Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

182. Chapter 182

Chapter 182

Gloria was in the hospital for 2 weeks recovering from her injuries. Roshad and Jaedynn stayed in New York with the kids the entirety of that time and visited her daily. She asked for Jaedynn and Roshad to keep Raphael with them at Kevin's apartment to look after him. While she'd been told Alex was nowhere to be found and most likely fled south, she didn't want to risk it. When Raphael returned to school, Roshad walked him to school every morning and was outside ready to pick him up when school let out. The school already knew Roshad seeing as he was the one paying tuition but Gloria called them and gave her consent for them to release Raphael to Roshad so protocol was being followed. They were made aware of what happened and did everything in their power to help Raphael through the trauma while making sure he didn't fall behind. After school, Roshad would bring Raphael back to Kevin's apartment, they'd go to the hospital to visit Gloria and the kids would play with Raphael to help him feel better.

When Gloria was finally released from the hospital, everything hurt and she could barely move on her own. Despite her insistence about wanting to soldier through the pain, the doctor insisted she needed to give herself at least a month of leave from work to heal. She only agreed when Roshad insisted he'd take care of everything while she was out of work. Antoinette promised there would be work for Gloria when she could finally come back and Roshad promised he'd make sure bills were paid and insisted on covering whatever her insurance didn't cover for her hospital stay. Despite Gloria's attempts to refuse and tell him he didn't need to, he would not be swayed. On Saturday before Jaedynn and Roshad would be returning home, they took Gloria and the kids to Central Park so they could all play together. He brought a soccer ball, they set up some goals, got the kids divided into two teams and they all played soccer together while Jaedynn and Gloria sat on a park bench together.

"So tell me honestly," Gloria said to Jaedynn, "does Roshad just shit money?"

Jaedynn laughed, "No, he doesn't. Spice sells and for a lot of money."

"Clearly," Gloria said. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you for everything you two have done."

"There's no debt to be paid," Jaedynn smiled and, as gently as possible, patted Gloria's hand reassuringly. "You've suffered enough as it is. The least we can do is ease the burden any way we can."

"I really appreciate it," Gloria smiled back.

She turned her attention to Raphael watching him play with his brothers. He looked happier than he had in days now that he was finally enjoying some normalcy again. She watched Raphael chase after Roshad trying to get the ball and, while she did not love Roshad, she felt that horrible pang of jealousy. Here was a man who held no responsibility to look after Raphael or be a father figure, yet he did all that and treated Raphael as though he were his own son. She'd wanted so badly to believe that Raphael could help Alex and bring out the best in him if she just gave him the chance to do it but from the moment Raphael was born, Alex had been nothing but selfish, cruel and controlling. If anything, he'd gotten worse.

"Did I make a mistake?" Gloria asked out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" Jaedynn asked.

"Did I make a mistake trying to work with Alex and let him be in Raphael's life?" Gloria asked but Jaedynn didn't answer.

The truth was she didn't know the answer. In her mind, cutting Alex off from any contact with Kamron had been the best decision she could have made but by the same token, Kamron had a father in Roshad. While Roshad was in the picture for Raphael as much as possible, it wasn't nearly to the extent Kamron, Leo, Mikie or Don enjoyed. Alex not being in their lives was for the best because they had in Roshad a man who was more of a father than Alex could ever hope to be. With Raphael, though, things were much more complicated.

"I wish I knew how to answer you," Jaedynn finally said.

"Me too," Gloria said and breathed out remorsefully. "I know so many – too many – who are single moms and the father's either walked out on them never to be seen or heard from again or fathers who know they have kids and want nothing to do with them. Regardless of how he treated me, he wanted to be a father to Raphael and getting between that felt wrong to me. I know he loves our son in his own way and Raphael loves his father so much. No matter what that bastard does, Raphael still loves him." Gloria's eyes were beginning to burn a little but she did her best to brush any tears away. "Even when I sent him papers summoning him to family court, I had no intention of never letting him see Raphael. I just wanted him to fucking listen to me and respect my boundaries. That's all I wanted." Jaedynn took Gloria's hand trying to comfort her.

"That's not the way he is," Jaedynn said solemnly. "You and I both know that. He takes and takes and gives nothing back. We both had to learn that the hard way."

"I know that's how he is with me," Gloria said, "but I'd hoped that maybe he wouldn't be that way with Raphael. I'd hoped if anyone could bring out even a little good in Alex, it would be our son."

"I wish that could be true," Jaedynn said. "In any case, if he shows up to court, he'll be under arrest for assault and need to face a judge for that or he doesn't show up and he relinquishes all rights to Raphael. Truthfully, I think the later would be for the best."

"What will I tell Raphael, though?" Gloria asked. It was another question Jaedynn didn't have an answer for.

While Jaedynn and Gloria talked, Roshad stayed focused on the kids. Maleek was on his team so whenever the little boy would get to the ball, Roshad would pick him up and help him to kick the ball to the other team's goal. The kids chased each other around trying to get the ball and they tackled one another tumbling in the grass playing rough and having a great time. However, as they were all playing, Roshad spotted an unwelcome sight. Alex was standing nearby leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.

"Jaedynn," Roshad said and she was about to ask what was wrong but then she spotted Alex and knew. "Stay with the kids."

Jaedynn yelled at all the kids to come to the bench so they were close to her and Gloria. When she did, Gloria finally noticed Alex and had a kneejerk reaction to seeing him. She backed away to the very end of the park bench while keeping herself stone faced. Raphael noticed his mother's expression and looked to see Alex. Terror gripped him and Raphael went behind Gloria on the park bench to hide. Roshad approached Alex if only for the sake of keeping the man as far away from the others as possible. There were so many things to say that came to his mind but in the end he didn't want to waste any more time on Alex than he had to and got straight to the point.

Once Roshad was a few feet away from Alex, he said, "You need to leave."

"Look at you waltzing around like you own the park," Alex said with harsh sarcasm.

"I'm not playing games with you, Alex," Roshad said.

"I don't want to play games with you," Alex said. "I just want to see my son. I didn't get to see him before Gloria made me leave."

"You aren't going near Raphael," Roshad said firmly.

"I don't need your permission to see my son," Alex bit back. "You already took my other sons from me. Now you're trying to take Raphael from me too?"

"I haven't taken anything from you," Roshad said. "There's nothing that's happened to you that you haven't brought on yourself."

"Out of my way, Golden Goose," Alex bit back.

"Absolutely not," Roshad said.

Ignoring Roshad altogether now, Alex looked past Roshad to the kids and when he spotted Raphael he called out, "Mijo!" Hearing his father's voice, Raphael crouched to make himself small and got further behind Gloria desperate for Alex not to see him. Kamron came to stand in front of Raphael to hide him.

"Jaedynn, call the police!" Roshad called out to Jaedynn but he never took his eyes off Alex. Jaedynn rushed to find a phone or, better yet, find a patrol car that might be nearby while Kamron stood taller as though he were taking over as defender in Jaedynn's absence.

"Yes, call the police," Alex said, "be overdramatic."

"There's a warrant out for your arrest," Roshad said, "and I promise you nothing would please me more than to see you taken away in handcuffs."

"I bet you'd like that," Alex answered back snappishly.

He decided he was done talking to Roshad and tried to walk around him, but Roshad wouldn't let him pass. He stepped in front of Alex to block him from going any further. Alex got angrier and shoved Roshad before trying to get past him but Roshad grabbed a hold of Alex's arm so he couldn't get by. Alex threw a punch to force Roshad to release him but Roshad managed to dodge the blow and got around Alex so he could pin him to the ground. Alex managed to force Roshad off him for just a moment but Roshad quickly recovered and grabbed onto Alex again getting him pinned to the ground.

"¡No luches! Baba, papa, ¡Por favor no luches!" Raphael screamed and started running over to them to try to stop the fight. Gloria called after Raphael telling him to stay by her but he was already too far away and it hurt too much to chase him. Kamron chased after Raphael instead. Roshad was briefly distracted but it was enough time for Alex to elbow Roshad in the chin and force him off before running to meet Raphael.

"There's my little man," Alex said to Raphael as though nothing had just happened, but Raphael was still crying. "What are you crying for, mijo?"

"Por favor no luches papa," (Please don't fight, papa) Raphael cried.

"Me estaba defendiendo, mijo," (I was defending myself) Alex said. "Cuando alguien se interpone en tu camino, tienes que empujarlo al suelo." (When someone gets in your way, you have to shove them into the dirt).

Kamron interrupted by taking a hold of Raphael and pulling him around so Kamron was in front of him and then yelled, "Stay away from my little brother!"

Roshad then grabbed a hold of Alex trying to restrain him and ordered Kamron to take Raphael back to the park bench with the others. The fight continued, Raphael cried even more and finally Jaedynn made it back with 2 cops following after her. Alex continued to fight to get away when he noticed the cops approaching but Roshad kept Alex restrained until one of the officers pulled out a pair of handcuffs and pinned Alex down to put them on. Jaedynn picked up Raphael as they were getting away and took Kamron's hand as they retreated back to the park bench with Gloria and the other kids. Alex fought the officers for a moment but seemed to decide not to as they pulled Alex up to his feet. Roshad touched his chin where Alex had struck him and while the spot was sore, it was already healing. The officer read Alex his rights, but he wasn't listening.

"See this Raphael?! This is what happens when your mother gets in the way!"

"Save it for the judge, buddy," the officer holding him said and dragged Alex away in handcuffs. Raphael was still sobbing in Jaedynn's arms and Roshad approached them going straight to Kamron.

"Are you okay, Kamron?" Roshad asked and Kamron answered with a nod. Roshad lifted Kamron into his arms to hold him and patted his back. "That was very brave of you." The other kids rushed up to Roshad to hug him while Gloria was doing her best to come over in spite of the intense pain she was feeling.

"Gloria," Jaedynn said and went to her so she could help keep her upright. Raphael reached for her and Jaedynn released him to Gloria but kept her hands on him to help support him.

"Baba, who was that?" Don asked as he was still holding onto Roshad.

A lump formed in Roshad's throat as he said, "We'll talk about it when we get home."

They all brought Gloria and Raphael home and stayed at the apartment for dinner but Raphael wouldn't eat anything. He kept himself cuddled up with Gloria needing that feeling of security. While Roshad was making everyone dinner, the phone rang and Margarita went to answer it. It was the police calling about the officers who'd arrested Alex. The officers' car was found abandoned on the road and, after a brief search, those same officers were found dead in the park and Alex was nowhere to be found. Margarita was in a panic for a moment and then Jaedynn took the phone to finish speaking with the police and as soon as she could, she called Evalynn's number. Evalynn was still at school but Dmitri and Heidi were there to answer.

Dmitri promised he'd be right over and would patrol the surrounding area and if Alex popped up again, he'd drag the man to the police to face what was coming to him. Jaedynn and Roshad stayed with Gloria until the children were all really tired and needed to be put to bed. As they were walking out, Dimitri was wandering around the apartment building standing still from time to time remaining inconspicuous. Jaedynn walked up to him holding Maleek in her arms already sound asleep and drooling on her shoulder.

"Thank you for keeping watch, Dimitri," Jaedynn said after she'd approached him.

"It's no trouble," Dimitri answered and took out a pack of cigarettes which confused Jaedynn.

"You smoke?" Jaedynn asked.

"Cigarettes are effective at masking natural scents," Dimitri said and put the cigarette in his mouth then took a moment to light it. "Tastes like absolute shit and makes you stink like burning rat poison but it also means my natural scent is masked so if Alex or his mother try anything, I'll be able to catch them before they notice me."

"Huh," Jaedynn said, "you learn something new every day. Do you know where Alex is now?"

"He's gone south again," Dimitri said, "And I suspect this time he'll stay there. I'd wager the man knows he shot himself in the foot by killing those police officers. Before he was just an abuser but now he's a cop killer. Pardon my joke, but in America if you kill a cop, cop kills you." He thickened his Russian accent just enough to reference the 'Mother Russia' joke but there really was nothing to laugh about right now. He wasn't wrong, though.

"Don't I know it," Jaedynn said. "Do you think Rita will show up or try anything?"

"Honestly, I highly doubt it," Dimitri said. "She's moving around the way she normally would. She's passed through this area a few times but it was always too quick to cause concern. If that changes, I'll watch her like a hawk, but right now Gloria and her family are safe."

"Okay, I'm glad to hear it," Jaedynn said. "So….how's Evalynn doing?"

"Stressed and loving it," Dimitri said with a light but proud smile. "Just one more year at Yale, she'll take her BAR exams and she'll finally be able to start working."

"I'll bet she's excited about that," Jaedynn said. "Are you and Heidi going back to Germany after this?"

"We'll see," Dimitri said. "Heidi and I have gotten used to living in America so we may just stay. We can always go back to Europe for a visit when we want to."

"That's true," Jaedynn said.

"Are you still going back to Washington on Sunday?"

"Yeah," Jaedynn nodded but it was clear she felt guilty.

"Everything will be fine, Jaedynn," Dimitri said. "I'll make damn sure of that."

Jaedynn smiled, "I appreciate it, Dimitri."

"Any time," he said and then took another puff of his cigarette.

Jaedynn and Roshad hailed a taxi to take them back to Kevin's apartment and got all the kids in bed as soon as they made it upstairs. Once they were in the master bedroom, Roshad went into the shower to clear his head while Jaedynn brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. She waited under the covers about ten minutes before Roshad finally left the shower. She turned to face him and saw his face in the mirror. He looked somber.

"Roshad?" Jaedynn said and he turned to look at her. Suspecting she knew what was bothering him, she said, "We don't have to tell them now. We can wait until Don, Mikie and Leo are older before we tell them Alex is their father."

"No," Roshad said regretfully and approached the bed, "Age won't make the news any easier to break. Besides, if they didn't already figure it out, they will soon enough. I'd prefer to get it over with. Like ripping off a band aid."

"We can sleep on it," Jaedynn said as Roshad got into bed with her. She reached out to him and he took Jaedynn in his arms once they were both under the covers.

Meanwhile, all the kids were asleep except Kamron. What happened that day was still playing in his head. Over the years when Roshad and Jaedynn thought he wasn't listening, he'd hear them talk about Alex and what he'd done to Gloria throughout the years. Seeing him brought him back to that day when he had to meet the man and when Roshad told him Alex was his father. He didn't want Alex to be his father. He didn't want to be anything like him. He wouldn't be anything like him, Kamron determined adamantly to himself.

The next morning, Roshad was out of bed early making breakfast for everyone. When Jaedynn woke up, she went to check on the kids but they were still asleep so she went to take a quick shower. By the time she was out, breakfast was ready and Roshad was getting the children up for the day. They were getting the children dressed for the day and Jaedynn was helping Iman and Sherry pick out what they wanted to wear that day. While Roshad was helping Leo, Don, Mikie and Navid in their shirts, Don asked the question he'd been dreading.

"Baba, who was that man from yesterday?" Don asked.

"Shut up, Don – he's no one," Kamron said defensively, not wanting to listen to another word about the man.

"Kamron, don't yell at your brothers," Jaedynn demanded.

"I don't want to talk about him anymore!" Kamron screamed and ran out of the bedroom. Jaedynn stood to follow but Roshad stopped her and went after him instead. When Roshad had left the room, Don appeared like he might cry so Jaedynn took him into her arms.

"Don't cry, Don," Jaedynn cooed soothingly and kissed his head. "Kamron didn't mean to yell at you."

"Mommy, why did Kamron get angry when Don asked about that man from yesterday?" Navid asked innocently. Jaedynn looked at Navid and the other children. They were all looking at her with these expectant little hazel and brown eyes and she realized Roshad was right: they needed to be truthful with Don, Mikie and Leo and get it over with.

"Don, Mikie, Leo, remember how your baba and I adopted you? Raphael and Kamron are your half brothers. Your mommies weren't able to take care of you so your baba and I adopted you?" Don, Mikie and Leo nodded. "That man you saw fighting with your baba yesterday," Jaedynn started and took a deep breath, "He's your birth father. He's Kamron's and Raphael's birth father and Leo, Don, Mikie; he's your father too." Mikie, Don and Leo looked at one another and then looked at Jaedynn.

"But…." Mikie said, "Mommy, I don't want that man to be our father."

"I know," Jaedynn said and hugged Mikie, Don and Leo. "I know you don't, but just because he's your father doesn't mean you ever have to see him or think of him ever again. Roshad is your baba. He always has been and always will be no matter what. Just know your baba loves you and he'll never let that man hurt any of you, okay?"

"Promise?" Don asked.

"Yes, honey, I promise," Jaedynn said and kissed Don's head. "Your baba and I both love all of you very much."

"I love you, mommy," all the boys said and they hugged her tighter.

Jaedynn motioned for Navid, Sherry and Iman to come closer so she could hug all of them too. Roshad, meanwhile, followed Kamron to the master bedroom where he'd retreated to. He was in the closet hiding under a row of Kevin's suits holding his knees close to his chest. Roshad came into the closet turning the light on then closing the door so they could have some privacy and sat on the floor across from Kamron.

"Kamron?" Roshad said gently.

"I don't want to talk about him anymore," Kamron said.

