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

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

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

AN: I actually finished it! I thought this would be the chapter to stump the hell out of me but I got it done at five in the morning! It's been a crazy couple of months, what with two jobs and a side business. I recently spent a week in Louisiana for a gathering of 25,000 teenagers and am now getting ready for skills fairs and newsletters. Despite all that, this story is still evolving and growing in my head -to say the landscape of what it had been when I first started to what it is now and what I see in the future is extremely different is to be Captain Obvious.

Please, enjoy as you read and know that I derive inspiration, joy, and happiness from your reviews! The more I get, the more inspiration I find!

Chapter Eighty-Three (16 yrs old)

April 18th, Saturday

"Hand me the three quarter wrench."

"This one?"

Chuckling, he looked over at the tool box, "No, the one to the left of that one."

Rolling her eyes at him, she took the one he referred to, ducking her head under the open hood of the red Mazda Miata as she handed it to him, "No need to sound amused."

"Sorry," Gabe chuckled as he tightened the bolts holding the carburetor in place, looking sideways at Megan, "I've never had a girl help me with this before so it's kind of funny to have to correct you."

"Vivi didn't help you?" Megan leaned her elbows against the side of the car, watching intently as he worked.

"She didn't like getting dirty," Gabe's tone of voice let her know he didn't want her pursuing the topic. Giving the bold one last twist and making sure the carburetor was in place, he moved away from the car, grinning as Megan straightened up, "You got grease on your nose."

"What," Megan rubbed her nose, wrinkling it as Gabe laughed, "I'm just making it worse, aren't I?"

Gabe nodded, grabbing a clean rag from the cupboard where they were kept and moving to stand before her, "Tilt your head back."

He rubbed her nose until it was pink and clean, ice blue eyes staring into blue-green ones the entire time. Giving her a smile, he moved back, wiping his hands on the rag as he headed towards the mini-fridge kept under his workbench, "Want something to drink?"

"Sure," the word came out in a squeak. Clearing her throat, she leaned against the side of the car and crossed her ankles, "You have water in there?"

"Yep," Gabe grabbed two bottles of water, handing her one before leaning against the workbench as he cracked his bottle open, "You heard from USC?"

"Yeah," Megan took a swallow, taking in a deep breath as a salty breeze moved through the open bay of the garage, "I got in."

"Congratulations."

Megan shrugged, keeping her eyes on the toes of her Converse sneakers, "Thanks –I'm only going to get away from my parents."

"You don't want to go to college," Gabe asked as he studied her downcast features, catching a glimpse of sadness he'd seen many times since they'd started 'dating' but had never pursued, "You have plans for your future, right? A career and such?"

She shrugged again as she fiddled with the bottle's cap, "I've never been all that good at school –my grades are barely good enough to keep me in the cheer team. Really, if it wasn't for cheerleading, I wouldn't even bother with school."

Gabe's face showed the surprise at what she'd said. Taking a swig of water, he swallowed before speaking again, "You've never wanted to be a teacher or doctor or something like that growing up?"

Megan shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest as her green eyes swept over the open bay of the garage to settle on the view outside, "Not really. I just…my plan is to stay in college long enough to find a guy I can marry that will take care of me."

Shaking his head, he finished his water then tossed the bottle into the recycling bin, "You know, shelters are filled with women who were taken care of by men. You need to learn to look after yourself, Meg –most guys out there are losers who'll let you down."

"Yeah," Megan's smirk had an edge to it as she pushed away from the sports car, walking over to the recycling bin to toss her empty bottle, "I know."

"Know how to change the oil in your car?"

Megan looked over at Gabe, eyebrows –a shade darker than her honey blond hair –dipping as she shook her head, "No, I don't."

"Come on, I'll teach you," Gabe grabbed the drip pan from one of the shelves, pushing the two person creeper with his foot towards the Miata as he looked over at Megan with a narrow-eyed look, "You're not going to get whiny if you break a nail, are you?"

She chuckled as she looked down at her hands, "Nah –it'll just give me an excuse to get a manicure."

Chuckling, he gestured towards the creeper, "You can take the side to my left, that way I won't elbow you in the face when I loosen the plug."

Wrinkling her nose, she stepped over the red plastic creeper, looking up as Alyx and Andrey skidded their bikes to halt just outside the opened garage bay, their dimpled grins directed her way as they called out in a simultaneous greeting, "Hi Meg!"

