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 apologize -please don't hate me. Let's just say, keep the tissues handy. And please be kind in your reviews. I swear I tried not to let it happen but I don't rule the story, I just write it as it's told to me.

Chapter Ninety (17 yrs old)

"What is the nature of your relationship with Miss Hausler?"

Gabe sat in an uncomfortable metal chair, arms crossed over his broad chest as he stared at the two agents sitting across the table from him, "She's my girlfriend."

Agent Pace leaned forward, speaking for the first time, "When was the last time you saw Miss Hausler?"

"Monday."

Letting out a long sigh, Pace clasped his hands on the table, his gray eyes locked on Gabe, "What time Monday?"

Keeping his eyes on the agent, he kept his anger under control, his words coming out in a flat tone, "We spent the weekend in California for her college orientation. We arrived at Forks sometime before eleven in the morning. I left her house sometime between five and five thirty."

Agent Fields stood up, removing his suit jacket and draping it over the back of the chair before he moved to Gabe's left side, leaning his hip against the metal table, his hands relaxed on his lap, "Are you and Miss Hausler sexually active?"

"She's my girlfriend," Gabe's words came out tight, a tick on the left side of his jaw the only outward sign of the anger and frustration he was dealing with, "So yeah, we are sexually active."

Fields snapped his fingers, taking the evidence bag Pace handed to him, holding it up between his thumb and finger for Gabe to see, "We found this in her trashcan –the semen can't be more than two days old."

Gabe stared at him, not saying anything, blue eyes iced over as the silence hung heavy in the small interrogation room.

"Is it yours?"

"Yes."

"Semen was also found on her bedsheet," Fields dropped the evidence bag on the table as Pace pulled out a picture and pushed it across the table but Gabe kept his eyes on Fields, "Is it yours?"

"Yes."

"So let me see if I got the sequence of events straight," standing up, Fields moved to pace behind Gabe's chair, feeling grudging admiration when he didn't get the desired response of nervous shifting, "You brought her home on Monday, before eleven. You went up to her bedroom with her and stayed there until sometime between five and five thirty. While there, you had protected sex with her, and then, unprotected sex. Or was it the other way around?"

Gabe didn't answer; he kept his eyes on the mirror he knew damn well was a one way window, wondering if Police Chief Lyon was the only one who stood behind it, supervising the interrogation. The problem with having Police Chief William Lyon overseeing the FBI, who had no right to be interrogating him while on Quileute land, was his bias regarding the Laskaris family. He was one of the few small-minded bigoted assholes who felt the Laskaris, being they were not full-blooded Quileute, had no right to live on the reservation, much less own any of its land.

"Perhaps, after you two had protected, and consensual sex, you two started arguing…you got mad. You look like the kind of guy who likes being in control, so maybe you decided she needed to learn who called the shots. You wouldn't be the first guy to use sex as punishment."

Gabe's jaw tightened, eyes focused straight ahead, hands fisted under his bulging biceps as he worked on keeping his breathing steady.

"Things got a little out of hand, maybe you hurt her a little too much," moving to Gabe's right side, Fields once again leaned against the table, hands on his lap, "Mr. Hausler mentioned seeing bruises on his daughter some weeks back –he expressed concern to her about the…abuse, and told us she denied it, but he was able to see fear in her eyes when he mentioned you."

Finally, a reaction, although it wasn't the one Fields was expecting. Instead, those ice blue eyes settled on him, the anger burning in them, yet his voice was controlled as he spoke, "Mr. Hausler was the one to put those bruises on her. Three weeks ago, while on the phone with Megan, he came home drunk and angry. I got there in time to see him kick her in the stomach while she was on the floor, her face bruised, her forehead bleeding. Did I hit the asshole? Yeah, I did. He's a grown man beating on his daughter –I was certain he could take what he dished out."

"Was that the first time you witnessed Mr. Hausler abusing Megan," Pace jumped in, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table, taking control of the interrogation while Fields stayed where he was, studying Gabe's reactions to his partner's questions.

"Yes," Gabe turned his focus back to the one way window, his shoulders tight with tension, his body running hot with anger and the need to phase, "Although it wasn't the first time he hit her."

"And when was the first time?"

"About a month ago, a week after her mother left," his jaw ached but he refused to relax, staying on guard as he continued, a thread of anger clearly heard with every word, "I stopped by to take her on a ride on my motorcycle. The left side of her face was bruised, her bottom lip torn, and she was favoring her right side. I took her to the lookout point and she told me what happened –showed me the fresh bruises on her stomach, where he had punched her that very morning until she threw up."

