Author's Notes: There's only two chapters left after this one. I know, it's hard to believe, isn't it? It'll be hard to say goodbye to Willow and Seth.
I warn you that this chapter gets PRETTY EFFIN' STEAMY - it might be hard for you to take.
My good friend Christy introduced me to the song "Thunder" by Boys Like Girls. It reminded me so much of Willow and Seth that I officially decided it is THEIR song. Thank you, Christy!
Oh, and speaking of Christy…this chapter's for you, girlfriend. (:
So here you go…enjoy!
Chapter Twenty Two - Lily White Voice
The baby's name was Caroline.
Caroline Willow Davidson.
She was born seven pounds, three ounces and was far by the most beautiful, most perfect little human I'd ever been lucky enough to meet. It was nearly midnight when she finally came into the world, and after a long cry, Heather had gone to sleep. Now, I stood with a hand spread across the side of the bassinet my niece slept in, feeling a lump rise in my throat.
From somewhere behind me, Seth rubbed my back. I just about jumped a foot in the air - I'd forgotten about him. "Congratulations," he said with a grin. I smiled back. "You're an aunt."
"Yeah. I still can't believe it. She looks just like Heather, doesn't she?"
"Exactly like Heather."
I looked again at Caroline and smiled. One of her tiny arms was sprawled out beside her, and her chest moved up and down evenly. A thin string of silver drool laid on her rosy cheek. A small tuft of brown hair sat atop her head, and when she'd opened her eyes for the first time earlier, I'd seen that they were blue. She was so beautiful, so small. I loved her already, and she hadn't even been around for one hour.
I yawned loudly, causing Seth to say, "You seem tired."
"I am. Very. I guess I'll just go home."
"Do you want me to stay with you?"
"What?"
"I mean, the house is going to be empty," Seth pointed out. "It'll probably feel really weird with no one there."
"Oh, sure, go ahead." I turned back to Caroline and said to her quietly, even though I knew she was asleep and couldn't hear me, "Good night."
Then we were gone.
Outside, it was raining, of course, but for once I didn't care. Tonight, everything out of the ordinary was accepted. At this thought, I looked over at Seth, who was strolling along oh so casually. I smiled; forgiveness was never an easy thing, and though I didn't deserve it, he'd given it to me. Good old Seth.
A blast of cold air greeted us when we stepped into our house, and I shivered. The kitchen window was open. I frowned as I snapped it shut; I could have sworn I'd closed it. Weird.
The second I was upstairs, I stumbled into my room and onto my bed. I was more exhausted than I'd realized. My head hit the pillow, and Seth laid down next to me.
This was what I liked about Seth: he knew what I was comfortable with and what I wasn't comfortable with and he didn't even have to ask.
I felt a weight fall across my shoulder. When I looked to my left, I saw that Seth had an arm flung across me and was already asleep. For the second time that night, I felt a strange kind of halt in my emotions, seeing him like that. This was the wonderful, forgiving Seth I'd fallen in love with.
And he was mine. (As creepy and possessive as that might sound.)
I turned to face him and buried my face in his chest with a satisfied sigh. His skin was so warm. This was the kind of place I belonged, in the peace and quiet with Seth's arms around me.
I thought about what I'd said to him mere hours ago - my pleas for forgiveness. I'd been so surprised when he accepted my apology; I still didn't think I deserved it. But he said all was okay, that I was forgiven.
And I truly did love Seth. About a month ago, long before I'd gotten drunk, I'd started to suspect it. Every day, I looked forward to seeing Seth; the first thing I did when I woke up was call him. I always hated saying goodbye, as cheesy and cliché as that might sound. Now, I'd never fallen in love before so I had no idea what it was like, but I was pretty sure it was something like this.
I curled against Seth and, in the warmth of him, faded into sleep.
It was finally, finally Friday - the day Heather and Caroline would come home.
Heather was having a fit in the hospital room she'd been stuck in for the last three days. "Did we get everything?" she asked again and again. "Is there anything I'm forgetting?"
"No, Heather," I said for the fiftieth time. "We didn't bring that much, remember? Just clothes."
"Yeah," Heather said absentmindedly while Caroline slept in her arms, "but I know there's something…"
"There isn't."
"Okay, okay," she continued, still ignoring me, "I think that's everything."
"It is, Heather. Now can we go?" The ever-present smell of medicine was starting to give me a headache. I rearranged her bag of clothes so that it would fit more comfortably on my shoulder and watched Caroline squirm awake with a muffled cry.
"Yeah, I guess so." Heather smiled down at Caroline and gave her back a little pat, walking out of the room. I followed her, and immediately my head cleared. Thank God.
Seth was outside, waiting for us in his car. He smiled when we walked outside, cheerful as always. I slid into the passenger seat next to him while Heather and Caroline occupied the backseat. Seth drove out of the parking lot and onto the road - very carefully, because of course it was raining - while saying to Caroline, "Welcome home." That was Seth for you, always just so affectionate. It was hard to believe that there were people as nice as him left in the world.
We pulled up in front of my house as the rain increased. "Okay, we're going to have to make a run for it," she said. And when I didn't respond: "Willow?"
"I'm not going on the house."
"What? Why? Where are you going, then?"
"Seth's house. We've got a big movie night planned. If that's okay with you," I added quickly.
