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 for how long it has taken me to update. I've got two jobs -full time and part time -and had several different events to plan since I last updated. Anyway, here's a new chapter -take heart, dear readers, and stay strong! Know that, at times, we have to go through the storms in life to be able to enjoy the sunny days (and that includes fictional characters in fanfiction stories).

As always, please leave me a review. I enjoy seeing new reviews to new chapters and new reviews to old chapters, and I especially enjoy when y'all share your thoughts, suggestions, and emotional responses to what I've written. And as always, enjoy as you read!

Chapter Ninety-One (17 yrs old)

"What's it like," Tyra sat at the edge of her sister's bed, a foot propped on the mattress, the other hanging off the side as she watched Emmie carefully apply pink glittery nail polish to her small toe nails, her skinny arms wrapped around her drawn up leg, chin resting on her knee, "Having an imprint?"

Emmie pursed her lips, giving Tyra's question serious thought as she dipped the brush into the bottle, swiping excess polish against the opening before carefully brushing it over the last toe, "It's freeing."

"Freeing?"

Emmie nodded as she slid the brush back into the bottle, patting her sister's right foot in a silent command for her to place the left one on the mattress, "You know how girls spent so much time worrying about whether they'll ever fall in love, if someone will ever love them back?"

Tyra nodded, stretching her leg alongside her sister as she wrapped her arms around her left leg, returning her chin to its resting spot of her knee, "Yeah."

"I don't have to worry about any of that," Emmie repeated the whole process, carefully moving from one toe to the next, "It allows me to invest my time, concentration, and dedication on other things."

Chuckling at the tone of voice her sister used, Tyra watched her sister for a couple of minutes before asking the one question that bugger her the most when it came to imprinting, "Doesn't it bother you? That he didn't have any choice, I mean?"

Emmie's surprise at her little sister's question showed in her light blue eyes as she looked up at her, "No choice? I don't…no, it doesn't bother me because; well…it's the way it's supposed to be. Aristophanes," Emmie let out a sigh, the small puff of air ruffling the fringe falling across her forehead.

"He was an ancient Greek playwright. He postulated," she stopped once again when Tyra gave her the pointed look all the Laskaris siblings used whenever she used terminology they couldn't understand, "He believed humans originally had four arms, four legs, and a single head made of two faces. They were each two sets of one whole…specifically, one soul. These humans had great strength and became a threat to the Greek gods, but instead of destroying them, as they had done with the Titans, Zeus decided to split them in half, which incidentally doubled the tributes humans gave to the gods.

"These split humans were in such misery they weren't surviving, so Apollo sewed them up and reconstituted," she rolled her eyes when Tyra dropped her head to the side in frustration, "He rebuilt their bodies, with only the navel –bellybutton being the one remaining factor of their original form. Ever since then, humans are forever longing for his or her other half –its soulmate. When the two find each other, there's an unspoken understanding, a feeling of being unified and whole.

"Embry and I…we're two halves of one whole," Emmie shrugged as she turned her attention back to painting Tyra's toes, "So there's really no concept of having a choice or whatever. I mean, yeah, I can choose to be with someone else, but I'll never be as happy, or complete, as I will be with Embry."

Tyra let out a sigh, reaching up to brush her sandy blond bangs out of her eyes, "I hope I fall in love."

"You will," Emmie's words rang with certainty as she finished with the last two, screwing shut the bottle and setting it aside before she leaned back against the pillows at the head of her bed, "Embry says falling in love is a great experience…one that is bound to happen more than once, with more than one person."

Biting her bottom lip as she flopped back, Tyra stared up at the nearly invisible stars stuck on the ceiling, "Do you think Gabe will ever fall in love again? I mean, his experience with love hasn't been great, so maybe he'll just…give up on the whole thing?"

Wrinkling her nose, Emmie moved until she laid belly down next to her sister, their faces close as she quietly whispered, "I hope he doesn't…I hope next time around, he finds his soul mate."

They stared at each other, neither saying anything, both thinking of the last few days since Meg had been found out in the woods. Ty turned on her side, tucking her small hands under her cheek as she gave her big sister a small smile, "I'd give anything to hear him laugh again…even to see him smile."

Biting her bottom lip, Emmie nodded in agreement, her blue eyes sparkling as tears began to form, "She was really good at making him laugh, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," Tyra tried to swallow past the lump in her throat without much success, a small sob escaping her as she buried her face into her sister's neck, "I miss Meg."

Wrapping her arms around her little sister, Emmie let the tears escape as she rested her chin on the top of her blond head, "So do I."


The tension in the conference room was increasing to dangerous levels as La Push's Police Chief, William Lyon, explained the purpose for have requested to meet with the Council.

