A/N:

marlastiano: Uhh…welcome?

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

I.

"Row?"

Aonghus stared down at his girlfriend, she was currently bundled up in their thick green and blue patch quilt with a pillow covering her face. Her feet were sticking out at the bottom of the bed (one foot was bare while the other was in fluffy, red and white striped socks.) and her left arm was hanging over the side of the full sized bed.

"Row?" Aonghus called again. He rubbed a hand through the thick mop of black hair that reached his ears; he was growing worried. Rowena did not sleep in, at least not for days at a time. And she'd been here for days, a week to be exact.

A loud groan sounded from under the pillow. Aonghus moved the pillow away, revealing Rowena's face; her hair was a thick, nappy mess matted to the sides of her head and her gray eye were red-rimmed.

"I'm taking you to the doctor."

"Nooo!" Rowena whined.

"Yes." Came Aonghus's firm reply. "You're going and that's final."

Rowena began to thrash around in the bed, kicking the blankets off her body. "No, no Da!"

Aonghus bellowed with laughter. "You sound like Siobhan when she doesn't want to take a damn nap. And just like her, you really do. You're just being stubborn for no damn reason."

"I hate hospitals."

"I don't care! You need to go. You've been acting weird."

Rowena doesn't need to ask him what acting weird means. She damn well knows.

"Ever since that night you came home drunk almost a damn week ago, you've been tired all the time, clingy, and sometimes you just seem completely out of it." Aonghus's face is etched with concern; his light blue eyes soft and sad.

Rowena opens her mouth to reassure him, angry at herself for making the poor man worry so much, but instead she's quickly clamping it shut again. There's a bubble in her stomach and she swallows thickly. In a matter of seconds she leaps out of the bed and runs from the bedroom.

Aonghus follows after her, only to flinch back when she runs and into the bathroom and begins empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet. He takes a second to recover before walking into the bathroom and bending down beside her, taking her hair in his hands and holding it away from her face.

When Rowena's finished throwing up, she droped against Aonghus, nuzzling her face into his neck. The bathroom currently smells of fresh throw-up and the tile on the floor beneath them is ice cold. She feels uncomfortable and hot and there's a dull ache in her belly.

When Aonghus wraps his arms tightly around her and presses his cheek against her damp, matted hair she only feels a little better.

"Please go to the hospital." He begs softly. "Please."

"I don't…I can't." Rowena mumbles against his neck; it's more like a weak whine.

In the other room down the hall, they can hear Siobhan banging against the bars of her dark brown crib and her high-pitched toddler voice calling out, "Da! Ma!"

"What about, Sisi?" He asks desperately. "What if you get sick while you're here alone with her?"

Rowena sags even further against him. "I don't know."

"I can't stay here. I have to go to work or the rent will be late." He doesn't bother to point out that she hasn't been to work all week. That because of that the rent will be late either way. He doesn't care. "I'll stay if I have to though."

She shakes her head against his neck, her hair tickles him. "No, please don't. You need that job, we need that job."

"Fuck the job!"

"I'll call Martina."

"Fine. But please, please think about letting me take you to the hospital."

She sighs deeply. "Okay."

"I mean it, Row." Aonghus's voice is firm, but Row can hear the worry in his tone, his fear.

"I promise I'll think about it."

"Thank you."

"So you going to do it?" Rowena's friend Martina asked. The other woman was tall and tan. She had long, wavy brown hair, honey colored eyes and a bright smile that could endear her to anyone.

"What?" Rowena sat across from her on the little green sofa in her living room. In her arms, Siobhan was napping. A single black curl fell across the baby's caramel colored cheek and her little pink lips sucked on one of her mother's long dark fingers as she slept. Her little body was wrapped in a long, rectangular, dark blue and white patch quilt. It had been sent from Aonghus's grandmother in Scotland. One day, when they had the money for the flight, they planned to visit her.

"Go to the hospital. Scottie boy seemed really upset earlier."

Rowena didn't look at her, she choose instead to stare down at Siobhan, stroking the baby's cheek delicately.

"I'm fine." She stated quietly.

Martina arched a brow. "Seriously, babe? Than why have I been here since 10 this morning with you? Sitting on your couch watching Desperate Housewives on Netflix? Hmmm?"

