"Alright, who's first?"

Seth, Jacob, and I were sitting in the Cullen's living room like a bunch of animals at the vet's office. Jacob had his head in his hands, leaning forward in his seat. Seth was wringing his hands nervously in anticipation for his ribs needing to be rebroken so they could set right. And I was staring at the high ceiling, wishing I was literally anywhere else.

The ride back from Alaska was brutal. Every single time I closed my eyes, I saw hers. Every time it was too quiet for a second too long, I could hear her voice. Hissing at me. Telling me that I wasn't good enough for Jacob, that I didn't deserve to be with him. So, I ended up keeping Rosalie company while she drove, only able to bring myself to talk every few hours and only for a couple of minutes. I held Jacob the entire ride as his body shook violently, slicked with sweat. As the medication flushed from his body, he couldn't even bring himself to eat; hell, he could barely keep water down. Driving back to Forks was longer and more agonizing than the ride to Denali. And we were all tired.

Renesmee was safe. She was tucked away in her bedroom upstairs under the stressed eye of Rosalie and Emmett. All of the wolves went back to the Rez to rest and Kaya and Ephraim were finally getting some alone time good for them. Which just left the three of us. My stomach turned every single time I thought about the fact that we just killed one of them and had the balls to come back into their house and ask for help. "Look, we all knew what was going to happen," Rosalie said to me when we pulled up. "Death is natural, but the way you guys heal isn't. You can either walk into a hospital and try to explain to a human doctor why your knee needs to be rebroken and how it's healing itself so fast or you can walk in there and ask Carlisle for help. He won't tell you no."

I nudged Seth with my elbow. "Go," I told him.

"Sis, I-I think you should go first," he argued. "You should make sure the baby's ok."

"And I think you should just listen to me and not argue for once," I said, quietly. "Go, brat, now."

"Is that an order?" he said, a light snicker in his voice.

"Do you want it to be one?" I snapped.

Seth huffed before standing up, holding his right side tenderly. Carlisle stood in the entryway of the living room, donning a white coat and a somber smile. As Seth mumbled under his breath, Carlisle led him into his little hospital room. The same one we last saw human Bella alive in. I continued to stare at the ceiling; it was the only thing that was keeping me from throwing up all over the floor. Seth and Carlisle's muffled voices carried through the house and, even from downstairs, I could hear the concern and apprehension in my brother's voice. A warm, shaky hand covered mine before I felt a gentle pair of lips touch the back of my hand. Lifting my head, I looked at a worn-out Jacob as he held my hand to his stubbly cheek. He was so warm, but not like regular wolf warm. Jacob was just always so warm; I'd never met someone who could relax you with just a simple touch. I felt myself crack a little smile before it fell. Jacob cringed a little bit before speaking, "Brace yourself."

"For what?" I asked. Right as I wondered, the sick cracking of bone and the unnerving cry of pain from my brother echoed from upstairs. My heart broke. My brother, my baby brother, was in pain because of me. Because he wanted to save me when I should have been keeping him out of harm's way. He cried out again as Carlisle snapped another rib. My eyes involuntarily squeezed shut as I listened to Seth's pain. "Fuck…" I whispered.

"It's not your fault, Lee," Jacob tried. "Seth just wanted to protect you."

I rolled my eyes. "I love when people say that to me," I commented sarcastically, fixing my eyes on my bare legs. The swelling in my knee hadn't eased up, but I could tell by the yellowing of my bruises that it was healed in whatever fucked up way it set in. "Telling me it's not my fault definitely makes everything better."

"Leah," he warned.

"Jacob," I mocked.

"Look at me." He lifted my chin so he could catch my eye. His beautiful brown eyes that were normally full of life were so red and tired. But they weren't empty like they had been lately. In fact, they were happier than I had seen them in a while. Not happy. Free. "Thank you," he said simply.

Jacob reached up and tucked the loose hair from my ponytail behind my ear. Tears stung my eyes as I watched his tired face study mine. His hand rested on my cheek as his thumb lightly brushed over my lips. My heart fluttered as he leaned in to kiss me. It was gentle and easy. And just what I needed.

Two pairs of slow footsteps came down the stairs. Carlisle was instructing Seth that until he was fully healed, he shouldn't phase. It would only take a couple of days. Seth was going to be fine; that didn't ease my guilt any though. When they came into view, Seth was just his normal self. His torso was wrapped up tight, but the smile on his face was as bright as ever. "Thanks, Doc, I'm feeling like new money already," he clapped Carlisle on his back.