"We don't have to, Kamron," Roshad said, "But you shouldn't have yelled at Don that way." Kamron was quiet and tucked his head into his knees. Roshad scooted closer to Kamron and ran his hand over Kamron's head to offer him comfort.

"I'm sorry, baba," Kamron finally said. Roshad moved a little closer until he was able to hug Kamron. "I don't want to see that man anymore."

"I know, Kamron," Roshad said and patted Kamron's back. "That was very brave of you to protect Raphael the way you did."

"I couldn't let him take Raphael. He could've hurt him," Kamron said and he started to cry a little despite his efforts to hold back. Roshad started rocking Kamron back and forth to sooth him.

"He won't hurt any of you," Roshad promised and kissed Kamron's head, "I promise he will never hurt you or your brothers ever again." From there, Roshad stayed quiet and allowed Kamron to cry. Kamron kept thinking, "I don't want him to be my father" over and over again. He knew Roshad had adopted him and the knowledge made him feel different from his little brothers Navid and Maleek. He was the product of a cruel, self-centered man and it made Kamron feel insufficient and inherently inferior. He started crying harder but Roshad continued to cradle Kamron rocking him back and forth.

"I don't want to be like him," Kamron finally said through his tears.

"What? Kamron, you're nothing like him."

"I'm not like Navid or Maleek," Kamron kept crying.

"Kamron," Roshad commanded the boy's attention and made him look at him. "You listen to me. You are my son. Nothing Alex does will ever change that. You, Don, Mikie and Leo are my sons the same as Navid and Maleek. Please don't ever think otherwise."

"Why can't you be my dad?" Kamron asked desperately. "Why did it have to be him?"

"Kamron," Roshad said firmly while trying to comfort Kamron, "I am your father. It might not be by blood, but I am your father in every way that matters. I love you, Kamron. I always have." Kamron was still crying and Roshad brought Kamron closer so he was cradling the boy against his chest. "I remember the first time your mother and I saw you. It was her first ultrasound. I told them I was your father then and I haven't regretted it a single moment since. At the time, you were still so small – just a tiny dot on the screen but I loved you then as much as I love you now. You have always been my son. Never doubt that for a moment."

Kamron continued to cry while Roshad soothed him as best he could. Jaedynn came to the master bedroom and saw the closet door was closed. She overheard everything Roshad had said about Kamron being his and loving him from the beginning. That Kamron would ever think otherwise for even a moment because of Alex tore her in two. She could never take that time of her life back and she could never change how Kamron was conceived, but she was grateful she could give Kamron a good father in Roshad. Kamron finally started to calm down a little and once he'd stopped crying, he was rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, baba," Kamron said.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Kamron," Roshad said, "But I would like for you to apologize to Don for yelling at him. Can you do that for me?"

Kamron nodded meekly and the two of them finally left the closet together where Jaedynn was waiting. The three of them walked back to the dining room where all the children were sitting together having breakfast. Kamron took a seat right beside Don and hugged him.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Don," Kamron said and Don hugged him back.

"It's okay, Kamron," Don said. Roshad came up behind them and hugged both of them both.

"Eat up, everyone," Roshad said. "Gloria's coming over with Raphael today and we want to be ready for them once they arrive."

Roshad and Jaedynn sat at the table with the kids to have breakfast together and by the time all the dishes were cleaned, Gloria arrived with Raphael and the kids were able to play together in the living room completely undisrupted. Raphael seemed better than he had been yesterday but it did take some time for him to play normally. He stuck close to Kamron for a while but did eventually start to play more with his other brothers. They had to go to the airport on Sunday to return home but Gloria and Raphael came to the airport to see them off.

"Thank you for coming to see us on such short notice," Gloria said as they were putting their luggage on a trolley.

"It's no trouble," Roshad said. "We're always just a phone call away so if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call us. We'll be back for another visit before we leave for Levi's wedding like we discussed."

"I look forward to it," Gloria agreed.

"Roshad," Jaedynn said, "Maybe one year over the summer we can send all the kids to summer camp together. I'm sure there are plenty of options in Washington. Or maybe the Niagara falls area?"

"We'll do some research and find out," Roshad said, "So long as you don't mind, Gloria."

"Not in the least," Gloria said. "They might be a bit young for that now, but some day in the future I'm sure they'd love that."

"For sure," Jaedynn said and then hugged Gloria as gently as possible. Then she kneeled down to hug Raphael. "We're going to miss you but we'll see you again over the summer, okay Raphael?"

"Okay, ma," Raphael said and then started hugging all his brothers and sisters then finally hugging Roshad. They waved goodbye to Gloria and Raphael as they walked into the airport and several hours later when they finally made it back home, Jaedynn called Gloria to let her know they'd made it home.

For all of early 1980, Levi and Nadja focused entirely on the wedding. Their Quileute ceremony was easy to set up. They'd had their moon ceremony and already knew the night they'd get married. Their attention had to be primarily focused on getting everything set up at New West End which Nadja's mother was a huge help with. Nadja's parents were able to come to Washington in January for a visit, but the primary concern was to find a dress. Alice had offered to make Nadja her dress, but Maritza wanted the experience of going wedding dress shopping with her daughter. Nadja had an appointment set and on Saturday she and her mother went to the bridal shop with Heather and Lilliana in tow. William was with them and was wandering around the store looking at the dresses.

"Will! Be careful – you don't want to tear any of the dresses!" Heather yelled when William was tugging on one of the lace dresses.

"Let me see that one," Nadja said and wandered to the dress William had been tugging on. It was a lace gown with long, sheer sleeves, a full skirt and a high neckline. There was lace around the neck with a sweetheart bodice while the fabric across the chest and down the arms was completely sheer. There was lace at the cuffs of the sleeves and when she turned the dress around to see the back, there was lace going down the back as well as a row of white buttons. "Mama, what do you think of this one?"

"It's beautiful," Maritza said and started examining the dress for herself.

"Would you like to have this brought to the dressing room?"

"Yes, please," Nadja said and once the sales rep took away the dress, Nadja and the others started looking at other dresses.

Nadja found two dresses she wanted to try on but they were short sleeved and Maritza was not in favor of them at all calling them 'inappropriate' but Heather convinced Maritza to let her try them on at least. By the time they'd gone up and down the store three times, Nadja found seven dresses to try. Maritza picked a few, Nadja picked some, Heather picked one and William even picked one for her so he could feel involved. Nadja wanted to get that dress on and off as quickly as possible.

"Okay, Will," Nadja said once the sales rep had Nadja in the dress, "Are you ready to see your pick?"

"Yeah!" William said with excitement while he was sitting on Heather's lap. Nadja finally stepped out so everyone could see. The balloon sleeves were lace and satin and the rest of the sleeve was tight to her arm. The corset felt really nice and she loved how it synched in her waist and she really loved the full skirt, but she despised the sleeves; well and truly despised them. "Your shoulders look like eggs," William said.

"The lace is really pretty," Heather said, "But I agree I don't like the sleeves."

"I really like the neckline," Lilliana said.

"Yeah, I do too," Nadja said and then looked at her mother. "Mama, what do you think?"

"It's too revealing," Maritza said and Nadja rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh.

"Mama, tu negali būti rimta," (you can't be serious) Nadja said.

"Reikia būti tinkamai apsirengusiam. Vestuvės vyksta Sinagogoje, o ne Pokylių salėje," (You need to be dressed appropriately. The wedding is in a Synagogue, not a Banquet Hall) Maritza said to Nadja then said to the sales rep, "She needs to have her chest covered."

"Nadja, do you still want to try on the dresses with the capped sleeves?" the sales rep asked.

Nadja sighed, "If mama says they're inappropriate, no point in trying them on."

"Come on, Maritza; at least let her try them on," Heather said.

"She can try them on but her dress needs to be appropriate for the Synagogue," Maritza insisted and Nadja returned into the dressing room with the sales rep and Nadja said again not to bother with the short sleeved dresses since she knew Maritza would say no to them.

With Maritza's desires in mind, the sales rep encouraged Nadja to try on the empire waist gown with long sleeves and a high neck. The sleeves had ruffles that soured Nadja's opinion of it and when she had it on, the empire waistline was doing her no favors. She didn't even want to step out to show it to everyone. When the sales rep saw the look in Nadja's eyes, she knew she wouldn't want to go out and suggested they move on to the next dress. The sales rep pulled one of the first dresses that had caught the group's attention. It was long sleeved, lace and high necked but it wasn't tight to the neck. Her back was visible which concerned Nadja but the sales rep promised a veil would cover the lower back of the dress. The dress had a corset and the sales rep tightened it and got the strings tied before securing the long row of buttons.

"What do you think?" the sales rep asked when she saw the light in Nadja's eyes as she looked at the dress.

"I love it," Nadja said with a smile. She felt so beautiful and she wanted Maritza to like it. Nadja turned as the sales rep opened the door and Nadja stepped out with a bright smile and a sparkle in her eyes and when the group saw her, they all smiled.

"I love it," Lilliana said, "you look so beautiful."

"I really like this one too," Heather said. They all looked at Maritza and she was smiling.

"Can we see it with a veil?" Maritza asked.

"Absolutely," the sales rep said and went to get a veil. Once she had it, she pinned a veil into Nadja's hair and once that was secured, Maritza was clearly moved.

"I like this one," Maritza said and Nadja's smile brightened. "Do you want to try on any other dresses?"

"We should at least see the rest," Lilliana said.

"Why waste time on more wedding dresses when I've found 'the one'?" Nadja smiled. "Besides, we still need to pick your bridesmaid dresses."

"I'll help you out of the dress and then I'll show you want we have," the sales rep said and led Nadja back into the dressing room so she could get changed. Once she was dressed, Nadja joined her mother, Heather, Lilliana and the sales rep to a collection of bridesmaid and prom dresses.

"Can we pick something I can wear to prom?" Lilliana asked as they were looking at all the gowns.

"What prom? You're a sophomore," Heather said.

"A junior might ask me," Lilliana said defensively with a small blush.

"Pardon?" Heather asked. "What's this boy's name? Do mom and dad know about this?"

"Shut up, Heather," Lilliana muttered as her cheeks went crimson.

"Heather?" Nadja said as she was holding yellow bridesmaid dress, "What do you think of this dress?" The color aside, it was a knee length dress with a full skirt, a tight bodice and full sleeves that looked to be big enough to go down to the elbow.

"The dress is really nice," Heather said, "But I thought we were wearing blue."

"You are," Nadja said, "But we can order these in the right color. I just need to see how they look on you."

"Can we wear something we can actually wear again?" Lilliana asked.

"You can wear this again," Nadja said. "So long as it still fits next year, you can wear it to your prom or something."

"Lilliana's claiming she's already going to prom this year," Heather said.

"Are you? Did a junior invite you?" Nadja asked.

"I'm trying to get this kid's name," Heather said.

"Shut up, Heather," Lilliana said a little more forcefully. Her cheeks were still beet red and she turned her attention on dresses trying to find anything she would like that could be made in the powder blue color Nadja wanted them to wear.

As she'd done with Nadja's dress, Maritza insisted the dresses be conservative. Heather and Lilliana tried on so many dresses standing side by side to make sure it suited both of them. They finally decided on a floor length dress with a tight bodice but it was a halter dress with a sweetheart neckline so Maritza insisted they would need to have cardigans over their dresses. The sales rep brought out what they had and they picked something Lilliana and Heather could both agree on and they all placed their orders for their dresses. Nadja and Maritza left the dress shop together while Heather took Lilliana out for lunch and then took her home. Amber was at the candle shop and her car wasn't there, so Heather parked in the driveway beside Kevin's car.

"Do you want to go inside and see grandpa?" Heather asked Will in an excited voice.

"Yeah!" Will cheered and Heather got out of the car coming around to Will so she could get him out of his car seat. Lilliana left Heather's car and went into the house ahead of Heather. When Lilliana stepped inside the house, Kevin was in his office reading.

"Still working, daddy?" Lilliana asked.

"Afraid so," Kevin said but he looked up from what he was reading so he could look at Lilliana. "How'd dress shopping go?"

"We all found our dresses and placed our orders," Lillian a said. "They'll arrive in about three months then we're having our fittings." Heather finally came in with Will and when Will saw Kevin, his face lit up.

"Grandpa!" he yelled and ran to Kevin who chuckled as she turned his chair and kneeled on the floor to grab Will into his arms.

"How's my Tater Tot?" Kevin asked as he squeezed Will.

"Daddy," Heather said with an exasperated sigh. "So what time is mom coming home?"

"She said she's going to be late," Kevin said, "but she should be home by 7."

"If she'll be home tomorrow, we'll all swing by so we can have dinner together," Heather said. "Is Tristan upstairs?"

"No, he's out," Kevin said. "Lee just got his driver's license so he's taking your brother for a joy ride."

"Ah yes, I remember that feeling of getting finally getting my license and driving for the sake of doing it," Heather said. "Then I learned gas is expensive and curbed that habit."

"As I recall, you came asking me for gas money for the umpteenth time in a month and I told you to get a job and start paying for your own gas," Kevin said with a joking smile.

"Exactly: I learned gas was expensive when I had to start paying for it myself," Heather said and Kevin chuckled a little.

"Speaking of expensive: how much was Lilli's dress?"

"Don't worry about it, daddy," Heather said, "It wasn't that bad. Her hair and makeup for the wedding are on you, though."

"Fair enough," Kevin laughed.

"Grandpa, I want to play outside," Will interrupted so that Kevin would look at him.

"You do, do you?" Kevin smiled. "What do you want to play?"

"Tag!" Will yelled with excitement.

"Alright, tag it is," Kevin smiled and brought Will outside so they could play.

Heather came outside with them so she could join the game but Lilliana stayed inside and grabbed a can of soda for herself before running up to her room. Lilliana grabbed a magazine and laid on her stomach on her bed to start sifting through the pictures of the latest fashion. Another hour went by before Heather and Will left but she stayed upstairs reading on her bed. She stayed upstairs until she heard a car pull up outside and her brother talking jubilantly. Lilliana got up and went to the window to look outside. Lee was getting out of the driver's side of a 1973 black Ford Ranger and Tristan hopped out of the passenger's side. Lilliana could hear them bantering from where she stood and it was clear Lee was really excited about earning his license even if he could only drive his dad's car for the time being. She heard the front door open downstairs and her brother walk in with Lee.

"Did you want anything?" she heard Tristan say from downstairs. "Mom's going to be late getting home so we'll be on our own for dinner."

"I'm not picky," Lee said.

"Dad, are the leftovers from last night still in the fridge?" Tristan asked Kevin.

"Yeah," Kevin answered. Tristan got out the leftovers, made up two plates and put each plate in the microwave until everything was hot then took their plates to the table to eat.

"When's your next game?" Tristan asked while he was platting up their food.

"First Saturday of February," Lee said. "You want me to get you tickets?"

"Yeah; you know I do," Tristan said. "Is Maggie going?"

"Yeah, she's going," Lee said. "She's got practice at the rink that day so she'll be there anyway. Don't worry: I can ask her to bring a friend so we can all go out together after the game."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Tristan said. The alarm of the microwave went off so Tristan opened the door, took out the plate and replaced it with the second one.

"Rumor has it," Lee said, "that a scout is going to be coming to one of the games. I don't know if it'll be the first game; most likely one of the later games of the season."

"That's awesome! You'd better be cut throat out there if you want him to single you out," Tristan said. "So are you still wanting to go pro?"

"That's the plan," Lee said, "But I should still have a backup plan." The microwave went off again and Tristan took the plate out handing it to Lee. The two of them sat at the table and once they were seated, Lee said, "So what are you planning to do after high school?"

"A little early to plan for that isn't it?" Tristan asked.

"Never too early to prepare for college, Tristan," Kevin called out from his office.

"I don't know if I really want to go to college," Tristan said. Kevin looked up from the deposition he was reading and looked at Tristan for a moment.

"You're going to college," Kevin finally said and returned his attention to the deposition he'd been reading while Tristan rolled his eyes a little and poked his fork at a chunk of chicken. Lilliana finally came downstairs trying her best to remain casual. Tristan and Lee looked up as she entered the kitchen but Tristan's gaze quickly returned to his food. Lee's, on the other hand, lingered as he smiled pleasantly at her.

"Hey Lilli," Lee said.

"Hey," Lilliana said shyly. "I overheard you say your first game of the year will be in February."

"Yeah," Lee said, "We're playing the St. Charles High Hockey Team. There's rumors going around a scout might be at the game."

"That's exciting," Lilliana said. "In that case, give 'em hell on the ice."

"You bet," Lee said. "Did you want to come to the game? I can always get more tickets."

"Yeah, I'd love to go," Lilliana said. "Tristan, are there still leftovers?"

"Yeah; in the fridge," Tristan said. Lilliana turned to open the fridge door and eventually found the food on the bottom shelf. Lilliana bent down and as she did, Lee continued to stare. He'd never really looked at her before. Why would he? She was his best friend's twin sister. He'd never thought of her as anything else, but for some reason the sight of her bent over was holding his attention. "What are you staring at?" Tristan asked and it made Lee jump. Tristan followed his gaze, realized what Lee was staring at and then looked at him again. "No," was all Tristan said as he gently shook his head and then returned his attention to his food.