Chuckling, she waved at the twins, no doubt in her mind the eleven year old boys already had girls sighing over them –they were both downright dangerous with those dimpled smiles, dark hair falling over their foreheads, and twinkling ice blue eyes promising fun and trouble at the same time.

"What are you two doing here," Gabe grabbed his socket wrench, dropping the drip pan beside the creeper.

"We wanted to check out the Miata," Alyx shook his hair out of his eyes, the salty breeze blowing it right back, "Uncle Sam said you were putting a new carburetor in."

"Already did," Gabe stuck the wrench into the back pocket of his jeans, "We're going to change the oil now. Want to help?"

Alyx and Andrey looked at each other before looking back at him, Andrey speaking for both of them this time around, "Nah. We're meeting some friends from school to race our bikes."

"Not in the woods."

They rolled their eyes, Meg chuckling at the way they did it at the same exact time –it amazed her how their mannerisms and facial expressions were always right on, almost like they were two different bodies with one brain.

"Mama and Dad already told us," Alyx glanced over at Megan, giving her another one of those dimpled grins that would someday stop a girl's heart from beating. For now, it was just downright adorable.

"Yeah, but when it comes to you two, rules need to be said more than once," Gabe gave them a look they both correctly interpreted as the Alpha/Big Brother look. Despite being an Alpha, his commands weren't compulsory because he wasn't their Alpha, but there was still a matter of respect, something Dad –who was their Alpha –kept harping on. Since there were two Alphas on La Push land, they had to show due respect to both, no matter the fact they were only required to follow and obey one of them.

"Fine," Andrey let out a deep sigh, running his fingers through his shaggy hair as he placed a foot on one of the bike's foot pedals, Alyx doing the same, "We won't race in the woods. Let's go, Al."

"Right," Alyx rolled his bike around Andrey, both boys taking off at the same time as they yelled over their shoulders, "Bye Meg!"

She waved at them, laughing as they disappeared around the corner, green eyes twinkling as she looked over at Gabe, "Your little brothers are cute."

Gabe rolled his eyes, having heard that particular line ever since the twins were born, "Yeah, the terrors tend to have that effect on the female population."

"The terrors?"

"That's what they're called around these parts," Gabe sat at the edge of the creeper, holding out a hand to help steady Megan as she sat on her side, "Those two have a crush on you, by the way."

"No, they don't."

"Yeah," Gabe laughed as he pushed the creeper under the Miata once they were flat on their backs, "They do. Not at all surprising –them crushing on the same girl, that is."

"Why is that?"

"They share everything," Gabe reached for the socket wrench from his back pocket, having to shift to the side to be able to pull it out, "When they were little, Grandma Sue gave them each a stuffed rabbit. However, they dragged around one rabbit by the ears between them and completely ignored the other. Ma still has it, looking brand new on one of the shelves in their room. I think in another year or two, they'll find some hidey-hole for it."

Chuckling, she watched as he wrestled with some bolt, his bicep bulging with the effort, "You think they'll have the same taste in girls?"

"Probably," Gabe grunted as he pushed at the wrench, mentally cussing out the Miata's owner at his stupidity when it came to his car's maintenance, "The question is, whether this time around, they'll fight over the same girl or end up sharing her as well."

"Gabe!"

Laughing at the elbow she jabbed into his ribs, Gabe let out a curse as the bolt gave without warning, "Oh shit! I forgot the fucking drip pan!"

"Gabe!" Megan squealed as the viscous fluid splattered them both, her attempt to roll away foiled by the tire, "Oh my god! It's in my hair!"

Laughter bounced around the garage bay, Megan letting out another squeal as Gabe reached across his chest to smear motor oil on her cheek, laughing when she slapped his oil-covered chest then proceeded to leave her hand print right in the middle of his face, the smell of the used oil crowding his nostrils and making him sneeze repeatedly.

Megan's chuckles turned into belly hurting laughter as Gabe shoved them out from under the Miata, both of them sitting up and looking over at each other. The sight of their dark oily faces, hair, and shirts had them laughing again.

Leaning against the car's bumper, Gabe pulled at the rag he'd stuffed into one of his back pockets, reaching across to wipe at the oil he'd smeared on her face, laughing as it simply spread over her cheek and jaw, "You look like a grease monkey."

