DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from ADJL. They belong to Disney. I do however own Rose and Jake's adopted daughter, Emily, along with the angel Joy and anyone else you don't recognize. If anyone would like to use any of these OC's, please ask my permission first.
Thanks!

God loves you
Enjoy!

"One Rose, Too Many Thorns"

Chapter 11-No Greater Love

A few minutes of comfortable silence fell between the couple before Jake broke it with a question.

"How's Haley?" Jake asked, sitting down beside Rose. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

Rose sighed.

"She's doing all right for the time being. She had an outburst this afternoon, but I calmed her down. I think she's going to be okay."

Jake sighed. He hated seeing Haley like that.

"I hope you're right." He said, giving Rose a kiss while stroking her long golden tresses.

"I know I am." Rose said, laying her head against Jake's shoulder. "All in the Father's time. Everything will be okay. You'll see."

Jake nodded and sat there, feeling content for the first time in a few weeks. His family was safe and that's all that mattered to him at the moment. Little did they know how short the peace around the house would last…

It had been two months since Julie's death. Haley seemed to be getting back to a normal routine, but Rose knew better. She knew her little sister too well. She knew Haley was fighting some sort of inner battle with herself. Rose was determined to help her, but she couldn't if Haley wouldn't talk to her. Once more, Rose had to wait for the right moment to intervene. Little did Rose know just how soon that would be.

A normal person who didn't know Haley Long, would think that she was always this studious when it came to dragon training and her studies, but it wasn't so.

Sun knew that her student was troubled, but whenever she asked Haley about it, Haley would refuse to talk, or state that nothing was wrong.

Two weeks after one of Rose's prenatal check ups, Rose was making a sandwich for herself and Emily when she heard loud voices coming from the back yard.

At first, Rose thought it was just a playful banter between Haley and Becca, but her instincts told her otherwise.

"Because I didn't want to! Is that okay with you? I didn't want to go! I was there with her the night before and it was enough. Is that a good enough answer for you?" Haley's angry voice floated in from the open window.

"I'm just worried about you," Becca replied, her voice full of compassion and concern. "You haven't been the same these past few months. You've been different and I want to help you."

"I don't need help, okay? I'm fine. Just leave me alone! Better yet, why don't you just leave!"

"Haley, please, I just want to help." Becca pleaded, her brown eyes full of concern. "All I want to do is help."

"You can help by LEAVING!" Haley shouted, her sable eyes flashing with nothing but anger and frustration. With that, she ran into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Rose was just in time to see Haley run for the stairs. She was quicker and caught Haley by the arm. She gently but firmly held her fast.

"Rose, let go of me! Let me go!"

"Not a chance. You're going to sit here, and you are going to tell me what in the whole of NYC just happened. Now, settle!"" Rose was aware her tone had taken on that of Huntsgirl, but she was frustrated and wanted answers. Haley had never acted like this before. She had always managed to put a lid on her anger or at least keep it under control.

"I don't have to tell you anything! Now, let go!" Haley yanked free, only to have Rose pull her back once again.

"No. You're going to play this my way. Now, settle! Take a deep breath, come on. It's okay." Rose said, her tone back to normal and holding a note of gentleness in it. She hated yelling at anyone, but she had to get Haley calmed down somehow. Rose couldn't back down now. She had to show Haley who was boss without being too harsh with her.

Haley tried, but the harder she tried, the more frustrated she felt. She tried to struggle free, but Rose held fast. She was stronger than she looked.

As Haley tried to calm down, she made one more attempt to get free. But as she realized Rose wasn't going to let up, she did the only thing she could think of that would force Rose to let her go. She took a deep breath and attempted to shoot fire at her.

Haley's effort was thwarted by Keli, who walked in at that very moment. She redirected Haley's flame to the fire place and went for the piano. She knew Rose and Haley had to talk, so she made herself scarce for the time being.

"Haley Christina Long!" Rose scolded, her voice firm and glare evident. "What has gotten into you? You know throwing fire at anyone is a BIG no-no."

Haley knew, but right now, she really didn't care. She was too worked up and Rose was fueling her anger level.

"Just leave me alone!" Haley shouted back, making another attempt to get free.

"Stop it!" Rose ordered. "If you try that again, you're going to be sorry."

"Yeah right!" Haley scoffed.

"Care to test me?" Rose asked, her voice that of Huntsgirl and at a dangerous level of rising.

Haley lowered her gaze to the floor and shook her head.

"That's what I thought."

"Mommy, can I-" Emily asked, but was cut off when Rose gave her a glare.

"Not now, Emily!"

Emily's lower lip started to tremble as she ran to her room, slamming her door behind her. She flopped down on her bed and let out a sob. Her Mommy never yelled at her before. What had she done?