Carlisle balked a little before righting himself, "It's no problem, Seth. Just take it easy."

I felt myself smile a little bit, watching him. Jacob's low chuckle caught me by surprise. That was the first time he'd even smiled since he woke up. Seth jaunted over and plopped on the couch next to me. "Good as new!" he shrugged. He flinched at the movement before crinkling his nose, "Well, almost good as new. It's your turn."

I ruffled his hair. Jacob helped me into Carlisle's office and placed me carefully on the hospital bed. I shifted uncomfortably as Carlisle messed with some machine. Jacob stood next to me protectively, lacing his fingers with mine. I looked down at our hands, watching as his fingers still trembled just slightly. Soft piano music played in the background as Carlisle hummed along. "Ok," he started. "Do you want to see the baby first or do you want to get started on your knee, Leah?"

My head whipped around to the doctor in surprise. "What? H-how did you—?"

"Seth might have spilled your secret while I was wrapping him up," Carlisle chuckled. "He's so excited to be an uncle."

He flipped a switch and the monitor at the top of the machine cut on. He continued to hum as he pressed a few more buttons. I shook my head, rolling my eyes, "That brat can't hold water."

"Ah, he's a good kid," Carlisle looked over his shoulder and winked at me. "Congratulations, by the way. This is huge news."

I pursed my lips in apprehension. He was being so nice to us. Or was it just cordial? Civil? I never felt like I could trust Carlisle because he was always so well mannered, so put together. There was never a time where he wasn't perfect and that bugged the shit out of me. There was never a hair out of place on his platinum blond head and there was never not a smile on his face. "You don't have to do this, Dr. Cullen…" I said quietly.

He stopped messing around with the machine and turned to me. A small frown set in his perfect face before he took a seat on a little roller stool. "I don't understand," he said.

"Leah feels guilty about asking for your help after what happened with…Bella," Jacob answered for me. He was leaning all of his weight against the hospital bed, trying to keep himself upright. I knew he wouldn't ask for a seat; he was too proud.

"Bella's actions were…reprehensible," Carlisle said, looking directly at me. "My family and I understand how difficult this situation has been for you and, while it will be an adjustment to live without her, I can't imagine her behavior would have gotten any better over time. It was justified; the unfortunate, but sometimes necessary, consequence that comes with this life."

I held Carlisle's gaze; his golden eyes told me that he actually believed what he said. There was no underlying anger or distaste for me or Jacob. We'd worked with them before, fought alongside the Cullens. And in every situation, I noticed that even vampires have tells. Little ticks that made it obvious when they were lying. And I couldn't see that right now. He was telling the truth. Carlisle spun around in his stool and started messing with the machine again before grabbing an ultrasound wand and some kind of gel. He asked me to lie back on the bed and lift my shirt. He pulled my shorts down just above my groin, revealing my Quileute tattoo and a tiny belly bump. "I know how significant starting a family is," Carlisle continued. "It's one of the most fulfilling things you can do in life. And if I can help you both start your family, then I will. But only if you're comfortable."

The gel was cold on my stomach, but only for a second. I watched as he carefully spread the gel with his hand. "I'm sorry about Bella," I said.

Carlisle sighed, placing the wand on my lower belly. "I'm sorry about Bella too," he shot me a sad smile before reaching behind him to bring the ultrasound machine closer. "Alright, let's see if we can get a heartbeat from your little one."

It didn't take much moving around before the muffled pulsing of a little heartbeat filled the room. Jacob stood up straighter, his eyes on the ultrasound monitor. It was a rapid beating that almost sounded warped because of the machine. Carlisle pressed the wand a little bit more into my lower abdomen and started sliding it back and forth. "This little guy's got a strong heartbeat," Carlisle commented. "When did you find out?"

"About three or four, maybe five, days ago," Jacob answered. "Kaya said that she noticed a few weeks ago, though."

"Hm," Carlisle hummed. "I wonder if she noticed at conception or if she noticed at implantation."

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. After Renesmee's conception, I've just been finding myself more curious about supernatural births. I'll have to get some blood work from you before you go, Leah, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, no problem," I muttered. Carlisle turned away from me to look at the ultrasound machine. He moved the wand around a little more, watching the screen. "Can you see anything?"