Lilliana got the food out of the fridge and plated up what was left in the dish then put that in the microwave. Lee returned his attention to his own food trying not to look at Lilliana anymore but then Lilliana came to the table and sat across from him beside Tristan.

"With a big game coming up, I'm surprised you're not at the rink practicing," Lilliana said, trying to make small talk.

"It's postponed until tomorrow," Lee said. "Coach has a funeral to attend so practice was cancelled."

"Who passed away?"

"His uncle I think he said," Lee said as he was poking at his food. "So…..you went dress shopping or something didn't you?"

"Yeah, we've ordered our bridesmaid dresses and they'll arrive in a few months," Lilliana said. She looked at Lee for a moment and then said, "I don't suppose you're coming to Levi's wedding?"

"I can't," Lee said, "but Sergei is going."

"He's not mad about not being a groomsman is he?" Tristan asked but Lee shrugged as he shook his head.

"No," Lee said. "Honestly, I don't think he'd want to be but he's going to the bachelor party."

"Only reason to be a groomsman quite frankly," Tristan said. "Caleb's in charge of all that. It'll probably just be him, Levi and Sergei that go out together. I'm decidedly not invited to those events," Tristan continued and rolled his eyes a little.

"What's that for?" Lilliana said. "You can't drink and you can't be the designated driver, so why would they invite you? I'm going to dinner with Heather and Nadja but after that, my ass is being sent home while they bar hop."

Lee chuckled a little, "At least you're not suffering alone, right Tristan?" Lee stayed over for another hour while they ate their dinner but once they were done, Lee excused himself saying he needed to get home. Tristan walked with him out to his car while Lilliana went up to her room but she couldn't help glancing out her window at them.

"So," Tristan started once they'd made it to the car, "why were you checking out my sister?"

"What?"

"You heard me," Tristan said. "Why were you checking out my sister?"

"I," Lee started, about to say he wasn't but decided not to and instead said, "Sorry, I hadn't meant to. I just got distracted."

"Just don't make a habit of it," Tristan said. "It's bad enough she's got a crush on you."

"What?" Lee asked with surprise.

"I said it's bad enough she has a crush on you," Tristan repeated. "I know you wouldn't do it on purpose but I don't want you stringing her along or anything."

"What the hell are you talking about, dude?" Lee said defensively. "I wouldn't do something like that."

"No reason to get defensive, man," Tristan said, "Just be more mindful. That's all I'm asking."

Lee nodded awkwardly and finally said, "Sure. Sorry about that."

"It's cool," Tristan said and he patted Lee's arm. "Get going. If you've got practice in the morning then you'd better get home and sleep. I, on the other hand, plan to sleep in until noon if I can help it."

Lee laughed gently, "Must be nice. Well, I'll see you later."

"Later," Tristan said and stayed outside until Lee had driven off.

As soon as they were available, Lee sent Tristan some tickets to go to the first game of the season. The game was hosted at Lee's team's ice rink and there weren't many attendees besides the parents. Lilliana sat in the bleachers with Tristan, Sergei, Boris and Illyana waiting for the game to start. While they waited, a young woman with dark brown hair tied back in a bun came around and waived when she spotted them before coming up to their section.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Aleyev," the young woman said with a pleasant smile. "Hey Tristan."

"Hey Maggie," they all said and then Maggie looked at Lilliana with a gentle smile.

"I'm sorry; I don't think we've met," Maggie said. "Would you happen to be Lee's sister Nadeshka?"

"No," Lilliana said, "I'm Lilli: Tristan's twin sister."

"Ah, yes, Tristan told me all about you," Maggie said. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"Sure," Lilliana said and Maggie took a seat next to her. "So you're Lee's friend?"

"I'm his girlfriend, yeah," Maggie said.

"Oh," Lilliana said a little awkwardly. "How long have you to been dating?"

"About four months," Maggie said, "But we've known each other since Lee joined the senior Hockey team."

"Are you a hockey player?"

"Figure skater," Maggie said. Then she took a moment to look around the auditorium but she didn't seem to find what she was looking for and her shoulders slumped. "I don't think that scout is here."

"It's okay; it's only the first game of the season," Tristan said. "And even if that scout doesn't show up now, Lee's still got time."

"The sooner the better, though," Maggie sighed.

"That scout would probably be for Washington University," Tristan said. "Lee wants to join the Michigan team."

"I know," Maggie sighed, "But I think he should give Colorado a chance."

"That's where you're planning to go I take it?" Lilliana probed with a mean tone in her voice that Maggie didn't seem to catch.

"Yeah, that's my first choice, but I'll be applying to Boston and Illinois too," Maggie said, "But he needs to go where he can get a Hockey scholarship."

"«Хоккейная стипендия» означает, что он идет в колледж бесплатно, да?" («Khokkeynaya stipendiya» oznachayet, chto on idet v kolledzh besplatno, da? / A 'Hockey Scholarship' means he goes to college for free, yes?) Boris whispered to Illyana and she giggled lightly as she gently nodded her head.

"Я считаю, что он все еще должен платить за книги и материалы, но обучение будет оплачено," (YA schitayu, chto on vse yeshche dolzhen platit' za knigi i materialy, no obucheniye budet oplacheno / I believe he still needs to pay for books and materials but Tuition would be paid for) Illyana replied.

"He will maintain good grades," Boris said knowingly.

"Or else?" Sergei joked.

"Yes, or else," Boris said and they all had a small laugh.

"I love the way Russian sounds," Maggie whispered to Lilliana so she would look at her. "Sometimes I make Lee speak to me in Russian. I doubt he's ever saying anything particularly romantic, but I pretend he is."

"I don't speak Russian but I know how to sing a bunch of Folk songs," Lilliana said. "Illyana used to sing those songs to us when we were little. Daddy used to complain if I wasn't careful, I'd know more 'Communist Propaganda' than the words to the US National Anthem. For the record, I do know the National Anthem and I know the words to Star Spangled Banner."

Maggie smiled, "Between you and me, Lee always has trouble with the Star Spangled Banner. The Anthem of the U.S.S.R on the other hand?"

"He knows it by heart; I know," Lilliana said.

They were interrupted by the announcer coming on through the intercom announcing the teams for the night's game and when Lee came onto the ice with his team, Lilliana smiled and kept her attention entirely on him for the rest of the night. Seeing him move on the ice was fascinating to her. He was like a linebacker on the ice and he moved so fast. Boris was so invested in the game calling out to Lee every now and then to cheer him on or tell him what to do and it was actually quite cute. Lilliana still vaguely remembered how Boris had been so against letting Lee do Hockey because it 'cost too much money'. Now? Boris encouraged Lee to push himself and be the best fullback on the team.

Every time Lee would steal the puck and get it away from the goal Lilliana would be on the edge of her seat. When Lee scored his first goal of the game, Maggie cheered and when she did, Lilliana felt intensely annoyed with her. Lilliana did her best to ignore Maggie and focus on the game. It was two hours of watching these bulky high school aged boys going back and forth at the speed of light going after the hockey puck aiming for the other team's goal. It was a tight game, but Lee's team won by one point and they all congratulated one another as they were leaving the ice. They all left the bleachers so they could meet up with the team and when Lee saw everyone, he came over to greet them.

"You did great out there," Tristan said and took a hold of Lee's hand before the two hugged. "Definitely a close one though."

"Yeah, they were really good," Lee said and Illyana came over to give him a hug and a kiss offering her own praise.

"That was good, Lee, but Вы должны быть более осторожны. Другая команда почти выиграла эту игру," (Vy dolzhny byt' boleye ostorozhny. Drugaya komanda pochti vyigrala etu igru / you need to be more careful. The other team almost won that game) Boris said.

"Boris, do not lecture," Illyana said.

"I am not lecturing; I'm encouraging him," Boris said.

"I appreciate it, dad," Lee chuckled. Maggie came over to him saying a few things and ruffled her fingers through Lee's grown out black hair. He straightened out his hair as soon as she stopped looking both amused and annoyed all at once. When he finally looked at Lilliana, he smiled and said, "Did you have fun, Lilli?"

"Yeah, that was a good game," Lilliana said bashfully. "You guys were great out there."

"Thanks," Lee said. "Dad, can we all go out for pizza? Unless anyone wanted something else." Lee looked at Lilliana when he said that but he did make his eyes trail over everyone else that would be eating.

No one objected so everyone got in their respective cars and they met up at a local pizzeria. Once they were seated, Lilliana sat beside Tristan and tried to talk to him but she kept looking at Lee. He was talking to Tristan but Maggie kept grabbing back his attention with small talk. She and Lee spoke pleasantly and he would laugh lightly when she made a joke or told a story. The two of them would speak to calmly and effortlessly with one another. Lilliana hated her. It was an irrational hatred bubbling inside her for an otherwise completely normal girl.

"Lilli, what's the matter?" Tristan asked and Lilliana looked at him.

"What?"

"What's the matter with you? You look pissed about something. What's eating at you?" Tristan asked.

"Nothing," Lilliana lied, "Just remembered I have a test on Monday. I'm not prepared."

"Oh, I know what you mean," Maggie said knowingly, "I've got a Chemistry test coming up I still haven't started studying for. I hate Chemistry but I really need to pass with a B at least. Lee, you're good at Chemistry aren't you?"

Lee shrugged, "I'm alright I guess. If you want me to help you study, just let me know when."

"Perfect! Do you guys have practice this weekend or is coach having mercy on you guys since you won?" Maggie asked.

"Coach? Merciful?" Lee said with a small laugh, "Maybe when pigs fly. I can always come after practice."

"Give me a call when you're on your way over, okay?" Maggie said and just like that, the two of them were talking normally again and Lilliana's temper started to fester but she held it in.

Tristan noticed her expression glancing between Lilliana and Lee. Lee was focused on Maggie for the most part while Lilliana was quiet and focusing on her pizza. At the end of the night, Boris took care of getting Maggie home before bringing Lee home and Illyana took care of getting Tristan and Lilliana home. Tristan got in the bathroom first to get ready for bed but Lilliana didn't try to fight him. She was still in a really bad mood. She felt sick and feverish and like she wanted to punch a wall. When she heard Tristan get out of the bathroom, she left her room to get ready for bed but when she'd brushed her teeth, washed her face and came back to her room, Tristan was sitting on her office chair.

"What're in my room for?" Lilliana asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Tristan said. "It's about Lee."

"What about him?"

"You seemed really pissed at Maggie all night," Tristan said. "You're not jealous of her or anything are you?"

"No," Lilliana said in a defensive, condescending tone, "why would I be jealous of some wiry brunette?"

Tristan rolled his eyes a little and said sarcastically, "Pettiness. A sure fire sign of not being jealous."

"I thought you said this was about Lee," Lilliana said.

"It is," Tristan said. "Look, Lilli, I know you like him but just let it go. You're not really his type and, frankly, if he hurts you or some shit, I'll have to put his ass in the ground and I don't want to do that to my best friend. I've already given him an ass chewing for checking you out and it's not fair to him for you to keep tempting the guy." Lilliana was surprised to hear Lee was checking her out but she stayed quiet as Tristan continued. "My point is what Lee does with any girl he screws around with is his business….as long as it's not you."

"What are you my keeper now or something?"

"No, I'm your brother," Tristan said, then seemed to think about it and shrug, "So yeah, pretty much."

"While I appreciate your concerns Tristan, I promise you're being silly and over protective," Lilliana said.

Tristan lifted his hands and said, "Okay. As long as we're all on the same page. Just remember: you're my sister first; Lee's my best friend second."

Lilliana finally smiled just a little, "Well, you're my brother first too."

"Glad to hear it," Tristan said. "That's all I wanted to talk about so I'll see you in the morning."

"See you the morning," Lilliana said quietly as Tristan got up from her chair to leave. As he walked by her, Tristan gave her a hug.

"Love you, sis," Tristan said.

"Love you too," Lilliana said.

Doing her best to take Tristan's words to heart, Lilliana tried not to think so much about Lee anymore. In spite of her resolution, though, she still went to his games, saw him whenever he'd come over to hang out with Tristan and he would always smile pleasantly at her making her feel like her insides were twisting. On top of all that, she still wasn't feeling well. School seemed to trudge along and on the weekends she was helping Heather and Nadja with wedding stuff but she really wasn't into it. By March, Levi and Nadja went to London so they could see the venue and just spend a nice holiday together and it was the first time since the beginning of the year that Lilliana didn't have to do anything wedding related. It was also when Lee's team was going into their tenth game of the season and Lilliana was really excited about it. Particularly, she was happy because Maggie had a tournament she was engaged in that same day and wouldn't be able to come to Lee's game.

"I'm glad to see you in a good mood today," Tristan said after Anatoli had dropped them off at the rink.

"I'm excited," Lilliana said. "If they win this game, they'll be able to play in Seattle won't they?"

"Yeah, Lee's really nervous," Tristan said. "According to him, the coach confirmed a scout would be at the finals so that's going to be the time to shine."

"He'll do great," Lilliana said confidently. They met Illyana and Boris inside and sat with them just in time for the game to start.

Lilliana singled out Lee and kept a close eye on him throughout the game. She could still see Lee's dark eyes past his helmet and how focused they were. He was intense and ruthless the whole game defending his teammates with the puck and stealing the puck from the other team if they ever got a hold of it. Lee scored the final point of the game and his team won by three points. The parents all cheered for Lee and his team and finally they left the ice to meet up with their families. They all went to Lee and Boris and Illyana got to him first hugging him and praising him for how well he played.

"You did amazing," Tristan said to Lee. "You keep this up, that scout will be begging you to join his team."

"That's the idea," Lee said.

"You were great out there," Lilliana encouraged.

"Did you guys win?" Maggie's voice came unexpectedly as she rushed up to the group. Lilliana turned to see Maggie and she felt her blood burn.

"Yeah, we won 5 to 2," Lee smiled.

"That's great!" Maggie said as she ran up to give Lee a hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't see your game but," she trailed with a smile and then presented her trophy, "I got first place!"

"That's great! I knew you would," Lee said and Maggie got on her toes to give Lee a chaste kiss. Lilliana averted her eyes and when Tristan glanced at her, he noticed how upset she looked. More importantly, he noticed how uncomfortable she looked as though she were ready to explode.

"Listen, Lee, Lilli and I are exhausted but you guys go out okay?" Tristan said.

"Really? You're going?" Lee asked.

"Come with us for dinner," Maggie pleaded, "It'll even be my treat."

"Really, that's nice of you, but the truth is Lilli's not feeling great so we really should get home," Tristan said.

"You okay, Lilli?" Lee asked and even came a little closer.

"I'm fine," Lilliana said a little too harshly and left the rink ahead of Tristan. He apologized again for them leaving suddenly and by the time he made it outside, Lilliana was already walking aimlessly down the sidewalk.

"Lilli!" Tristan yelled and ran after her. Once he caught up, Tristan came around to intercept her. "What the hell was that about?" Lilliana looked at Tristan about to say something but she decided against what she'd been about to say and sighed heavily.

"Sorry," Lilliana said. "I'm just not feeling good." Tristan walked over and put his hand on her forehead. She felt like she was burning up. Then he touched his own forehead and realized they were the same temperature.

"Shit," Tristan mumbled. "We're both going to shift soon. We need to get home and try to get it over and done with."

"Tristan? Lilli?" They turned and saw Lee running up to them with his large hockey bag over his shoulder and his keys in his hand. "Let me take you both home," Lee offered once he'd reached them.

"It's okay, Lee," Tristan said. "It's a long drive and you're already beat."

Lee shook his head, "It fine. Don't worry about it. I'll just stay the night if it's alright. I can go home in the morning." Lee looked at Lilliana but she wasn't looking at him. She seemed miles away staring off into nothing. "Lilli, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lilliana said. "You really don't have to drive us, Lee."

"I insist," Lee said. "I'll pull the car around and be back in a bit okay?"

"Thanks Lee," Tristan said and then Lee ran off to find his car.

A few minutes later, Lee drove up in the black Ford truck and leaned over to open the passenger's side door. Tristan stepped up into the bed first then helped Lilliana into the car so he was sitting between them and once they were all in Lee started the long drive into the city. It was late so there wasn't much traffic but it was still a 2 hour drive. Once they made it back to Tristan's and Lilliana's house, the three of them went inside but Kevin and Amber had already gone to bed for the night. Lilliana rushed upstairs while Tristan brought Lee to the kitchen to make something. Lee watched after Lilliana still concerned for her and wondering what was wrong until Tristan grabbed his attention.

"Thanks for driving us home," Tristan said as he was opening the fridge and freezer trying to find something for them to eat but there was nothing already prepared. "Do you want PB&J?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Lee said and Tristan got everything out that he needed. "Is Lilli okay?"

"She's going to shift soon," Tristan said. "I'm pretty sure I'll be shifting soon too. So we're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"That stuff happens naturally for you guys doesn't it?"

"It does but it's better to get it out of the way in a controlled environment," Tristan said as he finished making the first sandwich. He placed that on a plate and then got started on his sandwich. "Honestly, I think dad will take us to the tribe so we're secluded and just have us standing in the middle of the woods until it finally happens."

"Sounds like a blast," Lee answered sarcastically with a humored smile. "At least it's happening on a weekend. Do you think Nadja's wedding has been causing Lilli to be stressed out and that's what's causing all this?"

