He Lives

Summary: Her mother was right. Josslyn never forgot how Jake saved her life.

Josslyn John Jacks is a healthy, beautiful girl. But she wasn't always. There was a time when she had been really sick with cancer in both of her kidneys. She's old enough to know and understand that it was Jake who saved her. Sometimes she feels strange when she spends time around the Webber home. Cameron and Aiden are reminders of the little boy who'd saved her. Sometimes, she looks at Elizabeth and wonders if the woman ever resents her for living while Jake is dead and buried. Not that she'd ever know. Elizabeth has always been kind to her. But sometimes, she stares at Josslyn when Josslyn sits on the couch talking with Cam or playing with Aiden and her expression is so sad. So heartbreaking. She knows that the woman must be imagining her little boy playing with his siblings, imagining what it would've been like if he'd lived. Wondering what he'd look like.

She's lucky. She doesn't see her father as often as she'd like, but she has her mother, Michael, Morgan. She has her dad, she has her Grandma Bobbie, Uncle Lucas, LuLu, Dante, and Rocco. She has her friends and she loves them all dearly. She loves to dance and to make jewelry. She loves to play soccer. She's independent and brilliant and so happy. And it's all because of Jake. And the decision his parents made.

When she's fourteen, she finally has the guts to ask Elizabeth a question. A question she's been thinking of since she was eight years old. Cameron and Aiden are busy in the kitchen, getting popcorn and drinks for their movie night.

She flips back her long, blonde hair and chest her bottom lip nervously as she takes a spot next to Elizabeth on the couch. "Elizabeth, can I talk to you about something?" She asks, swallowing hard, bright blue eyes on the older woman. She watches as the woman sits down her book.

"Of course you can." Elizabeth answered gently, feeling worried at how troubled the teenaged girl seems. She pushed back the girl's long hair and stares into her pretty face.

"It's about...it's about Jake. I wanted to know if it's ever hard for you to be around me considering I'm alive and he isn't. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't need to know and I don't mean to upset you, but I've always wondered." The blonde answers in a rush, fingers tangling into the fabric of her long tee-shirt, curling her slender, bare legs under her.

Elizabeth's eyes widen at her deceased son's name, unsure of how to respond. She can readily admit that sometimes, she looks at Josslyn and wonders what Jake would be like if he and Josslyn had both lived. If Jake had never been hit by a car and perished in the first place. But mostly, mostly she feels grateful. She has two healthy, happy sons. And Josslyn is proof that Jake didn't die in vain. That his death had meaning. "Josslyn, I'll admit, sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Jake were alive. But I never blamed you. Honestly, it's great to have you around here. It's been amazing to see you so healthy and so strong and to know that my son had a part in that. I'm happy with how close you are to Cam and Aiden, because at times, it's almost as if Jake is here with you. And I know he'd be happy with this. Besides, just because I lost Jake doesn't mean that your family deserved to lose you, too. What type of person would I be if I let that happen?"

Josslyn chokes on a sob and throws her long arms around Liz, burying her head in the woman's neck. "Thank you for saving me." She says. "I remember Jake all the time. I remember what you gave up and I never take it for granted."

The brunette says nothing as tears sting her eyes and she hugs the teen back warmly. Just knowing that Josslyn understands this and carries Jake with her is gift enough.

Cam is studying Josslyn and his mother in confusion when he walks in and sees the blonde sitting with tear-streaked cheeks and his mother with red eyes hurrying from the room. He doesn't bother to question it, however. He knows that Josslyn will tell him in due time. Instead, he pulls his little brother onto the couch and takes a seat next to Josslyn, wrapping an arm around his best friend's shoulders.

The End