Carlisle reached up to point at the monitor right as a small black hole broke in the middle of all of the wavy lines. And then there was an even smaller little bean shaped thing off to the side of the black hole. The baby's heartbeat continued to be music in my ears as all three of us stared at the screen. "You see this right here?" Carlisle said, circling the black hole with his index finger. "That's your uterus. And this little thing…" he pointed to the bean before pressing some buttons on the machine, "this little thing right here is your baby. And he or she is doing just fine."

I couldn't take my eyes off of it. That little peanut was our baby? It was so tiny. If I wasn't careful, something could have happened. "Wow…" Jacob breathed. I gave his hand an affectionate squeeze as we both stared at the little person we made. Hearing the baby's heartbeat was making my own heart burst. Even after Kaya told us we were pregnant, there was a tiny part of my brain that had a little bit of a hard time believing it. But seeing this little person in my body was blowing my mind in only the best ways. "Can we, uh, can you take a picture of her?" Jacob asked.

"Of course," Carlisle said. "I'll leave the image on the monitor while I take your vitals and, Leah, it's about time we got started on your knee."

"Can it wait?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Better now than later, I'm afraid," he shrugged. "I'll be quick."

XXXXXXXXX

A clean break, a knee brace, and two vitals checks later, Carlisle sent us on our way back to the Rez. He was kind enough to set a schedule for me to get all of the prenatal care that I need for our little poppy seed. After he fit me for a knee brace, he started talking to me about vitamins and what I can't eat and what to expect for the rest of my first trimester. He also advised me against phasing during my pregnancy and I needed to stop training entirely and stop working out until I was clear out of my first trimester because I'd already been thrown around enough during the Bella altercation.

After Carlisle got done with me, he spent a really long time making sure that Jacob was alright. Bella and Edward had been pumping an unreasonable amount of medication into Jacob to keep him under and it was taking a toll on him. The sedatives and painkillers were still filtering their way out of Jacob's body and he was going through fits of major withdrawal, causing Carlisle to order Jacob to be completely bedridden until he was clean. He also said that, because there was so many painkillers in his system, it was truly remarkable that Jacob was able to phase at all when he saved my ass.

But the worst of it was over now and all that was left to do was relax. We knew the whole pack was crammed in my living room before we even pulled up to the house. All of the energy was just making both of us buzz. Seth threw the gear in park and looked at me when I didn't bother unbuckling my seatbelt. "We'll be inside in a second," I told him. His eyes were loaded with questions, but he didn't bother opening his mouth to ask. Seth nodded before hopping out of the car and heading into our house. Jacob was shivering in the backseat, his eyes closed. I got out of the car to climb in the back with him and felt as he curled himself around me when I held him. He struggled to keep his breath as sweat poured him his pores. "We need to get you in the house, sweetie," I said as I ran my hands through his wet, matted hair.

He shook his head, a violent chill rattling through him. "I just need a couple minutes…please," he whispered. "Just…stay with me, please, Lee."

"I'm right here," I answered, rocking him lightly. "I'll always be right here."

I reached for a blanket that was lying on the floor of the Rabbit and draped it over his upper body. I could smell the salt of his tears as they fell from his eyes. I think I understood what he was feeling. After years of being damn near invincible, Jacob was struggling with having to deal with something that could have defeated him. He was always so hard on himself; I wished that he was able to understand that he was still human. Wolf or not, we were all still human. Our bodies could only heal themselves so quickly. Over time, his body slowly stopped shaking and I could hear his breathing even out. I leaned down and whispered in his ear how fucking grateful and lucky I felt to have him fight for me so hard. I told him that there's nothing that I wouldn't do for him and that no matter what happened, I would be right there next to him to fight whatever came at us next.

He finally found the energy to stand and I helped him walk into the house. The buzz of conversation came to a screeching halt as I swung the front door open. My nose took in the fresh smell of homecooked food and I felt like I could breathe a little easier. I led Jacob further into the house just as my mother rushed to our side. She held Jacob's face between both of her hands as she checked him for any other injury. "Oh, thank goodness you're both alright," she sighed.

She checked me next and upon realizing that I was alright, she popped me upside the back of my head. "Ow!" I exclaimed, reaching to hold my head. "What was that for?"

"Don't you ever run off like that again, Aileah. You had all of us worried sick," she scolded. "Kaya told us everything."

"We were gone for like two days," I argued. Sue raised an intimidating eyebrow at me, her lips setting in a hard line. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry."