"No, shifting happens when there are a lot of vampires around. So you can imagine having a whole house of vampires within 10 miles of the tribe has lowered the average age this sort of shit happens," Tristan said. Once his sandwich was finished, the two of them retreated to Anatoli's old bedroom sitting on the floor together.

"So I guess once you shift, you'll have a lot less free time? You guys start going on patrol once you turn into wolves don't you?" Lee asked.

"With how big the pack has gotten grandpa's really lenient with attendance," Tristan said, "Although he does expect everyone to pull their weight. If you don't want to be part of the pack and relinquish your wolf that's fine but if you plan to keep it grandpa expects you to contribute. Even if it's only a little."

"Are you planning to relinquish your wolf?" Lee asked.

"No," Tristan said. "Never mind being grandson to the chief: the pros of keeping my wolf outweigh the cons." Tristan took a big bite of his sandwich and once he'd finished chewing, he asked Lee, "Are you planning to have your parents turn you?"

"I don't know," Lee said with a shrug. "Once I told dad I wanted him to change me the moment I was 18 and he says to me, 'Come to me when you're 30 and if you still want me to change you then we'll talk'. Honestly, barring a horrible accident or something, I doubt dad would be willing to change me any time soon. Sergei already said he doesn't want to be changed."

"I guess it depends on what life throws at you, right?"

"Pretty much," Lee said. "I certainly can't be a vampire and go pro."

"Exactly," Tristan said. "You don't need an unfair advantage when you've already got skill, right?"

"Right," Lee chuckled lightly and bit into his sandwich.

Upstairs, Lilliana was in the bathroom trying to calm herself down. She'd spent the entirety of the 2 hour drive feeling uncomfortable and feverish. She felt stupid for having such a visceral reaction to Maggie showing up unexpectedly and when she looked at herself in the mirror Lilliana realized she was blushing so deeply her face was nearly purple. She washed her face thoroughly and brushed her teeth before going to her room to change for bed. She faintly heard Tristan and Lee talking downstairs but she ignored them going straight to her room.

Lilliana turned off the lights going straight to bed but she couldn't sleep. She still felt so feverish and embarrassed. Having Lee downstairs wasn't helping either. By morning, she hadn't gotten any sleep at all and she felt worse than before. She stayed in her room in bed so she could at least relax while everyone else went on about their day. Lee left after he'd had breakfast but Lilliana's absence was noticed. After Lee left, Kevin went upstairs to check on her knocking on her door and coming in when she'd said it was okay.

"Morning, Lilli," Kevin said and closed the door behind him. Lilliana was still under the covers with her back to the door. He walked over after she'd only answered with a hum and checked her temperature which Kevin compared to himself. "We'd better get you somewhere where you can shift safely. I don't think you'll make it to the end of the day."

"Is Lee still downstairs?"

"No, he's gone home," Kevin said. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing special," Lilliana said as she finally sat up. "Just stupid girl problems."

"I'm sure they're not stupid, Lilliana," Kevin said reassuringly and kissed her head. "Get dressed and pack some spare clothes. Once you've eaten something, we'll all go to your grandparents' house so the two of you can shift in peace."

Lilliana nodded her head and Kevin finally walked out of her room so she was alone. She finally got out of bed getting ready for the day and packed some spare clothes like Kevin had told her too then went downstairs to eat breakfast, but she had no appetite. When they left, Lilliana stared out the window hoping the view would help her relax. When they finally arrived, Kevin parked his car in front of Jacob's and Renesmee's house and stepped in to say hello but kept it brief under the circumstances. Jacob came with them into the woods while Amber stayed with Renesmee to visit.

"I remember the first time you shifted," Jacob said reminiscently. "You were all the way in France – you'd scared your mother and I shitless."

"I remember," Kevin smiled, "But it all worked out for the best." They made it to an area that was further away from the tribe and private before stopping. "Alright, let's get down to business. This is going to sound strange, but it'll make sense once you're doing it. I want the two of you to imagine yourselves turning into wolves. It'll feel really strange at first but it doesn't hurt and after that first time shifting, it'll feel more natural. Do you want your grandpa and I to show you?"

"We've seen you do it before dad; it's no trouble," Tristan said and took off his shirt, pants, shoes and socks. "Has anyone ever had to do this in the snow?"

"Plenty, but you barely feel it," Jacob said. "Just take a deep breath and visualize yourself shifting."

Tristan nodded and took a deep breath like Jacob said and pictured himself turning into a wolf. It took a minute but eventually he felt this strange rush like ants crawling over his skin and just like that, his whole body changed and when he opened his eyes, everything looked so different. He tried to talk but what sounded was more of a bark and Kevin was smiling at him. Tristan's coat was mostly brown like his hair with little blonde patches on his chest and legs. Jacob removed most of his clothes and shifted so they could talk.

How do you feel? Jacob asked.

A lot better, actually, Tristan smiled and started walking and getting used to being on four legs.

"Go on and give it a try, Lilli," Kevin said.

"Can you guys turn away?" she asked and they all did as she asked so she could have some privacy.

Lilliana took a deep breath and removed her shirt, pants, shoes and socks and wrapped her arms around herself. She thought of her wolf and when she felt the strange tingling sensation all over her body, she finally shifted and felt leagues better. She didn't feel feverish anymore and she finally felt mostly normal. They all turned around when they heard her shift and Kevin smiled at her.

Feels great doesn't it? Tristan asked with excitement and walked closer to her. Lilliana's coat was near identical to Tristan's with the same blonde spots but in different places.

Yeah, I feel a lot better, Lilliana agreed.

Let's change back then we'll go back home and go over pack involvement, Jacob said. Lilliana asked for privacy again so Jacob, Kevin and Tristan walked ahead of her. Once she was alone, she shifted back, put on fresh clothes and ran after the others to meet at Jacob's house.

She was shocked how much better she felt after that. Jacob sat down with them and worked on a schedule for when the two of them would be on patrol but it was extremely lenient. They would go on patrol at least once a week on a night when they didn't have school the next day and if anything came up where they had other plans, they could stay home for the night. They stayed in La Push for hours going back into the woods so Jacob and Kevin could train Lilliana and Tristan and help them get used to their wolf forms. When it was nearing dinner, Tristan insisted he wanted to show Lee and ran off to the Cullen house to show him. Lilliana returned to normal and returned to Jacob's house eager to have something. After that long day, she was starving. They'd all sat down together assuming Tristan would be staying at the Cullen house but he showed up with Lee in tow.

"Make room: Lee's having dinner with us to celebrate!" Tristan cheered as he and Lee came into the house.

"You don't have to announce me, Tristan; I'm not the Czar," Lee chuckled.

"Grab yourself a seat, boys. I'll get you some plates," Renesmee smiled and went to the kitchen to grab what they'd need.

Tristan sat by Lilliana and Lee sat beside him but the whole time, Lilliana was in a daze. When he'd stepped into the house and she saw him, it were as though her whole world shifted. Her heart fluttered and the reality of what was happening hit her like a ton of bricks. When she realized she'd just imprinted, Lilliana averted her eyes with embarrassment and kept her eyes on her food. What was once a crush had turned into something more yet she could do nothing about it.

"Lilli, are you okay?" Tristan asked and she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, "just tired."

She didn't speak unless spoken to for the remainder of the night and she was quiet on the drive back. Amber tried to ask if she was alright but Lilliana insisted she was fine and wouldn't talk about what happened. After she'd gotten changed for bed, she was about to go to her room but she needed to talk to someone. Anyone. So she went to Tristan's room and knocked on the door. She heard him shuffle around irritably for a moment before finally saying she could come in.

"Oh, it's just you," Tristan sighed.

"Why? What were you doing that you didn't want mom or dad catching you?" she teased.

"Nothing," Tristan said. "So what did you need?"

"Can we go downstairs to Anatoli's room and talk?"

"Sure," Tristan said and got up from his bed to follow her downstairs to Anatoli's old room. "So what did you want to talk about?" he asked once they were in Anatoli's room and the door was closed. Lilliana chewed on her lip for a moment as her cheeks went red.

"I imprinted on Lee," she said and Tristan's eyes went wide. He was quiet for a moment and Lilliana didn't say anything either. She didn't think there really was anything else to say.

"Well shit," Tristan finally said. "And here I told him to back off. You're sure you imprinted on him?"

"Positive," she said. "I guess it doesn't really matter. He's seeing Maggie."

"Yeah," Tristan said, "and if I'm honest he really likes her."

Lilliana rolled her eyes unconsciously, "Yeah, I know. She's nice enough."

"But because she's with Lee, you hate her out of spite," Tristan said with a light smile. There was no point in denying the statement and Lilliana just nodded. "Do you want me to say something to him?"

"No," Lilliana said. "I don't know what good it would do. These sort of things have to work themselves out don't they?"

"That seems to be the case but hell if I know," Tristan said. "Not even a wolf 24 hours and you've imprinted. You've got some luck."

"Luck my ass. The guy I imprinted on is already seeing someone and only sees me as his best friend's sister," Lilliana said.

"Things change," Tristan said and then shrugged, "It'll work out. Just don't be pushy and I'll tell you what: if I catch him checking you out again, I won't chew him out for it."

Lilliana finally smiled a little, "I appreciate it. Thanks for listening."

"Any time," Tristan said. "Now, I want to go to bed but I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning," Lilliana answered.

After confiding in Tristan about the way she was feeling, she didn't bring it up again. She and Tristan started going on patrol except on nights when Lee was playing. Maggie was usually at Lee's games and every time Lilliana saw her, she felt that irrational anger but she kept it to herself and focused on cheering Lee on. They would always go out to dinner afterwards and sometimes she'd think Lee was staring at her but she was never sure. It would seem like he was staring for a moment only to return his attention back to Maggie.

When Levi and Nadja finally returned from London, it was right back to wedding planning and Lilliana was once again kept extremely busy. Nadja, albeit teasingly and in vain, expressly forbade Lilliana from having a growth spurt before the wedding although they could always altar the dress if needed. On the nights they went on patrol, Lilliana and Tristan would always go to the Cullen house in the morning for breakfast and sometimes Lee would be awake by the time they got there. Whenever he was, Lee would sit next to Tristan and the two would talk normally, but he would keep looking at Lilliana despite his best efforts not to.

Then came their final game of the season. It was hosted in Seattle so after the game Lee would spend the night at Tristan's house. Lee was more nervous than ever. He didn't know what school the scout was recruiting for and he wasn't there to see Lee play anyway but he needed to get the man's attention. It would only work in his favor when he started applying to college. Lee's whole family was there including Nadeshka and Ariel and, of course, Maggie was there. Lilliana wound up sitting next to her the whole game and she'd never felt so uncomfortable in her life.

"I think that's the scout right there!" Maggie said after surveying the arena and finding a man towards the front in khaki pants, a dress shirt and a heavy Washington University letterman jacket but his head was done and it looked like he was writing. After they'd noticed the man, Lee had stolen the puck, made it clear across the arena and, when two players from the other team tried to intercept him, hit the puck to another teammate so he could get away from the opposing players. Then when Lee's teammate was being intercepted, Lee swooped in to get the puck and hit it across the arena to another teammate who then swatted the puck into the other team's goal hitting the net with a loud popping sound the audience could barely hear and cheers rang in the arena.

"He's not even paying attention!" Tristan said.

"He's just taking some notes," Maggie said. "See? He's watching the game now."

The scout was indeed look up from his notes watching the boys play but he was still focusing predominantly on the other team. Whether the scout was paying attention to him or someone else, Lee kept his head in the game. Lilliana could see Lee's dark eyes past his helmet whenever he was facing her direction. They were so intense and focused and they always left her feeling weak at the knees. Lilliana would look at the scout from time to time but she paid closest attention to Lee and enjoyed the game. Their opponents were really good and the game was neck and neck for a while leaving everyone on the edge of their seat. In the final stretch, Lee went into overdrive and took control so it seemed. The instant he had control of the puck, he moved it across the arena forcing back anyone in his way with the help of his teammates and once he was close and in the clear, he hit the puck into the goal winning the game by 1 point. They all cheered for him and Lee's teammates swarmed him giving him a pat on the back and congratulating him for the final shot of the game.

"They won!" Maggie screamed with excitement and applauded. Lee and his team got a picture with their coaches and Lee stood by the largest trophy to be put in the home arena while holding his own smaller silver trophy. The moment they could, everyone left the bleachers to find Lee and when they finally happened upon him, he was talking with the guy they'd seen earlier. "Oh my God," Maggie whispered eagerly, "he's talking to that scout!"

"Quiet; they'll hear you," Lilliana said with a hint of aggression but Lee had already overheard them and waved at them. Maggie waved back bouncing up and down and Lee quickly returned his attention to the scout. Once they'd finished talking, the scout handed Lee a card and walked away. Lee started approaching them as he read the card and they all rushed to him.

"So? What did he say?" Maggie pressed, barely able to contain her excitement.

"He said he was really impressed with how I played tonight and asked when I'll graduate. Then he asked what school I want to go to and I told him I was gunning for University of Michigan so he gave me a contact from that school," Lee answered and showed the card. Maggie squealed and hugged Lee.

"This is so exciting!" she said and released him, "So when are you going to call this guy? Is it too soon? They aren't going to make you wait until you're a senior are they?"

"I won't know until I call," Lee said with a bright smile on his face. Lilliana was smiling too feeling proud of him and happy for him.

"I'd say this calls for a celebration; don't you think so, dad?" Nadeshka asked.

"Earn the scholarship, then we'll celebrate," Boris said firmly despite feeling proud of Lee as well. "Don't let small victories overshadow the end goal."

"Come on, Boris, don't be such a killjoy," Ariel said.

"It's fine," Lee smiled, "every small victory counts."

"Small nothing: this is huge!" Maggie said and turned to look at Boris. "Let's phrase it this way, Mr. Aleyev: if Lee gets accepted with a Hockey scholarship, he goes to school for free!"

"He's aware and gunning for it, Maggie," Sergei chuckled and walked over to give Lee a hug. "We'll at least have a shot for good luck."

"Works for me," Lee said. He looked at Tristan and Lilliana and said, "I don't suppose your dad has vodka does he?"

"No, but Sergei can get us some," Tristan said and looked up at Sergei with a pleading smile.

"Don't give me that look, kid; it's not necessary," Sergei said and ruffled Tristan's hair.

Maggie had practice early the next morning so Boris and Illyana agreed to drive her home while Ariel and Nadeshka returned to Forks going to the bar for work and everyone else got in their cars to go to a liquor store for a bottle of vodka. Then they went to a grocery store for some juice, pickles, bread and cold cuts before finally going to the park near Tristan's and Lilliana's house. They found a picnic table and got everything out with disposable cups and small paper plates. Sergei poured everyone a shot of vodka then filled a second cup with pickle juice while giving Lilliana some orange juice and got everything else ready.

"Приветствую вас за хорошую игру," (Privetstvuyu vas za khoroshuyu igru / Cheers to a good game) Sergei said to Lee and then said, "and to make it simpler, "Ваше здоровье." (Vashe zdorov'ye / Cheers)

"Ваше здоровье, "(Vashe zdorov'ye) everyone repeated, blew out with their heads to the side and took back their shot. Lilliana squinted and chased it down with her orange juice while the others inhaled the smell of the black bread and bit into their pickles.

"That never gets old," Tristan smiled and held out his cups, "Can I get another?"

"This is your last," Sergei said and poured everyone one more shot. They did the same thing as before and once Tristan and Lee were chewing on the pickles, Sergei grabbed all their cups. "Alright, that's enough. I don't want a cop catching me giving alcohol to minors."

"You guys can have some orange juice if you want," Lilliana said and offered the bottle to them. Lee poured himself enough to fill the red disposable cup and gulped that down and then finished his pickle and a few slices of cold cut. "Not a combination I'd have picked but okay," Lilliana giggled.

"He just got done breaking bones on the ice; let the man eat what he wants," Tristan said and picked up Lee's trophy admiring it. "Another one to add to the wall am I right? Maybe one day you'll be able to surround what you've earned around the Stanley Cup."

"It wouldn't be for long," Lee smiled. "As I hear it, each teammate gets to keep the Stanley Cup for a short time then pass it around until it stays at the home arena."

"Well that's stupid – you should get your own awards at least," Lilliana said.

"We probably would but I'll cross that bridge if I get there," Lee said.

"When you get there," Tristan said and elbowed Lee encouragingly. "Just don't forget about us small little people when you go pro."

"Never," Lee chuckled and took Tristan in a headlock. The two of them left the park bench starting to play fight like they did when they were kids. Sergei made it back to the table and sat across from Lilliana. She was watching Lee and Tristan wrestle and didn't acknowledge Sergei until he spoke.

"Are you excited for the wedding?" Sergei asked and Lilliana finally looked at him.

"I'm excited for it to all be done," she said. "I agree with Nadeshka: all this planning is so much more tedious than it's worth."

"So does that mean when you get married, it'll be a court house wedding?" Sergei said.

"I guess that depends," Lilliana said. "Mom and dad would want me to have a big wedding. I refuse to wear Heather's dress, though. I'd want my own dress."

"Isn't that dress a family heirloom?"