Pushing his hand away, she choked back a laugh as she tried to glare at him without success, "Definitely what I don't want to hear from my 'boyfriend'."

Gabe chuckled, leaned forward to rest his forearms on drawn up knees, wiping his hands as best he could, "Looks kind of sexy on you."

"Shut up."

They sat there in silence, both of them comfortable in each other's presence. They'd been spending a good amount of time together for the last couple of weeks, going on the occasional 'date' to keep up the appearance of their supposed relationship but mostly, they just hung out around La Push or the garage when not in school. Megan liked watching Gabe as he worked on his motorcycle or some other car. Occasionally, like today, she was more than willing to help.

"You do know there's a growing puddle of oil under the car, right?"

Gabe turned and twisted to look under the car, cussing under his breath as he shoved the drip pan under the steady stream of engine oil, picking up the bolt and tossing it in the pan where he'd be able to find it later.

"I need to get home," Megan pushed herself up into a standing position, grinning down at Gabe as he tilted his head back, "You look like that guy from 'Castaway" –you know, the one who talked to the volleyball."

"If I recall," Gabe leaned back against the bumper, his head resting on the curved hood of the low riding car, "The volleyball is the one with the hand print for a face."

"And its name was Wilson," Megan laughed as she wiped her hands on her denim shorts, "Now, before I go –how do I get this crap out of my hair?"

Gabe grimaced as he gave her a shrug, trying not to laugh at the streaks of motor oil in Megan's usually shiny honey blond hair, "Beats the hell out of me."

Rolling her eyes, she gave his foot a light kick before turning away, "I'll google it and let you know –that way, you don't end up shaving your head. I'm pretty sure your hotness level would drop drastically without hair."

Gabe laughed as he reached up to encounter streaks of oil in his own hair, "No doubt about that. Hey."

Megan stopped just outside the garage opening, looking over her shoulder at him, "Yeah?"

"What are you doing next Friday?"

She couldn't help the surprise as she turned to stroll back to where he sat, "Why? Are you asking me out on a date? 'Cause I'm usually the one who does that."

Gabe smirked as he leaned forward to rest his forearms on his drawn up knees, "Ma wants to meet you –she told me to invite you over for dinner."

"Why?"

Gabe shrugged as he looked out towards the street parallel to the opened garage bay, "She wants to meet the girl who, according to her, got me smiling again."

Biting her lip to keep from responding, she watched his face get that strained look he always got whenever he thought of her. She'd learned fast he didn't like talking about her. He'd never once said her name out loud and he always got that strained look, as if it hurt, whenever she brought her up in conversation or something got him thinking of her.

She'd made it her personal mission to banish the pain attached to his memories of her, "I bet mealtimes are crazy at your house."

"Dinner is a circus," Gabe turned blue eyes back to Megan's face, his lips quirking in an attempt to keep from laughing at the smears of grease across her nose, cheek and forehead, "We eat breakfast in two shifts and everyone fends for themselves for lunch. Dinner, however, is sacrosanct, and Mama expects all of us at the table by six."

She reached forward with her foot, stepping on the toe of his Converse sneaker as she slid her hands into the back pockets of her shorts, "Are you saying you'd already eaten when you took me to that late dinner last week?"

"Yep," Gabe couldn't help chuckling at the wide-eyed look she gave him, knowing she recalled the amount of food he'd had during their dinner 'date' last week, "Ma says we all have hollow legs, and that includes Emmie and Ty."

"Your sisters eat like they've got bottomless pits for stomachs?" Megan's eyes couldn't possibly get wider as she thought of his younger sister, a junior at Forks and one of the slimmest girls in the cross-country team.

"Definitely," Gabe lifted his foot, laughing as she lost her balance at the unexpected move, reaching out to keep her from falling by placing his hands at her waist, "So you're coming to dinner or not? Ma needs to know so she can use the week to whip us all into 'company' shape."

Giggling, she leaned forward, placing her hands on his wide shoulders as she pressed a kiss on a clean patch of skin on his forehead, "Yes. And I love the way you keep saying 'Ma.' It tells me you're a dedicated mama's boy."