"The important thing," Kaya intervened, gliding up to the three of us, "is that Jacob and Leah are both safe. The pack did an amazing job; Ephraim and I oversaw them ourselves."

Kaya peacefully guided us into the living room where everyone was gathered. Jacob shrank himself down in the couch, wrapping the blanket around himself tighter. Billy sat on the other side of the room, concern etched in every part of his face. "It's all over now," I announced, mostly to Billy. I gave him a small smile when he looked over at me. "I told you I would handle it."

"Leah and the wolves' diligent teamwork brought Jacob home before the situation got any worse," Ephraim's strong voice dominated the room. "This is truly the strongest pack we've ever seen. They exhibited some very impressive restraint and I'm very proud to say that all of the training they've been doing has paid off."

Looking around the room, I could see mixed feelings. Some of the wolves were happy to be home, some of them were concerned about Jacob who was now lying his head on my shoulder, and the Elders and imprints were all looking equally confused. Bianca was sitting on the floor next to Embry, her eyes darting back and forth between Ephraim and Jacob's identical faces. My mother looked frustrated and I knew why. Everyone was used to the loud antics of the pack; when 12 rowdy kids disappear without a trace, it's cause for concern.

My mother sighed, "We're not concerned about whether or not the pack can handle themselves. We're worried about them picking up and leaving without notice. We're worried about them needing two descended ancestors to help them. How are they going to learn after you both leave?"

"Eph and I are here to equip the pack with the tools they need," Kaya reassured. "With all due respect, these young wolves can only learn from people who have been in their shoes."

"The pack needs to learn firsthand how to deal with negotiation and fighting vampires; they wouldn't have sent us unless it was absolutely necessary," Ephraim continued.

"You all, as the acting Elders, are doing a great job at keeping these guys organized. But I feel that I have to remind you that the Elders' job is to guide the pack, not to enforce or authorize orders," Kaya finished. "If we hadn't been here, Leah would still be looking for Jacob and Bella would still be planning on killing Leah. There was no time for deliberation; Leah made the right decision and acted on her instincts."

"Well, shit…" I heard Paul mumbled under his breath. When Sam was Alpha, he always played by the book. Every move he made was ran by the council as a kind of insurance. If he could get them to sign off, he wouldn't be held completely responsible if anything went wrong. Jacob and I have never really been known to play by the rules, individually or as a team. So, in a situation where Sam would have woken up the council for a meeting about how we should have gotten Jacob back, I felt like it would have been a waste of time to sit and wait for them to make a decision. Because the Elders aren't just our Elders; they're our parents. Involving them would have made an already very personal situation even more so.

I cleared my throat a little before speaking, "We need you guys to trust that we'll make the right decisions for ourselves. You trusted us enough to make us Alphas; we're even better Alphas now that Kaya and Ephraim have been here to teach us."

"We just need you all to be careful," Billy resigned, taking off his hat.

A few of the guys chuckled. "Careful isn't exactly part of our job description, Billy," Sam commented.

"I can guarantee that we will almost always come out on top though," I said. "We might have a few bumps and bruises along the way, but we've always got it made."

Jacob nodded his head against my shoulder, agreeing with me. "She's right, Dad," he whispered.

Billy sighed and looked at Old Quil and then my mother. My mother twisted her lips in apprehension before running a hand through her graying hair. "We do trust you all," she nodded. "Can you just keep us in the loop next time you run off to Alaska please?"

"Deal," I nodded, shooting her a smile.

"Can we eat now? I'm starving!" Embry exclaimed, jumping up from the floor.

Bianca rolled her eyes playfully and asked, "Do you ever think about anything other than food?"

Kaya laughed and told the wolves the kitchen was open for mealtime. The rest of the pack stampeded the kitchen before she could even finish her sentence. "Whoa! Women and children first, you little monsters!" she called, running after them.

I didn't dare move as Jacob nuzzled into my neck more, his body still shaking. My mom rolled Billy closer to us before sitting in Daddy's old leather recliner. "How's he doing, really?" Billy asked me outright.

I reached up and felt Jacob's face. It was clammy under my palm, but I felt his breath brush my wrist as he sighed deeply. "His body is going through pretty bad withdrawal from the drugs they were pumping into him," I answered, keeping my voice low. "But Carlisle said that he should be fine in a couple of days."

"And how are you, dear?"

"I'm fine," I said without thinking. Billy raised an eyebrow before reaching over and knocking his hand on my knee brace. I shrugged it off, "It's preventative. Wolf healing and all that…"

"Well I guess it could be worse," my mother sighed.