"It's fine. So you're spending the night at his house?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Okay, then. 'Bye." Heather picked up her bag of clothes, held Caroline securely against her chest, and ran towards the house in a flash. The car door slammed shut behind her. I watched to make sure she got inside safely and nodded at Seth, who drove off towards his house.
Leah was eating a brownie and reading Gone With the Wind when we walked inside. She was looking a bit better each day - surprisingly enough, she and Emily were learning to get along. I knew she was still upset over Sam - something I couldn't blame her for - but these days there was a bit of color in her cheeks, a truth in her smile. Without looking up, she said, "Be sure you don't trip over the carpet, Willow."
I looked down; at my feet was the part of the Clearwater house leading into the living room that switched from hardwood to carpet. I thought it was weird that she knew where I was standing, but whatever. "I won't," I said, stepping over it carefully.
Seth went to raid the pantry for snacks while I slunk into the living room and sat on the couch. I glanced up at the clock; it was already nearly six PM. Man, where had the day gone?
"Okay," said Seth a minute later, coming out of the kitchen with his arms full of popcorn and cookies, "I think this will be enough to last us about a week."
"Not with your insane appetite," I teased him as he sat down next to me, punching him lightly in the arm.
"Shut it."
"So what are we asking?" I asked. He picked up the DVD remote and pressed 'Play.'
"James Bond."
"Awesome."
As our James Bond Movie Marathon (that's what Seth called it) continued, the night wore on. It started to get dark outside, and soon the entire sky was quilted in black. I was getting tired quickly - it had been a rough day at school - and somewhere around midnight, I admitted defeat and slunk upstairs. Seth followed.
Even though it was still raining hard, the nearly-full moon filtered through gaps in the dark clouds whenever it could. I looked out of Seth's bedroom window and saw Quil and Embry a few houses down, bombing water balloons at each other. I shook my head and smiled; I loved the uniqueness of this place.
"I," I declared, "am tired."
"So am I," Seth replied, yawning loudly.
"You're always tired," I said.
"Hey, being a werewolf is tough." I wanted to laugh at his casual use of the word, but I didn't. "You're always really hot and beating up people and stuff."
"Beating up people?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Such violence."
Seth threw himself down on the bed and yawned again. I laid down next to him, nearly getting knocked off as he stretched. "Hey," I protested.
"Sorry." Seth kissed me on the forehead apologetically.
"It's okay."
We didn't say anything for a moment. His breathing became slow and rhythmic, and for a minute I thought he'd fallen asleep. But when I turned to face him, I saw that he was staring at the ceiling.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked.
"I dunno."
"You don't know what you're thinking about?"
"No."
"Hmm."
"What?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing."
I put my face against Seth's neck and wrapped an arm around him. He turned to me and smiled. "I love you," he stated.
"I love you, too. As horribly cheesy as that may sound."
Seth chuckled. Then he kissed me, a quick peck, and said, "Well, I don't think it sounds cheesy, personally."
"Oh, really?" I grinned and kissed him back. "Good, because I don't either."
There was something intimate about laying there, with Seth's skin so warm and the rain pounding outside and the late hour. I probably should have guessed what happened next, but I didn't.
It was a nice surprise, though.
When Seth kissed me again, I knew something was different. I could feel it in the way he put a hand on my back, bringing me closer - in the way his breath had more of a rough, ragged edge to it. There was something more to the way that his other hand moved up my shirt and settled on my stomach. A chill swept through my body; this was…
Insane.
He was close, but I wanted - no, needed - him to be closer. Knowing what my action could result in - and secretly yearning for the result -, I hooked my legs around his waist and pulled him against me, still not satisfied when his burning skin rubbed against my own. He needed to be closer. Closer. Much closer.
Both of us sat up at the same moment; I guess, as they say, great minds think alike. Seth wound a hand in my hair and kissed my jaw, sending another shiver up my spine. "Oh, my God," I gasped, my breath wild and erratic. "Seth."
"Shh," he muttered, in a voice so deep and amazing and oh my God, oh my God, this was unreal, "I'm right here."
His lips were at my neck now, and I was about to go insane. I was all but ripping my shirt off, but Seth chuckled and kissed my earlobe. "Not so fast," he breathed.
The freaking little tease. He was trying to kill me.
I wrapped my arms around him and wordlessly pulled him closer, burying my face into his neck. This was amazing, the stuff of dreams - I couldn't believe it was really happening. My skin burned under his touch and I gripped his back desperately, yearning for more. Holy crap. I'd known that this was going to happen sooner or later, but I hadn't expected it to be half this incredible.
Seth pushed me against the pillows, and I completely gave myself into him as the night wore on.
That night, I slept with Seth for the first time. And I'll admit that even though it was incredibly awkward, it was the most special, most beautiful night of my life. Seth was so gentle with me, so kind I thought I felt my heart snap in half.
After it was over, I rested my head against his chest and looked out of the window. The moon illuminated the soft darkness of Seth's room. A few minutes passed, and the clouds shifted.
Now the moon shone on Seth and my hands, which were entwined.
I smiled.
Author's Notes: I seriously considered making this a bit dirtier and switching the rating of the story to M, but decided not to. Believe me, it was hard to write a seductive chapter and still keep it PG 13. I think I failed on that front.
Hope you liked this chapter! Please review!