There's certain boundaries marked neither pack can cross or it'll cause a fight. Embry's patrolling our areas but I kind of…told him to skip home base."

"You told him we were going to be out there," Vivi gave him a look of shocked dismay, her nose wrinkling as he arched a brow at her along with explaining, "I sort of had too. If not, he would have come around and, well…who knows."

"He's Tio Seth's best friend," Vivi tugged at his hand as she stopped walking, her gold-brown eyes wide as she let out a frustrated sigh, "What if he told and Tio Seth comes looking for us?"

"He isn't going to tell."

"How do you know?"

Gabe worked hard at not rolling his eyes, wondering if she thought him stupid, "I had Emmie make him promise."

Vivi stared at him in surprise, the thought not having crossed her mind, "Oh."

Gabe gave her hand a tug to get her walking again, "I'm not dumb, you know."

Vivi's mouth dropped open for a few seconds before she gave his hand a squeeze, "I never said you were dumb."

"You implied it."

"I did not."

He laughed as he pulled her into his side, letting go of her hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, dropping a kiss on her nose, "Don't get all in a huff…I'm just teasing you, although there are times I think you think I'm dumb."

Vivi chuckled as she reached up to stroke her fingers over his hard jaw, "That's because you act dumb. Of course, I've been reassured it's because of hormones –then again, your mom did tell me all boys are dumb."

"My mama did not tell you that," Gabe moved his hand from her arm to her waist, slipping his fingers into the waistband of her low riding denim short shorts as she laughed at him, her own arm around his waist, thumb anchored to the back pocket of his jeans, "She did tell me that. I was five, if I recall."

Gabe shook his head as he let out a chuckle, leading her down the street, his own house one street over, "Well, then, mama wasn't talking about me 'cause my mama doesn't think I'm dumb."

Vivi laughed, deciding not to pursue the line of conversation, instead looking ahead at the dark woods they were approaching, "We're going to have to go in there?"

"Yep," Gabe kissed her temple before dropping his arm from her shoulders, taking her hand in his as they broke through the tree line, entering the dark forest, "Don't let go of my hand, okay?"

"Gabriel, it's dark in here," Vivi wasn't exactly sure why she was whispering but didn't raise her voice as she carefully stepped where he stepped, "Won't we get lost?"

"Nope," Gabe's confidence in his ability to get around the forest at night, without a flashlight, rang clear in his voice, "I can find my way around this forest blindfolded."

"Pretty much what we're doing," she muttered under her breath, jumping slightly as an owl somewhere let out a loud hoot, "Gabriel, we're not going to run into anything…dangerous, are we?"

"The campground is smack dab in the middle of the two territories…the only way to get there is to cross one of the two. Right now, we're on our half."

"Okay," she nibbled on her bottom lip as they walked down some path only Gabriel knew, although Vivi had no trouble seeing where she was going, her own eyesight just as good as his despite it being so dark.

After ten minutes of quiet hiking, they broke through the tree line into a wide open space beside a river, the stars sparkling bright overhead despite the lack of moon. Vivi let out a sigh of awe as she looked at the mercurial water rushing over stones and around boulders, a cool breeze causing the grass along the riverbank to dance.

"It's beautiful," she murmured as they moved closer to the edge of the river, its currents playing a song along with the breeze, the soft chirp of crickets and faint calls of birds supplying a harmony to the already playing melody, "What does it look like on full moon nights?"

"Black, gray and white," Gabe let go of her hand, unrolling then unzipping the bag to spread it open on the sandy ground, "The moon bleaches color out of everything."

Vivi nibbled on her bottom lip as she moved to the large black cottonwood tree growing by the riverbank, noticing a smooth ring around the base of the wide trunk, "What is this?"

Moving to where she crouched to get a closer look, he pointed at initials dug deep into the wood, "Those are my parents' initials –they came out here a couple of days or so before their wedding and carved them in."

She moved her finger over an odd sign at the end of the carved initials, thinking it looked a bit like a sideways eight being stretched, "What does this mean?"

Gabe grinned as he reached out and traced the opposite end of the sign, their fingers meeting in the middle, "It's the sign for infinity."

With fingers tangled, she moved their hands to initials above the first set, "Why did they carve in your initials?"