"Are there any other witnesses to this abuse?"

"My mother," Gabe turned his stare to the agent sitting across the table from him, completely ignoring the one looming over him in an attempt to intimidate him, "My brothers Zak and Xavier. They were there the night I brought Megan home with me, after giving Mr. Hausler a taste of his own medicine. Ma was the one to check her face for any fractures, as well as clean up her bleeding forehead. My six year old brother, Xavier, discovered the bruises on her stomach and ribs when he gave her a hug to make her feel better, all the while asking why her Daddy hit her."

"You see, Gabriel," Fields stood up, slipping his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he slowly meandered his way around the room towards his chair, "Having your family vouch for you, and what you just shared, can be seen as…suspect. You know what I mean?"

He didn't answer, didn't rise to the obvious insult, turning his focus back to the damn mirror.

"I'm not saying your family would lie for you," Fields pulled out his chair and turned it around, straddling it as he rested his arms along the back of the chair, "It's just...they're your family. And they wouldn't want you to get in trouble –especially your mother. So maybe, they'll say what needs to be said –"

"This interview is over."

Having recognized the voice, Gabe didn't bother looking towards the opened door, his eyes staying focused on the mirror. The two agents, however, looked over their shoulders in surprise, Fields standing up, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I represent Gabriel Laskaris."

Pace gave him a look of surprise, "You're a prosecutor."

"Not in this case," Lance Holmes, Seattle's DA and top prosecutor, set his briefcase on the metal table, opening it and pulling out a manila folder, "And you two know better than to question a minor without parents present."

"Minor," Fields scoffed as he shoved himself off his chair, "This guy? That's bullshit."

"Thought you might say that," setting the folder on the table, he snapped his briefcase shut, "There's a copy of his birth certificate and underage driver's license in that folder. Anything else you need to ask, make sure you contact me first. Let's go, Gabriel."

Standing up, he pushed his chair in and followed after Mr. Holmes, not bothering to look at either agent, or even acknowledge Police Chief Lyon who was, just as he suspected, standing at the other side of the one-way window.

"If either one of those agents approach you again, you call me," Lance stopped once they were outside the small police station, handing over one of his business cards, "Don't answer any questions, don't say anything. You ask for your lawyer and you stay quiet. Got it?"

Gabe looked down at the high-quality business card, giving a nod before sticking it into the back pocket of his cut-off shorts, "Did ma call you?"

"No," Lance placed his hand on Gabe's shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze, "Zak called Abby, Abby called me. Seems to me like the FBI is trying to railroad you –Mr. Hausler is making lots of noise about the disappearance of his daughter. I've let your Police Chief, as well as Chief Swan, know he's gone to the media, so be prepared for the onslaught. Your parents already know and they have let all of your family and friends know as well. Mum's the word, Gabe –share nothing with the media. Got it?"

"Why the fuck would the media get involved?"

Letting out a sigh, he pointed out his car, his long legs easily keeping pace with Gabe's long strides, "Unfortunately, this is the kind of story the media likes to jump all over and sensationalize. White girl missing, Native American boyfriend a person of interest."

"This is fucking bullshit," Gabe ran his fingers through his hair in aggravation, "That asshole actually told those agents I abused Megan –when he's the one who beat her!"

"Gabe," reaching out, Lance gripped the back of Gabe's neck, giving it a hard squeeze as he looked at him, "Hang in there, okay? This will all get resolved. You've got your family behind you, your friends are watching your back, and I am one of the best lawyers in Washington."

"You're a prosecutor."

"And that gives me a damn good edge now that I'm on your side."


Nine days missing

"This is seriously fucked up," Gabe muttered as he looked out the living room window. There were two news vans parked out on the street across from his house, a reservation deputy parked right at their curb to keep them off their property. It was all Police Chief Lyon would do to help them out, something that was seriously pissing off his mama. Gabe knew another day of this shit and she would bring down the Council on the Police Chief for allowing the media to trespass into reservation land without permission.

"Zak's doing a good job leading the pack with Bailey's help," Rick moved into the living room from the kitchen, able to see the tension on his son's shoulders, knowing being locked up in their house was just making everything worse, "The full moon is coming soon. There will be more of us and we can cover even more ground if we haven't found her by then."

He slammed an open hand against the wall, turning away from the window to pace the rug covered floor, "I should be out there, Dad, looking for her. Instead, I'm in here, hiding like a fucking coward when I've done nothing wrong."