"Yeah, we could be arranging funerals right now," Billy said in a dry tone.

"Billy!" Sue reprimanded.

I shook my head. "He's right, mama. It could have gotten out of hand so fast."

We should tell them, Jacob projected. It was quiet, but purposeful.

I looked over at him. Jacob opened his eyes to look at me before lifting his head. He still looked utterly exhausted, but, with every fit, he looked a little bit better. A little less gray and a little less clammy. His eyes were teary and bloodshot. "Right now?" I said as quietly as I could. He nodded before reaching in his pocket. Jacob slipped the sonogram picture into my hand.

"Is everything alright?" My mama asked.

I watched his eyes for a few more moments. I thought he would want to let things rest for a bit before we told anyone. But the look in his eyes was telling me that we needed a bigger win today. We needed to make this day about something more than patching up our wounds. We were here, we were healthy, we were alive. And so was our family. And that included our little baby. So, after he nodded in confirmation, we both turned back to Billy and Mama. "We have news," Jacob said, his voice gravelly.

I fiddled with the sonogram between my fingers before I flipped it around to face Billy and my mom. I watched as their eyes darted down and stared at the sonogram. "I'm pregnant. Well, actually, we—" I pointed between Jacob and me, "we're pregnant."

Mama covered her mouth in an excited gasp as Billy let out a surprised, "Oh my god!" My mom pulled me up into a tight hug, fiercely rocking us back and forth while she started to sob. She had always been excited about becoming a grandmother and would never outwardly show how crushed she was when we found out that I was barren. After Jacob and I Bonded, mama was never subtle about wanting grandchildren as soon as possible. She said she needed new baby cheeks to give kisses.

I let mama cry on my shoulder for as long as she needed before she held me at arm's length, tears streaming down her face. Billy was talking to Jacob behind me. Mama brushed my cheeks with her thumbs, and only then did I realize I was crying. "I'm so happy for you, Aila," she cried. "You deserve this so much."

A wide smile broke across my face as I felt my tummy flutter. Mama reached down and placed a hand on my belly, her eyes twinkling at me. "You're definitely not leaving my sight now, you know that, right?"

I giggled, pulling her back into a hug. "I figured as much."

XXXXXXXXX

Jerking awake, I felt myself gasp for breath. My chest heaved as I felt the sweat on my back make my t-shirt stick. The nightmares hadn't let up at all over the past week. Bella's crazed, red eyes haunted my every thought at every chance they could. Reaching next to me, I felt the cold sheets instead of Jacob's warm body. Fuck…another long night.

It didn't take long for me to channel his energy to the garage where I had been finding him more and more since he was able to stand on his own feet for more than a few minutes at a time. The meds finally flushed out of his system and the shakes were mostly gone. But he slept through the night about as often as I did.

I dragged myself out of bed and changed out of my sweat soaked t-shirt into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top before going downstairs. The journey to the garage on foot was long enough for me to get my own shakes under control. The light illuminated from an open window and the clanking of metal tools against car parts was getting louder with each step I got closer. A shirtless, greased Jacob came into view as I leaned against the doorframe. "Working overtime again?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

He looked up at me, oil smeared on his cheek. He breathed a chuckle before reaching in his back pocket for his rag. "I'm sorry, Lee, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You can't keep doing this, babe," I said, taking my usual spot on the metal table behind his station. "You're going to run yourself ragged."

"I've just got a lot on my mind," he mumbled, leaning under the hood again. I watched him work quietly for a while. Working on cars brought him peace; it didn't matter if it was 2 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning. Whenever Jacob needed a minute to think and collect his thoughts, you could always find him under the hood of a car.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

Jacob shrugged, "Nothing really to talk about."

"You sure about that?" I pressed.

He blew out a hard breath before turning to me. His eyes glanced at my belly before glancing at the ring around my neck and then looking into my eyes. Jacob moved until he stood right in front of me and placed two ginger hands on my tummy. "I can feel how worried you are. I promise I'm not going anywhere anytime soon; I just…"

"I know," I said, putting my hands over his. He was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that he had to kill Bella. Killing a vampire is no problem. Killing a vampire that you knew and cared for is something different. I didn't expect him to bounce back quickly.

Jacob swallowed hard, his eyes hardened. "She said something…something that I can't stop thinking about. It's just not sitting right with me."