"Darn it!" Rose exclaimed, realizing her mistake.

Haley seized her chance and yanked free of Rose's grip.

"Haley Christina Long, take one step towards that staircase and you'll be one sorry little girl."

Haley decided not to test Rose. She recognized the tone in her voice and played it safe.

"Good choice. Now, sit here while I go talk to Emily. I'll be right back. Don't move." With that, Rose left the room, knowing full well that Haley wouldn't listen to her.

Haley waited until Rose was gone before making her move. She waited until the door to Emily's room was shut and the sound of Keli's melodic music met her ears before she made her move. When Haley was sure everyone was busy, she took off through the window. She needed to be alone right now and nobody was going to stop her.

Rose entered Emily's room to find her daughter crying on her bed. SHE had Sagwa held tightly to her chest.

"Emily, honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

Emily lifted her tear stained face to meet the remorseful and gentle eyes of her mother.

"What did I do?" Emily asked, thinking she had done something wrong. "Was I a bad girl?"

Rose's heart broke at the tone in Emily's voice. She shook her head and held her arms out, hoping Emily would find comfort in her embrace.

"No, sweetheart. I promise, you weren't bad. And Mommy's not mad at you."

"Then why did you yell?" Emily asked, her tearful tone making Rose's heart break into a million pieces.

Rose sighed as she took her daughter into her arms.

"I'm sorry, Em. I really am. I wasn't mad at you, sweetie. You just caught me at a bad time. But that's still no excuse. I was upset with Haley and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, baby girl."

Emily sighed with relief and laid her head against Rose's shoulder, letting the remaining tears fall.

"It's okay." Emily said, relishing in the safety she felt whenever Rose held her.

"No it's not. But I promise to be more careful not to do that in the future. Deal?"

"Deal." Emily said, a small smile spreading across her face. "I love you, Mommy."

"Aw, I love you too, sweetheart. I love you so much. I have a surprise for you."

"You do?" Emily asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Yup. I found out what the baby's gonna be."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"What is it? What is it? Tell me, Mommy! Please, tell me! Please!"

Rose giggled as she held Emily close before tickling her tummy, making her giggle.

"Okay," Rose said as the tickling war stopped. "But you can't tell Daddy, okay? I want to tell him myself. And I will. Tonight."

Emily nodded.

"I promise."

"Okay. Well, you're going to have a new…baby sister!"

Emily let out a squeal of happiness that mirrored Rose's own feeling of joy.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Emily exclaimed, doing a little dance around the room.

Rose laughed as she embraced her daughter one more time before going down to check on Haley. In the excitement of telling Emily about her new sister, Rose had almost forgotten about Haley.

But when Rose reached the bottom landing, her joy turned to frustration and then to anger as she realized Haley had disobeyed her.

"Keli!" Rose shouted, and immediately regretted it.

Keli didn't' like excess yelling because of her background. She too grew up in an abusive home until Sun rescued her a year ago.

"Yeah?" Keli said, a little uncertainly. She appeared in the hallway, her eyes asking Rose if she was in trouble.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. You're not in trouble. Listen, I need you to watch Emily for me. Just for an hour or two. Haley's missing."

Keli nodded and grinned at the prospect of spending time with Emily. She and the little girl got along really well.

"Okay. No problem."

"Thanks, sweetie. I really appreciate it. I'm going to get Fu to watch you both. I know I'm just asking for trouble, but it's the best I could do on such short notice. I know very well that you'll be watching him instead of the othre way around."

Keli giggled at this. It was true.

After Rose made the arrangements, she left to search for Haley. SHE looked all over the west end side of NYC before darting to the eastside. She was about to give up when she remembered something and made a bee line for the Empire State Building.

Upon arriving at her destination, Rose sighed with relief. Haley was atop it, looking out over the city.

Rose could tell she was distressed, so she put off lecturing her for now. She wasn't a mean person and she didn't like seeing people in pain.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" Rose asked, sitting down next to the distraught pre-teen.

Haley shrugged and made a spot for Rose to sit down.

"It's a free building."

Rose let that one go.

A few minutes of silence passed between them before Haley broke it.

"So are you here to tell me off for leaving?"
"No." Rose replied, surprising Haley. "I'm here because I know you need someone and I wanted to ask you a question."
"Go on," Haley said, her tone suggesting she was fighting tears and feeling frustrated.

"What happened between you and Becca this afternoon? You two hardly ever fight."

Haley sighed as she started to explain.

"I don't know. She was just pushing my buttons. She kept asking me why I didn't go to the funeral."

"I've actually been wondering the same thing." Rose admitted, ruffling Haley's hair gently.

Haley shrugged.

"Like I told Becca, I was there for…when it happened. Besides, I didn't want to go."