"Yes, but Heather's already worn it," Lilliana said. "She's fulfilled our generation's obligation to wear it. If she and Embry have a girl someday, she can wear it when she gets married."

"Fair enough," Sergei chuckled a little.

"I hear Ariel's planning to propose to Nadeshka soon," Lilliana said.

"I don't doubt it," Sergei said. "For how long the two of them have been together, I'm surprised they aren't married by now. I assumed he'd propose after asking her to move in with him."

"I think he wanted to but Nadeshka wasn't ready to get married," Lilliana said.

"Ah yes," Sergei said, "I remember now." The two of them were quiet for a moment and Lilliana looked at Lee for a little while longer. He and Tristan had stopped wrestling by now but had moved onto the swings relaxing after their squabble and talking.

"Can I ask you something?" Lilliana said.

"Sure; what's on your mind?" Sergei asked. For a moment, she didn't ask her question. She realized what she was asking and felt embarrassed for the thought coming to mind and she started to blush. "Something wrong, Lilli?"

"Sorry," Lilliana said, "It's embarrassing."

"Define embarrassing," Sergei said. "Something that happened and you're embarrassed about it or 'You really should be asking your mother about this' embarrassing?"

"It's nothing like that," Lilliana said defensively as her cheeks darkened. "It's about Lee."

"Okay," Sergei said, "What about him?"

Another moment passed before she said, "Never mind. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Lilliana said. She wasn't about to ask Sergei if things were serious between Lee and Maggie. She was better off keeping her nose out of it.

After spending about an hour in the park together, Sergei went back home while Lee came back to Lilliana's and Tristan's house. They all got ready for bed and Tristan and Lee slept in Anatoli's old room staying up to sneak a beer and a movie in before bed. They all slept in the next morning and Lilliana made breakfast for everyone since Amber had left to go to the Candle Shop to work.

"I know it's not exactly the way your mom makes them," Lilliana said to Lee when all the waffles, jam and whipped cream were on the table, "But I promise it'll be good."

"How does your mother usually make waffles?" Kevin asked Lee.

"The waffles are really thin and when they cool, they get crunchy and I add homemade strawberry jam and whipped cream to the waffle. I haven't had this in years so it's a nice treat," Lee said.

"When it's fluffy waffles, butter and syrup are the way to go," Tristan said as he slathered his waffles in maple syrup. "So do we get to keep you for the day or do you have practice today?"

"No, I won't have practice until Tuesday," Lee said. "You know what we haven't done in a really long time? Go ice skating."

"Yeah, 'cause you're always at practice," Tristan teased. "What do you say, Lilliana? Want to go ice skating?" Lilliana looked at Tristan anxiously. She was awful at ice skating. She'd always been glued to the wall any time they'd gone while Tristan could mostly keep up with Lee. She was ready to say no but Tristan gave her an encouraging look silently telling her she should join them.

"Sure," she finally said, "that sounds like fun."

"What time does the rink open?" Lee asked.

"Probably around 10 or something," Tristan said and looked at the clock seeing it was 10:30. "We'll go right after we finish breakfast."

Once they'd finished breakfast and got dressed, the three of them left for the nearest ice rink. Lilliana told Kevin if Heather or Nadja called asking for her to tell them she was out and would call back when she got home. She wasn't doing anything wedding related today if she could help it. Once they arrived, they went to the cue to pay for entry then went to get skates while Lee went ahead of them to put on his own skates. By the time Tristan and Lilliana met back up with Lee, he already had on his skates and was standing by the door waiting for them to get ready. Once Tristan and Lilliana had on their skates, they went onto the ice with Lee and while it took Tristan a bit to get used to ice skating again he eventually got the hang of it and was skating alongside Lee. Lilliana, on the other hand, felt like a fish struggling to move on land. She would move for a little while, lose her balance and have to grab onto the wall and would stay there until she gained back her balance only for the cycle to repeat itself. The first time they passed Lilliana, she was moving but after their second lap they both saw she was struggling.

"Lee," Tristan said after they'd passed Lilliana again, "I'll go ahead. You help Lilliana. I think she needs professional help."

"Sure," Lee said and spun around so he could skate in the opposite direct and went back to Lilliana at top speed. Once he reached her, he tilted his skates to stop himself then stood tall. "Need a hand?"

"I need a miracle," Lilliana said. "I don't know how you do this. I can't stay balanced."

"Don't get discouraged. Let's go back to the basics," Lee said and got beside her offering his left hand. "Give me your hand," he said. Lilliana looked up at him and felt herself start to blush. She finally gave him her left hand and Lee wrapped his right arm around her waist making Lilliana's heart race. "Stand up straight," he said and she finally did so but her ankle buckled under her and she nearly feel but Lee caught her. "Whoa there," he said, "you okay?"

"Yeah," Lilliana said with an exasperated sigh.

"Let's try again," Lee said and tightened his hold on her helping her to stand up straight. "Keep your ankles straight," he said and Lilliana eventually managed to straighten her ankles out. "Perfect," Lee smiled. "Hold onto the wall for a second and I'll show you how to push yourself forward." Lee gave Lilliana a moment to hold onto the wall and then went in front of her. He slowly pushed back one foot at a time going forward then spun around and came back to Lilliana. "All you have to do is push back on the ice like I did. Hold onto me and we'll try it."

"Okay," Lilliana said and let Lee hold onto her as he'd been doing before. Timidly, she pushed her foot back on the ice but when she tried to bring her foot back, the front of her skate caught on the ice and she nearly lost her balance.

"You're alright," Lee said when he'd managed to keep her upright, "just try again." Lilliana tried again pushing herself forward as she'd been directed. She managed to go forward just a little but she lost her balance again and Lee had to keep her upright.

"I feel like an ox," she whined as though she were about to cry.

"It just takes getting used to," Lee encouraged. "Let's try this: I'll stand in front of you and hold your hands while you move forward. I promise I'll catch you if you fall."

"Okay," Lilliana complied and Lee came around so he was in front of her, took her hands and guided her to move forward swiveling his feet to slowly move backwards. Lilliana kept her feet forward and still but with Lee's help she was moving forward.

"Okay, now that we have some momentum, go ahead and try pushing yourself forward," Lee said. Lilliana did her best to push her feet back one at a time but it was extremely slow. She was terrified she would fall but Lee was there to keep her upright. "You're doing great. Get used to how it feels to move your feet this way and soon you'll be able to move on your own."

Lilliana kept moving her feet and tripped once or twice, but Lee caught her whenever she did. Her latest fall, she looked up into Lee's dark brown eyes and her heart fluttered. His black hair was disheveled from his shower that morning and his unshaven scruff accentuated his strong jaw. As Lee was looking at Lilliana, he felt like he was seeing her for the first time. She'd already become so pretty and he was becoming so captivated by her although he didn't quite know why. Now he felt this pull to her he'd never felt before. He soon realized he was staring and got her back on the feet clearing his throat a little.

"Sorry about that," Lee said. "You're doing great. With practice, you'll be confident on the ice within the hour."

"I think you have too much confidence in me," Lilliana answered in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry, can we take a break?"

"Sure," Lee said and gagged the fastest way back to the exit but they were clear on the other side of the rink and would need to cut through but Lee worried someone might bump into Lilliana. "Hold onto me, okay?"

Lilliana nodded and held on while Lee led her around the rink being careful not to hit her feet until they finally made it around to the exit so Lilliana could step out. She sat down and stared at her feet while Lee sat beside her. He followed her gaze looking at her skates and then a thought occurred to him.

"What size did you get?" Lee asked.

"What?" Lilliana asked quizzically.

"Your skates: what size did you get?"

"A size 7," Lilliana said. "That's my shoe size."

"With skates it's best to wear half a size smaller. You don't want the skates to be loose otherwise it's harder to keep your balance. Take those off and we'll get you another size." Lilliana hesitated a moment then bent forward to untie the skates. They walked to the stand to exchange them for a 6 ½ and went back to the benches to put them on. When she got them on, they were really snug.

"This feels really weird," she said.

"I know, but you'll adjust. This'll do a world of good; trust me. I'm usually a size 14 but I wear a 13 ½ in skates for better control," Lee explained.

"Doesn't that cut off your circulation or something?" Lilliana asked.

"Not at all. So long as it's only a ½ size smaller, you'll barely notice it once you start moving," Lee said and stood from the bench offering a hand once her skates were tied. Lilliana took his hand and stood up so they could go back into the rink. Once she was on the ice, she was still anxious and uncertain but she immediately noticed she had greater control.

"Wow," she mumbled.

"Feels better?" Lee asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Perfect," Lee said with a bright smile. "Now push yourself forward. I've got you."

Lilliana pushed herself forward with greater ease although she still moved really slow. Lee held onto her the whole time offering some security as she did her best to move. They were able to do one lap around the rink without her losing her balance and once they made it back to the entrance, Lee gently let her go and came around so he was in front of her and kept a hold of her hands. They did another lap around the rink and when they made it to the entrance again, Lilliana was moving completely on her own.

"I'm going to let go of you, okay?" Lee said.

"Stay close?"

"I'll be right here," Lee said and let go of her hands continuing to skate backwards in a swivel motion so he would stay close to her but allowed her space to move. "Try to stand up a little straighter," he instructed when she was hunched over too much. She held onto the wall for a moment to get herself upright and started moving again and when she was moving with more ease than ever, she smiled.

"I'm doing it," she smiled. She took a deep breath and said a little louder, "I'm doing it!" and swung her arms up but when she did, she lost her balance and fell backwards. Lee caught her hand and grabbed onto the wall to soften the fall and helped her back onto her feet. She was mortified and stared down as her cheeks went crimson. "I guess I spoke too soon," she said.

"No, you're doing great! You just got a little excited, that's all," Lee said. Lilliana's eyes darted up to see a young woman in the center of the rink practicing pirouettes, spins and jumps making it look so graceful and effortless. Lee followed her gaze and then looked at her again saying, "Hey, don't worry about what she's doing. You're doing great."

"I just wish I was more graceful," Lilliana said.

"With practice, you will be," Lee promised. "You don't need to be a figure skater or a hockey player to enjoy being on the ice. This is meant to be fun. Come on; let's get moving. By the time we leave, you won't need my help at all. Scout's honor."

Lilliana smiled, "Okay. Let's keep going."

Tristan continued going around the rink glancing at Lee and Lilliana the whole time. They were so engrossed and didn't even notice him whenever he swooped by. They stayed at the ice rink for hours going round and round in circles and as he'd promised, Lilliana was skating all on her own by the last hour but Lee stayed close. Tristan skated beside her once she was moving all on her own and when they left, they went to a local burger place for dinner before going back to Tristan's and Lilliana's house. Lee called home to let them know he'd stay the night again with Tristan and when it was time for bed, the two of them stayed in Anatoli's old room.

"Thanks for helping Lilliana today," Tristan said when the two of them were getting ready to go to sleep. "She really appreciates it."

"It's no trouble," Lee said. He'd been thinking about that time they'd spent together all afternoon. He kept thinking about her brown eyes and how sweet they looked or the way she blushed or her bright smile of triumph when she was getting the hang of skating. Then he remembered what Tristan had said about not leading Lilliana on and he wondered if that afternoon had been taken as exactly that. "Sorry if I was being really handsy," Lee said. "I just didn't want her to fall."

"Don't worry about it; you weren't being handsy," Tristan said. "If anything, I think Lilli was happy for the safety net and she had a good time."

"As long as she had fun," Lee said thoughtfully.

He kept thinking about Lilliana as he was trying to fall asleep. He remembered Tristan telling him Lilliana had a crush on him and he caught himself wondering if she still felt that way. Then he told himself it didn't matter. He had no business feeling this way about his best friend's sister least of all when he already had a girlfriend. Tristan had already made his feelings on the matter clear regardless. The next morning, they all had breakfast together and Lee tried to act naturally and not focus too much on the previous day and what he was feeling. Afterwards he made the long drive back home and when he returned, most everyone was downstairs engaged in their own activities. He was the last human left in a house full of vampires but he was used to it.

"Good, you're home," Boris said, "Maggie called yesterday asking for you."

"Okay, I'll call her back," Lee said and returned upstairs to his room. He put away his things, changed into a fresh pair of clothes and then went to Carlisle's office where there was a phone he could talk on privately and called Maggie.

"Hello?" a man answered.

"Afternoon Mr. Luther. It's Lee calling," Lee said.

"Afternoon, Lee. I hear you guys won Friday night. Congratulations," Mr. Luther said.

"Thank you, sir," Lee said. "Is Maggie there?"

"One second; I'll grab her," Mr. Luther said and Lee waited a moment for Maggie to make it to the phone.

"Lee?"

"Hey Maggie," Lee said. "Sorry I wasn't home yesterday. I ended up staying at Tristan's place a while longer."

"No worries; it's fine," Maggie said with a smile in her voice. "So guess what?"

"What?"

"No, guess! I won something and I think you're going to really like it," Maggie said.

"If you won it, why do I need to like it?" Lee asked with a light smile. Maggie was quiet awaiting his answer so he finally shrugged. "You won tickets to something?"

"To a K.I.S.S concert! I won tickets to their concert in New York this summer!"

"Hold on: New York? Can't we go when they're closer?"

"They aren't playing anywhere in the US but in New York. Unmasked is going to be a European and Australian tour."

Lee was quiet for a moment as the disappointment sank in, "Well that's bullshit."

"I know, but hey, we can go to New York together! My parents would be coming with us but daddy said he'll pay for the plane tickets and hotel." Lee briefly considered asking Tristan if Kevin might be willing to let them use his apartment but immediately thought against it. He wasn't about to bring another woman in Lilliana's house. After that thought occurred to him, he felt this weird tightening in his chest he couldn't explain. "Lee? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Lee said coming back to reality with a jolt. "It's just the two tickets for the concert right?"

"Yup – it would just be you and me," Maggie said and then, with an air of seduction in her voice, she said quietly so her parents wouldn't hear, "We can have some well deserved alone time. We've both been so busy that we haven't had a proper date in a while. We can go site seeing while we're in New York. We can have dinner together somewhere nice, go to a museum, explore Central Park and enjoy a well deserved vacation."

"That sounds great," Lee said and Maggie quietly cheered with giddy excitement.

"This'll be so much fun! So what are you doing today? Anything special?"

"Not really," Lee said. "I just figured I'd have a lazy day."

"I like the sound of that," Maggie said. "You want to come up to Port Angeles and have a lazy day with me?"

"Sure," Lee smiled faintly, "I'm going to take a shower first but I'll call you when I'm about to leave."

"See you later," Maggie said and the two of them said goodbye to one another. Lee put the phone back on its mount and went to leave Carlisle's office but when he opened the door, Boris was standing there waiting.

"Dad? Everything okay?"

"Нам нужно обсудить," (Nam nuzhno obsudit' / We need to have a discussion) Boris said.

"О чем?" (O chem. / What about?) Lee asked.

"Пришло время начать оплачивать собственный бензин, страховку и развлечения. Итак, с завтрашнего дня я ожидаю, что вы начнете искать работу," (Prishlo vremya nachat' oplachivat' sobstvennyy benzin, strakhovku i razvlecheniya. Itak, s zavtrashnego dnya ya ozhidayu, chto vy nachnete iskat' rabotu / It's time you started paying for your own gas, insurance and entertainment. So starting tomorrow I expect you to start looking for a job) Boris said bluntly.

"A job?" Lee said, a little stunned, "But dad-"

"No buts," Boris said, "Вы становитесь мужчиной. Часть того, чтобы быть мужчиной, - это слезть с задницы и найти работу." (Vy stanovites' muzhchinoy. Chast' togo, chtoby byt' muzhchinoy, - eto slezt' s zadnitsy i nayti rabotu / You're becoming a man. Part of being a man is getting off your ass and getting a job)

"Dad, how am I supposed to balance school, hockey and a job?"

"Вы разберетесь!" (Vy razberetes' / You figure it out!) Boris said. "When I was your age I was already enlisted in the army." The moment Boris said 'when I was your age' Lee's shoulders slumped and he sighed a little just letting Boris go on in rapid Russian about everything he'd done at 16. 'If I can make time, so can you' and 'you have more luxuries than I ever did at your age' and 'your brother and sister had jobs the moment they could and paid their own way' and 'if I wasn't working at 16 your grandpa would've had my ass' and 'It's not my responsibility to pay the bill to entertain your girlfriend' and on and on and on. "When your mother and I were dating, we didn't waste so much money when getting to know each other," Boris said when he'd gotten to the point of paying for Lee to entertain his girlfriend.

"Dad, your idea of a 'date' was taking mom to see Lenin's dead body and you had to wait in line for, like, five hours!"

"Don't be so melodramatic; it was only three," Boris said.

"Okay, dad, okay, you've made your point," Lee said. "I'll start looking for work."

"Good," Boris said, "When the bill for your insurance comes in and next time you need gas, it'll be you paying for it."

Lee went wide eyed and was about to argue but figured it wasn't worth arguing over and said, "Yes, sir."

"Glad we had this talk," Boris said and finally walked away.