"All they want to do is ask him a few more questions," Will explained regarding the request the FBI had put forth to him, "Nothing more than that."

"Now you bother putting forth a request to the Council," Leah arched an eyebrow, spots of color on her high cheekbones betraying the anger coursing through her, "Considering you didn't bother to do so the first time around?"

Will gave Leah a glare before turning his attention back to Billy Black, who was the head of the Council despite his advanced edge and declining health, "Some…people…expressed concern over the way everything was handled when the FBI requested to come into the reservation to question Gabriel. I witnessed the entire interview, prepared to step forward if necessary, which wasn't –"

"Bullshit," Leah slammed an open hand on the surface of the red oak table, her brown-green eyes sparkling with anger as she leaned forward, Sam's hand on her shoulder keeping her from vaulting over the table to strangle the guy, "You know damn well Gabe is underage –he shouldn't have been questioned without Rick or myself present. Not only that, you all but threw out the welcome mat for the media to come onto Quileute land and paint my son as some sort of red-skinned savage, all because you didn't follow the proper channels from the start."

Will sucked in air through his nose, his jaw tight as he kept his eyes on Billy, "As Police Chief, I made a professional call –"

"Professional call, my ass," Leah shoved away from the table as she stood, the chair rolling back to hit the wall with a resounding thwack, "Your bigoted view of my family is well known, and I have no doubt it played into your decision to let the FBI, of all fucking people, to come knocking on my door in search of my son. You know damn well Gabe did not hurt Megan –he has never hurt anyone!"

"Your son has a well-known temper," Will stood up, his copper toned face darkening in anger, "One that often manifests itself through violence. Given his history, and the relationship between him and Miss Hausler, I believed allowing the FBI to question him would help shed light on her disappearance."

"Regardless of your opinion," Billy's voice, still deep and sonorous as ever, cut into the stand-off between Will and Leah, "You should have approached the Council before allowing them to come onto our land. The white man has no jurisdiction in our lands, and it's necessary to keep those boundaries between our government and theirs clear."

"Which is why I'm bringing this second request to the Council," Will's words came out strained as he worked at controlling his anger, "Although I do believe it is unethical for the suspect's mother to be part of the decision-making."

"Suspect –" Leah stared in shock at him before her nose flared, her body trembling with the effort at keeping herself from phasing, "I swear to god, Zeus, Taha-Aki and whatever other fucking deities there are, if you come anywhere near my son, I will destroy you!"

"Enough," Billy's voice broke through the tension, Leah staying on her feet as she took in measured breaths in an effort to control her anger as Billy continued talking, "Will, please let the FBI know their request is denied. They have no jurisdiction in our land and there's no permission slips for them either. They shouldn't have been allowed to question Gabriel at our police station, so know your decision will be scrutinized by the Council."

The silence was heavy and tense before Will walked out of the conference room, slamming the door behind him. Sucking in a mouthful of air, Leah moved away from the table, looking over at Billy, "I want him fired."

"We will discuss this at a later time, Leah," Billy nodded at Paul, who helped him move his wheelchair away from the large oak table, "When you've calmed down and are thinking clearly. Keep an eye out for those agents, though. The FBI is known for being sneaky."


September 19th

Seattle, WA

I miss u

I miss u 2

I want 2 c u

Give ur dad time, Monika

This is stupid. Why can't he understand I wan u? I don't need 2 find me w/out u

He's ur dad. He wants d best 4 u. U have dreams 2 chase –he wants u to make them come true

Ur part of my dreams. I love u

I love u 2 and will wait as long as u need. No matter where u go, I'll b 1 step behind u.

"Nika," Denise's voice had her looking up from the screen of her iPhone, "Can you come here, please?"

Swiping her thumb over the screen, she slipped the device into the side pocket of her gym bag before standing up, moving gracefully down the aisle towards the stage where Denise stood with a tall, lean guy with honey blond hair, bright green eyes and a dimpled smile.

"Nika, I want you to meet David, your dance partner," Denise grinned as Nika drew closer, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, "He will be the John Smith to your Pocahontas."

Nika slipped her long fingered hand into his offered one, her lips tilting into a heartfelt smile for the first time in weeks, "It's a pleasure to meet you, David."

His smile widened, deepening his dimples as he gently pulled her into his space, his thumb softly brushing the back of her hand, "The pleasure is all mine, Nika."

Denise rolled her eyes as she gave a bit of background on David to her protégé, "David just moved here from New York, where he's danced with the New York City Ballet for the last four years. He's been in the National Dance Council of America for three years now, participating in numerous ballroom competitions."