"I don't know. You're a Netflix addict?"

"Stop playing. Something's wrong with you. Like you went down to that Indian-."

"Native American."

Martina rolled her eyes. "Native American cemetery and got an evil spirit attached to you or something."

Wolf. Werewolf.

"Nothing happened, I'm fine. Really." She wasn't. Rowena had felt sick for the last couple of days (almost a week), today had been the worse.

"Why won't you go to the hospital?"

Too scared. "I hate hospitals."

Martina rolled her eyes again. "Whatever, Row."

Rowena stood, gripping the sleeping, blanket swaddled baby to her chest tight. "I'm going to put Sisi in her crib." She shook a little as she walked, her vision was a little blurry.

Martina eyed Rowena curiously. "You okay? You don't look too good babe."

Rowena adjusted Siobhan in her arms, pulling up a flap of the patch blanket that was hanging down. "I'm fine I-I just stood up too quickly." She began to blink rapidly, at the moment she could have sworn there were three Martina's staring back at her.

"Row?"

"Mar…"

Suddenly everything went black. The last sounds Rowena heard before she took a tumble to the floor were Siobhan's cries and Martina shouting out her name.

Several hours later, Rowena woke up in a white room. As her eyes opened she blinked slowly, barely registering that she was in a bed and that the white room was in a hospital. The steady beat of the machine monitoring her heart was booming in her ears.

Rowena's only comfort was the hand, ghost white, grasping her own. Moved her head slowly, looking up Aonghus. She almost gasped at the sight of him. Aonghus's face was pink, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with tears. The hand not holding onto Rowena's, was being raked through his ear-length black hair roughly as he sobbed quietly.

"Angie?" She croaked; her voice was dry and hoarse.

Aonghus's gaze focused on her then, tears fell down his cheeks. "R-row."

"Angie, I'm okay. I promise I'm okay." That's what she wants to say but only his name passes her lips.

"I'm so sorry." He cries, more tears fall. He takes a deep breath. "It died."

Rowena's so very, very confused right now. "Huh?"

"Our baby. You were six weeks." He manages to choke out.

She freezes, the heart monitor spikes. She closes her eyes, willing herself to calm down, willing herself to breath. When she opens her eyes again, it's a struggle they are so heavy.

"Where's Siobhan?"

Aonghus gestures behind her. She shifts slowly and smiles when she sees Martina in a stiff looking arm chair in the corner of the hospital room. Siobhan, wrapped in the blue and white patch blanket, is sleeping peacefully in her arms.

Rowena looks back at Aonghus and pats the space beside her on the hospital bed. "Lay down with me."

Aonghus kicks off his worn Timberland boots and climbs into the bedside Rowena. He pulls her into his arms and she snuggles close to him, burying her face into his chest, listening to his heart beat.

"Your kidneys too Row. They're failing. Doc says it's called adrenal failure. That's why you were exhausted, that and the…and the baby."

Rowena closes her eyes again, trying to calm herself. After a long moment she sighs deeply.

"I'm exhausted. Just so fucking exhausted."

"I am too."

"I know…I know." She strokes his chest with her hand slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't listen, that I didn't just come here in the first place."

"It's fine. I know you were scared." He plants his face in her hair, breathing her scent in. He loves to do this. "I love you, Row. I love you no matter what."

"I love you too, Angie." Her eyes close again, but this time not to calm herself. She's at peace now. "There's something I need to tell you. Not today but soon. Do you trust me?"

"Always."

Rowena spends the next four days in the hospital after her miscarriage and the discovery of her kidney problems.

Aonghus, Martina and Siobhan are her only company. During the day Rowena sits with Aonghus (who skips work) playing chess, scrabble, cards and reading books. Siobhan runs around the hospital room, shrieking at things she finds new and exciting. Her crayons, dolls and blocks are scattered all around the room.

At night, Aonghus sleeps in the stiff arm chair with Siobhan cradled in his arms, both wrapped in her patch quilt. Rowena insists that they share the bed with her but Aonghus wants her as comfortable as possible. It okay though because Martina usually comes to the hospital late in the evening and shares the bed with Rowena for a while. She talks about work at the diner they are both employed at while braiding and unbraiding her "Baby Row's" hair. She leaves when visiting hours are over and comes back every day after she finishes her shift until Rowena is discharged.