Watching her trace his initials with the tip of her finger caused an oddly pleasant shiver to run down his back, "They carved all of our initials. You know how Dad lost all of his family back in Greece, right?"

At her nod, he continued to explain the reason behind the carved initials of the Laskaris family, seeing how she'd already caught sight of Emmie's initials some inches to the right of his, "Well, mama promised Dad she would help him grow his family again so carving their initials into the bottom of the tree was her idea. She said it would become tradition –every time a new Laskaris joined the family, they would add to it –a visible sign of their growing family tree."

"Wow," she smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, chin resting on her shoulder as he pressed his smooth cheek to hers, "That's really romantic."

"Mama thought so," Gabe pointed out the spaces next to his initials, "She made sure to have enough space after each of us to include the initials of whoever we marry –yours will be right there."

Vivi blushed, a self-conscious giggle escaping her as he helped her straighten up, his arms dropping down to encircle her small waist, "So, eventually, this whole tree will be covered with initials?'

"That's the plan," Gabe nuzzled behind her ear, breathing in the smell of green apples and strawberry –two of his all-time favorite scents, "Emmie thinks its barbaric, though, because to carve in our initials, the bark has to be removed, which makes the tree vulnerable to diseases and stuff."

Vivi didn't know what to say in response being there was no use to do anything but agree with Emmie's observations so she simply leaned back into his arms, staring up at the winking stars, the silence comfortable between them.

As the comfortable silence stretched, it crossed the line into awkward, Vivi nibbling on her bottom lip as she wondered what to say to start up a conversation again, Gabe shifting slightly behind her as he wracked his brain for the same thing, the sound of the river giving him an idea.

"Wanna go swimming?"

Vivi's eyes widened as she tilted her head back to look up at him, his bright blue eyes causing her heart to skip a beat –or two, "Swimming? In the river?"

"Yeah," the more Gabe thought about it, the better it sounded, "See that area over there, where the boulder is?"

At her nod, he continued his explanation, "It's shallow for about ten feet either way and the currents aren't as strong."

Vivi nibbled at her bottom lip as she studied the area he'd pointed out, noticing how the water seemed much more placid than the rest of the wide river, "We didn't bring swimsuits."

Gabe laughed as he stepped away from her, reaching over his head to drag his t-shirt off.

"We don't need any."


"Are you sure we can be here?"

"It's fine," his smile grew as he looked up at her, his hands splayed widely against the soft skin of her waist, thumbs flirting with the edges of her bellybutton, "We know the people who owned the house –in fact, I lived here with Vivi and Tia Rosa before we moved in with Uncle Seth."

Betty nodded as she took a deep breath, looking around the dimly lit bedroom, thinking back on their arrival to the empty house in the middle of a wide expanse of nothing hidden among trees, dark looming mountains in the background, "It's kind of creepy –it's not haunted, is it?'

Marc's laugh morphed into a groan he swallowed back at the feel of her bottom rocking back into his groin, which just made the semi-hard on he was sporting a little harder to handle, "It's not haunted –it just hasn't been inhabited for a few years."

"I know," her smile and sparkling brown eyes let him know she was talking of the empty state of the house as well as his own state of attention, her thighs tensing slightly as she shifted her weight, rocking against him again, "I noticed all the dust on the furniture covers downstairs –this room's free of dust, though."

"That's because I came in earlier to clean the room –and put out the candles."

Her smile widened as she looked around the dim lighted bedroom, the flickering flames on the dozens of candles set around the flat surfaces in the room reflecting off the dark wall to wall, floor to ceiling windows of the corner bedroom on the third floor.

They had come here after an early movie in Port Angeles, both of them lying to their parental figures about where they were spending the night. He had thought of the one place where they could spend time alone –without worry of getting caught –would be here, in the Cullens' empty three story house.

So here they were, on the third floor corner room he'd requisitioned for himself when they'd moved to Forks thirteen years or so ago. He was lying on his back in the middle of the bed, wearing jeans and nothing else, while Betty straddled him, wearing jeans and a hot pink bra with teal lace covering the bottom half of the cups.