Rose nodded and her heart went out to Haley. She knew how much pain she was in and she wanted more than anything to help her.

"Haley…" Rose said, her voice trailing off as she heard the unmistakable sob escape Haley's lips. "Come here," Rose held her arms out to her little sister, but Haley didn't dive into them. Instead, she looked down and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Can I ask you something?" Haley asked, her voice steady for the moment.

"Anything." Rose confirmed, patting Haley's shoulder gently.

"Does being mad at God make me a horrible person?"

Rose shook her head, knowing full well where this conversation was going.

"No. Oh my gosh, no. Haley, honey, why would you think that?"

Haley shook her head as she fought back the tears.

"I don't know. I told Becca I didn't go to the funeral because I was there with Julie when it happened, but that's not the real reason."

"Then what is it?" Rose asked, her voice soft and comforting.

"I didn't go because I was mad. I was mad at God for letting Julie die! I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't blame God, but I do! He's supposed to protect us! I told Julie that God would protect her! But instead He let her die! He let us down! I didn't go because I was mad at God and because…because I felt guilty! I felt guilty for not being able to help her! She was my best friend! I was supposed to be able to protect her! That's my job! But I couldn't even do that! I asked God to protect her, but He didn't! He didn't protect her! He took her away from me!" With that, Haley burst into heart wrenching sobs. Her body shook with each one, causing Rose to fight back tears of her own. "I wouldn't blame God if He never loved me again!" Haley cried, her tears coming steady and fast now.

Rose gathered Haley into her arms and started rocking her back and forth.

"Haley, I want you to listen to me, sweetheart. Listen to me really good. God will ALWAYS love you. There is nothing and I mean NOTHING that you could do that would make God stop loving you. There is no greater love than the Father's. No greater love whatsoever. And it's everlasting. Do you hear me?"

Haley nodded, too overcome by tears to speak.

"God isn't mad at you, honey. He isn't. He understands you're hurting and you miss Julie. He understands that, sweetie. He does. And so do I. I understand more than you think. I've been there. I know what you're going through. But it wasn't your fault, sweetie. It wasn't."

"Yes it was!" Haley insisted, starting to choke on her sobs. "It was my fault! I was supposed to protect her! I promised her God would protect her! I was supposed to protect…" Haley's voice trailed off as she started coughing.

"It's okay," Rose soothed, patting Haley's back gently. "It's okay. That's it. You're okay. I'm right here. I promise. It's all right. Listen to me, honey. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He loves us more than we could ever know. And He didn't let you down. It may have seemed like it, but in actuality, He helped you. He helped Julie."

"No He didn't!" Haley shouted back, her tears falling from her eyes like a smooth, spring shower.

"Yes He did," Rose insisted, wiping Haley's tears away with her thumb before starting to stroke her hair. "Think of it this way." SHE said, hoping her take on the situation would help Haley see it in a different light. "You asked God to protect Julie, right?"

"Yeah." Haley said, her voice a little calmer now.

"Would Julie have been safe if she had stayed in that situation?"

"No," Haley admitted, her voice low.

"That's right. God did what He knew was best for Julie. It might not seem like it now, but I promise you, in the long run, you'll understand."

Haley nodded as she gazed out at the city, a sob threatening to escape her lips.

"I'm going to miss her!" She admitted, the tears coming steady and fast.

Rose's heart broke into a million pieces at that point. She knew exactly what Haley was going through.

"I know you will, sweetie. I Know. I know. Come here." Rose took the little girl into her arms and started to stroke her hair. She sat there, rocking Haley back and forth until the child calmed down.

When the two returned home, Rose sent Haley upstairs to get washed up for dinner. She was going to make Haley's favorite meal in hopes that Haley would be able to eat a little of it. She wasn't expecting her to eat the whole thing, but she did want her to try.

As Rose entered the kitchen, she found Emily and Keli, along with Fu playing some sort of card game.

At first glance, Rose assumed it was just Go Fish, but as she got closer, she saw what it really was.

"Fu!" She shouted, her Huntsgirl tone full and strong. "Fu, what are you teaching my daughter and niece?"

"Nothing! I was just…we were just playin…."

"I'll bet you weren't. And I also bet that you'll be what's served for dinner if you don't leave, now!" Rose shouted, making Emily giggle. She loved it when her mother got mad at Fu.

Fu got the hint and left. He could tell Rose was in a bad mood and he didn't want to mess with her. Being pregnant had really thrown Rose's hormones out of whack.

After Fu left, Rose turned to Keli.

"You two were NOT playing poker, were you?"

Keli nodded, but hastened to explain.

"Fu taught me how to play, but then when Emily came in from coloring, I insisted we play Go Fish."

Rose sighed with relief and gave both girls a hug and kiss.