"Damn right I am," Gabe's smile spread into a grin as she straightened up, dropping his hands to dangle between his knees, "We all are, and we're not ashamed of it."

"You shouldn't be," taking a step back, she gave his foot a soft kick, "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Nodding, he watched her go, the smile on his face staying long after she disappeared around the corner and he heard the rumbling noise of her car before it faded as she headed towards Forks.

It had surprised him when he'd realized at the end of their first 'date,' he actually enjoyed the time spent with her. She was funny and smart and not at all as self-absorbed as she portrayed to being at school. It was still a bit of a puzzle to him why she worked so hard to come off as shallow and selfish when he was quickly seeing a whole other side of her that was as far removed from the image she cultivated.

It was a side he liked very much, and he found himself actually looking forward to seeing her outside of school, away from their classmates. With time, he hoped she would trust him enough to tell him why she kept herself separate from others by pretending to be something she was not.

It was strange to him how easy it was to be around Megan –there was no undercurrent of tension as there had been with…he recalled how he'd thought of it as excitement and attraction but he felt those feelings with Megan, but they didn't have the sharp cutting edges that always dug into his consciousness when he'd been with…

Shaking his head, he reminded himself it was done and over with. She'd made her choice and although it still hurt, the pain was slowly bleeding out of him –almost like lancing an infected wound.

He just hoped once it was all out of his system, it didn't leave behind a visible scar.


Two Days Later
San Francisco, CA

She carefully folded the omelet over, watching as the cheese melted and oozed out of the sides, bubbling as it touched the heated surface of the Teflon pan. She had no intention of eating it –her appetite for food was practically non-existent, and had been since the night she'd tasted blood for the first time ever. No, she wasn't making breakfast for herself but simply for the routine and balance it brought to her chaotic thoughts.

The quiet latch of a door had her looking up, her face impassive as the girl slowly made her way down the hall, shoes in hand, her clothes wrinkled from spending the night on the floor, and blond hair a mess.

Of course she'd be a blond…the fifth one this month.

"Oh."

She watched the china-doll face go pale then flush, swallowing back a sudden mouthful of saliva as the scent of blood just below the surface of delicate skin slowly perfumed the air.

"I was just…" she bit her bottom lip, letting out a sigh as she looked over her shoulder then back at the odd colored eyes –neither brown nor gold but a mixture of both –staring at her in the oddest way, "He's asleep. I thought I'd go…you know…before he wakes up."

She didn't say anything, simply slid the omelet into the Tupperware container on the counter, snapping the lid in place before holding it out to the latest in a string of one-night stands.

Blushing, she took the container before rushing out of the apartment, the front door closing quietly behind her as she swore to herself she'd never do this again –and especially not with this guy. Yes, the all-night sex marathon had been amazing but that girl, his sister if he was to be believed, was downright frightening.

Back inside the apartment, Vivi methodically cleaned the pan, drying it before setting it back on the stove top and turning to the refrigerator. It was interesting, Marc's latest attempt in handling the emotions she kept shoving at him. It seemed he'd moved from using late nights and alcohol to numb the bloody mess that was his heart to meaningless sex with faceless girls who had no interest beyond a night of pleasure.

All blond, of course. He was still torn up on how things ended with Betty…she made sure it stayed that way. She had warned him, after all. Betty hadn't been the one for him but he insisted on loving her…and now Vivi made sure he suffered for it.

Slicing onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms, she proceeded to make another omelet, deciding to use provolone cheese instead of mozzarella this time around. She was tilting the pan to the side as she lifted the edges of the omelet to let the raw egg on top slip under the cooked egg when Marc walked into the living room, which was visible from where she stood behind the stove.

His hair was wet and he was tucking a black button down shirt into dark denim jeans, black boots already on, "I have a meeting with the publisher."

She didn't respond, simply continued her methodical movements as she folded the omelet in half.

Closing his eyes briefly, he let out a heavy breath, wondering why the hell he even kept trying to communicate with her –she'd gone mute on him for months now and only spoke when he commanded her to do so.

It wasn't the silent treatment, though, slowly tearing him to shreds from the inside out –no, his sister's discovery regarding her abilities when it came to emotions was what may kill him one day. Perhaps he deserved it, after all, he'd taken away her ability to make major decisions for herself, but it had never crossed his mind to think his sweet and innocent sister could turn out to be so coldly and calculatingly vindictive. She was using him as a guinea pig as she discovered this side of herself and it wasn't a pleasant experience for him.