"Well, since Denise is shamelessly bragging about me, I might as well pile on," David's smile widened as he stared into Nika's dark brown eyes, "I also won the Vegas Open Dance Challenge last year."

"Ballroom dancing?"

"Yes," he gave her a wink, "It's how I supplement my income."

"I've never done ballroom dancing."

"I'll be more than happy to teach you."

Nika's smile grew as a soft chuckle escaped her, dancing brown eyes getting lost in the brilliant green hue of his, a sense of peace slowly spreading through her hurting soul, "Impressive. Why did you choose to leave New York?"

Keeping his large hand wrapped around hers, he reached out to gently tuck a strand of dark hair, silky to the touch, behind her ear, "I'm following my heart, and now that I've met you, I'm going to say fate."

"You're laying it on a little thick, don't you think," she teased, her chest expanding as she took in a deep breath, the scent of sandalwood and vanilla pleasantly tickling her nose.

"Sugar, I'm from the Deep South," he let his southern accent slip out, the vowels long and slow as he arched an eyebrow at her, "When I lay it on thick, you'll know. This, honey, ain't nothing."

Shaking her head, Denise clapped her hands twice to break the growing rapport between her two leading dancers, giving them a playful smile when they looked her way, "Now that I have your attention, how about we start working on the choreography? Nika, you're studying under me but David here has plenty of experience choreographing, so make sure you glean as much knowledge from him as you can."

"You can squeeze me dry, darlin'," David said with a grin, leading Nika towards the stage and helping her up before smoothly vaulting up himself, his lean body moving with controlled grace and power, "Won't bother me one bit if you do."

"Enough with the flirting," Denise moved to stand before the stage, the house lights lighting up the large auditorium, "You can do that on your own time. For now, let's start with the number you two will be dancing together."

The music began to play and for the next five hours, Nika forgot about the agonizing pain of losing part of a dream she hadn't realized she had.


September 29th

Forks, WA

School had started on the fifth of September and was already full of homework and team practice for five of the eight Laskaris kids. Andrey had joined the Forks Junior High baseball team, which Zak –as an eighth grader –currently held court as the best pitcher of the team, while Alyx had decided to play basketball. Tyra tried out for the Junior High volleyball team, successfully getting the libero position. With two home games and one away game under her belt, she was starting to feel comfortable with her fellow teammates, considering they were all older than her. As for Emmie, she was now part of the Forks High Varsity Track Team and was training hard to start for the upcoming track and cross-country meets.

This Friday, however, Emmie was the only one of the Laskaris kids currently in practice after school, so the rest of them waited for mama by the willow tree beside the elementary playground. It was where Gabe found them, having talked mama into letting him pick them all up. She had already picked up Ricky, who, as a kindergartener, had half days –so Gabe offered to go for the rest of his siblings, needing to take some time away from the tension hanging around the entire reservation.

He hated the way people were looking at him, no one brave enough to outright ask if the rumors were true. Instead, they stared when they thought he wasn't looking, whispered behind his back, and gave him sideway looks filled with suspicion and fear.

He was getting sick of it all.

Pulling into a parking spot, he shifted the mini-van into park, then took out the keys, pocketing them as he climbed out. He grinned at the sight of Alyx and Andrey playing with a hacky sack. They were actually getting pretty good, keeping it bouncing off their feet and knees as they passed it back and forth. Zak and Tyra were playing tag with Xavier, and it looked like his little brother was currently it, his giggles high as he ran around the large tree with hands stretched out, Tyra keeping a couple of feet out of reach, Zak standing still then skipping away when the little boy switched targets.

"Think fast!"

Without hesitation, he took a step back, the hacky sack Alyx kicked his way bouncing off his chest, then his lifted knee before he caught it with his foot, the colorful little sack balancing on the toe of his worn Converse sneaker before he tossed it towards Andrey, the others letting out a cheer when Andrey bent just at the right angle for it to land on the bill of his baseball hat.

"Totally sick, man," Alyx punched his brother on the shoulder before taking the sack and shoving it into the pocket of his hoodie, "Gabe, didn't know you had moves like that."

Shrugging, Gabe picked up Xavier's backpack, laughing when Tyra handed hers over to him as well, "Megan liked to play…she taught me some tricks."

The silence was heavy with grief, no one exactly sure how to break it until Xavier reached up and wrapped his small hand around his big brother's three fingers, tilting his head back to give him a shy smile, "Ice cream?"

Giving him a small smile, Gabe rubbed his thumb over Xavier's small fingers before looking over at his other siblings, seeing they were all ready to go, "How about it? You all want to ruin your appetite with ice cream? Ma's making roast beef."