I waited for him to speak again. He drummed his fingers on my belly, staring just past me. Jacob had been avoiding talking about any of it for days. He didn't want to phase or sleep or talk to anyone for longer than a few minutes. I think he was avoiding everyone because he didn't want to see the look of pity in their eyes. For the past week, he was attached to my hip during the day and fixing cars at night. My mom would stop by the house with food and to talk about the baby, fully buying into the grandmother role. She was the only other person that had managed to make Jacob genuinely smile every time she would talk to my tiny bump in a baby voice.

Either way, the entire ordeal was weighing on both of us. He didn't ask me to talk about it and I didn't ask him. "When you were stalling for time, Bel—," he stopped himself, "she said something like 'my husband would kill to keep me happy' or whatever. What did she mean by that?"

"Everyone made it home safely, Jake. We came out of it pretty unscathed…" I shrugged before mumbling, "for the most part." My knee was completely healed, but the nightmares were enough.

"I just can't shake the thought that we should have gone after him too. If he comes back…if he comes here," Jacob slammed a fist on the table next to me. I jumped as a couple of his loose tools clanked on the table. His hands shook a little as he took a deep breath.

I placed my hand over his fist, "Hey," I soothed him, cupping his cheek with my other hand. "He's not stupid enough to come back here. And, if he does, the guys will take care of him before he can get to us. This isn't worth losing sleep over."

"Any threat to my family is worth losing sleep," he argued. He cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry, Lee. I just feel like that was such a stupid mistake."

"And it's ok to make mistakes, Jacob," I reassured him. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If we come to it."

I pushed his chest so I could hop off of the metal table. Jacob's hands slid to my waist, pulling me close to his body. "I just need you and the baby to be as safe as possible. That's all I care about," he said in a low, raspy voice.

Standing on my tip toes, I gently pressed my lips against his. "We're home, we're safe, and we're healthy. What else can you ask for?" I smiled. "You ready to come to bed now?"

"Can I have another hour and then I'll come to bed?" he looked at me with those big, brown, puppy dog eyes. I smirked and rolled my eyes, agreeing to let him work for just a little bit longer. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

"No, it's alright. I think I can handle getting home on my own." He kissed my forehead before walking me to the door.

I left him with his thoughts that night; it was the least I could do. During the day, he was able to muster enough of a smile as to not make people worry about him. But, when the sun went down, I could watch in real time him being buried by his thoughts. He was trying though; he wanted so badly for everything to go back to normal.

The next night, after I stepped out of the shower, I found him in my closet, sifting through my clothes. It was about midnight and he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a loose shirt. "What are you doing?" I asked, giggling.

Jacob pulled an old La Push High hoodie off of its hanger and tossed it on the bed. He faced me with a slightly excited look in his eyes. "Hold on," he said, before moving to my drawers. He held up a pair of jean shorts before nodding his head and tossing them on top of my old school hoodie. "Get dressed. We're going on a date."

"It's the middle of the night," I reminded him.

"What are we, 50? Come on, the night is young."

I threw on my clothes and let Jacob lead me out of the house. He held my hand as we walked down the dirt road. It was so quiet. The only sounds we could hear were people dozing in their beds and the light raindrops hitting the ground. "So I was thinking about it," Jacob said after a few quiet minutes, "we were working so hard to have normal before this whole mess. I don't want all of that progress to go to shit, you know?"

I nodded, glancing at him. His face still looked weighed down by stress, but he was right. "What even is normal, though?" I asked. Wolf Motors came into view as it had around this time the past few nights. "What are we doing at the garage?"

"We're doing normal," was all he said. He walked us around to the back of the garage where the bed of his dad's old pick up was dressed in cozy blankets with a picnic basket in the middle of it. Strings of twinkle lights decorated the sides of the cargo bed and around the back wall of the garage. Jacob rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I know it's not much, but…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote. He hit a button on the remote and the back wall of the garage illuminated, acting as a movie screen. And on that screen? When Harry Met Sally. "I know how much you love this movie."

"You did all of this for me?" I asked, my eyes tearing up just a little. Fucking hormones, man.

"Is this ok?"

"'Ok'?" I repeated. "This is perfect!"

Being cuddled up with the love of my life without a care in the world was the best feeling ever. Jacob and I promised each other that we would take more time for ourselves before we became parents. I loved the idea of doing this all the time; just the two of us being…us. Being normal. Whatever that meant for us. While we relaxed, Jacob kept a hand on my belly at all times. We snacked on fresh fruit and chips as Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal once again fell in love.