He could make it all end, just let her go, but if he did so, then there would be a whole lot more people than himself exposed to what she could do –and no one else but him deserved it. So he dealt with as much emotional pain as he could before he found escape –whether it was getting away from her, alcohol, or his latest attempt of meaningless sex.

Grabbing his car keys as he slid his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans, he rounded the kitchen bar on his way to the front door, "I'll be back…whenever."

Sliding the omelet onto a plate, she didn't bother looking up as the front door closed behind him, gold-brown eyes flat as they lifted to look out of the balcony doors across the living room, dispassionately studying the wisps of white clouds drifting across the pale blue sky.

It wasn't enough –whatever it is she could do, she wasn't doing enough of it. Marc was turning out to be emotionally stronger than she expected, and she didn't have the years of practice he did with his ability, but one thing she knew.

She wasn't going to stop until he either let her go or she destroyed him.


He watched her with avid curiosity, hazel eyes moving over her round little face. She was funny looking to him, with the little caterpillars and a gum drop right in the middle of her face. Daddy said Sissy looked just like Mami, but to Harry, she looked like Jillie's baby doll. He didn't like playing with baby dolls but he wanted to play with Sissy but she was sleeping –she did that a lot.

"Hey, Bub," Harry looked over his shoulder at Daddy as he moved around the bed to where they kept Sissy's crib, "What are you doing?"

"I play with Sissy," Harry let go of the crib's bars, reaching between them to touch a little hand, watching in fascination as little fingers closed into a fist then slowly relaxed as Daddy crouched down beside him, his hand big and hot against his small back, "Sissy's sleeping, little man. You can play with her when she wakes up."

Wrinkling his nose, he stepped away from the crib, looking up at Daddy's face, "She sleeps lots."

Harry giggled as Daddy lifted him up high, swinging him around before sitting on the bed and settling him on his lap, "Babies need to sleep a lot so they can grow. You know, when you were a baby, you slept a lot too."

"Na-ah," Harry stretched out his legs, resting his sneakered feet on Daddy's opposite knee.

"Ya-ah," Daddy tickled his tummy, Harry giggling as he tried to wiggle free, "You slept for hours and hours and when Mami and I went to sleep, you would wake up and want to play."

"Na-ah."

"Ya-ah."

He giggled, squirming as Daddy tickled him again. It was Harry's favorite game with Daddy and the best part was when he managed to get away. Twisting off Daddy's lap, his light-up sneakers hit the floor at a run, giggling as he ran down the hallway and into the kitchen where Mami was making lunch.

Seth shook his head with a chuckle, standing up and moving towards the crib where he found his baby girl wide-eyed and gurgling, "Looks like Daddy's princess is awake. Can you give Daddy a smile?"

Shari Sue waved her arms and kicked her legs, letting out a happy squeal as he lifted her out of the crib. For a four month old, she was small enough to still fit into newborn clothes and was currently wearing a yellow sleeper with pink and purple flowers printed on the soft fabric. Seth grinned as he lifted her up over his head, lowering her to buzz her chubby cheeks, eliciting another happy squeal from her, "That's my baby girl. Are you happy to see Daddy? I missed you while you slept, Shari Sue. Did you miss me?"

Lowering her to rest against his chest, he grinned as she pushed back, holding her head all on her own as she studied his face for a few seconds before giving him a toothless smile, hazel eyes twinkling.

Running his hand over the dark silky hair covering her tiny head, he pressed a kiss against her forehead, laughing when she let out a rather ungirly toot, the accompanying smell letting him know she'd just done her business, and apparently, it was his turn to clean it up, "I thought you and I had an agreement, Princess. You're supposed to save all the dirty diapers for your mama, remember?"

Shari Sue wiggled as soon as he set her on the changing table, pushing a little fist into her mouth as she stared up at him while he undid her sleeper and changed her diaper, a gurgling laugh escaping her when he blew a raspberry against her round tummy.

"Alright, baby girl," Seth snapped the last small clasp to the bottom of the sleeper, picking her up to snuggle her against his broad chest, "I think it's time to see your mama. You're sure going to town on that little hand, so I'm thinking you're hungry."

