A/N: I am SO SO SO sorry that it took me this long to finish this. My muse ran away after the ice cream truck and never came back until today, when i managed to pound out the last three-quarters of this chapter. I feel awful that it took so long, but here it is...if you all haven't given up on me, leave me a review, telling me how you liked the final product? If there are any bugs I should iron out? Thank ya much.

Disclaimer: Still not mine...*sob* Jacob is so pretty though.


Chapter Seven

The Aftermath

Layla De Tonye did not want to wake up. She was in that state, when you're not really sleeping but you're not conscious either, and she knew for sure that she didn't want to be conscious. There would be too many questions, too many horrified looks, and honestly she didn't know how to answer them.

Her body ached too. There was the sharp pain of bites on her arms, waist and leg, and deep scratches on her face and neck. She had been semi-aware when the wounds were stitched closed.

There was someone talking to her, but she didn't really want to listen. The voice couldn't undo what she did, even though she didn't rightly know what it was that she had done.

She remembered the gory mess Cam had become, and had tasted the coppery, disgusting taste of blood in her mouth. She wasn't stupid. She put two and two together and got four. Four things she was starting to remember:

One, sending Jacob away. That was probably the only moral thing she'd done all day. He wasn't a part of the feud between Layla and Cam; he needn't get caught in the crossfire.

Two, the bullets she had fired off at Cam had bounced off harmlessly. That hadn't ever happened before. She would have to have a think on what the hell happened there.

Three, she had been forced to shift. She remembered how the instincts of the wolf had nearly over-powered her - kill! Rip the one who harmed the cubs to shreds! She hadn't understood who the cubs were, at the time, although now it was obvious: the cubs were the La Push pack. Layla hadn't even met most of them, aside from Jacob and Quil, but through talking to Jacob she felt bonded to them.

And four, she had apparently lost her mind and killed her own brother. It sickened her to think about it. She didn't know how her control had splintered like that.

The voice talking to her got louder. "You know, Layla, you're really scaring me right now," said Jacob. Layla's heart clenched. Jake shouldn't be afraid of anything. "Doctor Cullen doesn't know why you haven't woken up yet. You're fine, physically, at least. But what about mentally? Are you still in there, baby?" There was a slightly choked sound that almost seemed like a sob. "You gotta wake up, Layla," Jacob whispered. She could feel his hand squeezing hers. "If you don't want to do it for yourself…do it for me. Wake up for me, Layla. Let me see those eyes of yours again. Please. I don't want to do this without you. I can't do this without you." His head leaned against her arm and, aghast, she could feel hot tears dripping onto her skin.

That's it, she told herself. You heard the boy - up and attem!

Layla struggled to open her eyes but they felt like they were cemented shut. Eventually they fluttered open and she got a scintillating view of the blank white ceiling. She took a deep breath and coughed slightly.

"Layla?" Jake's head shot up. Layla turned and looked at him blearily. "Oh thank God," he whispered, gathering her up into his arms. She let out a shuddering breath and started to cry against his shoulder. He peppered kisses against her hair, mumbling under his breath, incoherent phrases she couldn't understand.

"Jake, what happened?" Layla asked, her eyes starting to well up again. She bit her lip hard to keep from starting to cry again.

Jake looked at her keenly with those beautiful dark eyes of his. "You don't remember?" he asked quietly.

"No," Layla whispered, lowering her eyes to her hands that were clenched into fists on top of the stark white sheets. There was a sutured scratch on the back of her hand.

"Do you want me to tell you?" Jake asked cautiously, lifting her chin with one big finger. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Jake sighed. "I met up with you out in the water. You were leading me through the forest - you were looking for him." He said him as though it were a vile disease. "We came to a clearing and I think you knew right away that he was there. You sent me away to get Sam. I spoke to him but I didn't leave…I'm sorry for that." He looked at her sadly. "I heard your argument with Cam. I saw when your shots bounced off that shield of his, and when you transformed into the wolf." He paused. "You were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen." He shook his head and continued. "You jumped at him…somehow you could get through the shield even though your bullets couldn't. You attacked him, stopped him so that he can never hurt another person, Layla. La Push and Forks are safe now, thanks to you."

Layla stared at the wall. "I sort of woke up, when you found me," she whispered hesitantly. "I could taste the blood in my mouth." She paused, cringing. "I-I ripped his throat out."