She looked back down into his dark eyes, sucking in a breath as his hands moved up her sides, his thumbs sliding back and forth against the sensitive skin under her breasts as he slipped his fingers under the back strap of her bra, "You're the sweetest guy ever."

He grinned as he pulled her down, moving his hands up her back to cup her shoulder, his thumbs pushing the straps to her bra over the gentle slopes, "Come down here and show me how sweet I am."

Her laugh vibrated against his chest and stomach as she stretched over him, her arms wrapping around his head as she slowly gave him an open, wet kiss, her tongue sliding over his bottom lip before slipping into his mouth and rubbing against his tongue.

He changed the angle of the kiss just a bit, sucking her tongue further into his mouth before he thrust his own into hers, the rough edge of her teeth scraping against the tender underside of it, causing his blood to rush hotter and thicker in his veins.

It was a slow kiss, wet and hot with blatant undertones of what it was leading too. Easily unsnapping her bra, he moved his hands down her curved back, gripping her round bottom and grinding her against him, their mutual groans of growing pleasure drowning in what seemed to be a never ending kiss.

They broke apart with a gasp, both panting in an effort to get air into burning lungs. Marc brought up his knees as he sat up, his hands moving to grasp her hips as she settled into the space between his legs, her bra slipping down to her elbows.

Moving into her space, he pressed his mouth against the fast beating pulse visible under the pale skin of her throat, his nose brushing soft skin as he breathed in the warm scent of her blood, arousal hitting him hard the way it always did when he was with her like this.

Tossing the bra aside, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her breasts flattening against his chest as she threw back her head, the feel of him hard against her center causing shivers to run up and down her back as she kept rocking against him.

Before temptation got too hard to resist, he pulled back, moving his hands to the front button and zip of her jeans, his eyes zeroing in on her swollen lips as she dropped her chin to look into his eyes, her own dark with rampant desire, face flushed with it.

"God, I love kissing you," he whispered before leaning in and sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, being careful the delicate flesh didn't touch the razor sharp edge of his teeth, "I love the way you look when I kiss you."

Betty smiled against his mouth as her bottom lip was captured again, running her hands through his dark hair, thinking how much like cool silk it felt between her fingers, "I love it when you kiss me…and when you touch me…it feels like you're setting me on fire."

He hummed as he let go of her bottom lip, thrusting his tongue into her mouth for a quick taste before breaking away, looking down at his fingers as they undid her jeans, a hand slipping into panties matching the exact shade of colors as the bra now lying on the floor beside the bed.

Marc groaned as he encountered hot, wet flesh –she was slick and swollen, the scent of her arousal thickening in the air as he pushed his hand deeper into the confined space, fingers slipping over the small bundle of nerves, rubbing a few slow circles around it before they moved a bit further to push into her, his thumb staying behind to continue teasing the little pulsing pearl.

A moan escaped her, her hips moving in tandem with his thrusting fingers. He couldn't help but watch her as he kept a slow and steady pace, the flush on her cheeks spreading down her chest. Cupping a breast with his free hand, he leaned in and licked a strawberry nipple before carefully sucking it into his mouth, Betty's fingers digging into the back of his neck.

He took his time with her but eventually, he had her completely naked and on her back as he slid his hands up her toned thighs to push them apart, eyes devouring the pink wet flesh on display for him, "You're so wet for me…I can smell you, you know? So fucking delicious…"

Betty let out a soft moan, hands fisting the crisp new sheets on the bed as she closed her eyes and arched her body, a soft plea falling from her swollen lips, "Marc, please…"

Begging for release had become a norm for her. She knew Marc was faithful but somehow, in a way she couldn't really comprehend since they were each other's firsts thus learning together, Marc seemed to get better at this whole sex thing by leaps and bounds.

While she was still trying to figure out how and where to touch him, what she could do to please him, he seemed to instinctively know what made her squirm, how far to push to get her to beg and even what to touch and stroke to get her screaming his name as her body succumbed to sweet release.

All thoughts fled from her head at the feel of his mouth on her, tongue licking like she was some sugary candy.

Marc was certain he could stay right where he was for the rest of the night, licking and sucking as his fingers dipped into her, seeking to bring out more of the nectar her body seemed to produce only for him. He couldn't feast on the one thing he most craved –her blood –so this was turning out to be a suitable substitute for him.