She gave another gurgling laugh as he buzzed her sweet-smelling neck, her little hand patting his face as he made his way out of the back bedroom and down the hall, finding Rose in the kitchen with Harry on her hip as she stirred a pot of sauce, "Look who's awake."

"Sissy!"

The four month old smiled as she reached out to her brother; Seth took over the stirring of the sauce as soon as their baby girl was transferred to Rose's other hip, Harry laughing as his baby sister reached out to pat his face, "Looks like she's up to playing, Bub."

"I read to Sissy."

"You want to read to Shari Sue," Rose asked as she pressed a kiss on her daughter's forehead, smiling as Harry leaned forward to kiss the little girl in the same place before he looked up to answer, "Ya-ah."

Seth laughed as Rose headed towards the living room, calling out to her before she made it out of the kitchen, "Rose."

Looking over at him, she smiled as he beckoned her to come back to him with his finger, his other hand occupied in stirring the sauce, "Yes?"

Wrapping his free arm around her trim waist, he pulled all three into his space, leaning down to softly kiss her smiling lips before gazing into the hazel eyes all three of his children had inherited, "Te amo."

Grinning, she rose to her toes to return his kiss, giving his bottom lip a teasing nip before she pulled back, "Yo tambien te amo."


Wednesday, April 22nd
Forks High School

It was a cacophony of noise in the boys' locker room as the differing varsity teams cleaned up from their respective practices. The steam from the back showers carried the varied scents of soap to the front, where the lockers were situated.

Rubbing the towel over his short hair once more, Gabe tossed it towards the laundry basket where the used towels went before pulling out his dark blue t-shirt from his gym bag and pulling it over his head, already wearing his washed out jeans and sneakers.

"Yo Gabe!"

Pulling the shirt down over his broad chest, he looked over at Hanson, one of the hockey players, "What?"

"You dating Megan Hausler?"

Gabe tried not to laugh at the guy's inability to use complete sentences, something his genius sister Emmie found beyond annoying, "Yeah, I am. What of it?"

Hanson tossed his hockey gear on the floor several lockers away from Gabe's, the t-shirt he wore under the pads and jersey wet with sweat, having just completed his own practice time, "She's a hot piece of ass, ain't she?"

Gabe's hand froze on the aluminum door to his locker, his blue eyes icing over as he zeroed in on the loud-mouthed jackass, "Excuse me?"

"Heard from Josh she gave it up on the first date," Hanson gave Gabe a grin as the rest of the hockey team started to slowly filter into the locker room, majority of the baseball team already gone, since their practice ended first, and about half of the football team still hanging around –their practice time ended after the baseball team's but before the hockey team.

Hanson elbowed Gabe on the side as he looked over at one of his hockey teammates, "Bet she looks hotter on her back with legs spread."

"Shut up."

Hanson looked over at Gabe, the command in his voice effectively cutting through the boys' laughter, "Don't be such a prude. Josh told us about her liking it rough. You give it to her rough, Gabe?"

"Shut your fucking mouth," the click of the locker door closing seemed so much more ominous than if he'd slammed it shut, his face set into hard lines as he glared at Hanson and his laughing teammates, "Unless you want me to shut it for you."

Hanson squared his shoulders, the smirk on his face pissing off Gabe even more, "Megan's a slut and everyone knows it."

Gabe didn't give the big-mouthed jerk any time to dodge, grabbing fistfuls of his t-shirt and slamming him up against the lockers, the sound of his head banging against the metal echoing in the enclosed locker room, "I told you to shut your big mouth."

"Hey! Gabe!" Trevor, the football team's runner back, tried to pull him off Hanson without much success, "Relax, man. He's an ass –not worth getting suspended from the field."

"Yeah, dude," Patrick, one of their cornerbacks, moved to Gabe's other side, noticing Hanson's face changing colors at an alarming rate, "We have a game this weekend. Just let it go."

Letting up the pressure on Hanson's throat, Gabe leaned in close enough to make sure the idiot took his threat seriously, "Next time you mouth off about my girl, I'm going to make you eat your words."

Dropping him like a sack of trash, Gabe turned away, grabbing his gym bag from the bench as he headed towards the door. However, Hanson proved to all his mouth was bigger than his brain. Unfortunately for the hockey player, Gabe proved his fist was even bigger than the jerk's mouth.