"You did," confirmed Jake, tightening his hold on her. She had started to shake. "You didn't draw it out, though, Layla, you made it quick. He was in pain for only a moment. If it had been me in your place, I would have made him suffer." Jake's eyes darkened perceptively.

"Did anyone get hurt?" asked Layla faintly, leaning her head against his chest. He sighed and kissed her short inky hair.

"Quil did. He's on the mend though, and milking it for all it's worth. Your sisters and the Cullens came and protected Forks. Lucy got a bit dinged up but she's fine too."

"Where are they?"

"Layla, it's three in the morning. They're at home, sleeping." Jacob smiled at her. "Your sleeping schedule's all messed up now, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Layla found herself getting tired again. "Don't let me sleep too long, love. Don't wanna miss anything…" She trailed off, yawning.

"Of course not, baby." He settled her comfortably on the bed but she refused to let go of his arm.

"Jake…will you hold me?" Layla asked. Her vulnerability shone clearly in her eyes and he couldn't say no.

When Inez, Suzie, Lucy, Jasper and Emmett came in the next morning, they found Layla and Jake together on the bed. Jake's feet dangled off the end and Layla was nestled comfortably against his chest. The creases in her forehead, which had been present while she'd been unconscious, had smoothed and she looked utterly relaxed.

So Lucy did the only thing she could think of doing.

She took a picture of them.


It was several days before Layla could stay awake for longer than a couple hours. Nightmares now plagued her sleep, although with Jacob a permanent fixture in her hospital room, they were not as bad as they could have been. Sam had let Jacob off patrols until Layla was better, and Jake was thankful. He didn't want to spend a moment more than necessary away from Layla.

Excepting the talk she'd had with Jacob when she first woke up, Layla refused to speak about what happened between her and Cam in the clearing. Her sisters and friends soon learned not to badger her, especially when Jacob was around, which he always was.

One day when Inez had gotten particularly rude about asking, Jacob had snarled at her and growled, "Are you that stupid that you can't tell she doesn't want to fucking talk about it?" The topic was studiously avoided after that. Everyone became well aware of the fact that Jacob was rabid in his protection of his girl.

Two weeks after that fateful day in the woods, Layla was released from Forks Hospital. She walked out under her own power, but barely. Jake had to help her into the Rabbit and she fell asleep on the way to her house. It had been decided that Jacob would stay with Layla for as long as it was needed, and that stay at the De Tonye house extended to sleeping in Layla's room with her in her big bed. During the nights, when Layla's nightmares were fiercest, Jacob's arms around her tight quelled them and held them back. If she did happen to succumb to a dream of that night, Jacob would wake her up at the first instant of unhappiness and hold her until she drifted back to sleep.

A month to the day that it happened, Layla convinced Jacob to take her back to the clearing. The rain had washed the blood away and the only physical evidence that it ever happened were the bullets in the tree and the deep gouges in the bark and the ground. Layla didn't say a word, she just sat down on the grass and stared at the bullet tree.

"I don't know if it was such a great idea to bring you here," muttered Jacob, sitting down next to her. He eyed her carefully. She turned and looked at him, her expression bleak.

"It had to be done," she said dully. Her voice was hoarse - she had hardly spoken since that day.

"Layla…" Jacob sighed. His arm went around her shoulders but she remained stiff. "Come on, Lay, let's go home."

Her eyes returned to stare at the tree. "Not yet."

Jacob groaned and ran a hand through his short hair. "I didn't know you were a masochist," he grumbled under his breath, standing up and starting to pace.

"This isn't me being masochistic, Jacob," she said serenely. "This is me remembering."

"Same thing!" Jacob was annoyed that it only took three of his long paces to cross the clearing.

"No. Not the same thing. I'm not remembering that day, Jacob, I'm remembering Cam as he once was." There was a small, sad smile on her lips. "Before the plague and the change and the death of his wife."

"So he was changed in that same plague as you were," said Jacob, still pacing.

"It was the same one, yes, but he wasn't in our village then. He had left, was living in a Roman fort with his Roman wife."

"Huh?"

Layla let out a ghost of a laugh. "Don't you know your history? The Roman Empire had complete control of Britain by 300 AD. My brother had moved south, to Hadrian's Wall. He met Maria, they fell in love, they got married. She was pregnant when the plague hit. She died almost right away, but Cam changed instead. And he's spent the rest of his existence avenging the death of Maria and his unborn child."

Jacob stopped pacing and sat next to Layla again. "How does killing innocent people avenge his wife?"