"Thank goodness one of you has some sense." She said, referring to Keli and Fu.

Keli nodded.

"Well, I gotta go. I need to get home for dinner. Mom's making shrimp casserole!" She smiled at the thought. That was her favorite meal.

"All right. Be careful and tell Sun I said hi."

"Okay! See you two later!" With that, Keli gave Emily a hug before leaving the house.

After Keli left, Rose sighed and sank down in a chair. She was tired and her back was bothering her.

"Mommy?" Emily asked, coming over and sitting on her mother's lap. "Are you okay?"

Rose nodded and gave Emily a kiss as she ruffled her hair gently.

"Yeah, sweetie. Mommy's fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Is the baby making you sleepy?" Emily asked, laying her head against Rose's shoulder.

Rose shook her head. She then took Emily's hand in hers and placed it on her stomach.

"I want you to feel something." Rose said, grinning at her daughter. SHE knew she would find it cool.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the baby kicked, causing Emily to let out a squeal of excitement.

"That's cool! Is that the baby?" She asked, curiosity in her blue eyes.

Rose nodded.

"Yup. It sure is."

Emily smiled. She was glad she and her mother were getting along again. She enjoyed spending time with her.

After a few minutes of cuddling with Emily, Rose resigned to making dinner.

"Did you tell Daddy about the baby?" Emily asked, sitting on a stool while her mother stirred the contents of the taco salad.

Rose shook her head.

"No. But I will. I'm going to tell him tonight."

Emily nodded. She was too young to know what procrastination was and she figured with the long day Rose had experienced, it had slipped her mind.

Later that night, Rose and Jake had just finished tucking Emily in bed. The child was tuckered out and Rose spent an extra ten minutes patting her. She loved her daughter and she had missed spending time with her these past few days.

Once Emily was completely in dreamland, Rose left the room, leaving Emily's night light on. It was shaped like an angel.

Rose climbed into bed next to Jake and snuggled up to the dragon she loved with all her heart.

"Aw, so how's my Rosebud doing, huh?" Jake asked, pulling Rose close and giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"Good." Rose said, laying her head against Jake's shoulder. "I missed you. I'm glad Rotwood's class is over with."

"You're not the only one." Jake said, smiling. He had finally passed Rotwood's class that he had taught at the community college. Now that slot was free, meaning Jake could spend more time with his family. Jake only took two classes a week and now he only had one. Once he passed this one, he would add two more to his schedule.

Jake was taking things slow due to Rose and Haley. He wanted to be there for them as much as he could. He also wanted to spend time with Emily, of course, but his daughter seemed to be fine for the time being. He was more worried about Haley and Rose. And speaking of Haley…

"How's Haley?" Jake asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"She's okay." Rose admitted. "She broke down today, but I think she's on her way to an emotional recovery. She just needs time."

Jake nodded. HE knew Rose was right.

"I just wish she would turn to me more."

"What do you mean, dragonboy?" Rose inquired, although she thought she knew what this was all about. "Haley loves you."

Jake sighed.

"I know, but sometimes, I feel she only goes to you for things now."

Rose sighed as she tickled Jake behind his left ear.

"Jake, come on, stop. Haley loves you. She just needs me right now. It doesn't mean she loves you any less. And it also doesn't mean she won't come to you with other problems. She's just turned ten. You need to give her some credit. She's growing up."

Jake nodded.

"I know. I just…"

"Jake," Rose said, not knowing any other way to say it, "get over yourself."

Jake was taken aback. He then realized Rose was right and decided to drop the subject for now.

There was silence before Rose broke it.

"I have something to tell you." She said, hoping he would be happy by her news.

"Is it about the baby? Is he okay?" Jake asked, fearing for his child's life.

Rose nodded.

"Yes, she's fine. I just wanted to tell you that I went to see Susan last week and-"

"Hold up. Say what? Did you just say…" Jake's voice trailed off as a smile spread across his lips. He pulled Rose into a hug and kissed her passionately. "You mean we're going to have another little girl?"

Rose nodded and grinned.

"Yup. You're not disappointed, are you? I know you wanted a boy."

Jake shook his head.

"Heck no! I don't care what it is, as long as it's healthy. That's all I care about."

Rose sighed with relief. She laid her head against Jake's shoulder and was almost asleep instantly. She was more tired than she thought and being with Jake just made it that much easier to fall asleep. She felt safest with him and she knew he would never hurt her.

If there was one thing Rose loved about Jake, it was his ability to make her feel safe when nobody else could. Ever since the Huntsman had started to beat her, Jake was the first person Rose had gone to for help. For a few years, Jake was the only person Rose could trust.

Rose smiled as she snuggled into Jake for a cuddle. Right now, she was right where she belong.

Little did Rose know how short her slumber would last…