An hour after school let out and Gabe was still sitting outside the principal's office where the coach, along with both his parents, were currently discussing whatever punishment was coming his way.

It would have ended with the one punch, considering Gabe had easily knocked out two of Hanson's teeth, but one thing he hadn't counted on was the entire hockey team's willingness to get involved. Before anyone knew exactly what was happening, an all-out brawl broke out right there in the boys' locker room between the football and hockey team players. It had taken three coaches, plus four male teachers, to finally get some order but none of them were able to get an answer to the question of who had thrown the first punch. After all, despite being pissed over his missing teeth, Hanson was no rat and neither were the boys in either team, so they'd been marched over to the principal's office, one by one, and parents brought in.

Leaning back, Gabe let his head rest against the wall, closing his eyes as he slowly worked his bruised jaw from side to side. Someone, he wasn't entirely sure who, had hit him hard upside the face, splitting his bottom lip and dislocating his jaw. Of course, he'd been able to pop it back into place but it was still sore and somewhat swollen.

"Hey."

Opening his eyes, he smiled tiredly as Megan sat next to him, blond hair pulled up into a high ponytail, still looking fresh in her tank top and short gym shorts despite having just finished cheerleading practice, "Hey. How was your day?"

Smiling softly at him, she reached out to gently touch his swollen jaw, wincing when he did, "Better than yours, I hear."

"The grapevine at work, again," Gabe closed his eyes, liking the way her soft fingers felt cool against his hot skin, "Who told you?"

"Marianne. She's dating one of the hockey players," dropping her hand from his face, she took his left hand in both of hers, noticing how his knuckles were red and swollen, "Why did you do it, Gabe?"

Instead of answering, he opened his eyes to look at her as he asked a question of his own, "You dated Josh Greer, right?"

"Yeah," she kept her eyes on his hand in hers, gently smoothing her thumb over his bruised knuckles, "For seven months last year. Whatever Hanson said, I know Josh never said any of it."

"Why would Hanson say all that shit about you, then?"

Letting out a sigh, Megan tried to let go of his hand but he grasped her fingers, this time holding her hands in his. Shifting in the uncomfortable plastic seat, she looked up at him before taking a deep breath, "Josh and I broke up July of last year because he was heading off to college in Florida. About two months ago, Hanson asked me out on a date and I said yes. He took me to dinner and we went to see a movie afterwards. We started making out in the theater, no big deal, when he started getting handsy.

"I had to pull his hand out from under my skirt three times before I finally told him we should just watch the movie. He drove me home after the movie, parked in my driveway and pulled me in for a kiss before I could get out of the car. It didn't take long for his hands to start going places they shouldn't, and before I knew it, he was trying to get me to climb into the backseat with him. I told him no, I had to get inside before my dad came out, and that's when he got really nasty. Told me I owed him and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. During the struggle, I unintentionally kneed him hard enough for him to let go. I grabbed my purse and got out of his car, made it to my front door before I heard him come after me."

Reaching out to tip her face up, he wiped the tears slowly rolling down her face with his fingers, staring into her blue-green eyes as he quietly asked, "Did he rape you, Meg?"

Even though his voice was steady, and the tone soft, there was rage behind the words, his body tight with anger at the thought some asshole would hurt a girl, any girl, in such a monstrous way.

Shaking her head, Megan gave him a shaky smile, "No. I made it inside in time to shut the door in his face. After that night, I know he started spreading rumors about me…it's actually one of the reasons why I approached you with this whole fake relationship thing."

"I thought you said you wanted to elevate your popularity status."

Chuckling, she leaned her head against his shoulder, liking the way it felt when he let go of her hands to put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him, "That was just a bonus. I thought there would be no way he would mess with me if I'm with you –you're twice his size!"

"Goes to show how some guys just don't have the brains God gives a weasel," Gabe let out a sigh as he slid further down the chair into a slouched position, Megan's blond head fitting neatly under his chin, "He won't be mouthing off about you anymore, I can assure you that."

"You know, if you're going to be defending my honor with your fists," she tilted her head back to give him a teasing smile, "Maybe we should turn this fake relationship into the real thing."

Letting out a soft chuckle, he gently placed a kiss on her forehead, pulling her in for a hug as he quietly whispered, "Maybe we should."