"Like anything can keep us from eating ma's roast beef," Zak teased as he headed towards the van, "Bottomless stomachs will come into play."

"Don't they always," Tyra teased her older brother as she kept step with the terrors, easily sidestepping whenever they reached out to poke or trip her.

Sliding the side of the mini-van open and dumping the backpacks he carried, Gabe turned to help his little brother up on his booster chair just as he heard his name called out, "Gabriel Laskaris."

Turning to look over his shoulder, he frowned as the two FBI agents, Pace and Fields, approached them, one of them flashing his badge, "I can't talk to you without my lawyer present."

Fields gave him a sneering smile as he reached out and grabbed his arm, pushing him up against the van and yanking his arms behind his back, "Let him know to meet you at the FBI headquarters. You're under arrest for the kidnapping and murder of Megan Hausler."

"What!"

All hell broke loose, the terrors rushing forward and landing well aimed kicks against the agents' shins as they demanded for them to let their brother go. Both agents swore vehemently as they tried to get ahold of the gangly eleven year olds without much success. Xavier's cries grew louder as he wrapped his arms around Tyra's legs while Zak tried to get the twins to stop their attack.

"Enough!"

Everyone froze –even Xavier stopped mid-sob, tears rolling down his face as they all looked at Gabe, who was currently glaring at his twin brothers, "Both of you –enough. Ty, don't let go of Avy. Zak, Dad's at the track field. Go get him. Now."

Zak took off at a run, Tyra picking up her little brother with a bit of struggle, the little boy wrapping his arms and legs around her as he buried his face into her neck, his heavy sobs digging into Gabe's heart. Looking over his shoulder as Fields finished putting cuffs on him, he growled as the guy grabbed his elbow to move him towards the black SUV parked some yards away.

"You will wait until my father gets here," Gabe's voice was steady and deep, so heavy with the Alpha command even the agents felt a strange compulsion to do as he said, "I'm not leaving my underage siblings unsupervised."

Pace looked over at the little knot of kids, feeling a twinge of guilt at the look of fear on the little blond girl's face as the identical twins stood on either side of her, both of them holding on to her and, in the process, helping her carry the weight of their six year old little brother.

It was that growing guilt that had him offering, "I can stay with them."

"No."

Gabe's emphatic refusal at trusting him with his siblings' well-being hung in the air, Pace and Fields looking at each other, communicating silently before Fields maneuvered Gabe so he could lean his back against the driver's side door.

Gabe tried to get Xavier to calm down enough to stop crying, but when Tyra tried to get closer to him, Fields reached out to stop her, the twins glaring at him before he even touched the little girl's shoulder.

A good ten minutes crawled by before Rick reached his kids, having ran the two miles separating the front parking lot from the football field at the other end of the school property, Zak and Emmie following close behind him.

"What the hell is going on?"

"We're taking him to the FBI offices in Portland," Fields' explained as he grabbed Gabe's upper arm, not able to close his hand around the hard muscle, "You can have his lawyer meet us there."

Rick glared at the smug bastard, his blue eyes iced over with contemptuous anger, "You have a warrant?"

"We're arresting him, aren't we," Fields countered, feeling oddly vulnerable as he tried to stare him down but couldn't hold the guy's look for longer than ten seconds.

Moving forward, Rick gripped the back of his son's neck, pulling him forward until their foreheads touched, "Don't say anything until Lance gets there, got it?"

Gabe nodded, swallowing with difficulty due to the lump of anger lodged in his throat. Clearing his throat a couple of times, he was finally able to speak, his voice coming out deep and somewhat rusty, "Min afínete ti mitéra na érthei. Tha kápsei to méros káto."*Don't let ma come. She'll burn the place down.

Giving his son a smile, Rick kissed his forehead before giving his neck one last squeeze, glaring at the agents when they jerked him back, pulling him across the parking lot towards a black SUV parked several yards away.

His kids crowded around him, all of them quiet as they watched their older brother being led away in handcuffs. Closing his eyes, Rick took in a deep breath before letting it go, turning to take a still crying Xavier from his little girl, settling him against his chest as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his track pants, pressing speed dial four.

Three rings, then "Hello?"

"I need a favor."


"Who's Daddy's little girl? That's right –you're Daddy's little girl," Seth chuckled as Shari Sue waved her arms, her drooly smile melting his heart, "Did you have a nice nap, baby girl?"

Gurgling, she patted his face as soon as he took her out of her crib, kicking and squirming when he put her on the changing table, "I think you need a fresh diaper, pretty girl. You're definitely smelling a little ripe."