Jacob's fingers ran through my hair as I laid my head in his lap. For the first time in over a week, he felt like himself. He felt like my Jacob. Not shrouded and weighed down by his Alpha duties. He just felt like the kid I've always known with stars in his eyes and a head full of fairytales.

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

"Do you think that's true?" Jacob asked me.

I thought about it for a second. A few months ago, I would have said no to that question. I would have said that the idea of rushing a relationship was ridiculous because I thought you'd miss all of the fun parts. Getting to know each other so intimately that you don't know where you end and your person begins. Learning the curves and ticks of someone's body, heart, and mind. All of those things take time. But, sitting there after almost losing my life and almost losing him, I felt different. "Yeah, I do," I answered, shifting my head to look up at him.

"Me too," he nodded, leaning down to kiss me. He deepened the kiss as he slid his hand to the back of my neck. I felt nothing but love and devotion pour from him into me as his other hand rested on my tiny belly bump. When he broke away from me, I was a little dizzy, a little dazed. "That's why I want to do this now."

"Do what now?"

Jacob held up my ring in front of my face, a small smirk gracing his beautiful face. My hand snapped to my neck and felt nothing. My eyes widened and I could hear my heart beating harder and harder. I sat up, never taking my eyes off of him. Jacob chuckled before twirling the ring between his fingers. "I had this whole big plan to give this big speech in front of everyone on our one-year Bond anniversary, but that was before…" he paused and then shook his head. "When Bella came at you, I panicked. It was like every fiber of my being threw itself into protecting you. As soon as I woke up, I was trying to phase because I knew I needed to get to you, but it wasn't working for shit. But then…when I saw her start to run after you, I don't know. Something hit. Hard.

"I love you, Lee. The thought of not having you next to me for the rest of my life is too much for me to bear. And then I realized that I don't need everyone here to do this. Because, at the end of everything, it's us. Everything that you are is everything that I need, and I don't need some elaborate proposal to tell you that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So," Jacob took my left hand into his, "be my wife, Lee. I don't want to waste another second without you."

My breath hitched as he slipped his mother's ring on my finger. It fit with no problems and sparkled under the lights. I let out a little giggle before looking up at him. He looked at me expectantly. "Are you serious?" I asked, stunned.

"As a heart attack. What do you say?" he said, lacing our fingers together.

A grin spread across my face, as I threw my arms around him. I moved until I straddled his lap and crushed our lips together. "Do you even have to ask?"

XXXXXXXXX

We stayed up all night that night, just talking about everything. I told him how afraid I was about the possibility of raising a baby without him. He told me he hated not being able to feel me or talk to me while he was comatose. We talked about what was next for us, for our families. "I just don't want to be anywhere else but home right now," he'd said to me. And I agreed. We voluntarily signed up to be Alphas because we both wanted to protect our people. We couldn't protect our people anywhere else but right here at home.

Jacob and I fell asleep under the stars in the bed of the old truck. The light morning rain drizzled down on our faces in the late hours of the morning. I blinked my eyes open as I stretched my arms and back. Looking up, I saw Jacob still dozing more peacefully than I'd seen him in a while. His face was so relaxed, his lips slightly parted. His arms tightened around me as I tried to move in a more comfortable position. Our blankets were slowly but surely getting soaked as the rain started to pick up. I watched as his eyes squeezed shut, trying to ignore the rapidly increasing downpour. "Oh man," he whispered, his face crinkling. His eyes opened as he looked down at me.

I touched my forehead to his and smiled. Soon we were just laughing as we enjoyed the wonderfully cool water wash over us; the rain felt like something of a reset. We both looked up at the dark sky covered in giant rainclouds. Thunder rumbled above us as I closed my eyes, breathing in the air.

Even in all of the death and destruction of the world, everything and everyone will always have a chance to find joy again. One day, when the shakes have faded and we all learn that it's alright to smile again, we won't even think about everything that we've been through as a bad thing. It'll just be another lesson. We didn't know what was next, but that was alright. As the rain poured down on us, it felt like it was washing away our problems.