Layla sighed. "There's something you must understand first, Jacob. Not all Shifters are like my sisters and me. We're the odd ones, really. Nearly all Shifters feed from human flesh."

"Like vampires?" Jacob was morbidly fascinated.

"Like and yet not. Vampires drink the blood - Shifters eat everything but the bones, most of the time."

"Ew."

"Yeah, ew," repeated Layla, a tiny grin forming itself on her face. "That's precisely why we girls don't do that. It gets really messy sometimes, 'specially if the Shifter is really hungry."

"Sort of like the leaches - sorry, the vampires." Jake corrected himself quickly at Layla's glare, but he really didn't mind. She was starting to open up again and it made him happier than he'd ever been, except for the times when she had kissed him.

"Yes, sort of like the vampires." Layla gnawed on her lip. "It's a lonely existence."

Jacob looked at the ground. It had never occurred to him that Layla was indeed immortal, and unless he continued phasing constantly, he was going to grow old and die, and Layla would stay young and forever seventeen. He couldn't bear the thought.

"Is…is there any way to reverse the mutation? So that you'll age?" he asked hesitantly.

Layla cast her eyes at the ground too. "There is a way, but it's very difficult and it's only worked a handful of times in the existence of Shifters," she replied just as hesitantly. "I've been studying the methods for a couple centuries now and I think I could do it, but…"

"You have no reason to," surmised Jacob, turning away and tearing up a handful of grass. Layla's hand appeared in his line of vision and he looked at her. Her eyes still had that somewhat-frantic spark in them, but they had regained most of their liveliness.

"I have a reason now," she said softly. He couldn't look away. The swirling of green and gold in her eyes was almost hypnotizing.

"What's your reason?" he asked faintly.

Layla's lips twitched in a smile. "You silly boy," she teased softly. "You're the reason. I…never, in all my life, has anyone ever affected me the way you do. I can't get you off my mind. I dream about you, I dream about what it would be like if I could age and grow old with you." She blushed faintly and looked down, breaking the spell that her eyes had put Jacob under. He looked at her for a moment, seeing her profile, the slope of her nose and the constant slight pout of her lips.

"You know, there's something I didn't tell you about the werewolf thing," he said, his voice hesitant. "Something…I used to think was just the worst thing ever, but now…"

Layla raised her head and look at him curiously, a hint of her former spirit sparking in her eyes.

"Have you ever heard of imprinting?" asked Jacob softly, ripping up more grass.

"Isn't that that thing that baby animals do with their mothers?" replied Layla, sounding unsure.

"Yeah, but there's another form of it," said Jacob. "When the animal finds its mate. Imprinting for the pack, it's finding our soul mate, the one made especially for us."

Layla smiled slightly. "Sounds sweet."

"I used to think it was terrible," said Jacob, surprising Layla. "And I'll tell you why. I've told you about Leah, right? How she's really bitter and bitchy?" Layla nodded. "She used to be our Alpha's girlfriend, back in the day. Sam and Leah were high school sweethearts, pretty much inseparable. Sam actually proposed to Leah, but she wasn't ready so she turned him down. He waited for her.

"But then Leah's cousin Emily, from the Makah rez, came to visit. The moment Sam saw her, he imprinted. He tried to fight it, because he loved Leah, but there's no denying that pull. It's like…gravity has shifted. The Earth isn't holding you here anymore, she is. She's your reason for living. Anyway, Sam broke up with Leah, and he tried to get Emily to admit to what she felt for him. She kept turning him down and pushing him away since she didn't want to hurt Leah, they used to be like sisters. One day they were arguing and Sam lost control." Jacob shuddered as Sam's memories, shared through the pack mind, surfaced. "He attacked Emily. She's got scars on her face and all down her side now, from him. He beat himself up about it so bad that Emily started to feel bad too, and she comforted him. She fell in love with him. And Leah's never been the same."

Layla stayed quiet for a moment. "That's terrible," she said softly.

"Yeah."

Layla sucked in a deep breath and let it out with a gusty whoosh. "And you…you imprinted…on me?"

Jacob met her eyes and she saw in them all the love and affection and devotion that Jacob held for her. She bit her lip shakily.

"You know," she said softly, "after that night I spent at your house, I couldn't believe how much I felt for you. It felt like I'd been waiting my entire existence for you." She let out a short, barking laugh. "I guess I'm not as crazy as I thought."

Jacob chuckled and wrapped his long arm around Layla's shoulders. "You're my gravity, Layla. I love you."