"I know, son," Rick watched him pace, could see the slight shaking of his big body, knowing he was holding on to his shape by a thread, "Lance felt it would be better if you stayed out of the media for now."

Gripping the back of his neck with both hands, Gabe stood still as he took in deep breaths, attempting to get his anger under control. Ever since he voluntarily phased, he'd been able to keep a tight hold on his anger, which meant he had no problem keeping his shape even when he was angry. Yet, at the moment, he was struggling with all the emotions –the anger, the guilt, the hopelessness –he knew it would take one little thing, no matter how insignificant, to get him to lose it.

"It'll be dark in a couple of hours," Rick sat in one of the armchairs, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, "We'll sneak out the back door, meet up with the rest of your pack. Zak's narrowed down the possible points of egress to the southeast of the reservation, where all that new construction is going on."

"Out by the mountains," Gabe nodded as he dropped his hands to his sides, his eyes looking around the living room, landing on the newest pictures his ma had hung up, as well as the ones placed on the fireplace mantle, "It makes sense. We need to catch that other vampire, the one that's helping her. Without him, she's got no way of hiding."

Rick leaned back into the armchair, smiling when Erick ran into the room, clambering up to sit on his lap, "Hey, kyrio. Where's your mama?"

"Telphone," Erick looked over at his older brother, watching him avidly as he began to pace again, "Mama saying bad words to police guy."

"Oh boy," Rick let out a sigh, dropping his head back, closing his eyes, "I swear to Zeus, Leah's going to set fire to the whole lot of them if something doesn't get resolved soon."

Gabe finally stopped pacing, leaning against the wall before sliding down to sit on the floor, knees drawn up and elbows resting on them as he dropped his head into his arms, finally letting himself pay attention to the one-sided conversation going on in his parents' room, able to hear every word his ma said despite the closed door.

Grimacing, he wondered, on top of Megan being in the hands of a sadistic vampire bent on revenge, the media reporting his every move, the FBI breathing down his neck, if his mama was going to end up in jail for threatening the entire La Push police force with bodily harm.

It almost seemed like things couldn't possibly get any worse, but with every day that passed without them finding Megan, Gabe knew it definitely could and would.


September 6
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Her muscles ached and sweat had her leotard sticking to her, but as they completed their last rehearsed number, the joy she felt inside had her forgetting it all.

"Bom trabalho a todos," Thalia clapped her hands before motioning towards the sound and light booth, "We're done for the day. Everyone get some rest this weekend. We'll be right back at it on Monday."

They all headed towards the back wing, which led to the hallway where the dressing rooms were. Catarina, one of the chorus girls, skipped over to Vivi's side, all the while undoing the bun her long dark hair was in, "So we're going out for drinks tonight, and some freestyle dancing. Want to join us?"

Vivi bit her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to turn her down without alienating her. She had to feed tonight, as well as the next two nights, to be able to handle the coming week. They were three months away from opening night, which meant the rehearsals got longer and harder, leaving her very little time to go into the jungle in search of prey. Being she was still new to hunting animals with claws and sharp teeth, she preferred doing it during the daytime, where she had an advantage of sorts.

"I can't tonight," Vivi gave her an apologetic smile, untying the black dance skirt she wore with her leotard and tights, "I've got plans with…my brother. His first book is being released next month and we're going out to celebrate."

"Okay," Cat shrugged as she sped up to catch the rest of her friends, Thalia's voice echoing in the long brightly lit hallway, "Viviana, please come back to the stage."

Rolling her eyes, she retied the see through fabric around her hips, keeping her face neutral as she returned to the stage, the echo of her steps loud now there weren't as many of them on the wooden platform.

"Yes?"

Thalia stood in the middle of the stage, the light crew going through color filters on the spotlights. Stretching her arms over her head, Thalia arched her back, left foot pointed forward as she struck a pose, a disembodied voice overhead calling to her, "You were right, T. The amber color is much better than the rose."

Nodding, she relaxed as she turned her attention towards her one and only ballerina, dark hair falling in waves over her shoulders and down to her hips, "Have you ever had sex?"

Vivi's eyes widened in shock, her face flushing as she threw back her shoulders, "I don't see how that's any of your business."

"I'm trying to figure out why you're having such a hard time with your solo number," Thalia thoughtfully pursed her lips as she studied the tall redhead, taking in the minute details of her face and body, "Either you've never had sex or you've only had mediocre sex, which is worse than no sex at all."

"I don't see how sex is in any way related to dancing the solo."