I wished we could have stayed there forever. It was so refreshing and revitalizing. But, while we were basking in the glorious rainfall, I realized that it was Sunday. And we were probably late for brunch. "We gotta go," I told him, grabbing his hand. Jacob and I ran toward my house in the rain, feeling the pull of the wolves come closer with every step. They all felt so carefree and happy. We bounded up the porch steps, shaking off the stray raindrops. Jacob grabbed my hand before I could open the door and spun me so I was facing him. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he whispered. He brushed my hair from my face before cupping his hand behind my neck. I watched as he studied my face as if he had never seen anything like it before. He leaned until his face was an inch from mine. Then he stopped. My lips parted and I felt my heart beat a little faster. How did he still have this effect on me? I don't think I'll ever get used to how he makes me feel. Jacob's lips brushed against mine, so softly, before swiftly fully bringing us together. Goosebumps rose as his thumb grazed my cheek. His kiss was so intense that it made me dizzy. When we broke apart, I was breathless. He pecked my lips again and then the tip of my nose and then my forehead. He smiled down at me, his eyes twinkling. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Always," I said, smiling back at him.

We walked into the house to see mama and Kaya hard at work in the kitchen. They were laughing as my mom worked to scramble a few dozen eggs in a pan. I looked at Kaya and noticed how sad she looked while mama was talking. My mom looked over at the door and shook her head. "You're late," she said. "Go dry off and help set the table."

Mama had the wolves push back all of the furniture so we could have brunch inside while it rained. Jacob and I dried off and changed our clothes before we joined our family downstairs. I could hear Seth and Paul yelling over some video game, standing directly in front of the tv. Jared was leaning toward Ephraim, explaining to him how they were playing Call of Duty and what the goal was. Poor thing looked so confused, but into it. The rest of the guys were so relaxed and carefree. Just as they should be. Jacob went to go find Embry and Quil while I went to the kitchen to help mama and Kaya. "Smells delicious, mama," I said, kissing her cheek. "What are we talking about?"

"I was just telling Kaya about how you and the boys always used to cut up at brunch. It'll be nice to have some little ones running around here again pretty soon," she answered, glancing over her shoulder. Kaya placed a little hand on my belly as I stood next to her. "Between yours coming and Sam and Emily's little boy, we're about to have our hands full."

"As if you don't already have your hands full with these boys," Kaya giggled. "I don't know how you do this all the time, Sue."

"It's because she's the best mom in the world," I shrugged before walking over to grab a coffee mug.

"Uh, excuse me. What do you think you're doing?" Kaya asked.

I blinked at her, blankly. "I want some coffee."

"Grab some juice or some water. Caffeine isn't good for the baby," my mom said. "And go set the table. Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

I grabbed all of the plates and silverware and began to set the picnic table. As the boys yelled over each other and the house once again filled with the delicious smell of food, my heart starting to burst again. Even Jacob's wonderful laugh was standing out above everything. "Need a hand?" I heard beside me. Sam reached for a few plates to set the other side. "Has anyone said congratulations yet?"

"Huh?" I said. Sam gestured toward my hand. "Oh! Yeah, that's pretty new."

"It's exciting," he said, smiling at me.

"Well, what about you? Little Nathaniel will be here soon. Are you ready to be a daddy?"

He chuckled, "I'm stoked, Lee Lee. I can't believe it's a boy." We worked quietly for a few minutes. When we were together, he would always help me set the table for brunch. So this was like the Twilight Zone or something. I never thought we would get back to a good place. But, since Jacob and I took over, Sam has been one of our biggest advocates. You know…after the whole cliff thing. "You look happy, Lee," he commented.

I glanced up at him, placing the last fork down. "I am," I nodded, biting my lip.

"It looks good on you."

We all sat down for brunch, one of my favorite traditions. Jacob squeezed beside me, patting me on the knee. Kaya and Ephraim sat on the other side of us, enjoying everyone's company and the wonderful food. They would occasionally whisper back and forth, but for the most part, they were just present with all of us. Kaya still looked a little sad when she thought no one was looking. She caught me looking at her at one point and flashed me the brightest smile she could. And I think I knew what was making her sad. She said it herself: we pretty much have all of the tools that we need to lead the pack. So…soon, they would be leaving. I don't think she was ready for the bond that we all made with her. I would be heartbroken when it was time for Kaya and Ephraim to leave. Kaya meant everything to me and having her here was like having a big sister that I didn't know I needed. Her guidance and wisdom and spirit has always been like my own personal star when it felt so dark.

Please stop worrying and enjoy this moment with me, she projected from across the table. I sighed quietly before nodding. There was no reason to be sad yet. This moment was more than enough to put a smile on my face. Why mess it up, you know?