A smile spread itself slowly, incredulously, across her face and she started laughing happily. She launched herself into Jacob's arms and they toppled backward, both laughing. Layla lay on Jacob's chest and stared at him for a moment, smiling, before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his in a firm kiss, which Jacob deepened almost immediately.

Jacob and Layla were officially dating after that day, and everyone saw how happy Layla became, and how well she recovered from Cam's death, all because of Jacob. Jacob made her happier than she'd ever been.


Two years to the day that they met, Jacob and Layla were down at a private cove near First Beach, having a picnic lunch and talking and laughing.

"Come on, Layla, I have something I want to show you," said Jacob once they were finished eating, smiling mischievously and leading her by the hand up onto the cliff nearby. The view of the sunset was absolutely incredible from that vantage point, and when Layla turned to tell him how gorgeous it was, she found herself looking at open air where his shoulder should have been. She looked down and there he was, down on one knee, the sweet smile on his face all for her.

"Oh, Jake…"

His smile widened into a grin and he pulled a small velvet box out of the pocket of his shorts. "Yeah, Layla, but shut up and let me do this right." His eyes twinkled brightly at her as he sucked in a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh. "Alayla De Tonye, I love you more than anything in the whole world. You are my gravity and there will never be anyone else for me, as long as I live. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?" He fumbled with the ring box for a moment and then presented the ring within it to her. It was simple and unassuming, a silver band with an emerald in the middle and a diamond on either side. It was gorgeous.

"Oh, gods, Jacob, yes!" said Layla, her hand over her mouth. He beamed at her and slid the ring carefully onto her finger, where it fit perfectly. She pulled him up and launched herself into his arms, pressing a firm kiss against his lips. "Fuck, I love you."

"I love you too."


Almost another year had passed before the wedding happened, a wedding that outshone even Bella and Edward Cullen's wedding. The De Tonye-Black wedding was set for the third Saturday in August. The day dawned cloudy but the rain held off, and the wedding guest list was able to stay at its full size.

Jacob Black had his best friend, Quil Ateara, as his best man, and Embry Call, Seth Clearwater, and Sam Uley were his groomsmen. All of them approved whole-heartedly to the marriage and were more than happy to stand for Jacob.

Layla De Tonye had her oldest sister, Inez, as her maid of honour, and Suzie, Lucy, and Emily Uley as bridesmaids. Since she began to date Jacob, Layla had grown quite close to Emily and considered her like another sister. Embry had become quite taken with Suzie and Seth with Lucy, so the couples worked out quite nicely. Quil's imprint, Claire, was six years old and the flower girl. Inez had been dating Paul Collins, another member of the pack, since Layla and Jacob introduced them shortly after they started dating. Inez didn't know it, but Paul had imprinted on her and planned to propose soon.

The wedding ceremony was held on First Beach in La Push at sundown, since it had gotten progressively sunnier over the course of the day and the Cullens had to go hunt before the wedding, just to be safe. They wouldn't be showing up for the meal part of the reception - they planned to cite car troubles and Emmett's poor digestive system as the reason for being late.

Layla wore a white dress, as is tradition for weddings, but hers wasn't a puffy ball gown type. It was fitted tightly to her body all the way to her waist, where it flared out gently in layers of satin that pooled around her feet. It was strapless and the white shone like pearls in contrast with the bronze of her skin. Despite Inez's protests, she wore a pair of simple white ballet flats, left over from Lucy's days as a ballet dancer in Germany before the Holocaust. Lucy Hirsch had been a renowned dancer, even though she was Jewish. It was assumed by the masses that she had died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz and Lucy Hirsch was mourned while Lucy De Tonye began a new life as an immortal shape shifter.

The shoes were the something old; Layla's dress was the something new; the something borrowed were the two pins, covered in pearls, that held back Layla's fringe, borrowed from Alice Cullen; and the necklace that Layla wore around her throat, twining silver threads studded through with sapphires, was the something blue.

The ceremony was perfect and both were ecstatic to have made it official – Quil and Inez ended up pulling the newly-weds apart when their first kiss went on a little too long. The pavilion was filled with laughter.

The reception was equally filled with laughter – Quil's speech had most of the Pack rolling on the floor like the dogs they were. The meal had been cooked by Layla, Emily, the other imprints, and Esme Cullen, and even with the appetites of the Pack there was still a lot of food left over. After dinner came the dancing.

For their first dance, Layla had left the song choice entirely up to Jacob. She had no idea what it was going to be, he kept it a surprise. So when the song started playing, Layla raised her eyebrows at Jake from the circle of his arms as they swayed around the dancefloor.