The day Rowena gets out of the hospital, she is almost sad to lose the happy bubble that she has been living in for the last couple of days.

However, she has something to settle and it needs to be done sooner rather than later.

On a Saturday afternoon, the day after she leaves the hospital, Rowena arrives in La Push. On the door step of Sam and Emily.

"Sue said you'd come back." Emily states with a smile. The lost imprint had returned just as the tribe elder said she would.

Rowena's face is hard, her eyes exude no warmth. "I've been sick." I lost our baby.

Emily's smile drops, and she takes on a sympathetic look. "They said you would be. Embry's been very upset. You both will feel better now."

"Why?"

"Come inside, I'll call everyone and things will be explained in no time."

Rowena, against every single voice in her head screaming for her not to, follows Emily into the house.

Emily gestures toward the living room area and the two cream colored couches. "Take a seat." A little girl, about eight with chin length black hair and soft brown eyes, was already seated on one.

"That's my niece, Claire. She's visiting today."

Rowena walked over to the couch that Claire was on and took a seat at the other end.

"Hi!" Claire chirped happily.

"Hey."

"Who are you?"

"Rowena."

"Nice to meet you! Do you live near here?"

Ugh, Rowena was not really a fan of curious, question asking children. She dreaded the day Siobhan would enter the questions/why asking stage. Completely and utterly dreaded it.

"No, I live pretty far from here."

"Why? This place is great."

"Where I live is great." It comes harsher than Rowena means for it to.

The little shrugged. "Okay."

They sat in silence, momentary bliss to Rowena, for about a minute before Claire spoke again.

"I'm bored. There's nothing to do here and Quil isn't back to play yet."

"Quil?"

"Yeah, he's like my big brother. He's really huge and he doesn't wear his shirt a lot. It's kind of weird." Claire babbled.

Rowena's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her.

God, the little girl! Please God, no!

She closed her eyes, deep breath in, deep breath out, and then opened them again.

"Want to look at my phone?" She asks with the biggest, fakest smile she can produce. She doesn't want to think about Claire's situation, her own situation.

"Yes!" Claire shouted excitedly. "Do you have lots of pictures on it?"

Now Rowena really smiled then, Claire's excitement was infectious. "Why yes, yes I do. And there are other things too."

Rowena pulled out her Windows smart phone and began showing Claire all of its features. Apps, contacts, music, and the internet. Rowena even went as far as demonstrating sending a text to, she let the little girl "help" her send Aonghus the Uley's address.

While Rowena was showing Claire her phone, she vaguely heard the front door to the Uley house open and people enter as she did so.

"Pictures! Pictures!" Claire bounced up and down on the couch.

Rowena chuckled. "Okay, okay!"

The first picture on Rowena's phone was of Siobhan. The 18 month old was in a purple "I Love My Daddy" onesie and laid on her back. Her chubby little face and big dimpled smile were framed by her bush of curly, black hair.

"That's a pretty baby." Claire proclaimed.

Rowena smiled proudly. "Yeah she is."

"Is that your baby?"

Rowena could feel eyes boring into the back of her head.

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

"At home."

Rowena turned then looking at the people who had entered the house and who were also staring at her now. It was everyone from the last time she was at the house: Sam, Emily, Leah, Paul, Jared, Sue, Old Quil and of course Embry.

"You came back." Embry spoke softly. "Sue said you would."

Rowena rolled her eyes. "As I've been told."

"So you've been sick." Sue states. No need to stall with a questions when she already knew the answer.

Rowena got up from the couch and went to stand in front of Sue. "I had a miscarriage."

Everyone in the room tensed at Rowena's statement. Sue swallowed and Embry looked bewildered. Quil went to Claire and led the girl out of the house with promises of play time on the beach.

"I'm so sorry. This must be hard for you." Sue stated after Quil had left with Claire.

"For us both." She stared directly at Embry, who stared back at her with hopeful eyes. He desperately trying not to think on her previous statement. Both implied another.

"It's because of him isn't it and this whole imprinting thing?"

Sue nodded.

"I lost our baby and my kidneys are failing because of him."

"Not anymore. Being apart is what made you sick and him upset. Now that you are together, your illnesses will go away." Rowena realized that since being in Embry's presence she felt much better.