Betty let out a low keening moan as her back arched with the strength of her climax, Marc gorging himself on everything she had to offer before he moved over her, hands on either side of her head as he slid into her like a hot knife into butter.

She was certain her body was no longer capable of feeling anymore pleasure but the sensations of being stretched and filled by Marc rocked through her, eliciting a gasp of delight as he moved over her, hard and fast, her ankles locking against the small of his back in an effort to hang on.

Together, they strained towards a mutual goal for release, nails digging into hard muscle, arms shaking with the effort of keeping his weight off her but mostly to maintain a safe distance from the visibly throbbing pulse on her exposed neck.

He tried to focus his eyes on something else, like her breasts moving with every thrust he made but they kept going back to the fast beating tempo under the delicate skin of her throat, his mouth filled with venom and his body slick with sweat from fighting to retain control of his thirst while at the same time, seeking the oblivious pleasure of loosing himself in her.

I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster.

The litany kept time with the movement of his body over hers, his eyes no longer able to focus on anything other than the fluttering vein at the side of her throat. He could see the pale shade of blue, the slight bulge as the fast flowing blood, warm and sweet smelling, made its way from her brain to her heart.

His arms quivered with the effort at keeping his distance but as his gaze zeroed in on the visible pulse of the internal jugular to the left of the hyper extended throat, he didn't notice the lessening of space or the silence in his head as everything came into crystal clear focus.

Several things happened at once to break through his eerie concentration –his body gave, the tension gathered in the small of his back releasing as he exploded, emptying into her as she screamed out his name, the taste of blood flooding his mouth. Horror flooded through him as he scrambled off her completely, the lassitude that came along with a sexual release forgotten in that brief moment of all consuming fear.

Betty struggled into a sitting position, the wide eyed way he was staring at her, with obvious horror written all over his face, making her feel self conscious as she pulled her legs up, nothing else available to cover herself, "Marc, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, the buzzing in his ears almost drowning out her voice as he stared at her throat, completely devoid of blood but he could still taste it –it was still filling his mouth and as he worked hard at getting his breathing under control, he realized the coppery taste was familiar being it was his own.

"Are you okay?"

Her voice finally broke into his chaotic thoughts, his eyes snapping away from her throat as he swallowed the mouthful of blood, saliva and venom in his mouth before he was able to speak, "Yeah…yeah, I'm okay. I, uh…"

"You're bleeding," Betty pointed at the corner of his mouth, Marc's fingers shaking slightly as he reached up to wipe it away while he responded, "I bit my tongue."

Betty watched as he kept moving away from the bed, one step at a time, his eyes still looking slightly horrified as he looked from her face to her chest then back –at least, that's where she thought he was looking, "Marc –"

"I'm okay –it's okay," Marc shook his head as he kept making his way to the bedroom door, swallowing back another mouthful of blood, the venom causing his tongue to burn more than it normally would, "I'm, uh –I'll go to the bathroom. You get some sleep –I'll be back."

As soon as he got to the bathroom, he flipped the light switch, momentarily forgetting there was no electricity in a house unlived in for over ten years. Staring at his shadowed reflection in the dark mirror, he let out a harsh breath before leaning over the sink and spitting out another mouthful of blood, the dark streaks on the light colored porcelain seeming a perfect example of who he was –and who he was pretending to be.

He may not be a monster but it did not mean he didn't have the potential to become one –that moment of inattention, that slight moment when he'd actually believed he'd bitten her, was proof enough he was merely fooling himself, thinking he could actually be…normal.

But he wasn't –tonight proved it beyond any hopeful doubt. He wasn't normal, never would be and it wasn't right –it wasn't safe –for him to continue a relationship with Betty.

She was sweet, smart, beautiful with such a giving nature…she deserved better, deserved a man who could love her completely and totally without any fear of hurting her.

He wasn't that man –he wasn't ever going to be that man.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he worked at ignoring it, he wasn't normal.

No, instead of normal, he was…


"…so cold!"

Gabe laughed as he followed after Vivi, working hard at not looking at the pink underwear she was wearing, which had become nearly transparent after playing in the river with him.

"I'll warm you up."