"Kenny Chesney?" said Layla. "I'm surprised."

"You don't like it?" asked Jake anxiously, his brow furrowing.

"No, no, Jake, I love it," Layla hastily reassured him, kissing him gently. "I'm just surprised. I'm the one that likes country, not you."

"You've got me hooked now," Jake admitted with a pearly white grin. They laughed together and Layla laid her head against Jake's chest.

"It's perfect," Layla said softly.

"You're perfect," said Jake, brushing his lips over her hair. Layla blushed.

The rest of the night was spent dancing and laughing, until the reception finally wound down around two o'clock in the morning. Layla and Jake said goodbye to everyone, Layla swatted Quil for his wink and fake-innocent question about whether Layla was a screamer and if the hotel they were going to ought to give out free earplugs to the other patrons, and the newlyweds clambered into the Rabbit and drove off.

Layla fell asleep on the way to Seattle, leaned against the window, and she only woke up as Jake lifted her out of her seat.

"We there already?" she mumbled sleepily, blinking in the bright lights.

"Yeah, I already checked in," said Jake quietly. "Here, I'll carry you. Go back to sleep baby."

"Like I'm gonna fall asleep again," said Layla under her breath. "I'm wide awaaaaaaaaaaaaaake." Her yawn stretched the word out and Jake laughed. "Oh shut up."

She managed to make Jake let her walk into the hotel and into the elevator but once it reached their floor he picked her up and carried her down the hall. They stopped in front of a door and Layla ended up getting the key out of Jake's pocket for him and unlocking the door before Jake carried her over the threshold and kicked the door shut behind them.


The next morning Layla woke up to the feeling of silk sheets and warm sunlight against her bare skin and Jacob's arms wrapped around her tight. She smiled and basked the happiness that had overtaken her completely since their first kiss as man and wife.

"You awake?" mumbled Jake from behind her. His arm tightened around her waist for a moment then loosened.

Layla made a noise of assent and rolled over so she faced him. His eyes were still closed but he smiled and she kissed him softly.

"Good morning Mrs Black," he said, opening his eyes and staring at her adoringly. She grinned widely.

"Good afternoon, Mr Black," she replied. "I have to get up, I'm getting stiff from just laying here." She tried to get up but Jacob's arms held her in place.

He put his lips next to her ear and whispered huskily, "So am I." Layla jerked away and stared at him for a moment before she collapsed next to him, laughing her head off. Jacob started laughing too and then with a growl he stood on the bed, meaning to pick Layla up and carry her off, but he slammed his head into the ceiling and started to curse. Layla only laughed harder until she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You'll pay for that," growled Jake, jumping off the bed and picking her up. She screeched and laughed her head off all the way to the bathroom.


It was nearly a year since they were married that Layla went to Jacob one day, her hands shaking and biting her lip in nervousness. She hadn't been herself in weeks, and even their friends were starting to notice.

"Layla, what's wrong?" demanded Jake immediately when he saw his wife's pale, nervous face.

"You might want to sit down, love," suggested Layla, sitting down on the bed herself. Jake knelt in front of her and took her hands in his own.

"What is it?" he asked softly, looking worried out of his wind.

"You know how – how I mentioned, a long time ago, that I could stop the mutation?" That conversation had been almost four years ago but Jacob remembered it like it was yesterday. He nodded. "Well…" Layla trailed off, biting her lip. "I..I managed to do it. I've been aging."

Jake stared at her for a moment before a wide grin crossed his face and he launched himself at Layla in a hug. "You had me worried!" he admonished. "I thought it was something serious, you were sick or something!"

Layla smiled slightly, her nervousness not entirely gone. "Well there's something else, Jake…" She bit her lip again. "I'm pregnant."

Jacob's whoop was heard a block away at Sam's house.


Nearly five months later, Layla gave birth to identical twin boys. They were a little early but the doctor said they were perfectly healthy. Layla and Jacob named then Daniel Jethro and Jack William.

Two years after Danny and Jack were born, they got a sister, Sarah Rose, and another brother, Benjamin Matthew. Billy, Jake's dad, lived to see all his grandchildren graduate high school, all with honours.

And as corny as it sounds, they lived happily ever after.


This is the end of the road, folks. Not quite the marathon I was hoping for, but there you have it. By the way, the wedding song is You Had Me From Hello by Kenny Chesney. Review, please please please? :)