"The solo number is sex," Thalia explained slowly, knowing full well it would anger Viviana, "The whole thing is about sex, but the solo number –I choreographed it to explicitly show the blooming of a woman, the exploration and discovery of pleasure and lust, the power of sensuality, the mind altered by an exceptional orgasm. A virgin or novice wouldn't be able to fully embrace this solo, not because she's lacking in talent, but because she's lacking understanding."

"I've seen you dance this number," Vivi crossed her arms over her chest, gold-brown eyes narrowing as she glared at Thalia, "So if that's what you're going by, then you're obviously a slut, considering how well you dance it."

Thalia's only response to the insult was a smile, her large green eyes twinkling as she thought to herself, and there are the claws. Looks like the kitten's a tiger after all.

They stood face to face in the middle of the stage, neither willing to look away first. Vivi's gut twisted in anger, her gold-brown eyes practically shooting sparks as she glared across the space separating them.

Without breaking eye contact, Thalia easily put an end to the stand-off as she closed the space between them, "Get your shit together, Viviana, or I'll be finding someone who can actually become the part, and not just follow the steps."

"I'm sure you'd be happy to take the lead for yourself," Vivi's words came out through a sneer as she dropped her arms at her sides, body tense as the urge to attack swept through her, making her muscles spasm and tremble as she fought to regain control over her emotions.

"I'm the choreographer," Thalia gave her one last sweeping head to toe look, the dismissal in her green eyes making Vivi clench her teeth, "You're the dancer. Yes, if an emergency were to occur, I would step in, but my goal is to be recognized as a choreographer –I'm already well known as a dancer, thanks to Lia. This is my next step and I have no problem getting rid of any obstacles in my way. Don't become one of them."

Vivi watched her walk away, her nose flaring as she swallowed a mouthful of bitter tasting saliva, her fingers aching from how hard she had them curled into her palms. Stretching out her cramped fingers, she looked down to see blood perling over crescent shaped cuts.

Instead of heading backstage, she closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths for a couple of minutes before she began to hum, her body soon following along with the music in her head.

Before she completely got lost in the freedom of movement, she swore to herself she'd make sure to knock Thalia down a peg or two.

No doubt about it, she was starting to develop a liking to the sweet taste of revenge.


September 9, Full Moon Night
La Push

The harvest moon was at its brightest, its pearlescent light gilding every tree top, every hill, every mountain ridge as it made its slow treck across the midnight sky. There was a strange silence hanging over the forest ringing the reservation, one that wasn't broken by the soft pads of large paws as the combined packs worked in tandem, having divided into seven different regions of the forest, the strongest wolves closer to the mountains, the younger ones patroling along the seawall.

Leah had insisted in joining them, Emery and Tyra staying with Emily, Lili and Cameron. She kept to the seaside, overseeing the two youngest pups, while Rick, along with Alyx and Andrey, patroled further inland. Gabe and Zak were along the western ridge of the mountains, the ones that lead towards the ocean. Sam and Seth were further south of that same ridge, the Makah reservation several miles over the mountain. Embry and Quil were further up the mountain, while Brady and Bailey were noth of Forks, keeping close to the road but out of sight. Collin and Bradley were on the other side of Forks, making sure to keep out of sight as well.

There was a new scent in the air, one they hadn't encountered before but was distinctly vampire. Between Gabe, Rick and Sam, they set out to herd the vampire, their keen hearing able to pick up the sound of running feet hitting the forest ground despite the speed it was going.

Keeping to the silence of the forest, they chased it down, Bailey and Brady tightening the outside periphary while Embry and Quil ensured there would be no escape into the mountains. Rick, along with Alyx and Andrey, joined Gabe and Zak as they brought up the rear, effectively boxing in the bloodsucker, its hair so blond it almost looked white, eyes a bright red as lips pulled back into a sneer, its tall lean body crouching into a position of attack. It wasn't the bitch they were after, but it became obvious to them this was the one helping the other –the one able to create unscented pathways in and out of the reservation, allowing for the bitch to go about undetected. It wasn't a fair fight, with eleven against one, but it didn't matter because it had the strength and speed of a newborn. In the end, the pack brought it down but not without Alyx ending up with a broken leg and Brady with a dislocated shoulder from getting in the way of the leech lunging towards Bailey, the smallest of both packs, thus seen as a possible point of escape.

You fucking idiot, Bailey's screech resonated throughout their mind link, her worry felt by all as she hovered over Brady while Embry shifted and set fire to the pyre, I've told you time and time again I don't need you to protect me. I can handle myself.