Lee sighed heavily and went to his room to get a few things so he could finally take a shower. So much for a 'lazy day' he thought to himself. Once he'd showered and gotten dressed in fresh clothes, Lee called Maggie to let her know he was on his way. She noticed he seemed less chipper and asked about it but Lee told her they'd talk about it when he made it to her house and ended the call. When he was in the garage going to the black Ford truck he'd been 'gifted' he started considering himself lucky Boris wasn't requiring him to make car payments to pay him back the cost of the car. He had a sneaking suspicion his late grandpa would not have been so generous to Boris. At least he would certainly claim as much.

"Anatoli," Illyana said and stopped Lee before he got in the car. He got nervous when he heard his mother call him by his full name but she was looking at him affectionately. "Я знаю, это займет много времени, но твой отец прав. Вам нужно начать зарабатывать собственные деньги," (YA znayu, eto zaymet mnogo vremeni, no tvoy otets prav. Vam nuzhno nachat' zarabatyvat' sobstvennyye den'gi / I know it will take up a lot of time but your father is right. You need to start making your own money) Illyana said gently and trailed her hand over his shoulder.

"Я знаю мама," (YA znayu mama / I know, mama) Lee said with a light sigh. "Просто страшно думать о том, чтобы жонглировать всем этим." (Prosto strashno dumat' o tom, chtoby zhonglirovat' vsem etim / It's just daunting thinking about juggling all that)

"Часть взросления моего сына," (Chast' vzrosleniya moyego syna / That's part of growing up my son) Illyana smiled and pressed a kiss to Lee's cheek. "Ваш отец был бы очень рад, если бы вы начали искать работу сегодня." (Vash otets byl by ochen' rad, yesli by vy nachali iskat' rabotu segodnya / Your father would be very pleased if you started looking for work today)

"Я буду, мама," (YA budu, mama / I will, mama) Lee said with a light smile.

"Хорошо," (Khorosho / Good) Illyana smiled, "И я уговорю твоего отца дать тебе еще один месяц, прежде чем он начнет ожидать, что ты заплатишь за себя, хорошо?" (I ya ugovoryu tvoyego ottsa dat' tebe yeshche odin mesyats, prezhde chem on nachnet ozhidat', chto ty zaplatish' za sebya, khorosho? / And I will convince your father to give you one more month before he starts expecting you to pay for yourself, okay?)

Lee breathed a sigh of relief, "Ты лучшая мама." (Ty luchshaya mama / You're the best mom) Illyana smiled and pressed another kiss to Lee's cheek.

"Удачи Анатолий," (Udachi Anatoliy / Have fun Anatoli) she said.

Lee explained everything to Maggie when he finally made it to her house and while she was disappointed they wouldn't be having a lazy day like they planned, she did giggle just a little saying, "That sounds like your dad." Lee started looking for work like Boris asked and when he came home that day with a pile of applications, Boris smiled a little to himself but didn't say anything. Illyana convinced Boris to allow Lee the month to actually get a job before demanding money out of him and seeing that stack of applications ease that decision considerably. It took about 2 weeks, but after tirelessly applying to anywhere he could think of with Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings blocked out due to Hockey practice, he finally got a job at an Italian restaurant in Port Angeles as a busboy.

In the meantime, Lilliana and Tristan both were caught up with helping Levi and Nadja prepare for their weddings. The Quileute ceremony wasn't quite so demanding in preparation but Nadja needed to be fitted into the traditional rabbit skin dress and she wanted to find a way to style her hair that would look good with the white wolf fur crown she would be wearing. Nadja, Heather and Lilliana needed to get fitted in their dresses they'd be wearing for the Jewish ceremony while Levi, Caleb and Tristan had to be fitted into their suits. Between all that and Lee officially working, he and Tristan barely had any time to hang out with one another. It also meant Lilliana barely saw him except on the occasions when they'd go on patrol and have breakfast at the Cullen house in the morning.

Then it was finally the day of Levi's and Nadja's Quileute ceremony. Heather, Lilliana, Caleb and Tristan didn't need to do much that day except help the bride and groom get dressed for the evening. Nadja's parents flew in from London a few days prior so Maritza was helping Nadja get ready as per tradition. Once Nadja was sewn into the dress and the white wolf's fur crown was on her head, Maritza couldn't help laughing just a little.

"Jūs atrodote kaip vikingų princesė," (You look like a Viking princess) Maritza said affectionately.

"Ar aš atrodau kaip graži vikingų princesė?" (Do I look like a beautiful Viking princess?) Nadja asked and Maritza laughed lightly.

"Taip. Gražiausia visame krašte," (Yes. The most beautiful in all the land) Maritza answered.

"You look beautiful, Nadja," Heather said.

"Thank you, Heather," Nadja said.

Outside, the pyre was prepared and all the guests and members of the tribe were sitting before it . Normally the whole tribe didn't come to a person's wedding anymore but since it was the grandson to the chief and Kevin's heir, everyone needed to be there. Jacob and Kyle were on the other side of the pyre ready to perform the ceremony once Nadja made it to the altar and when she finally did, she sat beside Levi before the pyre and smiled up at him.

"You look beautiful," Levi whispered to her.

"Mom said I look like a Viking princess," she smiled.

"Then you and I can go pillaging after this," Levi teased and smooched at her with a wink then looked forward as Jacob and Kyle began the ceremony.

Jacob and Kyle performed a dance while other members of the tribe played traditional drums and they told the story of Q'waeti who righted the wrongs of humanity and gave two wolves the gift of being human. They told the story of Quiyaketa and Zaquitai and how they'd come upon this stretch of land they now lived and how they were the mother and father to the great Quileute tribe. They told of how the blood of the wolf coursed through the veins of the tribe and told the story of the power granted by Taha Aki, of the sacrifice of his third wife Zurra and the importance of minding the spirits to avoid tragedy in a chief's reign.

A group of women among the tribe who'd recently had sons danced for them to encourage good fertility and the ceremony ended with Nadja and Levi lighting the pyre to signify the start of their marriage. The two of them kissed and the tribe was encouraged to dance around the pyre for good luck. Throughout the ceremony, Lee had sat near Sergei, Caleb and Tristan but he kept looking in Lilliana's direction. He'd barely seen her in the last several weeks since they'd all gone ice skating together. The few times he did see her, they barely spoke and it was weighing heavily on him. It was weighing heavily on Lilliana too unbeknownst to him. After the ceremony when everyone was encouraged to dance, Lee walked up to her and smiled kindly.

"Want to dance with me?" he asked.

"Sure," Lilliana smiled back and the two of them danced together around the pyre with everyone. "I haven't asked," Lilliana began as they were going around the pyre together, "how's work been?"

"A lot," Lee said with an embarrassed smile. "I'm definitely learning a hard lesson in time management but I admit it felt good not having to ask dad for gas money."

"I'm glad to hear it," Lilliana smiled brightly. "I don't know about Tristan but the instant I turn 16 I'm going to start looking for a job."

"Right before the holiday season," Lee said with an amused and sympathetic smile. "May God be with you."

Lilliana laughed, "Yeah, no kidding. But it'll be good experience right?"

"Definitely," Lee agreed.

"What about hockey practice? Anything interesting going on?"

"Not really; just sparing against one another, doing races, going to the gym for weight training: the usual stuff," Lee said. "Maggie says she likes the affects all the weight trainings had on me." Lee smiled briefly but Lilliana became noticeably solemn when he brought her up so his smile faded. When he was about to apologize, Lilliana smiled and grabbed a hold of his arm squeezing the muscle that had formed.

"It's definitely turned you into a rock of a man," Lilliana praised and then she pulled him to keep dancing around the pyre. "So did you ever reach out to that person the scout told you about?"

"Yeah," Lee said, "they said my coach needs to make a recommendation and my grades need to be really good and if I meet those requirements, a scout can come out to see me play to find out if I'm a suitable candidate for a hockey scholarship."

"You'll get it I'm sure," Lilliana said. "For the record, I'll really miss you when you leave for Michigan." Lee stopped dancing and looked into Lilliana's brown eyes. Yet again, he felt the pull he couldn't explain and was enchanted by her.

"I'll miss you too," he finally said and Lilliana smiled sweetly at him.

"We've made a few laps around the pyre so I think we can stop," she said.

"We can keep dancing," Lee said with a smile and encouraged her to keep twirling around the pyre with him.

"So how was prom?" Lilliana eventually asked.

"I didn't go to prom," Lee said. "I was working remember?"

"Oh yeah," Lilliana said with a timid smile, "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay," Lee said. "Maggie was really upset about it so I promised her we'd do something special soon. I just need to actually set something up."

"You can never go wrong with dinner, a movie and a walk through the park," Lilliana suggested with a heavy heart.

"I like it," Lee smiled, "Simple and classic."

"Exactly," Lilliana said and they stopped dancing again. "So….um," she began and finally finished, "I'm starving. Do you want to get some food?"

"Sure," Lee said and they left the pyre to go to all the food that was laid out on the folding tables.

He didn't let go of her hand and Lilliana didn't say anything about it. She wanted to enjoy holding his hand for as long as she could. Once they made it to the tables, he finally let go of her but only for the sake of grabbing a paper plate for both of them and handing one to her then platting up. Tristan noticed and smiled a little knowing he'd been right and things were starting to work themselves out. Once they had their food, Lilliana and Lee sat together on the beach eating and talking about everything and nothing all at once. It was so comfortable and by the time people were beginning to leave, Lee felt closer to Lilliana than ever before. The realization only left him feeling more conflicted and confused though.

"We need to get going, Lilli," Kevin said from behind them when it was really late. "Our flight leaves at 10 tomorrow and we need to be at the airport early."

"I'm coming, daddy," Lilliana said and Kevin walked away to gather Amber and Tristan. Heather and Embry had already left since Will was getting fussy and tired and would be meeting them at the airport the next day.

"Levi and Nadja are leaving for London tomorrow?" Lee asked.

"No, they're staying at the inn for tonight and spending the day together," Lilliana said as she and Lee both stood. "We need to leave early to make sure everything's ready. Levi and Nadja will be leaving for London day after tomorrow."

"Well," Lee began awkwardly but made sure to smile, "have fun in London, okay? You bring me a souvenir from London and I'll bring you a souvenir from the K.I.S.S concert. Deal?"

Lilliana giggled and nodded, "Deal."

"Have a safe flight," Lee said.

"Thank you," Lilliana said and finally walked away to join Kevin and the others.

"Promise we'll hang out when I get back?" Tristan said from behind Lee and startled him. "Sorry," Tristan said with a light chuckle, "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," Lee said. "Yeah, we'll do something when you get back. Have fun in London."

"I will," Tristan said and patted Lee's shoulder before finally walking away.

Levi and Nadja had left the beach about an hour after guests started to leave and went to the inn where they had reserved a room. They'd changed back into their clothes they'd worn that morning and when they arrived at the inn and checked in, they rushed up to their room and slammed the door behind them happy to finally be alone.

"At last we're alone, Mrs. Nadja Black," Levi said and started kissing her neck while he held her in his arms pressing her against the door of the room.

"That has a nice ring to it," Nadja giggled with her head tilted to one side. Levi's hand came between them so he could start unbuttoning her blouse and start kissing over her chest. "For shame, Levi, trying to seduce a married woman."

Levi chuckled a little between kisses and said, "What your husband doesn't know won't hurt him right Mrs. Black?"

Nadja laughed for a moment while Levi reached his hands behind her to undo her bra then tossed everything off so Nadja's chest was bare to his view. Then he bent down to take a hold of Nadja's legs lifting them up to wrap around his hips and they kissed while he carried her to the bed. He laid Nadja down on top of the comforter, pulled off her pants, socks and shoes and started nipping at her skin starting at her ankle and working his way down her leg. His kisses made her tremble the closer he came to her and Nadja moaned when Levi kissed her thigh running his tongue over her skin.

"Levi," Nadja moaned but Levi gently shushed her.

"Not so loud, Mrs. Black," Levi said playfully. "We wouldn't want your husband to overhear us." Then Levi bit her not hard enough to break her skin but hard enough to cause a small shock of pain only for him to lick the spot where he bit her easing the pain into pleasure. Nadja moaned again as she arched her back.

"No, of course not," Nadja played along but then he nipped her other thigh causing brief pain then licked the spot to give her pleasure. It made her moan again and louder than before. "Oh Levi," Nadja moaned, "I love you."

"I love you too," Levi whispered right at the apex of her thighs then nipped her one more time.

Finally, he went between her legs using his fingers to part the folds of her entrance and pressed his tongue against her clitoris. Nadja cried out but put one hand over her mouth to muffle the sound while her other hand laced through Levi's hair. He swirled his tongue around in circles while his fingers slipped inside her. Nadja lifted her hips to meet him and kept her hand over her mouth to muffle her moans of pleasure while Levi used his tongue to bring her to the precipice. When she was just about to achieve her orgasm, Levi took his mouth away from her and removed his fingers. When he did, Nadja looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Levi, please; I'm so close," Nadja whimpered.

"Do you really want your first night as Mrs. Black to end so quickly?" Levi teased.

"Levi, don't tease me," Nadja begged.

"But teasing you is all part of the fun," Levi said and pulled back on her legs so their bodies met. He pressed kisses to her knee as he slipped inside her. Nadja moaned from the welcomed intrusion then whimpered when he wasn't moving.

"Levi," Nadja pleaded, "please."

"Sorry," Levi said but he still wasn't moving, "I just wanted to savor the feel of a married woman."

Levi finally started moving but he was slow in his pace so she wouldn't reach orgasm right away. Nadja took a hold of Levi's forearms while he held onto her hips and she dug her nails into his skin both from immense pleasure and intense frustration that he wasn't moving faster. When she started to dig her nails in, Levi finally began to move faster and Nadja had to put her hands over her mouth so she wouldn't scream. Her head was spinning as he built her back up towards Nirvana and Levi was close behind. When they were both nearing their release, Levi laid down so he could hold Nadja while he continued to move until she felt that burst of sensation radiate all over her body. She bit into his shoulder to muffle her cry of pleasure and Levi's grip tightened on hear almost painfully as he achieved his own orgasm shortly after her.

"How was it being with a married woman?" Nadja asked Levi playfully as her head was starting to clear up.

"Better than I ever imagined," Levi said and pressed kisses to her neck. They stayed that way the remainder of the night and didn't leave their room until it was time to leave for the airport and get on a plane to London.

Jaedynn, Roshad and the children left well in advance of the other guests that would be going to London for the second wedding. They stopped in New York as promised so the children could all visit with one another. Gloria was doing much better despite any remaining soreness but she was able to work and they'd not heard or seen from Alex at all. Gloria felt such a weight taken off her shoulders since Alex disappeared. Raphael would ask about him from time to time and while it seemed as though he missed Alex, what happened remained fresh in the boy's mind and fear of Alex dominated Raphael.

Gloria was able to take a few days off so they could all go to Coney Island together. The children went on age appropriate rides and Roshad bought everyone a garbage plate despite finding the concept of the dish extremely unappetizing when it was explained to him. Raphael loved it, though, so that was all that mattered.

"What is this again?" Kamron asked Raphael while he stared at the plate of food in front of him.

"Its macaroni salad and French fries covered in meat sauce, two meat patties with cheese and you're supposed to cover it in ketchup and mustard," Raphael explained eagerly and proceeded to slather the plate with ketchup and mustard.

They all followed Raphael's example and mixed the components together with their forks the way Gloria had done for Raphael. Kamron, Navid, Iman and Sherry poked at his plate a moment while Don, Leo, Mikie and Maleek dug right in.

"It smells really weird," Navid said.

"I know, it's an odd combination but it dates back to the Depression," Gloria said.

"This is an awful lot of food for something that's supposedly from the Great Depression," Jaedynn smiled. Kamron smelled the plate of food again and finally took a bite. It wasn't 'bad' per se but it was really, really weird.

"This tastes funny," Navid was the one to say out loud.

"You look at that and think, 'This is weird. Whoever eats this is trash,' and you're right!" Raphael laughed and took a big bite of the homogenous goop then sighed. "It's the best."

"If you think this is 'the best' Raphael, then you're weird," Navid said and Jaedynn smacked Navid's knee giving him a stern look. Navid looked at Raphael and said, "Sorry."

"For that, you have to eat the whole thing!" Raphael smiled.

"I can't eat all this!" Navid complained.

"You'd better try," Kamron mumbled and took another hesitant bite.

"I like it!" Don announced.

Back in Washington, it was around four in the afternoon the day after Levi's and Nadja's beach ceremony. Ariel and Nadeshka were at the bar early to get everything set up and do inventory while Ada was in her office working on payroll. After she'd finished cleaning the floors and had the chairs down, Nadeshka came around the bar and stood beside Ariel.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, can you go to the back and see if there are still some glasses in the wash? I'm missing a few."

"I'll go check," Nadeshka rushed off to the kitchen to check around. When she returned, she had a tray filled with several high ball glasses and a few shot glasses. "These it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ariel sand and started putting them away once Nadeshka had the tray on the bar. Ariel looked up at Nadeshka as she was wandering around the bar spot cleaning the tables one last time and he smiled at her. "Yesterday was a lot of fun," he said.

"Yeah, it was," Nadeshka smiled, "Still a bit much, though."

"You think so?" Ariel asked pleasantly.

"Yeah," Nadeshka said. "All I want is a courthouse wedding. Nothing fancy; just you, me and a judge."

