Last chapter for this story.

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Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Complete… Maybe

A small sob from Alice broke the deafening silence that had descended after Rosalie and Emmett had left, Jasper moved and wrapped loving arms around her, hugging her tightly to his side. Jake walked over to Momma and gently removed a sleeping Juriel from her arms. He seemed totally unaware of what had happened to our family. I felt my eyes well as the fact that it was basically my fault that my family had fallen apart and all I really wanted to do was take everything back, my entire life, just so that everyone could go back to normal. Esme, who had been sobbing tearlessly, came and stood beside me. She held me close and said "I am telling you, and you will listen to me, this is not your fault. Something within Rosalie prevented her from being able to let go of the life she desperately wanted while she was alive. Nothing has been what she has wanted and it frustrates her, ever since she realised Edward could love and that he loved Bella something broke and she hasn't been able to fix it. She thought she could with you but that kind of back-fired because it offered her something she wanted but when Jacob and Edward saved Bella she lost her chance to become a mother, not that she didn't, doesn't, love you she just wanted you all to herself but that didn't happen because of Jacob. This is all on Rose; and Emmett loves her completely even though he doesn't understand her need. He remembers being human but he lived an uncomplicated life and he had never felt love the way he did when he opened his eyes and saw Rosalie." I felt my chin wobble as I tried to stop myself from crying, I clenched my teeth together tightly and just nodded my head; she gave me another hug before crossing the room and losing herself in Carlisle embrace.

Jacob was pacing wildly back and forth swearing under his breath while he rocked our sleeping child within his arms. The sight of the two of them standing in the middle of the room had me snapping back to my senses; these two people depended on me, Jacob for love and companionship and Juriel for love, normality and stability. I sucked in a calming breath before saying "I'm so sorry about all of this, I hate that this is how my presence in your lives has affected you." I crossed to Jacob and touched his bare arm and thought 'I wanna go home' before hoisting Juriel from his arms and walking out of the house without another word, I needed some space to think through my feelings and I needed those thoughts to be private. I heard my mother as we walked out the front door "Leave her Edward, she's in pain and she needs time."

Jake kissed me fully before guiding me down the front stairs and through the woods to our tiny cottage. As we walked through the front door we noticed the light on the answering machine blinking. I nodded my head toward the machine and said "I'm gonna go put the baby down and then we'll talk about what happened today." Juriel and I walked up the hallway and into the pale blue nursery where his large oak cot sat in the middle of the room. I lowered his warm baby body down onto the mattress; I leant over, moved his thick dark curls and kissed his forehead, smelling his sweet baby scent. I stood watching Juriel sleep as I listened to Jacob returning the missed call. I moved to the tallboy against the wall and switched the small musical figurine, the one that sat on the top of the tallboy, on; trying to block out Jacobs' conversation. I didn't need any more bombshells today and from the tone of Jake's voice it wasn't good.

I heard Jake cradle the receiver and come up the hallway, he stopped at the doorway to Juriels' room and I saw the lines of stress that bracketed his eyes and mouth. I sucked in a deep breath and asked "What's the matter? Who was that on the phone?" Jacob came toward me before deviating at the last second and bending over our sleeping son, inhaling his unique smell before he spoke. "It was Sam, there's trouble with the tribe." His tone was grave tinged liberally with anger and a little fear. Closing my eyes against the emotional headache I could feel coming, I asked "What's happening?" while dreading the answer because I knew that it would complicate our already complicated lives "Vampires, Apparently a few of them have decided to make our lands their feeding grounds. Sam said that even with all our wolves we are having trouble capturing them and they are scared for the tribe. They want us to go home and help out, if that's ok."

My breath shuddered from my body, this wasn't what we needed on top of all that had happened today with Rosalie but it was happening and we needed to deal with it. I looked from Jake's angry face to that of our son and knew deep within my body that he deserved to be brought up in an environment were his heritage was lauded and he wasn't resented. I moved slowly across the room and hooked my arms around Jake's waist, tilting my head back I looked into his handsome face and said "Let me make a call." When he nodded without asking anything I knew that we were going to be okay, that life, as strange and abnormal as it had been, was going to be okay and that we were going to make it.

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Cherie

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