With quick efficient moves, Seth removed the soiled diaper, cleaning, powdering then diapering his little girl, all the way talking to her, grinning down into her big hazel eyes. Slipping on a clean onesie and snapping it in place, he picked her up, lifting her high over his head, "There you go, princess. Now you smell fresh as a daisy."

Bringing her down, he blew a raspberry into her sweet smelling neck, her belly laughs making him laugh as he snuggled her into his chest, looking over his shoulder at the sound of the phone ringing, "Want to go see whose calling?"

Bouncing in his arms as she pushed against his chest, she looked up at him, leaning forward until her little mouth opened wide over his chin, gnawing at him with enthusiasm.

"And now I'm your chew toy," Seth rubbed his hand over her small back as he headed down the hall towards the kitchen, where he could hear Rose talking. Heading straight to the freezer, he pulled out one of the gel teething rings, wiping it with a paper towel before handing it to Shari Sue, "Chew on this, princess. It'll feel better than my face."

She stuck the ring into her mouth, gnawing as she looked over at her mother, drool slipping down her chin to soak her Daddy's shirt. Kissing the top of her silky head, he watched the troubled look on Rose's face as she spoke into the phone, "Of course we'll watch them. Drop them off now, if you want. No, don't worry about it. I already picked up Carlos and Harry from school, so we won't need to go anywhere. No, I understand. Okay. Bye."

Pressing the OFF button, Rose stared at the wall, the look in her eyes making Seth's gut twist, "Rosie, who was that?"

"What," Rose looked over at him, smiling at her baby girl in response to the drooly smile on her precious face, "That was Rick. He needs us to watch the kids."

"All of them?"

She nodded, not sure how to explain what Rick had told her to him, "Yeah…he and Leah are going to Portland –"

"Portland," Seth's surprise was evident in his voice, "What are they going to Portland for?"

Breathing in through her nose, she exhaled through her mouth, "Gabe's been arrested."

"What?!"

She nodded, looking away from him as she fiddled with the message pad she kept next to the cordless phone, "For kidnapping and murder. They're taking him to the FBI office in Portland. Rick wanted to make sure the kids would be looked after before he called Lance. He's not sure how long he and Leah will be gone."

"Okay, back up," Seth gently bounced Shari Sue to quiet down her fussing, a hand spread wide against her back; "He was arrested, by the FBI, for kidnapping and murder?"

"Yes," she swallowed past the lump in her throat as she looked over at her husband, "Because there's no way to prove a vampire killed Megan. A vampire that was seeking revenge for another vampire, who came into our lives because they are attracted to their own kind, and what do you know? There were two of them right here, in the middle of shape-shifter territory, where they should have never been."

He finally understood the look in her hazel eyes, "You're feeling guilty? Because Marc and Vivi lived here with us?"

"I'm the one who brought them here," Rose took in another deep breath, her hazel eyes glassy with unshed tears, "I should have known –"

"Bullshit," Seth spat the word out, settling Shari Sue in her high seat and clicking the little belt in place before sliding the tray into its locked position, "First of all, I'm the one who brought them here, into La Push. I'm the one who went to Sam for permission to have them live in our land. So this is not your fault. Second, how the hell were we to know they would attract vampires?"

"That's the stupidest thing you've ever said," Rose turned away from him, moving towards the sink where she had been peeling potatoes, "They may have only been half vampires, but we all know predators are always attracted to other predators, if only to see what kind of competition there is."

"Predators," Seth stared in open mouthed shock at his wife, "It's Vivi and Marc –your niece and nephew."

"I know!" she tossed the potato she was currently holding into the pot, water splashing at the force she had used, "And I love them –but I never forgot what they were. I never pretended they could be normal human beings, because in the back of my mind, I knew something like this would happen. I knew one or both of them would slip –because it's in their nature. In their DNA. They are what they are, Seth…you forgot that. I didn't."

The silence was heavy between them as Seth studied her flushed face, letting out a heavy sigh, "That's why you let them go, isn't it?"

Closing her eyes, she leaned against the counter, hugging herself as a sudden coldness blanketed her, "Yes…they didn't belong here. They don't belong here…and if I wanted them to be happy, to have a future, I knew they had to do it far away from here. That night, the night they left –I was relieved. Because, even though it seemed like such a horrific night, with Gabe phasing and everything else that happened, it could have been worse."

They stared at each other, Shari Sue's babbling the only sound in the spacious room until Rose let out a long sigh; "I know you've been angry, wondering why I didn't stop them. I know you love them, Seth, and I know you never let yourself feel anything but love for them. You have no idea how much that means to me, but I need you to understand –in this world, where vampires and shape-shifters and werewolves exist…there is no neutral ground."