"Not our families?"

"We can all go out together for dinner," Nadeshka said, "but that's it. I want to go in pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a big smile. I want to walk in Nadeshka Aleyev and walk out Nadeshka Black."

Ariel chuckled, "You don't want to wear a white dress?"

Nadeshka gave Ariel a playful look, "Whatever for? I'm not a virgin. Remember?" Ariel chuckled and she gave him a bright smile as she ran back around the bar to stand right beside him. "What do you say? Once my brother gets back from London, all our immediate family will be home so you and I get go to the courthouse and get hitched."

"Well geez, Nadeshka," Ariel said with a smile. This wasn't going quite as he'd imagined, but in truth, it was better than anything he could have planned. "If I'd have known you wanted to get married, I would have made you a bracelet and kept it in my right front pocket."

Nadeshka's smile faded a moment as she stood there a moment trying to figure out if he was being serious. Ariel continued to smile at her saying nothing so she reached into his pocket and just as he said, there was a paper pouch. She pulled it out and opened it to see a bracelet made with pale pink glass beads and tiny white crystals between each bead. She looked up at him and saw Ariel's broadened smile. Then he got down on one knee taking the bracelet from her and putting it on her left wrist.

"What do you say, Nadeshka? You want to get hitched?" Ariel asked.

"Yes," she answered without a second thought and she smiled, "Yes, yes, yes," she continued and fell into his arms to hug him. She looked at the bracelet and sighed a little before she kissed his neck.

"We'll get some gold bands for the ceremony, okay?"

"Just gold bands," Nadeshka agreed and lifted her head so she was looking into his eyes. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Ariel answered. Then they began to kiss one another and the two of them were behind the bar for several minutes making out until they were interrupted.

"Unless you two can finish and clean the floor before 5, I suggest you save it for home," Gabriel said as he leaned over the bar and Nadeshka squealed from being startled then sighed heavily as did Ariel.

"Don't sneak up on us like that, Gabriel," Ariel said.

"Sorry, I'll knock next time I come into work," Gabriel poked fun and walked away.

Gabriel, of course, told Emma Leigh about the engagement and when she found out, she called Nadeshka to congratulate her and so the two of them could talk about wedding details. She was surprised, however, by how little details there were to discuss.

"You're sure you don't want a proper wedding?" Emma Leigh asked.

"You mean a giant wedding with half the world present? No, your wedding was plenty," Nadeshka smiled. "I still can't look at the color purple without having PTSD thanks to you."

"Be serious, Nadeshka," Emma Leigh said, "When Gabriel and I got married, it was the most magical day of my life. I'd relive it every day if I could. I want you to get to have the same thing."

"And I will," Nadeshka said. "A courthouse wedding with just us and the judge calm, relaxed and done within an hour. That's what I want."

"You make it sound so…..unromantic," Emma Leigh said. "Getting married is supposed to be romantic."

"And your wedding was romantic," Nadeshka said, "and I'm glad you were able to have the wedding of your dreams. As long as I'm marrying Ariel, I'll have the wedding of my dreams no matter what we do but I don't want to spend months preparing for something that'll only last a few hours. I want to get married, have the family out for dinner and then go home with my husband and enjoy my wedding night."

"If you're sure that's what you want," Emma Leigh said. "I guess I was just hoping I could be your maid of honor."

"I'll tell you what," Nadeshka smiled, "You and Gabriel can stand with us. You be my maid of honor, Gabriel can be Ariel's best man and everyone can be happy. Agreed?"

Emma Leigh finally laughed lightly and said, "Agreed. At least let me do your hair for the ceremony. If you think you're actually going to walk down the aisle in jeans and a t-shirt, you've got another thing coming. I'll let you wear my wedding dress before I let you get married in jeans and a t-shirt."

"Fine, I'll wear a dress," Nadeshka sighed, "But it will NOT be white."

"Fine, you slut, it doesn't have to be white," Emma Leigh teased.

"Thank you," Nadeshka said with a smile.

In London once all the family had made it, the bridal party went to the Synagogue for the rehearsal and after that all the guests met up at a local pub including some of her old cast mates. Nadja, Heather and Lilliana stayed the night at her parents' house while Levi and the other guests stayed at the hotel for the night. In the morning when he was getting ready, Levi was really nervous but he wasn't sure why. Levi was in his hotel room with Caleb, Tristan, Sergei and Kevin getting ready and while he stared at himself in his suit, baby blue tie and yellow rose boutonniere, he felt more nervous than he ever had in his life.

"Everything okay, Levi?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah," Levi answered. "I don't know why I'm so nervous."

"That's normal," Kevin smiled and came over to adjust Levi's tie.

"Were you this nervous when you and mom got married?"

"Oh yeah," Kevin said and patted Levi's shoulder after he'd finished adjusting his tie. "By the time your mother and I got married, we'd been engaged nearly 20 years so it had all felt too good to be true." Kevin glanced down at Levi's left wrist and his grandpa's number was peaking past the sleeve. "I still can't believe you and your sister had those tattooed on."

"Its proof we lived," Levi smiled. Kevin smiled back and gave him a hug.

"You're damn straight," Kevin said then released Levi. "Now straighten up. Nadja's probably just as nervous as you. You need to stand at the altar without a doubt in your mind."

Levi chuckled lightly, "It's not doubt, dad."

"I know; it's just nerves," Kevin said, "but you want her to see you at the altar with your head held high."

"Yes, dad," Levi answered.

An hour before the ceremony, Levi and his bridal party arrived at the Synagogue and Sergei stayed near the entrance to make sure all guests who'd be coming made it to their seats. Family would be seated in the first two rows while any of Nadja's friends she'd invited in London would be in the third rows and back. When Nadja arrived with her wedding party, she was snuck away so Levi wouldn't see her and she waited in the bridal suite to get into her dress. Her hair was in a bun but there were some loose strands curled to frame her face and she wore deep pink rouge on her cheeks, a bold red lip and had black liner outlining her eyes.

"Before you go out there," Maritza said when they were getting ready to go downstairs. Maritza took off her shoe and pulled out the Star of David from when she was a child. "You still need something burrowed."

"Mom," Nadja said with a smile. She was so touched.

"This star was the first present your grandma had ever given me," Maritza said. "Your grandma stayed home with me and your grandpa was a dock worker – we didn't have much money. But your grandma saved and saved to get this for me. When the Nazis invaded Lithuania, we had to hide our stars so we wouldn't be caught." Nadja nodded her head already knowing the story and she felt sorrowful for her mother having to go through that. "You have yours in your shoe?" Nadja smiled, took her right foot out of her shoe and used her toes to pull on the chain so she could present the star and lifted the skirt of her dress so her mother could see it.

"Something old," she tilted her head at the star, "something new," she tilted her head so her pearl earrings were visible, "Something burrowed," Nadja said in reference to her mother's necklace again, "something blue," she held up her bouquet of roses that had been died several different shades of blue, "and six pence in my shoe." She pushed out her right shoe so Maritza could see the six pence Nadja had glued into her shoe.

"Perfect," Maritza smiled and gave her daughter a kiss.

"Go on and get seated, Maritza," Mykolas smiled and gave her a kiss. "I'll walk our daughter down."

Downstairs, Levi was waiting right outside with Caleb and Tristan. Amber was standing with them making sure their yamakas were on straight before finally taking her seat. Maritza rushed passed them to get to their seats and shortly after, Lilliana and Heather came downstairs and stood beside who they'd be walking down the aisle with. A small piano had been brought into the Synagogue and was near the altar and the pianist sat in front of the instrument with a cellist nearby to play alongside them. When the band started playing I Can't Help Falling in Love, Levi started to shake. Caleb saw and patted his back.

"Hang in there," Caleb said and Levi nodded and took a deep breath.

Caleb and Heather walked down the aisle together first and as soon as they'd made it to the altar, Tristan and Lilliana walked down the aisle. When it was Levi's turn, he started walking down the aisle going to the altar and waited another few seconds before he finally saw Nadja. Before she started coming down, the cellist started playing Salut d'Amour. Once that song was playing, Mykolas and Nadja walked down the aisle slowly together. Levi was trying with all his might not to cry. She looked so beautiful and he could see her own eyes getting misty eyed. When they made it to the altar, Mykolas and Levi shook hands and Mykolas offered Nadja's hand to Levi. He took her hand and she stood before the altar with the Rabbi.

The Rabbi sang a prayer in Hebrew then offered a glass of wine to Nadja. After the prayer, Nadja and Levi said 'Amen' and took turns drinking the wine. The Rabbi said another prayer and then directed Levi to get Nadja's ring. Caleb handed that to Levi and put the ring around Nadja's pointer finger first signaling her acceptance and then put it on her left ring finger. Then the Rabbi instructed Nadja to put Levi's ring on his finger so Heather handed the ring to Nadja and she said some words of affirmation before putting the ring on Levi's finger. It finally came to be the time of the ceremony where they said their vows and they'd requested to write their own.

"We will start with you, Levi," the Rabbi said and Nadja squeezed his hands to give him a boost of courage.

"Nadja," Levi began, "it feels like just yesterday that I first met you at my brother's wedding. Back then, I never thought we'd be more than pen pals, but after seeing you again after years of letters, I fell in love with you in an instant. It's been six years since then but it seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. You've been my best friend, you've helped me get out of my shell and broaden my horizons, you've introduced me to some highly questionable cinema," Nadja started laughing but did her best to contain herself when a tear had fallen. Levi brushed that stray tear away before continuing. "You've been there with me through really tough times in my life and you even stayed with me after I put you to sleep on one of our first dates." Nadja held back a laugh again but her smile still brightened. "Nadja Rimsa," he said softly, "I promise to love you and stand by you through all the days of our life. I promise to be your shoulder to cry on when you've had a bad day, I promise to stand by your side through this new adventure in our lives, I promise to be your biggest fan on and off stage, but above all this I promise to be your best friend, your lover and to be eternally devoted to you." After finishing, the Rabbi allowed Nadja a moment to regain her composure so she wasn't on the verge of tears anymore.

"Nadja will now recite her vows to Levi," the Rabbi encouraged after a few moments had passed. Nadja looked up at Levi as he smiled at her lovingly. She'd had a whole speech prepared that was witty and funny but now she couldn't remember any of it.

"Levi Black," Nadja said, "even before we started dating, I would look forward to your letters. I wondered how you were doing, what you were up to, what you'd thought of the latest book or movie I'd recommended to you; I felt closer to you than anyone else in the world. You were my one true love before I even really knew what love was. I love you more than I can ever express. I promise to love and cherish you through the good and the bad, I promise to share my life with you for as long as we both shall live and I promise to bring you joy and happiness as you've done for me."

After another brief silence, the Rabbi took over the ceremony saying additional prayers and listing to Levi and Nadja their responsibilities to one another as husband and wife. Then he proclaimed them to be husband and wife and placed the bottle wrapped in a towel on the floor. Levi let go of Nadja's hands so he could stomp on the bottle crushing the glass and the whole Synagogue yelled Mazel tov while Levi and Nadja shared a kiss.

After the ceremony, the family stayed at the Synagogue while the other guests went to the theatre where they would be having the reception. Nadja and Levi signed their Ketubah with Caleb and Heather acting as their witnesses, the family had picture after picture taken together and there were more pictures once they made it to the theatre. When Nadja and Levi came into the theatre announced as Mr. and Mrs. Black, they went right onto the stage where they had their first dance together with Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are playing on the speakers then continued dancing to Peter Frampton's Baby I Love Your Way. The reception was a layout no one had ever experienced before but it encouraged guests to move around and talk to one another while also letting Nadja and Levi feel like they were the only people there, exactly how they wanted it.

When Levi and Nadja left the stage after their dance and after everyone got to have dinner, Levi and Nadja cut their tiny cake and shared it while all the other guests got to have cupcakes. Any kids that were at the wedding got to run up to the stage and play while the parents enjoyed drinks and a cupcake. After their reception, Levi and Nadja went to the hotel together to enjoy their wedding night all over again. Nadja and Levi left London for Stratford-Upon-Avon staying at an old mansion turned hotel while everyone else returned home. Sergei came back to find out his sister was not only officially engaged but the wedding would be the following weekend. When he found out it would be a courthouse wedding, he almost laughed knowing his sister would've wanted that and Boris was delighted with any arrangement that wasn't obnoxious, extravagant or expensive.

On the last Saturday of June, Ariel and Nadeshka went to the courthouse together with all the required documentation and Gabriel and Emma Leigh present to stand with them at the altar. Ariel wore a white dress shirt and dark wash blue jeans much to Emma Leigh's annoyance although she only voiced that annoyance to Gabriel. While Nadeshka wore a dress, it wasn't white and it was much shorter than would normally be considered appropriate for a wedding. It was a navy blue and white polka-dot dress that reached midway down her thigh and had a white belt secured around her waist, it was short sleeved and she wore tan platform shoes. It was perfect.

They sat in the courtroom until it was their turn and came up to the altar once their names were called. The ceremony itself was less than ten minutes. The judge asked them both the same question: do you promise to love and cherish one another through sickness and in health through richer or poorer for as you both shall live? Ariel answered yes first and then the judge repeated the question to Nadeshka and she said yes as well. When it was time for the rings, Gabriel handed over Nadeshka's ring and Ariel put it on her finger. Then Emma Leigh handed Nadeshka Ariel's ring and she placed it on his finger. After all that, the judge proclaimed them husband and wife and the two shared a kiss.

It was the fastest wedding any of them had ever been to but neither Ariel nor Nadeshka would change a thing about it. After leaving the courthouse, Ariel, Nadeshka, Gabriel and Emma Leigh went to Nathan's house where they had dinner together as a family with Boris, Illyana, Sergei and Lee present. Even though the rest of the family hadn't attended, they still sent Ariel and Nadeshka some congratulatory gifts. When Ariel and Nadeshka returned to their apartment that day, it was with their receipts from the wedding and a promise their marriage license would arrive in the mail in about 2 week's time.

"Did you have fun today?" Ariel asked as he was unlocking the door to their apartment.

"Yes," Nadeshka smiled, "It was a dream come true."

Ariel smiled, "Yeah, it really was." She was about to walk through the door but Ariel stopped her. "Hold on. Let's do something traditional." Ariel lifted Nadeshka into his arms while she laughed a little under her breath and carried her over the threshold inside. Once he put her down and locked the door, he took Nadeshka in his arms and kissed her. "Welcome home, Mrs. Black."

"Add me to the collection of Mrs. Blacks," Nadeshka joked and Ariel chuckled.

"You're my Mrs. Black – so you're the best one," Ariel said and gave her a kiss. Then he brought her to their bedroom so they could enjoy their wedding night properly.

In the midst of all that was going on in Washington, Jae Sun heard news from Eun Mi and JJ and his siblings whenever they'd call or he'd shift, but he was otherwise occupied with his own life. Between writing comic strips for the newspaper, writing manga for his publisher in Japan and managing the farm, he often felt like he was running on empty. His passion and his heart was in his art and comics but his responsibility was to Yon and the farm. There was also something bothering him. Every other month, he had to go to Japan for a meeting with his publisher and every time he was in the building, he felt like he was missing something and he'd feel strangely empty for days afterwards.

"How did things go in Japan?" Yon asked Jae Sun when the two were sitting to dinner together after he'd returned home.

"Everything's fine," Jae Sun said. "Sales have improved a lot in the last year. While I was on the train I even saw a kid reading a copy of my manga."

"That's wonderful!" Yon praised. "You just wait! Soon you'll be a household name!"

"I wouldn't go that far, grandma," Jae Sun smiled lightly then yawned unintentionally. "Sorry," he said after he finally stopped.

"It's alright, Jae Sun; you've had a long day," Yon said. "When are you going to Japan again?"

"Probably in March," Jae Sun said. "I'll be back before it's time to plant the rice crop; I promise."

"Oh, I know you will," Yon said.

"My publisher said if sales keep going up they want me to do a book signing event," Jae Sun said but he didn't sound excited about it. "They'd want me to tour all over Japan."

"That's wonderful news!"

"No," Jae Sun said, "I told them I could probably do one or two bookstores but I can't do a full blown tour."

"Of course you can," Yon said.

"No, grandma, I can't," Jae Sun said a little louder and more frustration than he'd meant to. "I don't have time. Between writing for the newspaper, writing manga and managing this farm, I can't be gone for weeks at a time." Yon's shoulders slumped a little and after a moment, Jae Sun realized he'd spoken too harshly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"It's alright, Jae Sun," Yon said soothingly and gently rubbed his arm. "You've been wonderful, Jae Sun. You truly have. I'd have never been able to manage this place without you."

"I'm happy to do it, grandma," Jae Sun said with a tired smile.

"Jae Sun," Yon began, "How old are you now? 29?"

"I prefer to go off American calculations," Jae Sun managed to joke, "so 28."

"Alright, 28," she said. "You're 28 years old. You've spent the majority of your twenties here in Korea helping me. I know you say you're happy to help me but I don't want you to waste your life away here. I want you to be able to follow your passion, have a life of your own, meet a nice young woman and get married, start your own family; I want you to be happy."

"I am happy, grandma," Jae Sun said.