Get fucking used to it, Brady let out a growl as he moved his big frame, a shiver of agonizing pain moving its way down his back as he tried to calm down to shift.

Embry let out a sigh as the last bit of cold stone was tossed into the pyre, the column of purple smoke thinning as the breeze blew it away; he moved to where Alyx was, Gabe and Zak standing guard while Rick and Andrey sniffed and prodded him. Kneeling down, he quickly assessed Alyx, not finding any broken skin or bite marks, finally giving his assessment to his Alpha, "It's just a broken leg. I'll carry him over to the house, keep him company in the backyard until he phases down. There's still a few hours left before dawn."

Rick tilted his head to the side, blue eyes steady on Embry before he looked over at Andrey, nudging him in a clear sign he was to go with Embry and Alyx. A long howl had them all snap their heads towards the West, ears at attention as a second one rang out, followed by a third then fourth.

Bitch is heading towards the cliffs, Bradley growled out, his large paws pounding into the forest ground.

How the fuck did she get past our patrols, Gabe let out a short howl, rushing into the thick forest, Zak at his left, Rick at his right, the rest of them except for Embry, Alyx, Andrey, Bailey and Brady, following behind them, spread out into a V-shaped formation with Gabe at the head.

The asshole we took down must have been some sort of shield, Quil jumped over a log, his big furry body stretching out parallel to the ground before he landed front paws first, his back paws giving him the power needed to propel forward, like Bella.

Oh, hell no! The image of the leech diving off the cliff was projected in all their minds just as Sam yelled out, Seth, you fucking idiot, stop!

They all watched as the large sandy wolf lept off the cliff, phasing right before he hit the water. Giving orders for Sam, Collin and Bradley to head to the beach and ensure Seth was fine, he changed directions, his nose twitching at the faint scent of vanilla, cinnamon, and that sickening sweet smell of vampire. Zak and Quil followed on either side of him without missing a step, Rick breaking off to head to the beach where Leah was patroling along with their two youngest pups.

Zak was the first to break through the trees, phasing several steps into the clearing, eyes zeroing on the base of the mountains. As soon as he realized what he was seeing, he spun around to stop Gabe from phasing down, but he was too late.

"No," Gabe whispered under his breath, shaking his head as he moved closer, finally dropping to his knees beside her, "Oh, god, no. Megan, baby, please..." he reached out to stroke her cold cheek, his eyes filling with tears as he looked down into her once beautiful blue-green eyes, which were now staring vacantly up at him, "Please...ah, fuck, not you...not like this...that fucking bitch!"

Zak reached down to pull his brother off his knees, but Gabe pulled away, lowering his head until his forehead rested against hers, tears splashing onto her cold pale skin, "Gabe, you shouldn't be touching her –"

He shook his head, whether it was to disagree with Zak or in denial, no one knew because he couldn't talk, couldn't push any words past the lump in his throat, his tears flowing fast and hot down his cheeks. Zak stood behind Gabe, his own face wet with tears as he looked down at the sweet girl who had brought out only the best in his big brother, his chest tight as he noticed the finger shaped bruises around her throat, her arms, her wrists...

"Gabriel, baby."

Zak looked up as his mama kneeled beside Gabe, her arms wrapped around his shaking shoulders. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his little brothers sitting quietly on either side of their Alpha, while the rest of Gabe's pack, having phased down, moved further into the clearing, all of them feeling the sharp grief their Alpha was experiencing.

After several minutes where the only sound in the clearing was his sobs, he slowly pulled away from his angel, tenderly brushing her blond hair away from her face, touching his lips to the center of her forehead before he gently closed her eyelids. He leaned against his mama, letting her pull him up on his feet, her tight hold on him keeping him from flying apart.

"We need to call it in."

Zak's quiet words hung in the air, no one responding until Rick threw his head back, letting out a long mournful howl, Xavier and Ricky responding, the rest of the pack phasing one at a time and adding their voices to the mournful cry. Before long, the forest was filled with the mournful howls of the wolves, waking many of the residents in Forks, as well as La Push. Several even went outside, their eyes moving up to the large full moon hanging low in the dark sky, eyes filling with tears at the sadness in the howls.

Charlie Swan stepped out of the Forks' Police Station, a hand resting on the butt of his gun as his eyes moved across the forest line, his chest heavy as the howls continued to ring, one after the other, echoing in the night air. Letting out a sigh, he turned to go back inside, moving to his desk and picking up the phone, pressing the numbers with a trembling finger, his voice heavy as soon as the other line was picked up.

"Megan Hausler has been found."