"But it won't…" She trailed off; had thought about the tiny black haired baby that would never be for the last couple of days. Another little child to hold, a sibling for Siobhan. The laughter and love in their tiny apartment multiplied. All never to be. She was devastated.

"I'm sorry." Embry stated stepping towards her. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Don't you dare come near me." Rowena glared at him fiercely. "I could kill you." Embry looked wounded.

"It's not his fault." Emily piped in. "There was no way to prevent this."

"I don't care!" Rowena shouted angrily. No one in the room would meet her eyes, save Leah. She gave Rowena the same sad, grim look that she had given her the day they'd met.

This is my life, isn't it? Rowena asked silently with her eyes. Leah nodded.

Rowena dropped to the floor and sat where she had previously stood. She stared into space. Embry sat down across from her.

"It'll be okay." He whispered. "It'll be okay." She didn't respond.

Away from them the others were talking.

"She's not going to be okay." Leah stated.

Jared nodded. "I'm going to have to agree. She looks like she just died or something."

"She lost a baby, she probably feels like a part of her did die." Sue stated staring at Rowena. "I can only imagine how much pain she feels right now."

"Embry looks terrible too." Sam stated. "There's nothing he can do to help her." Leah rolled her eyes.

"Of course he can't help her, he's the one who did this to her."

"Give it a rest Leah." Paul said, "He didn't imprint on her on purpose."

"It doesn't matter whether where it was on purpose or not, she's in pain." Leah argued back. "And whoever really loves her has to deal with this."

"Quit it guys." Sam commanded. "Arguing back and forth doesn't help. Just try to act normal and let them be."

Everyone did as told, they milled about the Uley house trying to hide how awkward and uncomfortable they really were. And watching Embry fail to get through to a catatonic Rowena was deeply uncomfortable.

Rowena didn't move again until a couple of hours later when there was a knock at the door.

Emily opened the door and there before her stood the tall, black haired Aonghus and in his arms, Siobhan.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Aonghus Rothach. Is Rowena Jackson here?

As soon as Rowena recognized Aonghus's voice she stood up and ran to him (Emily was damn near pushed out of the way.), pulling him and the baby in his arms into a bear hug.

"Angie!" She cried into his shoulder.

"Row." He whispered hugging her back.

When they broke from their embrace, Rowena turned back to those in the Uley house.

"This is my boyfriend, Aonghus and our daughter, Siobhan."

Embry stared at Siobhan, the toddler sat on the floor of Sam and Emily's living room happily, playing blocks and legos with Claire, and could not help but feel a little disgusted by her. At the moment he felt like a young male lion entering a new pride after having defeated the old male, he was ready to rid his new territory of any trace of the old male. Kill the cubs and spread his own genes.

He hated this feeling.

He couldn't help it though. There was something inside of him that viewed the little girl as an interloper. Sure there were aspects of Siobhan that pleased him- the thick black curls that framed her tiny round face, her chubby dimpled cheeks and plump pink lips- but of all them were features of Rowena. Other things, like the small pink patch under her chin (the same birthmark her father had.), and her slender little nose annoyed him. They were Aonghus's features and they did not appeal to him at all. Siobhan's eyes, the light blue color she inherited from her father (just as Rowena had inherited her gray eyes from hers), really made him withdraw from her. They were a definite marker that she was Aonghus's child. That some part of him, at some point, had mixed with his Rowena.

He hated knowing that more.

He didn't hate Siobhan or even Aonghus, they made Rowena happy, very happy. When she was happy, he was happy. He loved her and she was all he saw; she was his whole world and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, making her happy. He thought of Sam and Emily (once divided by Leah.), Jared and Kim, and Paul and Rachel (who had come and decided to stay because of her new boyfriend). None of them let their "obstacles" get in the way. Sam didn't function as a friend or older brother type to Emily even though he had previously been with her cousin and Rachel was still in La Push, a place she was adamant about not returning to or living in after her mother's death.

He wanted his happy ending too.

But there was this 6'0 tall, Scottish man and a tiny, 18 month old girl (a perfect mixture of her two parents) standing in the way of the happy ending with the woman he'd love forever.

And he couldn't completely hate them because she loved them. But he didn't want to share her either.

Little did Embry know, Rowena didn't want to share either.