"No, dear, you're existing," Yon said with a gentle sigh. "Jae Sun, someday soon I won't be here anymore. I don't want you to be burdened with this farm any longer."

"It's not a burden, grandma," Jae Sun said, but Yon held up her hand to silence him.

"I've been thinking," she said. "When my time finally comes, I want you to sell the farm. I want you to take that money you've earned from the sale, split it amongst your brothers and sisters and I want you to move forward with your career without this farm holding you back."

"Grandma," Jae Sun said and took Yon's hand with a smile, "we've got a long while before we have to worry about that. When the time comes, I'll do what you're asking but for now, I'm here for you and am happy to do it."

Yon smiled and squeezed his hand. He'd grown so much in the last 28 years. He'd gone from this darling boy who was proud of himself for being able to hold a large kettle a man who put his family before himself. Meanwhile, she'd become so frail. Her hair had grayed, her skin wrinkled and everything hurt now. After Tae Woon died, she'd thought her best option would be to either sell the farm and move into the city – something she desperately had not wanted to do – but Jae Sun swooped in to help her.

"I'm so proud of you, Jae Sun," Yon said. Jae Sun smiled and leaned over to give Yon a tight hug.

"I love you, grandma," Jae Sun said.

"I love you too," Yon replied.

Several months went by and everything was business as usual. In the spring, Jae Sun went to Tokyo staying with Akihiko and his wife Yue for a few nights then returned to Korea in time to plant the rice just as he promised. As the months went on, though, Jae Sun noticed Yon was losing weight to an alarming degree and she was getting weaker before his eyes. She insisted everything was fine but Jae Sun begged her to see a doctor. Jae Sun called home to get Eun Mi on the phone with Yon hoping maybe she might convince Yon to see a doctor, but Yon still refused until one day, Jae Sun came over to Yon's house to check on her and found her unconscious in the middle of her living room floor. Jae Sun rushed her to the nearest hospital and called home after a doctor was finally able to see her. Eun Mi promised she'd be on the next plane and after they got off the phone, Jae Sun waited hours for someone to talk to him.

"Dauer Jae Sun?" Jae Sun stood to attention when he finally heard his name and the doctor jumped a little too when Jae Sun had stood up so suddenly.

"That's me," Jae Sun said. "How is grandma? Is she okay?"

"Your grandma's stable for now," the doctor said.

"For now? What do you mean 'for now'? What happened? Did she have a seizure or something? She's never had seizures."

"No it wasn't a seizure," the doctor said appearing rather surprised. "Young man…did she not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Jae Sun pressed.

"Mrs. Mun came to the hospital in January about a lump she'd found in her left breast," the doctor said and Jae Sun's eyes went wide as he started to feel light headed. "The lump was found to be cancerous. She refused to undergo any treatment for it even when we explained, if left untreated, she wouldn't live to next year."

"But…." Jae Sun began and fell back into his seat. "My grandma has breast cancer?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "The fainting was likely a result of the drastic weight loss. We did an x-ray where we'd initially found the lump and the cancer has spread. I'm very sorry, but at this rate she won't make it another two or three months." Jae Sun was stone cold and quiet as he tried to wrap his head around what he was hearing.

"There's nothing you can do?" he eventually pleaded but the doctor gently shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. Its spread too far and any treatment we can offer would do little to help her. My recommendation would be to spend as much time with her as possible and help her to get her affairs in order."

"Please," Jae Sun said and looked at the doctor with tears in his eyes, "there has to be something you can do."

"I'm sorry, but there isn't," the doctor said. "Would you like to see her?" Jae Sun nodded weakly and followed the doctor to where Yon was being held. There were a few other people in the room with only blue tarps separating their beds but Jae Sun went straight to Yon's bed and hugged her. Then, several moments later, Jae Sun lifted his head and grabbed a hold of her shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jae Sun pleaded as he cried. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked again. "I could've gotten you help."

"I didn't want help, Jae Sun," Yon said.

"Why?" Jae Sun asked and Yon smiled lovingly at him and brushed a tear from his eye.

"Because it's my time," Yon said. "Since your grandpa died, I've missed him dearly and when we had to burn him, I swore to him when it was my time that I would be with him in the afterlife."

"But grandma," Jae Sun started and Yon shushed him gently.

"It's alright, Jae Sun," Yon said. "Everything will be alright."

Jae Sun held his head low then laid against Yon's chest and started to cry. Yon was released from the hospital the following day and Jae Sun brought her home but he insisted on staying there rather than go back to his parents' house. Eun Mi finally arrived the day after that and had the same reaction to the news as Jae Sun. She pleaded with Yon to reconsider and let them bring her to Washington in the hope there might be something either Kyle or Carlisle could do but Yon would not be swayed.

"How long has she known about this?" JJ asked Eun Mi when she'd called and told him the news.

"Since January," Eun Mi answered through the tears and sniffling, "And she won't agree to any treatment. She keeps saying it's her time." She started crying again and JJ stayed silent on the other line so she could do so. "JJ," she eventually said.

"I'll be there soon, Eun Mi," JJ said reassuringly. "I'll talk to her. Maybe I can reason with her. Do you want me to bring all the kids?"

"Yes, please," Eun Mi nodded weakly. "I want them to see Yon before….."

"I'm on my way, Eun Mi," JJ promised. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

JJ notified all the kids and they got on the next available plane to Seoul. The 24 hour trip from Washington to Korea was spent in complete silence from everyone. JJ explained the situation to the kids and they were all just as shocked. When they finally landed, JJ got them out of Seoul into the countryside in record time going straight to Yon's house. She was asleep when they arrived but the moment Yon was awake, the kids hovered and doted on her cherishing their last moments with her. JJ tried to reason with her but, yet again, she refused. She insisted she was ready and asked they all drop it and please just be with her until the end. JJ made a few calls home to make sure everything would be taken care of while they were in Korea and once that was all settled, they stayed with Yon as she'd asked.

Jae Sun and Eun Mi made sure everything on the farm was still being taken care of but it was nearly impossible to focus. The two of them would try to get everything done as quickly as possible so they could return to the house and be with Yon. The rest of the village had also heard about Yon's condition so she was getting visitors every day bringing her food and well wishes. Then at night, JJ and the kids would all sleep in one room while Eun Mi shared a bed with Yon.

"Did you used to share a bed with your mother when she was alive?" Yon asked Eun Mi one evening.

"Of course," Eun Mi said. "Even when grandpa was alive, I always shared a bed with my mother. Our first home was this tiny house and so was the house she and I built for ourselves. We couldn't afford a multi-room house. I confess since getting married, I've become used to multi-room homes."

Yon smiled, "Yes – a good husband has a way of making his wife accustomed to better in life. And to think you weren't planning to pursue anything. It's a good thing I knocked some sense into you."

"You're right," Eun Mi smiled lightly and hugged Yon.

She thought back to when she was first brought to the South Korean M.A.S.H. and when she'd met Yon in Terry's kitchen. She'd been the first friend she'd made after being brought to South Korea and since that time, Yon had become so much more than a friend. It all flashed before Eun Mi's eyes and it made where they were now so much more painful and Eun Mi began to cry.

"Eun Mi? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Yon asked when she heard Eun Mi start to cry.

"You've been like a second mother to me," Eun Mi cried. "I don't want to lose you."

"Oh Eun Mi," Yon said soothingly and hugged her tight. "Tae Woon and I – we loved you like a daughter. I hope you know that."

"I do," Eun Mi whimpered.

"You and those children have made the last 30 years everything I could have ever wanted, Eun Mi," Yon said. "I've lived a full and fruitful life and it's all thanks to you."

Eun Mi continued to cry into Yon's shoulder while she held onto her comfortingly until they both finally fell asleep. Yon continued to grow weaker as the days went on. She was mostly confined to her bed and when a lawyer finally came down from Seoul to discuss her will, Eun Mi insisted the man come to Yon's room so she wouldn't have to be moved. JJ brought in a table they could all sit at and while JJ was there, the conversation was in Korean so he couldn't follow. Jae Sun was also present given Yon had every intention of leaving half if not most of her assets to him. Yon insisted on selling her property and for Jae Sun to split the profit between himself and his siblings but Jae Sun didn't want to agree to that and neither did Eun Mi.

The lawyer suggested a compromise of renting the farm out so they could make some revenue off the farm while still keeping it in the family allowing Jae Sun the freedom Yon wanted him to have. They all eventually agreed that would be best and Jae Sun and Eun Mi promised they would start making those arrangements. Jae Sun promised Eun Mi he would act as the landlord and would make sure the tenant was doing everything by their standards and would take action whenever it was necessary. All other assets Yon had would be liquidated per her request and distributed amongst Eun Mi's children. Once they'd gone over everything and the lawyer had everything written down, he promised to return in a few days with the documentation for Yon and a witness of her choosing to sign to finalize the will. After that discussion with the lawyer, Jae Sun asked JJ to take a walk with him so he could clear his head.

"This place hasn't changed a bit," JJ said as they were walking down the dirt road together. "I remember when we first came here. Your mother was so happy – we'd have stayed here if she'd had her way."

"It's a lot of hard work but it's tranquil here," Jae Sun answered in a low voice. "That was awful."

"Mapping out the will?"

"Yeah," Jae Sun said. "I don't think I've ever been so miserable and uncomfortable in my whole life."

"I know," JJ said and patted Jae Sun's shoulder. "This sort of thing is never easy to deal with. Even when your loved one lives to a ripe old age, the lost is still sorely felt."

"I don't want grandma to think she's burdening me," Jae Sun said and rubbed his eye. "I've loved being here and helping her. I've been able to work on my art while I've been here."

"But you can't do as much as you'd like to," JJ said, "and that's what she's concerned about. No one's more grateful for everything you've done than Yon is and your mother's so proud of you. Prouder than you know. Whenever you send her something you've made or send her rice you grew yourself, she brags to her students until their ears are bleeding. Your mother won't even let me use the soy sauce you send her. She tells me I don't use it right."

"You put straight soy sauce on top of rice," Jae Sun smiled. "Soy sauce is for cooking."

"Well, I like putting it on top of my rice. So sue me," JJ said and the two of them finally had a light laugh. JJ gave Jae Sun a tight, one armed hug while they walked. "That's better," he said. Jae Sun was still smiling but there was still a sadness in his eyes. They continued to walk down the road as Jae Sun looked out on all the rice patches. The crops were growing in really well.

"I remember walking down this road with mom and Yon holding a kettle full of makgeolli. I bowed to one of the farmers and spilled it all over myself," Jae Sun said and JJ chuckled.

"I remember that," JJ said. "I also remember you and your mother pressuring me into letting you keep that hairball."

"You loved Popo, dad," Jae Sun smiled. "Admit it."

"He was fine I guess," JJ replied and Jae Sun laughed under his breath. They walked a little while longer in silence taking in the view of the countryside until JJ broke the silence. "Jae Sun," he said, "I agree with Yon: I want you to be able to do more with your art and your writing. You've got talent and a path to be paid for that talent. I don't want you throwing that away over this place. I say rent this place out like you'd said that lawyer recommended, make a profit off this place so you have a steady income and move to Seoul or something so you can work."

"I'd be moving to Japan," Jae Sun said and that grabbed JJ's attention. "The newspaper is better than nothing but it doesn't pay enough to keep me in Seoul. If I moved anywhere to be closer to my work, it would be Tokyo."

"In that case, I say do it," JJ said. "Should I just accept you'll never return to Washington?" JJ tried to joke.

"Don't say that, dad," Jae Sun said. "I never came home all these years because farming is a year round thing. There's no time to rest. If I'm employing someone to do all that for me, I can finally travel a little."

"Good. Your grandparents miss you. They'd love for you to come home for a long, extended visit."

"I'd like that too," Jae Sun said. "I'm just sorry this is how everything is panning out."

"It's okay, Jae Sun," JJ soothed and hugged Jae Sun again.

They returned to the house in time for dinner and by then Jae Sun felt at least a little better. As he'd promised, the lawyer retuned a few days later with the finalized documentation and Eun Mi read through everything to make sure it looked right. Then she had Jae Sun read it, then Mae Sun read it and finally Yon read it for the sake of being thorough. When everything checked out, Yon, Eun Mi and Jae Sun signed the will and that made everything final. After that, they didn't do anything legal. They only spent time with Yon.

Wanting to do something special for her, Mae Sun burrowed the car and drove into Seoul to get fireworks and when he returned, he went from house to house telling people to come to Yon's house the following day for a party he would be throwing in her honor. Mae Sun relayed the plan to Jae Sun, Eun So, Hae Li, Eun Mae and Mae Yon so they could help him put everything together from the food to decorations. The next day, the whole village arrived with their own offerings of food and toys for children to play with and one person brought a giant wooden barrel they filled with water and Asian pears and apples so they could play bobbing for apples. Lights were put up, all the food was laid out and those who could play an instrument were encouraged to do so and everyone danced while Yon sat on the steps of the house with Eun Mi, JJ and the kids by her side.

"This brings back memories," Yon smiled as she watched the merriment unfold. "I remember when we'd taken Jae Sun to his first festival. You wouldn't let the poor dear play with the other children because he was wearing a rented hanbok."

"Remember when Mae Sun stole a crab?" Jae Sun reminded everyone with a sad smile.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Mae Sun defended.

"I remember," Yon giggled and gently pinched Mae Sun's cheek. "The sales woman was so sweet. Eun Mi bought that whole ongi of gajang gejang as an apology and she told her it wasn't necessary. I recall she'd said you were a growing boy and the crabs would make you big and strong."

"Mom didn't let me eat any of the ones she bought, so I wouldn't know," Mae Sun muttered sourly but he started laughing when his brothers did.

"She made up for it on more than one of your birthdays," Eun So said. "Remember that one year you ate 50 marinated crabs in one go?"

Mae Sun smiled, "My 16th birthday. I remember."

"This boy of yours is a bottomless pit, Eun Mi," Yon teased. "Whomever this boy marries, she will have quite the trying task of keeping him fed."

"I don't need a wife to feed me, grandma. I've got my mother," Mae Sun smiled and hugged Eun Mi but she gave him a serious look.

"When are you getting married and giving me grandchildren?" Eun Mi asked.

"Eventually," Mae Sun said and then pointed at Jae Sun. "Why don't you get on his case! He's older! He's almost 30 and he's not married."

"I'm busy, Mae Sun," Jae Sun replied. "Don't worry mom; one of us will get married eventually."

"Comforting," Eun Mi sighed and Yon giggled.

"This is nice," she said and patted Mae Sun's hand. "Thank you for setting this up, Mae Sun."

"Of course, grandma," Mae Sun said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Now, if you'll all excuse me: I'm starving."

"What else is new?" Hae Li teased.

"Bite me, kid," Mae Sun said and wandered off to get himself a plate of food.

"I think I'll grab something too," Eun So said. "Does anyone want anything? Grandma? I can see what they've got."

"Get me anything that looks good," Yon said and Eun So walked off as did Eun Mae and Hae Li to collect everyone a plate. "You've all grown so much. You especially," Yon said to Jae Sun with a smile. "Once things are worked out with this farm, you really should think about settling down."

"Grandma," Jae Sun mumbled.

"I'm being serious, Jae Sun. You're a handsome young man and would make any young woman a wonderful husband. Don't let yourself be discouraged by silly little girls who say you're too tall," Yon said, "Find a nice young woman that deserves you. Preferably a nice Korean young woman."

"I'll see what I can do, grandma," Jae Sun answered.

They enjoyed the rest of the evening together as a family with all the neighbors with them having a grand time. The next morning, Jae Sun and his brothers took care of cleaning up and packing all the food that was brought. They stayed in Korea together as a family for weeks making the most of their time together. While they were grateful to be with Yon, it was excruciating having to sit back and wait for what they knew was coming. By the end of their time in Korea, Yon could barely sit up. Her skin had gone pale, her hair had grayed even more than it was before, she was still losing too much weight and she was always tired. When it was Yon's last night, JJ could tell by her scent. So he told everyone they would all be sleeping in the same room with Yon that night.

Eun Mi laid on Yon's bed beside her, Jae Sun sat nearby and held Yon's hand and Yon was surrounded by the people who had become her family. Eun Mi didn't get any sleep. She was trying so hard not to cry. Being with Yon this way reminded her of her mother's death. She still remembered that brief moment of clarity where her mother had told her 'I love you' one last time and the next morning she was gone. She could hear Yon's heartbeat started to slow down and when she heard that, she snuggled up to Yon and said, "엄마 사랑 해요," (Eomma salang haeyo / I love you, mama).

"나도 사랑해," (nado salanghae / I love you too) Yon had whispered back weakly. Then, ten minutes later, she was gone. When Yon's heart finally stopped, Eun Mi didn't hold back anymore and just let herself cry.

JJ moved around the room until he could be beside Eun Mi but he only placed his hand on her shoulder so she could stay close to Yon. Their children were just as distraught by her passing and they were all huddled up with Yon saying their goodbyes. When the sun came up, Jae Sun took over making the funeral arrangements. JJ helped any way he could but with the language barrier, it predominantly fell on Jae Sun to set everything up and he did not relish any of it. All the neighbors were notified of Yon's passing and by the time it was the day of her funeral, there was a giant crowd of people swarming in to pay their respects.