Vivi shivered as she kept her arms wrapped around her upper body, her eyes moving quickly over his body before they locked on his face, attempting not to think over the way the wet fabric of his boxers clung to his lower body as she responded to his offer, "How can you warm me up when you've been in the same cold river as I have?"

"I didn't even feel how cold the river was," Gabe pulled her into a hug, her arms trapped between their torsos as she tucked her head under his chin, her shivering body soaking up the heat radiating from his bigger body, "You're warming up now, right?"

Vivi nodded, another shiver running down her back but this time, it had nothing to do with being cold, "How are you so hot? I can literally see the water evaporating from your skin."

Gabe gave a single shoulder shrug, rubbing a big hand up and down his back, his fingers occasionally getting caught on the elastic waistline of her underwear, his own body reacting to having her this close with very little between them, "Ma says it's just a matter of time before I phase."

"Are you scared?"

"Of phasing?"

Vivi nodded, her wet hair sticking to her neck and shoulders as well as his chest and arms, "It's a big change."

He shrugged again, leaning back against the oak tree by the river bank, "I've always know who I was…what I was. Not just because I phase on the full moon, like my dad, but because mama would tell me stories about the pack back when it first formed."

Vivi nodded, finally warm enough to pull her arms out from between them and wrap them around his narrow waist, inadvertently plastering her entire front to his, "It's still going to be strange and different from what you're used to."

"Yeah," Gabe tried to swallow the lump in his throat in an attempt to get rid of the huskiness as he felt every soft curve of her wet body suction onto his own, "We're all interested –and by we, I mean Emmie –on whether phasing like mama is going to impact the way I already phase. Most of the boys in Dad's pack phase only on full moon nights until they hit puberty, then they phase every night except on no moon nights. Up to now, I haven't phased on any other night but the full moon night. Emmie's been positing possible theories we won't be able to proof until –and if –I phase like mama."

"What kind of theories?"

Gabe was working hard at not being so obvious about what having Vivi so close –and practically naked –was doing to him, but he knew he wasn't successful, considering she more than likely felt him hard and prodding against her lower stomach and unless he moved his pelvis sideways, which would be a totally obvious move, he decided to continue the conversation as if it weren't taking place with them glued to each other with very little clothing.

"Whether I'll be able to control my full moon night phasing the way mama does her own. Whether I'll think differently being when I phase like Dad, I don't think with human logic yet mama says her pack –they still think as themselves."

Vivi loved it when Gabe talked –the tones of his deep voice vibrated in his chest, causing her nipples to pearl in a most gratifying way, which then caused this pleasant twinge down below. Almost like she was a tuning fork, vibrating with every high and low note his voice traversed.

It really was a beautiful voice, one she could feel from her fingertips down to her very toes.

She tilted her head back as he kept talking about Emmie's many theories concerning his phasing, his arms still around her while he kept her warm but he wasn't looking at her –well, he would glance at her, blush then look away then do it all over again, all the while talking like he was under orders to do so.

She studied his face, thinking how beautiful it was. His high forehead, straight nose, sharp cheekbones and defined jaw line were testament to his Native American heritage. Meanwhile, the color and shape of his eyes, his mouth with its almost pouty bottom lip, were reminiscent of Uncle Rick's features.

As she watched him talk, she thought to herself the reason behind suggesting they sneak out together. She recalled having regretted, back when she had the run in with the vampire, never having told him she loved him –with everything in her, she truly loved him.

Yet, as they stood there, so close to each other and in a state of undress, she couldn't get the words to come out. Not because she didn't feel them, never because of that, but because what she felt for him seemed so big, so consuming, it scared her to think what it would do to her if she said them out loud and he didn't say them back.

Yeah, he talked of them getting married and such, but even then, he'd never once said he loved her –just simply that she was his, always said with a certainty echoing the same declaration as when he'd been five.

So here she was now, in a point in her life where a choice, wrong or right, would change her entire life.

Was she ready for this? If she couldn't say she loved him, was she ready to show him?

As she continued watching his mouth move, forming word after word and stringing them into a sentence, she thought over those two questions, thought of the ramifications behind whatever choice she would make.

Was she ready?

As he looked down at her, she made a decision, her small hands reaching up to pull his head down for a kiss.

Yes –she was ready.